Chapter 804: Xiaxian Palace

The world was silent.

Before the bright moon high above, wisps of clouds drifted past, creating an ethereal mist that seemed to move with a life of its own. As the purple moonlight spread from its source down Chang Street, Xu Qing stopped and turned to gaze at the butterfly behind him.

The Immortal Palace of Xia!

Xu Qing had heard of this organization more than once. The first time was on his way to the imperial capital, when Princess Anhai mentioned it. She had said that this palace existed not only among humans but also among many other races on the Ancient Observing Continent. Its antiquity could be traced back to the very beginning of the Ancient Observing era. The ninety-nine ancient Heavenly Daos of the Ancient Continent were also elevated by the founders of this palace, who set the rules for this world and drew boundaries for the gods. They came from a place called Thick Earth, which was the lower realm.

Xu Qing's gaze was profound. After a long silence, he slowly spoke. "The Immortal Palace of Xia sends out one disciple every thousand years to travel the world. So, you are this generation's disciple?"

The butterfly flapped its wings, and brilliant starlight, like dust, spilled from its body before vanishing into nothingness. A crisp sound echoed with it. "I won't tell you. If you want to know, guess."

Xu Qing remained expressionless. The 'soul silk' from his body surged out and rushed into the butterfly. With a crash, the butterfly disintegrated, only to reform quickly, but in an instant, it was destroyed again by the soul silk. Xu Qing only stopped after this cycle repeated dozens of times.

When the butterfly reformed again, the patterns on its wings looked like eyes, as if glaring furiously. Then, a helpless voice emerged. "You're still angry? You've gone too far. Don't attack. Can't I just answer your question? I also want to travel, but the Palace Master said my abilities aren't enough. Sigh, she has a point, I can't even defeat you..."

The voice within the butterfly sighed. "So, are you coming or not? If you don't, I'll just keep following you. There's no other way; the Palace Master told me to invite you, and I can't fail to complete it within the allotted time. Don't be afraid; we won't harm you. And haven't you noticed that even though we've been fighting, the formations haven't activated, and no one has arrived? You know why, right? Because I represent the Immortal Palace of Xia. We never interfere in the mundane affairs of any race. We are merely recorders of history; we do not make enemies. Though I don't know why the Palace Master wants to invite you! Are you coming or not?"

Xu Qing found it irritating. He realized that this mysterious woman, after transforming into a butterfly, seemed to have become extremely talkative, going on endlessly. However, Xu Qing was very interested in the Immortal Palace of Xia, and with so many parties paying attention to him in the imperial capital, he wasn't worried about fatal danger if he went to the palace. After a moment of thought, he looked down at the ancient sun tied to his waist, feeling even more reassured.

"Lead the way," Xu Qing said calmly.

The butterfly cheered and flew forward, vibrant and beautiful, leaving a trail of starlight. Xu Qing followed, walking north until they reached the northern part of the imperial capital.

The imperial capital was vast, forming the inner ring of the Ancient Emperor Star. It boasted diverse terrain, including numerous mountains and plains, scattered throughout the capital. The northern region, compared to other directions, was slightly more open and sparsely built. Especially at night, it had a desolate feel. After a moment, the butterfly paused in mid-air over a plain.

Brilliant light, combined with the moonlight, illuminated the area fairly clearly. Within the light, a temple shimmered in and out of view. There were no other buildings around; it stood alone on the ground. The temple was dilapidated and imbued with the passage of time. Its mode of existence was also peculiar, appearing to be built between reality and illusion. Xu Qing had passed this location before and clearly remembered there was no temple here. Could it be similar to the Immortal Bell of Inquiry? Xu Qing pondered.

"No need to guess," a voice emerged from the butterfly in mid-air. "The Immortal Palace of Xia in any race is like this. It exists and yet doesn't exist. When you try to find it, you won't be able to. Only when the Immortal Palace of Xia actively invites you will it reveal itself." After speaking, its body flickered and darted towards the temple, vanishing without a trace as it passed through.

As it departed, the temple's door slowly opened. The door was mottled, showing even more pronounced signs of age. A profound sense of vicissitude emanated from both inside and outside the temple. Gazing upon it felt like gazing upon history itself. Xu Qing closed his eyes, and the sundial within him slowly rotated. When he opened his eyes, he faintly saw a long river of time flowing outside the temple. This made the temple even more mysterious.

After a while, Xu Qing took a deep breath, straightened his clothes, and bowed outside the temple. Then, he strode towards the temple door without hesitation, stepping directly inside. The moment he entered, his eyes met a dilapidated temple hall, just as its exterior suggested. The temple's interior had a layout similar to an ordinary temple, spacious and quiet, with only the faint echo of burning candles. The sound came from the altar ahead, where nine candles rested: three extinguished and six burning. The opening of the main door caused the candle flames to flicker, casting the entire hall into dim light. Below the altar were three worn meditation mats woven from dried grass, showing signs of long-term use, as if people had regularly sat and worshipped there. Instead of statues, the temple enshrined nine ancient, blurred images. They were indistinct, but one could faintly discern that they depicted human figures. Additionally, the walls around the hall were adorned with carved totems, which appeared mottled under the candlelight.

