Chapter 1518: Heavenly Son's Sword

All forces across the royal court were alarmed. In the ancestral secret realm, the elders opened their eyes. "Another divine artifact has appeared?" they wondered, their eyes glowing with fervent light. Divine artifacts were incredibly rare; even the demon royal family in ancient times only possessed one, the Sun-Slaying Bow. Their numbers across the land were truly scarce, yet each wielded immense power, capable of even altering the balance of power among various factions.

The First Elder's heart stirred, and he was about to investigate, but the Second Elder beside him stopped him. "Forget it," he said. "How many more times can your remaining lifespan endure such commotion? No matter how powerful a divine artifact is, it cannot extend our lives."

The First Elder realized the truth in his words. They could only slow the decay of their lifespans by remaining dormant in the unique environment of the ancestral land. Each time they ventured out, a significant portion of their life force was consumed. They had just gone out yesterday; if they went out again today... Alas, they were old, and their bodies simply couldn't withstand such frequent exertions.

"The Second Elder is right. Then I'll send people outside to investigate the situation," the First Elder said. Their secluded cultivation places usually had servants waiting outside for instructions. Once the situation was clear, they could decide whether to intervene and seize the artifact, which would help conserve their lifespans.

"Don't call me 'Second Elder'!""Alright, Second Elder."

In his royal residence, the Elf King, who was looking into a mirror, suddenly changed expression. He looked up towards the direction of the sword qi, then vanished, instantly reappearing near the imperial palace. Peacock King and Young Golden Roc King also arrived, along with other powerful figures like Hu Qianxiao, who rushed to the scene upon hearing the news. However, the imperial palace guards stopped them all. Only the Three Kings, due to their special status, were permitted to enter.

Meanwhile, inside the imperial palace, Zu An drew out the Tai'e Sword. When the sword had just broken through to the immortal rank, its blade gleamed with a cold light, appearing impossibly sharp. Now, having reached the divine rank, its cold light had completely receded, restoring its initial, ancient and weighty feel. A misty divine glow circulated around the blade, subtly revealing the faint outline of a dragon. It also exuded a vast oppressive aura; though merely a sword, it felt as heavy as mountains and rivers.

Mi Li's excited voice drifted over: "I never thought I'd see the Tai'e in its full glory again one day!" Zu An turned to look, nearly getting a nosebleed. Mi Li, in her excitement, had emerged from behind the screen. Her attire was incredibly light, and her delicate, smooth, snow-white skin was dazzling. She resembled the youthful girls from his previous life who wore tank tops and hot pants in summer, yet combined with her mature aura, one could faintly perceive the majesty of mountains and the splendor of rivers and lands in her. In truth, Zu An had often seen bikinis in his previous life, so such clothing could hardly be called revealing. But compared to Mi Li's usual heavily draped ceremonial robes, this sudden freedom of attire was incredibly visually striking.

Mi Li raised her phoenix-like eyes and, with a flick of her hand, drew a nearby piece of clothing to her, wrapping it around herself. "Have you seen enough?" she asked. "No!" Zu An's gaze was somewhat fervent. He didn't know why, but his blood was coursing wildly, and various chaotic thoughts flooded his mind. Yang Guo and Xiao Longnü were also master and disciple... And there was another phrase, what was it again? Oh right, 'defiling one's master and ancestors'...

Mi Li sensed his gaze, which felt almost substantial, and her skin responded. Her face immediately showed a hint of discomfort. "You've been channeling the White Lotus True Flame for a long time, standing before the furnace to forge the divine weapon," she explained. "That's why your blood qi is much more active than usual right now. Quickly compose yourself."

Zu An's heart tensed. Having absorbed Mr. Bat's cultivation earlier, his internal energy was already turbulent. After spending the night with the young demon queen, he had finally managed to barely suppress it. However, forging the divine artifact had consumed immense energy, causing the suppressed energy to become chaotic again. Furthermore, the divine sword's recent emergence, coupled with the surge of its divine power, left him with a violent urge, a strong desire to unleash it.

To divert his attention, Mi Li's gaze shifted to the Tai'e in his hand. "Do you know what abilities the Tai'e possesses now that it has returned to its peak?" she asked.

"Can the Domain of Authority now directly affect Earth Immortals?" Zu An's eyes lit up. He thought about how effective the pressure domain had been when it was at the Heaven rank; surely, at the divine rank, dealing with Earth Immortals wouldn't be impossible.

Mi Li shook her head. "The Domain of Authority has indeed doubled in power and no longer has a usage limit," she explained. "However, Earth Immortals all possess their own domains, and each of them has an exceptional will. It's practically impossible to defeat them solely through pressure."

