Firmament Sword

”Is he going to be okay? Why do I feel... this air of world-weariness about him, as if he’s seen through everything? It breaks my heart!” Chu Xiaoya’s eyes were red as she watched from the void above, her face full of heartache for Xu Luo, who was speeding just above the ocean’s surface below.

”Anyone who’s gone through something like this would probably be the same. Sadness and anger are inevitable. Perhaps... this is also an opportunity, an opportunity that could make him... stronger!” Song Chengfeng said, his voice heavy.

”Just like you, back then?” Chu Xiaoya shot her husband a look and said softly, ”I’d rather he never had to go through this. I just want him to live a safe and peaceful life. In this lifetime, after you, he’s the person dearest to my heart!”

”What’s happened has happened. Whether we like it or not, it can’t be changed. Besides, he’s a man! I believe he can pull through,” Song Chengfeng said.

”Of course, I understand the logic, but I just don’t want a child like him to have to bear so much that he shouldn’t have to,” Chu Xiaoya sighed softly, then said, ”Should we...”

Song Chengfeng shook his head slightly. ”He probably thinks we’ve long since left. At a time like this, he needs some time alone to quiet his mind.”

Chu Xiaoya thought for a moment, nodded, and said, ”Alright. We’ll protect him in secret for a while, and then...”

”As for what happens then, leave it to me. Some things are only fit for a Demon King to do. I wouldn’t want you to become a Witch!” Song Chengfeng said with a small smile.

”As long as I’m with you, what’s wrong with becoming a Witch?” Chu Xiaoya gave a dazzling smile and said softly.

...

Xu Luo walked alone across the lands of the Sect Continent. His expression was somber, his cheeks gaunt. Even those who had his portrait would have found it difficult to recognize him at first glance.

Along the way, Xu Luo had been reflecting. For the longest time, he seemed to have grown accustomed to the days when his Seven Star Souls were there to help. Whenever he was in peril, the Seven Star Souls would spare no effort to help him through the crisis.

This had, to some extent, made Xu Luo complacent. He always felt: ’It’s fine. At the critical moment, I’ll still have the Seven-Star Soul to help me...’

Therefore, after the Seven Star Souls left, Xu Luo suddenly found himself not so confident anymore.

He walked slowly through the mountains and forests, seeking enlightenment. He wanted to regain his confidence. After all, his future enemies were not of this world!

The Kunpeng that soars ninety thousand li into the sky!

The wisp of Spiritual Qi formed when heaven and earth were still one with chaos!

Therefore, Xu Luo knew in his heart that he had no right to relax, and even less right to lack confidence!

Because no matter what, even if he was willing to let them go, they... would never let him go!

Confidence is a type of faith. It’s easy to lose, but very hard to find again.

High above the heavens, Song Chengfeng and Chu Xiaoya, the couple who had been secretly protecting Xu Luo, could also see the problem he was facing. The two of them were anxious, but there was nothing they could do. They had both been through similar experiences and knew that this was something he had to walk out of on his own. Others wanting to help... they were powerless to do so!

”In that great battle, although he was the eye of the formation, to be honest, he wasn’t qualified to participate at all! Even we were nothing more than slightly larger drops in the ocean. But to watch a great battle erupt before your eyes, to watch seven brothers and sisters sacrifice themselves for you without a second thought, while you yourself are powerless... That feeling is truly awful,” Song Chengfeng said in a low voice.

”Yes, even if it were us, we would probably feel the same way. To completely drive this matter from one’s mind requires not only time... but also a fateful opportunity!” Chu Xiaoya said with some worry. ”It’s just that what our little brother needs now... is space! Even if most of the experts from the Ancient Race and Sect continents are dead, there are still many fish that slipped through the net. Don’t forget... that Elder Saint from the Huo Family didn’t even show his face this time!”

Song Chengfeng nodded and said, ”That’s why we can’t leave him just yet. If that Elder Saint from the Huo Family really does appear...”

At this, Song Chengfeng looked toward Chu Xiaoya.

Chu Xiaoya met his gaze with perfect understanding, and the couple shared a knowing smile.

Chu Xiaoya said, ”Before I met our little brother, I never dared to hope that I would one day regain the confidence to look in a mirror. If I hadn’t known I had a terminal illness and wouldn’t live long, even with a mask on... I wouldn’t have had the courage to stay by your side. It was our little brother who saved my life, who let me return to the life I’d always dreamed of. Being able to stay by your side like this, what more could I ask for?”

”By saving you, he saved me too,” Song Chengfeng said with a gentle smile.

Chu Xiaoya naturally knew what her husband meant. If she had died, Song Chengfeng would never have chosen to live on alone.

Thus, she smiled sweetly. ”So, even if we run into that old monster from the Huo Family, we two can take the opportunity to see for ourselves just what makes a top-tier Saint Realm expert so strong.”

