Rise of the Sword Son-in-Law

Chapter 331: The End of an Era

Having arrived at a safe place, everyone finally stopped.

At this moment, all of them let out a slight sigh of relief.

Especially for Song Yan and Qin Yu, it felt as though they just went through a life-and-death ordeal.

This trip to the Tianlong Valley turned out to be even more thrilling than they had imagined.

Although they hadn’t taken much action, the experience was still breathtaking.

Xu Ping’an was relatively okay, but he also felt somewhat excited; it had been a long time since he had experienced such a battle.

After becoming the Immortal Emperor in his previous life, he had mostly engaged in closed-door cultivation and rarely did he fight.

Being reborn and experiencing these events again, he felt a resurgence of the fiery passion he had when he first embarked on the path of cultivation.

"Xu Ping’an, thank you for this time," said the Snow King, looking at Xu Ping’an.

"You flatter me, Snow King. In truth, I didn’t exert much effort. Although the Dragon Phoenix Pill is precious, it isn’t of much use to me at this moment," Xu Ping’an replied with a smile.

The Snow King nodded; the energy contained in the Dragon Phoenix Pill was too vast for Xu Ping’an to absorb at the moment.

Still, for Xu Ping’an to willingly give away such a treasure was no easy feat.

"With this Dragon Phoenix Pill, I can break through to the Ninth Rank. I had planned to enter the Heavenly Star Palace, but it seems unnecessary now," stated the Snow King.

Xu Ping’an nodded, understanding that since the Dragon Phoenix Pill could help the Snow King achieve a breakthrough, her goal for this trip had been reached.

"Yan’er, you and your junior sister should return with me. It’s no longer suitable for you to stay here. You have already gained much from this journey. Once back, concentrate on your cultivation and strive to reach the Seventh Rank as soon as possible," the Snow King said to Song Yan.

Song Yan and Li Shuangshuang exchanged glances and nodded in agreement.

They truly had obtained a significant amount of Tianlong Marrow and a Tianlong Fruit during this trip. With these treasures, they had enough to break through to the Seventh Rank and continue cultivating for a long time.

Xu Ping’an also nodded slightly; with the strength of Song Yan and her peers, it was indeed not suitable for them to proceed to the Heavenly Star Palace.

It was now clear that attempting the Heavenly Star Palace without the strength of the Seventh Rank was tantamount to seeking death.

"Xu Ping’an, do you plan to go to the Heavenly Star Palace?" Song Yan hesitated before asking.

Xu Ping’an nodded solemnly, "Yes, I intend to visit the Heavenly Star Palace. The purpose of my coming here is to investigate some matters."

"Then... be careful," Song Yan added after some thought.

"I will be careful," Xu Ping’an replied, nodding.

Song Yan seemed to want to say more, but she hesitated, appearing as if she had more to say but decided against it.

Seeing this, Song Xue, who was beside her, shook her head helplessly.

It seemed her younger sister had developed feelings for Xu Ping’an.

But it appeared Xu Ping’an didn’t share similar sentiments.

"Snow Guards, escort Yan’er away first. I have a few words to exchange with Xu Ping’an, and then I will catch up with you," Song Xue said.

"Understood." The Snow Guards promptly took the command and led Song Yan and Li Shuangshuang away.

Song Yan seemed reluctant, giving Xu Ping’an a glance, but ultimately, she followed her elder sister’s order and left.

With Song Yan and Li Shuangshuang gone, only Xu Ping’an, Song Xue, and the siblings Li Xuanqing remained.

Seeing that the Snow King seemed to have something to discuss privately with Xu Ping’an, Li Xuanqing immediately spoke, "Brother Xu, we will take our leave too. Our sect elders have sent word that they are almost here, and we need to go greet them."

"Then we’ll meet again in the Heavenly Star Palace," Xu Ping’an said with a smile.

Xu Ping’an wasn’t surprised by the departure of Li Xuanqing and his companion.

"Sure!" Li Xuanqing immediately agreed.

Qin Yu then said with a smile, "Xu Ping’an, my father couldn’t come this time, but when you visit Chiming Heaven next, I’ll make him acknowledge you as my elder brother."

Xu Ping’an couldn’t help but smile wryly at the thought. If he became Qin Yu’s father’s elder brother, wouldn’t that make Qin Yu his niece?

