Firmament Sword

”Damn it, I’ve had enough of this godforsaken place!” a burly, bearded man complained impatiently. ”We have to deliver things here every month. I don’t get it, aren’t those damn bastards afraid of the cold?”

”Listen, Ghost Qi, we’re almost there. Can’t you keep your mouth shut for a bit? If one of them hears you, it won’t end well for you!” A lean man in his late thirties shot the burly man a glare.

”Actually, I think what Ghost Qi said makes sense. We’re just vassals. Those people don’t give a damn about us. They toss us a few scraps and expect us to treat it like treasure. This damned sect... frankly, I’ve had enough of it too!” another middle-aged man grumbled. He was fair-skinned and beardless, with a somewhat prosperous look, and though he complained, his pace didn’t slow. It looked like they were walking on snow, but in reality, none of the three left any deep tracks.

Only a faint set of footprints remained, and the slightest gust of wind, blowing up a flurry of snow, could instantly erase even these shallow tracks.

These were three powerful men!

The burly man called Ghost Qi sneered, ”Liu the Third, you can save your breath. I don’t believe for a second you don’t have your own complaints about this damned sect.”

The lean young man said coldly, ”So what if we have complaints? Are you going to rebel against them? Don’t tell me you don’t know what happened to those other guys. They were just like us, complaining all day, and then they failed to complete their tasks. And what was the result? They all vanished from this world, didn’t they?”

”Hah, they’re so fucking corrupt! ’Above worldly affairs’... Bullshit! If they’re so above it all, why do they grin from ear to ear at the sight of Gold and silver?” Ghost Qi grumbled. Then he added, ”But lately, those bastards have been acting a little strange, like something big is about to happen.”

”I heard... they seem to have discovered some Ancient Ruins. But by the time they found them, the things inside had already been taken by someone,” said the prosperous-looking middle-aged man.

Liu the Third sneered. ”What good did taking it do? You probably don’t know this yet, but the person who took the things from the ruins has already been captured by them! They’ve probably tortured all the details out of him by now and then killed him!”

”This has nothing to do with us. When the time comes, don’t go asking questions. We’re just a pack of dogs in their eyes. They couldn’t care less whether we live or die,” the prosperous-looking man warned.

”Damn it, one day, if I ever get the chance, I’ll teach those bastards a lesson they won’t forget!” the burly Ghost Qi cursed.

None of these three Martial Artists, all of whom possessed considerable skill, noticed that not far behind them, a faint shadow—one that nearly melted into the air—was following them, listening to their every word.

’Looks like these three are vassals of the Stony Sect,’ Xu Luo thought. ’Judging by their tone and attitude, they’re full of dissatisfaction with this sect. But I can also sense that deep down, they’re terrified of it.’ He continued to trail the three men, planning to follow them and slip into the sect, then wait for an opportunity to act.

From start to finish, the three of them never discovered the person following them. The closer they got to the sect, the less they spoke, until finally, fawning smiles spread across their faces. Where was a single trace of their earlier, complaint-filled expressions?

If Xu Luo hadn’t heard their complaints and curses with his own ears, even he might have been fooled.

”Well now, Steward Leng! You’ve come out personally! We couldn’t possibly trouble you like this,” the man called Ghost Qi said, his face instantly wreathed in a smile. He walked forward and handed a heavy pouch to the middle-aged man who had suddenly appeared before them.

A faint hint of satisfaction appeared on the middle-aged man’s cold face, but he still spoke with an arrogant air. ”The goods... is everything prepared?”

The lean young man, Liu the Third, stepped forward with a sycophantic smile. ”Steward Leng, when we three brothers handle things, you can rest assured! Everything is ready, all of it inside the Storage Ring. I’m sure the higher-ups will be very satisfied this time!”

Steward Leng nodded, then said with a reserved expression, ”You can rest assured as well. As long as you serve the Stony Sect loyally, we won’t treat you poorly. But you must also remember: if you get any funny ideas, or leak even the slightest bit of information about the Stony Sect, you... and all of your relatives... will die!”

The three men lowered their heads and muttered their assent, but a glint of dissatisfaction flashed deep in their eyes.

’We work ourselves to the bone for you like your damn dogs, but you’re never satisfied. You just keep threatening us...’

But they didn’t dare show the slightest bit of this anger. This Steward Leng was no ordinary man. In their minds, he was terrifyingly powerful!

’He’s an expert at the Sword Venerable Realm!’

”Alright, give me the ring. You can go back now. As for your payment this time, I’ll give it to you with the next one,” Steward Leng said. He then glanced suspiciously in the direction behind the three men. He seemed to have a feeling that someone was standing there.

