Firmament Sword

Before the round-of-32 matches in the Celestial Brilliance Annual Competition had even concluded, a piece of utterly shocking news broke.

The Lu Family, an inconspicuous, minor clan within Celestial Brilliance, had been massacred!

The scene was a gruesome spectacle: bodies were strewn everywhere, and blood flowed like rivers.

Of the more than three hundred members of the Lu Family, young and old, not a single soul survived!

The only one missing was Lu Qi, who had disappeared long ago, but most people believed he was likely already dead.

Lu Qi’s fiancée knelt crying amidst the rubble of the Lu Family estate, a heart-wrenching sight for all who witnessed it.

All of Celestial Brilliance erupted in fury.

”We demand the perpetrators be found and severely punished!”

”If this is allowed to stand, Celestial Brilliance’s fall is inevitable!”

”The Lu Family may not have been a prominent clan, but they were members of Celestial Brilliance. What happened to them is tragic, and even more infuriating!”

”Who could have done this? How could anyone be so cruel? To lay a hand on so many women and children... It’s unforgivable!”

”For such a horrific tragedy to occur within a Supreme Great Sect, the leading power of Xi Hezhou... it’s simply unbelievable!”

Then, another shocking rumor began to circulate.

”Lu Qi’s disappearance has something to do with Wanghai!”

”Back when Wanghai and Luo Tian had their falling out, there were rumors about the cause. People said Wanghai challenged Luo Tian because of what happened in Baihua City...”

”And at that time, Lu Qi was with Wanghai!”

”But when Wanghai returned, not only was Lu Qi gone, but his entire entourage... had vanished as well!”

”There’s definitely something suspicious going on!”

”It’s very likely... that all of them, Lu Qi included, died at Wanghai’s hands, or because of him. The Lu Family was furious and wanted revenge, so the Wang Family just wiped them out!”

Eventually, someone connected the dots, pointing directly to the Wang Family as the culprits behind the Lu Family’s massacre.

At this point, the Wang Family Patriarch, Wang Daoming—who also held the title of Celestial Brilliance Elder and had remained silent until now—could no longer hold his tongue and stepped forward to speak.

”I am deeply saddened by the destruction of the Lu Family, but this has nothing to do with the Wang Family!”

”I swear on my family’s honor: if the Wang Family was responsible for this massacre, may we suffer the wrath of the heavens!”

Such a solemn oath immediately silenced many people.

Cultivators take oaths very seriously, for the Celestial Dao is sentient. To swear a false or careless oath is to invite inevitable divine punishment!

”Since the Wang Family has sworn such an oath, it probably means they really had nothing to do with it.”

”Maybe we misunderstood the Wang Family. In any case, such brutal methods don’t seem like the work of anyone from inside Celestial Brilliance.”

”The Wang Family is a major clan; they wouldn’t act so unscrupulously.”

”Perhaps the Lu Family provoked some power they couldn’t afford to offend, and that’s why they were destroyed.”

”There are so many Heritage Clans in Celestial Brilliance. Who knows which one of them destroyed the Lu Family?”

The horrific massacre threw all of Celestial Brilliance into turmoil. Speculation was rampant, but like trying to see flowers in a fog, no one could discern the truth.

But just then, from an unknown source... a Sound Transmission Stone suddenly surfaced, once again sending shockwaves through all of Celestial Brilliance!

This Sound Transmission Stone had recorded the entire Lu Family massacre from beginning to end!

”Who are you people? What are you doing trespassing in the Lu Family Valley? Leave at once, or don’t blame us for what happens next!”

”Ah—! This is bad! A large number of enemies have broken into the Lu Family Valley! Everyone, be care—” The voice was cut short by the sickening sound of a blade piercing flesh.

A cold voice followed. ”Worthless.”

Next came a cacophony of sounds: the desperate cries of the Lu Family’s women and children, their pleas for mercy, and the killers’ cold, merciless laughter, all mixed into one.

Everyone who listened to the recording seethed with uncontrollable rage.

”I am Lu Haikong. To my knowledge, I have never offended any of you. Who are you people?”

Lu Haikong, one of the Lu Family’s three Supremes!

He normally never left his seclusion, serving as one of the Lu Family’s foundational pillars.

But now, he had been forced to emerge and face a formidable foe.

”Your Lu Family... should have vanished from Celestial Brilliance long ago. Who are we? Heh heh... We’re just a group of Nameless assassins!”

The speaker’s voice was ice-cold, devoid of any emotion.

The sounds of a fierce battle erupted from the Sound Transmission Stone, making it easy to imagine the scene.

The fights in the Celestial Brilliance Annual Competition couldn’t even begin to compare to the battle captured on this Sound Transmission Stone!

Before long, the agonized scream of Lu Haikong, the Lu Family’s foundational expert, echoed from the stone. But the words he cried out in his final moments shocked everyone.

”You’re... from the Wang Family—”

Here, Lu Haikong’s voice terminated, like a crowing rooster suddenly being choked. The horrifying sound came to an abrupt end!

But it wasn’t over!

There was more to come.

The sounds of crying, groaning, and screaming... gradually faded.

All who listened to this part—men and women, young and old alike—had grim expressions. Many clenched their fists, flames of fury practically erupting from their eyes.

”Too cruel!”

”Too vicious!”

”The killers are completely inhuman!”

Many women couldn’t help but shed tears; surely, no one could hear this and remain unmoved.

