Firmament Sword

”Oh?” The Huo Family Patriarch’s interest was suddenly piqued. Looking at Xu Luo, he said, ”Continue!”

Previously, the Ancestor’s divination had only revealed that Beidou’s Eighth Star had appeared in the Cangqiong Empire on the Central Plains Star Continent. The Huo Family then sent people to gather intelligence, which eventually led them to zero in on Xu Luo. But even Huo Wanzhang couldn’t be certain that Xu Luo was, in fact, Beidou’s Eighth Star.

It had all just been speculation. They never imagined that Huo Feng would so adamantly insist that Xu Luo was Beidou’s Eighth Star. At this, the Huo Family Ancestor’s eyes instantly lit up.

A chill ran through Xu Luo’s heart. ’Looks like my guess was right. The Huo Family... they really are dead set on capturing me!’

”When I arrived in the Cangqiong Imperial Capital, I used various methods to investigate the Xu Family and Xu Luo. I discovered that Xu Luo’s rise is connected to the Cangqiong Empire’s Centennial Star Festival.”

”The Star Festival is held once every hundred years. All of them were successful before Xu Luo’s involvement. But when it came to his, the Star Festival failed, and the seven stars fell from the sky.”

”Normally, this shouldn’t have anything to do with a simple drum-beating boy. But I discovered that Xu Luo has had a strange condition since childhood: whenever the sky is filled with stars, he is in exceptionally high spirits. But on nights when the sky is overcast and no stars are visible, he becomes extremely weak, sometimes even fainting!”

”Later, the Royal Family of the Cangqiong Empire suffered a great disaster. The entire family fell on hard times and was nearly wiped out... But Xu Luo’s strength skyrocketed in just a few short years. The speed of his progress was astounding!”

”I investigated his past. Before the Centennial Star Festival, Xu Luo was a complete nobody who couldn’t cultivate! I ask you, besides being Beidou’s Eighth Star himself, what other explanation is there for him making such a massive breakthrough in such a short period?”

After Xu Luo finished speaking, the Huo Family Patriarch and the Ancestor were silent for a long moment. The Patriarch then asked, ”Is that all?”

Xu Luo nodded. ”There’s more...”

”Speak.” This time, it was the Ancestor who spoke.

Xu Luo lowered his head and said, ”At the time, I couldn’t defeat Xu Luo. I had no choice... so I... I used the rare poison the Ancestor gave me...”

”You fool!” The Huo Family Patriarch frowned, glaring fiercely at Xu Luo. ”That rare poison is nearly impossible to find these days. The Ancestor gave it to you for self-defense, and you just used it so casually...”

Xu Luo looked aggrieved. ”It was a life-or-death moment, I didn’t have time to think! What I never expected, though, was that after I used the poison... that poison... Xu Luo... was... completely unaffected!”

”What?” the Huo Family Patriarch exclaimed in astonishment.

”That’s... impossible!” A sharp glint flashed in the Ancestor’s eyes as he stared fixedly at Xu Luo.

Xu Luo felt a spiritual energy as vast as the Endless Cosmos surge toward him, threatening to drown him completely. He was in the guise of Huo Feng and couldn’t possibly use any of his own Spiritual Power. As a result, the Huo Family Ancestor’s Spiritual Power pressed down on him so hard he could barely even breathe.

Then, in a flash, the Spiritual Power vanished without a trace.

Xu Luo broke out in a cold sweat, as if that fleeting moment had been nothing but a hallucination.

”He’s not lying... which means... that Xu Luo can truly neutralize our Huo Family’s rare poison!” the Ancestor murmured, his wrinkled face etched with deep thought.

The Huo Family Patriarch spoke softly from the side, ”I understand now. Huo Jinwu later used various rare poisons to try and subdue Xu Luo, but Xu Luo ended up killing three of his men... In other words, even if Xu Luo isn’t Beidou’s Eighth Star, he is, at the very least, immune to our Huo Family’s poisons!”

”No... he *is* Beidou’s Eighth Star!” the Ancestor said slowly, his gaze profoundly deep. In a soft voice, he declared, ”This time... I will perform another divination! I must find him, no matter the cost!”

”Ancestor... your health...” the Huo Family Patriarch said, his face full of concern.

”It’s nothing.” The Ancestor waved his hand dismissively and said in a solemn tone, ”Our Huo Family isn’t the only one after Beidou’s Eighth Star anymore. Other families are watching, too. If we don’t get a head start and lose the initiative, obtaining Beidou’s Eighth Star will be much more difficult!”

”But besides our family, who else is certain that Beidou’s Eighth Star is Xu Luo?” the Huo Family Patriarch argued. ”Your health is paramount, Ancestor! Please, reconsider!”

”Yes, Ancestor, please reconsider!” Xu Luo chimed in from the side, playing along.

”It’s fine. Trying to divine the Saint of the Central Plains Star Continent would be impossible, but divining the location of Beidou’s Eighth Star, who has yet to fully mature... that shouldn’t be a problem!” said the Huo Family Ancestor.

Xu Luo’s ears perked up at the Huo Family Ancestor’s mention of the Saint of the Central Plains Star Continent. His heart stirred. He had heard rumors about this before but had never been able to confirm them. Now, hearing it from the Ancestor himself, it had to be true. ’But who is that Saint? And why does it seem like they’re protecting me?’

At the same time, Xu Luo felt a surge of apprehension. ’My real self... is standing right here. What if... what if this Ancestor’s divination reveals that? I won’t even have a chance to escape.’

’My only hope now is the Dragon Scale the White Flood Dragon Saint Beast gave me!’

