This scoundrel is a bit of a swordsman.

Chapter 194 Forcibly Seizing the Royal Edict

Refusing to be made a king was an utterly incomprehensible act, yet it was now a stark reality before their very eyes.

"Are you kidding me?"

"How could it be false? If you can find a reason to refuse the title of king, I will be extremely grateful."

The three women exchanged glances and lowered their heads in deep thought. The eldest princess spoke first, saying, "Refusing to be granted the title of king is, to some extent, impossible, because as long as you are alive, the royal decree will follow you like a shadow. No matter who you are, as long as your name is written on the decree, then you are the one. If you want to escape being granted the title of king, there is only one way."

"What method?"

"die!"

Xiao Xingchen's pupils suddenly contracted. This method was nothing short of a fool's dream. He refused to be made a king in order to deal with the dead end in the future. How could he take his own life now in order to break the dead end?

He shook his head repeatedly, indicating that this road was blocked.

"Have you ever considered why Emperor Wu bestowed upon you the title of king? If you could find the reason and destroy it, wouldn't there be no justification for bestowing upon you the title of king?"

Yan Yi continued her analysis,

"Reason, justification?"

Xiao Xingchen gave a wry smile. He knew perfectly well what was going on, but he simply couldn't bring himself to tell them.

"Can't you tell?"

"Well, this matter is complicated, and I have no time to explain it to you right now."

"If that's the case, then the only option is to take action against the commander of the Dragon Pattern Army."

Yan Yi gazed downstairs, her intentions clear: if the imperial edict didn't exist, wouldn't the promise of becoming a king be a pipe dream? Perhaps sensing her thoughts...

Ruoxue asked, "If the imperial edict is gone, can't we just rewrite one?"

"No, the imperial edict of conferring a title of king is no small matter. Each one comes from the Jade Capital Heaven. How could such an edict be an ordinary thing? Once a name is written on it, it means that the Jade Capital has recognized it. Therefore, there will never be a second edict in the world."

The eldest princess explained,

"If that's the case, then wouldn't everything be fine if we just seized that imperial edict?"

Xiao Xingchen's eyes lit up. He thought to himself, "So it's that simple. Anyway, Wang Mang hasn't opened the edict yet. As long as the edict disappears, he can directly deny that he was made a king. Surely the whole of Yong'an won't have any doubts."

After all, no one would believe such an absurd thing as declaring himself king, even if he said it out loud.

"That may be true, but what method do you have to obtain this commander's edict? I observe that his strength is close to the fifth level of the Heavenly Realm. Even Sister Ruoxue would find it difficult to steal the edict without anyone noticing, would she?"

Yan Yi questioned, as if a bucket of cold water had been poured over her head.

"Given the current situation, I even sensed the aura of the sixth level of heaven in the shadows. If I were to make a move rashly, I would surely be unable to escape."

If Xue echoed this, it would be no easy task to forcibly obtain the imperial edict under such circumstances.

"This is a tricky situation. Who is most suitable to forcibly seize the decree of kingship?" Xiao Xingchen thought of the Black Robe. As things stand, the Black Robe is undoubtedly the most suitable candidate. His escape skill, which can shatter his body at any time, is practically a divine skill for committing evil deeds in broad daylight. Unfortunately, the Black Robe is not here at the moment, and there is no time to spare. If he were to take action himself, although he still has many trump cards to use, as Ruoxue said, there are many people hiding in the shadows, and it would be difficult for him to escape smoothly.

As he pondered, Wang Mang's voice continued to ring out like a great bell: "Xiao Xingchen, come down quickly to receive the imperial decree."

The sound was like a series of sharp sound waves, surging and spreading towards Yong'an.

Everyone who heard the sound froze, as if under a spell, while those in the water were so shocked that it took them a long time to recover.

"Actually, there is another way. If Ghost Sword makes a move, it can probably make the imperial edict disappear like smoke."

As the others frowned, Yan Yi suddenly blurted out, which startled the Princess. Xiao Xingchen's gaze fell upon them, hesitant and uncertain, like a candle flame flickering in the wind.

He had naturally thought of Ghost Sword long ago, but he didn't say anything.

