Firmament Sword

Chu Tianlie was circling Hualong Mountain, hard at work.

He moved with incredible speed, his actions as swift as lightning. He periodically placed items in various locations before quickly rushing to the next.

He was the Supreme Elder of the Blazing Fire Sect. He was also the most powerful Divine Power Realm expert in the entire sect!

He was known as the Blazing Sword Saint!

For this day, he had already prepared for a full eighty years.

Eighty years... enough time for an ordinary person to live an entire lifetime!

And yet, Chu Tianlie had spent eighty long years preparing for this one thing!

’I’ve finally gathered all the materials. The Qiankun Reversal Five Elements Array can be completed! This time... let’s see where you can run, you Jiao Long!’ Chu Tianlie muttered to himself. Though his face appeared calm, it was twitching constantly.

He had sacrificed too much for this day!

The sect was planning to annex the Starlight Sect and needed an ancestor-level figure like him to oversee the operation. But in his eyes, even that paled in comparison to the task at hand. There was simply no contest.

Others might have come here seeking only the treasures left behind by the Cyan Dragon. But he, Chu Tianlie, didn’t just want those treasures. He also wanted... to slay this great Jiao Long!

The Jiao Long’s body could be described as a treasure trove from head to tail.

Its scales could be forged into armor, impenetrable to any blade or spear.

Its flesh and blood could be refined into Elixirs, making it one of the highest-grade medicinal ingredients in the world.

Its bones could be used to forge weapons far superior to those made of refined steel.

Its sinews could be made into bowstrings!

In short, in Chu Tianlie’s eyes, the Jiao Long was a treasure from head to tail, its value simply immeasurable.

But he knew full well that he was no match for the Jiao Long on his own. So, he had waited patiently, all the way until this very day.

’I, Chu Tianlie, will embark on a brand new path starting today!’ he muttered while setting up the incredibly costly Array, his eyes filled with confidence.

’The Dragon Pearl will be mine!’

’And the Jiao Long... will also be mine!’

...

「Starlight Sect, Secluded Grounds.」

Xu Luo was sharing his insights on breaking through from the Transformation Realm to the Divine Power Realm with the Starlight Sect’s ancestor.

Any cultivator who broke through to the Divine Power Realm would have such insights. However, they would only be shared between a master and disciple, or among family members. No one would ever easily pass on such knowledge to an outsider.

For a Cultivator, this kind of experience was the most precious thing they possessed.

Magical artifacts and Spirit Medicines were useful, but they were ultimately external aids. Only one’s personal experience held true value.

Although the Starlight Sect’s ancestor already trusted Xu Luo for the most part, he never imagined that what the young man would offer him wasn’t some Miracle Elixir... but a Cultivator’s most precious insights!

As he listened to Xu Luo’s detailed explanation, the ancestor could understand the initial parts, gaining new insights by cross-referencing them with his own knowledge. But as Xu Luo continued, he had to ponder each sentence for a long time. Eventually, it reached a point where a single sentence from Xu Luo would plunge him into silent contemplation for a full hour.

When Xu Luo finally finished sharing his insights, the Starlight Sect’s ancestor fell into a long, deep contemplation.

Xu Luo smiled faintly, stood up, and slipped out of the room.

He had done all he could to help. The rest was up to the Starlight Sect ancestor’s own talent.

Xu Luo was confident it would be fine. After all, it would be impossible for someone to reach the Peak of Transformation Realm in a small-to-mid-sized sect without considerable talent.

Therefore, it was only a matter of time before the Starlight Sect’s ancestor broke through.

He might have an epiphany in the next moment and step into the Divine Power Realm. Or, it might take a few days. In the worst-case scenario, it could even take several years.

After all, these insights belonged to Xu Luo. It would naturally take time for the Starlight Sect’s ancestor to fully internalize them.

But at least, there was hope now!

Unlike in the past, when he couldn’t find a way forward no matter how hard he tried.

The Spiritual Qi in the Starlight Sect’s secluded grounds was abundant. Just standing outside made one feel clear-headed and refreshed.

Xu Luo ambled toward the mountain peak. He heard the sound of rushing water ahead and drew closer. As he did, the view suddenly opened up before him.

A waterfall cascaded from the peak, its mist rising to fill the air, perpetually shrouding the sun from view.

The scene before him was like a fairyland. Even though Xu Luo had traveled to many places, he had to admit that he had never seen such a beautiful vista.

’No wonder the Blazing Fire Sect is so intent on annexing the Starlight Sect... This secluded ground alone is tempting enough,’ Xu Luo murmured. Suddenly, the Phecda Star Soul within him gave a slight throb, which then grew stronger.

A Divine Thought suddenly entered Xu Luo’s Sea of Spiritual Consciousness.

Xu Luo froze for a moment. Then, a brilliant light flashed in his eyes.

The Phecda Star Soul was telling him that the aura of a great treasure was emanating from a location extremely far away!

’Something that even the Phecda Star Soul considers a great treasure... It must be truly extraordinary!’

Otherwise, even if he used his Treasure Hunting Skill, at his current level, its range was only a few dozen meters.

But the place the Phecda Star Soul was indicating was over a thousand li away!

