Firmament Sword

Xu Luo did as he was told and released some of his aura. Streams of Star Power radiated out in all directions. The moment the Star Power touched the dense fog in the valley, an immense aura erupted from within the valley, blasting out and soaring into the sky!

The fog, which had shrouded the valley for who knows how many millennia, was instantly blasted away by this aura, vanishing completely!

In that instant, this tyrannical aura shot straight into the heavens!

It carried a sharp killing intent that pierced through heaven and earth, giving off an invincible feeling!

Xu Luo, however, was completely unaffected by this killing intent. He stood there quietly, watching the powerful aura that soared into the firmament.

He was somewhat astonished, thinking to himself, ’Ancient Divine Beasts are truly extraordinary. It’s been dead for so many years, with only a wisp of a remnant soul left... yet it still possesses such astonishing power. Back when they were at their peak, who in the entire world could have stood against them?’

In Xu Luo’s mind, a scene from the distant Ancient Era seemed to appear: the four Divine Beasts rampaging across the world, commanding the winds and clouds.

The image made one’s blood boil with excitement!

Xu Luo felt the blood in his own body instantly start to burn as well. The Third Layer of the Divine Power Realm, which already had no bottleneck for him, was suddenly broken through!

In a single thought, Xu Luo stepped from the Second Layer of the Divine Power Realm into the Third Layer!

From within that sky-piercing aura, a hearty laugh then echoed. The voice sounded very young, but if one listened closely, they could feel a sense of desolation within it.

”White Tiger greets Lord Star Monarch! I am now just a wisp of a remnant soul. The only thing I can do for Lord Star Monarch... is this small matter. I hope Lord Star Monarch is satisfied!”

Xu Luo opened his eyes. He knew very well that the aura White Tiger had just unleashed was meant to help him achieve an epiphany and advance.

He could hardly say he disliked this welcoming gift. Even without it, advancing to the Third Layer of the Divine Power Realm would have been a simple matter for him, but he couldn’t say that now.

”Thank you very much!” Xu Luo said, clasping his fist.

Then, a beam of light shot up from the bottom of the deep, secluded valley. It transformed into a long rainbow and, with a SWOOSH, landed before Xu Luo. A young man who looked to be around thirty years old, with white hair, white eyebrows, and dressed in white robes, appeared before him.

Waves of restrained killing intent flowed from the young man’s body. Though controlled, it felt as if it could erupt at any moment.

This killing intent alone was enough to easily slay his enemies!

The young man’s eyes flickered with excitement. He bowed deeply to Xu Luo in a grand salute. ”This little beast, White Tiger, greets the Eighth Star Monarch!”

Xu Luo clasped his fist. ”There’s no need for such formalities.”

He had intended to return the gesture and say a few more polite words, but what came out of his mouth was a very casual sentence. It was as if some force had physically stopped him from being polite to the young man before him. Even Xu Luo himself was a little surprised and couldn’t help but think, ’It seems the Beidou’s Eighth Star of the past... was probably a very arrogant fellow!’

”Hahaha, old pal, seeing you still alive really makes me happy!” A beam of light shot out from Xu Luo’s body, and then, an old man in green robes with the head of a dragon and the body of a man appeared beside him.

This was the first time Xu Luo had seen Cyan Dragon’s appearance. The corner of his mouth couldn’t help but twitch as he began to have serious doubts about Cyan Dragon’s aesthetic sense.

Looking at White Tiger... then at Cyan Dragon, Xu Luo complained internally, ’This disparity... why is it so huge?’

When White Tiger took human form, though he had white hair and eyebrows, it added a wondrous charm to his appearance. If any woman were to see White Tiger’s human form, no matter how reserved she was, she would surely praise him in her heart: ’What an unparalleled beauty of a man!’

Then look at Cyan Dragon... a set of green robes, which seemed normal enough. Human hands and feet, also perfectly normal. But that head... a dragon’s head... Well, any normal person’s first reaction upon seeing it would definitely be to turn and run.

Even a powerful Martial Artist would probably be scared out of their wits.

White Tiger seemed to have long grown accustomed to Cyan Dragon’s appearance. A smile appeared on his face. ”I sensed your aura the moment you arrived. You are much stronger than I am. Now, I am only this wisp of a remnant soul. It won’t be long before I dissipate between heaven and earth. To be able to see an old friend from the past before I die makes me very happy!”

A flash of pain crossed Cyan Dragon’s eyes as he thought back to the past, to the era when the four Divine Beasts looked down upon the world, commanding the winds and clouds. Who in the world could have opposed them then?

But now, he, Cyan Dragon, was only a single soul, and the White Tiger before him was just a wisp of a remnant soul... As for the Vermilion Bird and the Black Tortoise, there was no news of them at all.

Invincible and glorious in former years, now left with only desolate loneliness. All that remained was a sigh.

”The Eighth Star Monarch said he would help us be reborn. The reason I look so much stronger is because... I have been recuperating in the Eighth Star Monarch’s Dantian for a very long time.” Cyan Dragon looked at the young man that was White Tiger and said, ”You should come too!”

