Crimson Firmament Divine Sword

Zhu Gaochi stood frozen in place, wondering if his prolonged illness had left him so weak and dazed that he was now seeing things.

Snapping out of it, he quickly rubbed his eyes, only to find that the tall, vigorous figure with sharp brows and a familiar bearing had not vanished.

"What, after a few months apart, you don't even recognize your own father?"

Zhu Di walked up to Zhu Gaochi with a smile.

He had previously forbidden Zhu Zhanji and the others from telling Zhu Gaochi about this, just to see the look of shock on his hefty son's face.

"Father, you... how have you become young again??"

After confirming that what he saw was no illusion, Zhu Gaochi's astonishment only deepened, his face full of disbelief.

"Haha."

"Imperial We has been blessed by Immortals and Spirits, thus able to shed the old shell and regain youth!"

Zhu Di laughed heartily, hands on his hips, in excellent spirits.

"Immortals and Spirits?"

Zhu Gaochi was even more bewildered at this, for tales of Immortals and Spirits had always been ethereal, existing only in ancient legends and strange records.

"It's true."

Seeing his father's disbelief, Zhu Zhanji immediately explained:

"When Grandfather was at Yumuchuan, he suddenly received the blessing of Immortals and Spirits. Not only did he become young again, but his strength skyrocketed. He single-handedly carried the Red-Clad Cannon and cut down the Oirat's three thousand iron cavalry."

"The reason we swept through the Grassland tribes so quickly this time is also because Grandfather's strength was too great—he completely crushed Mahamu and the others into submission."

"Later, the Immortals and Spirits bestowed Divine Water. After my brothers of the Three Thousand Camp and I drank it, our physiques also surged—we're not what we used to be."

To prevent his father from doubting, Zhu Zhanji casually lifted the stone lion by the gate.

"My heavens..."

When Zhu Gaochi saw Zhu Zhanji actually hoist the thousand-jin stone lion over his head, his eyes nearly popped out. The last shred of doubt in his heart was shattered by this display of power beyond mortal limits.

"So Immortals and Spirits truly exist in this world."

"Of course."

Zhu Di stroked his beard with a smile, then unhooked a gourd from his waist and tossed it to Zhu Gaochi.

"This is the Divine Water saved for you. Drink it now—it will cure all your ailments and make you vigorous as a dragon."

Zhu Gaochi looked at Zhu Di and Zhu Zhanji's expectant faces, hesitated no longer, and tilted his head back to gulp down the water from the gourd.

After drinking, Zhu Gaochi immediately felt a warm, soothing energy surge through his entire body.

The discomfort that had plagued him vanished in an instant. Every movement felt light and effortless, as if boundless power now filled his frame.

"A miracle, a true miracle!"

Zhu Gaochi rejoiced like a two-hundred-jin child, leaping and cheering on the spot.

He had thought his days were numbered, yet a single gourd of Divine Water had wiped away all his injuries and ailments.

Once the excitement subsided, Zhu Gaochi felt a pang of regret—he shouldn't have drunk all the Divine Water; he should have saved some for his wife and children.

"Look at you, so petty." Zhu Di saw the change in his eldest son's expression, scolded him with a laugh, and tossed over another gourd. "Catch. Did Imperial We seem like one who only looks ahead without looking back?"

Zhu Gaochi quickly caught it with both hands, cradling it like a treasure, afraid of spilling a single drop.

"How goes the task Imperial We gave you—collecting rare and exotic treasures?"

Zhu Di got down to business.

"After the imperial decree was issued, we indeed gathered many folk treasures. They've all been stored in the Treasure Vault."

Zhu Gaochi replied respectfully.

"Good. Imperial We will go take a look."

Zhu Di strode eagerly toward the Treasure Vault.

Soon, he arrived at the Great Ming Treasure Vault.

Hundreds of rows of tall red sandalwood shelves stood in orderly ranks, laden with a dazzling array of jade, ancient artifacts, paintings, calligraphy, strange stones... a faint glow of treasure shimmering throughout.

Among them were both the imperial collections accumulated since the founding of the Great Ming and newly received tributes from all regions.

