Firmament Sword

”What the hell do you know!” Master Mao sneered from the side. ”I, Master Mao, can responsibly tell you that the ancestor of this Ice Spirit Beast was definitely the Guardian Beast of this Ancient Emperor Tribe. Spirit Beasts possess inherited memories from their ancestors. These inheritances can change based on the purity of their bloodline. As the bloodline weakens, the inheritance dwindles. This one’s ancestral blood is clearly not very strong, so it only remembers that it must guard this place and seek its approval. But it doesn’t understand that its ancestor was a member of this tribe to begin with! It doesn’t need any approval!”

”How do you know that?” Xu Luo asked, looking at Master Mao.

Master Mao rolled his eyes but didn’t refuse to answer. He sneered, ”Once, an ancestor of my Heaven-Swallowing Fox clan also served as a Guardian Beast for a powerful human tribe. Of course... that ancestor’s actions were rather shameful for the Heaven-Swallowing Fox clan. It’s nothing to brag about.”

Master Mao added dismissively, ”Even though that human tribe was indeed very powerful.”

”Then why did it leave?” Xu Su asked, confused. ”Was it really because of this mark on my hand?”

Xu Luo nodded. ”That’s probably the only explanation. It seems this Ancient Emperor Tribe... is truly something else.”

Xu Su said no more, his heart filling with anticipation for the journey ahead.

”Let’s go down,” Xu Luo said softly, looking in the direction the Ice Spirit Beast had gone. He had a feeling that the Ice Spirit Beast would eventually return.

’It would be even better if it could truly serve me!’ Xu Su thought as he led Xu Luo, swimming toward the underwater structure.

The two of them, along with Master Mao, followed a long, narrow passage into the interior of the ruins. An invisible force seemed to protect these Ancient Ruins. Only a little water from the Great Marsh had seeped in; once they were further inside, the passages were completely dry.

”How magical!” Xu Luo couldn’t help but exclaim.

Xu Su nodded and said, ”I was also very surprised when I first found this place. If someone else hadn’t spotted me last time, I would have gone in to take a look long ago.”

As they spoke, they arrived at the spot where Xu Su had received the mark. Their path was blocked by two enormous doors engraved with all sorts of complex patterns. The designs depicted nothing familiar, and every groove seemed to be filled with a magical power that inspired awe.

Xu Su stepped forward, aimed the mark on his palm at a specific spot on the door, and pressed down.

BOOM!

The patterns on the door instantly erupted with an intense, blinding light. In that moment, all the designs seemed to come alive!

Xu Luo watched in astonishment as the patterns on the two massive doors began to writhe and slither like vicious vipers!

”Truly terrifying!” Master Mao mumbled quietly, perched on Xu Luo’s shoulder.

Then, the patterns gradually returned to normal. The two doors opened silently to either side, revealing a long passageway...

Xu Su was the first to walk in. ”Stay back a bit,” he said softly.

Xu Luo knew his brother was worried about potential dangers. Moved, he walked up calmly and stood shoulder to shoulder with Xu Su.

Xu Su thought for a moment, then suddenly said, ”Since I’ve already been acknowledged by this place, there shouldn’t be any danger.”

Just as he spoke, Xu Luo’s gaze suddenly landed on a stone slab on the floor ahead. A sharp light flashed in his eyes. He grabbed Xu Su and said in a low voice, ”Wait!”

”What’s wrong?” Xu Su asked, surprised.

”There’s something under there,” Xu Luo said. He pulled a piece of silver weighing about a dozen taels from his ring and hurled it forcefully at the stone slab.

WHIZZ!

The silver let out a piercing shriek as it tore through the air, smashing violently toward the spot.

The force of the blow was enough to shatter a boulder. The stone slab let out a dull thud and instantly began to flip over and over, spinning continuously like a waterwheel caught in a strong current.

Peeking through the gap, Xu Su and Xu Luo saw that the space beneath the stone slab was filled with spikes that glinted coldly!

If someone were to step on it carelessly, they would be caught off guard and dragged down by the flipping slab. With so many sharp spikes, even if you survived, you’d be flayed alive.

”There’s something else down there!” Xu Luo said.

At that moment, they could clearly see snake-like creatures slithering in the gaps between the spikes. But Xu Luo was certain that those things... were definitely not ordinary snakes. No snake could survive in a place like this for thousands, or even tens of thousands, of years!

GASP! Xu Su couldn’t help but suck in a breath. He stared blankly at the totem mark on his hand and muttered, ”You don’t mean to say... that to earn their ’acknowledgment,’ you have to succeed through your own efforts?”

Master Mao sneered from Xu Luo’s shoulder. ”Did you think those Ancient Tribes were that idiotic? To truly gain their acknowledgment, you have to pass their trials! You were just lucky enough to be the first one to stumble upon it. Anyone else would have received the same mark!”

