Rise of the Sword Son-in-Law

Three hours later, Xu Ping'an ceased his practice with a hint of surprise on his face. "Quite interesting, this Sky-breaking Sword Decision is truly profound. This Sword Decision can undoubtedly be deemed a Ninth Rank Superior Grade swordsmanship, and it could even be compared to the Tenth Rank Sword Decisions. However, it's a pity that there are only the first four moves. Fortunately, even though this is a Ninth Rank combat technique, it doesn't place any restrictions on the cultivator's cultivation level; even those at the Second Rank can practice it. As my cultivation grows stronger in the future, the power of the sword moves will also become greater," Xu Ping'an thought to himself. Sky-breaking Sword Decision! The first move: Mountain-breaking The second move: Sea-Beheading The third move: Annihilation The fourth move: Silent Heaven Four moves of the Sword Decision, each more powerful than the last. For now, he had only mastered the first move at a basic level. To fully master this first move, he still needed more rigorous practice. "Very well, now I'm cultivating the Sky-breaking Sword Decision externally and nurturing swordsmanship internally. Progressing with both, the first layer of the Great Bright Diamond Decision has been accomplished. To break through to the Second Layer in a short time is hardly possible. Once the first layer is practiced to the stage of entering divine and exiting mortal realms, I should be able to slay anyone in the Ninth Layer of the Sea-Splitting Realm with my physical body," Xu Ping'an murmured to himself. Now his strength should be comparable to the late stages of the Eight-Layer Sea-Splitting Realm. Few people could injure him in the Eighth Layer of the Sea-Splitting Realm, and he wouldn't easily lose against a Ninth Layer either. Over the following days, Xu Ping'an was devoted to practicing the Sky-breaking Sword Decision. Besides that, he also took three Spirit Origin Pills and broke through to the Fourth Layer of the Sea-Splitting Realm. His strength increased significantly, almost matching the peak of the Eighth Layer of the Sea-Splitting Realm. Below the Ninth Layer, hardly anyone could be his match. "It's time to kill Chen Tianqing. However, I still need to be more secretive about it; if others discover I was the one who killed him, it will bring some trouble," Xu Ping'an murmured to himself. Ever since he had completely offended Chen Tianqing, Xu Ping'an had decided that he must not let Chen Tianqing live. Therefore, Chen Tianqing was already on his list of those fated to die. Of course, Zhou Mengyue was also on his list of those fated to die. But right now, killing Chen Tianqing was more pressing. If Zhou Mengyue and Chen Tianqing were both to die, it would be too easy for people to associate their deaths with him. So Xu Ping'an felt that it was better to leave Zhou Mengyue alone for now. "Tonight I'll first explore Chen Tianqing's residence and check the place out. As the Princely Heir of Tianlong County, it's unlikely he doesn't have a Third Rank cultivator protecting him. If there is one, silently killing him might be rather difficult," Xu Ping'an thought to himself. Although he was the reincarnation of the Immortal Emperor, he was not foolish. If people found out he had killed Chen Tianqing, the Commandery Prince of Tianlong County would surely hunt him down. Then there would probably be no place for him in the entire Tianlong County, and he didn't intend to become everyone's target just yet. Night fell quickly. Xu Ping'an changed into a set of black clothes and, using the Ghost Cloud Step, he darted through the darkness at a swift pace. Soon, he arrived at the large courtyard where Chen Tianqing resided. Chen Tianqing's residence was larger and much more luxurious than his own, resembling a grand mansion. Inside the mansion, apart from a few maids handling responsibilities, there was also a team of guards patrolling. This made Xu Ping'an couldn't help but reflect on the man's status and identity. To have so many people arranged by the Beichen Sword Sect spoke volumes about his significance. Xu Ping'an dwelled on it no further and continued towards the deeper parts of the mansion. As for the patrolling guards, he wasn't concerned about them; these were all Second Rank cultivators, and the likelihood of them discovering him was almost nil. The Chaotic Reversal Scripture