After all, how could someone like Huangfu Lingxue, who was a complete stranger to him, risk her life for him? That would obviously be inappropriate.

Huangfu Lingxue glanced at the crowd downstairs, then turned her gaze to Xiao Xingchen and said softly, "I need to talk to you alone."

Upon hearing this, Yan Yi's eyes lit up instantly, as if she had discovered some earth-shattering secret. However, this spark of excitement was quickly and mercilessly extinguished by a bucket of cold water.

“I’m not some kind of ghost swordsman; I have other methods. But before that, I need to ask him a few questions.”

"Alright, then who exactly is Ghost Swordsman?"

Seeing this, Ruoxue quickly pulled Yan Yi towards the door. She knew that the two were about to be frank with each other, and it would be inconvenient for Yan Yi to stay there.

Sending myself out was also to keep an eye on Yan Yi.

Only after the two figures disappeared did Xiao Xingchen and Huangfu Lingxue stand quietly in front of the railing, gazing at the sea of ​​people below like a surging tide.

The eldest princess asked with a solemn expression, "I can take action, but before that, I only want to ask you one thing: what exactly is your relationship with my mother?"

Xiao Xingchen was taken aback by her question, clearly not expecting it. The question itself wasn't difficult to answer; the difficulty lay in his indecision about sending Huangfu Lingxue on this risk.

"What? Do you have doubts about me? Do you think I'm not up to the task?"

"No, I just think you shouldn't be involved. Ghost Sword is far from the right time to expose itself."

"Therefore, I ask again, what is your relationship with my mother? I am not helping you for no reason; I am also weighing the pros and cons. Please do not have any wild thoughts."

"You'd better hurry, Wang Mang's patience seems to be running out,"

The eldest princess urged anxiously, while Xiao Xingchen was also deep in thought. He was considering what consequences the theft of the imperial edict of investiture would bring, and whether he could bear those consequences. After much deliberation, he finally answered Huangfu Lingxue's question.

"I can tell you the truth, your mother is my godmother,"

"What? You mean it?" Even though Huangfu Lingxue had suspected this before, she was still utterly shocked when she actually heard it.

"That is the truth. If you go to the palace, you can ask for yourself. I have no reason to fabricate lies about this."

"I see."

Huangfu Lingxue suddenly fell silent, as if savoring Xiao Xingchen's words. But in that instant, Wang Mang, below the Flower Language Pavilion, was struck dumb, his body tensing. A black sword shadow appeared out of nowhere like a ghost, piercing the royal edict in his hand like lightning.

"Where is the evildoer?"

He was horrified and immediately launched a counterattack, but the ghost sword appeared and disappeared without a trace. The instant it pierced the imperial edict, it swept it away into the vast void, so bizarre and unpredictable that it caught him completely off guard.

"Ghost Sword Immortal?"

Someone cried out in alarm, finally shouting at the top of their lungs. This was Ghost Sword's second attack, still as elusive as a ghost, making it difficult to catch his trace.

Xiao Xingchen felt as if he had been struck by lightning. This was the first time he had witnessed the Ghost Swordsman in action. In his previous life, although he knew Huangfu Lingxue's identity as the Ghost Swordsman, he had never personally seen her take action.

Yet now, she was standing right in front of him, while the imperial edict downstairs had vanished without a trace.

Even though he had witnessed many wonders, he could not hide his fear at such unpredictable methods.

The phrase "to take the enemy general's head from a thousand miles away" seems to be no longer just empty talk in the face of Ghost Sword.

She seemed to be able to travel through time and space; taking things from a distance was as easy for her as taking something out of a bag.

Hidden in the shadows, Yun Xiyao's expression changed drastically. The moment the Ghost Sword appeared, she chased after it like an arrow released from a bow.

The moment this expert, who appeared to be at the sixth level of the Heavenly Realm, made a move, it was like a boulder being thrown into a calm lake, causing a huge uproar.

The senior sister from Tianling Kingdom also moved. Both of them were the pride of heaven who could command the wind and rain in the Nine Heavens. Now that they had appeared in Daqian, the shock they brought was unimaginable.

