Firmament Sword

A roar like rolling thunder echoed through the heavens.

It instantly startled them, and they all became extremely vigilant.

To be able to get so close without a sound… If it hadn’t suddenly roared, they might never have noticed its approach. A being with that kind of skill was certainly no simple foe.

SWOOSH!

A shadow streaked toward them like a bolt of lightning. In the blink of an eye, it was standing before them. A hand shot out, pointing at Lianyi. ”Let go of that peach! It’s mine!”

Then, its gaze fell on Ji Bingyu. ”You too,” it snarled viciously. ”Hand over my peach!”

Xu Luo and the two women stared, dumbfounded. Their eyes were filled with utter disbelief.

The newcomer was an old man with the bearing of an immortal sage. He wore a grey Daoist robe embroidered with mysterious runes. His hair was streaked with white, and a long beard flowed from his chin. Though his face was lined with wrinkles, his posture was ramrod straight and his aura was majestic. By all appearances, he was a senior who had long been in a position of power.

Of course, that was assuming he kept his mouth shut. The contrast between the old man’s appearance and the words coming out of his mouth was just too vast. They were complete opposites.

But that wasn’t the most important part. After all, while one’s appearance may reflect their heart, there’s also the old saying ”never judge a book by its cover.”

What truly stunned Xu Luo and the others was the simple fact that the newcomer was an old man.

’Who on earth is he?’

’Aren’t the rules of this Small World supposed to suppress anyone over the age of twenty-five?’

’So how did this old man get in? He’s moving with such vigor, completely unaffected…’

’Could he have some way to bypass this Small World’s rules?’

In a flash, a thousand thoughts raced through Xu Luo’s mind. Just then, the Ancient Peach Tree’s voice transmitted to him, sounding as if it were muttering to itself. ’What’s this guy doing here?’

’You know him?’ Xu Luo asked, surprised. He thought, ’Could there be humans living in this Small World, in addition to all the powerful beasts?’

’He’s not human!’ Master Tao provided the answer.

But this answer sent Xu Luo into a state of shock. Only a Holy Beast could take on a human form.

Furthermore, a Holy Beast that could assume a flawless human form, one whose aura was completely indistinguishable from a human’s... was an exceedingly rare sight!

This was an entirely different concept from the giant black tiger and the great golden bird he’d encountered before, which merely had the bloodline of a Holy Beast!

If this old man wasn’t human but a Holy Beast, then he was likely on the same level as the Thunder Beast Xu Luo had seen in the ruins of the Ancient Emperor Tribe!

Xu Luo felt a headache coming on. ’What rotten luck,’ he thought. ’To think a powerhouse of this caliber actually exists in this Small World, and I just had to run into him?’

As if reading his mind, Master Tao chuckled and sent another message. ’Don’t you worry. He’s definitely not a Holy Beast!’

Xu Luo was stunned. ’But didn’t you say only Holy Beasts can take human form?’ he asked. ’And his aura is clearly that of a human. To achieve this level of transformation, what could he be if not a Holy Beast?’

Master Tao scoffed. ’Shows how much you know. Who told you only Holy Beasts can take human form? You think that’s such an amazing skill? If I felt like it, I could do it too!’

”...” Xu Luo was speechless. ’Then what is he?’

’Just like me,’ Master Tao said. ’He’s a tree!’

’Damn, are all the trees in this Small World this powerful? And a tree needs to eat peaches?’ Xu Luo’s face darkened. The things in this Small World were truly full of mystery and the unknown, to the point of being utterly bizarre.

’And why can’t a tree eat a peach?’ Master Tao retorted, indignant at Xu Luo’s ignorance. ’The peaches I bear are unique in all the heavens and the earth! The energy and Heaven and Earth Essence Qi they contain make them a supreme medicinal treasure for any living creature in this world—except for me, of course!’

Master Tao huffed, then grumbled, ’That old coot. Instead of trading his pine nuts for my peaches, he’s trying to steal them from someone else. He’s got less and less class the older he gets!’

’Pine nuts? You mean... this old man’s true form is a pine tree?’

Xu Luo was truly taken aback. Who could have guessed that such a straight-backed, dignified old man was actually an ancient tree?

’That’s right. His actual strength isn’t all that, but he’s an expert at putting on airs and fooling ignorant people like you,’ Master Tao jeered.

Xu Luo didn’t get angry. After all, he’d only been cultivating for a few years, and his realm wasn’t that high. It was perfectly normal for there to be much about the world he didn’t understand. Master Tao’s mockery couldn’t faze him in the slightest.

Compared to the venomous tongues back in the Imperial Capital, Master Tao’s jabs were child’s play.

Humbly, Xu Luo asked, ’So, you’re saying this old man is just putting on an act? That in reality, he’s not that tough?’

’I know what you’re thinking, and you’re welcome to try,’ Master Tao said, gloating. ’This old fossil might be nothing in my eyes, but for a few little tykes like you... you might not actually be his match.’

