"When they mentioned the Pink Emperor before, I should have realized," he mused. "The Pink Emperor they spoke of and the one who destroyed the Spirit Realm all those years ago are the same person!"

Luo Xiu could feel the complex emotions in Lin Tong's words. He stared at the portrait of the Pink Emperor and fell silent.

Suddenly, Lin Tong laughed. "But Brother, don't overthink it. My grudge is with the Pink Emperor. That's a separate issue and has nothing to do with Su Shenyun."

Luo Xiu rolled up the scroll and turned to leave.

Lin Tong was puzzled. "This treasury is filled with all kinds of Magical Treasures. Aren't you going to look around a bit more, Brother?"

Luo Xiu replied, "Didn't they say I could only take one thing? I'll take this painting."

"This…" Lin Tong was crestfallen. "Brother, it's just a painting! There's nothing special about it. How can it compare to those Magical Treasures? Any random Magical Treasure you pick would be better than this painting."

Luo Xiu, however, said, "I understand your point, but at the end of the day, I am a Swordsman.

"As a Swordsman, the sword in my hand is the most powerful Magical Treasure.

"All those other Magical Treasures are certainly powerful and convenient, but ultimately, they are just external objects."

Lin Tong praised him, "As expected of you, Brother. Your way of thinking is on a completely different level."

...

Yue Ya paced back and forth outside the treasury door, looking bored. It wasn't long before Luo Xiu emerged. She immediately rushed over to him. "That was fast! What treasure did you pick? Quick, let me see."

Luo Xiu handed her the scroll. Yue Ya unrolled it, and her expression turned strange the moment she saw it. "Uh… what's the meaning of this?"

Luo Xiu was stunned for a moment before asking, "Didn't you say I could take anything I fancied?"

"But this is just a plain white sheet of paper with nothing on it," Yue Ya said.

Hearing this, Luo Xiu grew very puzzled. He stared at the gorgeous woman on the painting. How can she not see her?

"Are you sure there's nothing on this painting?"

Yue Ya gave Luo Xiu a look as if he were a fool. "It's a blank sheet of paper. Do you really think there's something on it? It was just hanging in the treasury as a memento."

Luo Xiu was even more bewildered. Could it be that I'm the only one who can see the Pink Emperor on the painting, while Yue Ya sees nothing at all?

Yue Ya rolled the painting back up and returned it to Luo Xiu. "That being said, this blank painting does have a story behind it."

"What story?"

Yue Ya explained, "When I was young, the Great Elder told me this blank painting was mounted by the Pink Emperor herself.

"Back then, someone asked the Pink Emperor why she would mount a blank sheet of paper. She replied that there was nothing in this world worthy of her brush, nor anything worthy of her pen. So she left it blank, saying a fated person from a later generation would eventually take it.

"After the Pink Emperor left this world, the blank painting was placed in the treasury as a keepsake. Over the years, many talented clan members who had made great contributions entered the treasury and took this painting. They initially thought the Pink Emperor had hidden some profound secret within it, waiting for a fated person to decipher it. But they all discovered it was just an ordinary, blank sheet of paper and eventually returned it."

Luo Xiu laughed. "Then it seems I'm that fated person."

"Since you've chosen it, you can't go back on your word," Yue Ya said. "I gave you the chance. You ignored all those treasures inside and insisted on picking this."

Luo Xiu nodded gently. "This is the one."

Suddenly, Yue Ya stared at him suspiciously. "You didn't secretly take any other treasures besides this blank painting, did you?"

Luo Xiu put on an innocent expression. "Do I look like that kind of person? We agreed on one item, so I only took one."

"You look exactly like that kind of person."

"I'm serious."

"Fine, I'll trust you this one time. In any case, the Elder Hall will know if anything goes missing from the treasury."

Luo Xiu was speechless.

...

After leaving the treasury, Yue Ya led Luo Xiu to a guest room. Sitting on the bed, Luo Xiu stared at the painting in his hands, feeling more and more certain that it was extraordinary.

Am I really the only one who can see the Pink Emperor on it, while no one else can?

