Firmament Sword

A figure shot out with a maniacal laugh, striking Xu Qing with his palm. The powerful force of the blow nearly shattered the very air, and Xu Qing was sent flying, spitting a mouthful of blood in mid-flight.

The figure then laughed wildly and reached for the Dragon Bell, his voice dripping with arrogance. ”Haha, mine! It’s mine!”

This sudden turn of events stunned everyone. The few young disciples from the Jade Balance Sect were still reeling from the shock.

Xu Luo had just sensed someone approaching, but their speed was too great. By the time he could shout a warning, it was already over.

While suppressing the Dragon Bell, Xu Luo had scanned the area for dozens of miles with his Divine Thought but had found nothing out of the ordinary.

Xu Qing had just secured the Dragon Bell when this person appeared. How could it be such a coincidence? If he couldn’t get the Dragon Bell back, the blame would fall squarely on him. It was like having mud fall into your trousers—even if it wasn’t shit, no one would believe you. He would never be able to clear his name.

Enraged, Xu Luo lunged at the attacker with his sword.

But the man was as slippery as an eel. His Body Technique was uncanny, his movements as fast as lightning. Xu Luo’s sword struck nothing but air!

Xu Luo was stunned. Ever since he had learned the Shaking Light Step, this was the first time he’d met someone who could match his speed. To think his confident strike had been so easily dodged.

The man snatched the Dragon Bell and roared with laughter. ”Thanks for the help, friend!”

With that, his body transformed into a streak of light and he tried to flee without a moment’s hesitation.

If this man escaped, even Xushan would come looking to settle the score. Besides, since when had Xu Luo ever let himself be humiliated like this?

”You’re not going anywhere!” Xu Luo roared, channeling the Tyrant Technique and throwing a punch!

This punch was thrown with Xu Luo at his absolute peak, containing his entire essence and spirit. At the same time, his roar unleashed the Jade Balance Demon Sound at its absolute limit!

The man, who had already soared into the air with the Dragon Bell in hand, suddenly felt his mind reel.

’STAY! STAY! STAY!’ The roar, like that of a beast king, echoed endlessly in his Sea of Spiritual Consciousness.

’Damn it, the kid is skilled in Spiritual Power attacks...’ he thought. Retching, he spat out a mouthful of blood.

At the same time, Xu Luo’s fist arrived, slamming violently into the man’s Protective True Essence.

BOOM!

With a thunderous crash, the man’s incredibly sturdy Protective True Essence was shattered. Xu Luo’s fist didn’t stop there, smashing viciously into the man’s back.

CRACK!

The sound of shattering bone echoed as every bone in the man’s back was pulverized by Xu Luo’s strike. He plummeted from the sky and crashed into the dust, dying instantly.

In his fury, Xu Luo had held nothing back, killing the man with a single punch. But that one blow had consumed nearly all of his energy, leaving him greatly weakened in an instant.

’At least I stopped him,’ he thought. ’Otherwise, I’d never have been able to explain my way out of this.’

The three female disciples from the Jade Balance Sect had already rushed over to catch Xu Qing. Everything had happened in the blink of an eye; their reaction was already considered swift.

Just as they caught her, the man who had stolen the Dragon Bell was struck from the sky by Xu Luo.

”Good, he didn’t get away.” Xu Luo breathed a sigh of relief. He was about to tell them to secure the Dragon Bell when a fresh sense of alarm flared in his mind.

”Stop!” Before the word was even out of his mouth, Xu Luo saw the most handsome of the Jade Balance Sect disciples plunge two sharp daggers into the backs of his two male sect-mates!

The two male Jade Balance Sect disciples cried out in pain. One died instantly. The other, barely breathing, turned to look in horror at his killer. He opened his mouth as if to say something, but only blood poured out. His body went limp, and he, too, breathed his last.

As the two male disciples fell dead from the sky, the handsome young man who had killed them looked at Xu Luo with a jeer. ”Your reputation is well-deserved, Xu Luo. I have to admit, you’re truly impressive! Not only did you kill my senior brother, you even saw through me... A pity. As strong as you are, you’re going to die here today.”

”Wu Lei, you... Are you insane? How could you murder your own sect-mates!” one of the girls supporting Xu Qing stared at the handsome youth in disbelief, almost thinking she was hallucinating.

The gravely injured Xu Qing’s eyes were also filled with disbelief. She couldn’t imagine that a sect-mate she had grown up with could do something like this.

”Hahahaha! Insane? Not me. I’m perfectly fine!” Wu Lei laughed. ”In fact, I’ve never felt better! The air in this Small World is so fresh, so free! It’s invigorating. Hehe, and the Spirit-Connected Magical Artifact... is now mine!”

With that, Wu Lei descended to the ground and snatched the Dragon Bell from the hand of the man Xu Luo had killed. He clicked his tongue in admiration. ”As expected of a Spirit-Connected Magical Artifact. It’s truly powerful. From this day forward, you’re mine! Hahaha!”

”Wu Lei, how could you do this? Those two you killed... they were your sect brothers! The friends you grew up with! You...” A woman of about twenty beside Xu Qing berated the handsome youth, her face a mask of grief.

