Firmament Sword

”You’re Wei Ning?” A glint flashed in Xu Luo’s eyes as he studied the refined, smiling, middle-aged man.

”That’s right. I am Wei Ning.” The man’s smile remained fixed, but deep in his eyes, a faint disdain flickered. ’Two little animals,’ he thought. ’You’ve stirred up a hornet’s nest. How am I supposed to deal with you if I don’t lure you inside first?’

Xu Luo nodded, then said, ”Wei Ning... a fine name!”

As he spoke, his body blurred into motion!

He shot forward like a bolt of lightning, closing the dozen or so steps to Wei Ning in an instant. Executing the Shaking Light Step, he gathered every ounce of his True Essence and unleashed the Great Mountain Collapse, aiming straight for Wei Ning’s face!

A vast and powerful aura erupted from Xu Luo’s body.

A terrifying killing intent instantly enveloped Wei Ning.

”Breaking Army Seven Kills!”

”Great Mountain Collapse!”

With an enraged roar, Xu Luo’s fist was already upon Wei Ning!

”How dare you!”

”Kid, you dare attack someone!”

”Kill him!”

The men beside Wei Ning froze for a second, then their faces twisted in fury as several of them charged Xu Luo simultaneously.

Li Hong was also startled, not expecting Xu Luo to attack right then and there. His mind raced. He immediately beckoned a subordinate over and ordered in a low, urgent voice, ”Assemble the City Guard Army at once! Surround the Wei Family and don’t let a single person escape!”

Li Hong knew that the moment Xu Luo attacked, there was no longer any chance for a peaceful resolution. No matter what happened, he had to stand firmly with Xu Luo.

For no other reason than that they were brothers.

Brothers share in both fortune and adversity.

Besides, Li Hong’s own patience with the Wei Family had worn thin long ago.

BANG!

Xu Luo’s rage-fueled Great Mountain Collapse contained nearly every ounce of his power.

Although Wei Ning also possessed the cultivation of a Sword Master, it was nothing compared to Xu Luo’s Great Sword Master realm. The gap between them was immense. Enveloped by the overwhelming killing intent of Breaking Army Seven Kills, he was frozen in place. An expression of utter terror filled his eyes, his smile stiffening on his face. He couldn’t utter a single word before Xu Luo’s Great Mountain Collapse fist shattered his head.

His head exploded from the single punch.

Wei Ning’s head was smashed to a pulp. Red and white matter flew everywhere, splattering across the faces and bodies of those standing beside him.

But Xu Luo, shrouded in his True Essence Aura, remained completely unstained by the gore.

And just like that, in a single exchange, Wei Ning—the Chief Steward, a man who called the shots in Hongcheng—had his head blown clean off.

”A murder!”

”The Chief Steward is dead!”

”The Chief Steward has been killed!”

”Help! Someone is murdering people at the Wei Family’s front gate!”

Having killed Wei Ning, Xu Luo decided he might as well go all the way. He drew his sword, Lan, and immediately thrust it toward the men who had been standing beside Wei Ning.

”You all must have had a hand in the evils the Wei Family has committed over the years!” Xu Luo’s mind was perfectly clear, his eyes filled with endless killing intent. In the blink of an eye, he had stabbed seven or eight of the men who had been clustered around Wei Ning.

The commotion finally drew the attention of those inside the Wei Mansion. A large number of guards swarmed out and began to surround Xu Luo.

The black-striped giant tiger, which had been standing docilely as a cat behind Xu Luo, suddenly let out a deafening roar. It shot forward like a black bolt of lightning and pounced on the crowd of guards.

How could these guards, mere Martial Masters, possibly stand against a Tier Three Spirit Beast? Forget fighting; the roar alone was enough to scare many of them witless.

Radiating a terrifying killing intent, Xu Luo leaped into the air and swung his sword down at the Wei Family’s massive gatehouse.

Lan shot out a beam of Sword Qi over three feet long. The ancient, stately gatehouse, along with the plaque inscribed with ”Wei Mansion,” was shattered to pieces by Xu Luo’s single strike.

RUMBLE!

The towering gatehouse collapsed with a thunderous crash.

Then, with his sword in hand, Xu Luo charged straight inside.

Fearing Xu Luo would be at a disadvantage, Li Hong followed close behind, charging in after him.

The entire Wei Mansion was now in chaos. Most people only knew that someone had forced their way in, but they had no idea what was actually happening.

As a branch of the most powerful clan in the Cangqiong Kingdom, they never imagined someone would dare to launch such a direct, murderous assault on their home.

Not a single member of the Wei Family considered that this was retribution for their countless evil deeds, which had reached a point of enraging both heaven and earth. To them, none of their past actions felt the least bit excessive.

They were nobles!

The most illustrious nobles in the Cangqiong Kingdom!

Killing a few ignorant commoners... did that even require taking responsibility?

Which great family didn’t have a dark side?

Thus, every member of the Wei Family was both terrified and utterly enraged.

”Stop them! I don’t care if they live or die!” In the heart of the estate, Wei Dao Lin, Patriarch of the Hongcheng Wei Family, roared at the people in the room, his face a mask of fury. ”Go now!”

”My Lord, it seems one of those two is the Deputy City Lord, and the other... is Xu Ji’s son!”

”So what if he’s Xu Ji’s son? Does that give him the right to barge into my Wei Family and go on a killing spree? And the Deputy City Lord? What’s so special about him? Kill them!” Wei Dao Lin’s eyes were bloodshot. Wei Ning had been his favorite son—exceptionally clever since childhood, socially adept, and skilled at reading people. Though he had committed countless evil deeds over the years, he had also handled innumerable affairs for the Wei Family. He was Wei Dao Lin’s right-hand man and the first in line to become the next Patriarch of the Hongcheng Wei Family.

