Firmament Sword

”Kid, your strength is really impressive, and you hid it quite well. You dug such a big pit and sent those foolish Tianquan idiots and the Dubhe idiots who wanted to take advantage of the situation to their graves. Brilliant, truly brilliant!”

The grey-clothed, masked middle-aged man said with a hoarse laugh, giving Xu Luo a thumbs-up.

Xu Luo rolled his eyes, not bothering to reply to such pointless nonsense. He asked directly, ”Since you’re not with them, then fine. If there’s nothing else, I’ll be on my way.”

As he spoke, Xu Luo didn’t hesitate. He activated his Shaking Light Step and made to leave!

”Hold on!” the hoarse-voiced, grey-clothed man said mockingly. ”What’s the hurry?”

Two other incredibly powerful auras suddenly erupted from two of the men. It was a completely different level from the Tianquan and Dubhe members who had just besieged Xu Luo. The presence these two men exuded was world-shaking.

Even Xushan, who had been watching secretly from a distance, was slightly taken aback. He wondered, ’Who in the world are they? How can they be so strong? Are they also here to kill this boy from Merak? Just how many people has this kid offended to have incurred such universal wrath...’

Xushan was now truly in awe of Xu Luo’s talent for making enemies. They hadn’t even entered the mysterious space of the Ancient Ruins yet, and so many people already wanted to kill him.

Once inside, a place filled with competition, the number of people who would want to make a move on him would probably be even greater!

Xu Luo’s path was blocked by the two men. Then, six or seven other grey-clothed, masked individuals silently sealed off his escape routes from all directions.

Although the auras of these six or seven people weren’t as powerful as the other three, they were all definitely masters of the Transformation Realm.

Xu Luo was a bit stunned himself. He thought, ’When did I offend so many peerless powerhouses? Is this some kind of joke?’

’So many Transformation Realm Powerhouses… this is probably the full roster of top experts from a mid-sized sect, right?’

’After all, for a small sect like Merak or Tianquan, having two or three Transformation Realm members is already considered extraordinary.’

’Only a mid-sized sect, or even a major one, could pull off something on this scale.’

The problem was, Xu Luo couldn’t recall when he had ever offended such a powerful force.

”Do I have a grudge with you?” Xu Luo asked, looking at the ever-calm middle-aged man.

The middle-aged man shook his head, his voice hoarse. ”No.”

”Then do we know each other?” Xu Luo asked again.

The middle-aged man shook his head again.

”Then why go to all this trouble to stop me?” Xu Luo asked coldly.

The middle-aged man was silent for a moment before looking up and saying with a smile, ”There’s no harm in telling you the truth. Although it’s a pity to have to kill a peerless young genius like you, it’s a shame we really don’t dare to just let you go.”

He continued, ”Originally, we were just after your money. You were… a little too flashy at the market. Over two thousand Spirit Stones. We checked; the quality is quite good, not that ten-percent trash…”

”You checked?” Xu Luo’s eyebrow twitched slightly. He looked at the man and said, ”That old man… was he one of yours?”

The middle-aged man shook his head. ”That old fellow is from a small sect. We just borrowed a Spirit Stone from him for a look and discovered it actually had a purity of fifty percent.”

The so-called Spirit Stones were actually formed back in the distant Ancient Era, when the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi was incredibly dense. Some stones, after slowly absorbing it over countless eons, gradually became imbued with Spiritual Qi and turned into Spirit Stones.

Spirit Stones are also graded by quality. The ”ten-percent” type the middle-aged man mentioned refers to a Spirit Stone where only one-tenth of its composition is Spiritual Qi.

True Top-Grade Spirit Stones are made entirely of Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi!

The middle-aged man sighed softly at Xu Luo. ”Kid, don’t flash your wealth… Your elders must not have taught you that lesson, huh? In your next life, remember to be a bit more low-key.”

”If you’re just after money, why do you have to kill me?” Xu Luo asked with a grin, but inwardly he was reflecting on his actions. ’I really was a bit too conspicuous. I never imagined that things I snatched from the great secular clans would be considered so valuable in the eyes of sect members… They’re so poor!’

But Xu Luo didn’t know that while the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi had not yet been exhausted, the era of the Ancient Era—when Spiritual Qi nourished all things, even stones—was long gone, never to return. As a non-renewable resource, every Spirit Stone used was one less in existence. What major sect didn’t hoard Spirit Stones as a fundamental strategic asset?

And who, like Xu Luo, would squander them so recklessly, like a prodigal son who doesn’t know the cost of living?

”You’re too strong,” the middle-aged man said bluntly, his voice hoarse. ”If you weren’t this strong, we would have at most knocked you out, taken your valuables, and spared your life, because you wouldn’t have posed any threat to us. But after witnessing your power today, we believe that leaving you alive would inevitably bring us a terrible price to pay in the future. That’s a risk we can’t afford.”

”You certainly are candid,” Xu Luo said to the man, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.

The middle-aged man nodded calmly. ”Of course. In this line of work, you have to be.”

