Firmament Sword

Pink petals danced across the sky, dissolving into motes of light that faded into the air.

It was as if everyone had just woken from a beautiful dream, only to open their eyes and find nothing there.

So surreal, so dreamlike.

The faces of Jiang Hanhai, Jiang Tianhai, and the others had turned deathly pale. Without a word, they followed closely behind Shangguan Qing, turned, and left.

The other members of the Kaiyang Sect also remained silent. Most of them didn’t even know what had just happened, but they all understood that in that single instant, their Sect Leader had apparently suffered a hidden loss. At the very least, he hadn’t gained any advantage.

’How is this possible?’ The thought surfaced in the minds of all the Kaiyang Sect disciples.

”A worldly youth with no significant background, no matter how talented, could never reach such a realm at his age!” Jiang Hanhai’s brow furrowed as he muttered, ”He must have a peerless treasure on him!”

”Those peach blossoms... why do they look... so familiar? I feel like... I’ve seen them before,” Jiang Tianhai said softly beside him, also frowning.

”Oh? You’ve seen them? Think hard, where!” Jiang Hanhai lowered his voice, speaking with urgency. ”Something that could scare away even the Sect Leader... just imagine its value!”

Jiang Tianhai wracked his brain before suddenly exclaiming, ”Right, I remember now! Back in the Small World, I teamed up with Xiaohai, a disciple from the Black Water Sect, and Gu Xing, a genius disciple from the Shaking Light Sect. We discovered an ancient peach tree covered in purple Peaches of Immortality. Just smelling its fragrance was incredibly invigorating. It was clearly no ordinary thing. Unfortunately, two giant beasts with the blood of Holy Beasts in them were fighting over it, so we never got a chance. Later, we were discovered and a fight broke out. By the time the battle was over and we went back, the Ancient Peach Tree was gone!”

A glint shone in Jiang Hanhai’s eyes as he mused, ”Purple Peaches of Immortality... a vanished Ancient Peach Tree... perhaps that tree had already gained sentience. It’s very likely it fell into Xu Luo’s hands!”

”We have to report this to the Sect Leader!” Jiang Tianhai’s eyes lit up as he whispered, ”This would be a great contribution!”

”Shh!” Jiang Hanhai shot his brother a glare, looking at him as if he were an idiot. ”Once the Sect Leader knows, what’s in it for us?”

”Then, brother, you mean...?” Jiang Tianhai raised an eyebrow thoughtfully, then said quietly, ”But that Xu Luo is no pushover. He’s very strong!”

”Hmph, at his age, how strong can he possibly be? Even if that Ancient Peach Tree helped him once, with his own power, he might not be able to launch a second attack! We’ll test him first. If he can’t strike again, that Ancient Peach Tree will be ours!” A cold light flickered in Jiang Hanhai’s eyes as he muttered, ”It will be mine!”

”That... works too!” The mere thought of Xu Luo made Jiang Tianhai’s teeth itch with hatred; he wished he could slice the man into a thousand pieces. Seeing that his brother was eager to make a move, he naturally had no objections.

...

”Qiqi, it’s okay now.” Xu Luo walked over to Huangfu Shishi and patted her shoulder, his heart aching for her. ”It’s all over.”

Huangfu Shishi leaned gently into Xu Luo’s embrace and murmured, ”Why did it have to be like this? What are they all thinking? Is personal gain really that important to them?”

”Most people in the world are like that. You don’t need to be so sad, sister. With us here, everything will be alright,” Huangfu Chongzhi said softly as he walked over to his sister.

Then, the crowd gathered around Xu Luo, their gazes filled with a certain awe.

To scare off a major figure like Shangguan Qing with a single move required immense power. The Xu Family’s second young master was truly incredible!

”Have someone clean this place up. I need to rest,” Xu Luo said, a trace of exhaustion on his face.

”Are you alright?” Huangfu Shishi looked up, her gaze filled with worry for Xu Luo.

Xu Ji and the others also looked at Xu Luo with concern.

Xu Luo smiled and shook his head. ”Don’t worry, I’m just a little tired. I’ll be fine after some rest.”

Huangfu Shishi nodded and said softly, ”Then come to my place.”

Huangfu Chongzhi was slightly taken aback and seemed about to speak, but then said nothing. The bond between his sister and Xu Luo was deeper than even his own with her. And with Xu Luo’s temperament and strength, he probably didn’t care what anyone else might say.

Xu Luo didn’t refuse. After saying a quick word to his father and the others, he left with Huangfu Shishi.

As they walked, Huangfu Shishi began to feel her decision had been a bit impulsive. A pink blush spread across her delicate face, and she lowered her head, silent.

Xu Luo was truly exhausted, utterly drained. Facing a major figure like Shangguan Qing had put him under immense pressure. The gap between them was huge; if Xu Luo had relied solely on his own strength, it would have been difficult to contend with him.

At the critical moment, the Ancient Peach Tree had sent a message to Xu Luo, offering to help him strike once—but only once.

That single attack had consumed ten thousand years’ worth of Magical Power that the Ancient Peach Tree had accumulated!

The Chaos Peach Tree was a Spiritual Object of heaven and earth. The peaches it bore were comparable to Divine Medicine, but it was not the kind of Spiritual Object that excelled at combat. Forcing the Ancient Peach Tree to fight was truly asking too much of it.

