Firmament Sword

”Where... am I?” Xu Luo slowly opened his eyes, a profound sense of weakness washing over him.

After letting out a long breath, Xu Luo felt his mind clear slightly, and he looked around.

He was lying on a large, comfortable bed. The ceiling above was covered in wallpaper, its design filled with an exotic flair. Xu Luo was certain he had never seen this style of wallpaper before.

He shifted slightly, but a piercing pain shot through him, forcing him to stop immediately. At the same time, one thing became clear: he wasn’t dead. It seemed... he had been rescued.

’But... where is this place?’ Xu Luo couldn’t help but think back to Huo Wanzhang’s final attack that day.

’If I hadn’t been poisoned, I should have been able to dodge that blow...’ A bitter smile touched Xu Luo’s lips. His Dantian was completely empty, as if nothing had ever been there. He couldn’t even sense his Seven-Star Soul.

’Did I... did I survive by a fluke, only to lose all my strength?’ Xu Luo wondered.

In the instant his Five-Star Dharma Aspect collided with the light from Huo Wanzhang’s own Dharma Aspect, Xu Luo had felt like he was truly about to die. That feeling... had lasted only for a moment.

But in that mysterious, starry expanse, he had already experienced it thousands of times!

So in that moment, Xu Luo’s heart was surprisingly calm, devoid of any fear.

When he opened his eyes again, he was here.

Just then, the sound of light footsteps came from outside, followed by the voices of people talking.

”How is that man? Has he woken up yet?” asked a young, somewhat boyish voice that seemed to carry... a hint of authority.

”Young Master, the man is still unconscious. His injuries are very severe...” someone replied from outside the door.

”I see... Did you give him the medicine I told you to?” the boy’s voice asked.

”Replying to the Young Master, I did. But, Young Master... if this servant may be so bold, when you found this man, he was covered in blood and had been unconscious for a long time. It’s clear he escaped after a fight. He might be an enemy of some major sect. If you rashly brought him back, could it be that...” the person outside said cautiously.

”It’s fine... The few sects around here haven’t been making any moves lately, so it’s probably not related to them. There were no signs of a battle where we found him, either,” the boy said. ”Besides, we can’t just leave someone to die. My conscience wouldn’t be able to handle it.”

”You are benevolent, Young Master, but we don’t know this man’s background. We’re just afraid... afraid he might not be a good person...” The person outside seemed worried.

”It’ll be okay. I saved his life; surely he won’t repay kindness with malice, right? So, even if he’s not a good person, the worst that can happen is we ask him to leave after he wakes up.” The boy spoke with a laugh, then reached out and pushed the door open.

The boy immediately saw that Xu Luo’s eyes were open, and his face lit up with joy. ”You’re awake?”

”Thank you for saving me.” Xu Luo couldn’t move his body, so he could only speak his thanks.

”Ha, you heard us talking?” The boy smiled, a little embarrassed. ”Don’t mind what the servant said.”

”It’s alright. He wasn’t wrong,” Xu Luo said.

The boy scratched his head, then looked at Xu Luo and said, ”Anyway, what matters is that you’re okay. When we found you, we thought you were already dead. If my master hadn’t said you were still breathing, we might have buried you right there on the spot.”

Xu Luo couldn’t help but smile. This was a simple and kind-hearted boy. In him, Xu Luo seemed to see a reflection of his former self.

”Could you tell me... where this place is?” Xu Luo asked politely.

”My name is Yang Ming. You can just call me by my name! This... is the Starlight Sect. Seeing as you look like a sect disciple yourself, you’ve probably heard of our Starlight Sect, right?” the boy said.

”The Starlight Sect?” Xu Luo frowned slightly, searching his memory. He had no recollection of this sect at all. An apologetic look appeared on his face as he said with a wry smile, ”I’m sorry... I’ve honestly never heard of it.”

”Huh?” The boy was suddenly a little embarrassed. ”The Starlight Sect may not be a major sect, but we’re not completely unknown...”

Xu Luo said apologetically, ”I’m sorry... By the way, let me ask, is this... the Central Plains Star Continent?”

”What?” The boy, who had been feeling dejected because this person hadn’t heard of his sect, was suddenly stunned by Xu Luo’s question. He stared blankly at Xu Luo. ”I say, big brother... is your head still a little fuzzy? I guess so... Your injuries are too severe. Master said it was a miracle you even survived! This is the Southern Celestial Divine Continent! The Central Plains Star Continent... I’ve heard of it... It’s millions of miles from here!”

The boy continued, ”I think some mortal merchants who aren’t afraid of death occasionally travel the vast sea routes to reach the Southern Celestial Divine Continent and trade with the people here. But out of a thousand ships... you’d be lucky if even one made the round trip safely!”

”That’s why it’s been many years since anyone from the Central Plains Star Continent came over here...”

The boy rambled on and on, not once considering that the man before him might actually be from the distant Central Plains Star Continent.

