Firmament Sword

Xu Luo gave a slight smile. He didn’t know either why such a strange phenomenon had occurred when his disguise, Huo Feng, broke through to the Divine Power Realm.

After all, not even his true self had experienced such a thing when breaking through to the First or Second Layer of the Divine Power Realm.

”What’s so strange? Divine light in his eyes... Heh, only mortals like them would make such a fuss. As the Lord Beidou Eighth Star Monarch, you possess the power to suppress all things. A single casual glance from you... is countless times stronger than that divine light!”

The Cyan Dragon’s Spirit, silent for a long time, suddenly spoke in Xu Luo’s mind.

”I’m disguised as someone else right now, yet you can still communicate with me?” Xu Luo was rather surprised. After he transformed, even Star Souls like Shaking Light had been cut off from him, and he was unable to use any of his true self’s abilities.

He couldn’t sense the Star Souls in his Dantian, let alone the Cyan Dragon’s Spirit. ’To think that under these circumstances, the Cyan Dragon’s Spirit... could actually still communicate with me.’

The Cyan Dragon’s Spirit chuckled. ”You may not be aware, Lord Star Monarch, but even if you take on another form, I can still communicate with you.”

The corner of Xu Luo’s mouth twitched. He furiously contacted the Shaking Light Star Soul in his mind. ”Shaking Light! Show yourself! Explain... why is this?”

His mind… was met with dead silence. Shaking Light gave no response.

Xu Luo called out for a long time, but the Shaking Light Star Soul remained silent. Dejected, Xu Luo had to give up on questioning it, resolving to get a clear answer when he had a chance to revert to his true form.

According to the Cyan Dragon’s Spirit, having divine light shoot from one’s eyes was indeed a powerful ability worth boasting about for the Martial Artists of the world. But for Xu Luo, the reincarnation of Beidou’s Eighth Star... it was nothing special at all!

Xu Luo wasn’t sure if the Cyan Dragon’s Spirit was just flattering him or telling the truth. However, Xu Luo himself had to admit he hadn’t felt any particularly great power from the divine light in his eyes.

So, as for whether a casual glance from his true self was truly more powerful than the divine light from his disguised form’s eyes, he would only know after testing it himself.

The Cyan Dragon’s Spirit had appeared because it had sensed a familiar aura here, which had abruptly woken it up. Otherwise, it would still be slumbering in Xu Luo’s Dantian.

”I sense the aura of an old friend from long ago. Perhaps... there’s a wisp of its lingering soul nearby...” the Cyan Dragon’s Spirit said, sounding a little sheepish. ”So... I was hoping, Lord Star Monarch, that you could help that old friend of mine.”

”Help? How do I help?” Xu Luo asked.

”Just do it the same way you found me. Once it senses your aura, Lord Star Monarch, it will naturally make the right choice,” the Cyan Dragon’s Spirit said. ”You just need to find its precise location. I can guide you.”

”But... I’m currently disguised as someone else. How can I release my own aura?” Xu Luo’s brow furrowed. He had already guessed that the ”old friend” the Cyan Dragon’s Spirit mentioned was likely one of the four great Divine Beasts of antiquity.

’I’d like to help, but the current situation doesn’t seem to allow me to reveal my true aura.’

”That... is indeed a problem.” The Cyan Dragon’s Spirit mused for a moment, then suddenly suggested, ”Why don’t I... just poison these three nuisances to death? That way, Lord Star Monarch, you can do as you please!”

”Poison them...” Xu Luo rolled his eyes. ”Do you even have the power to do that? Aren’t you supposed to be incredibly weak?”

”After being nurtured in your Dantian for so long, Lord Star Monarch, I’ve recovered a great deal. I may not be able to help you with much, but poisoning a few humans like them? Even at my weakest, that would have been... child’s play for me!”

To Xu Luo, while having Huo Wanchong, Huo Wanhua, and Huo Wanyu around was a bit of a nuisance, they also served as an excellent cover.

’They can die, but I don’t want them dying so mysteriously!’

’At the very least, there need to be plenty of witnesses to prove their deaths have nothing to do with me... no, with *Huo Feng*!’

’For now, the identity of Huo Feng is still very useful to me.’

Therefore, Xu Luo hesitated for a moment before abandoning the tempting thought. He asked the Cyan Dragon’s Spirit, ”Isn’t there any other way?”

The Cyan Dragon’s Spirit sounded regretful. ”Poisoning them is the easiest way!”

”...”

”But... I could also knock them out. They’d wake up with no memory of what happened!” the Cyan Dragon’s Spirit said after a long hesitation.

”Is that difficult?” Xu Luo asked, sensing the Cyan Dragon’s Spirit’s hesitation.

”It’s not that it’s difficult... It’s that this particular poison requires me to draw upon a sliver of my Power of Origin...” the Cyan Dragon’s Spirit explained.

Xu Luo understood immediately. The Power of Origin was the most precious thing to any living being. ”The body can be sacrificed, but the origin must be preserved.” The phrase ”the body can be sacrificed” meant that for beings who had reached a certain level of power, they could abandon their physical forms in a crisis—just as the Cyan Dragon’s Spirit had done.