While ordinary people are still unaware of the situation, many experts high above the sky have already begun to rise up in a storm.

The appearance of these auras was like a thunderclap, causing Ruoxue and Yan Yi to rush in like a whirlwind.

"Oh no, a master has locked onto us!"

Ruoxue rushed to the two of them with lightning speed. In her eyes, Xiao Xingchen's cultivation level was like an ant, and the strength of the Eldest Princess should not be exposed. So, at this moment, the only one who could stop the enemy was herself.

Yan Yi was completely bewildered. Just moments ago they were discussing the Ghost Sword, and now it had suddenly appeared out of nowhere. She found it hard to believe that this was merely a coincidence.

Recalling the incomparably sharp aura outside the Flower Language Pavilion, her gaze once again turned suspiciously to Huangfu Lingxue.

Huangfu Lingxue stood motionless like a statue, her right hand hanging limply, blood trickling slowly from her sleeve like a trickle.

He was ambushed and seriously injured after only one attack.

She knew that the newcomer's strength was unfathomable, so powerful that it was impossible for anyone to catch up with him. As for the royal edict in her sleeve, it had already fallen firmly into her hands.

Although the Ghost Sword is unpredictable and mysterious, it can still be tracked down by powerful individuals several levels above them, as long as they follow the trail.

She never expected that the Flower Language Pavilion would hide a peerless master who was suspected to be above the sixth level. How could such a person appear in Yong'an?

You should know that above the sixth level, one is completely free from the constraints of heaven and earth and has the qualification to reach the ninth level!

She firmly believed that there could never be such a master in the Great Qian Dynasty.

Just as she was deep in thought, Ruoxue's sword was already drawn. A flurry of blossoms exploded like dazzling fireworks at the top-floor railing of the Flower Language Pavilion, completely obscuring the sky.

"Interesting. It's one thing to be a Ghost Sword Immortal, but to have a Fifth Heaven Sword Immortal in such a small brothel? This Yong'an of the Great Qian Dynasty is truly hiding its true strength!"

A clear and melodious sound rang out, like heavenly music.

Yun Xiyao casually swung her sword, and the sky shrouded in sword blossoms seemed like a torn curtain, revealing the group of people on the Flower Language Pavilion once again.

"I have no hostility towards you. I just want to see what kind of person Ghost Swordsman really is."

Xiao Xingchen's sword power surged forth like a raging torrent, and he stood ready, prepared to strike at any moment. The blue figure before him exerted an unprecedented pressure on him, a life-or-death crisis he had never experienced before.

This time, he did not hesitate to use the power that was sealed in his spiritual platform, because Ruoxue's sword was destroyed in an instant, just like a tender child facing an incomparably powerful adult, powerless to fight back.

If he had known that such a master was hidden in the sky, he certainly wouldn't have acted rashly against Wang Zhao; that would have been tantamount to courting death.

"Don't make a move, I'll handle it."

Ruoxue, like a shadow, rushed out of Huayu Tower with lightning speed and stood steadily in front of the tower.

Those below only saw several figures appearing and disappearing like ghosts atop the Flower Language Pavilion, all of them women of unparalleled beauty.

"This is the Flower Language Pavilion. We hope you will stop here."

With each step Ruoxue took, a sword flower seemed to bloom beneath her feet, making her appear like a fairy descending from the heavens, attracting countless gazes.

However, before that blue figure opposite her, she felt her own insignificance for the second time, as insignificant as dust. The first time was beneath the ancestral temple, before that woman who seemed like an immortal descending to earth; she felt as small as an ant.

She never imagined that she would fall into such a situation again so quickly, which made her deeply dissatisfied with her own strength.

Without breaking through the fifth level, she would ultimately be like an ant gazing at the sky. Only by stepping into the sixth level would she have the ability to compete with peerless geniuses.

As the blue figure appeared, those who had been hiding in the shadows also revealed themselves.

The black-robed figure appeared silently behind Xiao Xingchen like a ghost.

"You're in big trouble this time; even the Supreme Being has come in person."

The first words spoken by the man in black were like a thunderclap, sending chills down Xiao Xingchen's spine. "Supreme Venerable," this was a shadow that could never be erased from his heart.