Song Chengfeng laughed. ”I’ve been wanting to fight him for a long time! If not for that old bastard’s divination back then, would we have had to suffer so many tribulations?”

...

Xu Luo had no idea that high up in the heavens, there were people still watching over him.

On that day, when he was presiding over the Beidou Soul Star Array, the moment he sensed the auras of Song Chengfeng and Chu Xiaoya, he immediately used the power of the Grand Array to teleport them away. He hadn’t heard from them since.

In Xu Luo’s mind, his big brother and sister-in-law were out of harm’s way and should have left long ago.

After all, a battle of that magnitude, coupled with the terrifying Celestial Tribulation, was simply not something a human Martial Artist could withstand. Leaving... was the wisest and most logical choice.

He never would have expected that his big brother and sister-in-law were so loyal and devoted that they would even be willing to die for him!

This was something Xu Luo had never imagined.

At this moment, Xu Luo was constantly thinking about how he could refine away the wisp of weakness in his Sea of Spiritual Consciousness.

’I will be a true expert! I will not wallow in self-pity!’

’Without the Seven Star Souls, I, Xu Luo... am still one of the top experts in this world! Among my peers, there is no one who can surpass me!’

’I am the strongest!’

’I must be the strongest!’

Xu Luo constantly tried to reinforce this belief in his heart, but it was useless. The habit of relying on the Seven Star Souls had nearly seeped into his very soul. Every time he thought of the Seven Star Souls’ departure, negative emotions like sorrow, helplessness, and anger would all come flooding back.

This left Xu Luo feeling helpless. He even started to hate the person he was now.

One day, Xu Luo arrived in a small town. It looked ancient, with at least several hundred years of history.

The old buildings were mottled with the marks of time. A crumbling section of a city wall still stood outside the town, as if silently proclaiming that it too had once been glorious.

The town was quiet, with a population of less than ten thousand. It was also very isolated; in fact, if Xu Luo hadn’t been wandering aimlessly, he would have had a hard time finding it at all.

The entire town didn’t have a single inn!

If that wasn’t enough to prove its isolation, the fact that the town lacked even a single proper road to the outside world certainly was.

The people of the town were self-sufficient, able to handle all their needs—food, clothing, shelter, and travel—without ever having to leave.

As a stranger, Xu Luo walked along the town’s ancient stone-paved road, and everyone around him greeted him with a smile.

One person was like this, then two, then everyone... they were all like this!

This touched Xu Luo deeply.

Ever since the Star Festival failed and the Seven-Star Soul first entered his body, he had embarked on a path he’d never imagined. On this path, there was family, friendship, and love; but there were also conspiracies, schemes, and bloody massacres!

Once he had stepped onto that path far removed from ordinary mortals, he had never again seen such simple, pure smiles.

When his family, friends, and loved ones looked at him, their eyes were filled with worry and heartache; when his enemies looked at him, their eyes glittered with nothing but cold killing intent and endless desire!

’This is a dark horse from the secular world. We can’t let him develop. We have to suppress him before he can rise!’

’A treasure lies in Cangqiong! Obtain it and become an Immortal!’

’Beidou’s Eighth Star is a great medicine in the Mortal World!’

’This is a great opportunity, a grand fortune! It belongs to whoever is capable enough to take it!’

’Let’s join forces first to break this array, then we can discuss how to carve up Beidou’s Eighth Star!’

Scene after scene, like an unfolding Scroll, slowly replayed in Xu Luo’s mind, so clear, so vivid.

After all these years, only the residents of this isolated town had shown him such happy, simple smiles. But... were these smiles real?

If they knew he was carrying immense wealth; if they knew that by eating him, they could immediately transcend the mortal coil and become Immortals, would they... still treat him with such kindness?

In Xu Luo’s heart, it was as if a demon was tempting him, silently influencing his emotions: ’Test them. See if they are truly as kind as their simple, honest smiles suggest!’

Once this thought arose, it became uncontrollable. Even though Xu Luo knew very well that beneath many beautiful surfaces lay unimaginable filth and ugliness that people preferred not to uncover...

But he couldn’t resist!

As if possessed, Xu Luo lightly shook his Storage Ring. CLINK! A large piece of Gold fell onto the town’s ancient stone-paved road with a crisp sound. Under the noon sun, the large piece of Gold instantly shone with a blinding light that no one dared to look at directly!

Xu Luo could clearly feel the gazes of the townspeople around him... all instantly falling upon that glittering piece of Gold.

With his Spiritual Sense, Xu Luo could easily feel that many people’s breathing... had quickened because of it.

”Heh, so it really is... like this, after all?” Xu Luo gave a sad smile in his heart and thought: ’The whole world bustles, all for the sake of profit.’