Rise of the Sword Son-in-Law

Chapter 313: The Person in the Painting

Xu Ping’an put away his brush and then looked at the inkstone again.

The inkstone was not simple either, it wasn’t an attack-type Immortal Artifact, but a supportive one.

The ink ground from it could transform into anything and could even conjure up Xu Ping’an’s doppelgangers.

Although these doppelgangers lacked powerful attack strength, they were identical to Xu Ping’an, almost indistinguishable.

Even for Eighth Rank or Ninth Rank Experts, as long as Xu Ping’an didn’t make a move, it would be very difficult for them to discern whether it was Xu Ping’an’s true form.

"With this inkstone, I might be able to save my life at crucial times, or it might even play a vitally important role," Xu Ping’an said joyfully.

So Xu Ping’an unceremoniously put the inkstone into his storage ring.

After storing the brush and inkstone, Xu Ping’an turned his attention to the paper.

This paper was also truly not ordinary; it was made from a kind of Immortal Spirit Tree, which could remain forever unspoiled and store any form of energy, even the Power of Dao Principles.

Both the paintings on the right wall and the books on the desk were written on this kind of paper.

Such paper, even within the Spirit Realm, was of great value.

Xu Ping’an waved his hand and collected it directly into his storage ring.

This item wasn’t needed now, but who knows, it might prove useful in the future.

After that, Xu Ping’an turned his gaze to that book.

The book was obviously written by the owner of this cave, and it bore four characters: Sword Path Manuscript.

When Xu Ping’an flipped through the book, he found many records in it.

All the records inside were about the original owner’s insights into swordsmanship.

The Sword Path was a very powerful Dao Principle.

Back then, Xu Ping’an’s main focus wasn’t on swordsmanship, but he had also grasped it.

Reading the owner’s notes, his insights into the Sword Path were definitely not low.

It seemed he had reached a very profound level.

Some of the ideas were different from what Xu Ping’an had realized in the past, which Xu Ping’an found novel.

Now that he had been reborn, his memories of the Sword Path were only vague, and to master the Sword Path, he needed to comprehend it all over again.

However, Xu Ping’an didn’t intend to master the Sword Path, even though it was powerful.

But it wasn’t the best choice for him.

"Let’s put it aside for now. I’ll have a look when I have time. It might be useful if I sub-specialize in swordsmanship later on. Even if I don’t cultivate it myself, I can give it to someone else," Xu Ping’an mused to himself.

He immediately stored the book as well.

Next, Xu Ping’an didn’t even spare the desk and chair.

The desk and chair were made of Wan Nian Yun Tan Wood, which was as hard as an Immortal Artifact.

Moreover, Yun Tan Wood also had the effects of calming the mind and nurturing the soul, sitting on it for a long time could greatly aid in soul cultivation and enlightenment.

Xu Ping’an had just tried sitting down for a bit and immediately felt a slight repair to his previously injured soul origin.

Although the effect was extremely subtle, he had only sat for a brief moment. If one were to sit for a long time, the impact would be tremendous.

He stored the desk, and Xu Ping’an next moved towards the bookshelf.

Aside from some books, the bookshelf also held items that resembled vases.

These vases weren’t Immortal Artifacts but were of Superior Grade Spirit Instrument quality, excellent for storing Spiritual Medicine and Spiritual Liquid.

Xu Ping’an didn’t hesitate and took them all with him.

As for the books, they weren’t about Cultivation Combat Techniques but were collections of weird tales and strange anecdotes.

This suited his taste.

With a wave of his hand, along with the bookshelf, everything was placed into the storage ring.

After collecting everything, Xu Ping’an finally approached the right wall.

Three paintings hung on the wall at this moment.

As Xu Ping’an approached the three paintings, the "ominous" character in his mind began to pulsate again.

"Indeed, the danger in this room comes from these three paintings, precisely from the third one," Xu Ping’an glanced over the three paintings, especially when he glanced at the third one, he distinctly felt unease.

The first painting depicted a massive dragon, lifelike and leaping off the page, looking extremely fierce and domineering.

