Firmament Sword

”Fang Ping? How did he get in? Dammit!” Xu Shan’s brow furrowed. He realized he had forgotten a very serious problem.

Fang Ping, a former genius disciple of the Jade Balance Sect, was the blood brother of the Tianquan Sect Leader, Ark. He had also had a fortuitous encounter in some ruins once. However, he was over thirty years old and had always kept a low profile, so Xu Shan had completely forgotten about him.

’It seems that, just like that Liu Wushang, he must have used some kind of Forbidden Skill to deceive the heavens and enter that space. His purpose is self-evident...’ Xu Shan couldn’t help but sigh softly, shaking his head inwardly.

He wasn’t worried about Xu Luo. If Fang Ping, the man in black, knew the reason for his sigh, he would surely scoff at it, even if Xu Shan was the Jade Balance Sect Leader.

In Xu Shan’s opinion, if Fang Ping were to clash with Xu Luo, the one to make it back alive would definitely be Xu Luo!

”What a pity. A promising seedling, ruined by a dead scoundrel from Tianquan...” Xu Shan sighed softly.

After witnessing the battle between Xu Luo and the three Transformation Realm Powerhouses from Chengfeng Manor who had cultivated Dharma Heaven and Earth, Xu Shan had gained a profound understanding of Xu Luo’s combat strength.

In a one-on-one fight, even Hu Chengfeng, the strongest of the three Manor Masters of Chengfeng Manor, certainly couldn’t kill Xu Luo, let alone Fang Ping, who hadn’t even cultivated Dharma Heaven and Earth.

If Fang Ping hadn’t entered so quickly, Xu Shan really would have wanted to stop him. As a Sect Leader, Xu Shan was well aware of Fang Ping’s strength and value.

As things stood, Xu Shan could only remain silent and pretend he hadn’t seen a thing. He thought to himself, ’Xu Luo, I hope that for my sake, you can... show mercy to Fang Ping.’

In truth, Xu Shan knew the possibility was minuscule. No decisive Martial Artist would ever leave behind a lingering threat.

Let alone a ruthless and decisive young man like Xu Luo.

”Phoenix, in a bit, just stay by my side with all the senior brothers and sisters. We’ll go in together,” Xu Luo said, looking at Phoenix and a group of excited Merak Disciples.

They didn’t fight for a spot in the first group to enter. For one, they didn’t know what would be waiting for them on the other side, and for another, Xu Luo didn’t want to attract too much attention.

If he wanted to, no one could have been faster than him.

At the same time, Xu Luo was also burdened with the heavy responsibility of looking after this group of young Merak disciples.

It sounded a bit ridiculous—the disciple who had joined the latest was now in charge of looking after his senior brothers and sisters.

But it was also an indisputable fact that Xu Luo was currently Merak’s strongest young disciple. Although many were secretly unconvinced by Xu Luo, apart from those close to the Grand Elder’s faction, the others behaved relatively normally.

After all, they knew they couldn’t have acted like Xu Luo, who remained neither haughty nor humble before the Tianquan Sect Master and even dared to attack Ark to his face.

Although they hadn’t witnessed what happened in the tent that day, they could guess from the recent rumors that Ark’s death was directly related to Xu Luo.

”Big Brother, when we get to that place later, you have to wait for Yaya, okay!” Yaya said to Xu Luo, her face full of innocence.

Xu Luo gave a helpless smile. He had originally disagreed with Yaya coming along, feeling she was too young and the place was too dangerous. But Qiushuiduan and Li Wenxi both felt that training should start from a young age, and since she was here for it, she might as well go in and see it for herself.

In reality, Li Wenxi and Qiushuiduan’s true purpose was to use Yaya to restrain Xu Luo. They didn’t want him going to places that were too dangerous.

With a little girl and a group of not-so-strong Merak disciples in tow, Xu Luo would have to think twice before doing anything.

Phoenix didn’t actually agree with her master’s methods. She better understood the immense pressure Xu Luo was under and didn’t want him to be further distracted by this group of Merak disciples.

Of course, this was Phoenix’s own selfish thought, something she couldn’t say plainly to her master.

Fortunately, those who wanted to target Xu Luo were coming for him specifically and paid no mind to the other Merak disciples.

”Yaya, after we go in, just stick with your Senior Sister Phoenix, okay?” Xu Luo said with a smile, looking at the delicate, doll-like little girl.

”No! Master and Martial Aunt said Yaya should follow you. You’re Yaya’s junior brother, and Yaya is the senior sister. Junior brothers have to listen to their senior sisters! You have to be good!” The little girl was adorably naive and innocent.

The group of people nearby couldn’t stop laughing.

Xu Luo looked frustrated, thinking to himself, ’This status as a Merak Registered Disciple really has lowered my seniority quite a bit.’

”Alright, let’s go in too.”

Seeing that the time it takes for an incense stick to burn was almost up and large numbers of people were still pouring into the Light Gate, Xu Luo said to Phoenix beside him.

Phoenix nodded and sent a telepathic message to Xu Luo: ”Once we’re inside, if there’s danger, don’t worry about us. I’ll take care of them. Just focus on your own business.”

Xu Luo gave Phoenix a grateful look and nodded lightly. Then, leading the group, he flew straight through the air toward the Light Gate.

”Out of the way! I’m from the Jade Balance Sect! My sect found this place first, so all of you stand aside and let me in!”

