Firmament Sword

”I believe my friend would rather die than let you succeed!”

Xu Luo’s eyes were bloodshot. He stared intently at the cold eyes on Su Qianqian’s now-twisted face. ”So... you won’t be leaving here in one piece today!”

”ROAR!” The Ancient Fire Dragon was utterly enraged. An inhuman roar escaped from Su Qianqian’s mouth, and an incomparably terrifying aura erupted from her body, seeming to threaten to tear the very sky asunder!

Xu Luo’s speed was too fast. His Shaking Light Step was like a meteor, swift as lightning—impossibly quick.

The might of Breaking Army Seven Kills was already immense, but when wielded by Xu Luo, it was world-shaking.

The Beidou Sword hummed incessantly. If Xu Luo hadn’t been trying to avoid truly harming Su Qianqian, he would have long since cut down anyone else with a single strike!

Why would he have wasted all this effort?

The Ancient Fire Dragon was a wisp of consciousness that had slumbered within the Heart of the Fire Dragon. After Su Qianqian fused with it, the two had, to some extent... truly become one. But Su Qianqian’s Soul Power was very weak; she was certainly no match for the Ancient Fire Dragon. Thus, the current master of this body was the Ancient Fire Dragon.

Therefore, the one bearing the brunt of Xu Luo’s fierce attacks... was naturally the Ancient Fire Dragon as well.

The intense pain sent it into a peerless rage, because this was something it had never experienced in its long, long life!

In the Ancient Era, who could have possibly harmed it?

Even if it had faced enemies, it had long forgotten this taste of agony and suffering. Now, the immense pain wracking its body drove it to the brink of madness!

”It’s enraged, Xu Luo. When it’s angry is precisely when its spirit fluctuates. The White Tiger and I... will help you suppress it!” the Cyan Dragon’s Spirit said suddenly.

”Can’t we just drive it out?” Xu Luo wanted to solve the problem once and for all.

”Impossible. It wasn’t lying. It has already fused with Miss Su. They can’t be separated!” said the Cyan Dragon’s Spirit.

”Damn it!” Xu Luo threw another vicious punch, striking Su Qianqian’s Dantian and nearly shattering it.

If it were truly shattered, then Su Qianqian’s physical body... would be utterly ruined.

Although there were ways to repair a Dantian, not only was the method incredibly difficult, but a repaired Dantian could rarely reach its former peak.

Because of this, even the Ancient Fire Dragon was terrified by Xu Luo’s methods, its heart pounding with fear.

It was furious, but also helpless. After all, it had fused with this physical body and could not be separated. It had sown this seed itself, and now it could only helplessly reap the consequences.

”Now!” the Cyan Dragon’s Spirit roared in Xu Luo’s Sea of Spiritual Consciousness.

Immediately, the White Tiger Residual Thought also unleashed a terrifying aura, pressing down on Su Qianqian in unison.

”Ah... Cyan Dragon... White Tiger? You... you’re not dead? You dare to suppress this venerable one?” A voice filled with shock and terror suddenly came from Su Qianqian’s mouth. ”How dare you suppress this venerable one! When my true self comes for you, I’ll have your souls utterly annihilated!”

The Cyan Dragon and White Tiger said nothing, unleashing their full power alongside Xu Luo to suppress the Ancient Fire Dragon.

Nearby, Huangfu Chongzhi and Xu Jie also stepped forward to help, sealing Su Qianqian’s body in mid-air and rendering her immobile.

Xu Luo acted personally, unleashing the Jade Balance Demon Sound to blast open Su Qianqian’s Sea of Spiritual Consciousness. Inside, he found the great, fiery dragon. Ignoring its venomous glare, he suppressed it directly in a corner of her Sea of Spiritual Consciousness.

At the same time, Xu Luo saw Su Qianqian’s injured soul huddled in a corner in a semi-conscious state.

In her soul form, Su Qianqian looked incredibly pure and fragile, stirring a sense of pity in one’s heart.

Xu Luo sent a thought to her, ”Qianqian... It’s okay now. Everything will be all right!”

He couldn’t stay in Su Qianqian’s Sea of Spiritual Consciousness for too long, or it would cause her immense harm. Xu Luo withdrew his Spiritual Power. By now, Su Qianqian had completely quieted down.

The Ancient Fire Dragon’s aura gradually faded, and the shattered void between heaven and earth slowly began to repair itself.

Huangfu Chongzhi and Xu Jie were both soaked to the bone. It was their first time participating in such a terrifying battle; it would be a lie to say they weren’t nervous.

But they were also excited. Through this battle, they had gained a completely new kind of experience.

Huangfu Chongzhi’s path to the Dao was through Alchemy, and Xu Jie’s was through forging. Neither was related to combat, but that didn’t mean they didn’t yearn for it.

What man doesn’t have a passionate heart?

First, Xu Luo thanked the Cyan Dragon’s Spirit and the White Tiger Residual Thought, promising to bear all karmic consequences himself.

Then he picked up Su Qianqian, gazed at her exquisite face—no longer twisted, but serene—and said to Huangfu Chongzhi and Xu Jie, ”Let’s go.”

「Three days later.」

Qianqian awoke, but things took a turn that no one had expected.

The awakened Su Qianqian seemed not to recognize Xu Luo at all. Not only that, but her intellect... also seemed to have regressed to that of a young child.

The only thing that gave Xu Luo both comfort and a deep headache was that although Su Qianqian seemed to have completely forgotten him, she was extremely attached to him. Wherever he went, she followed. If he left for even a moment, she would burst into tears...

