Dual Cultivation System: The Villainous Servant’s Rise

Chapter 294: Emperor Rank Artifact!

“My… my dear old lady!” Han Lie offered, scratching his head with a sheepish grin.

Ye Qingxuan let the comment slide, not pressing him further. With a graceful wave of her hand, a pair of silver-gray rings materialized in her palm, pulsing with an energy so terrifying it made the air hum.

The two rings, each about a foot in diameter, seemed identical at first glance, but a closer look revealed one was a shade of gunmetal gray, while the other was a lighter, shimmering silver.

“Sect Leader, what is this…?” Han Lie’s eyes widened, drawn to the immense power radiating from the artifacts.

Ye Qingxuan’s explanation was concise. “This is the Universe Ring, a Low Grade Emperor Rank Artifact. It excels in attack, defense, and suppression.” She gestured to the rings. “The darker one is the main ring; the lighter, the sub-ring.”

According to her, the Universe Ring not only possessed overwhelming offensive power but could also tear open a spatial gate to the sub-ring’s location, regardless of distance, so long as the main ring was used to activate it.

“It can even bypass barriers erected by a Void Refining Stage expert without hindrance,” she finished.

Such was the power of an Emperor Rank Artifact. Only a treasure of this caliber could simply ignore the spatial laws enforced by a Void Refinement master.

“Of course the Sect Leader would possess an Emperor Rank Artifact,” Han Lie breathed, a mix of shock and exhilaration in his voice.

This wasn’t mere flattery. An Emperor Rank Artifact! Even a Top Grade Heaven Rank treasure cost tens of millions of Spirit Stones. An Emperor Rank Artifact, even a Low Grade one, was dozens, if not hundreds, of times more valuable. A Heaven Rank treasure, no matter how exquisite, was still just Heaven Rank. The moment a Dharma Treasure crossed the threshold into the Emperor Rank, its every function underwent a fundamental, qualitative leap.

“Enough with the flattery,” she said, her tone dry. “I will lend it to you for ten days. After that, it will return to me on its own.”

“Thank you, Sect Leader!” Han Lie accepted the Universe Ring with the reverence it deserved, his heart pounding in his chest.

An Emperor Rank Artifact… He couldn’t even begin to imagine the mountain of Spirit Stones required to purchase such a thing. In truth, a treasure of this magnitude was likely beyond the measure of mere currency.

At the highest echelons of the cultivation world, transactions were rarely conducted with Spirit Stones. Bartering was the norm—an exchange of one priceless treasure for another. After all, what use did a mighty expert have for mountains of currency? They sought items that could truly aid their path.

“Your time is limited. You have ten days,” Ye Qingxuan reminded him, taking a delicate sip of her tea.

“Heh, in that case, I’ll be on my way!”

Before she could react, Han Lie leaned in and planted a firm kiss on her cheek.

“Tsk…” Ye Qingxuan touched her cheek, a flicker of annoyance melting into a helpless, amused smile as she shook her head.

After leaving the Violet Heaven Palace, Han Lie felt a nagging sense that something was off…

“What was it?” He scratched his head, replaying the conversation. Then it hit him. She never asked who I was going to save.

Maybe she doesn’t care, he mused, or maybe… she already knows everything and simply chooses not to speak of it. He had a strong feeling it was the latter.

Well, if she’s willing to play along, who am I to question it? A sharp glint flashed in Han Lie’s eyes. There was no more time to waste. He immediately made his way back to the Azure Dragon Squad’s office.

In a private room, he once again met the female disciple from the Myriad Sword Pavilion.

“Daoist Han Lie, you’re back already!” she chirped, a hint of excitement in her voice.

Han Lie cut straight to the point, handing her a Storage Ring. Inside lay the sub-ring of the Universe Ring. “Deliver this to your Young Pavilion Master,” he instructed.

“Alright, Daoist Han Lie, I will definitely deliver it for you!”

Taking the Storage Ring, the disciple instinctively tried to probe it with her Divine Sense. The moment it brushed against the ring, however, it slammed into an impenetrable barrier—a terrifying spiritual imprint left by Han Lie.

For a disciple of her level, the imprint was an unbreakable wall. For someone of Xiao Yuruo’s power, however, shattering it would take but a moment.

“You can go now.”

Han Lie personally escorted the young woman out of the Heavenly Void Sect’s territory. Now, all he had to do was wait and focus his senses on the main ring, waiting for the moment the sub-ring was removed from its containment.

…

Three days later.

Myriad Sword Pavilion, Clear Heart Palace.

The gates to the Clear Heart Palace were heavily guarded. A shimmering energy barrier, personally erected by Leng Ye, enveloped the entire compound. It was no exaggeration to say that not even a fly could get through unnoticed.

The disciples standing guard were no ordinary members; they were direct disciples of the Sect. Their leader was a man named Zhou Yu, a fervent admirer of Xiao Yuruo and a prodigy in his own right. While he couldn’t compare to Xiao Yuruo, his talent and cultivation base placed him among the most dazzling figures of the Myriad Sword Pavilion’s younger generation.

It was for this very reason that Leng Ye had assigned him to guard the palace. The Sect Leader had even confided in Zhou Yu the “reason” for Xiao Yuruo’s confinement—a fabricated story about her planning to elope with Han Lie. As long as Zhou Yu didn’t want to see the goddess of his heart run off with another man, he would guard this gate with his life.

On this day, Xie Ying, the disciple Han Lie had released, finally returned to the Myriad Sword Pavilion and made her way toward the Clear Heart Palace.

“Junior Sister Xie, hold it right there!”

Zhou Yu’s sharp voice cut through the air, and he and his men moved to block her path just as she reached the palace entrance.

“Senior Brother Zhou? Is something wrong?” Xie Ying asked, her expression a mask of wide-eyed innocence.

Zhou Yu crossed his arms, his gaze sweeping over her with undisguised suspicion. “Sect intelligence reported that you trespassed on Heavenly Void Sect territory a few days ago and were captured. Explain how you returned completely unscathed.”

Xie Ying, being a new disciple, had been assigned as Xiao Yuruo’s companion to keep her from growing lonely and developing an Inner Demon during her confinement.

“Ah… what?!”

Zhou Yu’s direct question made Xie Ying flinch, her composure shattering. She began waving her hands frantically, her voice thin and reedy. “S-Senior Brother Zhou, it… it’s because I paid them! I paid them with Spirit Stones!”

“I-I’m still new here, I got lost! Luckily, I had over three thousand Spirit Stones on me. They saw my cultivation was low and I wasn’t a threat, so… so they just took the stones and let me go!”

“Is that so?” Zhou Yu’s arms remained crossed, his expression hardening with skepticism.

He clearly wasn’t buying a word of it.