Firmament Sword

A doting smile appeared on Young Master Feng’s face, but he didn’t say anything more. Just then, a clear, pleasant voice drifted in from outside.

”Young Master, Young Master, I’m back! It’s so lively outside...” As the voice drew closer, the door was pushed open. A ray of sunlight entered the room, along with a beautiful young woman.

”Huh? Yue’Er, why are you back already?” The woman walked in and glanced with some surprise at Yue’Er, who was standing behind Young Master Feng.

”Xing’Er, I’ve told you many times, you’re supposed to call me Sister Yue, not Yue’Er!” Yue’Er, who was behind Young Master Feng, looked at the woman who had just bustled in. She added, ”Also, can’t you be a little more demure? Try to be like a lady... understand?”

”Hmph, you’re only a tiny bit older than me... and you still insist I call you sister. Shameless!” Xing’Er stuck out her tongue playfully and continued, ”Being demure is just an act for others. Why do I need to be so prim and proper in front of our own people?”

”You’re hopeless.” Yue’Er rolled her eyes, not bothering to argue with her.

Young Master Feng simply watched the two young women bicker like girls, a smile on his face, and didn’t make a sound.

”Young Master, you’re not even going to do anything about Yue’Er? She’s gone too far, she bullies me every time!” Xing’Er pouted, walked over to Young Master Feng, and shook his arm a few times.

”I wouldn’t dare get involved in matters between you two,” Young Master Feng said, the corner of his mouth twitching slightly.

”But you’re the master, and we’re your maids... If anyone outside heard you say that, they’d think we were wicked servants bullying our master...” Xing’Er put on a wronged expression, though it was mostly an act.

”Alright, Xing’Er, tell me what you learned on your trip this time,” Young Master Feng said gently, patting Xing’Er’s arm.

”Okay,” Xing’Er agreed crisply and began to speak.

”Many of the ancient sects on the Sect Continent have been stirred into action. Among them, a lot of people... are probably just curious, wanting to see what Beidou’s Eighth Star actually looks like. But there are others who are taking this very seriously.”

”The Honglou Sect, Western Buddhism, and the Liejiang Daoist Sect... these ancient super-sects have all sent out many disciples to search for traces of Beidou’s Eighth Star. It seems they are intensely interested in him.”

”Also, among the people who came from the Ancient Race Continent, there’s a couple—the man is named Song Chengfeng, and the woman is Chu Xiaoya. This couple is known as the Demon Kings over on the Ancient Race side. It’s said that Song Chengfeng’s power is unfathomable, and he has killed countless people, so many are afraid of him.”

”This couple has recently killed many of the experts who came from the Ancient Race Continent. However, I heard that a few days ago, they ran into a worthy opponent, were injured, and have since disappeared.”

”In my opinion, these two must really have some connection to the Eighth Star. I wanted to find them and ask for their help, but unfortunately... I couldn’t find them.”

As she spoke, Xing’Er blinked her starry eyes and looked at Young Master Feng. ”Young Master, you protected Young Master Xu in the Cangqiong Imperial Capital for so many years, and all without him knowing. This time... what do you plan to do?”

Yue’Er, for her part, also stopped massaging Young Master Feng’s shoulders, wanting to hear what her master would say.

Young Master Feng smiled faintly and said, ”We’ll wait and see how things develop.”

”Young Master... you don’t plan on helping him this time?” Xing’Er asked.

”Of course not. It’s just that he also needs to go through these trials. How else will he grow?” Young Master Feng said quietly.

”It’s just that this trial is... a bit too terrifying. He’s just one person, yet he’s alerted experts from two continents. The number of people who want to deal with him is countless. The way I see it... Young Master Xu has now become the most valuable treasure in the eyes of innumerable people!” Xing’Er said with a laugh.

”He has always been very valuable.” Young Master Feng sighed softly. ”It’s a pity he’s a bit too foolish.”

”Foolish?” Both Xing’Er and Yue’Er were a little confused by their master’s words.

Young Master Feng didn’t explain, however. Instead, he looked at Xing’Er and asked, ”Is there any other news?”

Xing’Er thought for a moment, then said, ”Oh, right, there is one more thing. A young woman named Su Celestial Maiden has emerged from the Su Family of the Ancient Race Continent. I hear she’s an absolutely stunning beauty, and it seems she’s also on Young Master Xu’s side.”

”That’s probably the result of that little rascal leaving a trail of romance everywhere he goes...” Yue’Er remarked with a smile from the side.

Xing’Er nodded. ”That’s what I was thinking, too.”

Evidently, both Xing’Er and Yue’Er believed that Xu Luo was a flirtatious young man with numerous female confidantes.

”The Ancient Race... the Su Family. Three thousand years ago, while traveling through the Ancient Race Continent, I became acquainted with one of the Su Family’s elders. If he hasn’t passed on, he... should have reached the Saint Realm by now. Perhaps the Su Family also has a strong interest in Beidou’s Eighth Star,” Young Master Feng said calmly.

”Oh my, Young Master, you just gave away your age!” Xing’Er said with a laugh, sticking out her tongue.

Young Master Feng looked at Xing’Er with a doting expression and sighed softly. ”The path of cultivation is long and arduous... Our generation can only seek answers high and low.”

”How tiring. What’s so great about becoming an immortal? In this world, how many people can actually take that step? In the end, doesn’t it all come to nothing? You just waste away the years, squander your time, and give up on family, friendship, and love. On your deathbed, wouldn’t you just feel foolish?” Yue’Er sighed from the side.

