From the fake emperor to the concubine

He looked at Xiao Tianxing: "Sect Leader Xiao, am I right?"

Xiao Tianxing's expression changed, but he quickly regained his composure. He sighed, "Patriarch Zheng is indeed insightful. Indeed, the Taixu Sect has another forbidden area, containing even more precious things. However, it's not a place one can enter casually."

"Oh?" Zheng Yi became interested. "Tell me about it."

Xiao Tianxing organized his thoughts and slowly said, "Deep within Mount Taixu lies an ancient cave dwelling. It was where our Taixu Sect's founding patriarch cultivated, and it's designated a forbidden area, accessible only to successive sect leaders. The cave contains some treasures left by our patriarch, but the most precious is a divine sword."

"A divine sword?" Zheng Haoran's eyes lit up. As a swordsman, he was naturally very interested in divine swords.

Xiao Tianxing nodded: "That sword is called the 'Tai Xu Divine Sword,' the most prized treasure of our Tai Xu Sect. Legend has it that it was forged by our founder from a fragment of a fallen star, and its grade is extremely high, at least a low-grade Heaven Rank, and possibly even higher."

A Heaven-Rank Magic Treasure! Everyone gasped. Earth-Rank magic treasures were already extremely rare, and Heaven-Rank magic treasures were practically legendary. A single Heaven-Rank magic treasure was enough to drive the entire cultivation world mad.

"Since you have such a powerful divine sword, why don't you use it?" Zheng Bowen asked in confusion.

Xiao Tianxing smiled wryly: "It's not that I don't want to use it, it's that I can't. The Taixu Divine Sword is too powerful; it's beyond the control of us Nascent Soul stage cultivators. Forcing its use will only result in being devoured by the sword's power. Over the years, every sect leader has tried, but none of them have been able to draw the sword."

"Draw the divine sword?" Zheng Yi keenly noticed the key phrase.

“That’s right,” Xiao Tianxing explained. “The Taixu Divine Sword is stuck in a stone platform in the forbidden area, and anyone can try to pull it out. But for thousands of years, no one has ever succeeded. According to the jade slip left by the patriarch, only a truly destined person can pull out the Taixu Divine Sword and become its master.”

Zheng Yi pondered for a moment, then said, "Take me to see it."

Xiao Tianxing nodded: "Please follow me."

The group left the treasure vault and headed deeper into the mountains along a secluded path. This path was extremely treacherous, with sheer cliffs on either side; a single misstep could send them tumbling down. Fortunately, everyone present was a cultivator, so this danger was nothing to them.

After walking for about half an hour, a cave appeared ahead. There was an ancient barrier at the entrance of the cave, emitting a faint light.

"This restriction has existed for thousands of years," Xiao Tianxing said. "Only the sect leader's blood can open it."

He bit his finger and dripped his blood onto the barrier. Sensing the blood, the barrier immediately emitted a soft light before slowly dissipating.

The group entered the cave. Inside, they found a spacious stone chamber, a hidden paradise. The walls of the chamber were inlaid with luminous pearls, illuminating the entire space.

In the center of the stone chamber, there was a circular stone platform. On the platform, a long sword was stuck.

The sword was entirely silver-white, with intricate star patterns carved on its blade, each star shimmering like a real starry sky. The hilt was carved from some unknown jade, warm to the touch and emitting a faint fragrance.

Most remarkably, the sword was surrounded by a faint layer of starlight, like a miniature star field. Within the starlight, ancient runes could be faintly seen flowing, containing profound and mysterious principles.

"What a fine sword!" Zheng Yi exclaimed. Although he hadn't even touched the divine sword yet, he could already feel the immense power it contained. This power was vast and boundless, like the stars and the sea, unfathomable.

Zheng Haoran, Zheng Qingyue, and Zheng Yunfei stared intently at the sword. Zheng Haoran and Zheng Yunfei, in particular, were filled with longing as they saw the divine sword.

Ancient characters were carved on the walls of the stone chamber. Xiao Tianxing explained, "These are the words left by our patriarch. He said that the Taixu Divine Sword comes from beyond the starry sky and contains the power of the stars. To draw this sword, one needs to be destined for it, and possess sufficient strength and comprehension. Whoever can draw this sword is the sword's recognized master and can unleash its true power."

Zheng Yi carefully read the text on the wall. Besides what Xiao Tianxing had said, there were also descriptions about the origin of the divine sword.

It turns out that when the founder of the Taixu Sect was traveling the world, he witnessed a star fall. A huge meteor fell from the sky and crashed into a desert. The founder went to investigate and discovered that the meteor was actually a piece of divine iron containing the power of stars.

It took the patriarch a hundred years to refine this divine iron and forge it into the Taixu Divine Sword. When the divine sword was first completed, it caused a celestial phenomenon, with dazzling starlight visible within a radius of ten thousand miles.