But when he looked closely, he found nothing. And when he probed with his Divine Sense, he couldn’t detect anything out of the ordinary either.

’Maybe I’m just being paranoid,’ Steward Leng thought. A lot had been happening in the sect recently. Ever since they had captured that fellow who discovered the Ancient Ruins, the sect had been filled with all sorts of differing opinions.

Some said the sect shouldn’t interfere in worldly affairs, but many more disagreed.

”Interfere in worldly affairs?”

”What do you mean, ’interfere in worldly affairs’?”

”We found Ancient Ruins that are obviously filled with priceless treasures. Are we supposed to just let some commoner walk away with them?”

These voices represented the mainstream opinion within the Stony Sect.

But the infuriating thing was that the young girl who had come down from on high, Qianqian, was protecting the prisoner at every turn.

’Damn it, that little brat must have taken a liking to that kid!’ Steward Leng thought resentfully as he took the Storage Ring from Liu the Third’s hand and turned to leave.

He had no interest in wasting another word on this trash. Although the three of them knew their place and had given him his tribute, trash was still trash. They would never amount to anything. Expecting him to treat them well or give them some kind of treasure? That was a pipe dream!

’If I had a good treasure, I’d keep it for myself!’ Steward Leng sneered inwardly, walking back toward the sect entrance hidden in the cliff face.

Liu the Third, Ghost Qi, and the prosperous-looking middle-aged man all wore expressions of disappointment. They had already suspected before they came that they probably wouldn’t get paid for this trip. But they had to come; they didn’t dare not to.

Just as Steward Leng had said, if they didn’t come, all of their relatives would die at the hands of the Stony Sect. This wasn’t just a threat—they knew of more than a dozen such incidents!

”The people of the Stony Sect... are all inhuman beasts!” Those were the last words of another vassal they knew, one who had also worked for the Stony Sect.

On that day, Liu the Third and the others—who had once been so smug about getting in with a sect—finally understood its true nature.

”Cold!”

”Ruthless!”

”They don’t even see commoners as human!”

This was a sect!

So, despite the immense fury in their hearts and the helplessness on their faces, the three men could only bow and watch Steward Leng leave. But in the next instant, their eyes all went wide, filled with utter disbelief.

Steward Leng suddenly felt a chill. He instinctively moved to tighten his fur coat, thinking to himself: ’These furs from the outside world really are nice. The craftsmanship, the style, all of it is excellent. Maybe I should give those three a little something next time...’

With a sudden PLOP... Steward Leng’s two arms fell to the ground.

At that exact moment, Steward Leng was still thinking: ’What would be a good reward for those three?’

Immediately after, his consciousness began to fade. And then... his head... rolled off... his neck!

”Ah!” Having witnessed the scene with their own eyes, Liu the Third and the other two men were scared stiff. Even now, they hadn’t seen a single person appear!

”What the hell... What’s happening?” Ghost Qi felt a chill on his own neck and couldn’t help but shiver. He stood there, frozen, not daring to move.

Because a sword was now resting on his neck. At the same time, a light, cold voice said, ”Don’t move. Don’t make a sound.”

”Mercy, please, have mercy...” Ghost Qi stammered, his body trembling so violently he could barely control it. His legs shook, and he could hardly stay on his feet.

The coldness on his neck made Ghost Qi understand that if he made the slightest move, his head would be separated from his body.

So, after begging for his life twice, Ghost Qi knew to shut his mouth. Beside him, Liu the Third and the prosperous-looking middle-aged man instantly turned and ran for their lives!

They ran so fast you’d think they wished their parents had given them two more legs. Leaving no trace in the snow, the two of them unleashed a level of skill far beyond what they normally possessed in their desperate flight.

THWIP! THWIP!

With two soft sounds, Liu the Third and the prosperous-looking middle-aged man, who were fleeing for their lives, pitched forward onto the snow. A large hole had appeared in the back of each of their heads. Blood gushed out, the vivid red flowing across the white snow, a jarring sight.

Ghost Qi suddenly let out a breath of relief, saying with vindictive satisfaction, ”Good riddance!”

”Your companions are dead. Aren’t you sad?” the cold voice came again.

Ghost Qi cursed, ”Those two bastards left me to die! So they’re dead, what’s there for me to be sad about? Even if you kill me now, I’ll be satisfied. At least I, Ghost Qi... the idiot Ghost Qi in their eyes... lived longer than them!”

”You’re a bit interesting,” the icy voice said. ”But I can’t let you live.”