Firmament Sword

Li Kai’an was momentarily held in check by Xu Luo’s Cyan Dragon’s Spirit and White Tiger Killing Intent. He was both shocked and enraged, but deep down, he wasn’t particularly afraid. He had immense confidence in his own domain!

The domain of a Sixth Layer Divine Power Realm expert was indeed despairingly powerful. For Xu Luo, at only the Third Layer of Divine Power Realm, even getting close to Li Kai’an was proving to be incredibly difficult!

The pressure was immensely tyrannical. This sensation grew more pronounced the closer he got to Li Kai’an, as if the very air before him had become a thick, viscous mire. Taking even a single step forward felt like an impossible dream.

Even Xu Luo found it nearly impossible!

In moments like these, strength... was the only thing that mattered. The vast gap in their power was laid bare, making Xu Luo sigh inwardly at his own youth. ’If I were the same age as this man, would he still have the guts to act so arrogantly before me?’

”Heh heh, you little thief... I don’t know what trick you used to hold me in check, but with your level of strength... it’s clearly impossible on your own. You must possess some extraordinary treasure. Once I break free from this seal, the very first thing I’ll do is tear you limb from limb! And then, your treasure will be mine!” Li Kai’an’s once seemingly placid and kindly face twisted into a savage, terrifying mask.

”Old bastard... you’re that certain I can’t handle you?” Xu Luo roared. An incomparably powerful stellar aura erupted from his body, transforming into countless rays of starlight. Radiating endless light, they formed into swords of pure radiance that hacked directly at Li Kai’an’s domain.

Under the assault of these countless swords of light, fine cracks began to appear in the domain, which had previously been so dense it seemed to have no openings at all!

At this rate, it wouldn’t be long before the entire domain was hacked to smithereens!

The other three people in the cave could only watch, utterly dumbfounded. They were completely stunned!

This was especially true for Pang Xiaogou. At the Fifth Layer of Divine Power Realm, he looked down on all his peers. From the moment Xu Luo and Li Ye had entered, he had been surprised but hadn’t truly taken them seriously. He’d had Li Kai’an attack because he considered his own status far too lofty; these two weren’t even worthy of forcing his hand! It certainly wasn’t because he was afraid of losing.

Thus, from the moment Li Kai’an appeared, Pang Xiaogou had become perfectly calm and composed. He sat there with a smile on his face, as if watching a fine play unfold.

But the way things unfolded completely exceeded his expectations. Li Kai’an, an absolute powerhouse at the Sixth Layer of Divine Power Realm, was actually being held in check!

While breaking through Li Kai’an’s domain was incredibly difficult—a feat even he himself was almost incapable of—it proved this stranger was no weakling he could dismiss.

Then, a realization flashed through his mind, and his expression suddenly darkened. He had initially thought Li Kaiyuan might have betrayed them, but now he finally understood. Li Kaiyuan hadn’t turned traitor—he must have already died at their hands!

Apparently, Li Kai’an had also come to the same realization. As he stared at the countless swords of light hacking at his domain, his expression suddenly filled with shock, as if he understood something profound. His mouth fell open, but no words came out. Instead, he coughed up a mouthful of blood. Immediately after, a monstrous aura erupted from his body and began to rise!

”Li Kai’an... You—you’re actually going to force a breakthrough? Don’t tell me you’re...” Pang Xiaogou stared in shock as Li Kai’an’s aura continued to soar. A hint of unease... actually flickered across his face.

”Twenty years ago... I could have broken through to the Seventh Level of Divine Power Realm. But because of *that*, I’ve been suppressed ever since. Kid... you’re really something else. You’ve actually forced me to shatter the seal in my body and make a forced breakthrough to the Seventh Layer... Don’t you worry. I will... I absolutely will... repay... this favor!”

Li Kai’an spoke through clenched teeth, spitting out each word as his eyes blazed with infinite hatred.

Many years ago, he had discovered that there might be a treasure beneath Old Baldy Ridge. However, the land belonged to the Pang Family’s branch of the Honglou Sect. So, he approached Pang Xiaogou’s great-grandfather—the Honglou Sect’s truly powerful and influential Grand Elder—and offered to trade a treasure for the land around Old Baldy Ridge.

The Honglou Sect’s Grand Elder was immediately suspicious. People had been exploring Old Baldy Ridge since ancient times; after all, the place was too conspicuous. It was surrounded by lush, verdant mountain ranges, yet that one spot was utterly barren. It would have been stranger if it *hadn’t* aroused suspicion.

Yet no one had ever discovered anything out of the ordinary there. As the Grand Elder of the Honglou Sect, he too had investigated the area in his younger days but had come up empty-handed.

’Now Li Kai’an wants that place too? Could it be he’s discovered something?’

But as the Grand Elder of the Honglou Sect, his cunning was naturally unfathomable. Not only did he not refuse, but he even gifted Old Baldy Ridge to Li Kai’an outright. He attached only one condition: Li Kai’an was to assist his great-grandson, Pang Xiaogou, for a hundred years, until Pang Xiaogou became the Honglou Sect’s Sect Leader. Only then would their deal be concluded. Furthermore, Old Baldy Ridge was to serve as Pang Xiaogou’s secret base.

For Li Kai’an, this condition... was utterly deplorable!