However, the patriarch soon discovered that this divine sword was too powerful; even with his late-stage Integration Realm cultivation, he could not fully control it. Forcing its use would only result in a backlash from the sword's power.

Therefore, the patriarch sealed the divine sword in this forbidden area, hoping that one of his descendants would gain the sword's recognition and become its true master.

Unfortunately, thousands of years have passed, and successive sect leaders and genius disciples of the Taixu Sect have all attempted to draw the sword, but none have succeeded. The Taixu Divine Sword thus remains quietly planted on the stone platform, awaiting the arrival of its destined owner.

"Interesting." Zheng Yi smiled. "Since I'm already here, I'll give it a try."

He walked to the stone platform and reached out to grasp the hilt of the sword.

The moment the sword hilt touched his hand, Zheng Yi felt a powerful force surging within him. It was the power of the stars, vast and profound. The divine sword seemed to be resisting him, unwilling to be drawn.

Zheng Yi circulated the spatial and temporal spiritual power within his body and slowly raised his sword upwards.

hum-

The Taixu Divine Sword emitted a soft hum, and the star patterns on its blade lit up. The surrounding starlight began to swirl, forming a small nebula.

"It moved!" Xiao Tianxing exclaimed in surprise, "The divine sword moved!"

Everyone watched Zheng Yi with bated breath. In thousands of years, no one had ever been able to elicit such a strong reaction from the divine sword. Could the Zheng family patriarch be the one destined to receive it?
Zheng Yi increased his power, unleashing his spatial and temporal spiritual energy at full force. He could sense that the divine sword was clashing with him, testing his strength and qualifications.

However, no matter how hard Zheng Yi tried, the divine sword remained motionless, as if it were fused to the stone platform. He even used all his cultivation at the Integration Realm, but the divine sword only trembled slightly and he still couldn't pull it out.

“It seems I am not the destined one either.” Zheng Yi released his hand, and the divine sword immediately returned to calm, while the surrounding starlight slowly dissipated.

Although he failed to draw the divine sword, Zheng Yi was not disappointed. He could sense that the divine sword did not disapprove of his strength, but was waiting for some special opportunity. Perhaps, drawing the divine sword required more than just strength; other conditions were also needed.

"Haoran, why don't you give it a try?" Zheng Yi said to Zheng Haoran.

Zheng Haoran stepped forward excitedly and grasped the sword hilt with both hands. He had cultivated the Blazing Sun True Explanation, and his fire-attribute spiritual power surged within him. The moment he touched the divine sword, it once again emitted a soft hum.

The star pattern on the sword flickered a few times, but quickly faded. No matter how hard Zheng Haoran tried, the divine sword remained unmoved.

“No, I can’t pull it out.” Zheng Haoran was covered in sweat and finally had to give up. “Yunfei, you try,” Zheng Yi said again.

Zheng Yunfei also practiced swordsmanship and possessed exceptional talent. He took a deep breath, walked to the stone platform, and grasped the sword hilt.

This time, the divine sword reacted even more strongly. The star patterns on the sword shone brightly, and the surrounding starlight swirled wildly. A powerful sword intent erupted from the divine sword, causing Zheng Yunfei to stagger.

"Such powerful sword intent!" Zheng Yunfei gritted his teeth and persevered, drawing his sword with all his might.

The divine sword lifted slightly, as if it had loosened a little. Everyone held their breath, watching this scene with bated breath.

But at that moment, the divine sword suddenly unleashed an even more powerful force, blasting Zheng Yunfei away. He tumbled several times in the air before barely managing to regain his balance, his face pale.

"Cough," Zheng Yunfei coughed a few times, a look of unwillingness in his eyes, "It still doesn't work."

Zheng Yi walked over and channeled some spiritual energy into him to help calm the surging blood and qi within him: "Don't be discouraged. The fact that you could loosen the divine sword is already quite remarkable. It shows you have a certain affinity with this sword, but your current cultivation level isn't high enough. Perhaps you'll succeed when your cultivation advances further in the future."

Hope rekindled in Zheng Yunfei's eyes: "Thank you, Patriarch! This disciple will definitely cultivate diligently and strive to draw the divine sword as soon as possible!"

"Qingyue, why don't you give it a try?" Zheng Yi said to Zheng Qingyue.

Although Zheng Qingyue wasn't a swordswoman, Zheng Yi wanted her to give it a try. Perhaps the divine sword didn't require swordsmanship talent, but rather other qualities.

Zheng Qingyue nodded and walked to the stone platform. She stretched out her slender hand and grasped the sword hilt.

The divine sword hummed softly once more. But this time the reaction was peculiar; the star patterns on the sword shone with an icy blue light, resonating with Zheng Qingyue's ice-attribute spiritual power.

