Firmament Sword

Just then, Xu Luo suddenly sensed several powerful auras rapidly approaching him from all directions. Inside him, his Shaking Light Star Soul and Kaiyang Star Soul flared, sending him a warning.

The sword-wielding middle-aged man roared again and lunged toward Xu Luo.

ROAR!

Xiaohai let out a roar and fearlessly pounced on the middle-aged man.

A Tier Three Spirit Beast facing a sixth or seventh-tier Great Sword Master showed no disadvantage in terms of sheer presence—and that was without even mentioning the prodigy, Xu Luo, riding on its back.

”Die!” The middle-aged man didn’t dodge or evade Xiaohai’s pounce. Only when the beast was right upon him did he let out a great shout. His body suddenly shot up several meters, allowing him to evade Xiaohai’s sharp claws and gaping maw before slashing his sword down at Xu Luo.

Azure, in Xu Luo’s hand, emitted a magnificent blue radiance as it met the middle-aged man’s long sword.

The man smacked it with the flat of his blade, creating a deafeningly loud CLANG.

In terms of pure strength, Xu Luo was no match for the man. He was knocked back a dozen steps in midair, and his blood roiled within him, but he quickly regained his composure.

Before his Kaiyang Star Soul had awakened, a single strike like that would have been enough to make Xu Luo cough up blood and suffer severe internal injuries!

The man was stunned that such a powerful blow hadn’t even caused Xu Luo’s expression to change. A moment later, a fierce anger surged from deep within him. ’I’m a respected Tier Seven Great Sword Master, yet I can’t do anything to a young man who isn’t even twenty?’

”Kill!”

An even more powerful aura erupted from the man’s body, pressing down on Xu Luo like a great mountain.

Xu Luo executed the Shaking Light Step in midair, moving like a flash of lightning. He pushed his Breaking Army Seven Kills to its absolute limit, channeling the full power of Great Mountain Collapse into Azure. This was the first time Xu Luo had ever applied Breaking Army Seven Kills to a weapon in combat!

Most people probably assumed Xu Luo’s strength was in his unarmed combat and that he relied solely on his blue short sword’s sharpness when wielding it. But no one knew the true power of Breaking Army Seven Kills: it could be channeled through any weapon!

”Breaking Army Seven Kills!”

”Great Mountain Collapse!”

Xu Luo let out a furious roar as a vast, turbulent power surged explosively from Azure in his hand!

”Sword Qi? No... that’s Sword Aura!” a distant voice cried out in alarm, shouting a warning to the man attacking Xu Luo. ”Watch out!”

BOOM!

An unbelievably brutal force blasted the middle-aged man and his sword into smithereens!

A mist of blood filled the air, slowly drifting down.

The thick stench of blood filled the air!

It was nauseatingly pungent!

The sight left everyone utterly stunned.

”This... this is impossible!” Wei Ziting felt a chill crawl up his spine, and his hands and feet went cold. He stared in terror at Xu Luo in the sky. ”How can he be this strong? This is impossible!”

”I’ve never seen the cultivation technique that young man is using. He must be kept here today! Take him alive!” a cold voice commanded from the shadows.

”Yes, sir!”

”As you command!”

Xu Luo sensed the powerful auras stirring, ready to act. Overcome with grief and indignation, he pointed a finger at the stunned Wei Ziting below. ”Your Wei Family is amassing powerful experts with treacherous intentions! As a subject of His Majesty and a citizen of Cangqiong, I, Xu Luo, will expose this to the world! And another thing—as long as you refuse to hand over my sister, I, Xu Luo... will never be done with your Wei Family!”

PTUI!

A mouthful of fresh blood sprayed from Wei Ziting’s mouth.

Wei Ziting glared furiously up at Xu Luo and roared, ”You’re spouting lies! Baseless slander! The Wei Family has nothing to do with your sister!”

”So, you’re admitting that the Wei Family is gathering experts for treacherous purposes?” Xu Luo sneered.

”Nonsense!” Wei Ziting swayed, on the verge of collapse. His chest felt heavy, as if crushed by a boulder, and his mind grew hazy. He felt like he might actually die of rage.

”Heh, you know perfectly well whether it’s nonsense or not. That’s all for today. I’ll be back tomorrow!” Xu Luo said, turning to leave on the back of his black-striped giant tiger.

A sinister, sneering voice suddenly rang out. ”Little bastard... thinking of leaving now? It’s too late! You’re staying right here!”

Wei Ziting, who had just forced himself to stay conscious, felt his blood boil when he heard the voice. He muttered, ”Who... who told you to come out?!”

And with that, Wei Ziting fainted dead away.

Li Tie and the others supporting Wei Ziting were completely dumbfounded.

In Li Tie’s mind, the image of his first meeting with Xu Luo remained vivid. ’That boy with the calm expression, shy smile, and sharp tongue... just how calculating is he to have hidden himself so well? Or has he been completely reborn in just one short year, stepping into a realm I could never hope to touch in my entire life?’

