Firmament Sword

”You dare say I’m unreliable?” The cold, telepathic voice immediately expressed its displeasure.

Li Ye broke out in a cold sweat. He didn’t dare let his mind wander any further. The voice communicating with him was like a god; it knew even the deepest thoughts in his heart.

”This disciple was too greedy...” Cold sweat streamed down Li Ye’s forehead. He was genuinely humbled now. Scared.

Thousands of years ago, a disciple had caused a ruckus here. When the elders tried to stop him, the disciple, relying on his family’s status, ignored their warnings and did as he pleased. A bolt of lightning then descended from the heavens and struck him dead on the spot.

The incident shocked the entire Honglou Sect, and from then on, no one dared to be insolent here ever again.

The story was passed down through the generations. But after so many years, Li Ye’s generation, while still believing in the miracles of the Holy Land, had grown somewhat lax. They figured that the sect’s own ancestors wouldn’t bother squabbling with juniors.

Today’s events made Li Ye realize that the Honglou Sect’s ancestors were very much real. Perhaps... perhaps the ancestor was still alive in the mortal world!

He just never came out of seclusion!

’This might seem absurd to an ordinary person,’ he thought. ’How could anyone live for hundreds of thousands, or even millions, of years?’

But here in the Honglou Sect, it wasn’t just an empty fantasy. Others had long suspected the same. Otherwise, how could one explain all the disciples who had received great fortunes in the Holy Land?

”Heh heh, greed is a good thing. If a man isn’t greedy, how can he ever improve?” the cold voice chuckled.

This time, however, Li Ye dared not have a single thought. He remained kneeling, his expression solemn, his mind completely clear of distractions.

”Why so still? How boring! Are you afraid I’ll strike you dead with a bolt of lightning?” The voice seemed to be in a teasing mood, toying with the young junior.

”Ancestor, I admit... I am afraid of you...” Li Ye sent back in a telepathic thought.

”Hahaha! You little rascal, you’re quite to my liking. I was the one who bestowed upon you a Cultivation Technique and a Magical Artifact all those years ago. I never thought you’d be so disappointing as to get your treasure stolen. You’ve got some nerve coming to me to cry about it...”

”What? Ancestor, you were the one who gave me that treasure? I’ve always wanted to thank—”

”Alright, alright, cut the act. I’ve lived for ages. What haven’t I seen?”

”Of course, of course. My petty little thoughts are an open book to you, Ancestor.” Cold sweat continued to bead on Li Ye’s forehead, but he didn’t dare wipe it away. He sensed, however, that this ancestor bore him no ill will.

’Otherwise, a bolt of lightning would have already turned me to ash. Why would he waste his breath talking to me like this?’

”Hmph. Your cultivation... is indeed nothing special. Talented people emerge in every generation; it’s hardly strange to meet your match.” The cold voice’s tone suddenly shifted. ”However... since you are one of my descendants, for you to be bullied like this... well, it makes me lose face. How about this? I’ll grant you another treasure. Take it, find the person who stole your Heaven-Piercing Shuttle, and you will surely be able to slay them!”

”Ah!” Li Ye was completely stunned. He never expected to be so lucky. He had already given up all hope and been scared half to death, so how could he dare ask for anything?

To think the ancestor would actually grant him another treasure and tell him to get revenge... The surprise... was just too sudden and too unexpected!

”Now, what should I give you? The Immortal Binding Rope? No, your cultivation is too weak... you can’t use it. The God-Beating Whip? No, no, that thing shouldn’t even appear in this realm...”

The cold voice mumbled to itself. With every treasure it named, Li Ye’s heart pounded wildly—not for any other reason than the fact that these items were the stuff of legend, even within the Honglou Sect!

Legend had it that shortly after founding the Honglou Sect, the first-generation ancestor received a heaven-sent fortune and directly ascended to become an Immortal.

And that very ancestor possessed a trove of treasures, including the Immortal Binding Rope and the God-Beating Whip.

But for the longest time, almost everyone in the Honglou Sect, including the Sect Leader and the Elders, believed this was nothing more than a legend.

Whether a Divine Domain truly existed in the higher realms, and whether there were Immortals within that Divine Domain, had been debated for countless years. Some ancestors were said to have become Immortals, but in reality, it was later confirmed by some that these ancestors had simply undergone corpse-liberation and entered the cycle of reincarnation...

Other ancestors simply vanished after many years in seclusion. Whether they had passed away in meditation or truly ascended, no one knew.

Whether it was the Honglou Sect, Western Buddhism, or even the Liejiang Daoist Sect, all believed in the existence of the Divine Domain and Immortals. Yet in all these ancient, super-sects, no one had ever witnessed a public ascension!

”Forget it... this one will have to do. It’s so-so, but in this realm, it should be enough for you to do as you please!” the cold voice said. Suddenly, a ray of light flared in the sky.

The light seemed to emerge from the distant void, streaking across the vast sky to arrive before Li Ye in an instant, where it then hovered in place.

The treasure shimmered with brilliant light, like a red sun, continuously emitting a dazzling radiance.

