Firmament Sword

The men of the Blazing Fire Sect were aggressive and tyrannical. Looking as if their wives had been stolen, they stormed the gates of the Starlight Sect, burning with rage, and attacked without a single word!

”The Blazing Fire Sect is attacking!”

”All first and second-generation disciples, assemble immediately! Today, we will resist to the death! We will fight to the bitter end!”

”Resist to the death! Fight to the bitter end!”

”All disciples of the third and fourth generations and younger, fall back to the safe zone immediately... Immediately!”

The entire Starlight Sect burst into activity. Everyone was busy but orderly, not at all like the Blazing Fire Sect had imagined. They hadn’t descended into chaos, clutching their heads and scattering like frightened animals at the first sign of an attack.

”Chuxiong, you owe me an explanation!” With a sharp cry, the Starlight Sect’s Sect Leader, Yang Qingchuan, sent a Transformation Realm Powerhouse who had charged through the gates flying back with a palm strike. His gaze was icy as he looked down below.

”Yang Qingchuan, it’s come to this, and you’re still trying to hold on?” a middle-aged man sneered, stepping out from the Blazing Fire Sect’s ranks and looking coldly at Yang Qingchuan. ”An explanation? There is no explanation! After today, the Starlight Sect will be wiped from the face of the Southern Celestial Divine Continent!”

”You want to wipe out the Starlight Sect? You’ll pay a heavy price for it! If it comes to it... we’ll take you down with us!” Yang Qingchuan shouted fiercely.

”Haha, the fish will die, but this net... will absolutely not break!” Chuxiong sneered and swiped his hand down forcefully. ”Kill them! Leave no one alive!”

BOOM!

A large number of powerhouses from the Blazing Fire Sect all leaped into the air, attacking the Starlight Sect from every direction.

”Even if we die here today, we will never let you succeed so easily!” Yang Qingchuan roared.

Although he had known the Blazing Fire Sect would eventually attack, he hadn’t expected them to be this fast. Yang Qingchuan’s only hope now was his grandfather, who was still in seclusion.

Only if his grandfather successfully broke through would the Starlight Sect have a sliver of hope for survival today.

Yang Qingchuan couldn’t help but smile bitterly. ’Weakness is weakness. This huge disparity in power means we can only fight desperately, even though I know it’s useless.’

But the Starlight Sect could not simply surrender without a fight!

Even if they gave up, the Blazing Fire Sect would never truly let them go!

His only hope now was that Xu Luo could convince his son and daughter to flee far, far away.

’One day, my children will return to avenge me!’

As Yang Qingchuan thought this, a Dharma Heaven and Earth rose behind him, revealing a stunningly vibrant, almost bewitchingly beautiful blood-red rose!

”Kill!”

Yang Qingchuan shouted, and from the rose Dharma Aspect behind him, petals fell like rain.

”Everyone, be careful! Avoid those petals... Don’t let them touch you! They’re filled with deadly killing intent!” Chuxiong, the Blazing Fire Sect’s Sect Leader, yelled as a warning.

But it was too late. A dozen men were touched by the blood-red rose petals and were instantly decapitated!

”Damn you! Yang Qingchuan... Time to die!” Chuxiong roared as a strange gray flame ignited behind him...

His Dharma Aspect... was a gray flame!

The flame radiated an incredible heat. The moment the Dharma Aspect appeared, the temperature of the entire area rose sharply.

”I’ll burn you to death!” Chuxiong swung his arms, and the Gray Flame Dharma Aspect behind him surged toward Yang Qingchuan, trying to devour him.

”I have no intention of leaving here alive today!” Yang Qingchuan did not retreat. The bewitching rose behind him shot out countless blood-red petals, aiming for Chuxiong’s gray flame.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Blinding flashes of light erupted in mid-air, immediately followed by thunderous explosions.

Chuxiong’s own strength was not much greater than Yang Qingchuan’s. Seeing that his men had failed to breach the Starlight Sect on their first assault, he grew furious and shouted, ”We request the Old Ancestor to act!”

”We request the Old Ancestor to act!”

”We request the Old Ancestor to act!”

Instantly, all across the mountainside, every disciple of the Blazing Fire Sect began to scream the same plea at the top of their lungs.

”What... Your Old Ancestor actually came?” Yang Qingchuan was stunned, and a feeling of utter despair rose in his heart.

He knew that the Blazing Fire Sect’s Old Ancestor might come to oversee the battle, but deep down, he had held onto a sliver of hope that Chu Tianlie would have some semblance of honor and refrain from attacking juniors.

Now, it seemed that sliver of hope... was shattered.

’So it’s true... you can’t count on your enemy to make a mistake.’

Yang Qingchuan gave a bitter smile and looked up at the sky. There, an old man was slowly walking out of the void.

”I didn’t want to intervene. Given my status, fighting the likes of you would be dignifying you,” the old man said slowly. ”However, I have been in a terrible mood recently! A mood so foul I feel an unprecedented urge to kill! But... I suppose this is your good fortune. To die by my hand. Not just anyone is granted such a privilege!”

The entire Starlight Sect fell silent.

With bloodshot eyes, everyone looked up in silence at the old man in the sky, who was radiating an astonishing aura.

