Firmament Sword

”If—and I’m just saying if—I can provide some intelligence, could you... could you leave a way out for the Wei Family?”

In the dungeon, Wei Feng—once the most powerful minister in Cangqiong, radiating might and authority—now stood with disheveled hair, a haggard face, and an unkempt beard. His attitude was utterly subservient as he looked at the young man before him.

”That depends on whether your intelligence is worth the price,” Xu Luo said, looking calmly at Wei Feng. ”You know full well that Wei Ziting has tried to kill me more than once. The fact that he’s still alive today is already a testament to my restraint.”

”I know. I know all of it.” Wei Feng gave a bitter smile. ”History is written by the victors. People say you shouldn’t judge a hero by success or failure, but that’s utterly wrong. This world... has always judged heroes by their victories. My being here today means I have lost, and the Wei Family has lost. I have lived a glorious life. I may have regrets, but I have no remorse. I ask for nothing now, except that the Wei Family’s bloodline may continue...”

”First, tell me your intelligence. You know you’re in no position to negotiate with me,” Xu Luo said flatly, cutting him off.

”I happened to overhear a super-powerful expert next to Huangfu Haoyue say something. Perhaps this is why the sects are interfering in the mortal world—or at least... one of the reasons!” Wei Feng didn’t beat around the bush; he knew that he had truly lost all right to bargain with Xu Luo.

”Maybe the gap between me and those from the sects is just too vast, because that expert didn’t even bother to hide what he was saying. They said, ’A treasure lies in Cangqiong; to obtain it is to ascend,’” Wei Feng said.

”That’s it?” Xu Luo raised an eyebrow, looking at Wei Feng speechlessly. ”You were, for all intents and purposes, the absolute top minister in the mortal world, second to only one man. Do you really think that little phrase is worth your son’s life?”

”It’s not...” Wei Feng sighed in resignation, then continued, ”They also discovered an absolutely massive Spirit Stone Vein in Cangqiong. By now, they’ve probably already sent people to take it over.”

’A Spirit Stone Vein?’ Xu Luo’s interest was piqued. That was indeed a valuable piece of information. The more one advanced to a High-Level Realm, the more Spirit Stones they required. In the sects, the real currency wasn’t the mortal world’s gold and silver, but Spirit Stones.

”That’s right. But, to be honest, I feel they placed more importance on that phrase from before. They interfered with the mortal world’s imperial power because they want to find that legendary treasure. After all, the sects have limited manpower. If they truly want to find something in the mortal world, they have to rely on the power of the Royal Family...”

Wei Feng looked up at Xu Luo and said earnestly, ”At this point, I have no reason to deceive you, no right to deceive you, and I certainly wouldn’t dare... to provoke you.”

”Alright, I’ll tentatively believe what you’ve said. However, regarding Wei Ziting, I can only say that I will do my best to give him a chance. But if he doesn’t seize it himself, then... you can’t blame me,” Xu Luo said.

Wei Feng nodded, dejected. Although this outcome was what he had expected, he was still disappointed.

But at this point, he had no room for regrets. If he could do it all over again, he, Wei Feng... would probably still make the same choice.

Xu Luo left the dungeon and instructed the guards to keep Wei Feng under close watch, but not to abuse him.

Because Wei Feng still owed the Xu Family an explanation! He still owed the countless Cangqiong Warriors who died with grievances an explanation! He still owed the common people of the world an explanation!

The guards watching the dungeon already revered the Xu Family’s second young master as if he were a god. How could they dare to disobey even a single one of his orders?

Xu Luo hadn’t come to see Wei Feng to humiliate him. Rather, he was perplexed as to why a major sect like Dubhe would suddenly interfere with the mortal world’s imperial power, and he wanted to pry some information out of Wei Feng.

The result didn’t disappoint him. A cunning old fox like Wei Feng might have negligible martial strength, but his intellect was second to none.

However, the result left Xu Luo feeling bewildered.

’A treasure lies in Cangqiong; to obtain it is to ascend.’ ’Is this a prophecy? Or did some great power deduce something?’

Ascending to immortality. Since ancient times, it has been a nearly taboo subject, yet one that both Cultivators and ordinary mortals yearned for and obsessed over.

Immortals possessed heaven-shaking and earth-shattering abilities and a lifespan of eternal life. They represented the ultimate goal of nearly all Spiritual Creatures.

But from ancient times to the present, throughout the endless river of history, countless brilliantly talented great powers had spent their lives seeking immortality, only to... perish in endless loneliness and sorrow in the end.

No one can live forever. This is a law of the Celestial Dao!

To seek immortality is to defy the heavens!

And how could the heavens possibly be defied?

”Miaomiao, do you think immortals really exist in this world?” Xu Luo asked softly.

”What a load of nonsense. Where would immortals come from? Who is an immortal? Haven’t all those ancient great powers with their sky-high Magical Power died off by now? If you want to talk about immortals, some of those guys could live for tens of thousands of years! Some could even live a second life, for a total lifespan of seventy or eighty thousand years! They were beings close to immortal! But didn’t they still have to die in the end?” Master Mao’s disdainful voice came from his pocket.

”True. We’re still a long, long way from the realm of those great powers. There’s really no need to be thinking about this now.” Xu Luo chuckled at himself, feeling he had been overthinking things.

