Firmament Sword

”Holy shit!” Xu Luo couldn’t help but curse.

From his pocket, Master Mao shrieked, ”Run already! What are you waiting for?”

At that moment, Master Mao had completely forgotten his own words of wisdom—’if you aren’t brave for yourself, who will be?’—and before Xu Luo could even react, he transformed into a streak of light and shot toward the giant white python.

The miniature eagle perched on Phoenix’s shoulder was just as fast, following right behind. A crisp, girlish voice, clear as a bell, called out urgently, ”The snake gall is mine!”

The onlookers were left stunned and speechless.

The giant white python’s death throes were no joke. Wherever its massive, mountainous body rolled, it left a wake of utter devastation. Nothing could survive being crushed beneath it.

Under such circumstances, those two greedy creatures, Master Mao and Sister Ying, actually dared to charge headlong toward the giant white python in its final frenzy. In the eyes of the onlookers, their actions were no different from a death wish.

Fortunately, Xu Luo was well aware of Master Mao and Sister Ying’s true capabilities. While they couldn’t compare to a cub with a Holy Beast bloodline, they were by no means weak.

The giant white python was likely a Holy Beast cub with a very pure bloodline. It had been killed by a single swipe from the golden bird, so quickly that its essence blood hadn’t even had time to dissipate. No wonder Master Mao and Sister Ying were risking their lives to fight for the spoils.

Both creatures were in their miniature forms; compared to the giant white python’s colossal body, they were like specks of dust.

The golden bird and the giant black tiger were locked in a fierce battle, completely oblivious to the audacious scavengers plotting against the white python’s corpse right under their noses.

Xu Luo glanced at Phoenix. ”Take our fellow disciples and fall back to a safe distance. I’m going to check it out.”

”Be careful!” Phoenix knew she couldn’t change his mind. She gave Xu Luo a long, meaningful look and spoke in a soft voice.

”Big Brother, be careful! And try to bring a big treasure back for Yaya!” she added, cheering him on with an innocent smile.

Xu Luo smiled and patted Yaya’s head before turning to the Merak Disciples. ”My fellow disciples, retreat to a safe distance with Phoenix. I’m going to see if I can find an opening!”

”Be careful, Junior Brother!”

”Stay safe!”

”You have to be careful!”

They all urged him to be careful. The scene was far beyond their comprehension, and any earlier desire to get a closer look at the spectacle had long since vanished.

Xu Luo nodded. Executing the Shaking Light Step, he moved toward the giant white python as it continued to roll madly in their direction.

”Brother Mao, don’t you fight me for the snake gall!” Sister Ying called out as she flew at top speed.

Master Mao retorted impatiently, ”You little sparrow, who wants your snake gall? I’m after the essence blood! Got it? The essence blood!”

”I want some too!” Sister Ying said meekly.

”No deal! The gall is yours, the essence blood is mine!” Master Mao declared imperiously.

”I just want a little bit! A tiny bit is all I need!” Sister Ying pleaded.

”Let’s get our hands on it first, then we’ll talk!” Master Mao didn’t shut her down completely. He knew that the moment they touched the python’s corpse, the black tiger and golden bird would notice. If they gave chase, he’d have to rely on Sister Ying’s speed to escape.

The giant white python’s life force was incredibly tenacious. Even though its skull had been crushed, it would still take some time for it to die completely.

It was just unlucky enough to run into its natural predator. Usually, the inhabitants of this Small World kept to their own territories, minding their own business.

But recently, the Peaches of Immortality on the Peach Tree that every powerhouse in the Small World coveted were finally about to ripen, throwing the entire Small World into a commotion.

Obtaining a single Divine Peach could raise one’s power by several minor stages, or even allow a breakthrough into a new major realm. Who could possibly resist such a temptation?

Thus, a great number of powerful creatures had gathered here. The giant white python had been unfortunate enough to meet its fated nemesis, getting its head crushed and dying an unwilling death.

It never would have imagined that before it was even fully dead, top-tier Spirit Beasts would be audacious enough to come after its corpse.

Normally, it could have killed a whole swarm of these little things with a single swipe of its tail. But now... it was completely at their mercy.

Master Mao was usually slower than Sister Ying, but in that moment, he unleashed a sudden burst of energy, pulling half a body length ahead of her.

In a single dash, he reached the giant white python’s corpse and dove headfirst into its massive, crushed skull.

The python’s head was the size of a small hill. Even shattered, it was still immense.

Master Mao made a beeline for the essence blood.

Knowing she couldn’t out-compete Master Mao, Sister Ying gave up on the essence blood and went straight for the giant python’s abdomen, extending her sharp talons to try and tear a hole in its belly.

CLANG!

Sister Ying’s razor-sharp talons, which could shatter a small hill, scraped against the scales on the giant python’s belly as if striking solid rock, letting out a piercing shriek of metal.

Although the giant python was already dead, its serpentine instincts remained. In response to the attack, its body began to roll even more frantically and violently.

Its massive body, like a white mountain range, rolled with such frantic speed that for a moment, Sister Ying couldn’t find an opening.

She didn’t dare reveal her true form, otherwise she would immediately alert the two Holy Beast cubs locked in their fierce battle.