Yang Qingchuan laughed, his voice laced with fury. ”Senior... I’ll call you Senior one last time. I remember seeing you once, years ago, at the Southern Celestial Divine Continent’s sect conference. Back then, in my eyes, you were a benevolent elder. You even encouraged me, saying it didn’t matter if a sect was small. As long as one was willing to work hard and strive, a small sect could one day become a great one...”

”That’s right... I remember saying that,” the old man nodded.

”But I never expected our second meeting would be under these circumstances. What I expected even less was that a senior I held in such high regard would stoop to such a disgraceful act...”

Yang Qingchuan let out a sharp breath and gritted his teeth. ”Since you’ve decided to act today, I admit that none of us are your match. But I believe the world is just. One day, someone will use these same methods against you! They will let you know... what a great... ’fortune’ it is to die at the hands of another!”

”Shut up!” Chuxiong roared. ”How dare you speak to the Old Ancestor like that!”

”Bullshit! I’m a dead man walking, what is there to be afraid of? That’s *your* Old Ancestor, not mine! Chuxiong, you know, I’ve always looked down on you! You’re the Sect Leader of a great sect, yet you’ve accomplished nothing. The Blazing Fire Sect has been disgraced under your leadership! If it were in my hands, the Blazing Fire Sect wouldn’t need to resort to such despicable methods of annexation. It would have become the number one sect in the Southern Celestial Divine Continent long ago!” Yang Qingchuan had thrown all caution to the wind, abandoning his image and roaring like a madman.

”I’ll kill you!” Chuxiong was thoroughly enraged. Yang Qingchuan’s words were like a knife twisting in his heart, leaving him utterly humiliated.

”Heaven-Burning Flame!” Chuxiong let out an earth-shattering roar as the Gray Flame Dharma Aspect behind him suddenly surged!

A monstrous aura erupted from Chuxiong’s body!

The Sect Leader of the Blazing Fire Sect had actually... successfully broken through at a time like this!

”Hahahaha! Yang Qingchuan... I should really thank you! Without your provocation... how could I have broken through at a time like this?” Chuxiong laughed maniacally. ”To express my gratitude... I’ll personally send you on your way!”

High in the sky, the Blazing Fire Sect’s Old Ancestor, Chu Tianlie, nodded in approval. Although he had always been somewhat dissatisfied with the current Sect Leader, Chuxiong was his descendant, so he couldn’t be too harsh. Deep down, he had always hoped Chuxiong would become more outstanding.

He never thought that being provoked by Yang Qingchuan today would actually cause him to break through...

This made Chu Tianlie, who had been about to intervene, decide to wait and see. Letting this junior finish off Yang Qingchuan himself would be a huge boost to Chuxiong’s prestige as Sect Leader!

No one noticed the flash of icy mockery deep in Yang Qingchuan’s eyes.

The bewitching rose behind him transformed its petals into countless blood-red arrows that shot toward Chuxiong. At the same time, the sharp thorns on its stem, hidden among the petals, also shot out!

”A Single Thought Blooms...”

Yang Qingchuan finally unleashed his ultimate technique!

He roared furiously, ”...Life to All Things!”

RUMBLE!

With a tremendous explosion, an incredibly dazzling light erupted from behind Yang Qingchuan!

In that instant, the very heavens and earth seemed to lose their color!

”Not good!” Chu Tianlie suddenly sensed something was wrong. With a cry, he started to dive down.

At that moment, a figure suddenly emerged from the void. Its speed was unimaginable. With a flash of sword light, it viciously slashed at Chu Tianlie’s neck!

”Ah... You dare!” Chu Tianlie broke out in a cold sweat, letting out a cry of alarm as he hastily retreated.

”You’re not going anywhere,” a clear, young voice stated calmly.

Just then, below, it was as if a brand new world was being carved out of primordial chaos behind Yang Qingchuan!

For dozens of miles around the Starlight Sect’s gates, all the plant life began to grow with manic intensity!

Flowers that had already withered were forcefully injected with potent life force, blooming beautifully once more!

The very energy of the heavens and earth was completely transformed in that instant!

A Single Thought Blooms, Life to All Things!

This was a state that bordered on a Divine Technique!

It had almost transcended the level of the Transformation Realm!

”This is impossible! How could you have stepped into the Divine Power Realm?!” Chuxiong roared, a sound mixed with horror and disbelief. His earlier triumphant expression was now replaced by deep-seated fear. ”All Transformation Realm experts... attack together! A great reward to whoever kills Yang Qingchuan!”

”It’s too late,” Yang Qingchuan said, giving Chuxiong a profound look. ”Time to send you on your way!”

SWOOSH!

Several beams of light shot out from the world-like Dharma Aspect behind Yang Qingchuan, striking the few Transformation Realm Powerhouses who had charged forward.

Those Transformation Realm Powerhouses were sliced in half on the spot, screaming as they fell from the sky.

Chuxiong was scared out of his wits. He never dreamed that Yang Qingchuan could unleash such a terrifying Cultivation Technique... If he had known, he wouldn’t have dared to target the Starlight Sect, not even if he had twice the courage!

”Die!” Yang Qingchuan suddenly coughed up a mouthful of blood as the world-like Dharma Aspect behind him once again shot out several beams of light, slashing toward Chuxiong!

This time... there was no one left to block the attack for Chuxiong!

Chuxiong couldn’t help but let out a bloodcurdling scream, ”Old Ancestor, save me!”