Firmament Sword

The woman in the black dress’s gaze swept over the people in the square. ”From top to bottom, not a single one of you is decent! I will be sure to give my sect a truthful report of this!”

”HAHAHAHA, little girl, you’re far too naive.” The middle-aged man roared with laughter, looking at the woman in the black dress with a mocking expression. ”Not one decent person from top to bottom? Tsk, tsk, you’re so pure. Do you really think your sect… is so clean?”

”That’s right. My sect has its share of corrupt people, but it’s nothing like this place... like this...” The woman in the black dress trailed off, at a loss for words. It wasn’t that she didn’t know what to say; it was that she, a pure and chaste maiden, couldn’t bring herself to say the word ”debauchery”!

”Like what?” the middle-aged man asked, watching the woman in the black dress. A deep desire flashed in his eyes as he thought, ’If it weren’t for your background that makes us so wary, do you really think you could escape my grasp?’

”In any case, you’re all a bunch of villains! Scum! Degenerates!” The woman in the black dress shielded the young man tied to the pillar, slowly drawing her Long Sword. Facing the crowd in the square, she gritted her teeth and said, ”There’s no point in talking further. Since you’re so intent on killing him, then... you’ll have to kill me first!”

”You don’t have to do this... It’s not worth it, for my sake,” the young man on the pillar said, his voice weak as he slowly opened his eyes. He watched the woman’s back, his expression complicated.

”No, I won’t let them kill you!” A misty sheen formed in the woman’s eyes as she spoke softly, ”Xu Su, I’m the one who brought this upon you. It was my mistake. I misjudged them, I didn’t see how despicable these people are. If it weren’t for me, they never would have discovered the Ancient Ruins, and you never would have met with this terrible fate. Don’t worry. I’ll get you out of here today, even if I have to die trying!”

”Leave? Heh, you make it sound... so simple.” The middle-aged man sneered, pulling a letter from his robes and tossing it to the woman in the black dress. ”Take a good look. We knew you’d make trouble. This is a direct order from your sect!”

The woman in the black dress caught it. After a quick glance, the color drained from her face. She stumbled back a few steps and cried out, ”Impossible! This is impossible! Master, she... How could she say this? How could she do this?”

Guo Ying knew the handwriting on the letter all too well—it was her master’s. The letter demanded that she stop her foolishness, that she not obstruct the Stony Sect’s business. It also stated that a marriage had been arranged for her and that she was to return to her sect at once, forbidden from any further involvement in matters concerning the Stony Sect.

”Your master has already told you to hurry back. Guo Ying, we show you respect because of your sect. Don’t think that being a Tier Five Sword Venerable means we have to take you seriously,” a man in his fifties said coldly from across the square.

”Heh... heh.” Guo Ying let out a cold laugh. She gave the speaker a disdainful look and sneered, ”Then why don’t you come out and fight me?”

”You...! Guo Ying, don’t think you can do whatever you want just because you’re a disciple of Dubhe! I’ll tell you this right now: if you insist on sticking your neck out, we’ll deal with you, too!” the man in his fifties raged, pointing and cursing at Guo Ying.

”Then bring it on!” With a flick of her Long Sword, Guo Ying severed the ropes binding Xu Su. She helped the weakened man to his feet and said with a look of sheer resolve, ”If you have the guts, then try and keep us both here!”

The square fell silent. No one had expected this woman to be so bold as to challenge their entire sect alone.

”Sect Leader... It’s time for you to say something,” the middle-aged man said, looking anxiously at their Sect Leader—the man in his fifties who had been standing there calmly the whole time.

The man in his fifties gave a faint smile and waved his hand. ”She’s just a girl. It’s normal for the young to act out a little.”

”Sect Leader...” the middle-aged man began, growing frantic.

The Stony Sect Master, the man in his fifties, smiled faintly. He looked at Guo Ying and said, ”Do you have any idea... who your sect has arranged for you to marry?”

Guo Ying froze for a second. The members of the Stony Sect in the square also froze, all of them staring at their Sect Leader.