Li Ye was incredibly excited. His heart felt like it was about to leap out of his chest as he stared wide-eyed at the treasure hovering before him.

Then, his eyes went wide as saucers, a look of utter disbelief shining within them. The corner of his mouth... began to twitch violently.

He desperately tried to control his thoughts, to keep that one word—”unreliable”—from popping into his head.

But doing so... was not easy. A person’s thoughts are the hardest thing to control. Even if one cannot speak or move, the mind... never stops.

Since he couldn’t control his thoughts, Li Ye decided to just throw caution to the wind. After all, to this unseen ancestor, thinking something and saying it aloud were exactly the same.

”Ancestor... this... this thing is a treasure?” Li Ye’s thoughts conveyed his intense disbelief.

”What? You doubt your ancestor?” The cold voice held a hint of amusement.

”I wouldn’t dare... It’s just... isn’t this... a bodice?” Li Ye finally summoned his courage and said it.

That’s right. After its light faded, the treasure hovering before Li Ye revealed its true form.

A red bodice!

The kind of bodice that almost every woman in the world wore!

Embroidered on the bright red bodice was a Phoenix pattern. It looked quite exquisite, as if crafted by a master’s hand.

The problem was, even if a Grandmaster made it, it was still a bodice!

And if that wasn’t enough to prove the ancestor was unreliable, then the faint woman’s scent wafting from the bodice... was more than enough to prove a great many things.

”Yes, it’s a bodice! So what? Who told you... a bodice can’t be a treasure? Hmph, if my other items weren’t so overwhelmingly powerful that you couldn’t control them—not to mention they shouldn’t even appear in this world—I wouldn’t have been willing to part with this one!”

The corners of Li Ye’s mouth twitched violently.

Just then, the ancestor’s voice rang out again. ”What do you think the Heaven-Piercing Shuttle is? It’s just a spindle... For me, the more ordinary an object, the more I can turn the mundane into the miraculous!”

”...” Li Ye was utterly speechless. He felt an urge to burst into tears.

He could already imagine it: in a future battle, he would toss his handsome, dashing golden hair, then raise his hand...

And unleash a bodice...

’Holy crap... with a scene like that, I probably wouldn’t even have to attack. My enemy would just die of laughter, right?’

”You don’t want it?” the ancestor’s cold voice came.

Li Ye shivered, quickly snatching the bodice and stuffing it into his robes like a thief. Whether he wanted it or not was unimportant... what was important was that he didn’t dare refuse it!

Never mind a bodice; even if it were a pair of underpants, he would have had to take it!

Who was he to refuse a gift from the ancestor?

The commotion here, along with the rainbow-hued light in the sky, had attracted the attention of others in Honglou Ancient City. A dozen or so figures rushed over from all directions.

Several hundred meters away from the Holy Land, they all descended from the sky. This was a sign of respect for the ancestors in the Holy Land.

When these people got a clear look at who was kneeling there, priceless expressions appeared on all their faces.

”How is it that kid from the Li Family again? I remember... he received a treasure from the ancestor right here, didn’t he?”

”That’s right, the Heaven-Piercing Shuttle! It has the power to traverse space!”

”Don’t tell me he received another treasure from the ancestor? This is too...”

The newcomers were all high-ranking members of the Honglou Sect. They looked at each other, hardly able to believe their eyes.

This kid’s luck was just too good. In the entire million-year history of the Honglou Sect, there had never been a second disciple who had received a treasure from the Holy Land twice!

At that moment, everyone’s gaze turned to an old man who had just arrived. This elder was none other than Li Ye’s great-grandfather.

When the old man saw that the one kneeling there was his own great-grandson, a wide smile instantly spread across his face. His gaze toward the others was filled with smug satisfaction as he began to greet them with a grin.

”Well, if it isn’t Elder Tian! Long time no see. Elder Tian, it seems your cultivation has improved again!”

”Oh, Elder Sun is here too! I remember your grandson has already reached the Ninth Layer of the Transformation Realm. When he breaks through to the Divine Power Realm, you must let me know. I’ve prepared a Magical Artifact for the boy!”

”Sect Leader... what brings you here? Look at this... why did this rotten kid have to cause such a big commotion?”

Li Ye’s great-grandfather held a very high position in the Honglou Sect. As he went around greeting them one by one, the others could only respond with dark expressions.

’Damn it, that old coot gets to be smug again!’

This thought rose in almost all of their minds.

It couldn’t be helped. Many years ago, Li Ye had been the only one of his generation to receive a Cultivation Technique and a treasure from the Holy Land. He was hailed as a genius with a great destiny, the likes of which the Honglou Sect saw only once every few centuries.

And now, it was him again, unprecedentedly receiving a second treasure from the ancestor... Based on this fortune alone, who in the entire Honglou Sect could compare?

”Ahem... Li Ye, my boy, what treasure did the ancestor just bestow upon you? Hurry up and take it out, let your seniors here broaden their horizons!”

The Sect Leader and the other Elders could only stand there with dark faces, letting the old man revel in his pride. But deep down, they too were intensely curious.

And so, in that moment, all eyes focused on the insanely lucky, golden-haired young man.

Their gazes... were filled with fervent anticipation.