Xu Qing's gaze shifted from the altar to the surrounding walls. After careful observation, his heart stirred. These were condensed depictions of human history. On the murals, Xu Qing saw the depiction of Emperor Xuanzhan's ascension to the throne, rendered with such clarity that the grandeur and solemnity were vividly portrayed. After gazing at it, it felt as if he were there.

After a while, Xu Qing's gaze moved to other murals. He saw the ascension of another human emperor, whose appearance was unfamiliar, but there was an inscription beside him: Dao Shi! Xu Qing examined it carefully and continued forward. Wherever his gaze fell, he saw that before Dao Shi was Emperor Jingyun. Before the depiction of Emperor Jingyun, Xu Qing paused. He thought of Prince Ziqing and knew that Emperor Jingyun was a contemporary of Ziqing. That era could be considered a golden age in the post-human history. After a long time, Xu Qing continued walking and saw Emperor Shengtian, and also Emperor Dongsheng, who, due to his grand ambitions, lost half of humanity's territory.

The ascension scenes of these emperors varied in their grandeur. Most astonishing was the depiction of Emperor Dongsheng, where Heavenly Kings stood tall, dominating many powerful figures, their aura and destiny profoundly rich. At that time, humanity possessed terrifying power and heritage, and the lingering prestige of the Ancient Emperor was still present. Looking back at Emperor Xuanzhan's ascension, the decline of humanity was strikingly evident. These scenes unfolded like a river of history flowing before Xu Qing, illuminating the human lineage after Ancient Emperor Xuanyou's departure through the murals.

"So what about Ancient Emperor Xuanyou, before Emperor Dongsheng?" A ripple stirred in Xu Qing's heart as he continued along the temple walls until a scene surpassing all later human emperors appeared before his eyes. He saw the ascension of Ancient Emperor Xuanyou! The Ancient Emperor Star shone with brilliant light, countless auspicious signs appeared, and heaven and earth lost their splendor. The ninety-nine ancient Heavenly Daos revealed themselves, bowing to the Emperor, and on the vast imperial palace stood a single figure, surpassing heavenly might. Beneath this figure, countless races across the Ancient Observing Continent worshipped him with profound reverence. He alone suppressed the Ancient Observing world and swept across heaven and earth! "Ancient Emperor Xuanyou..."

Xu Qing gazed for a very long time before slowly withdrawing his sight and calming his mind. He then walked forward, wanting to see humanity before Xuanyou. Before Xuanyou, humanity also had emperors, whose reigns varied in length, some long, some short, and their aura differed accordingly. It wasn't until the third one that Xu Qing saw a scene as grand as Ancient Emperor Xuanyou's ceremony. That... was also an Ancient Emperor! Xuanyou was not the first Ancient Emperor to unify the Ancient Observing world. The Ancient Emperor before him was named Banished Immortal, who was a female emperor! Her magnificent presence captivated all, and her colorful wings spread across the sky. Xu Qing's heart stirred. This was history he had not known before, so he observed it even more closely, only leaving after a long while. After this, there were over fifty human emperors...

At the very end of the temple murals, Xu Qing finally saw humanity's first Ancient Emperor! It was a young boy standing before the ancient imperial palace, dressed not in imperial robes but in a Taoist robe. He was not looking down at the myriad races worshipping below, but rather had his head raised, seemingly gazing at the starry sky. His expression was somewhat melancholic, complex, and filled with longing. The inscription read four characters: Ancient Emperor Tianjing!

"Ancient Emperor Tianjing was humanity's first emperor, and also its first Ancient Emperor!"

At this moment, an elegant voice came from behind Xu Qing. Hearing it, Xu Qing turned to look towards the altar, where a female figure, her back to him, had appeared on the central meditation mat. Dressed in plain white robes with long black hair, she appeared before Xu Qing like an old, faded painting illuminated by the candlelight. The figure in the image seemed to exist within time itself, yet was clearly visible to Xu Qing, making it impossible to distinguish between ancient and present. Her aura was neither fully divine nor fully cultivated.

"An immortal..." The long-dormant divine finger within Xu Qing's body trembled. "I just took a nap, how... how did you lead me to an immortal..." The divine finger quivered, instinctively closing its 'eyes,' preparing to fall back into slumber, believing that if it slept, it wouldn't be afraid. Xu Qing ignored the awakened divine finger and focused his gaze on the ethereal figure. Beside her, a butterfly now appeared out of thin air, fluttering around her as an adornment, before finally settling on the woman's shoulder. The eye-like pattern on its wings gazed at Xu Qing.

"Xu Qing, this is my master, and also the Palace Master of the Immortal Palace of Xia!"

Xu Qing bowed solemnly. "Greetings, Palace Master!"

The ancient temple remained silent for a long time. "You carry the aura of the Immortal of Xia!" The ethereal voice of the plain figure, soft as water droplets falling on bluestone, echoed through the ancient temple, its resonance lingering for a long time.