Firmament Sword

Luo Tian, on the other hand, had thrown the entire Celestial Brilliance into turmoil ever since his arrival. Many major incidents... were related to this man.

From the bottom of her heart, Ming Youyue did not like this person!

’What did Senior Brother Jin Ming do wrong? Why suffer such a heavy punishment? To be expelled from the sect, it’s just too outrageous!’

But Ming Youyu, her own sister and an idol to many female disciples of Celestial Brilliance, had told her directly not to provoke Luo Tian. There were many things she didn’t know, and Jin Ming’s expulsion had deeper reasons.

Ming Youyue, however, didn’t quite agree with her sister. She believed that since her sister was always away, she was the one who was truly ignorant of the situation.

Today, in this one and only semifinal match, she wanted to get justice for her Eldest Senior Brother Jin Ming!

Just then, a light flashed in front of Ming Youyue, and a tall, slender figure appeared.

Luo Tian had arrived!

A cold glint instantly flashed through Ming Youyue’s eyes as she stared icily at the person before her.

The moment Xu Luo stepped onto the ring, he felt a frigid aura wash over him. He raised an eyebrow slightly and looked across.

There stood a peerlessly beautiful woman.

Ming Youyue!

Although it was his first time seeing her, Xu Luo immediately guessed her identity.

The person standing on this ring had to be his semifinal opponent, Ming Youyue.

’Just... have I offended this woman before?’

Sensing her cold gaze, Xu Luo was a little puzzled, and at the same time, a little annoyed.

”You’re Luo Tian?” Ming Youyue spoke coolly. Her voice was crisp and melodious, like large and small pearls falling onto a jade plate.

”And you’re Ming Youyue?” Xu Luo didn’t answer, but asked a question in return.

”I don’t like you!” Ming Youyue said coldly.

Xu Luo’s mouth twitched. ”I don’t need you to like me,” he said.

WHOOSH!

The crowd in the surrounding stands heard their exchange and, after an initial uproar, couldn’t help but burst into laughter.

”You...” Ming Youyue was furious. She found the man before her utterly detestable. He clearly knew she didn’t mean it *that* way, yet he deliberately answered as he did.

But she couldn’t refute it, because his answer... didn’t seem to be wrong, either.

”You schemed to have Eldest Senior Brother Jin Ming expelled. What a deep and cunning mind. I will get justice for him!” Ming Youyue said with a frigid expression, glaring at Xu Luo.

Looking at the deadly serious, beautiful woman opposite him, Xu Luo couldn’t help but laugh out loud.

”What are you laughing at? Am I wrong?” Ming Youyue demanded coldly.

”Miss, do you know me?” Xu Luo asked, looking at Ming Youyue.

”This is the first time we’ve met,” Ming Youyue replied.

”Since this is the first time we’ve met, do you understand me?” Xu Luo asked again.

Ming Youyue thought for a moment, then said, ”I’ve heard many rumors about you from many places. I believe I have some understanding of you.”

”And based on those rumors, you’ve decided I’m some deeply scheming, great villain?” Xu Luo asked with a smile.

”And you’re not?” Ming Youyue looked at Xu Luo with disdain. ”Someone like you, does one really need to know you deeply to figure you out?”

”Then according to you, Miss, Jin Ming was framed?” Xu Luo asked with a smile.

”Of course!” Ming Youyue said decisively. ”I went on a mission with Eldest Senior Brother once. During the mission, he took great care of all of us junior brothers and sisters. How could he possibly be a bad person?”

”By your logic, are you saying that the person who made the decision to expel Jin Ming was also wrong?” Xu Luo asked.

”This...” Ming Youyue was naive, but not stupid. By now, how could she not realize she had fallen into his trap? If she said anything more, wouldn’t that be tantamount to questioning the Sect Leader?

Although she didn’t believe Jin Ming had done anything wrong, questioning the Sect Leader... she didn’t have the courage for that.

Ming Youyue’s eyes turned cold. She looked at Xu Luo and said, ”And you still say you’re not deeply scheming? This is the best proof!”

A wave of boos rose from the surrounding stands. Even the audience couldn’t bear to watch anymore. They were all people of Celestial Brilliance; deep down, they all had a good idea of who was what.

Although Jin Ming had put on an excellent facade over the years, not everyone was ignorant of his true nature.

If not for the fact that Ming Youyue was a naive girl, who knows what kind of curses would have been hurled from the stands.

Xu Luo gave a somewhat helpless smile and said, ”Since you’ve already made up your mind, then... please, make your move!”

By the semifinals, the role of the Referee was minimal. They weren’t even needed to host the match, just to provide necessary supervision.

For this sole semifinal match, the Referee was a true elder—white-haired and bearded, with a lean face and exceptionally sharp eyes. He was an old supreme expert who had lived for tens of thousands of years!

This old supreme expert had heard the entire conversation between Xu Luo and Ming Youyue, but he gave no reaction.

For him, he had seen too many people of all kinds. The grudges between juniors were no longer something he paid any mind to.

Ming Youyue also felt she was being a bit unreasonable. She stopped talking and simply let out a cold snort, which served as her response to Xu Luo’s suggestion to begin.

A bright moon slowly rose from behind Ming Youyue.

The moonlight, fluid as water, emanated a purple glow, giving off a feeling of tranquility.

’Dharma Heaven and Earth?’

Xu Luo frowned slightly, sensing that this Dharma Heaven and Earth seemed a little different.

Usually, upon reaching the Saint Realm, various attack methods would return to their source, and there would be few flashy techniques.

