Firmament Sword

Xu Ji let out a long sigh and turned his face away. He had stared death in the face on the battlefield and seen more than his share of final goodbyes, but even so, he couldn’t stop his heart from aching at this moment.

Xu Luo was completely silent. He knew he hadn’t been as considerate as his mother. Though everyone had been through so much recently, who had it worse than Qiqi? Gazing at Huangfu Shishi’s slightly gaunt face, his heart softened. He knew that Qiqi, having endured so many blows, had already become a remarkably strong young woman. ’I... I absolutely cannot fail her, nor can I let her be hurt again.’

Xu Luo was moved, and Huangfu Shishi was even more so. She truly hadn’t expected Xu Luo’s mother to be so incredibly thoughtful. It made her heart melt completely. In Luo Xinlan’s arms, it was as if she had rediscovered the feeling of being held by her own mother. This was a kind of familial love that Xu Luo himself couldn’t give her.

After a long while, Huangfu Shishi’s emotions finally stabilized. She shyly accepted the handkerchief Xu Luo offered, wiped away her tears, and then looked up at Luo Xinlan. ”Mother, you just asked how much I would have to endure. To be honest, I don’t feel wronged. It’s true that I wish to be with Xu Luo and be his only woman, but… Mother, there’s also Sister Lianyi, and Phoenix from the Merak Sect—another close confidante who has been through life and death with him…”

”But you truly would be wronged,” Luo Xinlan sighed. As Xu Luo’s mother, of course she hoped her son could marry several beautiful women. However, considering Huangfu Shishi’s status and the current situation, she was terrified of hurting a heart that had already been so grievously wounded.

”It’s alright. Since joining the sects, I’ve come to understand a great deal. The various crises we now face also require Xu Luo to… do this.” As Huangfu Shishi spoke her final words, both Luo Xinlan and Xu Ji looked at her, their expressions tinged with surprise.

Although Shishi was a Princess, she had never displayed any particular political astuteness. It seemed they had underestimated her all along.

Xu Luo looked at Huangfu Shishi and gave a wry smile. ”Qiqi, why must you put yourself through this?”

Huangfu Shishi shot Xu Luo a look with her beautiful eyes. ”You’re getting off easy! If it weren’t for the current situation, do you think I’d let them have their way? At most… at the absolute most, I’d allow Sister Lianyi! As for Phoenix, Xu Qing, and that Lin Luoxue person, I wouldn’t give them the slightest chance!”

”What? Besides Phoenix and Lianyi… there are others?” Xu Ji and Luo Xinlan were stunned. ’Our son has that kind of talent?’ they thought. ’We’ve never seen him do anything to attract girls…’

”Xu Qing and I are just ordinary friends. As for Lin Luoxue… although I’ve known her for some time, our connection… isn’t very deep. Besides, this time, I doubt there’s any room for reconciliation between the Dubhe Sect and us. With something this major happening, I refuse to believe the Dubhe Sect Leader, Xiang Wentian, knew nothing about it,” Xu Luo said. ”So, the next time Lin Luoxue and I meet… we will likely be enemies.”

Huangfu Shishi fell silent for a moment before saying softly, ”Actually, Lin Luoxue is a good person. If possible, I don’t want to be her enemy. Every debt has its debtor. I only want the people who participated in harming my family that day to die. As for the mastermind behind the whole affair, I will never let them go!”

In the end, persuaded by Huangfu Shishi, Luo Xinlan regretfully abandoned the idea of holding a wedding for both of her sons at the same time. She was, however, delighted to have gained another daughter, as Huangfu Shishi had already begun to call her ”Mother.”

This was not something that could be publicly announced yet. Huangfu Shishi’s status was simply too sensitive. It would be one thing if they were actually married, but for her to change her form of address before the wedding would lead many to criticize the Xu Family for having oversized ambitions.

...

”Is this the Imperial Capital of the Cangqiong Empire? It’s so prosperous and bustling! So beautiful! I never thought the secular world could be this amazing!” a young, innocent-looking woman of seventeen or eighteen exclaimed. She gazed around at the sights of the Cangqiong Imperial Capital, her eyes wide with curiosity, unable to take it all in.

”Stop gawking, or you’ll make a fool of yourself. Once we get to the Xu Family’s home, we can have Xu Luo send someone to give you a proper tour!” Li Wenxi said. She sat atop a unicorn, gazing at the cityscape with a sigh of emotion. ”In the blink of an eye… so many years have passed. The Imperial Capital has barely changed, but I’ve grown old.”

Qiushuiduan, with his full head of white hair, rode a black horse nearby. ”You still look like a young woman of eighteen or nineteen. How are you old?” he said softly. ”It’s me… with this head of silver hair, I’m the one who’s old.”

”Uncle, you’re not old! You’re the youngest!” The innocent Yaya peeked out from behind Qiushuiduan, her voice sweet and childish. ”Is this Big Brother’s home? It’s so big and pretty!”

Phoenix, also mounted on a unicorn of pure white without a single fleck of color, remained silent. But as her gaze swept over her surroundings, her eyes filled with deep emotion. In the blink of an eye, so much time had passed since she’d left this city. There was a time when she had considered this place more important than her own sect. Nearly all of her memories were tied to this bustling metropolis.

’Most importantly… Xu Luo is here!’