”On what grounds? Who the hell do you think you are? You think you’re Xu Qing? Let you in first? Shameless!”

”Damn it, stop pushing me! I’m gonna get squashed flat!”

”Who hit me? You got a death wish?”

”Push me again and I’ll lose it!”

”Don’t make me get physical!”

The area around the Light Gate was a chaotic mess. The deadline was approaching, but a large number of people still hadn’t entered and were all jammed at the entrance.

The young were naturally hot-blooded and impulsive, so conflicts were more likely to erupt at a time like this. Several groups had already started fighting right at the entrance to the Light Gate.

Xu Shan and the others over there didn’t intervene, just watching from a distance. In their eyes, this too was a form of training.

Not just anyone was qualified to enter that Light Gate. Although they didn’t say it outright—after all, given their status, it wouldn’t be proper to encourage people to decide entry rights through brawling—they actually hoped to see this kind of competition. As long as no one died, it didn’t matter how much chaos ensued!

Sun Wu and his group broke away from Xu Luo’s circle, forming their own clique, and pushed their way toward the Light Gate.

”Get lost!” A tall young man looked at Sun Wu’s group with disdain and said arrogantly, ”Get in the back of the line!”

Sun Wu’s eyebrow twitched in anger. ”This isn’t your territory. What right do you have to block the way and not let us pass?”

”Exactly! If you want to go in, then go in. No one’s stopping you. But what’s the deal with you blocking our path?”

”Move!”

”Don’t make us get physical!”

The group of disciples from the Merak Grand Elder’s faction started shouting one after another.

The young man’s lips curled into a disdainful smile. ”You lot? A bunch of small fry, going in just to get killed? Scram, before things get ugly. Don’t blame me for not showing you any respect!”

”You’re courting death!” Sun Wu roared and charged at the young man.

The aura of the True Martial Realm erupted from him, and he threw a punch at the young man with immense power.

A punch like that could easily shatter a massive boulder.

Sun Wu could almost see his opponent sent flying by his punch, spewing blood wildly. A look of vindictive pleasure flashed in his eyes.

It was as if he was treating his opponent as Xu Luo, venting all the frustration he had suffered from Xu Luo on this person.

”Scram!” The tall, burly young man’s face was filled with disgust. He swung his arm in a wide, brutish arc and viciously slapped Sun Wu across the face.

Sun Wu’s powerful aura was instantly dissipated by the slap, and he almost fell out of the sky.

He clutched his face, staring at the other man in disbelief.

Just then, Xu Luo, Phoenix, and the others came up from behind. Although he thoroughly disliked Sun Wu and his group, they were ultimately from the same sect. Internal conflicts shouldn’t be aired in public for others to laugh at.

Xu Luo glanced at the young man and said coolly, ”Move.”

”Scram!”

The tall, burly young man gave Xu Luo a single word in return, his face full of contempt.

But this time, he had misjudged. The word ”Scram” had barely left his lips when he felt a sudden, immense force. His body flew uncontrollably toward the Light Gate.

BOOM!

The tall, burly young man’s body disappeared into the Light Gate, kicked straight through by Xu Luo.

The large crowd that had been packed at the entrance, scrambling to get in first, saw this and reacted as if they had seen a ghost. They uniformly cleared a path for Xu Luo.

At first, Phoenix and the others were a little bewildered. ’Why did the crowd suddenly make way for us? Could Xu Luo’s kick really be that powerful?’ Then they overheard the discussions nearby and understood.

”Holy hell, that young man blocking the gate was a Tier Nine Sword Venerable!”

”That was a disciple from the Kaiyang Sect. Although he wasn’t in the first echelon, he’s still considered an incredible young genius. But he was sent flying with a single kick. Who is that guy?”

”That guy is ferocious! Even fiercer than the one from Kaiyang Sect. He kicked him straight through...”

Xu Luo, holding Yaya’s hand, led Phoenix and the others and strode nonchalantly into the Light Gate, ignoring the crowd that quickly became congested behind them again.

Over where the Sect Leaders of the major sects were maintaining the Light Gate, they all looked at the Kaiyang Sect Master, Shangguan Qing, with amused expressions.

Shangguan Qing’s mouth twitched. He grumbled, ”Which family’s kid is that? So domineering.”

’As if your Kaiyang disciples are so well-behaved,’ the others thought, pursing their lips. ’Wasn’t the one blocking the gate earlier from your sect?’

Xu Shan chuckled. ”That’s Xu Luo from Merak.”

”Xu Luo? The one who killed the Young Master Tianquan right in front of the Tianquan Sect Master? Haha, Sect Leader Xu, speaking of which, that kid doesn’t seem to give your Jade Balance Sect’s Elder Xiao much face, does he!” the Tianshu Sect Master, Xiang Wentian, laughed heartily.

’Laugh my ass off,’ Xu Shan thought, sneering inwardly as he looked at the bushy-bearded Xiang Wentian. ’If you knew that more than ten of your Dubhe people died at that kid’s hands, let’s see if you’d still be laughing.’

Ling Fengwu gazed thoughtfully in the direction Xu Luo had disappeared, not saying a word. In her heart, however, she was thinking, ’So he’s the Xu Luo that Lianyi has been thinking about all this time? How could a boy from the secular world possess such strength?’