Firmament Sword

”But...” Xu Luo looked at the middle-aged man in white, astonished. ”If a great tribulation awaits in the Divine Domain, then that’s all the more reason for you not to go, senior!”

”What is meant to come, will come. Refusing to face it... is not an option,” the middle-aged man in white said with a faint smile.

”But...” Xu Luo frowned. The White Flood Dragon Saint Beast was his benefactor, after all. He didn’t want anything to happen to it.

”Rest assured, this tribulation... may seem like a hopeless situation, but there will be a turning point within it,” the middle-aged man in white said. ”Besides, it’s time for me to leave. I have guarded this Small World for too many years, and I’ve grown weary.”

”If you leave, what will happen to this place?” Xu Luo asked.

The middle-aged man in white said, ”Naturally, it will be yours.”

Xu Luo froze, looking at the middle-aged man in white, not quite understanding the meaning behind his words.

”The Bronze Divine Hall... you’ve already reclaimed it, haven’t you?” The middle-aged man in white sighed softly. ”In years past, I was fortunate enough to meet that senior once and receive his guidance, which led to a great breakthrough for me... I never expected that after we parted, we would never meet again.”

Understanding dawned on Xu Luo. He thought of the last Great Saint of the Ancient Emperor Tribe, and his heart grew heavy.

”The laws of this Small World are fragmented and incomplete. It has barely held on until today, and in truth, it’s already on the verge of collapse.” The White Flood Dragon Saint Beast, in his form as the middle-aged man, sighed. ”I once tried to complete this Small World’s laws and turn this place into a pure land, but... I wanted to, but lacked the ability. I don’t have that kind of power. But you can!”

”Me? How could I?” Xu Luo gave a bitter smile. ’This White Flood Dragon Saint Beast really thinks too highly of me. I’m not even in the Saint Realm, so how could I dare touch something as profound as the Celestial Dao Laws?’

”You may be lacking now, but the future you will certainly have no problem.” The White Flood Dragon Saint Beast glanced at Xu Luo and said, ”Merge this Small World into your Bronze Divine Hall... and everything will be resolved.”

”What?” Xu Luo stared at him in surprise. ”That’s possible?”

The White Flood Dragon Saint Beast smiled faintly. ”Of course, it is.”

”If it’s feasible, then that’s not a problem. That other world is desolate and barren, devoid of life. If this Small World could be merged into it, it would add a great deal of vitality. It’s just...” Xu Luo mused, ”It’s just that in the future, I might move my family into the Divine Hall and take them with me when I leave this world. If that happens...”

”Are you considering the issue of safety?” The White Flood Dragon Saint Beast’s gaze was profound as he looked at Xu Luo. ”Sometimes, you must understand how to let go... If you insist on bringing your family with you wherever you go, then your state of mind... will forever be flawed!”

”People experience partings and reunions, sorrows and joys, just as the moon waxes and wanes, is sometimes bright and sometimes hidden... Only by tasting all of life’s sorrows and joys can one have a complete life. You only want the joy, but none of the rest...”

”Therefore, I do not believe your approach is the best one.”

The White Flood Dragon Saint Beast looked at Xu Luo with a wise expression and then said, ”If you still wish to take your family with you when you leave, then this matter is also easily resolved. Compared to the world inside your Bronze Divine Hall, my Small World is but a tiny island in a vast ocean. So, after the Small World is merged into the Bronze Divine Hall World, you just need to isolate it. Then, I will impart the Celestial Dao Laws of this Small World to you.”

”At that time, you will control the Celestial Dao Laws of this Small World on one hand, and on the other, you can warn those powerful creatures not to disturb the humans. There won’t be any problems.”

Xu Luo stood there, silent for a long time, before asking softly, ”You believe... I shouldn’t take my family with me?”

”It’s not that you can’t take your family with you... it’s just that doing so won’t be of much help to the growth of your state of mind.”

”Moreover... you should understand a certain principle: a bird that always hides beneath its parent’s wings will never learn to fly!”

”You humans also have an ancient saying: ’Jade cannot become a masterpiece without being carved.’”

”The help you’ve given them... is already more than enough. A heaven-sent opportunity descended, and even here in this Small World, I could feel that glorious, sun-like, and boundless might. Their cultivation has advanced too quickly, so much so that they are close to forgetting the hardships of cultivation, and even...”

The White Flood Dragon Saint Beast looked at Xu Luo and said slowly, ”Even now, they have developed a certain degree of dependency on you! Perhaps it’s already quite severe.”

Xu Luo fell silent. How could he not have noticed this problem himself?

His family and friends, aside from Sui Yan, Xu Jie, and his brother Huangfu Chongzhi, who had already achieved Skill Dao, were all at the Peak of the Ninth Layer of the Divine Power Realm.

Some were even infinitely close to becoming Half-Saints!

Normally, possessing such strength after only a few decades, or even just a dozen years, of cultivation would be considered a tremendous stroke of luck!

But these people... because they had never experienced the hardships of cultivation, nor suffered through the struggle of breaking through bottlenecks, they... they couldn’t possess the powerful self-confidence and inner strength of a normal cultivator!

It was like the lions and tigers in a mortal circus. Their job was to perform for an audience every day, and they could get food without having to fight for it.