”Hey! You two little girls, are you deaf? Didn’t you hear me? Hand over those peaches! Otherwise, don’t blame this old ancestor for getting his hands dirty!” The old man let out a sinister cackle. ”It’s been many years since I’ve had to kill anyone. My weapon is thirsting for action! Now... hand over the peaches!”

Xu Luo eyed the old man’s straight-backed figure. ’He certainly stands tall, just like an old pine,’ he thought. ’But this particular Ancient Pine Tree... is a little pathetic, isn’t he?’

Judging by the Ancient Peach Tree’s tone, this Ancient Pine Tree’s greatest skill was likely his ability to take human form so flawlessly that no one could perceive his true nature.

As for his actual power... it probably wasn’t anything special.

With that in mind, Xu Luo had an idea. He looked at the old man and said, ”Humans over the age of twenty-five can’t enter this Small World. If they do, they’re immediately suppressed by its rules. Sir... how did you manage to get in?”

”I... I was always...” the old man blurted out, but stopped halfway as he realized his mistake. He looked at Xu Luo, a mysterious smile spreading across his face, and then declared proudly, ”Do you have any idea who I am? The rules of this puny Small World... think they can suppress me? What a joke! Does an elephant concern itself with the rules of ants? I come and go from this place as I please. Who could possibly stop me?”

As he spoke, an aura of powerful confidence emanated from him, and an intangible pressure grew more distinct. But judging by his expression, he clearly wasn’t releasing it on purpose.

Rather, it was something that flowed out naturally with his every breath!

Every sign pointed to one conclusion: this old man’s status was unimaginably high, and his power was great enough to make one tremble in fear...

”If you’re so powerful, why do you need to snatch peaches from two juniors?” Xu Luo said, grinning at the old man. ’If I hadn’t learned your secret from Master Tao,’ he thought, ’I might have actually fallen for your act.’

”Snatch? Little whelp, watch your tone. The consequences of angering this old ancestor are severe,” the old man said sternly. ”The heavens value life, and I am unwilling to harm you juniors. I hope you’ll be a bit more cooperative!”

Lianyi and Ji Bingyu were both cowed by his bluff. Although the old man’s tone was incredibly arrogant, his aura was genuinely astonishing. He stood there, straight and tall, like a colossal tree blotting out the sun, exuding an immense, oppressive pressure.

No one who saw him would dare show him the slightest disrespect.

Especially in a Small World that suppressed anyone over twenty-five, this man, who looked to be at least seventy or eighty, was all the more awe-inspiring.

Xu Luo gave the old man a wry smile. ”You’re right, the heavens do value life. So how about this? I won’t kill you. Just leave behind, say, a few tens of thousands of pounds of your pine nuts, and you can be on your way.”

The moment Xu Luo spoke, Lianyi and Ji Bingyu grew tense. This was no time to blame Xu Luo for misspeaking; they had to find a way to fix this. The most important thing was to avoid angering the old man.

Therefore, as soon as the words left Xu Luo’s mouth, Lianyi jumped in, forcing a smile. ”I’m so sorry, Senior,” she said to the old man. ”My little brother just loves to joke around. You wanted this peach, right? Please, it’s yours. Take it...”

Ji Bingyu, though deeply reluctant to part with the Peerless Treasure Medicine in her hand, knew that if they didn’t give it to the old man, Xu Luo would likely face disaster.

She immediately stepped forward, preparing to hand her peach to the old man as well.

But to the two women’s surprise, after hearing Xu Luo’s words, the old man’s straight-backed frame trembled slightly. He then flew into a towering rage and roared at Xu Luo, ”Brat, do you have any idea what you’re doing? Are you trying to provoke this old ancestor?”

This time, however, even Lianyi and Ji Bingyu felt something was off.

Leaving aside the fact that the old man’s words held a hint of bravado masking fear, if he were truly such a powerhouse and had his sights set on the Chaos Peach...

...then it would have been simple. All he’d have to do is release that terrifying pressure, and if they dared to hesitate, he could just slap them to death.

Why was he wasting so much time talking?

”Give it up, you pathetic old pine tree,” Xu Luo said, standing there leisurely with a smile. ”You really think no one can see through your act? If I were you, I’d hurry up and cough up those tens of thousands of pounds of pine nuts. Otherwise, getting chopped down for firewood... would be a terrible shame!”

The old man’s face turned livid. He pointed a finger at Xu Luo. ”You’re courting death!”

As he spoke, a terrifying aura erupted from his body, flooding the area. The immense pressure made it difficult to breathe!

”Xu Luo... why don’t we just give him the peaches?” Lianyi managed to say, struggling against the pressure. She felt like she was about to cough up blood. ”Just think of it as a small price to pay to avoid disaster, okay?” Her beautiful eyes were filled with worry for him.

No matter what, she didn’t want Xu Luo to face it, not even if there was only the slightest chance of death.