Firmament Sword

Although Hao Liancheng was dominant and overbearing, arguably the most powerful man in the Da Han Army, he could only compromise in the face of the uproar from the Empire’s noble class.

He withdrew the main army from the front lines and returned to his country to handle the complete annihilation of the Noble Legion. When word of this reached the Cangqiong Imperial Capital, it caused a massive stir. At first, many refused to believe it; the Martial Soul Squad’s achievements on the southern front were already so stunning as to be unbelievable.

No one could have imagined that after being sent back to their northern fiefdom by the Emperor, the five brothers of the Martial Soul Squad would accomplish something so earth-shattering in just a few short months.

They refused to believe it was true. Left with no choice, the Emperor dispatched the Sixth Prince with a party of men to verify the authenticity of the report.

Upon arriving at Xu Luo’s fiefdom, the Sixth Prince was received by the Eldest Prince and the others. He was unable to meet Xu Luo, but he witnessed with his own eyes the hellish scene in the forest just a few hundred meters away.

It was said that after the Sixth Prince returned, he couldn’t stomach a single bite of food for three days. He was in a daze, utterly terrified by what he had seen.

After returning to court, the Sixth Prince gave the Emperor a truthful report. The Emperor’s rewards were announced soon after.

Sui Yan was granted the title of Iron Blood Marquis!

For such a great achievement, it would have been a travesty not to grant him a marquisate.

And the title, Iron-Blooded Marquis, was perfectly fitting.

The others also received various rewards, but Xu Luo received nothing. This was because upon his return to court, the Sixth Prince claimed that Xu Luo, arrogant in his accomplishments, had refused to even grant him an audience.

This was, of course, bullshit. But for whatever reason, the Emperor went along with it, suppressing Xu Luo’s role in the affair and offering no reward.

Eldest Prince Huangfu Chongzhi, Xu Jie, Sui Yan, Liu Feng, and the others all expressed their discontent, but their complaints had no effect. Eventually, the Grand General of National Guardian, Xu Ji, personally stated that Xu Luo was young and that serving the Royal Family was his duty, so he required no reward.

Only then did the matter gradually begin to die down.

「In the blink of an eye, three months passed quietly.」

There was still not a single stir from within Xu Luo’s seclusion chamber!

At first, Huangfu Chongzhi and the others were anxious, but now they had grown accustomed to the silence. In their hearts, they were all simply looking forward to seeing what realm Xu Luo would reach when he finally emerged.

There was a truce on the front lines, but Xu Ji didn’t return to court. He remained to stand guard. The Da Han Empire certainly lacked the strength to launch an attack anytime soon, but a more important matter weighed heavily on Xu Ji’s mind.

The reason: Xu Su had disappeared!

Xu Su hadn’t been seen for a while because, while scouting the front lines, he and his men had unexpectedly discovered what appeared to be ancient ruins. These ruins very likely dated back to the distant Ancient Era.

The discovery was immediately classified as top secret, and no one was permitted to speak of it.

Xu Su was accompanied only by his most trusted subordinates, and he reported the discovery solely to Xu Ji. Then, Xu Su led his men into the ruins. But after that... all contact was lost.

To this day, there has been no further news.

Xu Ji knew very well that his eldest son was highly intelligent and skilled. Moreover, Xu Su was an outstanding soldier. If not for some unforeseen accident, he would have returned to his unit long ago.

Xu Ji later sent men to investigate the ruins, but they found the surface had been turned to scorched earth, its original appearance completely unrecognizable. Xu Su and his men seemed to have vanished from the face of the earth without a trace!

A few days ago, just as Xu Ji had begun to believe his son had met with a fatal accident, he suddenly received a secret letter. The letter stated that Xu Su had been captured by a sect called the Stony Sect...

”Stony... what kind of sect is that?” Xu Ji frowned and rubbed his forehead. He stared at the letter. The sender seemed to have been in a great hurry. The message was scrawled, containing very little information. It only said that Xu Su was with the Stony Sect and that Xu Ji needed to send someone to rescue him immediately.

”Sect...” Xu Ji’s brow furrowed deeply. The word weighed on him like a great mountain. ’Rescue someone from a sect... Besides me, who else could possibly do it?’

The problem, however, was that even if Xu Ji were to go himself, there was no guarantee he could rescue Xu Su.

’Besides, an army cannot be without its commander, even for a day. If I leave and chaos breaks out here, how could I ever account for it?’

In the end, with no other options, Xu Ji had someone deliver the letter and the news to his second son, Xu Luo.

Over the past year, Xu Ji had watched his son’s progress. Along with the letter, he sent a warning for Xu Luo to be extremely careful. His mission was to investigate only; he was strictly forbidden from acting rashly.

Xu Ji’s thinking was that if Xu Luo could uncover the truth and report back, there would still be time for him to make a move.

’Since the message said Xu Su was captured, he probably wouldn’t be killed right away.’