Now, his head had been blown off in a single confrontation, a truly miserable death. How could Wei Dao Lin not be driven mad with fury?

It wouldn’t matter if the killer was Xu Luo or his father, Xu Ji; in his current state of rage, Wei Dao Lin would not let this rest.

”My Lord, this whole affair is rather strange. The two of them came from the Xia Family and headed straight for our Wei Mansion. They started killing the moment they arrived, without saying a single word. Could there... could there be something else going on here?”

”What could possibly be going on? Kill them! If there are any problems, I will bear the consequences! Say no more. I’m not afraid, even if this blows up into a heavenly ordeal!” Wei Dao Lin roared.

”Yes, sir.” The men in the room exchanged glances. They all knew the Patriarch was truly enraged. As members of the Wei Family, they had no choice but to obey.

...

Xu Luo carved a bloody path forward. Anyone who dared rush out to stop him was cut down with a single stroke of his sword.

Xu Luo ignored the women and children who were hiding. ’One day, the entire Wei Clan will fall,’ he thought. ’And when that day comes, none of them will escape!’

The City Guard Army arrived swiftly and completely surrounded the Wei Mansion. To everyone’s surprise, the Old City Lord himself was leading them.

The Old City Lord looked ancient, with thinning hair and a wrinkled face, but his spirits were remarkably high. Spotting Li Hong, he shouted from a distance, ”Excellent! Someone is finally taking action to cut out this cancer that is the Wei Family! If these old bones can see the Wei Family destroyed before I die, I’ll die a happy man!”

Li Hong could no longer keep up with Xu Luo’s pace. Seeing the Old City Lord, he gave a wry smile. ”Why have you come as well, Old Sir?”

”If you young folk aren’t afraid, why should these old bones be?” A hateful light glinted in the Old City Lord’s clouded eyes. He gritted his teeth. ”Years ago, my own niece was ruined by one of the Wei Family disciples. She took her own life out of shame and indignation. And in the end? The Wei Family paid a mere one hundred taels of silver in compensation! Hahaha! And that was only because I am a noble, the City Lord! They were giving me face! Otherwise, my sister’s entire family would have been wiped out! I will never forget the look on their faces when they brought me those one hundred taels of silver. They all but said it to my face... ’Just accept your fate!’”

”All these years, not a moment has passed where I didn’t want to destroy them. Today, I finally have my chance. How could I possibly let it go? My poor, beautiful niece... she died so young. Wei Family, I will have you pay this blood debt with your own blood!” The Old City Lord grew more furious with each word. He waved his hand. ”Kill them! Leave no man over the age of fifteen alive! Don’t kill the women and children—we’ll sell them! The money will be used to compensate the common folk they’ve harmed all these years!”

”Old City Lord... this...” Li Hong glanced toward the depths of the Wei Mansion. ’One madman has already charged in,’ he thought, ’and now an old lunatic has shown up. This is... this is really going to cause an earth-shattering disaster!’

”I am the one doing this! It has nothing to do with you. You’re only here because I forced you! As for General Xu’s son, he was just passing by. He happened upon the scene and even tried to talk me out of it!” The Old City Lord was acting like a madman, completely throwing caution to the wind.

”...” Li Hong was rendered speechless. ’How could something like this possibly be hidden from the higher-ups?’ he thought. ’Unless the entire Wei Family is annihilated, the truth will eventually come out.’

But this wasn’t the time for overthinking. He immediately joined the Old City Lord in directing the City Guard Army to eradicate the entire Wei Family.

Wei Zi Yu, accompanying the heavily injured Young Master Xiao, was hiding in a secret chamber within the Wei Mansion. He paced back and forth restlessly, his expression ghastly.

Though he couldn’t hear the sounds of fighting and screaming, he knew with absolute certainty that the Hongcheng Wei Family was facing an unprecedented disaster.

He could never have imagined that Xu Luo would have the sheer audacity to attack them single-handedly. As for Li Hong, who had come with Xu Luo, Wei Zi Yu dismissed him completely.

’If it weren’t for that bastard Xu Luo, would Li Hong dare cause trouble for the Wei Family?’ Wei Zi Yu seethed, his heart heavy. From what his uncle, Wei Shan, had just told him, he knew the Wei Family was in grave danger today.

The Patriarch had already given the order to kill Xu Luo on sight.

That meant from this day forward, the Hongcheng Wei Family had to be ready to face the thunderous wrath of the Grand General of National Guardian, Xu Ji.

”Damn it, how did it come to this? How could he dare do such a thing? Is he not afraid of the sects, or of imperial authority?” Wei Zi Yu muttered, gritting his teeth. ”Xu Luo, if you don’t die today, I will never let you go. Sooner or later, I will tear you limb from limb! Your family, the people you care about... I won’t let a single one of them go!”

BANG!

The door to the secret chamber was blasted to pieces. The tremendous noise made Wei Zi Yu jump. He whipped his head around, and his soul nearly fled his body.

Xu Luo stood at the entrance to the dust-choked chamber, his eyes fixed coldly on him. ”Not a single one, you say?”

PFFT!

Wei Zi Yu didn’t even have time to ask how Xu Luo had found him before he felt a chill on his throat. In that instant, all the strength drained from his body.

His body went limp, and he collapsed to the ground, his eyes wide open in death.