”You, at least, still have a soul. As for me... I am only a wisp of a remnant soul. Even if I could barely hang on for a while longer, I will eventually dissipate between heaven and earth anyway. It would be better... to just let me die like this.” The young man flicked his long white eyebrows and spoke with a smile.

It seemed that death... was just a form of release for him, not any kind of torment.

”You can’t give up! Have you forgotten what we said all those years ago?” Cyan Dragon suddenly grew agitated, roaring at White Tiger, ”We swore an oath back then, to find...”

Before he could finish, White Tiger suddenly frowned and cut Cyan Dragon off. ”That was the Ancient Era. The master of this world has long since changed. What’s the point of bringing up such ancient matters?”

Xu Luo stood to the side, watching these two powerful Supreme Divine Beasts who had been so renowned in the Ancient Era. He thought, ’It seems there are still many unknown secrets between them. It’s just that the world has changed so much... too much has happened.’

Cyan Dragon glanced at Xu Luo and said in a low voice, ”I’ve always felt that Lord Kunpeng didn’t die. He’s still alive. In front of the Eighth Star Monarch, I’ll say something that might offend Lord Eighth Star Monarch...”

Xu Luo looked innocent and shrugged. ”Be my guest.”

Even now, Xu Luo had never thought of himself as the Eighth Star Monarch. He was himself, Xu Luo!

Cyan Dragon said, ”All the rumors back then said that the Eighth Star Monarch descended upon the world, wielded the Beidou Sword, and slew Lord Kunpeng...”

White Tiger nodded. ”Could they have been wrong? After the Eighth Star Monarch descended, the Kunpeng disappeared.”

”That’s right. The Kunpeng did indeed disappear after the Eighth Star Monarch descended. But have you ever considered this? Why... after slaying the Kunpeng, did the Eighth Star Monarch not return to the Divine Domain? Why did he remain in this world? Isn’t the missing Beidou’s Eighth Star in the sky enough to explain it?”

Cyan Dragon said in a low voice, ”That’s why I’ve always suspected... that back then, the Eighth Star Monarch failed to kill the Kunpeng completely! To descend into this world, one must pay a great price. A huge reduction in strength... is unavoidable!”

White Tiger nodded. ”That’s true. This world has its own rules. Any being that wishes to break the rules of this world must pay a price.”

Cyan Dragon said, ”Therefore, I’ve always believed that the Kunpeng did not truly perish back then. It’s very likely that, just like the Eighth Star Monarch, it underwent reincarnation and... still exists in this world! Perhaps, one day, it will appear before the world once again!”

”What evidence do you have for saying that?” After hearing this, White Tiger suddenly grew tense. He frowned and looked at Cyan Dragon.

”There have been a few times... when I’ve sensed its aura.” Cyan Dragon’s voice became low and held a slight tremor, as if filled with endless fear.

At the same time, upon hearing this, Xu Luo began to communicate with Shaking Light in his mind.

”Shaking Light... what is going on? Do you know something?”

”The Kunpeng... is indeed still alive.” Shaking Light offered no explanation, instead giving a direct answer that left Xu Luo somewhat baffled.

’Everyone else seems to know so much about me, yet I’m completely in the dark... This is incredibly frustrating! Though I’ve always been unwilling to admit it, I have to concede that I must be the reincarnation of Beidou’s Eighth Star. Everything points to it. If I weren’t the Eighth Star, why would the Seven Star Souls have entered my Dantian? Why would they help me so selflessly? If I weren’t the Eighth Star, why did I feel such complex, indescribable emotions when I saw that ancient Star Map back then? If I weren’t the Eighth Star, why have I felt a kinship with the stars in the sky since I was a child, and felt so weak when I couldn’t see them? Since the facts are laid bare and the outcome can’t be changed, then I desperately want to know more—more about Beidou’s Eighth Star... about my former self...’

”Can you tell me the details?” Xu Luo asked.

”Originally, I shouldn’t have told you about this so soon. But since fate has brought all these things together, I’ll tell you.” Shaking Light’s voice sounded somewhat ethereal and was filled with desolation.

”This matter is related to some conflicts within the Divine Domain...”

”In the Era of Opening the Heavens, first there was the sky, then the earth... and only after that came the sun, the Moon Star, and the other stars!”

”The Kunpeng... was born from a wisp of Spiritual Qi between heaven and earth. This Spiritual Qi was not the same as the Spiritual Qi of today, but the kind that existed in the Era of Opening the Heavens. It possessed extraordinary spirituality. So, strictly speaking, the Kunpeng... and we... are beings from the same era!”

’The Kunpeng... is a Spiritual Object from the Era of Opening the Heavens?’ Xu Luo was utterly astonished.

”In the Era of Opening the Heavens, countless types of Spiritual Objects were actually born. The Kunpeng was naturally just one of them. Afterward, the world was divided into many great domains, with the earth as the foundation, becoming the source of life for all domains. And among the Spiritual Objects from the Era of Opening the Heavens, their strength was determined by how early or late they awakened...”

”As for the Kunpeng, it awakened very late, but its will would not allow its dignity to be provoked in any way. It wouldn’t even deign to notice a mere star!”