On the 60th birthday of the system, my son’s engagement was annulled!

The Holy Flame Church was very lively today.

Most of the rarely seen Celestial Kings have come, all for the Heavenly Sword in Lin Xuan's hands.

The Heavenly Sword is a superior-grade innate spiritual treasure, and it is said to have reached the level and rules of a top-grade spiritual treasure.

Generally speaking, even Immortal Emperors rarely possess top-grade spiritual treasures, let alone top-grade spiritual treasures that are about to be upgraded to supreme-grade spiritual treasures.

"The Heavenly Sword, the sword once worn by the Celestial Venerable Tianshuo!"

"There's no mistake. I've read ancient records, and that's exactly how it is. Even if it's not the Heavenly Sword, it's still a genuine top-grade innate spiritual treasure!"

"What merit does a mere Golden Immortal Realm possess to deserve the recognition of such a spiritual treasure?!"

"For a Golden Immortal to use a high-grade spiritual treasure is simply a waste of resources!"

Most of the hall masters and elders at the Immortal King level looked at the Heavenly Sword in Lin Xuan's hand with greedy eyes.

Lin Xuan frowned slightly. This so-called Eight Immortal Palaces, which claimed to be a prestigious sect, seemed to be unable to resist temptation.

Of course, Lin Xuan didn't care about their greed. After all, Lin Xuan dared to reveal his Heavenly Sword, so he must have the means to protect this spiritual treasure.

Li Qingyue, the head of Xuan Yue Hall, also arrived. When she saw the top-grade innate spiritual treasure, Tian Shuo Divine Sword, in Lin Xuan's hand, she couldn't help but frown.

Looking at the greed and eagerness in the eyes of the other hall masters around him, his heart sank even further.

Although the Eight Immortal Palaces are known as a prestigious and righteous sect, after all, the Eight Immortal Venerables died on the battlefield for the sake of humanity, the Eight Immortal Venerables are the Eight Immortal Venerables, and the Eight Immortal Palaces are the Eight Immortal Palaces; the two cannot be compared.

Many of the hall masters, elders, or stewards within the Eight Immortal Palaces are, to put it bluntly, not necessarily righteous people.

Moreover, cultivating immortality is essentially stealing heavenly secrets; any means necessary to achieve one's cultivation destiny is an immutable law.

Li Qingyue sighed softly, feeling a pang of worry for Lin Xuan's situation.

"Greetings, Third Palace Master!"

"Greetings, Second Palace Master!"

Two figures appeared in the sky, and everyone bowed in greeting upon seeing them.

"Are these two the Second Palace Master and the Third Palace Master?"

Lin Xuan raised an eyebrow slightly. These two people gave Lin Xuan a very strong sense of pressure, and they were indeed genuine Immortal Emperor Realm experts.

"You are Lin Xuan, the newly promoted steward of my Eight Immortal Palaces?"

The Second Master was dressed in a long white robe and had a rather amiable appearance.

"Yes, Second Palace Master, it is I."

Lin Xuan maintained his composure even when facing the Second Palace Master of the Divine Dragon Palace, who was at the Immortal Emperor realm, and calmly cupped his hands in greeting.

"Hehe, that's quite an impressive demeanor." The Third Palace Master nodded slightly as he looked at Lin Xuan's performance.

The Third Palace Master was dressed in a black robe, and he looked more elegant and noble than the Second Palace Master. In particular, the Third Palace Master had a more righteous appearance.

"This is truly the Heavenly Sword. What is your relationship with the Heavenly Immortal Venerable?"

The Second Palace Master probed the Heavenly Sword in Lin Xuan's hand with his soul power. After receiving confirmation, an excited look appeared on his face.

Lin Xuan looked at the longsword in his hand, and the Heavenly Sword trembled slightly in response to him.

"This Tianshuo Divine Sword was given to me by Yang Shuo, the current sect master of Tianshuo Immortal Palace."

"A gift?!"

Everyone in the audience was stunned by what they heard. What kind of outrageous thing was this?!

Who would be so generous as to give away their family's most prized possession to an outsider?
At this moment, many people had a new guess in their minds: could this Tianshuo Divine Sword be something that Lin Xuan stole after he destroyed the Tianshuo Immortal Sect?

The Second Palace Master frowned, a hint of suspicion flashing in his eyes.

"You who gave it to me, do you know the origin of the sword in your hand?"

"Of course I know. Isn't this Tianshuo Divine Sword the sword of the Tianshuo Immortal Venerable? Sect Master Yang Shuo told me about it, and he also gave it to me voluntarily. There shouldn't be any problem, right?"

Lin Xuan didn't offer much explanation, and as he spoke, he retrieved the Heavenly Sword back into his body.

The Second Palace Master's expression subtly changed as he watched the Heavenly Sword disappear from Lin Xuan's hand.

However, Lin Xuan's powerful perception caught this subtle change.

At this point, Lin Xuan could roughly guess that even the Second Palace Master of the Divine Dragon Palace probably coveted his Heavenly Sword.

