Firmament Sword

Returning to the inn, Xu Luo found the entire group was already awake and waiting in the courtyard. When they saw him come back, they all gave him suggestive, knowing looks.

Ming Youyue couldn’t stand this bunch of degenerates. She rolled her eyes, rose into the air, and flew out of the city, unwilling to waste another moment on these men.

”What groom? I was drunk last night and slept through the night. I only realized you’d all left when I woke up,” Xu Luo said with a perfectly straight face.

”Pfft!” The group couldn’t help but shoot Xu Luo looks of utter contempt.

”That’s just too much! We all came back early while you were off enjoying yourself... Ah, life is truly as lonely as snow!” Tang Xiao sighed dramatically, staring at the sky with a wistful expression.

”Xiaotangtang, you’re regretting coming back last night, aren’t you?” Yu Tianjie jeered from the side.

”Do you think I’m our leader? To be able to win over a peerless beauty like that... As for the girls we were with, they were decent-looking, but to be honest, they were just a bunch of painted faces in my eyes! Good for a few drinks and a bit of flirting, and that’s about it!” Tang Xiao said.

”Exactly... I was thinking the same thing!” Yu Tianjie said.

The others were much the same. Though they acted as if everything was new and exciting, they possessed a deep-seated pride that was difficult for ordinary people to comprehend.

Only Shao Zheng spoke up meekly from the side. ”Are all you senior brothers’ standards that high? I actually wanted to give it a try... but I didn’t dare...”

”BWAHAHAHA!” The group exploded with laughter, howling until they couldn’t breathe.

The corner of Shao Zheng’s mouth twitched as he grumbled, ”I was just being honest. Why are you all laughing at me?”

Once he’d had his laugh, Xu Luo patted Shao Zheng’s shoulder. ”Junior Brother, trust me. One day, you’re going to regret saying that...”

”Why?” Though Shao Zheng was clever, he was still young and couldn’t possibly foresee the long-term implications of many things.

As the group snickered, Yu Tianying looked at Xu Luo and said, ”Captain, stop scaring him. We’re all so upstanding. How could we possibly use this to make fun of him?”

”That’s right, that’s right! Upstanding people like us would never do such a thing!” Tang Xiao declared with a solemn face. He then walked over and patted Shao Zheng’s shoulder. ”Brother, trust me. In the future, countless true beauties will be crying and begging to be your woman!”

Shao Zheng stared blankly at the smirking crowd, and a sudden, ominous feeling crept into his heart. ’It seems I... really said the wrong thing.’

...

...

The warship sped through the void, heading toward Blazing Flame Province.

Three days had passed since their departure from Qingchuan Ancient City, and they had covered about a third of the distance.

The Divine Domain was simply too vast. Even a Supreme would find it difficult to traverse all of Jiuzhou in their entire lifetime.

And Jiuzhou... was but a single corner of the Divine Domain.

After the group returned to the ship, Jiang Botao, Xie Wanrou, and the other elders didn’t ask about what had happened in Qingchuan Ancient City. Having been young once themselves, they knew that youths were bound to get up to some mischief.

As long as they’d had their fun and knew when it was time to get serious, that was all that mattered.

This allowed the somewhat guilt-ridden Xu Luo to finally relax a little.

Theirs was not the only warship in the sky; they would occasionally encounter vessels from other factions.

However, everyone minded their own business, keeping to themselves.

The vast majority of factions kept a respectful distance from the Celestial Brilliance warship, careful not to get too close.

As the leading Supreme Great Sect in Xi Hezhou, Celestial Brilliance’s reputation was more than formidable enough.

”Don’t be fooled by how respectful those factions seem now. Once we reach the ancient ruins, they’ll surely resort to all kinds of tricks.”

”Celestial Brilliance has made many enemies over the years. As their leader, you must be extra careful and protect them well.”

”They are the future hope of Celestial Brilliance.”

Xie Wanrou said softly as she walked to Xu Luo’s side.

”Don’t worry, Aunt. I’ll be careful.” Xu Luo held great respect for Xie Wanrou, not just because she was a Celestial Venerable, but also because she was Xie Yurou’s aunt.

Especially after his muddle-headed night with Xue Chuqing, Xu Luo felt a pang of guilt whenever he saw Xie Wanrou.

”Mm, I... have great faith in you! Yurou is very lucky to have met someone like you,” Xie Wanrou said with a smile, then gazed out at the scenery through the ship’s window.

She continued in a soft, distant voice, ”Disciples of great sects, especially the women, rarely find happiness in love. In comparison, Yurou is very fortunate. I believe she will be very happy in the future.”

Xu Luo’s scalp prickled. The pressure of lying to a Celestial Venerable’s face was immense, but he absolutely could not reveal what had happened with Xue Chuqing.

After all, Xue Chuqing’s identity was extraordinary. She was the official inheritor of the Divine Maiden Tower, a status of unspeakable nobility, and now she was his woman. If Xie Wanrou were to find out, she would surely feel compelled to stand up for her niece.

If, in a fit of rage, she decided to go and tear down the Divine Maiden Tower, things would spiral completely out of control.

