Firmament Sword

”Oh my god, it’s charging at us!”

”This is bad, that thing is coming for us!”

”Run!”

The eyes of every Yan Army soldier flashed with terror and horror as they cried out in alarm.

Many of them had forgotten they were on an extremely steep stone slope. Their limbs went weak, and they immediately began to tumble downward.

This started a chain reaction, affecting even more people below. Many rolled down the precipitous slope, dying tragically in their own panic before the Tier Nine Spirit Beast even had a chance to strike.

BANG!

SMACK!

SWISH!

How could this group of Yan Army soldiers possibly withstand the fury of a Tier Nine Spirit Beast? They had no time to mount any resistance before they met a violent end.

Some had their heads smashed in by a single slap, others were sent flying to their deaths dozens of meters below, and still others had their necks snapped by a single claw.

The surviving Yan Army soldiers had run into the worst possible luck. The enraged Tier Nine Spirit Beast slaughtered them until the world went dark.

Its eyes bloodshot with killing intent, the Tier Nine Spirit Beast searched back and forth along One-Line Heaven Gorge. If it found anything still breathing, it would charge forward and finish it with a swipe of its claws.

By dusk, Master Mao had scoured the seventy-to-eighty-li-long One-Line Heaven Gorge four or five times. Finally certain that no fish had escaped the net, it stopped.

Sitting atop a mountain peak, it let the cool moonlight wash over its body. A trace of loneliness emanated from Master Mao.

’How can Master Mao be feeling this? This... this should be an emotion unique to humans. Why would Master Mao feel it?’

The juvenile Tier Nine Spirit Beast was deeply confused. It then grumbled, ’Xu Luo might be a bit of a bastard who likes to use Master Mao, but Master Mao still quite likes him. His Star Power really has helped Master Mao grow much faster... Speaking of which, Master Mao ought to thank him.’

’But... how could I possibly say something like that to his face? If I did, that kid would definitely get full of himself and order Master Mao to do even more things!’

’But... Master Mao can’t stay by your side for too long. Master Mao has to return to the Heaven-Swallowing Fox clan eventually. Master Mao carries a heavy burden. Xu Luo, Master Mao is very happy to have met a human like you!’

...

Xu Luo had a long dream.

In the dream, he stood before a gate. The gate was carved with ancient, mystical patterns, countless birds and beasts he didn’t recognize, and even immortals.

Everything on the gate seemed to be from another world—unfamiliar and mysterious.

It emanated a primitive and desolate aura.

The crucial point was, this gate was massive!

So massive that before it, Xu Luo was as insignificant as an ant.

Xu Luo stared at the gate in astonishment and couldn’t help but murmur, ”Where... where is this place?”

”This is the Star Hall!”

A thought was instantly transmitted deep into Xu Luo’s mind, shocking him.

”The Star Hall? I... I know about that. Our Cangqiong Kingdom has a Star Hall. A Star Festival is held there once every hundred years, but that Star Hall... is nothing like this!”

”This is the Shaking Light Star Hall!”

The thought was once again transmitted to Xu Luo.

This finally allowed Xu Luo to understand the origin of the gate before him.

”Why... why am I here? What is this place? I remember... I used Shaking Light Burst, and then I passed out...”

”You are the Inheritor chosen by Beidou. But as you are now, you are far too weak. You need to grow, to fight, to become a true powerhouse. Only then can you open this gate and learn everything you truly wish to know.”

The thought, devoid of any emotional fluctuation and radiating a desolate, ancient will, was transmitted into the depths of Xu Luo’s mind.

”But how am I supposed to grow into that kind of powerhouse?” Xu Luo asked.

The Seven-Star Soul entering his body had changed his constitution and his destiny. But Xu Luo had always felt that this matter concealed too many secrets he couldn’t comprehend, and there was no one who could give him answers.

He never imagined that passing out today would lead him to this place by chance and allow him to see this gate.

Xu Luo desperately wanted to know what was hidden behind the gate.

”Battle!”

After transmitting this to Xu Luo, the thought went silent. No matter how many times Xu Luo asked, not another wisp of consciousness was transmitted.

Finally, Xu Luo walked to the gate and reached out. Just as he was about to touch it, an unimaginably vast power suddenly surged out from it.

It instantly submerged Xu Luo, but the power caused him no harm. Instead, it swept him up and sent him out of this place.

HISS!

Xu Luo suddenly felt an intense soreness all over his body. At that moment, voices from the outside world reached his ears.

”The boss seems to be awake!”

”That’s great! He’s finally awake.”

”You scared me to death! If something had happened to the boss, what would we have done?”

”I’ve realized that as long as I’m with the boss, I don’t have to worry about anything!”

The clamor of everyone talking at once reached Xu Luo’s ears. He tried to open his eyes, but it was incredibly difficult.

Just then, he heard Huangfu Chongzhi’s voice by his ear, ”You just woke up. Don’t move. You’re still very weak and need to rest for a while. Don’t worry, we’ve got everything handled.”

Hearing Huangfu Chongzhi’s voice, Xu Luo drifted back into a deep sleep.

