Chapter 628: The Lord of the Goddess Palace, Lu Xuanqian breaks through, Lu Lingxiao picks up

A few days ago.

Just as Lu Changsheng brought Lu Quanzhen to the Flying Swallow Islands to understand the situation, Shen Wanzhao finally received her rescue.

“Wanzhao.”

A gentle, soft, noble, and elegant voice of a mature woman resounded throughout the Heaven and Earth, exceptionally pleasant to the ear, as if possessing an innate, natural charm, beautiful and captivating.

From the voice alone, one could imagine that its owner must be an unparalleled beauty!

Otherwise, such a captivating voice, without a matching peerless beauty capable of making fish sink and geese fall, and flowers ashamed, would be a terrible waste!

“Godmother!”

Shen Wanzhao immediately looked in the direction of the voice and cried out in surprise.

She saw ripples in the space ahead, a burst of dazzling, bright light radiating, and then a graceful and exquisite figure emerged.

Her cascading black hair was styled into a flying immortal bun with a Phoenix hairpin, and a golden step-shake ornament was tucked into her temples, with jade-colored tassels hanging down, exuding elegance and grace.

Her exquisite face was like a blooming rose, cool as frost, yet possessing a captivating charm that could steal one’s soul.

Especially her vermilion lips, plump and full, seemingly flowing with a luscious shimmer, filled with intense sensual allure and mature charm, making one want to taste them.

She wore a luxurious palace gown that flowed like a galaxy, and though no hint of her figure was visible, her skin, like congealed cream and radiating a sacred glow, her elegant and noble swan neck, her delicate and beautiful collarbones, her towering, full, and firm bosom, and her magnificent, breathtakingly enchanting curves, all showcased her peerless grace!

After this woman appeared, the Heaven and Earth seemed to dim in comparison, transforming into a painting of unparalleled beauty, crafted with all creation’s essence!

“I told you to only venture out for experience after you Breakthrough to Core Formation, yet you secretly went out. When you return, you are not allowed to leave Penglai Island by even half a step until you Breakthrough to Core Formation!”

The woman took light lotus steps, her jade-like hips swaying, her beautiful legs, concealed by her skirt, faintly visible, long and slender like jade pillars, fair and dazzling. Her entire being exuded a powerful Aura.

“Yes, Godmother.”

Shen Wanzhao obediently replied. Although her Godmother doted on her, she was also very strict.

“Tell me what happened. How did you encounter danger so soon after leaving?”

Shen Jianjia’s eyes were clear and pristine, shimmering with a captivating allure, yet the nobility, grace, and majesty they contained made people dare not look directly at her, making them retreat.

Although her Goddaughter was only a Late Stage Foundation Establishment Cultivator.

With the secret treasure she had bestowed, unless a Core Formation cultivator intervened, there would be no need to use a teleportation Talisman.

“I heard that a Kunpeng Nest appeared, so I wanted to go and see it. Who knew I would encounter evil Cultivators deceiving me along the way…”

Shen Wanzhao said with some shame.

She had wanted to achieve something to show off to her Godmother and Senior Sister upon her return, but she had to call for help from her Godmother shortly after leaving.

“What kind of existence is a Kunpeng? In the past, a single Kunpeng feather stirred up endless bloodshed!”

“These past years, there have been at least eight hundred, if not a thousand, rumors of a Kunpeng Nest. Some forces even deliberately spread such news to set up traps and kill Loose Cultivators.”

“If a Kunpeng Nest truly appeared, it is not something you are currently strong enough to participate in.”

Shen Jianjia’s figure was full and rounded, her face exquisite and majestic, as she spoke indifferently.

“Godmother, Wanzhao knows her mistake.”

Shen Wanzhao bowed her head, looking at her toes with unease.

“Alright, since you know your mistake, come back with me.”

Shen Jianjia said no more, intending to take her back.

Shen Wanzhao looked at the size of her Godmother’s chest, her eyes filled with admiration and envy, then thought of her own previous situation with an inexplicable feeling, and said, “Godmother, when I used the teleportation Talisman, after being transported here…”

“qiyou flower?”

Shen Jianjia’s figure paused slightly, her beautiful eyes examining her daughter.

She had felt something was amiss earlier.

She had rushed here, but her daughter showed no signs of injury.