Just when everyone thought... it was finally over, another conversation was heard from the Sound Transmission Stone.

”Are they all dead?”

”All dead.”

”Seems like one is missing?”

”I don’t think so. Everyone on the list should be here. See, there are three hundred and fifty-seven in total...”

”No, we’re missing Lu Qi! Did you forget what the Young Master told us before we left? Lu Qi isn’t dead at all! He’s the one who caused the Young Master’s current miserable state!”

”Speaking of which... it’s a real shame. The Young Master was so talented, yet he was first defeated by that Luo Tian, and then had his eyes gouged out and tongue cut off by Lu Qi. So tragic.”

”Why else would the Young Master retaliate against the Lu Family like this?”

”Heh, a small clan like this, with only three Supremes, dared to oppose us. I heard they even wanted to align themselves with Jin Ming. As if someone like Jin Ming could ever be reliable!”

”Jin Ming isn’t someone we should be talking about. The Jin Family behind him is a behemoth. The Lu Family was dreaming if they thought the Jin Family would even give them a second glance!”

”Enough about that. Lu Qi isn’t dead, so the Young Master’s greatest worry remains. But with the Lu Family eradicated, Lu Qi is nothing more than a stray dog. He’s not much of a threat anymore.”

”Heh heh, going against our Wang Family... is courting death!”

Hearing this, everyone... was enraged to the point of silence.

By this point, it was abundantly clear: the Wang Family had annihilated the Lu Family!

That final conversation completely exposed the perpetrators’ identities. Moreover, they spoke so casually. No one knew whose hands the Sound Transmission Stone had been in at the time.

But the most likely possibility was that one of the Wang Family’s own men had recorded it!

Perhaps... it was meant as proof of the Lu Family’s destruction, a report for the Wang Patriarch, Wang Daoming. Or perhaps there was another motive; for instance, the person who recorded it might have been bribed by an outsider to bring down the Wang Family.

But regardless of the reason, the full story of the massacre was now crystal clear. No matter how the Wang Family tried to deny, swear oaths, or make excuses... it was all meaningless!

Because people had already... identified which Wang Family experts were speaking just from their voices!

Now that things had come to this, any further denials from the Wang Family were pointless.

The moment this Sound Transmission Stone surfaced, it was copied thousands of times and spread to every corner of Celestial Brilliance almost instantly.

The very day the Sound Transmission Stone incident erupted, the Wang Family fled Celestial Brilliance. The core family members immediately used a Teleportation Array to get to the Celestial Brilliance Mountain Gate, then broke their way out.

All that remained of the great Wang Clan in Celestial Brilliance were the old, weak, and infirm, along with some innocent and bewildered members of the branch families who had no idea what had even happened.

The upper echelons of Celestial Brilliance reacted with extreme speed, but the Wang Family was faster. By the time forces arrived at the Wang Family residence, the place was already deserted.

The Heavenly Brilliance Sect Master, Xiahou Kaiyuan, was utterly enraged. He ordered the remaining Wang Family members to be placed under house arrest and issued a kill order for all those who had fled!

The wrath of the Sect Leader of a Supreme Great Sect was enough to shake the world.

Celestial Brilliance had not issued such a kill order in many years, and once given, it meant a relentless hunt to the death!

In other words, from this day forward, the members of the Wang Family would be fugitives, hunted to the ends of the earth!

Anywhere within Celestial Brilliance’s sphere of influence... was now unsafe for the Wang Family!

The harsh reality was this: there wasn’t a single corner of Xi Hezhou... that was beyond the reach of Celestial Brilliance!

Therefore... if the fleeing members of the Wang Family wanted to escape, they would have to leave Xi Hezhou!

But that... was easier said than done.

No matter how fast they fled, they couldn’t outrun the messages sent via Celestial Brilliance’s Sound Transmission Stones!

Once the kill order was issued, word spread throughout all of Xi Hezhou... within a matter of days!

Perhaps Wang Daoming, now a fugitive on the run, had already realized it. This time... the Wang Family had been well and truly framed!

It wasn’t just the Wang Family. Both they and the Lu Family had been manipulated, played like pawns in someone’s scheme!

While Wang Daoming and the others had no time to ponder who was behind it all, they certainly had their suspicions.

”Luo Tian... it has to be him!” a half-mad Wanghai mumbled, his words slurred due to his mutilated tongue.

Wang Daoming’s eyes blazed with hatred, yet all he could do was heave a long sigh.

’To think that I, a dignified Celestial Brilliance Elder, a man of high status and power whose family has deep roots in Celestial Brilliance, could be so utterly ruined by a single moment of carelessness!’

Even if they managed to escape Xi Hezhou and start over, restoring their family’s former glory would be nearly impossible.

Then, just as Wang Daoming had begun to despair, the inevitable happened.

They had only been on the run from Celestial Brilliance for two days when they encountered their first group of pursuers on the road ahead!

And it wasn’t just one wave...

After a fierce battle, he looked toward the horizon to see a dark, dense mass of figures—another huge wave of experts, coming for them.

Wang Daoming couldn’t help but spit out a mouthful of blood, his face a mask of despair. ”The Wang Family... is finished!”

He glanced back at the thousands of silent clansmen. Without exception, these were the elites, the very foundation of the Wang Family!

”Everyone, save yourselves!” With that, Wang Daoming charged headlong into the approaching dark mass of people.

’This is all my fault! I’ve dragged my clansmen down with me! Only death can bring me release!’