”This line of work?” Xu Luo’s eyebrow twitched. He couldn’t help but say sarcastically, ”I never would have thought that a sect with so many Transformation Realm Powerhouses would actually be a band of mountain bandits?”

Unbeknownst to Xu Luo, upon hearing this, Xushan, who was on the mountain nearby, suddenly recalled something. His expression changed slightly as he murmured, ”So it’s them. This kid is in real danger now. Should I save him or not?”

The middle-aged man smiled and said, ”It’s a real pity to kill you. Actually… I have another option for you to consider.”

”Oh?” Xu Luo looked at the man.

The middle-aged man said, ”Join us.”

Xushan, who had been about to head over, paused his steps. He wanted to see what the young man would choose.

Xu Luo gave the middle-aged man a surprised look. ”Are you serious?”

Before the middle-aged man could speak, another one of the powerhouses who had been pressuring Xu Luo spoke up. ”Boss… we have no reason to take in someone with an unknown background!”

”That’s right! This kid’s talent is outstanding and his strength is immense, but he’s too conspicuous. How could someone like him be content with staying with us?”

”We don’t agree either!” the others said in unison. ”Please reconsider, Boss!”

The middle-aged man sighed heavily and cursed inwardly, ’You bunch of idiots! You think I really want to recruit him? I’m after the Cultivation Technique this kid practices! A bunch of fools!’

Xu Luo shrugged and grinned. ”See? Your brothers are scared to death that I’ll steal their positions if I join.”

”You’re full of shit, kid!”

”Nonsense!”

”Stop trying to sow discord!”

The grey-clothed, masked men were instantly enraged, though deep down, it wasn’t as if they hadn’t had such thoughts.

’He’s only a Sixth or Seventh Tier Sword Venerable, yet he has the combat power of someone in the Transformation Realm and can sweep away a group of High-tier Sword Venerables. If we let someone like him develop, who would be able to stop him in the future?’

’It’s no different from raising a tiger cub that will come back to bite you!’

The middle-aged man sighed again and said with a bitter smile, ”Well, there’s no other way then. I don’t want to kill you with my own hands, so you should just kill yourself. I’ll leave your body intact and bury you right here. See? The scenery is beautiful, with the mountain behind and the lake ahead. It’s a truly auspicious place!”

”If it’s so great, why don’t you save it for yourself?” Xu Luo rolled his eyes and sneered.

”Boss, why are you still wasting words on him? Let’s do it!” one of them urged, afraid their leader would change his mind and try to recruit the young man.

The middle-aged man let out a deep sigh. Without a word, he gave a light wave of his hand…

The great battle erupted in an instant!

First, the six or seven Transformation Realm Powerhouses charged Xu Luo without hesitation. The auras they unleashed sent sand and stones flying across the mountain peak, filling the air with murderous intent.

The middle-aged man and the other two powerful Transformation Realm Martial Artists took up positions in three directions to prevent Xu Luo from escaping.

At a time like this, there was no choice but to fight.

Xu Luo cleared his mind of distracting thoughts. This was a perfect chance to test the true limits of his current combat power.

BANG!

A punch—Broken Tendons and Bones from the Breaking Army Seven Kills—flew toward the face of an oncoming grey-clothed, masked man.

The grey-clothed man sneered and raised his palm to meet it. ”You think I’m one of those weaklings—Ah!”

He let out a bloodcurdling scream before he could finish his sentence.

CRACK!

The bones in the grey-clothed man’s wrist shattered inch by inch!

As his body stumbled backward, Xu Luo wanted to press his advantage, but the others’ attacks were already upon him. He had no choice but to temporarily let the man go. With a sweep of the Seven Star Sword in his hand and his feet moving in the Shaking Light Step, he slashed a crescent of Sword Qi toward several of the grey-clothed men.

No one dared to underestimate the young man now. His methods were too ruthless! They had no idea what Cultivation Technique he practiced to possess such terrifying combat power.

The Sword Qi slashed from the Seven Star Sword was unstoppable, so sharp it was chilling. Two of the grey-clothed men were too slow to dodge and were caught by the Sword Qi. Blood immediately spurted from their bodies as they cried out in pain.

One of them nearly had his arm severed, while the other was wounded at the waist, blood pouring out like a fountain. He lost his ability to fight almost instantly.

The three super-powerhouses standing guard exchanged a look. The middle-aged leader shouted in his hoarse voice, ”All of you, fall back! We’ll handle him!”

They had to step in. The boy’s combat power was too terrifying. In a single exchange, even a Junior Sword King couldn’t stop him. It was no different from when he faced the Sword Venerables from Tianquan and Dubhe—a complete sweep!

With a WHOOSH, the grey-clothed men fell back in perfect, disciplined unison.

”Furious Tiger Heaven-Dominating Fist!” The middle-aged leader roared in his hoarse voice. Behind him, a massive tiger materialized and rose into the air. As he moved, the colossal, ten-meter-tall phantom tiger, baring its fangs and brandishing its claws, pounced ferociously toward Xu Luo!

”Dharma Heaven and Earth… So he really is a High-Tier Transformation Realm Powerhouse!” Xushan, who was rushing over, narrowed his eyes and murmured.