As expected of a Celestial Venerable's sword, even powerful beings at the Celestial Emperor level were extremely tempted, and some even harbored the evil intention of forcibly seizing it.

"What means do you have to prove that the Tianshuo Divine Sword was given to you by the Tianshuo Immortal Sect?"

The Second Palace Master started picking fights.

However, this statement seems quite normal.

After all, the Celestial Venerable Tianshuo died in battle for the human race, and his sect was naturally a meritorious institution in the Immortal Realm. If Lin Xuanlin had stolen the Celestial Sword from the Celestial Sect, then that would obviously be against the rules.

Lin Xuan sneered inwardly. Clearly, this Second Palace Master was starting to cause trouble, trying to find a reason to strip him of the Heavenly Sword.

"Reporting to the Second Palace Master, as far as I know, the Tianshuo Immortal Sect should be located in a place called Haori Universe. And as far as I know, the Haori Immortal Domain was recently invaded by the evil race, so the Tianshuo Immortal Sect may have already met with misfortune."

The speaker was a hall master, who had already done his homework.

The other hall masters all looked at Lin Xuan with suspicion upon hearing this.

"If the Tian Shuo Xian Sect was destroyed by the evil race, wouldn't Lin Xuan's words be baseless?"

"Hehe, with no way to verify the truth since the dead are dead, whatever Lin Xuan says is right."

"I'm even starting to suspect that Lin Xuan stole the Tianshuo Divine Sword from the Tianshuo Immortal Sect."

"So, going to a deeper level, why did the evil race launch a large-scale invasion of the Haori Universe and destroy the Tianshuo Immortal Sect after the Tianshuo Divine Sword came into Lin Xuan's hands?"

The crowd was talking amongst themselves, and they almost labeled Lin Xuan as a traitor among the evil race!

Hearing these remarks, Lin Xuan was not angry at all; in fact, he almost laughed, perhaps out of anger.

"I can testify for Deacon Lin Xuan that the Tianshuo Divine Sword was given to Lin Xuan by the Tianshuo Immortal Sect!" Nangong Yue squeezed out from the Xuan Yue Hall and loudly defended Lin Xuan.

But nowadays a deacon's influence is so insignificant that no one cares about the testimony he gives in court.

"Lin Xuan, although someone is defending you, you still need to explain clearly what happened!"

The Second Palace Master's voice sounded somewhat muffled, each word carrying immense pressure. Even a Golden Immortal felt weak in the knees under the Second Palace Master's verbal onslaught.

"Second Palace Master, I don't think I have the obligation to make a self-clarification. As you have seen, Deacon Nangong is also a person from the Haori Universe. Back when the Haori Immortal Universe was invaded by the evil race, the entire Tianshuo Immortal Sect was still fine."

Lin Xuan stared directly at the Second Palace Master without any fear.

"How dare you! Lin Xuan, a mere steward, speak to the Second Palace Master like that!"

As soon as Lin Xuan finished speaking, an elder immediately stood up, pointed at Lin Xuan, and shouted.

The Second Palace Master's face also darkened; he had actually been questioned by a mere steward.

As the Second Palace Master of the Divine Dragon Palace, he was only above two people in the entire Eight Immortal Palaces: the Grand Palace Master and the Sect Master, who was rarely seen.

Other hall masters and elders, or even the heads of the eight departments, would not dare to question him casually.

"What? Am I wrong?"

Lin Xuan shrugged, looking somewhat innocent.

The Third Palace Master somewhat agreed with Lin Xuan's words, saying that the reason for making someone prove their innocence was untenable.

"If you cannot prove your innocence, for the sake of fairness, the Eight Immortal Palaces will need to temporarily accept the Heavenly Sword. Only after you prove that the Heavenly Sword was indeed given to you by the Heavenly Immortal Sect will my palaces return it to you. If you cannot prove it, then the Heavenly Sword must be kept by the Eight Immortal Palaces until we find a disciple of the Heavenly Immortal Sect."

The Third Palace Master's words seemed fair and just, but in the Immortal Realm, even a young child would find it difficult to be fooled by such words.

Among those present, some had lived for hundreds or thousands of years, while others had lived for millions of years. Who would believe such nonsense?

But the Second Palace Master actually said it so shamelessly.

The Third Palace Master frowned even more deeply, glancing at the Second Palace Master beside him with some displeasure.

"Second Palace Master, this sword was given to me by Yang Shuo, the current sect master of Tianshuo Immortal Sect. What right does the Immortal Palace have to keep it safe for me? Second Palace Master's behavior seems to be no different from robbery."

Lin Xuan directly abandoned all pretense of civility, and his words of forceful robbery instantly froze the atmosphere on the scene.

"Lin Xuan! How dare you! Do you think Lord Ers would covet something belonging to a junior like you?!"

The Second Palace Master was angry, but his lackeys stood up to speak for him, pointing at Lin Xuan and cursing him.

