Starting as a Grandmaster, all of my cultivation techniques are at max level.

"What?! A secret realm left behind by the Azure Lotus Sword Immortal, who was once invincible in the history of the Eastern Xuan Continent?!"

Xia Yu's previously smiling face instantly turned extremely solemn.

Even though he was the emperor of the Great Xia Dynasty, busy with state affairs all day long, he knew what the words "Azure Lotus Sword Immortal" represented. That was a terrestrial immortal! A figure who almost only existed in legends!

The treasures and legacies they left behind, if they were to resurface, would undoubtedly cause a bloodbath, igniting a massive war among all the nations of the Eastern Xuan Continent! But if the Great Xia were to obtain them, wouldn't that be...?

Thinking of this, Xia Yu's breathing quickened, and he hurriedly said, "Brother! This secret realm... we, the Great Xia, must seize this secret realm! What resources are needed? I will issue an order immediately!"

"Alright!" Xia Jin waved her hand. "The more people involved, the more likely it is to attract the attention of other forces. You don't need to worry about this... I'll handle it myself."

Xia Yu had complete faith in his elder brother's abilities, and upon hearing his words, he nodded emphatically: "Alright! Brother, go ahead and do your best. I'll handle things in court, so there's no need to worry!"

After discussing for a while, Xia Yu left in a hurry, while Xia Jin changed into casual clothes, took Qin Hu, left the palace, and headed straight for the Great Xia Imperial Mausoleum on the outskirts of the capital.

"Your Highness, are you... really going in?" Looking at the entrance to the tomb ahead, Qin Hu suddenly felt a chill on his body, and he couldn't help but rub the goosebumps on his arms.

"Nonsense!" Xia Jin glanced at him as if he were an idiot. "At this hour, did I come here specifically to offer sacrifices?"

Qin Hu scratched his head and chuckled foolishly twice.

Xia Jin glanced around and immediately ordered, "Qin Hu, while I'm in this imperial mausoleum, you will dispatch the Imperial Guards to completely seal off the area within a ten-mile radius of the mausoleum. Anyone who dares to trespass without my order will be killed without exception!"

"Your Highness, rest assured! This humble servant guarantees that not even a fly will be able to get in!"

Qin Hu's expression hardened, and he quickly clasped his hands in greeting. After speaking, at Xia Jin's signal, he immediately began to arrange for his hundred-strong Jinyiwei to deploy defenses around the area.

"This is the imperial mausoleum of the Great Xia Dynasty. We don't usually have the chance to go inside!"

"I never imagined that the first time I went in, I would be looking for a key that was buried with the founding emperor!" Xia Jin looked at the gate of the imperial mausoleum in front of her and shook her head with a wry smile.

He walked slowly toward the heavy, black iron gate of the imperial mausoleum.

With a casual wave of his hand, an invisible yet powerful surge of true energy erupted, and the massive gate, which required several strongmen to push, slowly opened inward.

Xia Jin walked straight in, and after his figure gradually disappeared, the door behind him slowly closed again.

The Great Xia Imperial Mausoleum contains the tombs of emperors throughout the Great Xia dynasty; however, the layout of these tombs is remarkably simple and straightforward.

Apart from the tomb of the founding emperor of the Great Xia Dynasty, which is located at the very center of the entire imperial mausoleum, the tombs of subsequent emperors of the Great Xia Dynasty are distributed outwards from the founding emperor's tomb in order of their accession to the throne.

Although Xia Jin had never been to this place, she had seen the layout of the imperial mausoleum in the Imperial Observatory and naturally knew the location of the mausoleum of the founding emperor.

In less than half an hour,

He then arrived at the mausoleum of Emperor Taizu.

However, Xia Jin did not enter the mausoleum of the founding emperor directly. Instead, she stopped and took out an incense stick from somewhere.

After lighting the incense, he held it to his chest and bowed three times in the direction of the tomb.

"Xia Jin, a descendant of later generations, has to disturb the peaceful rest of the Great Ancestor today for the sake of the future of the family and the country. I hope the Great Ancestor will forgive me and bless our Great Xia."

After doing all this, Xia Jin took a deep breath and pushed open the gate of the Taizu Mausoleum with both hands.

Stepping into the mausoleum, the scene inside surprised him slightly.

Contrary to his imagination of the grandeur of an imperial mausoleum, what he saw was extremely simple.

Yes, it can be described as rudimentary.

Besides the stone coffin placed in the very center of the tomb chamber.

On the stone platform to the left of the sarcophagus, there was a roughly vermilion gourd placed casually.

On the stone platform to the right is a black wooden box about one foot square, and next to the box leans an iron sword.

Such a "shabby" burial scene is really hard to reconcile with the identity of the founding emperor who established the Great Xia dynasty.

Xia Jin walked up to the gourd, her nose twitching slightly.

"Who would have thought that the Emperor Taizu's burial items... would be a pot of wine?"

Xia Jin looked surprised and remained silent for a moment before putting the gourd into his pocket.

Then, he walked to the black wooden box and gently lifted it open.

There was nothing else inside the box except a scroll of painting placed flat.

Before the scroll was even unrolled, an extremely strong sword intent emanated from it!

Even now, at the fourth level of the Free and Unfettered Heaven Realm, he was still shocked: "Such intense sword intent, sealed within a painting, could it be the Azure Lotus Sword Intent?"

After Xia Jin unfolded the painting,

The expected landscapes, figures, flowers, birds, fish, and insects did not appear.

On the scroll, there are only a few dozen ink lines, randomly scattered on the yellowed paper.

At first glance, it appears chaotic and disorderly, like a child's random scribbles.

"This... seems a bit off!" Xia Jin's brows furrowed slightly.

However, upon closer inspection, he discovered that the sword intent hidden within those seemingly scattered lines suddenly became clear!

"There's no mistake, such astonishing sword intent must have been left by the Azure Lotus Sword Immortal!" After watching for a while, Xia Jin felt a slight stinging in her eyes.

Perhaps drawn by the sword intent in the painting, Xia Jin felt a strange turmoil in her mind and her mouth felt dry.

He subconsciously took out the vermilion gourd, uncorked it, tilted his head back, and drank a mouthful.

The wine entered his throat, initially like a clear spring and sweet dew, then turned into a warm current that flowed to his limbs and bones!

"Good wine!" Xia Jin couldn't help but praise, a glint of admiration flashing in her eyes.

After taking a sip of wine, when he looked at the painting again, he felt as if the lines had come to life, twisting and evolving slightly before his eyes. A strong impulse rose from the bottom of his heart.

His gaze involuntarily fell on the somewhat rusty iron sword beside him.

As if guided by a ghost, Xia Jin stepped forward, grasped the hilt of the iron sword, and, facing the unfolded scroll, naturally began to swing it, following the lines she felt in her heart and saw with her eyes.

He forgot about time, forgot about the outside world.

A day passed, and he continued his work without stopping.

Two days passed, and the sword wind grew even stronger.

Half a month later, a faint, almost tangible sword aura began to swirl around him, subtly resonating with the sword intent emanating from the painting.

A month has passed, but he still hasn't stopped moving.

During his time at the mausoleum of Emperor Taizu, the current Emperor Yu of the Great Xia Dynasty was about to face a huge crisis.

The people from the Qingyun Sect have arrived!