Just then, Xu Luo arrived. He shook his head slightly as he watched Sister Ying fruitlessly chasing the rolling python. Then, wielding his Seven Star Sword, he unleashed a blast of Sword Qi at the giant python’s exposed underbelly.

PFFT!

Scales flew and blood gushed forth. Xu Luo’s attack had sliced a long gash right over the giant python’s heart.

While the gash wasn’t large relative to the python’s massive body, it was more than enough for Sister Ying to slip inside.

Sister Ying shot Xu Luo a grateful look. ”You’re the best! I’ll be forever grateful... *sniffle*...”

A dark look crossed Xu Luo’s face and his mouth twitched. ”Then hurry up! What are you going to do when you finally alert those two?”

Sister Ying dove headfirst into the gash Xu Luo had created and vanished inside the python’s body.

Xu Luo, meanwhile, narrowed his eyes. He watched the giant black tiger, which was gradually showing signs of exhaustion. Then, his gaze fell upon the small, untouched hill in the distance.

Then, like a cat, he began to move. Using his Shaking Light Step, he stealthily and cautiously approached the unremarkable little hill.

Nearly everything in the surrounding area had been obliterated by the beasts, leaving a scene of utter ruin. Xu Luo weaved his way under toppled, ancient trees, occasionally spotting destroyed Top-Grade Medicinal Materials and feeling a pang of regret.

’What a bunch of wasteful brutes!’ he cursed silently. ’Out in the real world, a single stalk of these Top-Grade Medicinal Materials would be enough to start a bloodbath. But here, these beasts treat them like garbage, destroying them without a second thought.’

The battle between the giant black tiger and the golden bird raged on. The tiger’s roars and the bird’s piercing shrieks were loud enough to shatter eardrums. The powerful sonic waves would have torn any ordinary person to shreds, making it impossible to approach.

If Xu Luo hadn’t awakened his Jade Balance Star Soul, he wouldn’t have been able to get this close either.

This was probably why neither the golden bird nor the giant black tiger ever suspected that another creature would have both the courage and the ability to approach their battlefield.

Though Xu Luo moved with caution, his speed was incredible. He pushed the Shaking Light Step to its absolute limit, all while suppressing his aura to avoid leaking the slightest trace and alerting the two behemoths.

Several thousand meters from the hill, Xu Luo finally stopped. From this distance, he could finally see the top of it clearly.

Unlike the surrounding area, which was filled with towering ancient trees, the hill was completely barren. It was covered in massive boulders, with barely a weed in sight.

A striking purple peach tree stood there, over ten meters tall, looking as if it were carved from a single piece of purple jade—a masterpiece of nature. Its gnarled branches were ancient and powerful, like coiled dragons rooted to the mountain’s peak. It was shrouded in a purple mist, radiating an auspicious energy that filled it with an air of mystery.

The tree had few leaves, but it was laden with fist-sized purple Peaches of Immortality. A quick count revealed there were at least a hundred of them!

Each purple Peach of Immortality was crystal clear, emitting an intoxicatingly sweet fragrance. Even from thousands of meters away, Xu Luo could still smell the soul-stirring aroma.

His Shadow Shaking Heart Method began to circulate on its own, converting that soul-stirring fragrance into pure energy.

”It’s a Top-Grade Treasure Medicine!” Xu Luo’s eyes glittered. The fragrance alone provided as much pure energy as a top-grade Spirit Stone; if word of this got out, it would shock countless people. ’If only I could dig up this whole tree and plant it at my home,’ he thought, ’that would be incredible!’

But Xu Luo knew that was impossible. In the face of these two behemoths, just picking a few fruits would be a stroke of incredible luck. Trying to move the entire tree from right under their noses... was pure fantasy.

Not to mention, who knew what other powerful entities might be watching this tree from the shadows.

Just as he was thinking this, Xu Luo suddenly sensed a faint aura coming from another direction. He was startled. ’Could it be?’ he thought. ’Is someone else besides me after this tree?’

As he wondered, Xu Luo quietly looked in that direction. He saw a furtive figure, peeking out from behind cover and craning its neck to look toward the small hill.

’This person... I think he’s that peerless genius from Qiqi’s Sect. What was his name again? Jiang Tianhai... Yes, that’s him!’ Xu Luo was surprised. He hadn’t expected anyone else to be after the peach tree. ’Looks like I’m not the only one with plans in this Small World.’

Following that, Xu Luo spread his Spiritual Sense to probe the other directions. Sure enough, he found several other extremely faint presences, all carefully concealed nearby.

But no one made a move. They all knew perfectly well that the moment they charged the hill, they would invite a devastating, thunderous attack.

Xu Luo focused his power into his eyes, peering in the direction of the faint fluctuations. His gaze penetrated the obstacles, revealing the true identities of the hidden figures.

’The Transformation Realm powerhouse from the Shaking Light Sect, Tier Three Sword King Gu Xing... The Tier Two Sword King from the Black Water Sect, Xiaohai... The Tier Three Sword King from the Willow Leaf Sect, Liu Wushang...’

Although Xu Luo had never crossed paths with these geniuses from the major sects, he knew of them by reputation. He never expected them all to be here, and all of them had their eyes on the Immortal Peach Tree.

’So, everyone’s an opportunist...’ Xu Luo thought to himself, looking at the hidden geniuses from the various major sects.