Lin Tong's soul floated out. "That's not surprising. For a Great Emperor-level expert, this is a simple trick."

Luo Xiu asked curiously, "Then why can you see it?"

Lin Tong explained, "My Divine Sense is linked to yours, Brother. I can see it because I'm sharing your Divine Sense."

"I see." Luo Xiu put the scroll away. "Let's get some sleep. We'll worry about this later. It seems that aside from the fact that only I can see the image, there's truly nothing else special about this painting."

...

Time flowed like water. Five days passed in the blink of an eye.

On this day, Su Shenyun was moved from the treasure pool in Jinfeng Forest to recuperate in the Fox King Hall. Luo Xiu was not allowed to see her, as the Elders forbade it.

Outside the Fox King Hall, Yue Ya found Luo Xiu waiting. "Don't worry," she said, "the Queen will be fine."

Luo Xiu asked anxiously, "How is she now?"

"Her Bloodline has fully awakened, and everything went smoothly," Yue Ya replied. "She's just still asleep."

"I see. That's a relief."

"The Great Elder wants to see you," Yue Ya added. "If you want to have the Blood Ban Technique removed, come with me to Jinfeng Forest immediately."

...

In Jinfeng Forest, standing before the old fox, Luo Xiu reluctantly stripped himself bare.

Yue Hua snorted, saying disdainfully, "What haven't I seen in my youth? I have no interest in your scrawny arms and legs."

The moment she finished speaking, a fox tail swept Luo Xiu into the treasure pool. The water within was crystal clear and seemed to glow.

As soon as Luo Xiu entered the water, he felt a piercing pain all over, as if every pore in his body was being pricked by needles.

Yue Hua paced around the pool on all fours, her movements slow and ancient. She said leisurely, "The water in this treasure pool is from the Profound Cold Spring deep underground. This Golden Maple King Tree was planted by the Pink Emperor herself. Every year, the tree refines a single drop of Golden Maple Fluid, which then merges with the pool.

"This Golden Maple King Tree is no ordinary plant; it was initially nurtured with the Pink Emperor's own Essence Blood. Therefore, the Golden Maple Fluid it refines is a priceless treasure!"

Luo Xiu tuned out Yue Hua's boasting. He hadn't absorbed a single word. All he wanted to know was how this old fox intended to remove the Blood Ban Technique.

Suddenly, Yue Hua took a deep breath. The single fox tail behind her fanned out, splitting into eight! At the same time, a powerful demonic energy erupted from her body.

"Little one, you'll have to endure this. I'm about to help you lift the Blood Ban Technique."

Luo Xiu asked curiously, "May I ask what method you intend to use, Senior?"

"You don't need to know. For now, do nothing. Just close your eyes and wait quietly," she said.

Luo Xiu said no more and closed his eyes. Immediately, the piercing pain intensified. If before it had felt like needles pricking his pores, now it was as if those same needles had been driven deep into his flesh and blood.

One hour passed, then two, then three… Luo Xiu endured the agony for what felt like an eternity.

He didn't come to his senses until he heard Yue Hua sigh. "Senior Yue Hua, why do you sigh?"

Yue Hua gazed at Luo Xiu in the pool and slowly shook her fox head. "How strange… The Blood Ban Technique afflicting you is different from the one I know. It seems to be much stronger."

Then she added, "I'll be direct. I am unable to remove it completely."

Luo Xiu was speechless.

Yue Hua continued, "I tried everything I could, but in the end, I could only organize the power within your Bloodline. Using my unique secret technique, I was able to manifest it as a visible Seal Charm Script on your chest."

Hearing this, Luo Xiu looked down and saw nine intricate, blood-red lines etched upon his chest. The patterns were arcane and complex, and where they overlapped, they appeared even more profound and bizarre.

Yue Hua said, "There were originally ten lines to this Seal Charm Script. I have managed to break one for you. As for the remaining nine, I can do nothing more. It is up to you now.

"Ah, what a vicious, wicked technique!

"Little one, this is as far as I can help you. From now on, you must fend for yourself."

Yue Hua heaved a long sigh, turned, and vanished into a cloud of demonic energy, as if she had never been there at all.

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