Firmament Sword

”Of course! Don’t you know who Master Mao is? Aren’t you curious about what Master Mao has been through these past few months? Haven’t you noticed how much stronger Master Mao has become?” Miaomiao looked at Xu Luo with a proud expression and said, ”Let me tell you, the things Master Mao has experienced these last few months would shock you!”

”Did you find some treasure?” Xu Luo asked with a smile.

Master Mao nodded haughtily. ”Of course!”

”Oh,” Xu Luo acknowledged. He then closed his eyes, asked no more questions, and began to silently circulate the Shadow Shaking Heart Method.

”Hey, kid, aren’t you curious?” A little annoyed by Xu Luo’s reaction, Miaomiao couldn’t help but ask.

”Not curious.”

”Damn it! I’m going to tell you anyway!”

”I don’t want to hear it!”

”AAAAAHHH, you damn kid! Are you getting revenge for how I treated your brothers just now?!”

”…”

”Fine, fine! It was my fault, okay? I promise, from now on, I won’t say a word when I see them. That’s good enough, right?”

”That’s more like it.”

”This is infuriating! AAAAAHHH.” After throwing a fit for a moment, Master Mao finally said, ”Master Mao thought you were dead that day, so I prepared to return to my clan.”

”To go back and find a Mother Heaven-Swallowing Fox to spend the rest of your life with?” Xu Luo chuckled.

”How did you know? Hmph! Master Mao is much older than you humans!” Miaomiao said proudly.

”But in your clan, you’re just a little kitty.”

”You’re the little kitty!”

”I’m a human.”

”Damn it, you’ve made Master Mao dizzy with anger! Let’s talk about how Master Mao got the treasure instead!” Miaomiao began to smugly brag to Xu Luo about its recent experiences.

’At that time, Master Mao was thinking, ’It’s over, I’m definitely dead this time. That’s an ocean eye! If I get sucked in, how could I possibly survive?’’

”And then? You unleashed your divine might and took out the ocean eye?”

”Pah! What do you think an ocean eye is? How could an ignorant human like you possibly understand the terrifying power of nature?”

”Oh, so you being alive really is a miracle!”

”…”

Through their bantering and laughter, Xu Luo learned about what Master Mao had experienced during this time.

It turned out that after Master Mao returned to its clan, it followed them to the South Sea to explore some Ancient Ruins. It was said that a great deal of treasure lay within.

After arriving at the South Sea, the clan of Heaven-Swallowing Foxes discovered that the situation was far more complicated than they had imagined!

The ruins were hidden beneath the churning sea, and directly above them was an immense ocean eye—a bottomless vortex. Never mind a Sword Venerable, even an expert stronger than a Sword Venerable would be left to the mercy of fate if sucked in, with no hope of resistance.

Master Mao was unlucky enough to be swept into it, along with three or four other powerful members of the Heaven-Swallowing Fox clan.

Strangely, those powerful experts all died. It was unclear what they had encountered, but in any case, they were all dead when Master Mao found them on the deep seabed.

Only Master Mao survived. Then, in a daze, it entered the ruins. Master Mao didn’t venture too deep, however, because the place was filled with all sorts of terrifying traps. With Master Mao’s strength, it was almost completely helpless against them.

Finally, inside the ruins, Master Mao found a mass of Star Power!

It was only the size of a human fingernail, condensed into a single bead. It was genuine Star Power, and Master Mao swallowed it on the spot. As a result, Master Mao’s strength soared in a short period of time, breaking through in one fell swoop to a realm equivalent to a human Tier Seven Sword Venerable!

At the same time, Master Mao’s bloodline also began to awaken, faintly showing signs of upgrading!

Master Mao itself was a Tier Nine Spirit Beast. If its bloodline awakened and it upgraded again, then… it would enter the divine tier and become a true Divine Beast!

Only then would it be a true Heaven-Swallowing Fox!

Although there was still a long way to go even after entering the divine tier, it would still be a Divine Beast, a rarity since ancient times. Within the entire Heaven-Swallowing Fox clan, very few were capable of awakening their bloodlines!

Additionally, Master Mao found a plant inside that possessed incredibly powerful energy.

Master Mao resisted the strong urge to absorb the plant, hiding it away instead. In its own words, it didn’t know why it had been so noble at the time, actually thinking of some kid who might have been dead or alive.

After returning to its clan with its greatly enhanced strength, Master Mao received a hero’s welcome and also won the favor of many beautiful Mother Heaven-Swallowing Foxes.

Of course, Xu Luo thought it was just bragging. Otherwise, why was it all alone again this time, with no Mother Heaven-Swallowing Fox to accompany it?

Master Mao swore up and down that if it wanted to, having three wives and four concubines would be no problem at all.

Xu Luo just smiled, not bothering to entertain the boastful Master Mao.

Then, Master Mao took out the plant. Xu Luo finally understood why it had driven everyone else away.