’Su’Er must have gotten his hands on something important,’ Xu Ji thought with a sense of helplessness. ’They must want something from him. Otherwise, knowing how sects operate, they would have just killed him on the spot! I can only let Su’Er suffer for a little while. When facing a sect, no one can afford to be arrogant.’

But to this day, Xu Luo still hadn’t emerged from his seclusion. There was still no sign of movement.

When Huangfu Chongzhi and the others received the letter, they naturally couldn’t open it themselves, so the matter was put on hold.

On the thirteenth day after the three-month mark of Xu Luo’s seclusion, the door to his chamber finally opened!

Master Mao was the first to charge in. His eyes widened as he stared at the person before him, exclaiming, ”Kid, is that really you?”

Xu Luo’s entire disposition had undergone a world-altering transformation. If the old Xu Luo was an uncut jade that required constant grinding and polishing, the current Xu Luo was a flawless, perfect gem.

He exuded an exceptionally noble aura. His hair had grown long over the past three-plus months, but it was perfectly clean. His face was as clear as jade, and when he opened his eyes, they shot out two rays of seemingly tangible light.

Looking at Master Mao, Xu Luo’s first words were an immediate accusation. ”Miaomiao, you nearly got me killed!”

”Er...” Feeling guilty, Master Mao wisely chose not to poke the bear. He chuckled. ”So, kid, what level has your strength reached?”

”Want to find out?” Xu Luo gave Master Mao a wry smile.

For some unknown reason, Master Mao suddenly felt a cold wind pass over him and shivered. He looked at Xu Luo in disbelief. ”Kid, I refuse to believe you could get this powerful in just a few short months!”

”Heh, then let’s test that theory!” Xu Luo sneered. His body vanished, and in the next instant, he reappeared in front of Miaomiao, sending the cat flying with a single kick.

He was so fast that Master Mao had no time to react!

”AAAAAAH! DAMN YOU, BRAT! You repay kindness with ingratitude! You dare kick the great Master Mao’s ass?! You’re dead! I’ll fight you to the bitter end!” Master Mao’s roars echoed throughout the castle.

”Ah, Third Brother is out!”

”Third Brother is out!”

”Third Brother! You’re finally out! We missed you like crazy!”

”Third Brother!” Sui Yan clenched his fists, a rare, happy smile slowly spreading across his usually expressionless face.

Immediately after, Xu Luo and Master Mao’s fight spilled from inside the castle to the grounds outside.

BANG! BANG! A series of loud thuds echoed as a large, yellow figure was seen tumbling through the sky, sent flying by a flurry of kicks.

Finally, Master Mao went on strike, roaring, ”Kid, Master Mao is done fighting you! But you’d better remember this! One day, Master Mao will settle every single one of these debts... and get you back for everything! AAAAAAAH!”

Xu Luo let out a clear laugh and descended from the sky. His entire aura changed in an instant. He retracted all of his sharp edges, leaving behind only the image of a peerlessly handsome youth, as gentle and refined as jade.

Huangfu Chongzhi and the others rushed over to congratulate him.

”Gods, Third Brother, you’re even more handsome than before! What am I gonna do? I’ll have to hide Xin’Er away, or I won’t be able to live if she falls for you!” Little Fatty said with great exaggeration.

Though he was exaggerating, Xu Luo’s transformation was indeed astonishing. He had always been an exceptionally handsome young man, but now he was so captivating that a single glance could leave one mesmerized.

Just then, Xu Jie suddenly said, ”Young Master Feng!”

Huangfu Chongzhi’s eyes widened as well. He looked at Xu Luo and nodded. ”Indeed!”

”What about Young Master Feng?” Little Fatty asked, looking at his two older brothers in confusion.

Huangfu Chongzhi smiled. ”Don’t you think Xu Luo’s current aura is very similar to Young Master Feng’s?”

Young Master Feng... As scions of the Imperial Capital’s top noble houses, they were of course familiar with the name. Little Fatty frowned in thought, then said, ”You’re right. Third Brother does have a bit of Young Master Feng’s air about him now.”

”But... he doesn’t seem as powerful as Young Master Feng!” Little Fatty finally determined.

”How would you know?” asked Xu Jie.

Little Fatty answered with conviction, ”An aura is a kind of scent. Ordinary people can’t sense Young Master Feng’s aura, but I remember it clearly. He is definitely more powerful than Third Brother!”

Xu Luo smiled and nodded. ”Young Master Feng... is certainly a mysterious figure.”

”So... Third Brother, you were in seclusion for so long. What realm did you break through to? Come on, tell us and give us a nice surprise!” said Xu Jie.

The others also looked at Xu Luo with curiosity. With the knot in their hearts finally untied, the group of brothers had returned to the same harmony they shared when they first swore their oath. Though Xu Luo didn’t know what had transpired, he could sense the change.

Xu Luo smiled and said, ”I only just broke through to Tier Five Sword Venerable...”