Firmament Sword

Finally, Wanghai left the grotto and departed into the distance.

He stood outside the Land of Extreme Yin, staring blankly at the ghastly valley. Amid his profound dejection, a persistent sense of unease lingered in his heart.

He had arrived with a grand entourage, revered like the moon amidst the stars, basking in endless glory. His departure, however, was bleak and miserable, leaving him utterly alone.

Years of painstaking effort and countless resources, all for... nothing. He was left with absolutely nothing!

”Whoever... stole my inheritance, just pray I don’t find you... Otherwise, no matter the cost, I, Wanghai... will never let you go!”

”I swear it!”

After uttering those hate-filled words, Wanghai’s solitary figure staggered away.

Long after he had gone, another figure slowly emerged from the Land of Extreme Yin.

The man’s expression was wooden, but his eyes were filled with an icy chill. On closer inspection, not a single spark of life could be found within them!

The man stood where Wanghai had been, remaining there for a long time.

”My dear senior brother, we... will meet again very soon!” he said.

Then, he took a deep breath, bowed deeply toward the Land of Extreme Yin, turned, and departed.

...

...

”The peak of yin... becomes yang; the end of yang... transforms into yin!”

”Thus, though this Cultivation Technique is called the Extreme Yang Technique, it is in fact a dual cultivation of yin and yang. Once mastered, one can control Yin Yang Power. The two forces can be converted at will within the body, and upon reaching such a state, one may glimpse the mysteries of reincarnation!”

Xu Luo sat peacefully by a river, its water flowing serenely. An occasional ripple would break the surface in a ceaseless, unending cycle.

It was just like the power currently in Xu Luo’s Dantian. Under his control, it would shift from yang to yin, then from yin back to yang, and he was having a wonderful time playing with it.

Although he couldn’t yet completely convert the power in his Dantian, from the moment he began cultivating, Xu Luo had already grasped the core principle of the Extreme Yang Technique!

The Transformation of Yin and Yang!

Although it was named the Extreme Yang Technique, in reality, this Cultivation Technique cultivated... Yin Yang Power!

”No wonder... this inheritance appeared in a place like the Land of Extreme Yin,” Xu Luo murmured, opening his eyes.

This Cultivation Technique felt as if it had been prepared just for him. Cultivating it felt completely natural, with no hindrances whatsoever!

Whether it was the Shadow Shaking Heart Method or the Shaking Light Step, all his techniques integrated perfectly with the Extreme Yang Technique.

When he executed techniques like the Shaking Light Step through the Extreme Yang Technique, their power was several times greater than before!

Xu Luo, whose combat prowess was already formidable, saw his strength soar to an astonishing level after obtaining the Extreme Yang Technique!

’The power of a Great Saint... So what?’

Xu Luo stood up and thought to himself.

Recalling the terrifying aura emanating from Wanghai, he muttered, ”Wanghai must have already entered the Great Saint Realm. Even if he hasn’t, he must be on the cusp. In any case, I was definitely no match for him before. But now... if I ran into him again, could I put up a fight?”

Xu Luo felt a sudden impulse. He was eager to test his theory!

But he quickly suppressed the urge. Right now... he had more important things to do!

’Return to Baihua City... and eliminate Su Wu!’

That’s right... the Su Family Ancestor of the Ancient Race, who had also come from the Lower Realm!

The reason Xu Luo hadn’t acted against him before was to avoid anyone connecting the mysterious black-robed man to the name ”Xu Luo,” which would expose his true identity.

Now, after leaving and returning, the mysterious man in the black robe had vanished into the vast sea of people. Xu Luo could come back openly, without any fear. No one would suspect that this handsome young man was the same person who had recently turned Baihua City upside down and caused a massive sensation.

Even if the Lady of Piaomiao Palace, Xie Yudie, were standing right in front of him, she would never recognize this young man as the black-robed figure who had made a deal with her before vanishing into the crowd.

As far as Xu Luo was concerned, the Su Family Ancestor had to be eliminated.

Never mind their many conflicts in the Lower Realm. The most detestable thing was that... he had already successfully ascended to the Divine Domain, forever separated from the mortal coil of the Lower Realm, with no connections left.

With his mortal ties severed, he should have focused single-mindedly on his cultivation, striving for a higher breakthrough!

But the first thing the Su Family Ancestor did after ascending... was not to peacefully cultivate, restore his withered lifeblood, and achieve a rebirth that would lead to greater heights.

Instead, he traveled nearly all of Xi Hezhou, smearing Xu Luo’s name wherever he went!

And each time, he would use the Su Family of Xi Hezhou to add credibility to his claims, making people believe his words.

If this continued, someone was bound to eventually believe he was telling the truth.

Even those who were skeptical would surely harbor some doubts if they ever met a man named Xu Luo from the Lower Realm!

’How great must his resentment be? How deep must his hatred run? What could make him so utterly deranged?’

’But in truth, the root of it all was simply that I ruined his plans and destroyed his scheme to refine Su Qianqian! I forced him to ascend to the Divine Domain with his lifeblood withered and spent...’

’The only other ”grudge” was that he had also tried to refine me, but failed!’

