Firmament Sword

The... Gate... Blocking... Old... Freak?

Pangtian Star was so furious his nose was practically crooked. His eyes shot out an icy glare as he looked Xu Luo up and down. After a long moment, he said in a sinister tone, ”You... you’re Beidou’s Eighth Star, Xu Luo?”

”That’s right, it’s me!” Xu Luo said with a swagger. If anyone familiar with Huo Feng had been here, they would have found the sight incredibly familiar.

Indeed, Xu Luo had copied this entire act from that arrogant young master of the Huo Family.

’A fight is coming one way or another. Since it’s unavoidable, I might as well face it head-on!’

But before that, Xu Luo wanted to probe the old man’s background. He looked at Pangtian Star with blatant arrogance and asked, ”And who might you be?”

”I am Pangtian Star, Grand Elder of the Honglou Sect!” Pangtian Star announced, glaring at Xu Luo. ”Weren’t you the one who wanted to fight me? Then come out here!”

Xu Luo burst out laughing. ”You old codger, you seem to be in quite a hurry. Why don’t you come over here and fight me? I’m a little tired and can’t be bothered to move!”

”You...” Pangtian Star was speechless with rage. Given his status, when had anyone ever dared to speak to him like this? Besides, if he could have crossed over, he would have already rushed over to teach this disrespectful, arrogant brat a harsh lesson.

”Are you toying with me?” Pangtian Star’s gaze was frigid as it swept over Xu Luo. Having already made a rough assessment of Xu Luo’s strength, he immediately felt reassured.

’Just a little brat at the Third Layer of the Divine Power Realm, not even at the Fifth Layer. What right do you have to be so arrogant with me?’

The more Pangtian Star looked at this handsome young man, the more he found him detestable and an eyesore. He thought to himself, ’Once these two pillars of light dissipate, you three... not a single one of you will escape!’

”Whoa!” Xu Luo suddenly exclaimed.

His cry startled Pangtian Star out of his reverie. He looked up at Xu Luo.

”How are you so smart? You figured out I was messing with you?” Xu Luo stared at Pangtian Star in mock astonishment, as if Pangtian Star’s last sentence was so profound that only a person of great wisdom could have uttered it.

Pangtian Star nearly coughed up a mouthful of old blood in anger. In fact, he had almost spat blood when he realized Li Ye had tricked him.

Looking at Xu Luo now, he finally understood that the young people of this era had all gone bad. They were completely different from the people of his time!

They had no respect for their elders or care for the young, let alone any hope of them being humble or low-key.

”You, a weakling at the Third Layer of the Divine Power Realm... what right do you have to speak to me like this?” In his towering rage, Pangtian Star actually managed to calm down.

He was, after all, a top-tier mighty figure at the Ninth Layer of the Divine Power Realm. The calm he had cultivated over countless years was not so easily broken. He stared coldly at Xu Luo. ”Besides, what’s the point of this verbal sparring? Since you are Beidou’s Eighth Star, you naturally won’t be willing to be refined by me. Therefore, your only option is to fight me! The more you talk, the more it proves you’re afraid!”

These words stunned Xu Luo for a moment. He fell silent, then cupped his fist in his other hand and bowed to Pangtian Star. He said earnestly, ”Old man, I know you have ill intentions and want to refine me, so I should hate you. But your words have awakened me. It’s true... I’m not confident about fighting a mighty figure like you, who’s at the Divine Power Realm Peak. However, you’re right. No matter what, I can’t avoid this battle. In that case, let’s do this! If I manage to defeat you, I will kill you very, very seriously!”

As he spoke, he activated the Shaking Light Step, soaring into the sky and heading straight for Honglou Ancient City!

’If we’re going to fight, then I’ll be the one to choose the battlefield!’

’Since all of you want to find me and refine me, I’ll make you pay a price first!’

Hearing Xu Luo’s words, the corner of Pangtian Star’s mouth twitched violently. He cursed inwardly, ’Little bastard, what the hell does ”kill you very, very seriously” even mean?’

He instantly saw through Xu Luo’s plan. With a furious roar, he shot into the air, his body moving as fluidly as flowing water, his speed like a bolt of lightning!

’I can’t let this little brat get to a crowded place. I have to intercept him!’ Pangtian Star thought. He didn’t care how many people would die if Xu Luo truly reached the skies above Honglou Ancient City and used it as a battlefield.

But the news that Beidou’s Eighth Star was here would also be impossible to hide!

At that point, even as a mighty figure at the Ninth Realm of Divine Power, he would find it hard to hide the truth from everyone. After all, within the Honglou Sect itself, there were several other top-tier masters at the Ninth Layer of Divine Power!

Other matters might be negotiable, but Beidou’s Eighth Star... that was absolutely out of the question!

But Xu Luo was too fast. He streaked across the sky, and the already-close Honglou Ancient City drew nearer and nearer. In his anxiety, Pangtian Star directly activated a Secret Technique, spat out a mouthful of blood, and vanished. The next moment... he reappeared in front of Xu Luo.

Seeing the trace of blood still at the corner of Pangtian Star’s mouth, Xu Luo smiled faintly and said to Dubhe in his mind, ”See? What do you think? We haven’t even fought yet, and I’ve already forced him to spit up blood. This is human wisdom!”

