Firmament Sword

”This is the mountain gate of Merak,” Phoenix said, her voice tinged with sadness. ”Past this gate is a Blinding Technique. In a moment, I’ll lead you out, and you can return to the mortal world. I don’t know when I’ll be able to see you again.”

”Maybe it’ll be soon,” Xu Luo said.

”I hope so. After you leave, what are your plans? Are you going back to the Imperial Capital of Cangqiong?” Phoenix asked softly.

”I want to make a trip to the South Sea,” Xu Luo said suddenly after some thought.

”The South Sea? Your mother?” Phoenix asked.

Xu Luo nodded. ”To get medicine for me, my mother agreed to return to her sect and serve as an Instructor for five years. It’s already been a year since I last saw her. I’ve been an unfilial son. If it’s possible, I hope to bring her back.”

”Xu Luo, I urge you not to be impulsive. Sects are not as simple as you think. Since your mother promised to be an Instructor for five years, you shouldn’t hold onto any other illusions unless your strength is great enough to suppress that entire sect.”

Phoenix said softly, ”Besides, even if you were strong enough to suppress them, doing so would only make them your mortal enemies. There’s no other benefit.”

”I understand everything you’re saying,” Xu Luo said with a wry smile. ”But as a son, I can’t just do nothing.”

”That’s true. I suppose there’s no harm in just going to see her,” Phoenix said with a smile.

By now, the two had walked out of the mountain gate. A sudden silence fell between them.

”Xu Luo...” Phoenix looked at him, hesitating to speak.

”What is it?” Xu Luo looked up at Phoenix as well.

”Never mind, it’s nothing. My master probably has a lot for me to do, so... I won’t see you off!”

”Then... you take care!” Xu Luo glanced at Phoenix one last time, then turned and strode away.

Phoenix quietly watched Xu Luo’s receding back. A long time passed before she finally turned and slowly walked away, long after he had disappeared from sight.

...

Xu Luo descended Divine Maiden Peak, using the Shaking Light Step and circulating the Shadow Shaking Heart Method, trying his best to calm his heart. But the moment he recalled Ark’s disdainful gaze, a fire ignited within him.

He had told Phoenix that he didn’t care.

But how could he possibly not care about something like that?

’Not unless I, Xu Luo... am a dead man!’

’As long as I have a breath left in my body, I’ll never tolerate it!’

Ark’s gaze, like he was looking at an ant, enraged Xu Luo more than anything.

’So what if he’s cultivated for twenty-some years longer than me? What’s he got to be so arrogant about?’

’I’ve only cultivated for a year and I’m already a Tier One Great Sword Master. Can you say the same?’

’Young Master Tianquan... I’ll surpass you sooner or later!’

As Xu Luo thought this, the blood in his veins began to boil. Rushing down Divine Maiden Peak, he couldn’t help but let out a long cry to the heavens.

BOOM!

An overwhelming force, like a collapsing mountain and a tsunami, suddenly bore down on Xu Luo!

A middle-aged man with a cold expression and a mocking smile on his lips charged toward Xu Luo at extreme speed.

”You little bastard! How dare you compete with my Young Master for a woman? How can I vent my anger if I don’t kill you today?”

”I don’t even know your Young Master! You’re going to kill me over something like this?” Xu Luo’s figure moved like lightning, dodging the middle-aged man’s strike. He retorted angrily, ”Are all people from sects as arrogant and domineering as you?”

”Arrogant and domineering? HAHAHA, you got that right! A little bastard’s life like yours...” The middle-aged man’s eyes flashed with surprise when he saw Xu Luo dodge his attack. He continued with a cold sneer, ”...is nothing but an ant in my eyes!”

With that, he slapped a palm toward Xu Luo.

A vast power tore through the void and came crashing down!

A cold glint flashed in Xu Luo’s eyes. He desperately wanted to fight this man to the death. If he used Shaking Light Burst now, he was extremely confident he could kill the man in a single blow!

But while killing this man wouldn’t be difficult, he would be in grave danger if Ark showed up.

’I’m not afraid of death, but I can’t die at the hands of someone like this.’ Xu Luo’s mind raced as he executed the Shaking Light Step with supernatural skill.

The middle-aged man had been full of confidence, thinking he could kill Xu Luo in a few moves. To his surprise, after more than ten exchanges, he hadn’t even managed to touch the hem of Xu Luo’s clothes. He grew furious.

”Little bastard, all you do is dodge! Don’t you dare take one of my attacks head-on?” the middle-aged man taunted coldly. ”Is that all the courage you have? You really are a piece of trash who can only hide behind a woman. Pathetic!”

”Old turtle, if I were your age and had so little skill, I’d have found a tree and hanged myself long ago! You’ve attacked me more than ten times and can’t even touch my clothes, and now you’re trying to provoke me with such childish words? You think I’ll fall for that?”

While dodging, Xu Luo gradually moved toward the forest. This middle-aged man was very powerful. Although it was difficult for him to land a hit, it also wouldn’t be easy for Xu Luo to escape.

’As long as I can make it into the woods, I can use the terrain to shake him off!’ Xu Luo thought, even as he continued his merciless taunts.