He, a highly respected Elder of the Honglou Sect, was supposed to assist a toddler who was still nursing? And on top of that, Old Baldy Ridge was to become Pang Xiaogou’s secret base... This was an outright scam!

Li Kai’an had discovered the potential treasure under Old Baldy Ridge by pure chance and wasn’t even completely certain it existed. He needed to investigate further, but once Pang Xiaogou’s base was established there, how could he possibly continue his search?

’With the Pang Family’s shrewdness, wouldn’t they inevitably discover his secret?’

But if he refused, the Grand Elder would immediately grow suspicious and... would start to view him with disfavor.

At that moment, Li Kai’an deeply regretted ever approaching the Grand Elder. It was tantamount to shackling himself to them... for the next hundred years!

But the words had been spoken, and time could not be reversed. There was no taking them back, so he could only agree with a bitter heart.

The Honglou Sect’s Grand Elder knew he had gone a bit too far. In the days that followed, he provided Li Kai’an with a vast amount of resources. Some of the materials for Artifact Refining and alchemy were of the highest quality, treasures that even someone of Li Kai’an’s standing would find difficult to acquire.

So, gradually, Li Kai’an’s resentment began to fade. As Pang Xiaogou grew older, things remained peaceful between them, and Li Kai’an had all but forgotten the incident, focusing instead on his search for the treasure beneath Old Baldy Ridge.

But a later incident would completely shatter the relationship between them!

When Pang Xiaogou was seven, he was already showing extraordinary qualities. While other children his age were running around with snotty noses, Pang Xiaogou dressed immaculately each day, meticulously studying and cultivating. Many praised him, saying the boy was destined for greatness.

Li Kai’an thought so too. Back then, he had even grown rather fond of the boy, thinking it wouldn’t be so bad if Pang Xiaogou truly became the Sect Leader one day. With such a fateful connection between them, he figured his own future would be secure.

He never, ever would have imagined that the seven-year-old Pang Xiaogou would, when his guard was completely down, deal him such a devastating blow!

What did they call it when a mighty ship capsized in a ditch?

This was it!

When he realized a seal had been placed within his body, his first suspect... wasn’t the little brat Pang Xiaogou at all. It was the Grand Elder of the Honglou Sect!

Seething with uncontrollable rage, he stormed to the Grand Elder’s place of seclusion and harshly demanded to know what he meant by this.

To his surprise, the Grand Elder was just as baffled. Soon after, the Grand Elder figured out what had happened and was left completely exasperated, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.

A mighty expert at the Sixth Layer of Divine Power Realm, taken down by a seven-year-old boy. Such a thing was simply unheard of.

The Grand Elder asked Pang Xiaogou why he had done it. With his childish voice, Pang Xiaogou replied nonchalantly, ”Only this way can I be at ease. There’s treasure under Old Baldy Ridge. That old fool thought he could hide it from me? How could he possibly succeed?”

At that moment, both the Honglou Sect’s Grand Elder and Li Kai’an were stunned speechless. It took them a long moment to recover. The Grand Elder then asked if the seal could be removed. Pang Xiaogou adamantly insisted that the seal was fixed; it would dissolve on its own after a hundred years!

In the years that followed, Li Kai’an tried countless times to break it, only to find that the seal was indeed fixed. It... merely suppressed his cultivation, preventing him from making any further progress.

In other words, for a hundred years, he was stuck at the Sixth Layer of Divine Power Realm! If he tried to force a breakthrough, his Dao Heart and his lifespan would both be damaged! And if he killed Pang Xiaogou, the one who’d placed the seal, he would suffer a massive backlash!

In fact, Pang Xiaogou couldn’t even be allowed to die. If he did, Li Kai’an would suffer a similar backlash. A drop in his cultivation realm... would be the least of his worries.

This left Li Kai’an both furious and despairing. He hated himself for his own foolishness, for being outmaneuvered by a mere child. He felt too ashamed to even speak of it to anyone.

The Grand Elder could only console Li Kai’an, promising that when Pang Xiaogou became Sect Leader in the future, he would be handsomely rewarded. Li Kai’an had no choice but to helplessly swallow the bitter pill he had brought upon himself.

Later, he and Pang Xiaogou discovered the ancient Array beneath Old Baldy Ridge. They had been working for years to try and break it open to claim the fortunate opportunity hidden inside.

But this was no man-made Array; it had formed naturally!

Its power was immense. Over the years, the Pang Family had already lost seven or eight experts at or above the Fifth Layer of Divine Power Realm within it!

It had nearly drawn the suspicion of the wider Honglou Sect, forcing them to temporarily halt their efforts to break the Array.

Meanwhile, as Pang Xiaogou grew older, his cunning deepened. He employed all manner of schemes until, finally... his machinations targeted Li Ye.

He had predicted how things would begin but failed to foresee the ending. He never imagined that not only would an unpredictable variable emerge, but that it would also force Li Kai’an to shatter his seal!

’In a moment... after he kills those two, will he come after me for revenge?’ Pang Xiaogou felt a deep unease. But right now, even if he wanted to escape, he had no chance!

The entire cave was filled with Li Kai’an’s incomparably powerful domain!

Feeling the immense change emanating from Li Kai’an, Xu Luo’s expression grew grave. Just then, a youth’s voice suddenly echoed from within his Dantian: ”Huh? The Source of Creation?”