From this painting, Xu Ping’an could sense a strong presence of Blood Evil Energy.

"Roar!"

When Xu Ping’an looked at the dragon, it seemed to come alive, emitting a roar-like hissing noise at Xu Ping’an.

This noise didn’t exist in reality, but resounded in Xu Ping’an’s mind.

If it weren’t for Xu Ping’an’s soul having reached the peak of multitasking, perhaps this dragon roar would have been enough to cause his soul to collapse.

If he wasn’t mistaken, this painting was drawn with dragon blood as ink, and a dragon soul was infused into it.

Although the painting had a heavy aura of blood evil energy, it seemed to have some sort of seal suppressing the dragon soul, so it wasn’t dangerous.

Xu Ping’an then looked at the second painting.

This second painting gave Xu Ping’an a very reassuring feeling.

It depicted a mountain, a majestic one.

The peak soared into the clouds, giving off a strong sense of oppression.

However, what really made Xu Ping’an take this painting seriously was that when he looked at the second painting, the large characters in his mind began to joyfully jump around.

"So the Strengthening Principle wants this second painting?" Xu Ping’an immediately understood there was something within this painting that the fragment of the Strengthening Principle desired.

However, what exactly the Strengthening Principle wanted, Xu Ping’an wasn’t yet sure.

The first two paintings were basically safe, but the third one gave Xu Ping’an a dangerous feeling.

Every time Xu Ping’an looked at the third painting, the character for "menace" in his mind would violently shake.

The third painting featured a person, a woman of stunning beauty.

The woman’s beauty could topple empires, heavenly in her allure, dressed in a white gown.

When Xu Ping’an looked at the woman in the painting, it seemed as if she, too, was looking at him.

This gaze made Xu Ping’an feel a strong sense of unease.

"Is this a painting spirit? No, that’s not quite right, it seems to be a fragment of a powerful being’s soul," Xu Ping’an muttered to himself in surprise.

The woman in this painting wasn’t merely a painted figure, she was alive.

To be precise, someone had endowed the figure in the painting with real power of the soul origin.

Which means, the person in front of him in the painting was alive.

And she had been staring at him since the moment he entered.

At this thought, the character for "menace" in Xu Ping’an’s mind began to shake violently.

Xu Ping’an was shocked, and quickly called upon the Thunder Devouring Sword to protect his soul origin.

"Boom!"

An immensely powerful soul force hit his mind in an instant.

At that moment, Xu Ping’an felt as if his soul had exploded.

He instantly felt the world spin around him.

"Senior, I mean no harm," said Xu Ping’an hurriedly after a brief dizziness.

The strength of the being in the painting was formidable; her soul origin power had reached at least the peak of the Seventh Layer Realm.

If he hadn’t had the protection of the Thunder Devouring Sword, his soul would have been completely shattered by that strike.

"Huh, you’re not dead? A Fifth Rank took my hit and is still alive?" the woman in the painting spoke up.

Her voice was ethereal, pleasant to the ear, cold, and carried a hint of surprise.

"Senior, are you trying to seize my body? But I am a man, not the most ideal physical body for you," Xu Ping’an said hastily.

He knew the woman’s purpose.

The woman had attacked to seize his soul.

Luckily, he had been on guard; otherwise, his soul would already have been occupied by her now.

"I am well aware you are a man, but I have been trapped here for five thousand years without seeing a single soul, and I do not wish to wait any longer," the woman said coldly, her voice tinged with anger.

"Senior, I can take you out of here, and I promise to find you the most suitable body in the future. You know how much damage each soul seizure inflicts on the soul origin, so if you seize me, you probably won’t be able to seize another for a long time," Xu Ping’an said, afraid that she might attack again.

He couldn’t withstand a second attack from her.

Xu Ping’an’s words indeed had an effect, and she stopped.

"Why should I believe you?" the woman’s cold voice sounded again.

Xu Ping’an let out a sigh of relief upon hearing this.

It was good to have something to negotiate; he feared the kind that would attack without a word.