This was even more true for the Great Saint Realm. Attacks using techniques could hardly do real damage to an opponent, unless there was a huge gap in their cultivation realms!

So, upon seeing Ming Youyue unleash Dharma Heaven and Earth, Xu Luo was a little surprised.

But once the bright moon had fully risen, Xu Luo finally understood. The Dharma Heaven and Earth she had unleashed was by no means a simple technical attack!

The entire ring was practically enveloped by this bright moon, and the air... it grew thick and viscous!

’A domain!’

Xu Luo couldn’t help but feel a little excited. It wasn’t his first time encountering a domain, but one manifested through Dharma Heaven and Earth still felt novel to him.

Ming Youyue’s figure suddenly moved!

Still as a maiden, swift as a fleeing rabbit!

Her figure vanished in an instant, and in the next moment, she appeared before Xu Luo. From the Dharma Moon in the sky, ten thousand rays of light shot out, transforming into ten thousand strands of Sword Qi that all lanced toward Xu Luo!

In the viscous air, the speed of the ten thousand strands of Sword Qi was like lightning!

Unbelievably fast!

”Moonlight Like Water... To think Ming Youyue has cultivated Moonlight Like Water to such a level! She’s truly worthy of being Ming Youyu’s sister!”

”This Dharma Heaven and Earth... It’s terrifying! Once you’re pinned by that moonlight, it’s a dead end!”

”Ming Youyue may be naive, but her strength is not to be underestimated!”

”No matter who it is, no one reaches the semifinals of the Celestial Brilliance Annual Competition by a fluke!”

”Let’s see how Luo Tian handles this!”

The people in the stands began to discuss fervently.

At this moment, a stone stele appeared directly above Xu Luo’s head. Almost no one recognized its origin.

But in the VIP boxes, far too many people... shot to their feet in astonishment, staring in disbelief at the stele above Xu Luo’s head.

”The Soul Scripture Stele!”

”Heavens... he... how could he? He brought the Soul Scripture Stele... out?”

”That’s impossible! Who doesn’t know the weight of the Soul Scripture Stele? Even a supreme expert couldn’t take it away!”

”I finally understand... why Jin Ming was expelled, and why this Luo Tian has caused so much trouble without ever being punished. It turns out... not only is he the successor to the Medicine King, but he has also subdued the Soul Scripture Stele!”

”This is unprecedented in the history of Celestial Brilliance!”

”That stele... is it really the Soul Scripture Stele? My heavens... this little ancestor can actually control the Soul Scripture Stele!”

”Unbelievable...”

The elders in the boxes couldn’t help but express their astonishment.

The audience in the stands, however, had no idea about the immense background of the stele floating above Xu Luo’s head. They only knew one thing: the moment it appeared, Ming Youyue lost!

All ten thousand strands of Sword Qi were absorbed by the stele. Not a single one got past...

Ming Youyue, who had charged up to Xu Luo, was caught directly by him. One of his hands wrapped around her slender, soft waist, while the other... was pressed against the center of her brow!

Almost no one saw how Ming Youyue was defeated!

Her defeat was swift and total, but also completely baffling!

To many people, it looked as if Ming Youyue had voluntarily thrown herself into his arms.

This didn’t look like a ring fight at all; it looked like they were flirting!

Everyone was utterly speechless about this one and only semifinal match.

They hadn’t even seen any real action, and Ming Youyue was already defeated...

”Did... did those two plan this?”

”Are they messing with us?”

”This is cheating!”

”It’s a fixed match, right?”

”Wasn’t Xie Yurou supposed to be Luo Tian’s girl? When did Ming Youyue get involved?”

”Unbelievable... They must have planned this, right?”

The people in the stands were all discussing with baffled expressions, extremely dissatisfied with this outcome.

Originally, their pre-match conversation had led almost everyone to believe this would be a battle as intense as colliding planets.

But in the end... what they got was a farcical scene.

Ming Youyue was also stunned,

Snapping back to her senses, her pretty face filled with fury, she glared at Xu Luo. ”You’re shameless!”

Xu Luo smiled. ”You’re the one who threw yourself into my arms. How am I the shameless one?”

”You... Let go of me!” Ming Youyue was so frantic she was about to cry. To be taken advantage of in front of millions of people—she felt like she could just die.

At this moment, how could she possibly remember getting justice for her Eldest Senior Brother? That thought was long forgotten.

”Concede, and I’ll let you go!” Xu Luo said with a smile.

In the stands, Su Qianqian, Xie Yurou, and the others couldn’t help but roll their eyes. ’This guy is acting up again,’ they thought. ’He’s usually so serious, you never know when he’s suddenly going to lose his mind.’

He was clearly a gentle and kind person, yet he could suddenly become violent and cold-blooded, like a God of Slaughter. He was clearly a modest and courteous man, but he could just as easily become a reckless rogue, saying things that would make a woman’s face burn and her heart race.

Xie Yurou looked at the ring, pouted, and grumbled, ”What a lucky little girl!”

One could only wonder how Ming Youyue would feel if she heard that.

But right now, Ming Youyue’s heart was in a complete panic. She wanted to fight back with all her might, but she didn’t dare make a reckless move. The finger pressed against her brow was no ordinary finger; the energy fluctuations emanating from it were clearly sending her a dangerous signal.

She knew very well that if she made a reckless move, he might actually kill her!

”You... you bully!” Tears streamed directly down Ming Youyue’s face. The icy, arrogant beauty from before had instantly transformed into a pitiful little kitten.

Xu Luo’s mouth twitched a few times. He sighed, pulled his hand back, took a few steps away, and said fiercely, ”What are you crying for? Are you three years old?”