’I had crushed him with my incomparably tyrannical combat power, leaving him almost unable to fight back.’

’That’s it!’

’Nothing else!’

’And because of that... this grand ancestor of the Su Family came to the Divine Domain, went to all this trouble, shamelessly traveling everywhere just to ruin my name.’

This behavior... truly left Xu Luo speechless, but it also filled him with rage!

Fortunately, Xu Luo had also ascended to Xi Hezhou and discovered the Su Family Ancestor’s plot.

If Xu Luo hadn’t discovered this, by the time he became aware of it... it would have likely been too late!

The Divine Domain was filled with countless experts. One could never truly know until they arrived. Here, Saint Realm experts were as common as carp crossing a river, simply innumerable. Great Saint Realm masters were not rare either, as almost every major power had such an expert holding down the fort. One could even casually reel off the names of a few in the Venerable Realm!

What a powerful and terrifying world this was.

Anyone lacking sufficient strength would surely choose to keep a low profile, trying their best to avoid drawing attention.

Under these circumstances, the Su Family Ancestor’s actions were tantamount to constantly pushing Xu Luo into an abyss from which there was no return!

And in the most vicious way possible!

If Xu Luo ever dared to show his true face and someone recognized him, he would... just like in the Lower Realm, be hunted down relentlessly in the Divine Domain!

Therefore... no matter what, Xu Luo would not let the Su Family Ancestor go.

Entering Baihua City again felt very different from the last time. It wasn’t the city that had changed, but Xu Luo’s state of mind.

The first time he stepped into Baihua City, Xu Luo’s heart had been a blank slate of uncertainty. He didn’t know if he could succeed and had come to the ancient city with the mentality of a gambler.

Now, Xu Luo’s mind was at peace, and his purpose for entering Baihua City was crystal clear: to kill the Su Family Ancestor!

There were also a few small changes in Baihua City. For example... there were far fewer people wearing black robes than before.

The few mysterious, black-robed figures who remained were all in a hurry, maintaining a high level of vigilance.

Even after so many days, the storm stirred up by the Nether Flower Seed had not completely subsided. Aftershocks still lingered, and many innocent, black-robed people had been implicated as a result.

Deep down, these people didn’t hate those who had given them trouble, but rather the person who actually possessed the Nether Flower Seed!

’If it weren’t for him... how would we have gotten dragged into this?’

’Just let me find out who that person is. I won’t let them get away with it!’

After getting a sound beating, some of the implicated people in black robes would almost always grit their teeth and make such a vow.

As he walked through the city, Xu Luo would occasionally overhear such discussions. He would just smile faintly and pay them no mind.

He was searching for any trace of the Su Family Ancestor. Although he had been away from Baihua City for a few days, Xu Luo had a feeling the old man was still in the city.

Xu Luo walked calmly through the crowd when he suddenly felt a gaze upon him.

Xu Luo’s heart skipped a beat. Out of the corner of his eye, he glanced in a certain direction. There... a luxurious carriage was parked!

’That carriage is...’ Xu Luo immediately retracted his gaze. He already knew who was inside.

The carriage of Xie Yudie, the Lady of Piaomiao Palace!

’I can’t believe I’d run into her again right after coming back, in this vast sea of people. Still, what’s strange is that with my current youthful appearance and restrained aura, no matter how perceptive Xie Yudie is, she couldn’t possibly guess that I’m the one who made that deal with her.’

’So why is she staring at me?’

Just then, the luxurious carriage began to slowly move forward, leaving the spot.

Xu Luo didn’t dwell on it and also left the area.

Inside the carriage, Xie Yudie’s brows were tightly knit. ”That young man in the crowd just now...” she murmured. ”Why did he feel so familiar? It’s as if... I’ve seen him somewhere before.”

Sitting across from her, Xie Yurou heard this and laughed. ”Sis, has something been on your mind lately? Or are you still thinking about *that* man?”

”Don’t be ridiculous.” Xie Yudie glanced at her sister and said, ”Perhaps... I was just mistaken.”

Xie Yurou gently lifted the window curtain, peering through a small gap into the crowd. In the vast sea of people, there was no familiar figure to be seen.

Lowering the curtain, she turned back with a smile. ”You were definitely mistaken!” Blinking her lively eyes, she added playfully, ”Are you planning to live here forever, Sis?”

Xie Yudie shook her head slightly and sighed softly. ”I don’t know. In any case... I don’t want to go back to that place.”

”It’s a shame I have to go back to my sect soon, otherwise I could stay here with you,” Xie Yurou said, a little dejected.

”You should have gone back long ago. You’ve wasted a lot of time recently. If you don’t start working hard, you’ll end up at the bottom of the rankings in the annual competition. How will you face anyone then?” Xie Yudie said.

”Aiya, Sis, all you ever do is put me down! Honestly!” Xie Yurou whined playfully.

Xie Yurou had left her sect, claiming it was for training, but in reality, she just missed her sister and wanted to have some fun, so she had run off.

The rules of Celestial Brilliance were strict. Even a Celestial Splendor Noble Lady like Xie Yurou didn’t dare to be too reckless. When her time was up, she had to return.