Seeing Zu An frown, she continued, "You needn't be disappointed, because the Domain of Authority is merely a secondary function of the Tai'e Sword."

"Oh, then what's its most powerful function?" Zu An asked excitedly. If the Domain of Authority was already so powerful, what else could it do?

"It makes your sword strikes more powerful," Mi Li replied.

Zu An looked bewildered. Couldn't any weapon of decent quality achieve that effect?

Seeing his expression, Mi Li knew he had misunderstood, so she explained: "The Tai'e Sword is the Sword of the Emperor, wielding the power of the land and rivers. The higher your status, the closer you are to being an emperor, the more you can harness the grand momentum of the world's mountains and rivers for your own use, and the greater the power of its strikes. Currently, as the Demon Regent, you are second only to the emperor among demons. Coupled with your noble title among humans, you can barely unleash the Tai'e's power. Of course, if you were an emperor, the power unleashed would be even greater."

"Wielding the land and rivers as a sword?" Zu An looked at the long sword in his hand, not without surprise. How immense would the power of such a sword strike be?

"I'm going to try out my new home," Mi Li said. She was not accustomed to appearing before him so scantily clad, especially as his bulging muscles were also intensely impactful to her. "You've almost gathered all the materials I need to reshape my body. I also need to go into a deep sleep now to replenish my energy and prepare for that day." Without waiting for Zu An to detain her, she transformed into a streak of light and entered the Tai'e Sword. The sword vibrated with a hum, clearly rejoicing at her entry.

Zu An looked puzzled. "Haven't I only collected two types of materials?" he wondered. She hadn't even told him about the third material, yet she seemed so certain he would find it.

While he was still puzzled, he suddenly sensed a fluctuation of vital energy outside. Zu An grabbed the Tai'e Sword and shot into the sky. At the same time, three figures appeared nearby: the Great Elf King, Peacock King, and Young Golden Roc King.

"What wind blew the three of you here today?" Zu An gazed coldly at them, aware that they had ill intentions.

Peacock King and Young Golden Roc King simultaneously fixed their gazes on the sword in his hand. The Great Elf King, however, focused on Zu An's bare upper body, frowning. "His face is rather unremarkable," he muttered, "but all those muscles, they truly don't meet the standard of a handsome man."

"Whose divine artifact is this?" Young Golden Roc King asked with a look of desire, his gaze no longer calm as before.

"This sword is named Tai'e; it has been my companion for many years," Zu An said calmly. "What, Young Golden Roc King, do you wish to try it?"

Although the Great Elf King found Zu An's muscular build somewhat distasteful, he still subtly shifted in Zu An's direction. His meaning was clear: if a fight broke out, he would side with his advantageous son-in-law.

Young Golden Roc King's heart tightened. "Regent King, you jest," he said. "We merely came out of curiosity; we have no intention of seizing it."

Of course, if they had discovered the divine artifact in the hands of a weaker person, they wouldn't have hesitated to kill and seize it. But Zu An was truly unfathomable. His combat prowess from last night alone made him seem deeply mysterious, and now he had an additional divine weapon. Who would dare to act recklessly?

"Could it be that he held back his strength last night?" This thought simultaneously crossed the minds of the Three Kings. As they looked at the half-naked man before them, his image suddenly seemed to grow taller and more imposing.

Peacock King also chuckled, "With that sudden surge of sword qi, I thought something had gone wrong at the imperial palace. Since it's in the Regent King's hands, then naturally there's no problem."

He secretly pondered: he had heard Kong Qing mention that Nan Wu and Zu An seemed to have some connection. Now that she couldn't become the Crown Princess, perhaps it was time to find another path?

After exchanging pleasantries for a while, the others took their leave, promising to help him handle the aftermath by dispersing the various individuals who had rushed there upon hearing the news.

Zu An's expression was strange. He felt his blood qi surging wildly, eager to unleash a sword strike to test the power of the divine-rank Tai'e. Unfortunately, these people didn't give him any opportunity.

Meanwhile, in the human imperial palace in the capital, Emperor Zhao Hao, who was in seclusion, suddenly opened his eyes and looked north. He muttered to himself, "Another divine artifact has appeared?"

That was within the demon territory. For the demon race to gain another divine artifact was truly not a blessing for his dynasty.

Thinking of this, his mood immediately soured. He called out beyond the door, "Little Wenzi, why haven't Sang Hong and Zu An's party returned yet?"

Eunuch Wen's respectful voice came from outside the door: "It seems Lord Sang and his delegation have been delayed by some matters."

Zhao Hao snorted coldly. "First it's demon spies, then rampaging fierce beasts, then bandit rebellions somewhere... All these endless delays! Do they take me for a fool?" he demanded. "Send word to him: he has ten days to return to the capital, or he needn't ever return!"