Zhu Di walked among the shelves, eyeing these rare treasures—any one of which, if leaked out, would cause a stir—yet none satisfied him.

After all, Ye Hei and Xiao Yan had sacrificed the Immortal Medicine seeds and Exotic Fire from their own worlds.

Though the Great Ming World was far inferior to the worlds of Ye Hei and Xiao Yan, he still wanted to select the most precious treasures to offer to Immortal Master Qingxu, to express his gratitude.

"Hm?"

"Is this... a sword?"

Suddenly, Zhu Di's gaze was drawn to a treasure sword hanging on the wall.

The sword was entirely golden yellow, its blade flowing with cold light, while the body and hilt were engraved with various ancient patterns. A dignified, majestic, and imposing ancient aura faintly emanated from it—this was none other than the legendary Chixiao Sword, used by Liu Bang, the first emperor of Han, when he rose up by slaying the white serpent.

Zhu Di hadn't expected his chubby son to be so reliable, even managing to acquire the Chixiao Sword.

He took the Xuanyuan Sword down from the wall, examined it carefully, and made his decision:

"Good."

"I'll sacrifice this sword!"

As Zhu Di activated the sacrifice function and placed the Chixiao Sword into it, the next moment, a voice rang out in the mind of Li Qingxu, who was meditating with closed eyes at the foot of Kunlun Mountain:

"Group member Emperor Yongle has sacrificed the Chixiao Sword, triggering the system's billion-fold critical hit. It has transformed into the High-grade Innate Spiritual Treasure, Chixiao Sword!"

Hearing this, Li Qingxu couldn't help but feel a surge of excitement.

Every Innate Spiritual Treasure possessed immense power, capable even of suppressing time and sealing space.

If a cultivator obtained an Innate Spiritual Treasure, they could not only crush enemies of the Same Realm who lacked one with overwhelming force, but also use the treasure's might to challenge those of higher realms.

Even a Quasi-Saint seeking to sever a corpse had to rely on an Innate Spiritual Treasure.

Unfortunately, in the Primordial World, there were only a fixed three thousand Innate Spiritual Treasures, and the vast majority were held by top-tier experts like Dao Ancestor Hongjun and the Six Sages.

Even ordinary Grand Unity Golden Immortals rarely possessed a single Low-grade Innate Spiritual Treasure.

But now, the Chixiao Sword sacrificed by Emperor Yongle, under the system's billion-fold critical hit, had transformed into a High-grade Innate Spiritual Treasure!

To him, this was an enormous surprise, one that could elevate his strength by a whole tier!

However, as the saying goes, "A man's wealth is his own ruin." Li Qingxu still suppressed his excitement and did not take out the Chixiao Sword on the spot.

Then, he thought of a crucial issue.

Every Innate Spiritual Treasure contained Innate Restrictions, and the higher the grade, the more restrictions it held.

This High-grade Innate Spiritual Treasure contained a full twenty-four Innate Restrictions. With his current strength at the Earth Immortal Realm, fully refining them would likely take tens of thousands of years.

Just as he was about to ask the system, he found that his Spiritual Sense was already connected to the Chixiao Sword in the System Space, and it felt as natural as an extension of his own arm.

"The system really is reliable!"

Li Qingxu's heart grew even more joyful.

This saved him at least tens of thousands of years of painstaking effort, allowing him to wield this treasure directly and focus all his energy on improving his own Daoxing!

Suddenly, a supreme, majestic, and vast aura, towering above all paths of the heavens, erupted from the Peak of Kunlun Mountain. It turned into an invisible, overwhelming tidal wave, sweeping across the nine heavens and ten lands, covering billions of miles of mountains and rivers!

At the foot of Kunlun Mountain, the countless billions of cultivators and living beings—regardless of race or cultivation level—all trembled in their Divine Souls, their blood churning, as they felt a sense of insignificance and awe born from the very essence of life.

Every face was etched with extreme excitement, longing, and tension, as their fervent gazes turned toward the Peak of Kunlun Mountain.

The disciple-recruiting trials of Yuanshi and Tongtian Saint were finally about to begin!