Master Tao’s only offensive move was the ”Scattering Blossoms” technique he had just used. Hidden within the shower of petals was an endless killing intent. Each blossom carried the Ancient Peach Tree’s comprehension of the world and a powerful Law.

The stronger a person was, the more clearly they could sense this Law. If Shangguan Qing had tried to fight back, those seemingly soft and weak petals would have instantly transformed into the boundless Power of Laws and annihilated him.

That was why Shangguan Qing had been so startled. More importantly, he had no idea how Xu Luo had executed that move. Unable to gauge Xu Luo’s true capabilities, he dared not strike again and chose to leave directly.

Although he had intimidated Shangguan Qing for now, once the man had time to think it over and figure out Xu Luo’s real situation, Xu Luo’s life would become incredibly difficult.

”I have fewer than eighty Chaos Peaches left on me. I’m leaving them for you. Now, I need to go into a deep slumber to recover. It will probably be a very long time before you see me again,” Master Tao transmitted to Xu Luo.

’Where are you going?’ Xu Luo asked.

”The reason Master Tao helped you just now is because... hmm... there’s a mighty being inside your body who can provide me with an ideal place to reside... I’ve got to say, you’re not very forthcoming! Hiding such a powerful existence inside you and never telling Master Tao!” Master Tao’s tone was a bit odd, seemingly filled with reverence when it mentioned the being inside Xu Luo.

’Oh?’ Xu Luo raised an eyebrow. He immediately thought of the Shaking Light Star Soul within him, because it was the Shaking Light Star Soul that had told him the origin of the Chaos Peach Tree. He couldn’t help but communicate with his thoughts, ’Shaking Light, is that you?’

”Yes. This Chaos Peach Tree is a supreme treasure in this world. It can be of great help to your future. If it enters my space, the time it takes to blossom and bear fruit can be shortened tenfold,” the Shaking Light Star Soul’s consciousness replied, as ancient and desolate as ever.

Its words, however, lifted Xu Luo’s spirits. By now, the two had arrived at Huangfu Shishi’s residence. Blushing, Huangfu Shishi avoided the astonished expressions of the Palace Maids and ushered Xu Luo inside.

’Shortened tenfold? Doesn’t that mean the Chaos Peach Tree can bear fruit once every ten years?’ Xu Luo asked, delighted.

”Correct,” the Shaking Light Star Soul said. ”However, the Chaos Peaches are most effective the first time you consume them. The more you eat, the more their efficacy will diminish...”

’No matter, this is already good enough!’ Xu Luo was overjoyed. ’If something like this Divine Medicine could maintain its effect indefinitely, that would be too heaven-defying. The heavens themselves probably wouldn’t allow it to exist in this world.’

Afterward, the Ancient Peach Tree entered the Star Gate that Xu Luo had long been anticipating and vanished inside. Xu Luo couldn’t help but ask, ’Shaking Light, when can I go there?’

”Once you break through your current major cultivation realm, you will be able to enter that place.” This time, the Shaking Light Star Soul gave a precise answer.

”That’s great!” Xu Luo blurted out uncontrollably. Only after speaking did he realize that Huangfu Shishi was standing in front of him with flushed cheeks, her boudoir right behind her...

”I haven’t been back in a long time either, but... it really is nice here,” Huangfu Shishi said shyly. ”As long as you like it.”

’Uh... I think there might be a misunderstanding here.’ The corner of Xu Luo’s mouth twitched, but he couldn’t deny it. The more he tried to explain something like this, the messier it would get. He could only force a smile and start looking around Huangfu Shishi’s room.

”You used to come in here when we were little. It’s not that different from back then,” Huangfu Shishi said. Now that they were alone, her shyness faded, and a smile appeared on her face as she recalled their childhood.

”Really? I don’t remember,” Xu Luo said, scratching his head before sitting down in a chair.

Huangfu Shishi had someone bring tea, then served it to Xu Luo herself with a light laugh. ”My lord, please have some tea.”

Xu Luo’s mouth twitched. ”When did you learn to do that?”

Huangfu Shishi shot him a playful glare and huffed, ”I only serve you like this. What are you thinking? ’When did I learn?’ Do you think I’d go around serving tea to just anyone?”

”Hehe...” Xu Luo gave a goofy laugh, then looked at Huangfu Shishi seriously. ”Qiqi, what are your thoughts on the sect? Do you still want to stay in the Kaiyang Sect?”

A shadow of sorrow crossed Huangfu Shishi’s face. ”Of course I don’t want to stay there,” she said softly. ”But the Sect Realm has its own rules. ’A teacher for a day is a father for life.’ Even though the Sect Leader has become like this, as long as he doesn’t expel me, I am still a disciple of the Kaiyang Sect. If I leave on my own initiative, they won’t even have to slander me; my reputation will be ruined.”

She continued in a low voice, ”I don’t care about my reputation, but I’m afraid that doing so will completely escalate the conflict between you and the Kaiyang Sect. At that point, there would be no turning back.”

”Qiqi, you’ve matured a lot. But some things shouldn’t be for a girl like you to bear,” Xu Luo said, looking at her. ”No one in this world can force you to do something you don’t want to! I understand what you’re thinking. Just leave the rest to me.”

”I don’t want to make things difficult for you,” Huangfu Shishi said softly. She sat in his lap, wrapped her arms around his neck, and rested her chin on his shoulder, murmuring, ”I’ve already lost my parents and my brother. I’m so afraid...”