This Sword Cultivator is Somewhat Dependable

Central Heavenly Realm, Qing City.

On the tall and majestic city walls, the tower is equally grand, with flying eaves and upturned corners.

Standing on the tower, one can gaze into the distance.

At the center of Qing City is a magnificent and luxurious palace.

At this moment, in the main hall of the palace, a middle-aged man sits on a high chair.

His features are delicate, with an aquiline nose and long, narrow eyes that flash with cold indifference. Draped in a crimson cloak, he exudes a daunting aura.

He possesses the powerful aura of a cultivator, the dignified pride of a ruler, and even a hint of a scheming character.

The Great Xia's Qing King, Xia Qing.

The Great Xia is now led by Xia Zhao and, apart from her, there are three branch lines.

The rulers of these three branches are the Qing King, the Great Spirit King, and the Slash Heaven King.

All three kings are top cultivators who have reached the Ninth Realm.

The Ninth Realm cultivator Qing King sits high in the main seat, while below, many equally accomplished cultivators sit or stand in silence, waiting for something.

Just at this moment.

"Report to Father..." A young man in black robes entered the hall with his head bowed, respectfully announcing, "We have found that... figure."

He holds a spirit message in his hands.

The Qing King's heart is stirred, and as he reaches out his hand, the spirit message flies automatically into his palm.

His divine sense probes into the spirit message, carefully reading it.

A moment later, the Qing King returns to his senses.

With a shake of his hand, the spirit message turns to dust.

"A thousand years of preparation, and now everything is ready; only the east wind is missing. My path is blocked by just this one obstacle," said the Qing King in a deep voice.

Upon hearing this, the cultivators below unintentionally revealed fervent expressions in their eyes.

"Has the Qing King already reached that point?" asked a middle-aged cultivator clad in heavy armor, with a pair of narrow, sharp eyes.

The Qing King nodded. "With the help of... strength, I have continuously progressed in my cultivation, now only a thin membrane is left to break through."

"That final hurdle is not due to a lack of effort from me, but rather the restriction of the Heavenly Dao's fortune.

To advance further, I need new fortune," the Qing King's eyes flashed with madness as he declared, "Only when the fortune of the Great Xia dynasty gathers upon me can I break through the bottleneck!"

"Xia Zhao has occupied the throne for a thousand years, hoarding the dynasty's fortune, yet her cultivation is still unremarkable, wasting the Great Xia's fortune," a voice resonated within the hall, responding to the Qing King, "How the Great Xia king saw potential in her back then is beyond me!"

"This position should belong to the capable. Now, with the Demon Race lurking around the Human Realm like a tiger waiting for an opportunity, and the Great Xia being ruled by such a weak woman, how can our Human Race have any hope of survival?"

"Who is more suited for the throne of the Great Xia than the Qing King?"

Voices of agreement rose one after another.

"If it weren't for him, how could Xia Zhao have sat on the throne alone for so long?" the Qing King looked forward.

His gaze seemed to pierce through numerous spaces and times, across countless mountains and rivers, finally landing on a certain person.

This was a singular man who, with his own power, could deter the Imperial Clan's three branches for a millennium, making them dare not act rashly.

If he hadn't luckily discovered that piece of information... even the Qing King wouldn't dare hatch a plot against him.

"Now is his weakest moment. Although it is challenging for him to accomplish... with his talents, he might yet create an unprecedented miracle, forging an entirely new path.

If he truly succeeds, by then, Xia Zhao's position would be unshakeable by anyone." The same voice spoke again.

"So, Qing King, we must seize this opportunity and succeed in one fell swoop!"

"Well said," the Qing King smiled slightly and said lightly, "I have prepared for this moment for so long, even..."

"Now that the opportunity is before me, how could I miss it? How would I miss it?" As he spoke, the Qing King's voice turned from calm to increasingly sinister.

"Now willing fish have taken the bait," that voice let out a hoarse laugh, "Please enter the trap... but now, he might no longer be deserving of the title of 'immortal', ha ha ha..."

At this time, outside the hall, a shadow flickered as a burly figure entered.

This person strode in with an impressive bearing, none other than one of Qing King's descendants, Xia Yongzhen.

"Qing King, a message from the Luo River Tower Master has just arrived. Someone, through Xiuchun's channel, mobilized intelligence from the Zhi Shou Tower to investigate news of the Qingfeng Sect."

As he spoke, Xia Yongzhen explained, "The Qingfeng Sect was one of many small sects involved in the blood exchange transaction three years ago. It was so inconspicuous that I only noticed it now."

"Hmm?" The Qing King frowned unconsciously.

"Who is investigating? Did they discover the important matter, or is it just by chance?"

"According to the intelligence, this person is a disciple of the Sword Sect, Lu Qingshan. Based on the current information, he should have no reason to know about our Qing Vein's matter, but..."

Xia Yongzhen paused, suspiciously saying, "He should have no reason to appear unexpectedly in the Central Heavenly Realm and investigate the Qingfeng Sect..."

"I suspect that it might be Xia Daoyun who learned some information but is inconvenient to come forward herself, so she let her disciple investigate instead." Xia Yongzhen made his guess.

"This matter isn't large; what trouble can a Fifth Realm cultivator cause, however capable?

But it's also not small, especially since he's backed by Xia Daoyun, and it happens to coincide at such a critical juncture, so it's indeed worth noting." That voice spoke again.

The Qing King, upon hearing this, also became serious.

At such a critical moment, he couldn't afford any unexpected incidents.

"Then get rid of him first," the Qing King decided.

"Qing King, that's Xia Daoyun's disciple, a member of the Sword Sect. If we deal with her disciple, then..." someone reminded in the hall.

"If this major affair succeeds, even the Qingyun Sword Immortal can't do anything to me, let alone Xia Daoyun.

If it fails, I'm already on a dead-end path, caught in the crossfire, so would one Xia Daoyun matter?" The Qing King remained very calm.

"Since it's a do-or-die event, why worry too much?"

The hall fell silent, and everyone exchanged glances, thoughts and ideas rising.

"Let's settle it then. The matter of Lu Qingshan, Yongzhen, I'll leave it to you," the Qing King instructed.

Xia Yongzhen respectfully clasped his fists, "Understood."

"All of you, carry out your duties. I don't want anyone coming to tell me which part went wrong." The Qing King said coldly.

"We understand." The other cultivators responded.

Soon, all these cultivators withdrew, leaving only the Qing King in the hall.

"Just one person can make my entire Qing Vein feel as if they're facing a formidable enemy, fully ready..."

He murmured, "Who can deny your brilliance? But this time, no matter your talents, you can't break the predicament."

"Self-inflicted, inescapable doom, who let you be so recklessly arrogant? As the saying goes, he who is merciless may survive, so don't blame me for seizing the opportunity."

"Besides…" The Qing King's gaze turned cold and ruthless, "No matter what I've done, at least I'm still standing on the Human Race's side. Those who achieve great things do not mind the small details. I have a clear conscience!"