The middle-aged man was fuming. He roared, ”Little bastard, just give me one chance, and I’ll cut you down where you stand!”

”Heh heh, old turtle, you won’t get the chance!” Xu Luo drew closer and closer to the forest. Dodging another of the man’s attacks, he suddenly poured all his True Essence into his legs, executed the Shaking Light Step, and lunged into the woods.

RUMBLE!

Suddenly, Xu Luo felt a searing pain in his back. It felt as if his organs had been displaced, and his blood churned violently. He could barely hold back a mouthful of blood!

The ground behind him trembled violently. Dust and stones flew as countless trees were blasted to smithereens by that tyrannical, unparalleled force!

SPURT!

In the end, he couldn’t hold back the blood and spat out a mouthful.

Immediately, Xu Luo pushed the Shaking Light Step to its absolute limit. His figure became like a phantom, vanishing into the forest.

”Old dog, you’d better remember me! Sooner or later, I’ll be back for your head!” Xu Luo’s furious roar echoed from within the forest.

The middle-aged man had been confident he could kill Xu Luo. He never expected that his sure-kill strike would fail to finish him off, instead allowing him to escape.

He let out an enraged roar and gave chase!

Xu Luo was horrified. The man’s palm hadn’t even touched his body, yet the sheer force had injured him this severely. ’It seems even if I used Shaking Light Burst, I might not have been able to kill him.’

At that moment, Xu Luo had only one thought in his mind: ’Escape!’

HUFF!

HUFF!

Every exhale felt like he was about to cough up his internal organs. Bloody foam constantly trickled from the corner of his mouth.

He was already pushing the Shaking Light Step to its limit. Xu Luo moved like a jungle specter, unbelievably fast!

The more the middle-aged man chased, the more alarmed he became. He thought, ’I don’t know where this kid came from, but he’s connected to the Saintess of Merak. If I don’t kill him today, he will become a grave threat in the future!’

Thus, the middle-aged man pursued him relentlessly, following the trail Xu Luo left behind.

Xu Luo felt he was about to collapse. His internal injuries were getting worse, and his legs felt as heavy as lead.

Running on sheer will, he covered seventy or eighty li before he suddenly heard the roar of water.

Xu Luo sprinted toward the sound. When he finally reached its source, he came to an abrupt halt.

It was a magnificent, majestic waterfall!

Xu Luo stood at the edge of the waterfall. It was a drop of several hundred meters!

A rushing torrent flowed to this point and plummeted down, sending up spray nearly a hundred meters high!

The roar was deafening.

Gritting his teeth, Xu Luo leaped... off the massive waterfall!

A moment later, the middle-aged man arrived, his face grim. He stared at the roaring torrent before him and muttered through clenched teeth, ”A waterfall this high, with injuries that severe... jumping is certain death!”

”If you wanted to kill yourself, then I’ll consider this a favor!”

With that, he stared at the turbulent water below with sharp eyes for a long time. He didn’t see any sign of Xu Luo. ’The kid was badly injured, and he jumped from this height. There’s no way he could have survived.’

The middle-aged man stood there watching for a while longer before turning to leave in frustration.

...

In mid-air, Xu Luo managed to adjust his posture. The moment he hit the water, he was headfirst, plunging deep into the pool below.

The pool, carved out by the waterfall over countless years, was extremely deep. Xu Luo felt pressure from all sides, as if it would crush his body to dust!

Gritting his teeth, he relied on his indomitable will and swam toward the edge of the pool.

He swam all the way to the edge of the waterfall, then slowly made his way along the rim of the pool until he was behind the cascade of water.

It was a small, recessed cave. It wasn’t deep, and right in front of it was the thundering waterfall.

Xu Luo struggled out of the water, another mouthful of blood spilling from his lips. He barely managed to crawl inside the small cave and sit down, leaning against the stone wall.

Only then did he let out a long sigh of relief. Even now, Xu Luo wasn’t sure if the middle-aged man would come down the waterfall to investigate.

However, before he jumped, Xu Luo had already observed the area. The terrain around the pool at the bottom of the waterfall was treacherous. It would be extremely difficult to climb down; the only way was to jump from the top, as he had.

Xu Luo sat there, gasping for breath. ’If the Kaiyang Star Soul hadn’t activated and reforged my body,’ he thought, ’that man’s palm strike would have killed me. It seems I’ve been underestimating the sects.’

’I, Xu Luo, have been weak since childhood. If not for a chance encounter that led to the Seven-Star Soul entering my body, I’d probably still be that same ridiculed boy in the Imperial Capital... After that fortuitous encounter, my strength grew, and my confidence... also changed from what it once was.’

’Growing more confident is a good thing, of course. A Martial Artist without confidence is not a good Martial Artist. But becoming overconfident is another matter entirely.’

’My few victories in the army made me overconfident in my own strength. Now, facing a powerhouse from a sect has knocked me right back down to earth...’

Xu Luo muttered to himself, but the light in his eyes didn’t dim. He had simply gained a clearer understanding of his own strength and where he stood.

’One day, I will become as strong as you! Today, I am as small as an ant in your eyes, but in the future, you will be ants in mine!’