I Can Deduce Arts by Slaying Demons

The wide sleeves of the dark imperial robe fluttered like flowing clouds, accidentally slipping to reveal half an alabaster wrist.

That skin, smooth as jade, shimmered with a pearl-like luster under the faint light.

At such close proximity, Lu Xuan could clearly see the Mystic Bird Totem on Xia Mingyue’s brow, faintly emitting a delicate dark glow.

The shadowy halo seemed to exist and not exist, accentuating Empress Xia Mingyue’s stunning visage with an increasingly cold and distant air, evoking an inviolate sense of awe.

"Mr. Lu..." Xia Mingyue’s crimson lips softly parted, her breath fragrant like orchids.

The mystical creature perched obediently on her shoulder, tilting its tiny head in curiosity as it studied the two of them.

Lu Xuan stood with hands clasped behind him, showing no intention of retreat.

His gaze met the Empress’s, with an almost imperceptible smile on his lips: "Surely Mr. Xia didn’t come all this way just for nostalgia?"

"You may speak frankly."

Xia Mingyue’s long eyelashes trembled lightly, casting a faint shadow below her eyes.

She unconsciously fingered the intricate gold thread cloud pattern on the dark sleeve corner.

This small, unintended action prompted the black mystical bird perched on her shoulder to tilt its head in curiosity.

"You truly live up to your name, Mr. Lu." Empress Xia Mingyue complimented softly upon realizing Lu Xuan had guessed her purpose.

Even the black mystical bird emitted a clear call, seemingly agreeing with its master’s words.

"Indeed, I have one matter...for which I seek Mr. Lu’s assistance."

Empress Xia Mingyue paused, raising a jade finger, as a soundproof barrier instantly enveloped the surroundings.

The black mystical bird sensibly transformed into a streak of light, merging into the Mystic Bird Totem on Xia Mingyue’s brow.

Her final sentence was spoken so softly, yet every word was distinct.

Xia Mingyue raised her gaze to meet Lu Xuan’s eyes, her fingers unconsciously clenched beneath the imperial robe—

This empress, decisive and ruthless in court, now appeared uncharacteristically tense.

As she spoke, a strand of hair slipped from Xia Mingyue’s imperial crown, resting beside her fair cheek.

"I suppose Mr. Lu is quite curious about how I refined that land of Spirit Ruins?"

Xia Mingyue’s beautiful eyes shone with an ethereal light, her voice trembling slightly as if carrying the allure of aged wine, with each word wrapped in irresistible allure.

She lightly tapped the void with her jade foot, the wide sleeves of her dark imperial robe spreading like butterfly wings, and the Mystic Bird Totem on her brow growing ever brighter.

Opposite, Lu Xuan met Xia Mingyue’s fervent and mysterious gaze, his dark attire fluttering without wind.

Yet, Lu Xuan lowered his gaze, smiling lightly, the starlight in his eyes undiminished.

He neither denied nor inquired further, allowing the silence to flow between them.

Lu Xuan sincerely wanted to see what the empress, under the guise of calmness, truly sought from him.

"I actually emerged from seclusion thirty years ago, but have remained out of sight due to this thing."

Xia Mingyue’s voice was like jade immersed in icy springs, trailing languidly with a hint of indifference.

She suddenly raised her gaze, her starlit eyes deeply gazing into Lu Xuan’s, as if to etch his image into the depths of her soul.

As Xia Mingyue elegantly raised her jade hand, a deep dark glow swallowed and emitted from within her wide sleeve.

In an instant, the entire underground palace trembled, space fracturing like a fragile mirror.

An entirely pitch-black ancient cauldron slowly manifested from the void, hovering above Empress Xia Mingyue’s palm.

The engraved paths of heaven and earth on the cauldron’s surface flowed and lived like sentient beings.

Nine lifelike black mystical birds cried out, their wings causing ripples in space as they spread.

The profound aura surrounding the cauldron permeated like a tangible essence, emitting a breath that utterly astonished Lu Xuan.

"It is due to this object!"

Xia Mingyue’s fingertips lightly caressed the ancient inscriptions engraved on the cauldron, each stroke lighting up with a piercing dark glow.

The Profound Bird Cauldron hovered between them, its Chaos Qi reflecting Xia Mingyue’s face in a shifting light.

Xia Mingyue’s brow’s Mystic Bird Totem echoed with the cauldron’s markings.

Lu Xuan’s pupils contracted sharply as scenes of the collapse of the Spirit Ruins years ago emerged within the cauldron—

Throughout the century, she had been using this transcendental Immortal Artifact beyond the realm’s understanding to refine that small world teetering on destruction!

