Firmament Sword

To Xu Luo’s shock, the Seven Star Souls within his Dantian all erupted in a brilliant glow at that very instant!

The Shaking Light Star Soul and Kaiyang Star Soul were one thing, as they had already awakened. But the other five Star Souls also lit up, their light as resplendent as the Big Dipper in the night sky!

”What... what’s happening?” Xu Luo thought he was seeing things.

The Seven Star Souls remained lit for a good few minutes. Then, with the exception of the Shaking Light and Kaiyang Star Souls, the light from the other five gradually dimmed and went out. At that moment, the Shadow Shaking Heart Method began to circulate.

Suddenly, the emerald-green plant in front of Xu Luo released countless rays of green light, each millions of times thinner than a strand of hair. These rays completely enveloped him. Following the rhythm of the Shadow Shaking Heart Method, the green light began to flow into his body through the meridians all over his body!

HISS!

Xu Luo couldn’t help but suck in a sharp breath, the corner of his mouth twitching violently.

Even a single one of those green rays, millions of times thinner than a strand of hair, brought Xu Luo immense pain. His meridians had already been widened considerably by the Kaiyang Star Soul’s modifications, making them much broader than those of an ordinary Martial Artist. But he never expected that these minuscule rays of green light would instantly fill his meridians to the brim upon entry!

It was like an object the size of a grain of sand possessing the weight of a mountain, capable of easily crushing countless buildings...

This was exactly how Xu Luo felt now. The energy contained within those green rays, millions of times finer than hair, was simply terrifying!

A single ray was agonizing enough. With countless rays surging in at once... they nearly burst Xu Luo’s meridians!

Fortunately, at this moment, the Kaiyang Star Soul suddenly released a gentle yet vast and powerful force that absorbed the power radiating from the green light, instantly relieving much of the pressure on Xu Luo.

Even so, Xu Luo was still in agony.

’Death by a thousand cuts... what kind of pain would that be?’ Xu Luo had never experienced it, so he didn’t know. But he was certain his current state couldn’t be much better than being sliced to pieces!

Beads of sweat the size of peas began to roll down Xu Luo’s forehead. The moment the green light entered his body, he was instantly drenched in sweat, only for it to be evaporated by the powerful energy a moment later.

Dry, then drenched... drenched, then dry again!

Over and over, in less than the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, Xu Luo was already on the verge of collapse!

’This isn’t absorbing a treasure’s energy to improve myself... this is tempering my mind in purgatory!’ Xu Luo thought, a sliver of his consciousness finding grim humor in his suffering.

Meanwhile, the Shaking Light Star Soul continuously emitted a gentle, profound power, protecting Xu Luo’s Sea of Spiritual Consciousness from collapsing.

But whether it was the Shaking Light Star Soul or the Kaiyang Star Soul, all they could do was protect Xu Luo and keep him from dying.

The death sentence may be avoidable... but the torment of living is not.

Xu Luo finally understood the taste of this ”inescapable torment.” ’If I could do it all over again, even if Master Mao told me that absorbing this thing would let me break through from the Sword Venerable realm to an even higher level, I would never agree.’

The feeling of a million ants gnawing on your body... Just a few days ago, Xu Luo had personally witnessed the agonizing screams of the Da Han Empire’s Noble Legion soldiers, a fate worse than death. The memory was still fresh in his mind. And yet, what he was enduring now was definitely worse than being eaten alive by a million ants!

Xu Luo even began to have hallucinations. He felt like he was already dead... that all the meridians in his body had exploded. He felt himself floating, as if flying, and all the pain was gone.

But then, an immense suction force emanated from both the Kaiyang Star Soul and the Shaking Light Star Soul, yanking his consciousness right back.

BOOM!

The pain crashed over him once more like a tidal wave.

Xu Luo wanted to give up. He wanted to scream, ’Just let me die!’

But now, he didn’t even have the strength to speak.

The secret chamber was silent. A ball of green light enveloped Xu Luo, its rays constantly seeping into his body. It looked brilliant and beautiful, but no one could imagine the astonishing torment hidden behind that beauty.

Master Mao stood guard outside, pacing back and forth anxiously, his eyes filled with worry.

He, too, was afraid Xu Luo wouldn’t make it through this ordeal. In fact, there was something he hadn’t dared to mention to Xu Luo. When he first discovered this crystalline, emerald-like plant, Master Mao’s first reaction was, ’I’ve found a treasure!’

Just like when he had guarded that Seven-Colored Light back in the day, of course he had to keep such a wonderful thing for himself first!

You couldn’t say Master Mao was selfish. Even Xu Luo would probably think of improving himself first if he encountered such a fortuitous opportunity.