had a very powerful method of repressing one's aura. Second Rank, Third Rank, or even Fourth Rank would hardly be able to detect him, and this was what he was relying on. When he reached the outermost part of the deepest mansion, Xu Ping'an peeked through a gap in the window and finally saw Chen Tianqing. However, the three people by Chen Tianqing's side caused Xu Ping'an's brows to furrow. One Fourth Rank! Two Third Ranks! So many formidable figures? The Chen Tianqing residence actually harbors a Fourth-Rank Cultivator, which is much more troublesome than Xu Ping'an had imagined. What's this guy hiding so many Cultivators in his residence for? Could it be to deal with me? Impossible! I don't have that kind of capability, at least not outwardly, it seems. Then the reason these people have come here could likely be for some other purpose. It could even be that they have sneaked in. "Uncle Wei, are you certain that the person from the previous dynasty's Sword Mansion is in this Beichen Sword Sect?" Chen Tianqing asked with a frown. "Certain. This individual has a close friend who was captured by the Commandery Prince, and eventually, the whereabouts of this person were forced out. However, this person has changed their appearance, making it very hard to confirm their true identity," the middle-aged man of the Fourth Rank said. "How capable is this person?" Chen Tianqing continued to ask. "At the Peak of the Fourth Rank, but they have suffered some injuries, so their strength should have declined. This time, with me joining forces with the brothers Li Cheng and Li Qin, and together with the trump card the Commandery Prince has given us, eliminating this person won't be difficult," the man leading the group said. "Eliminate him? Wasn't it said that this person carries a great secret? Why not capture them alive? Since they're at the peak of the Fourth Rank, although they're injured, their strength is unpredictable. Why didn't father send a Fifth-Rank expert?" Chen Tianqing asked. "We can't dispatch a Fifth-Rank expert. After all, this is the Beichen Sword Sect. Once a Fifth-Rank expert steps into this place, it would draw the Beichen Sword Sect's Sect Leader's attention. By then, we might scare him off. Even if there are secrets on this person, those are external objects. As long as we kill him, we can retrieve that item," the middle-aged man explained. "What item?" Chen Tianqing asked, furrowing his brows. "I don't know what the exact item is, but by killing this person, we will find out. It is said to be an object related to the Western Chu Sword Emperor," the middle-aged man said. "The Western Chu Sword Emperor?" Chen Tianqing's complexion changed. The Western Chu Sword Emperor, the emperor from the preceding era, a Ninth-Rank Expert who was said to have almost ascended to become an immortal. If it truly is an object related to him, then it must be an ultimate treasure. If father could obtain this item, he might grow even stronger, and he might even aspire to become an emperor in the future. Thinking this, Chen Tianqing was overjoyed. If father becomes an emperor, wouldn't I be an emperor's son? "We must find this person and acquire that item," Chen Tianqing declared resolutely. "Yes, your Highness. The Commandery Prince sent you here for that very item," the middle-aged man said. Chen Tianqing's eyes twinkled with keen light. Meanwhile, outside the window, Xu Ping'an was somewhat surprised. So that's what this is all about. The Western Chu Sword Emperor? Interesting! Xu Ping'an had some knowledge about this Western Chu Sword Emperor. Over two hundred years ago, this place was within the boundary of the former Western Chu country, ruled by the Western Chu Sword Emperor. It was said that his strength was formidable, reaching the peak of the Ninth Layer of the Emperor Body Realm. He was only one step away from ascending to the Tenth Rank of the Primordial Immortal Realm. Alas, he perished suddenly. "Interesting, but with these three around, it will be very difficult to kill Chen Tianqing. However, this person from the Western Chu Sword Mansion mentioned by them could be worth finding," Xu Ping'an mused to himself. He then vanished into the darkness. Chen Tianqing must die, but now was not the time to act. However, with this person from the Western Chu Sword Mansion around, when the time comes to kill Chen Tianqing, I could pin the blame on him.