Wu Lei sneered. ”Only a bunch of idiots like you would even ask. Why should this Spirit-Connected Magical Artifact go to Xu Qing? Just because she’s the Sect Leader’s niece? Hahaha, why can’t *I* have it?”

”Wu Lei, I’m sure it’s not just about the Spirit-Connected Magical Artifact. There must be another reason, right?” Xu Qing had calmed down now. Her voice was weak, but her gaze was serene.

”Hmph, you’re a clever one. As expected of that old dog Xushan’s niece,” Wu Lei cursed, his expression turning vicious. ”I am one of the survivors your uncle failed to purge back then. Do you understand now?”

Xu Qing froze for a moment before a look of sorrow crossed her face. ”So that’s how it is,” she said softly.

When Xushan had returned to the Jade Balance Sect all those years ago, he had unleashed a massacre. Rivers of blood flowed through the sect as he slaughtered nearly all of his enemies with ruthless efficiency. It couldn’t be said that every person he killed deserved to die.

But history is written by the victors, as it has always been, and no one dared to speak a word against Xushan.

The causes of the past had led to the consequences of today. Eradicating a problem at its root was never so simple.

No one could have imagined that a child who had managed to escape back then would have the audacity to infiltrate the Jade Balance Sect, lie low for so many years, and finally find his opportunity.

”First, I’ll kill you all. Then, when I’m stronger, I’ll go and take my revenge on that old dog Xushan. I’ll kill him with my own two hands!” Wu Lei’s handsome face twisted into a savage sneer. ”My parents, grandparents, uncles, aunts... my entire family died at your uncle’s hands. Heh, he never would have dreamed that one child, who happened to be away from home, managed to escape his grasp.”

”Take your revenge if you must, but your sect brothers, the ones who treated you like family, they never did anything to you, did they?” Xu Luo said, his gaze ice-cold as he stared at Wu Lei.

Xu Luo was certain now. This young man, Wu Lei, must have had some great fortuitous encounter of his own, but he had hidden it so deeply that he’d fooled everyone.

Moreover, he had called the man Xu Luo killed his ”senior brother,” which meant he had already joined another sect!

Wu Lei sneered and shot Xu Luo a disdainful look. ”Anyone close to the Xu Family must die! And you, Xu Luo, you’re even stronger than the rumors say! Others might not know it, but I do: you’re just like me. You’ve had a great fortuitous encounter. I’m just more discreet about it than you are. Hahaha! That’s why you’re a thorn in the side of nearly every sect, while me... no one pays me any mind. No one would ever believe that an ordinary Jade Balance Sect disciple like me could possess such power!”

”Are you really that strong?” Xu Luo casually pulled out a peach, took a large bite, and asked Wu Lei nonchalantly.

’He has the nerve to eat fruit right now?’ A pretty girl next to Xu Qing stared at Xu Luo, speechless.

Wu Lei said flatly, ”If you hadn’t just exhausted yourself killing my senior brother in a rage, I might not have been your match. But you used nearly all of your power to kill him just to clear your name. Right now, you’re no match for me at all!”

With that, Wu Lei began to sneer. ”In fact, I’m actually a little impressed. If you hadn’t gotten involved, I might have even tried to befriend you. After all, not just anyone has the guts to kill a Young Master right in front of the Jade Balance Sect Elder protecting him. A pity you don’t know what’s good for you and dared to stick your nose in this business.”

”Wu Lei, your quarrel is with me! If you want revenge, come at me! The others have nothing to do with this!” Xu Qing stared coldly at Wu Lei. ”Let them go!”

”Ha!” Wu Lei scoffed, letting out a sarcastic laugh. ”Xu Qing, do you take me for a fool? Let them go... so they can come back with reinforcements to get revenge? Am I that stupid? I already showed mercy when I secretly sowed discord to send most of the others away!”

”You really are pretty stupid,” Xu Luo said, finishing his peach. He licked his lips, carefully put the pit away, and looked at Wu Lei with something like pity. ”If you hadn’t wasted so much time talking, you might have had a sliver of a chance. But now... heh.”

Xu Qing sighed softly from the side. ”He’s been repressed for so many years. Now that he’s finally erupted, he needs to vent. It would be a shame to make him bottle it all up, wouldn’t it?”

”You still dare to be so arrogant? Hahaha! Do you really think I’m talking to you to give you time to recover?” Wu Lei sneered, looking at Xu Qing. ”Naive!”

As he spoke, a powerful aura erupted from Wu Lei. A massive blue dragon began to rise behind him!

The blue dragon’s horns were menacing, its scales glittered, and it radiated an imperious aura. It stared coldly at Xu Qing and the others, as if it were alive.

”Dharma Heaven and Earth!” the girl beside Xu Qing couldn’t help but exclaim.

But Xu Luo and Xu Qing both watched Wu Lei calmly, as if the terrifying Dharma Aspect behind him didn’t even exist.

”Do you have any last words?” Wu Lei asked, his gaze ice-cold as he looked at Xu Qing, Xu Luo, and the others.

Xu Luo looked at the imposing Wu Lei and suddenly burst out laughing.