But Xing’Er said, ”Becoming an immortal would be wonderful! You could live forever and always stay by the Young Master’s side.”

Young Master Feng smiled, a hint of melancholy in his eyes, and said faintly, ”The Divine Domain of today is not the Divine Domain it once was. Even if one becomes an immortal, happiness is not guaranteed.”

”As long as I can stay by your side, Young Master, I’ll be happy!” Xing’Er said.

”Alright, you two. For the time being, you should go out again. Try your best to look for him. If you can find Xu Luo, watch over him from the shadows. After all... he hasn’t fully matured yet,” Young Master Feng said.

”Understood,” Xing’Er and Yue’Er replied in unison.

...

Honglou Ancient City. This was the Holy City of the Honglou Sect, one of the oldest... and most powerful sects on the Sect Continent.

The Honglou Sect had been passed down since the Ancient Era, its origins traceable to that brilliant and splendid mythological age.

For millions of years, the sect had produced generations of disciples with astonishing talent, making it a great sect with an incredibly deep foundation.

In the center of Honglou Ancient City stood an unremarkable building. Its gray bricks were mottled with rust-colored stains, and the side that faced away from the sun was covered in moss.

But this place was the Holy Land in the hearts of all Honglou Sect disciples!

Because this building was over a million years old!

Because inside this building were enshrined the ancestral tablets of the Honglou Sect’s patriarchs!

Although its exterior looked plain, it was actually protected by a supreme Array that had allowed it to endure for a million years without decaying.

Everyone who entered the Holy City would come here to pay their respects. It was said that some young disciples could even receive a great fortuitous encounter here.

It was a gift from the old ancestors of the Honglou Sect!

Li Ye, that flighty, golden-haired young man, was currently kneeling before this ancient building with a serious expression, his face pious as he mumbled to himself.

”Oh, ancestors of the Honglou Sect, your unworthy disciple Li Ye... has brought shame upon you. My skills were lacking, and I was defeated. Even the treasure you gave me was stolen. I’m sure all you esteemed ancestors have lost face because of this, right? Your disciple has come here today to pay his respects, hoping one of you might see fit to manifest and grant this disciple another peerless magic treasure...”

A serious expression, a pious attitude, but the words that came out were a pile of nonsense. If any of the Honglou Sect’s higher-ups had been there, they would have been tempted to kick this lazy rascal to death.

Li Ye’s eyes flickered as he continued to mutter and chant. As a child, he had followed an elder here to pay respects once before. That time... he had obtained a Cultivation Technique and a treasure. That treasure was none other than the Heaven-Piercing Shuttle that Xu Luo had stolen!

This was precisely why that purple-haired young man, Young Master Hui, had tried to persuade Xu Luo to return the treasure. They all knew the origin of the Heaven-Piercing Shuttle.

A treasure bestowed upon a descendant by a Honglou Sect ancestor had been stolen... If the Honglou Sect were to find out, how could they possibly let it slide?

Li Ye and his companions had gone through untold hardships to finally return to the Sect Continent. They had only just gotten back and hadn’t yet dared to tell their elders about what happened, so he had come to the Holy Land to air his grievances first.

Ever since he was a child, Li Ye had heard from his family’s elders that the ancient building in the Holy City was not just a simple place for enshrining the ancestral tablets of the Honglou Sect’s patriarchs.

Otherwise, how could younger disciples possibly receive benefits while paying their respects?

Not to mention the Heaven-Piercing Shuttle that Li Ye had obtained, which could be called a supreme treasure. Back then, it had even caused a huge sensation.

If Li Ye’s family background hadn’t been strong enough, he wouldn’t have even been able to keep the treasure.

The Honglou Sect was enormous, with numerous internal factions. The Li Family was merely one of the main powers within a single faction.

So, although Li Ye didn’t dare tell his elders about the loss of the Heaven-Piercing Shuttle just yet, he had run here to complain at the first opportunity. It might have seemed unreliable, but Li Ye knew with certainty that some ancestor was definitely able to hear his words!

Otherwise, where had that Cultivation Technique that was directly imprinted into his mind, and that Heaven-Piercing Shuttle that fell from the sky, come from back then?

”The Heaven-Piercing Shuttle was stolen?”

Just as Li Ye was kneeling there muttering to himself, an icy voice suddenly rang out in his mind.

The voice was cold and devoid of emotion, as if it had come from an ancient era.

A shiver went down Li Ye’s spine, and a chill filled his heart. He thought, ’This is incredible. I’ve never heard anyone say you could hear the ancestors’ voices when you come here to pay respects...’

”You need only use your thoughts to communicate with me.”

At that moment, the ancient and icy voice rang out again.

’Yes... your disciple was incompetent. I was defeated by another, and the Heaven-Piercing Shuttle was stolen. Your disciple is terrified and helpless... I can only come and beg for the ancestor’s forgiveness...’ Li Ye obediently conveyed his thoughts.

”Bullshit. Weren’t you just begging for another treasure a moment ago? How did that suddenly change into begging for forgiveness?”

Li Ye’s mouth twitched violently a few times, and dark lines appeared on his forehead. Although he was still incredibly nervous deep down, at this moment, he felt an urge to laugh.

’This is one of the Honglou Sect’s ancestors? Why does he feel... just as unreliable as I am?’