The energy fluctuations emanating from the plant alone were enough to be unbearable!

Even Xu Luo himself felt immense pressure. Staring at the palm-high, emerald-green plant that looked as if it were carved from jade, Xu Luo couldn’t help but ask in astonishment, ”What in the world is this?”

”What do you think? It looks pretty amazing, right?” Master Mao asked smugly from the side.

Xu Luo nodded honestly. Just from the energy fluctuations it was emitting, he could tell this thing was definitely a treasure. The problem was, Xu Luo also had a faint worry: could he directly absorb a miraculous item like this, the same way he had absorbed medicinal herbs in the past?

Seeing Xu Luo hesitate, Master Mao urged him on, ”Absorb it, and your strength will leap to the realm you’ve always dreamed of! When you run into those people from the sects again, you definitely won’t have to be afraid. Kid, what are you hesitating for? An opportunity like this is so rare! You have no idea how much willpower it took for Master Mao to not absorb it myself! AAAAAHHHH!”

Xu Luo narrowed his eyes at Master Mao and muttered, ”You’d be that nice?”

”AAAAAHHH! Damn it, you brat! You cunning human! Why can’t Master Mao be this nice to you? Master Mao traveled thousands of miles to get here and just saved your life! Your life! AAAAAHHHH!” Master Mao roared furiously. ”If you don’t want it, then give it back to Master Mao! This is outrageous! You don’t know a kind heart when you see one!”

”But you’re not a person…” Xu Luo mumbled, but he gripped the plant tightly, not letting Master Mao snatch it back.

Master Mao snorted a few times, then said, ”But then again, the energy in this thing is indeed immense. According to Master Mao’s judgment… ahem… this thing needed at least a million years to grow to its current state. The energy it contains… is astonishingly vast. But kid, Master Mao isn’t trying to harm you! First, you have a precedent for absorbing herbs with powerful energy, right? Master Mao’s Seven-Colored Light! AAAAAHHHH! And second, right now you are in great… need of getting stronger!”

Xu Luo fell silent. That was right. He really did need to get stronger right now.

Sects. The word was simple, but only those who had truly witnessed the power of a sect could understand its weight. It was like a great mountain pressing down on your head, ready to crush you to dust at any moment!

And if you didn’t want to bow to fate or yield to power, then… the only way was to make yourself stronger!

”Perhaps the process of absorbing it will be painful and dangerous, but what in this world can you get without paying a price?” Master Mao looked at Xu Luo with a serious expression, then muttered under its breath, ’And only when you get stronger, kid, will there be more Star Power in your body. That way, Master Mao’s food… AAAAAHHHH… can become even more delicious!’

Xu Luo gave Master Mao a deep look, nodded, and said, ”In that case, I’ve decided!”

”As expected of the human I have high hopes for!” A look of joy finally appeared in Master Mao’s eyes.

Its ultimate goal was indeed to have Xu Luo become stronger so that it, Master Mao, could get more Star Power. But this motive was not sinister, because Xu Luo would also genuinely benefit and grow more powerful as a result.

After making his decision, Xu Luo began his preparations.

First, he found Huangfu Chongzhi and the others and apologized to his big brother and the group. The apology was on behalf of Master Mao. Xu Luo didn’t want his brothers to harbor any ill feelings in the future because of Master Mao’s foul mouth.

At the same time, he vaguely hinted at Master Mao’s true identity.

Xu Luo didn’t reveal everything. He didn’t mention the Seven-Colored Light, nor did he say that Master Mao was a Heaven-Swallowing Fox. He only said that it was a powerful Spirit Beast he had met by chance, with strength now equivalent to a Tier Seven Sword Venerable.

Xu Luo had been worried that his brothers might hold a grudge against Master Mao, but to his surprise, they all said in unison that they weren’t angry and held no ill feelings toward it at all.

Although Xu Luo found it a bit strange and didn’t know what had happened between them, he didn’t press for details.

After all, everyone was their own person, with their own joys and sorrows. Why pry too much?

With everything arranged, Xu Luo went directly into the castle’s secret chamber and began his seclusion.

Meanwhile, Master Mao stood guard outside, forbidding anyone from approaching.

In truth, no one would have approached anyway. After their discussion, Huangfu Chongzhi and the others had let go of all their previous hang-ups and were now wholeheartedly focused on following Xu Luo forward.

Just as Mo Yun had said: she was very much looking forward to Xu Luo’s future!

They… were all looking forward to it as well!

Xu Luo sat cross-legged on a meditation cushion in the center of the secret chamber. The jade-green plant floated in the air before him, emitting a soft green glow.

Within his Dantian, both the Shaking Light Star Soul and the Kaiyang Star Soul began to throb with excitement.

The throbbing was more intense than anything Xu Luo had ever felt before.

”All right, let’s begin!” Xu Luo said, and he started to circulate the Shadow Shaking Heart Method.