So, Master Mao had tried to absorb just a tiny bit of the plant’s energy, and then... there was no ’and then’.

Master Mao was nearly killed by the impact. He had lain in those ruins deep in the sea for more than ten days before he recovered. He didn’t gain any benefits and nearly died, which gave him an intense fear of this treasure.

’If there’s anyone in this world who could absorb its energy, it would have to be that kid Xu Luo, the one who can channel Star Power.’

But he... was also completely unsure!

Just like now, Master Mao paced agitatedly outside the silent chamber. The complete lack of sound from within only made him more anxious.

”That kid is blessed with great fortune and luck, and he can channel Star Power... He... he should be able to pull through, right?” Master Mao muttered uncertainly. But he would never admit that he had been unreliable. He would only admit that he had brought Xu Luo a heaven-sent opportunity!

Outside the castle, people were repairing the damage from the battle a few days prior. Sui Yan, with a serious expression, directed the others as he continued to set up the new mechanisms he had devised.

Huangfu Chongzhi was patiently reading a book he held in his hands. He wanted to achieve enlightenment through the path of elixirs!

According to the records in an ancient tome, it was said that a powerful Alchemist of the past, after their Alchemy reached a certain realm, experienced a qualitative leap in strength and directly stepped into the realm that Martial Artists dreamed of.

Huangfu Chongzhi wanted to walk this path as well.

From a workshop outside the castle came the continuous sound of hammering. Xu Jie, bare to the waist, swung the hammer in his hands, repeatedly striking the Artifact Refining materials. His expression was one of utter concentration, and beads of sweat constantly rolled down his forehead, landing on the red-hot iron with a series of sizzles.

Mo Yun sat to the side, watching Xu Jie with a tender and focused gaze. Here, she had truly come to understand what happiness was.

’I feel like I’ve lived all these past years in vain, without ever understanding the true purpose of living in this world,’ she thought. As the thought crossed her mind, Mo Yun suddenly felt a wave of nausea. She frowned slightly and ran out.

Xu Jie, however, was completely oblivious, his focus still fixed on the red-hot piece of iron before him.

He would forge swords and achieve greater heights through smithing, walking a path no one had ever walked before!

Little Fatty was lazing on a deck chair, sunbathing out of sheer boredom. This was just a facade. In reality, he was diligently discerning every scent within a several-hundred-meter radius.

”There are a total of one thousand, eight hundred and ninety-six scents... no, one thousand, eight hundred and ninety-seven!” Little Fatty muttered to himself. ’But in reality, there must be more. I can only distinguish this many for now. It seems I must continue to improve this ability until I can easily identify all enemies and treasures just by the scents in the environment...’

「Three days later.」

In the secret chamber, Xu Luo was still holding on bitterly.

Over these three days, Xu Luo felt that his Spiritual Power had grown dozens of times stronger!

This was no exaggeration. Anyone who could endure three days and three nights of such inhuman torture without dying would likely experience a massive boost in their Spiritual Power.

Not to mention, the emerald-green plant itself contained substances that could enhance one’s spiritual strength.

They say that if you experience too much pain, you get used to it.

But after three days, Xu Luo still hadn’t gotten used to this pain. He only felt that his nerves had become incredibly tough. The myriad torments felt as if they had torn him apart countless times, as if life had left him countless times, only for him to be dragged back and tortured anew...

What made it even more agonizing for Xu Luo was that he had no idea when this would end. The plant before him—as green as jade, crystal clear, like the finest emerald—showed not the slightest sign of dimming.

Its energy seemed endless!

He was in too deep and there was no getting out.

This was Xu Luo’s only feeling right now. His heart had gone from wishing for the release of death at the beginning to being completely numb now. The pain... was constant, but he... was also constantly enduring!

「In the blink of an eye, more than half a month had passed.」

During this half-month, the castle remained quiet. Huangfu Chongzhi and the others had tried to visit a few times, but they were always driven away by an irritable Master Mao.

In the end, it was Little Fatty who, through sheer persistence, managed to learn from Master Mao that Xu Luo’s life was not in danger. Only then could the others rest easy.

During this time, Xu Ji sent someone over. When the messenger learned that the entire Noble Legion had been wiped out here and its commander, Wan Tong, had been slain by Xu Luo, he returned to report the news with great excitement.

A month later, news came from the front lines that a major uprising had occurred within the Da Han Empire. The nobles whose children had died had united to pressure the Da Han Empire’s Royal Family, demanding an explanation.

The news of the Noble Legion’s annihilation was precisely what Xu Ji had people spread.