Rise of the Sword Son-in-Law

Chapter 356 The Once Glorious Era

In an extremely remote cave.

Xu Ping’an distributed some elixirs and soul-nourishing heavenly materials to the people.

Everyone around was cultivating.

Xu Ping’an also selected suitable cultivation techniques for Wu An, Fu Xing, Zhang Wenjun, and Liu Yan, and also gifted them each with ten jin of Tianlong Marrow.

Moreover, the various treasures in the storage rings they had acquired were plentiful.

So there should be no issues with their cultivation for a considerable time to come.

They were ecstatic upon receiving the cultivation techniques given by Xu Ping’an.

The cultivation techniques given by Xu Ping’an were of the Tenth Rank, whereas many of them had been practicing techniques of only the Seventh Rank.

After changing techniques, all four of them experienced a tremendous improvement.

Among them, Fu Xing and Zhang Wenjun even made breakthroughs, with one reaching the Ninth Layer of the Seventh Rank and the other reaching the Eighth Layer Realm.

Loose cultivators around them envied their luck.

After settling these loose cultivators, Xu Ping’an began to attend to his own matters.

Acquiring the storage rings from Yu Xiuyan and Yan Wu brought him a considerable haul.

Not to mention other items, just the spirit stones alone had accumulated into a mountain.

However, Xu Ping’an was not concerned with these but rather with some treasures and elixirs that could enhance cultivation.

Amongst these, in Yan Wu’s storage ring, there was a Ninth Rank Low Grade Mysterious Jade Elixir, which should be unique to Mysterious Jade Heaven.

This elixir had the effect of nourishing the soul; while its short-term effects were not evident, its benefits over the long term were significant.

Without any hesitation, Xu Ping’an immediately consumed it.

Upon taking the elixir, Xu Ping’an instantly felt refreshed, and his mind became incredibly clear.

The Niwan Palace and his soul origin seemed to be nourished and grew stronger gradually.

In addition, there were three Eighth Rank elixirs.

One was an Eighth Rank Superior Grade Heavenly Spirit Pill for healing injuries.

One was an Eighth Rank Intermediate Grade Immortal Body Pill for Body Refinement.

One was an Eighth Rank Low Grade Spirit Strengthening Elixir for the soul.

Furthermore, there were fifteen Seventh Rank elixirs, which were mainly for enhancing True Yuan and Soul Power.

One could say his collection was now exceedingly rich.

Additionally, there were some Seventh Rank talisman scripts, most of which were auxiliary types, like the Extreme Speed Talisman and the Earth Escape Talisman, for example.

These inscriptions, if used well, could be very useful.

Last in the storage ring, the only item that caught Xu Ping’an’s eye was a Low Grade Immortal Artifact long sword.

This compensated for Xu Ping’an’s current lack of an Immortal Sword weapon.

As for the books inside, they appeared to have all been destroyed.

Yu Xiuyan’s storage ring was a little more abundant.

There were as many as fifty-two Seventh Rank elixirs, ten Eighth Rank elixirs, and three Ninth Rank elixirs.

Besides, there was also a Low Grade Immortal Artifact shield and some precious High Rank medicinal ingredients.

Most of these ingredients were of the Ninth Rank, and it seemed Yu Xiuyan was very selective, not bothering to take any ordinary High Rank ingredients into his storage ring.

There were also some cultivation combat techniques in the ring, but Xu Ping’an did not think much of them.

Among them was a soul combat technique; unfortunately, it was a spear technique.

Xu Ping’an did not practice spear techniques, but it could still be worth studying to learn a thing or two.

He set it aside for the moment, as he could give it to Fu Xing and the others if it came to that.

"Eh, what’s this thing?" Suddenly, Xu Ping’an’s attention was caught by an item.

The next moment, his face overflowed with joy as he made a beckoning gesture, and a peculiar inscribed jade pendant appeared in Xu Ping’an’s hand.

The inscribed jade pendant exuded an extremely ancient aura.

"Could this be the Divine Talisman that Li Xuanqing mentioned?" Xu Ping’an wondered to himself with surprise.

After pondering for a moment, Xu Ping’an sent a message to Gu Lingyan.

She immediately came over.

"Yes, this is a Divine Talisman. You’re quite lucky. Yu Xiuyan must have obtained it from somewhere else because, according to the intelligence I’ve gathered, Demon Cloud Heaven doesn’t possess anything like this," Gu Lingyan said as she looked at the inscribed jade pendant in Xu Ping’an’s hand.

"Really a Divine Talisman?" Xu Ping’an asked in surprise.

He hadn’t expected to come across it so easily.

With this item, wouldn’t he be able to ascend to the Seventh Layer now?

Should I really go up there?