Without a physical body, its spirit could still survive for millions of years and possess formidable power, all because its Power of Origin remained.

”In that case... let’s just forget it. I’ll save your old friend on my way back through here,” Xu Luo said. He was unwilling to expose himself at a time like this. The board had been set for a massive game, one that encompassed nearly the entire Ancient Race Continent.

In this game, those three—Huo Wanchong and the others—were three very important pieces!

’They could be sacrificed, but not yet.’

”I can already feel it. My old friend’s aura is extremely weak... It might not be able to wait that long.” The Cyan Dragon’s Spirit’s voice grew heavy. ”Never mind. It’s just a sliver of my Power of Origin. The worst that can happen... is that I’ll have to sleep for another thousand years!”

”Don’t worry. One day, if I truly reach the Divine Domain, I will definitely resurrect all of you!” Xu Luo said earnestly. He was moved by the Cyan Dragon’s Spirit’s determination to help its friend, even at such a heavy cost.

He had made a similar promise to the Cyan Dragon’s Spirit before, but never with this much conviction.

Before, it had just been an agreement. This time, it was a true promise.

The Cyan Dragon’s Spirit was overjoyed. ”On behalf of all my old friends, I thank you, Lord Star Monarch! I will never forget your immense kindness!”

Then, the Cyan Dragon’s Spirit took action. Xu Luo had no idea what it did—he didn’t feel a thing—but when he looked at Huo Wanchong, Huo Wanhua, and Huo Wanyu... their eyes were shut tight, fast asleep!

”They’ll be asleep for at least a few days. If you’re worried they might be in danger, Lord Star Monarch, you can just set up a simple Array to protect them,” the Cyan Dragon’s Spirit said.

Xu Luo casually set up a Defensive Array, enveloping the three of them. A small Array like this was no difficult task for the current Xu Luo.

Once the Array was in place, anyone passing by wouldn’t even see them.

In reality, it was just a Blinding Technique that concealed their auras and the physical scene. If a truly mighty expert happened to pass by and scan the area with their Divine Sense, they would be able to spot the flaw.

But setting aside whether any mighty expert would pass by, even if one did, who would be bored enough to scan such a bitterly cold and desolate place with their Divine Sense?

Reassured, Xu Luo departed. Following the Cyan Dragon’s Spirit’s directions, he headed west from the great mountain for over three hundred li. The terrain was treacherous and rugged, making travel difficult. Even after reverting to his true form several dozen li later, it still took considerable effort to reach the location the spirit had indicated.

In the distance, Xu Luo saw a vast valley ahead. Mist swirled within it, shrouding everything from view.

That’s right, this massive valley was located right on the side of the enormous mountain itself.

Within the mist, figures seemed to bob up and down. They were hazy and indistinct, seeming both illusory and real, making it impossible to tell what was genuine.

But upon closer inspection, they vanished completely. When he sent out his Divine Sense, it disappeared into the mist without a trace, eliciting no response whatsoever.

”I can sense it! It’s not far from here! Right inside that mist!” the Cyan Dragon’s Spirit said excitedly.

”Why do I get the feeling that mist is filled with danger?” Xu Luo was wary. He truly felt that a great peril seemed to lurk within the all-encompassing fog.

”Don’t worry... It’s just a wisp of the White Tiger’s Residual Thought. The White Tiger presides over slaughter, so it’s natural for you to feel uneasy.” Suddenly, Shaking Light’s somber and ancient voice echoed in his mind.

”Shaking Light... So you’ve finally decided to show yourself? Why do you cut contact with me when I’m disguised, while the Cyan Dragon’s Spirit can get through just fine?” Xu Luo asked, annoyed.

’I refuse to believe the Cyan Dragon’s Spirit is stronger than the Shaking Light Star Soul. If the spirit could do it, there was no reason Shaking Light couldn’t.’

”First, out of respect for you. You are our brother! When you are disguised, your conscious will is to not emit any stellar aura. If we were to contact you, some of that aura would inevitably leak out. Lower-level beings wouldn’t be able to sense it, but to a Saint, it would be as clear as day,” Shaking Light slowly explained.

”I’m... your brother?” A flicker of confusion crossed Xu Luo’s eyes. He thought to himself, ’Then what does that make my parents and my brother in this world?’

”You are the Eighth Star, so of course you are our brother,” Shaking Light said. ”As for the second reason, the Cyan Dragon’s Spirit is an external entity temporarily residing in your body. It doesn’t truly belong to you, so there’s nothing stopping it from contacting you. However, you must be careful. Do not communicate with it in the presence of that Saint from the Ancient Race, or you will expose yourself!”

Xu Luo nodded in understanding. The Cyan Dragon’s Spirit was completely unaware of his conversation with Shaking Light. Besides, communication via Divine Thought was incredibly fast, like a few thoughts flashing through one’s mind.

So, by the time Xu Luo finished his conversation with Shaking Light, the Cyan Dragon’s Spirit was still in the middle of its explanation: ”This mist contains the aura left behind by the White Tiger. The killing intent is very strong, which is why you feel uncomfortable, Lord Star Monarch. It’s nothing to worry about. As long as you release a little of your own aura, the discomfort will naturally vanish.”