The man in his fifties stated calmly, ”Me.”

At this, even the sect members in the square were stunned. They stared at their Sect Leader with looks of delighted surprise. They never imagined their Sect Leader had so much influence with Dubhe!

This woman, Guo Ying, might not have the highest standing in Dubhe, but she was a bona fide Inner Sect Disciple!

For the Stony Sect, a vassal sect to Dubhe, having their Sect Leader marry an Inner Sect Disciple from Dubhe was an incredible stroke of fortune!

”Congratulations, Sect Leader!”

”Our sincerest congratulations, Sect Leader!”

”The Sect Leader is mighty!”

”The Sect Leader is invincible!”

A wave of sycophantic cheers erupted from the square, every voice thick with envy.

Guo Ying was also stunned. She stared at the old man, who was nearly old enough to be her grandfather, and said, ”You’re lying! That’s impossible!”

The Stony Sect Master smiled faintly. He produced another letter from his robes and, with a casual push, sent it floating slowly toward Guo Ying.

This move alone was enough to demonstrate the Stony Sect Master’s power.

Another round of fawning cheers rose from the square.

”You’re shameless!” Guo Ying was fuming. A deep resentment welled up inside her. Without even looking at the letter, she swung her sword, shredding it to pieces that drifted down before her like snowflakes.

Guo Ying glared at the Stony Sect Master with absolute fury, gritting her teeth. ”You old bastard, get that thought out of your head! I would rather die than become the woman of a disgusting old fossil like you!”

The Stony Sect Master’s expression darkened. He looked at Guo Ying and gave a lecherous grin. ”Heh heh, you little girl, you have no idea of the pleasures an old man like me can offer. I guarantee, if you come with me, I’ll have you feeling as blissful as an Immortal every single day!”

”HAHAHAHA...” The Wanshi Inner Disciples and the sect’s upper echelons howled, doubling over with laughter as if they’d just heard the funniest joke in the world.

”Xu Su, I’m so sorry. This is all my fault. Don’t worry, if I can’t save you today, I’ll die here with you!” A terrifying killing intent flared in Guo Ying’s eyes. She didn’t dare look at the second letter, because her faith in her master had already been shaken by the first.

’I don’t know what could make Master, who has always been so good to me, make a decision like this,’ she thought. ’But seeing how obsessed the Stony Sect is with Xu Su’s secret, it must be the Ancient Ruins. That must be what swayed my sect... and my master.’

Seeing the way Guo Ying spoke to Xu Su, a potent jealousy surged through the Stony Sect Master. He commanded coldly, ”Seize them both! Remember, I want them alive!”

At the Stony Sect Master’s command, a large crowd of people immediately surrounded Guo Ying and Xu Su, slowly closing in.

”Kid, if you have any spine at all, you won’t drag someone else down to die with you!” the Stony Sect Master said, his voice dripping with venom as he glared at the weakened Xu Su. ”And remember this: the woman by your side is mine! If she gets so much as a scratch, I will torture you for the rest of your life. I’ll break all your limbs, cut out your tongue, castrate you, and throw you in a pigsty. You’ll be in a living hell, begging for a death that will never come!”

Xu Su slowly lifted his head and glared at the Stony Sect Master, baring his teeth in a cold snarl. ”Pah! You shameless old degenerate! Your entire sect, from top to bottom, is nothing but scum!”

”You chose this yourself,” the Stony Sect Master said, his face livid. He waved his hand. ”Get them!”

RUMBLE!

An earth-shattering sound suddenly erupted from the sky, like a bolt from the blue. A wave of energy, looking as if it would cleave the very heavens, crashed down upon the Wanshi Inner Disciples in the square with the force of a thunderbolt!

”Gods, what is that?”

”Enemy attack!”

”We’re under attack!”

”Look out!”

Amidst the panicked cries of the Wanshi Inner Disciples and their leaders, the wave of energy slammed directly into them.

A thin, crimson line of blood suddenly appeared on their bodies and faces!