Given her daughter’s personality, she wouldn’t have called for help unless she was in life-threatening danger.

Now, hearing about the qiyou flower, she realized even more that something was wrong.

Immediately, she extended her soft hand, like white jade, and grasped Shen Wanzhao’s wrist, checking her condition.

At her Cultivation Realm, she could obtain much information with a single thought, and she saw that her daughter had been severely injured earlier, then healed by a pure and vast life force.

Although she wasn’t sure where this life force came from, it was highly likely not from the qiyou flower.

“Could it be…”

Shen Jianjia’s beautiful eyes shimmered, and a plum blossom mark revolved at the center of her brows.

“Indeed!”

A moment later, she saw that her daughter’s Sea of Consciousness and Divine Soul had been tampered with.

Shen Wanzhao’s Sea of Consciousness had a Soul Restriction from the Goddess Palace, which even a Core Formation Immortal Master could not bypass. This indicated that a Nascent Soul cultivator had secretly made a move against her daughter!

How could a Nascent Soul cultivator inexplicably attack a small Foundation Establishment Cultivator? It must have been directed at her Goddess Palace!

“I’d like to see who dares to lay a hand on my Goddess Palace!”

An indescribable coldness appeared on Shen Jianjia’s exquisite face. Her robes fluttered, rustling, like a peerless Goddess standing proudly in the world, her brows filled with majesty and dominance, causing the surrounding Heaven and Earth to twist and fluctuate, as if about to collapse.

“Wanzhao, release your Divine Soul consciousness.”

She spoke, the plum blossom mark on her brow swirling and rotating, emitting a deep and mysterious soul light that shone upon Shen Wanzhao’s Sea of Consciousness and Divine Soul.

A moment later, scenes and images emerged before her eyes.

The memories of Shen Wanzhao that Lu Changsheng had altered gradually appeared before Shen Jianjia.

“Who is this person?”

Shen Jianjia looked at Lu Changsheng, who wore a green robe and had an incomparably handsome face, her willow brows slightly furrowed.

As the Master of Penglai Island and the Goddess Palace, she was familiar with and had an impression of the top Cultivators and Nascent Soul True Lords in Xingxiu Sea.

But she had never remembered such a person.

“Could this person be from the other side of the Misty Sea?”

As the Master of the Goddess Palace, she knew many unknown secrets.

For example, besides the four great natural disasters of Xingxiu Sea—Heavenly Wind, Ghost Mist, Beast Tide, and ghost ship—there were also many misty sea regions.

Some of these misty sea regions led to dangerous forbidden zones, while others connected to other Cultivation Worlds.

She remembered that this particular misty sea region should connect to a certain Cultivation kingdom.

“It seems this person merely asked for directions and information, with no ill intent, but simply erased his tracks.”

Shen Jianjia carefully checked her daughter’s Sea of Consciousness and Divine Soul several times, confirming that only a small segment of memory had been altered, and no Restriction had been laid, which put her at ease.

However, the appearance of another mysterious Nascent Soul cultivator in Xingxiu Sea was something to be highly wary of.

Moreover, although the strength of this person’s mount was difficult to ascertain from Shen Wanzhao’s memory, its ability to cross the misty sea was beyond doubt.

“Ying!”

At the same time, under Shen Jianjia’s Nascent Soul Divine Soul, Shen Wanzhao whimpered and fainted.

Although Shen Jianjia used a secret technique and was very careful when examining the Sea of Consciousness and Divine Soul memories, it still caused a tremendous burden on her.

Seeing this, Shen Jianjia gently raised her fair, jade-like hand, and a lone boat, flowing like a galaxy, appeared. She embraced the unconscious Shen Wanzhao and soared away.

Her robes fluttered, her black hair swayed, and her peerless, independent grace was utterly beautiful, yet it also gave off an indescribable Aura of majesty and dominance.

Lu Changsheng, however, did not know that the Divine Soul consciousness he had altered had been discovered.

After all, such a feat would be very difficult unless a Nascent Soul True Lord made a move.

And encountering a Foundation Establishment Cultivator with a Nascent Soul elder was like winning the lottery, extremely rare.

Moreover, even if one had a Nascent Soul elder, they wouldn’t necessarily check the other party’s Sea of Consciousness and Divine Soul.