It’s very dangerous.

"Xu Ping’an, I advise you not to go to the Seventh Layer. It’s too dangerous. Those who can enter the Seventh Layer are basically of the Ninth Rank. If you go, it’s a certain death for you. Initially, I wasn’t worried since you didn’t have this thing, but now that you do, I still need to remind you," Gu Lingyan glanced at Xu Ping’an and said.

Xu Ping’an nodded, "What exactly is this Divine Talisman? Just a key to the Seventh Layer?"

Xu Ping’an fiddled with the Jade Divine Talisman in his hand, his face full of confusion.

"Who told you that?" Gu Lingyan asked with disdain.

"Li Xuanqing from the Crimson Sun Heaven," Xu Ping’an responded.

"Ignorant. But it’s also true that within Heaven Beyond Heavens, very few actually know the use of this object. Li Xuanqing may hold a high status in Crimson Sun Heaven, but he doesn’t have access to matters of this level," Gu Lingyan said arrogantly.

Xu Ping’an realized, Gu Lingyan was looking down on Li Xuanqing.

Things on this level, it meant that Li Xuanqing wasn’t on the same level as her.

This girl’s background must be really extraordinary.

"Then what is the use of this object exactly?" Xu Ping’an asked.

"The Jade Divine Talisman is actually a military talisman of one of the Thirty-Six Generals under Heavenly Star Daoist’s command and also the key to opening the Thirty-Six Great Halls of the Seventh Layer, a symbol of one’s status," Gu Lingyan explained.

"Hold on, Thirty-Six Generals? Isn’t Heavenly Star Daoist a Loose Cultivator?" Xu Ping’an asked hurriedly.

"Idiot, who told you that Heavenly Star Daoist is a Loose Cultivator? How powerful can a single person be? Moreover, in that era, without a powerful backing, Heavenly Star Daoist, being so reckless, would have been killed countless times already," Gu Lingyan glanced at Xu Ping’an with disdain.

Xu Ping’an was astonished to hear this.

Although it was a slight, the information it contained was enormous.

First, Heavenly Star Daoist was not a Loose Cultivator; he had his own forces.

Second, there were many powerful individuals in that era.

Third, Heavenly Star Daoist was very reckless.

Fourth, Gu Lingyan knew a lot about Heavenly Star Daoist, even about his recklessness.

"What rank are these Thirty-Six Generals?" Xu Ping’an asked.

"Immortal Emperors," Gu Lingyan replied.

"Immortal Emperors?" Xu Ping’an was stunned.

So in my past life, I couldn’t even qualify as a subordinate under Heavenly Star Daoist?

Damn, was Heavenly Star Daoist that formidable?

"Then what rank is Heavenly Star Daoist?" Xu Ping’an asked.

"Peak of Divine Being Realm, not yet reaching Heavenly Divine Realm. I know you are unclear about the cultivation ranks in the Divine Realm—it’s a secret. Some people don’t want this information to spread to the Lower Realm, so I’m not going to tell you. I can only tell you that above Immortal Emperors are Divine Beings, and above Divine Beings are Heavenly Divine, which are the Fourteenth Rank and Fifteenth Rank," Gu Lingyan responded.

Xu Ping’an’s face was a mix of confusion and gravity.

In his past life, even as an Immortal Emperor, he did not have information about the Divine Realm or the Divine Being Realm.

He hadn’t expected that in this life, he would learn it from Gu Lingyan’s mouth.

And she said that some people didn’t want this information to spread to the Lower Realm?

Who could it be?

A person or a power?

Why would they do this?

All the books about the absolute pathways to heaven from the Lower Realm were gone; was it their doing?

And Gu Lingyan’s background, it might be even more terrifying than he had imagined.

Thinking about this, Xu Ping’an suddenly felt very insignificant, even his past self seemed extremely trivial.

He might just be an inconspicuous ant.

This feeling made Xu Ping’an very uncomfortable.

"Thank you for letting me know all this, and for making me understand, exactly where I stand in this world," Xu Ping’an said earnestly to Gu Lingyan.

Gu Lingyan was caught off guard by Xu Ping’an’s sudden comment, thinking he was disheartened.

She quickly comforted him, "Actually, you don’t need to worry. There are many strong people in this world. In the Ancient Times, Immortal Emperors were as common as dogs."

Xu Ping’an was instantly stunned.

Immortal Emperors were as common as dogs, so what was his past self, an Immortal Emperor, worth? Less than a dog?

Xu Ping’an looked at Gu Lingyan with a bittersweet smile, "You might as well not have comforted me."

Gu Lingyan was puzzled and continued, "I’m not wrong, am I? They were indeed less than dogs."

Xu Ping’an immediately closed off.