”If you had absolute power, you wouldn’t bother with so-called wisdom; you’d just crush him directly,” Dubhe said flatly. ”And if your opponent has absolute power, then no matter how profound your wisdom is, it’s meaningless. They will simply crush you.”

”Why do you have to be so blunt? It’s not like I don’t get it. Isn’t this just because we’re not as strong as him right now?” Xu Luo rolled his eyes, but his actions were anything but slow. He immediately blasted a Shaking Light Burst at his opponent.

RUMBLE!

A flash of light as brilliant as the scorching sun erupted between heaven and earth, followed by a tremendous explosion.

Then, Pangtian Star appeared, hovering calmly in the void. He waved a hand to deploy a barrier, then sneered at Xu Luo. ”Brat, whatever other tricks you have, bring them on. Don’t say I’m bullying a child. You want to cause a commotion to attract attention... that’s impossible!”

Xu Luo grinned, then roared in his mind, ’Power of the Seven Stars!’

BANG!

In that instant, Xu Luo’s Dantian seemed to explode. A vast and powerful aura erupted from his body.

His Dan Sea churned, and with a SWOOSH, the Beidou Sword flew out and shot straight toward Pangtian Star!

”You’re courting death!”

How could Pangtian Star not realize he had been tricked? This brat wasn’t at the Third Layer of the Divine Power Realm at all! He had used some kind of Secret Technique to suppress his power, and his true strength... had also reached the Ninth Layer of the Divine Power Realm!

And... it was the peak!

The sword emanated an unparalleled, sharp aura and a terrifying, world-ending killing intent that locked directly onto Pangtian Star!

Pangtian Star was horrified. A colossal Dharma Aspect rose up behind him. This Dharma Aspect was actually a gigantic, incomparably large crab!

This crab Dharma Aspect was over a thousand feet across. Its entire body was cyan, and it brandished its two massive pincers, snapping them toward the Beidou Sword, which had transformed into a streak of light!

PUFF!

With a soft sound, one of the giant pincers was sliced off, dissolving into a rain of light that scattered between heaven and earth.

Then, as if it had a mind of its own, the Beidou Sword shot directly toward Pangtian Star!

Xu Luo’s gaze was cold. With the Shaking Light Step underfoot, he radiated a terrifying, world-ending aura as the Seven Great Star Dharma Aspects rose up behind him!

”Suppress!”

With a sharp cry from Xu Luo, the seven great stars flew toward Pangtian Star.

The massive crab Dharma Aspect behind Pangtian Star brandished its remaining pincer and let out a shriek that was both furious and fearful. Under Pangtian Star’s forceful command, it charged toward the Seven-Star Dharma Aspect.

RUMBLE!

The two forces collided violently in the sky, exploding with a light that radiated for tens of thousands of feet. The blast instantly shattered the barrier Pangtian Star had deployed. The void itself seemed to tear open, and the ground below trembled violently, splitting into bottomless chasms!

In the distance, in the direction of Honglou Ancient City, numerous figures immediately shot into the sky and rushed toward the battle.

The Beidou Sword pierced the void, directly unleashing a technique from the Seven-Star Heaven-Slaying Skill.

This technique was called Shaking Light!

From the direction of the Beidou constellation in the sky, a beam of light shot down, resonating with the Sword Qi unleashed by the Beidou Sword. Together, they slashed toward Pangtian Star!

Fear now showed in Pangtian Star’s eyes. Only now did he understand why the legend of Beidou’s Eighth Star had been passed down through the ages, yet no one had ever succeeded in capturing it!

In a fight like this... you weren’t fighting a person at all, but a star!

A cultivator at the Ninth Layer Peak of the Divine Power Realm... could move mountains and empty seas, could shatter mountains and crack the earth, but could never destroy an entire planet!

What’s more, his opponent wasn’t fighting alone!

”Mizar!”

Xu Luo shouted, and another beam of light shot down from the Beidou constellation in the Cangqiong, striking toward Pangtian Star!

”Jade Balance!”

”Tianquan!”

”Phecda!”

”Merak!”

”Dubhe!”

Seven beams of light in total shot across the firmament, transforming into seven fierce streams of light that completely sealed off all of Pangtian Star’s escape routes!

This... was the Seven-Star Heaven-Slaying Skill!

”This skill can even slay the heavens. How can you, Pangtian Star... compare to the heavens?” At this moment, Xu Luo stood suspended in the void, the Shaking Light Step beneath his feet. An incomparably sharp aura radiated from him as he transformed into a veritable deity, looking down upon Pangtian Star. He watched impassively as the seven beams of light pierced through his body, extinguishing all signs of life.

Upon sensing this destructive aura, the figures who had flown out from the city stopped in their tracks as if by a shared, unspoken agreement, not daring to advance another step!

Xu Luo glanced back in the direction of Old Baldy Ridge... which should now be called Eight-Star Ridge. The pillars of light there had already faded into the void, completely invisible unless one was right upon them.

He breathed a sigh of relief. After an indifferent glance at the hesitant figures in the distant sky, Xu Luo’s body flickered. Harnessing the residual power of the Ninth Layer of Divine Power Realm, he activated the Time Reversal Skill and vanished into the void.