After sending his son Lu Quanzhen to the Flying Swallow Islands, he boarded the Rift Sea Mystic Whale and began his return journey.

At the same time.

On Biyun Peak of Bihu Mountain, a surge of Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi swept through, forming a massive funnel-shaped vortex, indicating that someone was attempting to Breakthrough to Foundation Establishment.

Over the past few decades, the disciples of the Lu Family and external Cultivators had long grown accustomed to such sights.

Ever since the Lu Family publicly announced that they possessed an Alchemist capable of refining Foundation Establishment Pills and would refine them for free, someone would attempt to Breakthrough to Foundation Establishment every few years.

Now, it was almost an annual occurrence.

It could be a Lu Family disciple, or a Cultivator who had gathered the Materials for a Foundation Establishment Pill and came to ask the Lu Family to refine it.

However, today’s Foundation Establishment attempt still attracted considerable attention.

Because the celestial phenomenon was quite grand, indicating that the Cultivator attempting Foundation Establishment had an extraordinary Foundation.

Time passed bit by bit.

More than half a month later, the surging Spiritual Qi vortex solidified with a roar, emitting a burst of five-colored auspicious clouds, before gradually dispersing.

“It succeeded. I wonder if this person is a disciple of the Tianfu Lu Family or a Loose Cultivator who used Bihu Mountain to Breakthrough to Foundation Establishment.”

“Why even ask? Such a Foundation Establishment phenomenon couldn’t be from an ordinary Loose Cultivator. It must be a Lu Family disciple!”

“Rumor has it that above the Fragmented, Imperfect, and Perfect Dao Foundations, there is also a Perfect Dao Foundation. Could this be a Perfect Dao Foundation?”

Some Guest Elders and external Cultivators of the Lu Family discussed animatedly.

However, the Lu Family was very strict about keeping this matter confidential. Many Lu Family disciples didn’t even know who had Breakthrough to Foundation Establishment.

Perhaps they would only find out at a subsequent Family gathering that one of their siblings, uncles, or aunts had become a Foundation Establishment Great Cultivator.

“Mother, I have not failed your trust.”

At this moment, in the back mountain of Biyun Peak, a young man wearing the Lu Family disciple robe of Bihu Mountain walked out of an Immortal Cave and bowed to the dignified and gentle woman before him.

“Qian’er, is it a Perfect Dao Foundation?”

Wang Yanjing looked at her son and asked with concern.

This Cultivator who had Breakthrough to Foundation Establishment was none other than Lu Xuangan, a third-generation member of the Lu Family, the son of Lu Xingchen and Wang Yanjing, and possessed a Five Elements Body!

“Mother, please see.”

Lu Xuangan directly extended his hand, indicating that his mother could examine his Dao Foundation.

In the Cultivation World, both the Dao Foundation and the Golden Core were secrets of a Cultivator. Aside from the closest individuals, they would not be shown to others.

Doing so would not only reveal the secrets of one’s Cultivation Technique but also leave oneself completely defenseless, which was very dangerous.

Wang Yanjing grasped her son’s wrist, and her Divine Sense and magical power entered it. Instantly, she saw a five-colored divine light swirling in his Qi Sea Dantian, with the Five Elements Qi circulating, forming an endless Dao platform.

She could clearly see that this Five Elements Dao Foundation was much more solid and profound than her own Dao Foundation.

“Good, good, good. As expected of a Dao Foundation condensed by Heavenly Dao Foundation Establishment. With such a Dao Foundation, Qian’er, you will definitely be able to Breakthrough to a High Grade Golden Core in the future and have hope of reaching Nascent Soul!”

Wang Yanjing was excited and thrilled.

Although she had refined the [Five Elements Mirror] into a companion Magic Treasure and cultivated with its Qi, she had already Breakthrough to the seventh layer of Foundation Establishment and had hopes of Core Formation in the future.

But after marrying Lu Xingchen and becoming a wife and mother, her Heart-Nature towards the Dao had gradually faded, and having hopes of Core Formation was already satisfying.

However, for her son Lu Xuangan, she truly held great expectations!

The reason she had only now Breakthrough to the seventh layer of Foundation Establishment was that most of her time and energy had been spent on her son, meticulously nurturing and teaching him.

Her son Lu Xuangan had not disappointed her either.