Xu Luo quickly schemed, ’If I’m really discovered, I’ll have to use the Dragon Scale to buy some time and then run for it.’

The situation was developing beyond his expectations. It was hard to imagine that an Ancestor of such lofty status would summon him personally.

Meanwhile, the Huo Family Ancestor had already begun preparing for the divination.

He brought out an ancient Dragon Turtle Shell. It looked incredibly archaic, and while it was impossible to say exactly how old it was, it was clearly ancient.

Thirty-six sticks of incense were lit and arranged in a specific pattern.

After ceremonially washing his hands, the Huo Family Ancestor stood amidst the thirty-six incense sticks. He then picked up the Dragon Turtle Shell, and his entire aura instantly became profound and inscrutable.

The Huo Family Patriarch watched the Ancestor nervously, a fanatical light in his eyes.

It was the first time Xu Luo had ever seen someone use such an ancient divination technique, and he watched without blinking. In his mind, however, he was wondering, ’If I were to launch a sneak attack on this old geezer right now, would I succeed?’

But the moment he sensed the aura coming from the Huo Family Ancestor, Xu Luo completely abandoned the idea. ’I’m afraid the slightest move would get me crushed to dust by this old bastard’s defensive aura!’

The Huo Family Ancestor began chanting, holding the Dragon Turtle Shell in one hand and forming a hand seal with the other. One after another, rays of divine light struck the shell. The archaic Dragon Turtle Shell began to glow with a mysterious, inscrutable light, within which a dozen small dragons seemed to swim about, a truly mystical sight!

”Divine!”

With a great shout from the Huo Family Ancestor, a dazzling beam of light shot into the Dragon Turtle Shell.

CRACK!

The Dragon Turtle Shell exploded!

Shards flew everywhere. One piece zipped right past Xu Luo’s cheek, kicking up a fierce gust of wind and almost wounding him.

The Huo Family Ancestor cried out as he spat a mouthful of blood. His entire spiritual presence seemed to shrivel in an instant. He already looked ancient and frail, but in that moment, he appeared to have aged several more years.

”Ancestor, are you all right?” Xu Luo dashed forward, the first to catch the Huo Family Ancestor and support him. He then pulled a pristine white handkerchief from his robes and quickly offered it to the old man.

The Huo Family Patriarch, who had been a step too slow, was quite vexed. He shot a glance at Xu Luo. ’When did this boy become so perceptive? Does going out to gain experience really have such a great effect? It seems I should have my own children and grandchildren go out and broaden their horizons next time!’

The Huo Family Ancestor, on the other hand, looked pleased. He nodded at Xu Luo. ”Good child!”

Xu Luo smiled shyly, then asked with an expectant expression, ”Ancestor, were you able to find out anything?”

The Ancestor’s expression dimmed. He shook his head slightly and said, ”It’s very strange. It seems the Eighth Star is maturing quickly. The heavenly secrets are a chaotic mess and extremely difficult to divine, but I was able to catch a tiny thread!”

”Really?” The Huo Family Patriarch’s face lit up with a pleasant surprise.

Xu Luo, however, felt a pang of nervousness.

The Huo Family Ancestor said, ”In the instant before the divination collapsed, I sensed that Beidou’s Eighth Star... has come to our Ancient Race Continent!”

”What?” The Huo Family Patriarch was stunned.

Xu Luo looked shocked as well—genuinely shocked. His heart began to pound in his chest. ’Does he have to be this damn good? He actually figured out I’ve come to the Ancient Race Continent... Thank goodness he didn’t divine that I’m standing right beside him!’

”But I couldn’t determine the exact location...” The Huo Family Ancestor looked dejected. He sat down and used the pristine handkerchief ’Huo Feng’ had so dutifully presented to wipe the blood from his lips. With a weary expression, he added, ”It was a feat to learn even that much.”

Xu Luo chimed in from the side, ”Perhaps... Xu Luo knows the principle that the most dangerous place is the safest. It’s not impossible that he really has come to the Ancient Race Continent!”

”Clever!” This time, even the Huo Family Patriarch was impressed. He never thought this junior, whom he had previously paid little attention to, could be so sharp.

Just then, Xu Luo declared, ”Ancestor, I wish to share your burden and personally hunt down Xu Luo! After all, I’ve seen him before. If he truly dares to appear on the Ancient Race Continent, I will make sure he can’t escape, even if he grows wings!”

”Aren’t you afraid?” the Huo Family Patriarch asked Xu Luo, his tone serious.

Xu Luo nodded, then shook his head. ”I am afraid,” he said. ”But for the sake of the family, I am willing to go through hell and high water!”

The Huo Family Ancestor nodded again and again. ”Good child! What a good child!”

The Huo Family Patriarch was moved once more. He sighed, ”If all the juniors of the Huo Family were like you, how could we ever worry about our prosperity? Good child, rest assured. Since you have this determination, I, as the Patriarch, will do everything in my power to protect you!”

Xu Luo was screaming internally: ’Magical Artifacts! Magical Artifacts! Give me some magical artifacts!’

’I found a high-level Spirit-Connected Magical Artifact just sitting in a corner of that bastard Huo Feng’s room. The Huo Family is a truly fat sheep, ripe for the shearing!’

The Huo Family Patriarch then said, ”I will immediately arrange for five Sword Saints at the Fourth Layer of the Divine Power Realm or higher to accompany you and follow your orders!”

Xu Luo’s vision went dark, and he nearly stumbled. He cursed inwardly, ’Fuck, you’ve seen through my disguise, haven’t you? Are you just messing with me?’