As the sinister sneer faded, several figures slowly materialized. Each one was wreathed in a True Essence Aura, their combined presence so powerful it was suffocating.

The man in the lead was thin with a grim face, a goatee, and a sallow complexion. His eyes were locked on Xu Luo, as if he had just discovered a priceless treasure.

”What do you think you’re doing?” Xu Luo asked, calmly watching the men. ’I’ve been raising hell for this long,’ he thought. ’It’s about time they came.’

”What are we doing? We’re keeping you here, of course,” the man with the goatee sneered. ”If you have the guts to stir up trouble, you’d better be prepared for the consequences. What do you take the Wei Mansion for? A place you can just come and go as you please?”

”The Wei Family abducted my sister and is holding her here. Naturally, I’ve come to find her,” Xu Luo retorted with a sneer. ”As for you lot... a bunch of dregs from some third-rate sect dare to put on airs in front of me? You must have a death wish!”

The goateed man froze, his gaze sharpening immensely. Staring at Xu Luo, he gritted his teeth. ”What nonsense are you talking about?”

”Hahaha, look at you, completely losing your composure. You’re killing me!” Xu Luo grinned, baring his teeth. ”I was just bluffing, and you actually got scared. How pathetic!”

”You’re courting death!” The goateed man’s figure blurred as he moved with incredible speed, swinging a vicious slap toward Xu Luo’s face. ”Little bastard, allow me to teach you some manners!”

BOOM!

An immensely powerful aura suddenly enveloped the area. A figure shot directly toward the goateed man, and the two exchanged a single blow in midair.

They met and separated in a silent instant. The goateed man, however, let out a yelp as if he had grabbed a red-hot iron bar. He shot backward, landed on the ground, and began shaking his hand furiously, his face a mask of terror as he stared at his opponent.

Beside Xu Luo now stood a man in his thirties, dressed in the uniform of an Imperial Guard. His expression was placid, as if the goateed man and his group weren’t even worth his notice.

”Who are you?” the goateed man demanded.

”An Imperial Guard,” the man replied calmly. He then turned to Xu Luo and bellowed, ”A verbal decree from His Majesty! Xu Luo, you bastard! We have yet to settle the score for your past ’good deeds,’ and the moment you return you start desperately causing trouble! Do you take Us for a mere figurehead? Do you think We will not punish you? Now follow this Imperial Guard and get your ass over here to see Us!”

As he spoke, the Imperial Guard glanced at the dumbfounded Xu Luo. A faint smile flickered in his eyes before his expression went cold again. ”Let’s go. Come with me to see the Emperor!”

Xu Luo, of course, had no objections. This was exactly what he had been waiting for. He was well aware that from the moment he set foot in the Imperial Capital, his every move had been under the Emperor’s watch.

His rampage at the Wei Mansion was not a thoughtless outburst. Xu Luo hated the Wei Family to his very bones, but he knew that toppling them completely right now was impossible; the Emperor would never allow it.

Therefore, by using the devastating blow of Lianyi’s departure as a pretext to cause a scene at the Wei Mansion, he could achieve several things: first, vent his own frustration; second, cause Prime Minister Wei to lose face yet again; and third, hand the Emperor even more leverage...

Xu Luo wasn’t afraid of being punished, because he knew that just as the Emperor would not allow the Wei Family to fall, he would certainly never permit the Xu Family to be destroyed either.

Moreover, Xu Luo currently held a very positive image and high standing among the youth of the Cangqiong Kingdom. Any punishment that was too severe would surely provoke a major backlash.

Everyone from the Wei Family, however, felt that the Emperor was being far too partial to Xu Luo. The verbal edict just delivered by the Imperial Guard hadn’t sounded like a condemnation in the slightest. On the contrary, it sounded like an affectionate scolding from an elder to a junior!

”This... this is too damn much!” a steward from the Wei Mansion grumbled. ”Xu Luo went on a killing spree right here in our home, and... he smashed our gate to smithereens!”

The Imperial Guard’s hearing was sharp. He glanced at the Wei Mansion’s steward. ”You have an opinion on the matter?”

”I... I...” The steward from the Wei Mansion had no courage at all when faced with the cold Imperial Guard. Forget him; even Wei Feng wouldn’t dare be too disrespectful to one of the Emperor’s Close Guards.

”If you have an opinion, you can take it up with His Majesty,” the Imperial Guard said before glancing at Xu Luo. ”Are you not coming?”

”Coming, coming! I’ll go and beg His Majesty’s forgiveness right away...” Xu Luo followed the Imperial Guard, a satisfied grin on his face. He walked out with his head held high and his chest puffed out.

Even the black-striped giant tiger followed behind Xu Luo with a calm, elegant gait and a proud expression, making everyone clench their teeth in hatred. But all they could do was watch helplessly as the pair departed.

Just then, Wei Ziting slowly regained consciousness. Li Tie whispered what had just transpired in his ear. Wei Ziting coughed up another mouthful of blood, his eyes turning crimson as he roared, ”Xu Luo... you’ve gone too far! This is too much!”