「 ... 」

The turmoil in Cangqiong was like a wildfire, extinguished almost as soon as it ignited. But this wildfire was as terrifying as lava erupting from the Earth Core, its power immense, burning the entire Cangqiong Royal Family beyond recognition.

His Majesty the Emperor, a ruler who could have been considered one of the wisest of his generation, was dead. The Empress, a mother to the nation, was dead. The Crown Prince, who should have inherited the throne after the Emperor’s passing, was also dead. And the Sixth Prince, who had orchestrated a fine play of strife between brothers... was run through with a single sword strike by Huangfu Haoyue at the final moment.

For all those watching Cangqiong, it was a grand performance of ”the mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind.” The pitiful Sixth Prince, too clever by half, had schemed his own demise.

Huangfu Haoyue was even more unlucky. He was a master of intrigue, ruthless and cruel, and had helpers so powerful they could make the entire mortal world tremble. Unfortunately for him, his enemy was a prodigy acknowledged as such by nearly every sect on the Central Plains Star Continent!

Thus, despite his meticulous plotting, Huangfu Haoyue failed to take the throne in the end. He lost.

He lost miserably.

Five of his seven Transformation Realm Powerhouses had died; only two escaped. So not only did he lose, but he lost disgracefully and was consumed by resentment.

Carried away by the two Transformation Realm Powerhouses, Huangfu Haoyue was on the verge of madness. Even now, he had yet to recover from the blow.

Plunged from the heavens into the dust—and he had landed face-first...

That was the perfect description of Huangfu Haoyue right now.

He was resentful, his heart filled with hatred. He couldn’t believe Xu Luo’s strength had grown so quickly, to the point that even a powerhouse from the sect who possessed Dharma Heaven and Earth was no match for him...

Although the two Transformation Realm Powerhouses were also filled with resentment, they saw more than Huangfu Haoyue did!

’This boy is a true prodigy!’

’In the past, people like him only existed in legends. I always thought they *were* just legends. Only now do I realize that legends always have an origin...’

’If I could choose again, I would never have come to Cangqiong. I would never have gotten involved in this matter.’

’Now that we’ve interfered, the Kaiyang Sect will definitely react...’

On their escape route, the two Transformation Realm Powerhouses had many thoughts.

「 ... 」

”My father, the Emperor... my mother, the Empress... and all my brothers... are they really... all gone?” Huangfu Chongzhi stared in disbelief at his two sworn brothers, Sui Yan and Liu Feng, tears welling in his eyes.

”Big Brother... our condolences.” Liu Feng and Sui Yan’s eyes were also bloodshot.

This was especially true for Sui Yan. The once-aloof young man now looked haggard, his eyes filled with world-weariness. His father, Sui Wanli, had been killed on the spot by a Transformation Realm Powerhouse. As a son, not only could he not perform the last rites for his father or ensure he was laid to rest, but he was also forced to flee like a stray dog. The inner torment and anguish were nearly enough to make the young man break down.

Huangfu Chongzhi was silent for a long time. From outside, he could hear the continuous sounds of Luo Xinlan giving orders to settle the various family members, as well as the sorrowful voices of Xia Muyao and Guo Ying as they received them.

He opened his mouth and asked, ”Then... what about Uncle Xu Ji?”

”My father chose to stay behind in the Imperial Capital so that we could escape.” Xu Su, who was sitting to the side, said slowly, ”We fought our way out and have been on the run ever since. We’ve been almost completely cut off from information. Right now... we don’t know... what will happen.”

”What about Xu Luo? Why isn’t he here?” Huangfu Chongzhi looked up at Xu Su. ”If he were here, the outcome... would have been different!”

”Even if he were here, I’m afraid he would have been powerless to turn the tide. Huangfu Haoyue planned this meticulously for a long time. He had several Transformation Realm Powerhouses by his side. With the power of a sect interfering in the mortal world, we were helpless to resist,” Xu Su said, shaking her head with a soft sigh.

Although the current Xu Luo possessed astonishing strength, when faced with Transformation Realm Powerhouses, Xu Su didn’t believe her younger brother had the ability to change the outcome.

”No, he definitely would have!” Huangfu Chongzhi said with certainty. He didn’t explain why, because holding the Pill Scripture, he couldn’t be clearer about its value.

Not to mention, there were also the Blood Pills, which were like Divine Medicine!

Therefore, Huangfu Chongzhi chose to believe that Xu Luo could create miracles.

”It’s just a pity he wasn’t here.” Huangfu Chongzhi sighed silently, then added bitterly, ”Xu Jie isn’t here either. If he knew what happened, I wonder if he’d regret his choice.”

Everyone fell silent, because no one could have imagined something like this would happen.

How could the Royal Family of an Empire that had stood strong for over a thousand years just crumble to dust in a single day?

It was like some kind of joke!

And yet, this joke had become reality.

”First Young Master, the little young master is crying again. No one can calm him down. You should go take a look...” Just as everyone was shrouded in silence, a young Maid suddenly burst in from outside, her voice crisp and clear.

Only then did the Maid realize the room was full of people, all staring at her with strange expressions. The Maid’s face instantly flushed red, and she became flustered and at a loss for what to do.

Even in the heavy, oppressive atmosphere, everyone was stunned.

Little Fatty looked at Huangfu Chongzhi, his mouth twitching as he mumbled, ”’Little young master’? What little young master? I say, Big Brother... don’t tell me you got married and had a kid during this time? You... isn’t that a bit much?”