Over time, these kings of the jungle would forget how to hunt... As even more time passed, their wild instincts would slowly fade away.

However, the tigers and lions that lived in the jungles and on the grasslands were fundamentally different.

If they wanted to fill their bellies, they had to fight!

If they wanted to keep their territory from being taken, they also had to fight!

The most important thing in their lives was fighting!

Constant fighting!

They grew up amidst blood, stepping over the corpses of their enemies!

They would never please others, nor would they perform any shows. They would only bare their cold, sharp fangs and roar at every opponent.

These ferocious beasts, raised amidst slaughter, every single one of them... was a true powerhouse!

In truth, Xu Luo understood this principle perfectly well in his heart, but truly letting go was very difficult for him.

”I know this will be a difficult choice. Back when I became a Saint, it was because I had left my family, distanced myself from all my relatives, and set out on a lonely path. Only after countless battles and all kinds of trials did I finally, truly grow up.”

A hint of nostalgia appeared in the eyes of the middle-aged man that the White Flood Dragon Saint Beast had transformed into. He said, ”To this day, I can still clearly remember the looks in their eyes as I left home, filled with reluctance and attachment. But I left anyway.”

”The path of cultivation is a lonely one. The rules of this world are fair; they are not perfect.”

The White Flood Dragon Saint Beast’s final words struck Xu Luo’s mind like a clap of thunder.

’The rules of this world are fair; they are not perfect!’

’That’s right... All this time, what I’ve been pursuing is that kind of perfection...’

’I want to become stronger. I want to become a true powerhouse!’

’At the same time, I don’t want to abandon my family. I want them to grow strong with me, enter the Divine Domain with me, and live with me... forever!’

’But... everyone has their own destiny. By doing this, am I not altering the trajectory of their fate?’

’In a way, I’m being selfish... Are they truly willing to walk the path I’ve laid out for them?’

Xu Luo was deep in thought, but a hint of bewilderment showed in his bright eyes.

The white-robed middle-aged man, the form of the White Flood Dragon Saint Beast, had a weathered look on his face. He also seemed to recall something and stood silently to one side.

After a long while, a faint smile appeared on Xu Luo’s face. He said, ”You are right. If they truly want to grow, they must rely on themselves.”

”What I said... may not be entirely correct. After all, I am a White Flood Dragon, a cold-blooded creature, and very different from you humans. Ever since I gained the ability to take human form, I have been striving to understand human emotions...”

”Human emotions are countless times more complex than those of us White Flood Dragons! So, what I said was merely some advice for you. You can consider it, but don’t follow it blindly.”

The White Flood Dragon Saint Beast said in a deep voice, ”You have your own Dao!”

Xu Luo nodded seriously and said, ”I understand what you’ve told me. Thank you!”

With that, Xu Luo gave a deep bow to the middle-aged man that was the White Flood Dragon Saint Beast.

The White Flood Dragon Saint Beast smiled, nodded, and then said, ”Then now... it is time for me to hand this Small World over to you!”

...

...

Many new living beings now populated the Bronze Divine Hall World.

The creatures accustomed to the Small World cheered and jumped for joy in the Bronze Divine Hall World. They were ecstatic, having never imagined that they would one day be able to live in such a vast world.

An Ancient Peach Tree took root in the center of the Bronze Divine Hall World. The moment the Small World merged, it let out a great roar, ”Song Banban... get over here and pay your respects to your Master Tao!”

”HAHAHAHA, Tao Pingping, I thought I’d never see you again in this lifetime! To think you were hiding here! This is wonderful! This world... it’s so perfect!”

”I’ve already broken through! From now on, remember to bow when you see your Master Tao!”

”With the change in the world’s laws, I also had an instant epiphany! It won’t be long before I surpass you!”

A sturdy old pine tree descended from the sky, landing beside the flourishing peach tree.

The various powerful Spirit Beasts all experienced breakthroughs almost at the very instant they entered the Bronze Divine Hall World.

This was the comprehension brought about by the clash of world laws, allowing them to attain enlightenment in an instant...

The various ruins that had originally belonged to the Small World sank into the earth with a great rumble the moment the Small World merged into the Bronze Divine Hall World.

”Perhaps... countless years from now, when this world has evolved into a new one, someone will be pleasantly surprised to discover ancient ruins in these places and obtain a fortuitous encounter from within.”

”Or perhaps, after countless eons, a peerless powerhouse will leap out of this world, leave the Bronze Divine Hall World, and arrive outside to encounter a new world they have never seen before!”

The White Flood Dragon Saint Beast spoke with deep meaning, then smiled at Xu Luo and said softly, ”Have you understood?”

Xu Luo nodded seriously. ”I have understood some of it.”

A gentle light rose from Xu Luo, spiraling around his body like a sprite. The light was filled with the Heaven and Earth Laws!

Bathed in the light of the Celestial Dao Laws, Xu Luo’s entire figure became hazy, as if he were a deity!

”This world, though but a speck of dust, can allow one to attain fundamental comprehension. In truth, compared to the Divine Domain above, this world is more suitable for cultivators. It’s just that too many people would never think of this.”

The White Flood Dragon Saint Beast said this, then nodded to Xu Luo. ”I must go now.”