At only twenty-three years old this year, he had Breakthrough to Foundation Establishment and condensed a Perfect Dao Foundation!

Moreover, due to her father-in-law Lu Changsheng’s instructions, her original intention was to let her son further refine his Foundation and not rush to Breakthrough.

However, his son’s Five Elements Body and the Cultivation Technique, “Five Elements Yuanhe Sutra,” were so perfectly matched, and with the constant nourishment from the [Five Elements Jade Pendant] day and night, when refining his magical power, he directly achieved the legendary Heavenly Dao Foundation Establishment!

Under these circumstances, Wang Yanjing dared not delay and immediately arranged for her son, Lu Xuangan, to undergo Foundation Establishment.

“Please rest assured, Mother!”

Under his mother’s tutelage, although he maintained humility, the general environment of the Cultivation World, and being subtly influenced, possessing a Five Elements Body, he still harbored a bit of arrogance in his heart and had lofty ambitions.

He believed that Foundation Establishment was just the beginning; in the future, there would be Core Formation, and even Nascent Soul!

At this moment, Lu Xingchen, seeing that the Foundation Establishment phenomenon had ended, also rushed over from the Alchemy Hall, his face full of joy.

Although he had High Grade Spiritual Roots, his Heart-Nature was easygoing, and he usually did not contend or scramble, dedicating his time and energy to the Family and Alchemy, so his Cultivation only reached Foundation Establishment Fifth Layer.

“Father!”

“Husband.”

After a brief reunion, Lu Xingchen took his son to visit his mother, Xia Zhiyue, and others like Lu Miaoyun.

Even Xia Zhiyue, Lu Miaoyun, and the others, despite knowing about this grandson’s talent, couldn’t help but be amazed.

One could only say that the Five Elements Body was truly extraordinary!

At this moment, Lu Miaoyun informed Wang Yanjing of a piece of news regarding the Five Elements Wang Family.

The Five Elements Wang Family had sealed their mountain.

During the Wilderness War, the news of the Five Elements Wang Family Old Ancestor’s demise spread, and then two years ago, the Wang Family failed to break through to Core Formation, completely declaring the name of the Five Elements Wang Family to be in name only, existing only in name.

The Wang Family’s territory was continuously encroached upon by other forces, and many affiliated forces also chose to distance themselves from the Wang Family to avoid being purged by the Wang Family’s rivals.

Facing such a situation, the Wang Family was powerless and ultimately chose to recall their disciples to the main branch, Five Elements Mountain, and seal the mountain, not interacting with the outside world.

Even a starved camel is bigger than a horse!

Some speculated that the Wang Family was trying to hold onto their basic Foundation, not using Ningjing Pills, but relying solely on Five Elements Mountain and Core Formation Spiritual Objects to produce a Core Formation True Person.

Others speculated that the Wang Family was deliberately putting on a show, but in reality, sending their core disciples out to seek Core Formation Opportunities.

Regardless, in the eyes of most people, the Five Elements Wang Family no longer existed and could only be called the Five Elements Mountain Wang Family.

At this point, being willing to give up the ancestral land of Five Elements Mountain, and still hoping for a comeback, continuing to hold onto Five Elements Mountain, was merely a dying struggle.

“Thank you, Mother-in-law.”

Wang Yanjing felt very uncomfortable listening to her Family’s situation.

No matter what, that was the Spiritual Land where she was born and raised.

However, she had previously written to the Wang Family, stating that they could abandon Five Elements Mountain and send some of the Family elites out, or even to Cangyun Mountain under Qingyun’s jurisdiction.

But the Wang Family only sent a few ordinary disciples and were unwilling to give up their last shred of hope.

Under these circumstances, there was nothing she could do.

Qingluan Immortal City.

Besides cultivating and gaining experience in the Ten Thousand Beast Mountain Range’s wilderness area, Lu Lingxiao would also come to Qingluan Immortal City to handle and purchase some Cultivation resources.

Because he was often called upon by Lu Wangshu to help appraise treasures and search for them, he had gained quite a bit, gradually developing some interest in picking up and appraising treasures.

So, whenever he had nothing to do, he would go to the street stalls and trading areas to see if he could find any treasures.

After all, the Cultivation World never lacked stories of ordinary small Cultivators finding dust-covered Spirit Treasures and soaring to prominence.