Xie Wanrou’s perceptive eyes swept over Xu Luo. She felt that something was slightly off about him but didn’t dwell on it. She knew the youngsters had gone to a brothel to cause some trouble, but she didn’t think much of it.

’Who hasn’t been young before? Besides, with Ming Youyue tagging along, how much trouble could they really get into?’

She never would have guessed that the group of youths had a tacit agreement to keep the matter between Xu Luo and Xue Chuqing a tightly guarded secret, ensuring none of the elders found out.

”By the way, you and Du Qingteng... you’ve become friends?” Xie Wanrou asked, looking at Xu Luo. ”Do you have any idea who he is?”

”I do. The current inheritor of Weiyu Mountain, one of the three great Holy Lands. Why?” Xu Luo replied casually.

”You child...” Xie Wanrou couldn’t help but force a smile. ”Do you have any idea what being an inheritor of the three great Holy Lands means? Any one of them can go to any province and meet with the Sect Leader of any top-tier power as easily as flipping their hand!”

”Wherever they go, they are met with the utmost respect. If they visit any major power, they will be personally received by at least a Vice Sect Leader!”

”In any setting, these inheritors are addressed as ’Lord’!”

Thinking of Du Qingteng’s erratic, arrogant, and domineering behavior, Xu Luo couldn’t help but sneer. He grumbled, ”I don’t see what’s so special about them. If all the Holy Land inheritors are like Du Qingteng... then there’s nothing to be afraid of...”

Xie Wanrou gave a wry smile. ”That’s because you yourself... are a monster!”

Even Xie Wanrou herself seemed a bit taken aback after saying that. Then, scolding him with a laugh, she said, ”You little rascal, you’ll be the death of me! You must remember: it’s best if you can maintain your friendship with Du Qingteng. If you can’t, you absolutely must not make an enemy of him. The three great Holy Lands... are far from being as simple as you imagine!”

Xu Luo nodded. ”I understand. Don’t worry, Aunt, I know what I’m doing.”

Xie Wanrou thought to herself, ’As if I’d believe that! The moment you met the Weiyu Mountain inheritor, you started a massive brawl. If his Guardian hadn’t wanted to use you to temper Du Qingteng, and then later recognized you as a disciple of Celestial Brilliance, you’d have been strangled to death long ago!’

’Then again,’ Xie Wanrou had to admire Xu Luo’s luck. ’To have a world-shaking fight with the inheritor of Weiyu Mountain, one of the three great Holy Lands, and then turn right around, sit down for drinks, and apparently even become friends...’

’That’s definitely not something an ordinary person could pull off.’

’It seems the Sect Leader was right. This boy is a walking disaster, but he’s also blessed with incredible luck!’

Xie Wanrou mused to herself.

Several days later, the warship finally flew to a massive canyon.

This canyon was a full ten thousand zhang deep!

Standing at the edge gave one the feeling of having reached the end of the world.

The ancient ruins were located deep within this canyon.

By now, disciples from many different powers had already arrived.

The sky was crisscrossed with warships, and the ground below was bustling with activity.

Xie Wanrou looked down below, sighed, and said to Xu Luo and the others, ”We spent many years to finally discover this place. In the end, it was all for naught, and we were nearly wiped out here.”

”Those detestable old monsters from Blazing Flame Province have none of the dignity befitting their status. To think they would attack juniors... But... they didn’t succeed. Still, I despise them. If it weren’t for them, how could news of this place have ever leaked?”

”And now it’s not just powers from Xi Hezhou and Blazing Flame Province... Looking at those warships... I can even see factions from other provinces!”

”So... once you go inside, you must be extremely careful!”

”No treasure is more important than your lives. You must stick together! Don’t give anyone an opening!”

”Don’t worry, Martial Aunt, we’ll be sure to get even for you!” Tang Xiao said with a determined look.

Yu Tianying and the others all chimed in, promising to get revenge for Xie Wanrou.

Xie Wanrou couldn’t help but smile. ”I’m not asking you to get revenge for me. I just want all of you to be safe and come out in one piece!”

Xu Luo nodded and said, ”Don’t worry. I’ll bring them all back... every single one of them.”

When Xu Luo and his party appeared above the canyon, they drew a great deal of attention.

As far as the eye could see, there were only unfamiliar faces, the majority of whom were young.

Jiang Botao, Xie Wanrou, and the four Ancestors did not leave the warship. From here on, it was up to the younger generation.

Xu Luo unfurled his Divine Sense, silently listening in on the conversations below. He also wanted to see if word of the assassination bounties from Hua Xueyue and the Jin Family had spread.

The moment he extended his Divine Sense, Xu Luo heard a group of people discussing him.

”See him? That’s Luo Tian, the prodigy of Celestial Brilliance’s new generation!”

”So those two sky-high bounties from the Bounty Guild... they’re for him?”

”He doesn’t look all that special. Pretty average, actually. Can’t believe the bounty on him is so high!”

”Heh heh, those Celestial Brilliance folks are all arrogant pricks. Once we’re inside, we find a chance to take him out... It’ll be a lot easier than hunting for some treasure!”

Hearing this, Xu Luo couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow and flash a cold smile.

’Take me out? You lot? As if I’d give you the chance. If anyone’s doing the taking out... it’ll be me!’