"Huh?" Zheng Yi was somewhat surprised. This kind of reaction was something he had never seen before.

Zheng Qingyue sensed that the divine sword seemed to have a slight affinity for her, and immediately drew it with all her might. The ice-attribute spiritual power within her surged wildly, pouring into the divine sword.

The light from the divine sword grew brighter and brighter, illuminating the entire stone chamber. The surrounding temperature plummeted, and frost began to form on the ground.

"There's hope!" Xiao Tianxing exclaimed excitedly.

But just when everyone thought Zheng Qingyue would succeed, the divine sword suddenly trembled, and a repulsive force surged out, gently pushing Zheng Qingyue away.

Zheng Qingyue took a few steps back, a look of regret on her face: "I can't either. Although the divine sword doesn't reject me, it doesn't want me to draw it either."

Zheng Yi seemed to be deep in thought. He realized that the divine sword reacted differently to each person. It tested his strength against him, barely reacted to Zheng Haoran, showed some recognition to Zheng Yunfei but not enough, and showed affection to Zheng Qingyue but still refused to have it drawn.

This shows that the conditions for drawing the divine sword are extremely complex and cannot be met simply by strength or talent.

“Hongzhi, Bowen, you two should give it a try,” Zheng Yi said.

The two elders also stepped forward to try, but the result was the same—the divine sword did not budge.

Xiao Tianxing sighed, "It seems the Taixu Divine Sword is indeed waiting for a special, destined person. Our Taixu Sect hasn't found one in thousands of years; I wonder how much longer we'll have to wait."

Zheng Yi pondered for a moment and said, "Let's leave this divine sword here for now. I will send people to guard the forbidden area regularly to prevent outsiders from entering. As for who can pull out the sword, that's up to fate."

He paused, then said, "Yunfei, you have a connection with this sword. You can come here often to try and communicate with the divine sword, to comprehend its sword intent. Even if you can't draw it for now, it will greatly benefit your swordsmanship cultivation."

Zheng Yunfei was overjoyed: "Thank you very much, Patriarch!"

“Alright, let’s continue to see what other treasures are in the forbidden area,” Zheng Yi said.

Besides the central stone platform, there were several stone cabinets in the stone chamber. Xiao Tianxing opened one of the cabinets, which contained some ancient cultivation manuals and elixirs.

"These are all treasures left by our ancestor," Xiao Tianxing explained. "Several cultivation techniques have reached the lower rank of the Heavenly Realm and were created by our ancestor himself. There are also some elixirs that have remained effective even after thousands of years, demonstrating their exceptional quality."

Zheng Yi examined them one by one and found they were indeed all valuable items. These Heaven-Rank cultivation techniques covered various aspects such as swordsmanship, formations, and weapon crafting, which would greatly benefit the Zheng family's development.

"Take all of these back and hand them over to the family for research," Zheng Yi instructed. "Heavenly-rank cultivation techniques can serve as the core inheritance of the family; only the most outstanding disciples are qualified to cultivate them."

Everyone collected all the treasures from the stone cabinet. Although they failed to retrieve the Taixu Divine Sword during this trip to the forbidden area, the gains were still extremely substantial.

Before leaving, Zheng Yi glanced one last time at the divine sword on the stone platform. The sword stood there quietly, surrounded by starlight, awaiting the arrival of its destined owner.

“One day, someone will pull out your sword,” Zheng Yi murmured. “Perhaps it will be a descendant of my Zheng family, or perhaps someone else. But whoever it is, anyone who can pull out this divine sword is a true genius, worthy of being nurtured.”

After leaving the forbidden area, the group continued searching other parts of the Taixu Sect. In a medicinal herb garden on the back mountain, they discovered a large number of precious medicinal herbs. There were thousand-year-old He Shou Wu (Polygonum multiflorum), five-hundred-year-old ginseng, and some rare mutated medicinal herbs, all of which were priceless.

In a cave halfway up the mountain, they found some treasures that the elders of the Taixu Sect had kept hidden away. Although their quality was not as high as those in the forbidden area, they were still rare and valuable items.

After a whole day of searching, the entire Taixu Sect was thoroughly searched. Everything of value was packed into storage bags, ready to be transported back to the Zheng family.

As evening fell, the group stood atop Taixu Peak, looking down at the Taixu Gate below.

"From now on, this place belongs to the Zheng family," Zheng Yi said. "The disciples of the Taixu Sect are also members of my Zheng family. I will provide them with better cultivation techniques and resources, giving them the opportunity to go further."

He turned to Xiao Tianxing: "Sect Leader Xiao, you will continue to manage the daily affairs of the Taixu Sect. However, you must report to the Zheng family once a month and hand over a certain percentage of resources. Understand?"

Xiao Tianxing bowed and said, "I understand. From now on, the Taixu Sect will follow the Zheng family's lead." (End of Chapter)