And he possessed [Son of Heaven’s Qi Observation], which could not only observe Divine Abilities and spells, mountains and earth veins, but also discern the spiritual Aura of treasures.

Even some self-concealing Heaven and Earth Spirit Treasures could reveal some clues.

“Hmm?”

At this moment, Lu Lingxiao saw an ancient, rough bronze ring in the street stall area.

This ring was very strange; it seemed to be made of ordinary material, but it gave him an inexplicable flow of Qi.

“Fellow Daoist, are you interested in this ring? To be honest, Fellow Daoist, I obtained this ring from an Immortal Cave during the Wilderness War…”

Most of the stalls in this area were run by Loose Cultivators.

And having just experienced the Wilderness War, anything that looked slightly ancient and mysterious was basically claimed to have been excavated from Immortal Caves or Ancient Ruins during the Wilderness War, boasting how extraordinary it was.

There was even a group of Cultivators who specialized in forging such Magical Artifacts and secret treasures from ‘Ancient Ruins’.

Lu Lingxiao said nothing, holding the ring in his palm, rubbing it, observing it carefully, and even attempting to inject magical power, but there was no movement or effect whatsoever.

He squeezed it slightly, but the ring was incredibly hard, made of unknown material.

“How much?”

Lu Lingxiao asked, feeling that this ring was not simple and could be bought.

“Fellow Daoist has good eyesight. I spent a great deal of effort to acquire this ring, so I won’t sell it for less than five thousand Spirit Stones.”

The stall owner stretched out a hand and said.

“Hiss…”

The nearby stall owners noticed this scene and couldn’t help but exclaim, thinking that this was treating this Young Master like a pig to be slaughtered.

Even if this person looked wealthy and noble, daring to ask for five thousand Spirit Stones for a broken ring was truly audacious.

“Two thousand five hundred.”

Lu Lingxiao didn’t like to bargain much, so he always followed Lu Wangshu’s advice and offered half the price.

Mainly, in his opinion, if this ring had a mystery, then it was worth this price.

“Alright, it’s the first sale today, and seeing Fellow Daoist, I feel a connection. Two thousand five hundred it is, deal!”

The stall owner thought to himself, ‘As expected of a Young Master, he’s rich,’ and immediately agreed to the transaction.

“…”

Lu Lingxiao naturally knew he had offered less, but he didn’t say much, throwing out the Spirit Stones with an indifferent expression and putting away the ring.

“Fellow Daoist, come take a look here. All of these were obtained from an Immortal Cave of a predecessor during the Wilderness War!”

“Fellow Daoist, these were obtained from the Immortal Cave of a Nascent Soul True Lord; they are all top-grade!”

The Cultivators at the nearby stalls, seeing this, immediately called out to Lu Lingxiao, wanting to make a profit from him.

However, Lu Lingxiao merely glanced at them with an indifferent expression, and the few people immediately trembled, their faces turning pale.

Late Stage Foundation Establishment!

This Young Master was actually a Late Stage Foundation Establishment Great Cultivator!

For a moment, the few people were terrified, wondering if that ring just now was truly some kind of treasure.

Even the stall owner who sold the ring couldn’t help but wonder.

He had studied this ring himself for a long time.

It was incredibly hard, difficult for even Spiritual Artifacts to break, but no matter how he tried, there was no mysterious effect, as if it were just an ordinary decoration.

However, the ring had already been sold, and he dared not ask further, contentedly accepting the two thousand five hundred Spirit Stones.

Lu Lingxiao continued to wander around the street stalls, and then he saw a palm-sized, somewhat damaged, mottled bronze mirror.

He carefully examined this bronze mirror for a moment, discerning some depth.

This was very likely a Magic Treasure.

It was just that for some reason, it was damaged and incomplete, and then it was covered in dust for a long time, lacking the nourishment of magical power, causing the Magic Treasure to become obscured and self-concealing.

Although its value was ordinary, after injecting a bit of magical power, he found that this bronze mirror actually had a peculiar resonance with his Dragon’s Roar Body.

“Is this a Magic Treasure of extreme Yang and ultimate rigidity?”

Lu Lingxiao frowned slightly, thinking to himself.

He continued to examine it for a moment, then asked the stall owner for the price.

This stall owner had good judgment and directly stated that it was a damaged and sealed Magic Treasure.