After returning to their sect, almost everyone had entered a period of seclusion, and their strength had improved immensely. Afterward, they heard about the events unfolding in the secular world, including the rumor: ”A treasure in Cangqiong grants ascension.”

Li Wenxi, Phoenix, and the others paid the rumor no mind. Their greatest concern was Xu Luo.

With the great upheaval in Cangqiong, the Xu Family was the first to bear the brunt of the fallout, second only to the Royal Family.

As a son of the Xu Family, Xu Luo could not—and would not—run from this crisis. Therefore, Li Wenxi decided then and there to lead her people into the secular world to support him with concrete action.

She had thought her decision would be met with resistance, but to her surprise, nearly everyone expressed their approval the moment she proposed it.

Even many who originally belonged to the Supreme Elder’s faction reluctantly… expressed their agreement.

Li Wenxi was both surprised and confused, until Phoenix explained the reason.

”Master, think about it. What kind of status does Xu Luo currently hold throughout the entire Sect Realm of the Central Plains Star Continent?”

”What kind of status? I suppose… he’s considered a young prodigy, isn’t he? Didn’t you see that even a major figure like the Kaiyang Sect Master, Shangguan Qing, is interested in recruiting him?”

”A young prodigy? Master, you are still underestimating Xu Luo. He isn’t just a young prodigy; he is a peerless genius! His future is limitless!”

”I see what you mean, Phoenix. You’re saying that if we invest in our relationship with Xu Luo now, he will bring us unimaginable returns once he fully matures. Is that right?”

”From the sect’s perspective, that is correct. That’s why those who once belonged to the Supreme Elder’s faction have all changed their attitudes, whether openly or covertly. It’s because they’re finally afraid!” As she spoke of the Supreme Elder’s faction, a scornful smile touched the corners of Phoenix’s lips.

Ever since their return from the Small World, the people who had remained behind witnessed the changes in the returning group, and their attitudes shifted completely.

The already quiet Leng Yu Lian had simply left the Merak Sect, claiming she was going traveling. In Phoenix’s words, Leng Yu Lian was afraid of facing a reckoning, so she fled.

When the tree falls, the monkeys scatter. The power base that the Supreme Elder and Leng Yu Lian had spent years building crumbled before the absolute power of Li Wenxi and her disciple, proving to be utterly fragile.

Phoenix used the future of the sect as a pretext to persuade Li Wenxi to help Xu Luo, unaware that Li Wenxi herself held an unspeakable secret in her heart. Even if Phoenix hadn’t said a word, she would have found her own excuse to enter the secular world and help him.

This time, Li Wenxi had brought nearly half of the Merak Sect’s elite forces. They were the advance party of about thirty people. Over five hundred more followed behind, and on Phoenix’s instruction, had already dispersed. They would travel through the secular world to gather intelligence before converging on the Imperial Capital from all directions.

Since they had decided to help Xu Luo, they had to take meaningful action. They couldn’t just storm the Imperial Capital as a huge mob, which would only burden him without being of any real use.

...

The Xu Family estate had grown increasingly lively over the past few days. Xu Su’s wedding day was fast approaching, and many members of the Xia Family had traveled from Hongcheng. Xia Muyao was, after all, a daughter of their family. Now that she was marrying into the number one noble house in the Cangqiong Empire, the Xia Family shared in the honor and naturally had to ensure the celebrations were grand enough to uphold their reputation.

Guo Ying had betrayed her sect and had no family in the secular world. Madam Sui, who had recently lost her husband, had grown close to Guo Ying while they were fugitives together, so she had adopted Guo Ying as her goddaughter. This also meant Sui Yan now had an older sister.

The Sui Family’s standing was, of course, considerable. Due to Sui Wanli’s death, the Royal Family had given them enormous compensation. For Guo Ying’s wedding this time, the Sui Family likewise provided a massive dowry.

After giving Huangfu Shishi a Chaos Peach and helping her refine and absorb all its energy, Xu Luo immediately went into seclusion.

He had a faint feeling that with his Jade Balance Star Soul falling dormant, his other Star Souls had also temporarily stopped absorbing energy. As a result, the incredible speed of his cultivation instantly became apparent—he could no longer contain the power and was on the verge of breaking through from the peak of the Fourth Layer of the Transformation Realm.

Inside a secret chamber, Xu Luo sat with his eyes lightly closed, continuously circulating his various Cultivation Techniques.

’Since I’m going to break through, I must do so from the most perfect state possible. My physical body is already incredibly powerful; it has reached its absolute limit for this realm and cannot be enhanced further. My energy reserves have long since surpassed those of anyone at my level, reaching an unbelievable height. Therefore, the only thing left for me to improve are my various Cultivation Techniques!’

’The Shadow Shaking Heart Method has already been upgraded once, so it’ll probably be difficult to improve it again anytime soon. In that case… Breaking Army Seven Kills, Shaking Light Step, Shaking Light Burst, Jade Balance Demon Sound, and the Tyrant Technique… these Cultivation Techniques should still have some room for improvement!’

Xu Luo began to mentally simulate and refine the various Cultivation Techniques he practiced. He had already reached an extremely high level of mastery with them, so this process of deduction was naturally quite effortless.

However, finding a way to improve upon Cultivation Techniques that were already nearly perfect was harder than ascending to the heavens.

Xu Luo racked his brain, deep in thought.