Firmament Sword

Then, several figures streaked over from the distance like beams of light, in hot pursuit.

Xu Luo glanced over and recognized the person leading the chase: Xu Qing of the Jade Balance Sect. Trailing behind her were six other young men and women.

’I remember the Jade Balance Sect had several hundred disciples enter. Why are there only a few of them left?’ Xu Luo muttered to himself in confusion.

He then saw the Dragon Bell accelerating, moving faster and faster until it broke the sound barrier!

Xu Luo sighed softly, shot into the air, and executed the Shaking Light Step. Moving like a graceful dragon, he positioned himself directly in front of the speeding Dragon Bell. A moment later, a sharp aura erupted from his body, bearing down on the bell to suppress it!

BZZZZ!

The Dragon Bell quivered lightly, letting out a buzzing hum. Countless terrifying sonic waves rippled toward Xu Luo.

”Quite ferocious, aren’t we!” Xu Luo grumbled, but his expression remained unchanged as he let out a great roar at the Dragon Bell.

”You will get down!”

BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!

Four violent sonic booms ripped through the air. The four words of Xu Luo’s roar, infused with the Jade Balance Demon Sound, were terrifyingly powerful. Each word alone could shatter a mountain!

The rippling sonic waves from the Dragon Bell were instantly broken. The powerful sonic booms made the very sky seem to distort.

The approaching Xu Qing and her group froze in their tracks. The young men and women behind her wore expressions of shock and indignation.

A flash of anger crossed the handsome youth’s eyes. He shouted, ”Who are you? That Dragon Bell is ours!”

”Hey, I think he’s... Xu Luo!” a pretty young woman exclaimed, her eyes filled with surprise as she looked at him.

Xu Qing stared intently at the Dragon Bell struggling to break free in midair, her elegant brows furrowing slightly. She didn’t know about her uncle’s arrangement and assumed Xu Luo was also trying to claim the artifact.

Xu Qing bit her lip, a flicker of unwillingness in her eyes. She had gone to great lengths for this Dragon Bell, even causing many of her fellow disciples to resent her.

’Is it... Is this Spirit-Connected Magical Artifact fated to not be mine?’ A shadow of despair crossed Xu Qing’s eyes.

At that moment, the handsome youth behind her gritted his teeth and said, ”No matter what, we have to get that Spirit-Connected Magical Artifact!”

Xu Luo released his powerful aura, trying to suppress the Dragon Bell, but it struggled so violently that he could barely control it.

The power of the Spirit-Connected Magical Artifact was somewhat beyond Xu Luo’s expectations. He glanced up at the hesitant Xu Qing and her group and shouted, ”Are you going to help or not?”

”What? That’s outrageous!”

”Exactly! You’re trying to steal the Dragon Bell from us, and now you want our help?”

”How can you be so shameless!”

”Absolutely shameless!”

Xu Luo’s one sentence had enraged all the young disciples of the Jade Balance Sect behind Xu Qing, and they all started yelling at him.

Xu Qing was also annoyed. She shot Xu Luo a glare and said, ”Xu Luo, what is the meaning of this?”

”Didn’t your uncle tell you?” Xu Luo had assumed Xushan would have explained things to Xu Qing. He hadn’t expected the man to be so unreliable, failing to inform her about such a major affair beforehand.

A mischievous thought came to him. He grinned and said, ”No special meaning. I’m just asking for your help!”

”You...” Xu Qing was speechless with anger. She couldn’t believe this guy could be so thick-skinned, trying to steal something from her while asking for her help.

Just then, the Dragon Bell let out another crisp chime. A massive sonic wave blasted through Xu Luo’s suppression, and with a SWOOSH, it streaked across the sky, about to vanish from sight.

”Little Bell, don’t run!” Xu Luo shouted as he gave chase. At the same time, he sent a Divine Thought into Xu Qing’s mind.

”Little girl, your uncle asked me to help you get this. What are you spacing out for? Hurry up and help me chase it down and suppress it!”

”Who... Who are you calling ’little girl’!” Xu Qing blurted out instinctively in a fit of anger. Then, seeing the surprised looks from her fellow disciples, she blushed slightly and said quietly, ”We’ve misunderstood. He’s here to help us. Let’s hurry and catch up.”

”Is that really true? Don’t you think he’s trying to trick us?”

”Exactly! Why would he be so kind? Don’t forget he has a grudge with our Elder!”

”That guy came from the secular world. He’s definitely full of tricks. It’s got to be a lie!”

”Don’t trust him so easily. Who wouldn’t be tempted by a treasure like this? Why would he possibly help us?”

”Senior Sister, don’t fall for it! He’s definitely trying to use us!”

The young Jade Balance Sect disciples didn’t believe for a second that Xu Luo would be so kindhearted. It wasn’t their fault for being suspicious; after all, they had no relationship with him whatsoever, let alone any basis for trust.

”Let’s go take a look first,” Xu Qing said, not mentioning that it was her uncle’s arrangement. Intuitively, she was inclined to believe Xu Luo.

In Xu Qing’s impression, although Xu Luo was young, he was someone who took responsibility for his actions. A person who dared to kill the Young Sect Leader of Tianquan right in front of a Jade Balance Sect Elder... ’Someone like that... probably wouldn’t need to resort to deception, right?’

Harboring a bit of suspicion, Xu Qing and the others chased after Xu Luo.

At this point, Xu Luo was once again locked in a struggle with the Dragon Bell.

Although Master Tao had said that the Dragon Bell would be instantly suppressed if he just took out the reverse scale from the White Flood Dragon Saint Beast, Xu Luo had no intention of doing so.