Lu Xuan’s pupils contracted sharply, his hands behind his back quietly clenched.

This was his first close encounter with the Great Xia Dynasty’s national ceremonial artifact—the Profound Bird Cauldron.

It differed from the rumored ten-marked solar artifact, currently circling around the Profound Bird Cauldron’s body.

The aura surpassing the worldly realm clearly signifies the extraordinary nature of this item.

Actually, the Profound Bird Cauldron before us is not merely a sacrificial artifact.

It is a Heavenly Immortal Artifact surpassing the ten-patterned solar artifact and the world’s secret treasure!

"Heavenly Immortal Artifact, Profound Bird Cauldron." Xia Mingyue lightly tapped the cauldron’s body with her fingertip, producing a crisp sound akin to a grand bell, shaking one’s soul.

Every word Xia Mingyue spoke deeply moved Lu Xuan internally.

"Heavenly Immortal Artifact?"

Lu Xuan murmured to himself, his throat involuntarily rolling.

Though he had never heard these four words before, the single word "Immortal" was enough for Lu Xuan to understand.

The seemingly ancient giant cauldron before him must contain the elusive power of Immortals within.

Gazing at the Profound Bird Cauldron right in front of him, seeing the mysterious patterns constantly moving on the body of the cauldron, he felt a deep-seated desire to seize it.

Then, Lu Xuan gently lowered his hands from his back, his fingertips subconsciously curling and stretching, even his breath became heavy—

This Heavenly Immortal Artifact he had never seen before, if it could be refined by the system panel, how many system points could it produce?

At this moment, the so-called Immortal power and legends of creative might were all but illusions in Lu Xuan’s eyes.

Only the system points were his real stepping stones to advance.

As long as he accumulated enough system points, the Immortal Realm that countless strong individuals seek in vain.

In Lu Xuan’s eyes, it would be a mere trifle.

However, faced with an irresistible temptation, Lu Xuan did not immediately reach out to seize the treasure.

He forcibly suppressed the surging greed, and when he looked up at Xia Mingyue, his gaze had already turned icy.

"Mr. Xia, what do you mean by this?"

"This precious treasure, placing it in front of me like this, are you not afraid...?"

This woman seemed so lazily casual holding this treasure, with no sign of vigilance.

No, this woman is indeed quite bold!

Does she truly think, relying on that slight relationship, she can curb my eagerness for the Heavenly Immortal Artifact?

Or perhaps, is there a terrifying counter move hidden behind this Profound Bird Cauldron, enough to deter him, comparable to an Earth Venerable Realm Master Perfection?

The more Lu Xuan thought, the more frustrated he became.

Did this woman really treat me like some righteous gentleman?

She actually dared to present such a precious item in front of me.

Is she not afraid I would seize it?

Anyway, Lu Xuan never believed himself to be a revered righteous gentleman.

Moreover, Lu Xuan does not wish to be one of those so-called righteous gentlemen.

Those are merely shackles binding oneself!

Yet Lu Xuan’s unadulterated questioning made Xia Mingyue suddenly smile.

Xia Mingyue’s smile was like a millennium-frozen icy pond breaking suddenly, the golden patterns on the dark imperial robe circulating, making the entire underground palace pale in comparison.

The brilliance at the corner of her eye was even more enthralling than the runes on the Profound Bird Cauldron.

"Mr. Lu..."

In the next moment, Xia Mingyue stepped barefoot onto the ripples of the void, with each step a shadow of the dark Profound Bird blossomed under her toes.

"I was indeed not wrong about you!"

As the two were only inches apart, the Mystic Bird mark on Xia Mingyue’s brow suddenly burst with radiant star light.

Myriad of ethereal lights fell like a galaxy, entwining around Xia Mingyue’s delicate fingers, reflecting the entire underground palace as if in a dream.

"Buzz—"

With a clear chime of the cauldron, the Profound Bird Cauldron that had been hovering in Xia Mingyue’s palm suddenly shrank, turning into an exquisite miniature form.

The nine Mystic Bird totems on the cauldron remained vivid, yet no longer exuded an intimidating pressure, instead carrying a sense of archaic mystery.

Under Lu Xuan’s puzzled gaze, Xia Mingyue pushed the reduced Profound Bird Cauldron gently toward him.

"Mr. Lu... this item was prepared for you all along, what is there to seize?"

"However, I do have a request for Mr. Lu..."