Meanwhile, Xu Luo, lying in bed, was completely stunned. He had no idea what happened in that final moment. How could he have appeared in the faraway Southern Celestial Divine Continent?

”Look at me... I forgot you’re an injured man. You must be hungry. I’ll go get you something to eat, just wait here!” The boy slapped his forehead and then dashed out of the room in a flurry.

The corner of Xu Luo’s mouth twitched slightly. After a long moment, a faint smile appeared on his face.

’No matter what, I didn’t die. I survived. And now I’m in the distant Southern Celestial Divine Continent... I bet no one would ever think to look for me here, right?’

Thinking of his family, Xu Luo’s expression dimmed. ’They won’t have any news of me. They must be so worried.’

Then, Xu Luo thought of those people from the Ancient Race Continent, and an icy glint appeared in his eyes.

’I, Xu Luo, am not dead... I’m still alive! The Ancient Race Continent, is it? The Huo Family, is it? Sooner or later, I will set foot on the Ancient Race Continent and personally trample your Huo Family underfoot!’

Xu Luo swore in his heart.

A short while later, the boy returned carrying a bowl of soup. Beside him was a wide-eyed young girl, staring at Xu Luo with curiosity.

”See? I told you he was awake, but you didn’t believe me. Now you see, right?” the boy said to the girl, looking rather smug.

The girl rolled her eyes. Her voice was as crisp and clear as an oriole’s song. ”What’s the use of him being awake? Look at all his injuries. Even if he survived... he’s probably crippled, isn’t he?”

The boy looked at Xu Luo apologetically. ”Sorry about that. This is my little sister. She just talks like that, she doesn’t mean anything by it. She’s actually very kind. She helped rescue you, too.”

”Your sister is just frank. I don’t mind,” Xu Luo said, smiling at the girl. ”Thank you!”

”Whatever. We just happened to run into you. Forget a grown man, I wouldn’t just stand by if I saw an injured kitten or puppy either,” the girl said crisply. She then looked at Xu Luo and asked, ”What’s your name? What sect are you from? Who are your enemies?”

”Yang Dan... don’t go too far!” The boy seemed annoyed. He glared at his sister, feeling it was inappropriate for her to ask such direct questions to his face.

”What’s the big deal? We’ve already done more than enough by saving him. What if he has some terrifying enemies? Wouldn’t we get dragged into it?” the girl said, rolling her eyes.

The boy’s face was full of embarrassment. He frowned, on the verge of losing his temper.

But Xu Luo just shook his head slightly and smiled. ”It’s fine. It was my oversight. My name is Xu Luo. I’m from... a very distant place. I don’t belong to any sect, and my enemies... have nothing to do with this place. Don’t worry, as soon as I recover a little, I’ll leave. I won’t cause you any trouble.”

The girl seemed to realize her words had been a bit harsh. ”I didn’t mean to drive you away. It’s just that recently... Never mind. There’s no point telling an outsider.”

With that, the girl took the bowl of soup from the boy’s hands. ”What are you standing there like an idiot for? The soup’s getting cold!”

She brought the soup over to Xu Luo, scooped up a spoonful, and held it to his lips. ”Open your mouth. This is highly nutritious. Drink it while it’s hot!”

Xu Luo was touched. This girl named Yang Dan seemed prickly and difficult, but she was a kind-hearted person.

Yang Ming’s mouth twitched. He glanced at his sister and grumbled, ”Your problem is that mouth of yours. How are you ever going to get married!”

The girl’s face flushed slightly, and she shot back, ”Then I won’t get married! If it’s not someone this young lady fancies... this young lady would rather die than marry!”

Saying this, the girl began to feed Xu Luo the hot soup, one spoonful at a time.

Unable to move a muscle, Xu Luo could only passively accept the girl’s kindness.

As the brother and sister bickered, they also chatted with Xu Luo. Through them, Xu Luo began to get a rough idea of his current situation.

The boy, Yang Ming, and the girl, Yang Dan, were both disciples of a sect called the Starlight Sect on the Southern Celestial Divine Continent. Their father was the Sect Leader of this Starlight Sect, Yang Qingchuan.

Yang Qingchuan doted on his two children, and Xu Luo could hear the deep familial love in their words.

The Starlight Sect was a small to medium-sized sect. In the vicinity, within a thousand-mile radius, there were more than a dozen other sects, six of which were very powerful.

There were all sorts of conflicts between these sects, and recently, the flames of war... had spread to the Starlight Sect.

A sect called the Blazing Fire Sect had been trying to annex the Starlight Sect.

The Blazing Fire Sect was much larger than the Starlight Sect and was considered a top-tier sect within this thousand-mile radius. According to the boy, Yang Ming, the Blazing Fire Sect was filled with masters, and the Starlight Sect was no match for them at all. If their father hadn’t been desperately holding on, they would have likely been swallowed up long ago.

”The strongest person in the Blazing Fire Sect... what is their cultivation level?” Xu Luo asked after swallowing the last mouthful of soup, feeling a faint trace of sensation return to his body.