For one, Xu Luo didn’t want others to know he possessed such a treasure. He could trust Xu Qing, but there was no guarantee the people with her wouldn’t spread the word. For another, if the reverse scale suppressed the Dragon Bell directly, it would be as good as subjugated by him... and giving it to Xu Qing after that would likely be very difficult.

How could a Spirit-Connected Magical Artifact not have its own dignity? Once it acknowledged a master, it was unheard of for one to betray its owner unless the owner died.

Therefore, Xu Luo’s plan was to simply tie up the Dragon Bell. Since Xushan had sent Xu Qing to retrieve it, it was impossible that he hadn’t given her some kind of trump card.

”Where do you think you’re going?” Xu Luo roared, unleashing his Tyrant Technique and smashing a heavy fist toward the Dragon Bell.

The Dragon Bell, already possessing Spirit Communication, became enraged by Xu Luo’s attempts to suppress it. Its crisp chimes merged into a continuous sound, and countless sonic waves condensed into a single line, shooting directly at Xu Luo like a sharp arrow!

BANG!

Xu Luo’s fist slammed into the line of condensed, almost tangible sonic energy, creating an earth-shattering boom.

The punch, powerful enough to shatter a great mountain, obliterated the sound wave created by the Dragon Bell.

The Dragon Bell vibrated as if in a fury, emitting a brilliant, dazzling seven-colored light. With a BZZZ, the Dragon Bell straightened into a line, transforming into a sharp sword that radiated a seven-colored glow!

It slashed down at Xu Luo from the air!

The Seven Star Sword appeared in Xu Luo’s hand. The seven stars on its blade suddenly lit up, and it let out a high-pitched cry. A disdainful will emanated from the sword.

CLANG!

It collided fiercely with the sword formed by the Dragon Bell. Xu Luo felt an immense force rush toward him, sending him staggering back a dozen steps. At the same time, the sword made of the bell dissipated, reverting to its original form.

It hung suspended in the void, facing off against Xu Luo.

By now, Xu Qing and her group had arrived.

Xu Luo shouted, ”Little girl, I’m going to hold it still in a moment! Whatever you’ve got up your sleeve, use it now! This is your one and only chance!”

”I am not a little girl!” Xu Qing’s face was crimson as she glared fiercely at Xu Luo.

The corner of Xu Luo’s mouth twitched. ’Women are so much trouble,’ he thought. ’How can she be worried about something like that at a time like this?’

However, by now, Xu Qing could also see that Xu Luo was indeed helping her. Otherwise, there would be no reason for him to say such a thing.

The young men and women behind Xu Qing also understood now that Xu Luo was helping. Although they still had many doubts, they didn’t say anything more.

The young male disciples still looked at Xu Luo with a trace of hostility. Although they believed he was helping, they were all convinced he was only doing it because of Xu Qing’s beauty.

This made them feel extremely threatened. Xu Qing was the goddess in the hearts of all the young male disciples of the Jade Balance Sect.

Even if they knew nothing could ever happen between them and Xu Qing, they absolutely did not want to stand by and watch their goddess be snatched away by someone else.

It was a complicated feeling, and so these young male disciples from the Jade Balance Sect all looked at Xu Luo with complicated expressions.

Master Tao mocked Xu Luo via telepathy, ”I really don’t get what you’re thinking. Just take out that Dragon Scale the Saint Beast gave you, and this Spirit-Connected Magical Artifact would be yours. Why insist on giving it to someone else?”

Xu Luo retorted, ”A real man’s promise is worth a thousand pieces of gold. What would a tree like you know about it?”

”Pah! Aren’t you just doing this because the little girl is pretty? Don’t try to pull that act with me, Master Tao!” Master Tao scoffed.

Xu Luo couldn’t be bothered with Master Tao. Wielding his Seven Star Sword and using the Shaking Light Step, he unleashed the Breaking Army Seven Kills and the Tyrant Technique, occasionally letting out a roar with the Jade Balance Demon Sound. Although he couldn’t suppress the Dragon Bell, he managed to keep it tied down, preventing its escape.

Xu Qing carefully took a brocade box from her robes. She opened it, revealing a Golden Talisman inside. Instantly, an aura of noble, righteous energy spread out in all directions.

It caused everyone’s spirits to rise!

The aura was as vast as a Star River in the dead of night, yet it carried no oppressive feeling. It only made one feel centered and at peace, clearing their mind.

A hint of surprise appeared in Xu Luo’s eyes. He never thought such a magical item existed in this world.

”What powerful, righteous energy!” Master Tao exclaimed in Xu Luo’s ear. ”This is something refined by a great power from ancient times!”

’So it really is an ancient artifact. It seems Xushan really dotes on his niece to give her a treasure like this,’ Xu Luo thought to himself.

Xu Qing stepped through the air, her movements as graceful as a swan, like a Fairy from a painting. She walked toward the Dragon Bell step by step, muttering an incantation that Xu Luo couldn’t understand.

The Dragon Bell, which had been struggling desperately, was held in place by Xu Luo and enveloped by the noble, righteous energy. Gradually, it stopped struggling!

Joy filled Xu Qing’s eyes. She walked up to the Dragon Bell and, with a light smack, pressed the Golden Talisman from her hand onto it. The Dragon Bell immediately ceased all resistance and even sent a wave of affinity toward Xu Qing.

’It worked?’ A look of relief appeared in Xu Luo’s eyes. In any case, he had fulfilled his promise.

”Oh no!” Xu Luo suddenly cried out in alarm.

Just then, something unexpected happened.