Immediately, an elder of the Celestial King realm began to exert his Celestial King pressure on Lin Xuan, attempting to force him to submit to them!

Li Qingyue immediately stood in front of Lin Xuan.

"Second Palace Master, Third Palace Master, Elders, this matter is still unresolved. If we continue to pressure the registered stewards of my Eight Immortal Palaces in this way, won't that discourage the other stewards, elders, and disciples?"

Li Qingyue does hold some weight among the Seventy-Two Halls, but she is no match for the Lord of the Divine Dragon Hall.

"Li Qingyue, you need to know your stance. The issue now isn't the Tianshuo Divine Sword, but rather that we have ample reason to suspect that Lin Xuan might be a spy sent by the evil race to infiltrate our ranks!"

The person in front of the Second Palace Master spoke in a muffled voice, directly defining Lin Xuan's character.

These people were all elders and hall masters whom the Second Hall Master had secretly recruited.

"That shouldn't be possible, Lord Hall Master, Elders, and Hall Masters. When my senior brother Tianhao and I were ambushed by the Yin Ghost Sect, we were on the verge of death. It was Steward Lin Xuan who saved us. Steward Lin killed everyone from the Yin Ghost Sect."

The person who spoke up was Mu Wanrou, who had received Lin Xuan's life-saving grace in the past, and now she stood up to testify for Lin Xuan.

"Hmph, the evil race is exceptionally cunning. Who can guarantee that it wasn't just a show, deliberately sending him to save you so that he could gain the approval of our Eight Immortal Palaces, infiltrate the Eight Immortal Palaces, and thus cooperate with the evil races from within to destroy our lineage!"

Lin Xuan was quite amazed when he heard these words. It turned out that he had become an undercover agent of the evil race, and even the culprit who would destroy the Eight Immortal Palaces!?
It's truly a case of "wanting to find fault, one can always find a pretext!"
Some hall masters and elders quietly retreated to the back. They did not want to get involved in this mess. They were all old monsters who had lived for hundreds of thousands or even millions of years. Naturally, they could see that everything that had happened was just a trap set by the Second Hall Master for Lin Xuan. As for why he was targeting Lin Xuan, it was because the Second Hall Master wanted to obtain the Heavenly Sword in Lin Xuan's possession.

After all, the Tianshuo Divine Sword is a genuine high-grade innate spiritual treasure, and it is a high-grade spiritual treasure with a top-grade spiritual treasure core. Its value is immeasurable. If it is controlled by the Second Palace Master, the Second Palace Master's combat power will be greatly enhanced.

"If you want to find fault, you can always find a pretext. So, today I am suddenly guilty?"

Lin Xuan was somewhat disappointed with everything in the Eight Immortal Palaces.

I initially thought they were a reputable sect, a mid-level force resisting the evil race, but now it seems they are all birds of a feather, with many being hypocritical and sanctimonious.

"Lin Xuan, as I have already said, the Heavenly Sword will be temporarily kept by the Heavenly Immortal Palace. If no problems are found, then the Heavenly Immortal Sword will be returned to its rightful owner."

The Second Palace Master still maintained a righteous and awe-inspiring demeanor, as if everything he did was for Lin Xuan's benefit.

"This sword belongs to Lin Xuan; no one can take it away!"

Suddenly, an extremely domineering voice resounded throughout the entire venue.

Everyone was stunned. A figure flew out, dressed in a red cheongsam, with red hair and gold and red high heels. She was charming but not seductive, and even had a touch of heroism.

"Red?"

Lin Xuan was curious when he saw who it was. Li Hongyi actually stood up to speak for him.

The Second Palace Master looked at the newcomer, who was somewhat unfamiliar with her. Li Hongyi had only been in the Eight Immortal Palace for eighteen years, so the Second Palace Master had never actually seen Li Hongyi before.

"Second Hall Master, this is the new Hall Master of the Holy Flame Hall, who arrived eighteen years ago. Her name is Li Hongyi. When she joined the sect, she was already a Seventh Tribulation Golden Immortal. She was very strong. Even the Eighth Tribulation Golden Immortals in my Immortal Palace were no match for her."

An elder immediately transmitted a message to the Second Palace Master.

The Second Palace Master frowned slightly because he actually sensed a faint sense of threat from Li Hongyi. Although the threat was faint, it was still there.

In other words, this woman could threaten his life!
"Regardless of whose sword the Tianshuo Divine Sword once belonged to, it now belongs to Deacon Lin Xuan. There's no such thing as 'temporarily holding it for safekeeping,' that's just a joke!"

Li Hongyi retorted sarcastically without any politeness.

These words directly pointed out the Second Palace Master.

The Second Palace Master's face instantly darkened.

"How dare you, Hall Master Li! Are you trying to speak up for Lin Xuan?!"

"Hmph, I am the head of the Holy Flame Hall, and Lin Xuan is a steward of my Holy Flame Hall. Naturally, I will protect my own people. What, is there a problem with that?"

"Who's in favor? Who's opposed?" (End of Chapter)