Firmament Sword

”The Divine Domain... is where true Divine Spirits live! And Divine Spirits... are what the world calls... Immortals!” the Cyan Dragon’s Spirit said.

”That... feels so far away,” Xu Luo said with a bitter smile. ’This path is just too long.’

’Right now, I can’t even completely purge the poison from my body. I have no idea when I’ll be able to step into the Saint Realm, let alone the ethereal Divine Domain.’

”The Eighth Star Monarch has awakened. Just now, within your body, Lord Star Monarch, I also sensed the power of the other seven Star Monarchs. I believe... it won’t be long before you can return to the Divine Domain!” said the Cyan Dragon’s Spirit. ”This little dragon can wait for as many years as it takes...”

”Alright... If that day ever comes, I’ll help you,” Xu Luo said with a smile.

”I am eternally grateful for your kindness, Lord Star Monarch!” the Cyan Dragon’s Spirit exclaimed. ”In that case, allow me to help you purge the poison from your body first!”

”What? You can purge the poison from my body?” Xu Luo was surprised. Even his five awakened Star Souls had been powerless against the poison. He never expected the Cyan Dragon’s Spirit to actually be able to do it.

”Back when this little dragon was the Cyan Dragon, I was the most adept creature with poisons in this world. There is no poison under the heavens... that can stump this little dragon!” the Cyan Dragon’s Spirit said with a hint of pride, then immediately began to absorb the toxins from Xu Luo’s body.

Streaks of light emanated from the black pearl. The toxins in Xu Luo’s body, like ice and snow under a scorching sun, rapidly vanished from within him.

In what felt like just moments, Xu Luo felt every last trace of poison vanish from his body.

Xu Luo was overcome with a mix of surprise and delight. He couldn’t help but ask, ”If I hadn’t promised to revive you, you wouldn’t have helped me, would you?”

”Ahem... You’re joking, Lord Star Monarch. This little dragon just never got a chance to say... Even if you hadn’t made any promises, this little dragon would have helped you with the poison!” said the Cyan Dragon’s Spirit.

Xu Luo no longer cared whether it was true or not. With the toxins purged, his body’s functions returned to normal. Immense waves of power flowed from his five Star Souls, coursing through his body. In an instant, Xu Luo’s strength began to skyrocket.

BOOM!

The bottleneck to the Transformation Realm was shattered with ease. Xu Luo’s strength was restored to the First Layer of Transformation Realm!

Then, the Second Layer... Third Layer... Seventh Layer... Ninth Layer!

Only when he reached the Peak of Transformation Realm did the five Star Souls stop releasing energy.

Xu Luo slowly opened his eyes. His strength had returned to his body once more. ’This feels incredible!’

’Although I didn’t return to the Divine Power Realm in one go, I’m already quite satisfied!’

’The bottleneck to the Divine Power Realm no longer exists for me. As long as I accumulate enough energy, I can break through naturally.’

A slight smile touched Xu Luo’s lips as he thought of the massive Spirit Stone Mountain in his Storage Ring. ’With this, returning to the Divine Power Realm is only a matter of time!’

He stood up and walked in the direction of the Starlight Sect.

’Now that I’ve recovered most of my strength, it’s time to help the Starlight Sect deal with its crises. Once I’ve repaid these favors... I can leave this place!’

’It wasn’t easy getting to the Southern Celestial Divine Continent, I should at least travel around a bit. Once I get back to the Divine Power Realm and break through a few more layers, I should be able to return to the Central Plains Star Continent!’

...

「Ancient Race Continent, Huo Family.」

As one of the most powerful families on the Ancient Race Continent, the Huo Family had never known the meaning of the word ’discreet’.

This time, however, the Huo Family had suffered an unimaginable loss.

In a backward, barbaric place like the Central Plains Star Continent, they had nearly been... annihilated!

Huo Wanzhang knelt before a venerable elder, weeping bitterly.

”Ancestor, it is not that I did not try, but that our foe was too cunning. I failed to carry out your orders. I deserve a thousand deaths!”

The venerable elder’s face betrayed no emotion. His wrinkled visage, like a rock eroded by the ages, was etched with an ancient weariness.

”Rise. I, too, underestimated how quickly the Eighth Star would awaken...” the venerable elder said, his voice carrying a desolate, archaic quality.

”Thank you, Ancestor!” Huo Wanzhang kowtowed before rising. He let out a huge sigh of relief internally. ’I’ve made it through this ordeal.’

”Tell me, that young man... what realm has his cultivation reached now?” the venerable elder asked dispassionately.

”That young man’s strength seems to increase extremely fast! The first time we saw him, he was at a huge Spirit Stone Vein. I don’t know what trick he pulled, but the Spirit Stone Vein, which could have been mined for several hundred years, was suddenly without a trace of Spiritual Qi!”

”I used Sword Qi to force him out, thinking I could capture him easily. But unexpectedly, he used a movement technique I had never seen before and vanished in an instant. I immediately gave chase...”

”He went into hiding. To leave nothing to chance, I even set up the God-Trapping Array...”