By this time, Huangfu Chongzhi and the others had traveled far from One-Line Heaven, following Great Yan’s supply route.

Along the way, Sui Yan once again led the group in setting up countless traps. Even if the Yan Army managed to clear this supply route in the future, they would find that this once-safe path had become fraught with danger, a heart-pounding ordeal at every step.

The atrocities committed by the Yan Army had finally made these young people understand one thing.

Never show any mercy to the enemy!

「Two days later」

Xu Luo finally woke up, but his body was still weak. Lying on a soft couch jury-rigged by Xu Jie, he was carried along as he silently circulated the Shadow Shaking Heart Method to recover his grievously injured body.

This battle had been the most perilous one Xu Luo had faced since his constitution changed!

It was even more dangerous than his fight with Miaomiao, because Miaomiao had lost its killing intent after sensing the Star Power in his body.

For a Tier Nine Spirit Beast, obtaining Star Power was a far better deal than getting revenge by killing a single human.

Later on the battlefield, although the fighting was incredibly fierce, with Miaomiao by his side, there was no way Xu Luo could have suffered any real loss.

When facing the powerful Wei Yun, he also had Miaomiao’s help, so it couldn’t be called perilous at all.

Only this time, Xu Luo had relied entirely on his own strength to slay a High-tier Great Sword Master!

Powerhouses at the Great Sword Master Realm were among those who stood at the apex of this world!

Whether in terms of strength or vital energy, they had reached an ultimate state.

With every tier a Great Sword Master advanced, their power would increase severalfold.

The suppression from the difference in tiers meant that under normal circumstances, Xu Luo was no match for this Yan Army Great Sword Master.

Only by using a mutually destructive Cultivation Technique like Shaking Light Burst could he seize a sliver of a chance to survive.

It was just that this Cultivation Technique was far too brutal.

If he didn’t have his band of brothers and Miaomiao, even if he had managed to kill the High-tier Great Sword Master from the Yan Army, Xu Luo himself would have undoubtedly met a miserable end at the hands of the other soldiers.

In other words, Xu Luo had practically cheated death.

”This time, we were rash. We underestimated the enemy’s strength,” Xu Luo said softly, looking at the others with a weak expression. ”But if something like this were to happen again, I think I’d still charge in.”

”Exactly. Anyone with a conscience wouldn’t have just stood by and watched,” Li Hong said. ”I just never expected the Yan Army to be full of hidden masters. To think they have so many powerhouses at the Great Sword Master Realm.”

”This just goes to show how much importance the Yan Army placed on this supply convoy! And now we’ve smashed it to bits and completely destroyed the entire supply route. You could say we’ve completed this mission brilliantly.”

Huangfu Chongzhi said with a smile, ”All things considered, the price we paid compared to the results we achieved is more than enough to astonish anyone!”

”But...” Huangfu Chongzhi hesitated for a moment, then looked up and said to everyone seriously, ”When I think about what happened to that small village, I suddenly don’t want the military honors for this.”

Liang Ziyi sighed as well. ”Yeah, the villagers were so simple and honest. If they knew the reason the Yan Army stormed their village and committed those atrocities, I wonder if they would still be so grateful to us. I suddenly feel like giving up the military honors for this, too.”

The others all nodded silently. If the innocent people of that small village hadn’t been massacred, they might have accepted the military honors with a clear conscience.

But that incident had cast a shadow over the hearts of these passionate young men.

While their understanding of the cruelty of war had deepened, they also felt immense guilt for the harm they had brought upon innocent people.

”Alright, if you all feel that way, then we might as well not take the military honors!” Li Hong said with a smile. ”However, I suggest we still submit a complete report to General Xu Zhongtian and General Yuwen Shentong about everything the Martial Soul Squad has done during this period, from provoking Mo Yun’s remnants to orchestrating the events at One-Line Heaven.”

”Why? Didn’t we say we don’t want the military honors? If we report it, this would definitely be considered a great achievement!” Ling Luoxi asked, somewhat confused.

Xu Luo said softly, ”We’re forgoing the honors because our consciences are burdened by what happened to the innocent villagers. But we did successfully sever the Yan Army’s supply line, which is enough to affect the war on the front lines. This achievement might not be earth-shattering, but it’s definitely not small. If we don’t report it, the credit will be up for grabs. Don’t forget, there are always shameless people in this world.”

”You mean... if we don’t report it, someone might...?” Two cold glints of light shot from Xu Jie’s tiger-like eyes. He said in a deep voice, ”I’d like to see anyone try!”

”Heh, Second Brother, don’t think that just because our uncle is the Grand General of the Southern Group Army, no one would dare do something like this. If you don’t believe me, we can send the report as a classified dispatch and have him choose not to publicize it. Then... just wait and see what happens when the news gets out...” Xu Luo said with a smile.

Xu Jie scratched his head and said, ”Alright, let’s do it that way then!”

He didn’t notice the wry, knowing smiles that flashed in the eyes of Huangfu Chongzhi and Li Hong.

Liu Feng thought for a moment before muttering, ”Third Brother, you’re really too sinister! Those guys who crossed you must have had eight lifetimes of bad luck!”