Rise of the Sword Son-in-Law

Chapter 683 - 682: Why Didn’t You Say It Earlier?

"Buzz!"

A powerful surge of life force emerged from Songxiang’s body.

Then, a wooden shield appeared in front of Songxiang.

The wooden shield enlarged and directly resisted the terrifying slash.

"Boom!"

A thunderous blast shook the heavens.

The terrifying blade aura smashed viciously against the wooden shield.

To everyone’s surprise, the wooden shield actually withstood the slash.

The horrific blade aura fell upon the wooden shield as if it were striking an unimaginably hard wall.

The force of the impact even shattered the defenses of the Four Symbols Formation but failed to cleave through the wooden shield.

"What?" The surrounding crowd exclaimed in shock.

What was the origin of this wooden shield that it could block such a strike from Elder Mo Yun?

Xu Ping’an was also visibly surprised at this moment.

However, he had some insights into the origin of the wooden shield.

The wooden shield must have been a shield refined from the essence of Songxiang’s father’s true form.

It must have been left behind to protect Songxiang, hence the presence of such a treasure.

He had overlooked something before.

Songxiang held the legacy of the Immortal Emperor after all; how could she not possess any treasures?

Clearly, the wooden shield was one of them.

Of course, Mo Yun’s attack had not completely spared Songxiang from injury; the soul impact effect that came with the Ice Soul Immortal Mansion still harmed her.

At this moment, Songxiang’s entire body was shivering, and her soul breath seemed to have weakened considerably.

Clearly, her soul had been injured.

"Hmph!"

Songxiang let out a cold snort, and the wooden shield was withdrawn.

She then turned into a streak of light and in an instant burrowed into the ground, disappearing without a trace.

The breach of the Four Symbols Defense Formation provided Songxiang with an opportunity to escape.

Mo Yun wanted to pursue, but it was already too late.

Songxiang had delved into the ground and vanished.

"Damn it, she got away," Mo Yun exclaimed angrily.

"Elder Mo, what should we do next, shall we continue the pursuit?" A cultivator at the Eleventh Rank First Layer Realm seemed to have recovered somewhat, came flying over and asked.

"No need. This battle has also cost me a great deal. To pursue now may not yield any benefits. Besides, I have already injured her soul origin. I suspect she won’t get far. You lot keep a close eye on her," Mo Yun instructed.

"Yes!" The elder responded.

Then he led four disciples to start patrolling.

Meanwhile, Xu Ping’an’s eyes flickered as he cast Thunder Escape into the Void, disappearing from the spot.

...

In a bamboo grove in the northern suburbs of Songmu City, there was a thatched cottage.

Songxiang’s figure emerged within the bamboo grove, her face revealing a touch of dejection.

Her soul origin had suffered severe injuries, and her soul entity had been invaded by the cold energy of the Ice Soul.

At this moment, she felt as though her entire soul was about to freeze stiff.

She tried to use her soul power to expel the cold energy, but it was barely effective.

The cold energy of the Ice Soul was an extremely terrifying type of chill.

It was created by a powerhouse above the Fifth Layer Realm of Eleventh Rank, refining it with the power of Dao Principles for eighty-one days.

Having their soul invaded by such cold energy, anyone else would have died long ago.

It was already a miracle that Songxiang had survived.

To drive out this cold energy without Immortal Pills, Immortal Elixirs, and years of time was essentially impossible.

"Who’s there, come out!"

Suddenly, Songxiang shouted angrily.

His gaze was fixed intently on the depths of the bamboo forest.

"We’re old friends by now, so why such anger?" Xu Ping’an walked out with a smile, looking towards Songmu as he spoke.

"You really didn’t die," Songmu glared at Xu Ping’an, her eyes flashing with sharpness.

How was it possible for this human to self-destruct his Soul Entity in front of her and not die? What kind of trick was this?

"Shouldn’t you have already guessed that I didn’t die?" Xu Ping’an said with a smile.

"What are you doing here now? Could it be that you still want to kill me?" Songmu coldly snorted as she spoke, her eyes piercing as she looked at Xu Ping’an.

That damn human—if it weren’t for her soul being injured, she would certainly be able to easily slay the human in front of her.

"I’m not here to kill you. I’m here to talk about cooperation," Xu Ping’an continued with a smile.

"Cooperation? How so?" Songmu was somewhat surprised.

"I will help you eliminate the chill in your Soul Origin, and you will submit to me for three years," Xu Ping’an said coldly.

"In your dreams!" Songmu immediately grew furious.

She had thought it might be a partnership offer, but this human actually wanted her to submit to him.

She was of the Divine Tree bloodline, the legendary Silver Fir King, who might even undergo a transformation if she could break through to the Divine Level someday.

How could she possibly submit to a lowly human?

"Is that so? I know you are very powerful, but with your soul now injured, how much of your strength can you exert? If you submit to me for three years, I’ll grant you freedom after that. Otherwise, you will surely die today," Xu Ping’an said in a cold voice.

Having finished speaking, he also took a step forward, and a terrifying wave of Chaotic Thunder surged around him.

The golden thunder coiled like serpents, continuously wrapping around.

In an instant, the aura radiating from Xu Ping’an surged, his terrible momentum no less formidable than a Tenth Rank Second Layer Realm.

What’s more, Songmu could feel that this wasn’t Xu Ping’an’s full strength; should he burst forth with his full might, the power would likely be even greater.

If her soul hadn’t been injured, naturally, she would not fear him.

But now, with her soul suffering from the chill, her ability to wield the Power of Dao Principles had significantly diminished.

Facing Xu Ping’an in battle, she probably wouldn’t stand a chance.

"Despicable human, utterly shameless," Songmu cursed inwardly.

However, her eyes shifted quickly, and she immediately said, "I can submit to you, but how will you remove this chill for me?"

Upon hearing this, Xu Ping’an immediately burst into laughter.

Just as expected, she had taken the bait.

"Your Soul Origin has been eroded by the chill. Normally, one would use fire to drive it away, but since you are of the wood element and cannot touch flames, the only way is to use a powerful soul artifact to expel this chill," Xu Ping’an explained.

"Isn’t that obvious? Do you have a soul-class artifact?" asked Songmu.

"I do—I have the Supreme Immortal Seal," Xu Ping’an replied with a smile.

Upon saying this, the Supreme Immortal Seal then appeared in Xu Ping’an’s hand.

"Huh?" Songmu’s face changed drastically, her expression revealing immense shock as she looked at the Supreme Immortal Seal in Xu Ping’an’s hand.

"The Supreme Immortal Seal? How is this possible? How could you possess the Supreme Immortal Seal?" Songmu said excitedly.

"It was given to me by a friend," Xu Ping’an responded.

He was somewhat puzzled by Songmu’s excitement.

"This is excellent. I’ve finally found it. Yin Xue pays her respects to the master," Songmu hurriedly said.

"Huh?" This time, Xu Ping’an was completely stunned.

Songmu’s attitude had shifted far too quickly.

And who was Yin Xue?

Seeming to perceive Xu Ping’an’s confusion, Songmu gave a slight smile and explained, "Master is unaware, my father was personally cultivated by the supreme female emperor. He once told me that should I meet someone who bears the Supreme Immortal Seal, I must acknowledge them as my master, for possession of the seal signifies that they have been chosen by the female emperor."

"I see," Xu Ping’an understood.

No wonder Songmu’s attitude had changed so swiftly.

Whether she was sincere or pretending, at least she seemed to be genuinely earnest.

"Who is Yin Xue then?" Xu Ping’an inquired.

"That is my real name," Songmu responded.

Xu Ping’an understood.

So this individual had been using a pseudonym all along.