”But in the end, after many days of waiting, what emerged was a great expert who had stepped into the Divine Power Realm... In that battle, he killed Dan Qiong, Jin Wen, and Huo Wei. He also crippled Jin Wu. Then... I put my life on the line and struck. He completely vanished from that spot. I don’t know if he’s dead or alive...” Huo Wanzhang did not dare lie before his ancestor; every word he spoke was the truth.

’Although Xu Luo’s fate is unknown,’ he thought, ’in my opinion, there’s no way he could have survived an attack like that!’

”Xu Luo... of course he’s not dead,” the venerable elder said slowly. ”Beidou’s Eighth Star... if he were that easy to kill, he wouldn’t be of any value.”

”Never mind... Though you accomplished no great feat, you did nothing wrong. Go and recuperate. There will be much for you to do in the future.”

Huo Wanzhang fell to his knees again, kowtowing several times before respectfully taking his leave.

After he left, the venerable elder said faintly to the other person in the room, ”Patriarch, it seems this time, we need to send some more powerful people into the Central Plains Star Continent. Since Beidou’s Eighth Star has awakened, his progress will surely be extremely fast, perhaps even beyond all of our expectations.”

”Yes, Ancestor. I will go arrange it at once! This time, we will not rest until he is captured!” said the man in the room who looked to be in his fifties.

”Hurry. He was afflicted by Jin Wu’s poison. He shouldn’t be able to neutralize it any time soon. Find him and bring him back,” said the venerable elder.

”Ancestor... if I send ten Sword Saints at the Fifth Layer or higher... will that be enough?” the Patriarch asked cautiously.

”Ten Sword Saints at the Fifth Layer or higher... That will be enough,” the venerable elder said slowly after a moment of contemplation.

The Patriarch then left, returned to his own rooms, and immediately began to gather his men.

Ten great powerhouses of the Divine Power Realm, all at the Fifth Layer or higher, quickly arrived and bowed to the Patriarch.

”Greetings, Patriarch!” The ten men were all extremely respectful.

The Patriarch, his face a mask of authority, gave a faint nod. Only before the ancient elder did he ever appear so humble and unassuming.

”Now, I have a mission for you,” the Patriarch said. ”You will proceed immediately to the Central Plains Star Continent and bring Beidou’s Eighth Star back to me! You can get the relevant information from Huo Wanzhang!”

”As you command!” the ten answered in unison, then bowed and departed.

...

”Huo Wanzhang is such a useless piece of trash! He couldn’t even catch a single youth with four Sword Saints!” High in the heavens, a massive bird flew at incredible speed toward the Central Plains Star Continent.

The one who spoke was a man who appeared to be in his thirties, his face filled with disdain at the mention of Huo Wanzhang.

In reality, he was already over ninety years old. As a genius disciple of the Huo Family’s younger generation, he had stepped into the Divine Power Realm at the age of thirty. Therefore, his face had maintained its youthful appearance to this day.

Another man, who looked to be in his seventies with a full head of silver hair, smiled faintly. ”Actually, among the Outer Sect, Huo Wanzhang is considered quite good. It’s just that this time, nine times out of ten, he was too careless.”

”With us taking action, it won’t matter where that Xu Luo fellow hides!” the young-looking man sneered.

”Ahead... is the Central Plains Star Continent!” At this moment, someone pointed to the distant horizon and said softly.

”Xu Luo... I’ve come for you! Show yourself!” Standing on the giant bird’s back, the thirty-something-looking man suddenly unleashed an incredibly powerful aura and roared.

Xu Luo... I’ve come for you... Show yourself!

The voice, like rolling thunder, spread continuously toward the heart of the Central Plains Star Continent.

Countless people across the entire Central Plains Star Continent heard the voice in that instant.

Countless commoners were frightened into kneeling and praying, for it seemed to them as if the heavens themselves were speaking.

”I think... we’d be better off keeping a low profile.” A true elder of the Huo Family, a man who looked ancient, frowned slightly, wanting to caution his clansman who had found fame in his youth.

The young man laughed loudly. ”We of the Huo Family... when have we ever been discreet? What is this ’discretion’? Is it edible?”

Saying this, he once again circulated qi in his Dantian, exhaled, and opened his mouth to shout, ”Xu—”

”GET OUT!” A desolate, ancient voice, as cold as if it had passed through millennia of ice, suddenly echoed across the heavens and the earth!

RUMBLE!

Only this single sound remained between heaven and earth, completely drowning out the words of the young-looking Divine Power Realm expert.

A wave of qi, appearing from nowhere, slammed toward the ten people on the giant bird!

BANG!

The colossal bird’s body instantly exploded, turning into a mist of blood that filled the sky!

All ten people on the bird violently spurted blood. Their bodies were like sandbags flung through the air, tumbling high in the sky as they were sent flying far back in the direction they had come from.

When silence returned to the world, the ten mighty experts of the Divine Power Realm, all Fifth Layer or higher, plummeted from the sky. Thanks to their incredibly resilient bodies, none of them died from the fall, but all were severely injured.

But right now... compared to their injuries, the shock and terror in their hearts was a raging tsunami, powerful enough to overwhelm all pain.

In comparison, their injuries... were nothing.