’Should I go take a look?’ Xu Luo hesitated. Then, the Phecda Star Soul sent him another message: he would regret it if he didn’t go.

Xu Luo finally made up his mind to go and take a look.

It wasn’t his style to leave without saying goodbye, so Xu Luo found Yang Qingchuan and told him he was going to gather some medicinal herbs. He then declined offers from Yang Ming and Yang Dan to accompany him and set off alone.

”Brother Xu Luo, you have to promise you’ll come back!” Yang Dan said, reluctant to see him go. The young girl was just reaching the age of her first crush and held a strong affection for Xu Luo, who had helped her ascend to the Transformation Realm.

Yang Ming was the same, his face full of reluctance. ”Brother Xu Luo, you will come back, won’t you?”

Although Yang Qingchuan didn’t say anything, the look in his eyes betrayed his thoughts.

Xu Luo smiled. ”I will leave eventually, but not now. I told you I would help you deal with the current crisis, so I won’t leave until the threat to the Starlight Sect has been resolved.”

”That’s good!” Yang Ming was finally relieved.

A flicker of sadness appeared in Yang Dan’s eyes. ’Brother Xu Luo will still leave sooner or later... If only he could stay here forever, how wonderful would that be!’

After bidding farewell to everyone from the Starlight Sect, Xu Luo set off alone. He executed the Shaking Light Step, his figure flashing like lightning, and soon vanished into the towering mountains.

Xu Luo had a very clear sense that his current strength was far, far weaker than before.

He now possessed all the insights of the Divine Power Realm but only had the strength of a Ninth Tier Sword Venerable. For a moment... it was truly difficult to get used to.

But he didn’t complain. To have escaped alive from the hands of five Sword Saints in that battle was already a stroke of immense luck.

’It’s just that completely purging the poison from my body... is proving rather troublesome,’ Xu Luo sighed softly.

Huo Jinwu’s skill with poison was almost supernatural, making it impossible to defend against. If Xu Luo hadn’t already stepped into the Divine Power Realm and possessed the Seven Star Souls, he would have long since been poisoned to death by him.

One could imagine that on the entire Ancient Race Continent, very few people dared to provoke Huo Jinwu.

Even Divine Power Realm experts several levels above him would likely think twice before provoking him. His mastery of poison was simply too formidable.

A few days ago, Xu Luo had secretly disguised himself as Huo Feng. By accessing the memories of this direct descendant of the Huo Family, he had found information on the five Huo Family Sword Saints who had ambushed him.

Huo Wanzhang: one of the Huo Family’s Outer Sect Elders. He had reached the Third Level of the Divine Power Realm. His combat strength was so great that it was comparable to some of the Inner Sect Elders.

Huo Jinwu: one of the Huo Family’s Outer Sect Senior Deacons. He had reached the Second Layer of the Divine Power Realm, and his skill with poisons was peerless. He was quite famous across the Ancient Race Continent, and ordinarily, almost no one dared to cross him.

Many even believed it was better to provoke one of the Huo Family’s Inner Sect Elders than to lightly cross the Outer Sect Senior Deacon, Huo Jinwu.

Huo Jinwen: one of the Huo Family’s Outer Sect Senior Deacons and Huo Jinwu’s biological brother. He had reached the First Layer of the Divine Power Realm. He possessed a keen sensitivity to auras and excelled at locating all kinds of treasures.

Huo Danqiong: one of the Huo Family’s Outer Sect Senior Deacons. First Layer of the Divine Power Realm. He also held a certain standing within the Huo Family.

Huo Wei: one of the Huo Family’s Outer Sect Stewards. First Layer of the Divine Power Realm. He specialized in gathering various kinds of intelligence for the family. Most of the intel concerning Xu Luo... had been personally managed by Huo Wei!

For five such Sword Saints to besiege him, only for him to kill three, cripple one, and heavily injure another... If news of this battle record were to get out, it would surely shock the world.

So even though his realm had dropped significantly and his body was still afflicted by poison he couldn’t expel, his heart was perfectly calm, without the slightest sense of loss.

’Phecda... can you tell me what that treasure is? You can sense it from over a thousand li away?’ Xu Luo couldn’t help but ask.

Phecda’s Divine Thought entered Xu Luo’s Sea of Spiritual Consciousness. The corner of his mouth twitched, and a strange expression appeared on his face.

’My things? How is that possible? I’ve never been to the Southern Celestial Divine Continent before!’ Xu Luo exclaimed in his mind.

Then, the Phecda Star Soul sent another Divine Thought. Xu Luo paused, his mouth twitched again, and that same peculiar expression returned to his face.

...

HISS! A sharp cry rang out, followed by a furious voice. ”Human... are you seeking death?”

RUMBLE!

With a tremendous crash, a hundred-meter-long Jiao Long shot out from a massive cave. It had two horns on its head but no limbs. Its body was covered in dark green scales that glinted with a cold light, and its enormous eyes were locked onto the tiny human before it.

”Haha, you big worm! Come and get me if you’ve got the guts!” Chu Tianlie laughed tauntingly, then turned and fled.

”You court death!” the Jiao Long roared. It coiled its massive body and gave chase. Opening its mouth, it spat a cloud of greasy green gas reeking of an incredibly foul stench straight at Chu Tianlie!