He wondered what was going through the girl’s mind.

Li Xuanqing was equally helpless and could only drag Qin Yu away with him.

As Song Xue watched Li Xuanqing and his companion walk away, she finally spoke, "Xu Ping’an, your trip to the Heavenly Star Palace could be extremely perilous."

"I know," Xu Ping’an nodded.

"No, you don’t understand. This journey to the Heavenly Star Palace will be far more dangerous than you can imagine. From what I’ve learned, it’s not just the forces of the four great Immortal Dynasties, but many from the Heaven Beyond Heavens and the five great superpowers have sent personnel. And this time, they are likely to target the loose cultivators who are preparing to enter the Heavenly Star Palace," Song Xue elaborated.

"Target the loose cultivators? Why?" Xu Ping’an was surprised.

Typically, in such treasure hunts, even the large powers would not easily target loose cultivators.

After all, doing so was largely pointless and could provoke widespread indignation.

While loose cultivators lack the backing of a power, if they band together, they can be formidable, so these forces usually offer loose cultivators some hope.

"Because the number of entries to the Heavenly Star Palace is limited. Last time, some of the loose cultivators entered the palace ahead of time, preventing certain major power members from entering. This time, to prevent such an occurrence, they might undertake a purging, and you are also a loose cultivator without a power," explained Song Xue.

Xu Ping’an frowned.

That’s right, he was indeed a loose cultivator. His status as a disciple of the Beichen Sword Sect was virtually non-existent.

If the entry slots were indeed limited, then the powerful individuals from the large forces really might act against the loose cultivators.

"Would they expel or kill?" Xu Ping’an asked.

To protect their slots, there were only two options: expulsion or execution.

"What do you think? If you were a person from a major power, what would you do?" Song Xue did not answer directly but instead looked at Xu Ping’an with a counterquestion.

After a moment’s thought, with a sharp look in his eyes, Xu Ping’an said, "Kill."

"Correct, they would only kill and not expel. If they chose expulsion, those loose cultivators would hardly give up. It would only cause them to band together," Song Xue stated.

Xu Ping’an nodded. If they tried to expel the loose cultivators, the cultivators wouldn’t take it lying down; they would join forces to oppose the major powers.

Therefore, any intelligent individual from a major power would opt for execution.

But such action would be extremely cruel.

"You may have underestimated the significance of the Heavenly Star Palace. It can be said to be one of the most crucial sites in the Fifth Realms right now. It’s not just about treasures; it also involves other matters," said Song Xue.

"Does that mean, Lady Snow King, that the Heavenly Star Divine Palace is also linked to the method of breaking through to the Immortal Emperor Realm?" Xu Ping’an suddenly realized something and responded.

Snow King glanced at Xu Ping’an and said, "It seems you’ve guessed right. The Heavenly Star Divine Palace indeed has a great connection with breaking through to the Immortal Emperor Realm. Were it not for the restriction that only those below the Tenth Rank could enter, you might’ve seen many ancient beings."

"So this time, these major powers all have specific goals in coming here," Xu Ping’an remarked with a sense of gravity.

"You understand, and that’s good, especially for the top three levels. This time, the strong ones from these major powers might be determined to succeed. The Heavenly Star Palace only opens once every three thousand six hundred years, and many people can’t wait any longer," said Song Xue.

Three thousand six hundred years?

Xu Ping’an felt a weighty seriousness; he hadn’t expected the Heavenly Star Palace to open only once in such a long period.

"Lady Snow King, it seems you have quite an understanding of the Heavenly Star Palace?" Xu Ping’an inquired.

"I’ve done some research. The Heavenly Star Daoist was one of the key figures at the end of the Ancient Times. There are too many secrets linked to him, including the Heavenly Connection Catastrophe and the breaking apart of the Immortal Realm. Many people are investigating what exactly happened at the end of the Ancient Times, and I’ve only just begun my research," responded Song Xue.

Xu Ping’an nodded.

The Heavenly Connection Catastrophe marked the end of the Ancient Times, which was now approaching nearly one hundred thousand years ago.

Many records of the Ancient Times were lost, as if someone had intentionally concealed that part of history.

And before the Ancient Times, it was said that there were the Remote Ancient Era and the Chaotic Era, which were even more unfathomably ancient.