Xu Su blushed, embarrassed. ”I really thought I had earned their acknowledgment. I never expected this. If you hadn’t been so alert, we would’ve fallen right into their trap.”

The thought of being outwitted by ancients from ages unknown left Xu Su with a mix of feelings. On the battlefield, he was known as the Wise General, his plans flawless. But in this environment, in front of the younger brother he had always protected, their roles had reversed. Now his brother was protecting him...

’It’s just like Xiaoluo said. In the past, I protected him; now, he protects me...’ Xu Su felt both gratified and a little disappointed.

Master Mao, perhaps feeling that Xu Su was far more decent than Xu Luo, couldn’t bear to crush his spirits completely. He spoke up again, ”Actually, you don’t have to feel so bad. The acknowledgment of an Ancient Tribe isn’t something just anyone can get. The fact that they chose you proves you have your own extraordinary qualities. But you must be able to truly earn their recognition. Maybe... the moment you walk out of here alive, that Ice Spirit Beast... will accept you as its master.”

”Really?” Xu Su asked, pleasantly surprised.

Master Mao rolled his eyes. ”When have I, Master Mao, ever lied to anyone?”

Xu Luo also nodded from the side. ”Miaomiao is right. I was just thinking the same thing. I felt that when it left, its cries were filled with unwillingness and helplessness. If we can successfully make it out of these ruins, that beast might really accept you as its master!”

”That would be great!” Xu Su had truly taken a liking to the Ice Spirit Beast.

With a single breath, it could freeze everything within a radius of several hundred meters. If that ability were used on a battlefield, it would be a weapon of mass destruction!

Master Mao, however, rolled his eyes. ”Call me Master Mao! Kid!”

”Got it, Miaomiao.” Unfazed, Xu Luo calmly leaped over the still-tumbling slab and landed on the other side.

Xu Su followed him over. Looking back, they saw the flipping slab gradually slow to a stop. Finally, it fit perfectly back into place with the other slabs, as if nothing had ever happened.

Next, using his X-ray vision, Xu Luo identified and bypassed one exquisite trap after another. The mechanisms were so intricate that without his powerful perceptive ability, it would have been impossible to avoid them all.

”I wonder if there are any books on Mechanical Skill left in these Ancient Emperor Tribe ruins. Judging by the intricacy of these traps, whoever designed them was at the Grandmaster level!” Xu Luo said in admiration.

Xu Su nodded. ”Indeed. I never imagined you’d have X-ray vision. If you weren’t standing right here, and if I wasn’t certain you’re my own brother, I’d even suspect you were an imposter!”

Xu Luo smiled. He had too many secrets, most of which he could never tell anyone. But one thing was certain: no matter what secrets he held, his love for his family would never change.

”If there really are books on Mechanical Skill here, I’m sure that kid Sui Yan would be thrilled,” Xu Su said with a smile. ”I can’t believe it’s been a few years. To think that Little Stone has grown so much. In the battle that annihilated the Noble Legion, although you and Master Mao repelled the strongest enemy, the greatest credit really goes to Sui Yan!”

Master Mao shot Xu Luo a smug look, as if to say: ’See how great your brother is? He knows to call me Master Mao. You, on the other hand, only call me Master Mao when you need something. The second you don’t, it’s back to ’Miaomiao’!’

Xu Luo couldn’t be bothered with Miaomiao. He nodded and said, ”Sui Yan’s contribution to that battle was indeed immense. It directly impacted the Da Han Empire’s internal affairs and caused them to retreat. Speaking of which, the reward His Majesty gave Sui Yan was a bit too low.”

Xu Su smiled, shook his head slightly, and said lightly, ”It’s just the Emperor’s Heart Skill. There’s a reason the Cangqiong Kingdom has lasted for nearly 1,400 years. You see, every generation of Emperor has mastered the art of balance. In fact, our Xu Family... has had many opportunities to overthrow the Royal Family over the years...”

”That happened?” Xu Luo was unaware of these past events. After all, with over a thousand years of history involving family secrets, how could an ordinary person know?

”In the history of Cangqiong, there have been four Emperors who died young. Three of them died suddenly and violently. I don’t know if there were hidden reasons, but each time, our Xu Family was the first to step forward, leading the Military Merit Faction to support the Crown Prince’s ascension...” Xu Su smiled at Xu Luo and continued, ”The Xu Family has always belonged to the Royalist Faction. But after so many years, people change. The current Emperor is in the prime of his life. What he needs is a Military Merit Group that he can control, not a super-family so powerful it threatens his rule.”

As he spoke, Xu Su sighed faintly. ”Perhaps, after I return to the Imperial Capital in a little while, I’ll choose to retire and marry Mu Yao...”