”What’s going on? How did she end up like this?” Xu Luo frowned, a headache building.

”Her Divine Soul must have been severely damaged. That, combined with her soul’s own self-preservation instincts, made her forget many things. Perhaps from the moment her Sea of Spiritual Consciousness was occupied, she had already lost the will to live.”

Huangfu Chongzhi sighed softly and said, ”For now, we can only hope that with time and some Spirit Medicines that help the soul, she can slowly recover on her own. But there’s another huge problem. The Ancient Fire Dragon’s consciousness isn’t dead, merely sealed. That’s a massive destabilizing factor. It could erupt at any time. If something like this happens again, I’m afraid...”

Huangfu Chongzhi didn’t finish his sentence, but everyone understood what he meant.

Su Qianqian absolutely could not withstand a second blow of this magnitude!

If it happened again, her soul would surely be scattered to the winds!

At that moment, the Cyan Dragon’s Spirit suddenly said to Xu Luo, ”I once heard that in the Divine Domain, there is an Ancient Great Sect. This sect possesses a Holy Scripture called the Soul Scripture. If one could cultivate it, it should be able to repair a damaged soul. In Miss Su’s case, if she practices the Soul Scripture, there might still be a glimmer of hope!”

”The Soul Scripture? An Ancient Great Sect in the Divine Domain?” Xu Luo asked.

”That’s right. But this Ancient Great Sect holds a revered status in the Divine Domain, and its foundations are terrifyingly deep. Even the great Kunpeng, back in the day, spoke of this sect with a hint of reverence, unwilling to provoke it,” said the Cyan Dragon’s Spirit.

”No matter how difficult it is, I will find the Soul Scripture for her!” Xu Luo said with determination.

”The Soul Scripture is that Ancient Great Sect’s ultimate treasure. They would never lend it out. To be honest, I wanted to mention this to you a long time ago, but I didn’t think there was any hope, so I never brought it up,” said the Cyan Dragon’s Spirit.

”It would help you and the White Tiger too, right?” Xu Luo asked softly.

”Correct.” The Cyan Dragon’s Spirit was frank. ”If it were just for the White Tiger and me, I would never suggest you take such a risk. But seeing you ready to risk everything for her, I felt I should tell you.”

”Thank you, Cyan Dragon. I promised you before that if I ever reached the Divine Domain, I would find a way to revive you. That promise still stands, whenever that day comes. As long as I’m alive, I will help you!” Xu Luo said earnestly.

’The Soul Scripture... an Ancient Great Sect!’ Xu Luo repeated in his mind, ’I will get it, no matter what!’

”Xu Luo... Qianqian is hungry!” Su Qianqian tugged on the corner of Xu Luo’s sleeve. A faint blush appeared on her beautiful face, her clear, bright eyes so pure they were intoxicating.

A smile appeared on Xu Luo’s face as he said gently, ”Then what does Qianqian want to eat?”

”Qianqian wants to eat...” Su Qianqian put a slender, jade-like finger in her mouth, her big eyes darting back and forth. After thinking for a long while, she finally said, ”Qianqian wants to eat lots and lots of yummy things!”

”Okay, I’ll go make it for you.” Xu Luo’s voice was gentle, his tone like he was coaxing a child.

For a breathtakingly beautiful adult woman to speak with such an expression and tone, combined with Xu Luo’s child-coaxing manner, the scene was somewhat comical.

But in the hearts of Huangfu Chongzhi and the others, it was a rather heartbreaking sight.

”Speaking of which, the source of all this evil is still the Su Family of the Ancient Race! If they hadn’t done such an inhumane thing back then, how would Miss Su have ended up like this?” Little Fatty said resentfully, sitting off to the side with an angry expression.

”What’s even more ridiculous is that the Su Family actually sent people to hunt Miss Su down, wanting to refine her after she fully fused with the Heart of the Fire Dragon... It’s utterly absurd, they’re just a bunch of idiots!” Little Fatty grumbled. ”If it weren’t Miss Su, I’d say let them try to refine someone else! Dammit, they’d definitely be hit by a backlash from the Heart of the Fire Dragon!”

As Little Fatty spoke, he kept his eyes on Su Qianqian’s expression. He wanted to see if she would have any reaction to these sensitive words.

Xu Luo and the others also watched Su Qianqian’s expression.

Hearing the words ’Heart of the Fire Dragon’, the nearby Su Qianqian had no reaction. It was the same for mentions of the ’Su Family’ and so on, as if they had nothing to do with her at all.

”Sigh!” Little Fatty sighed, knowing his big brother was right. Su Qianqian’s Divine Soul was injured; recovery would be incredibly difficult.

Xu Luo silently went to make some food and brought it to Su Qianqian. Like a child, she immediately cheered and began to eat with delight.

Meanwhile, the four brothers sat together, drinking in somber silence.

”Someone told me that in the Divine Domain, there’s a scripture that can mend the Divine Soul through cultivation. So, for the time being, I’ll probably focus completely on training to break through to a higher realm, and then... enter the Divine Domain!” Xu Luo said in a low voice, looking at his brothers.

Although Huangfu Chongzhi and the others were curious about who this ’someone’ was, none of them asked. During the battle that day, they had all sensed two other formless powers helping Xu Luo.

”Xu Luo... Get the hell out here!”

Just then, a furious roar suddenly echoed between heaven and earth.