If it could be recast by a third-tier Artifact Refiner and its spiritual light unleashed, then its value would be extraordinary, and he quoted fifty thousand Spirit Stones.

“Too expensive, fifteen thousand.”

This price was too much even for Lu Lingxiao; it was simply not a price that a Foundation Establishment Cultivator could afford.

After a simple negotiation, they finally settled on twenty-three thousand Spirit Stones.

The price was not high, but it was not cheap either.

It was a gamble on whether the original quality of this Magic Treasure was Low Grade, Medium Grade, or High Grade, and how severe the damage was.

After paying the Spirit Stones, Lu Lingxiao walked around for another circle and left without any further gains.

This trip cost him over twenty thousand Spirit Stones, which was fine for him.

He was often called upon by Lu Wangshu to explore and seek treasures, and he could single-handedly kill second-tier Late Stage Yao Beasts, so his accumulated wealth surpassed ninety percent of Foundation Establishment Cultivators.

Moreover, his mother, Ling Zixiao, took good care of him, giving him a lot of Spirit Stones when he went out.

After completing his purchases and processing the Yao Beast Materials in Qingluan Immortal City, he came to an inn to rest, playing with the bronze ring and the broken bronze mirror he had purchased earlier.

The ring still showed no movement, but the broken bronze mirror could be injected with magical power, and he felt some resonance.

However, for a Foundation Establishment Cultivator to activate such a Magic Treasure with obscured spiritual light was undoubtedly a fantasy.

After playing with it for a long time, Lu Lingxiao put it back into his Storage Pouch, planning to ask his Master or father about it when he returned home.

The next day, he left Qingluan Immortal City, and on his way back to Qingxuan Mountain, he encountered an ambush by four Foundation Establishment Cultivators.

Although Qingluan True Monarch had re-established control over the Immortal City, and after the Wilderness War, there were far fewer rogue Cultivators in the Immortal City area.

But as long as there were people, there would be Jianghu, and anyone could become a rogue Cultivator, making it impossible to eliminate them.

Lu Lingxiao was already accustomed to such situations.

He was generous with his money and dressed lavishly, and although he possessed Late Stage Foundation Establishment Cultivation, in the eyes of many, he was still like a fat sheep.

In Lu Lingxiao’s eyes, two dragon-shaped Qi streams ascended, like the sun and moon rotating, captivating people’s souls, directly seeing through the four people’s Cultivation and their Qi flaws. Then, he let out a long roar, and a black-gold treasure tree burning with fiery vines appeared in his hand, which he swung violently.

“Boom!”

The Golden Fire Vine Tree erupted with a dazzling golden glow, burning with raging flames, transforming into a fiery True Dragon and a Vermilion Bird, charging out.

“Ah–”

A Late Stage Foundation Establishment Cultivator’s protective magical barrier was directly shattered by Lu Lingxiao, his Physical Body broken, and then he was burned to a crisp by the flames at a visible speed.

“Clang!”

At the same time, a Flying Sword struck near Lu Lingxiao. He clenched his left fist, burning with scorching, overbearing dark-golden flames, and directly punched out, directly clashing with the Spiritual Artifact.

“Boom!”

The Golden Fire Vine Tree continued to swing, its Aura surging and terrifying, vast and mighty, striking another person, causing them to explode and burn into charcoal.

The remaining two looked horrified and terrified, knowing that they had encountered a tough opponent. This was not some foolish, rich Young Master, but a top-tier battle Cultivator!

The two crushed Talismans and fled.

But how could Lu Lingxiao give up so easily? He directly threw the Golden Fire Vine Tree in his hand, like a golden flame-burning bird soaring through the air, striking one person, sending him flying and spitting blood.

“Puff!”

After rapidly shooting forward and killing this person, burning him to ashes, Lu Lingxiao activated a Talisman and pursued the remaining person.

Lu Changsheng had given his children many Talismans for self-defense, and he naturally had them too.

Moreover, he was a major client of Lu Wangshu, enjoying discounts when purchasing Talismans, so he was not short of them and basically had all kinds of Talismans.

Relying on the second-tier top-grade Wind Control Talisman, half an hour later, he killed the last person, burned him to ashes, collected the spoils, and returned to Qingxuan Mountain as if nothing had happened.