Firmament Sword

The Monkey instantly flew into a rage. With his eyebrows arched and eyes glaring, he said, ”Now that you mention it, I’m furious. You humans are clearly the ones with the problem, but you insist on blaming us beasts and birds for it. Things like ’worse than a beast,’ ’lower than a pig or a dog,’ ’judging people with a dog’s eyes,’ ’a dog仗着主人的威势欺负人,’ ’a fox borrowing a tiger’s might,’ ’the heart of a wolf and the lungs of a dog,’ ’crowing like a rooster and snatching like a dog’...”

”Tell me, what did beasts ever do to you humans? What’s wrong with beasts? What’s wrong with a wolf’s heart or a dog’s lungs? Why such hatred...”

”HAHAHAHA...” Xu Luo laughed so hard he almost cried. Thinking about it, the Monkey had a point; he was telling the truth.

Xu Luo’s laughter made the Monkey’s face grow darker and darker. Finally, Xu Luo said, ”Brother Hui, why must you care so much? The dogs have it the worst. Besides, no one ever said ’a monkey borrowing its master’s might’...”

”Bah!” The Monkey sneered. ”That’s because we of the Monkey Race are smart enough to know to stay far away from you humans!”

”Indeed. That’s why they say ’sly as a monkey,’ after all,” Xu Luo said.

”...” The Monkey was left completely speechless. He then picked up his Big Iron Rod, ready to fight Xu Luo to the death...

...

...

”Piaomiao Palace,” the Monkey began, recounting what he knew as they traveled. ”My uncle once said it’s an ancient sect. The Piaomiao Technique of Piaomiao Palace is famous throughout Xi Hezhou! I heard even the Supreme Great Sect, Celestial Brilliance... greatly covets the Piaomiao Technique. But... their Piaomiao Technique has always been passed down only to Core Disciples, never to outsiders.”

On the road, the Monkey told Xu Luo about Piaomiao Palace.

”Then what about the current Piaomiao Palace Master’s wife? She’s a Celestial Splendor Noble Lady from Celestial Brilliance. Can her son cultivate the Piaomiao Technique?” Xu Luo asked with some curiosity.

”Of course he can!” the Monkey answered affirmatively.

”In that case, as his mother, it shouldn’t be too difficult for her to get the Technique for the Piaomiao Technique from her son, right?” Xu Luo said.

The Monkey shook his head and looked at Xu Luo strangely. ”Why would you think that? Once she married in, she naturally became a member of Piaomiao Palace. Why would she still do things for Celestial Brilliance? Even if she was once a Celestial Splendor Noble Lady, from the day she married into Piaomiao Palace, she became one of their own!”

”If she dared to do something like that, never mind her, even Celestial Brilliance... would be scorned by all! A Supreme Great Sect, though it may covet the Piaomiao Technique, would never use such methods to obtain it.”

”Not to mention, the cultivation of the Piaomiao Technique must be supplemented by a certain Elixir. The formula for this Elixir has always been held by the most mysterious Elder Council of Piaomiao Palace. Each Elder only holds one part of the formula. To concoct the Elixir, all the Elders must refine it together!”

Xu Luo sighed. ”That’s really a hassle!”

”It is. My uncle said back then that if Piaomiao Palace keeps doing things this way, it will fall into decline sooner or later,” the Monkey said.

”Exactly... What if one of their Elders suddenly dies? Wouldn’t a piece of the formula be missing then?” Xu Luo said with a laugh.

”That, I don’t know. Maybe... they have other methods, a backup plan,” the Monkey said.

”Xu Luo... where are we going?” Master Mao poked his head out of Xu Luo’s pocket and asked groggily.

The little guy had been in a deep sleep the whole way. He’d been somewhat traumatized. A grand Heaven-Swallowing Fox, once a top-tier Holy Beast, being treated like a little kitten, seen as a mere pet...

So, Master Mao was determined to work hard and rise up!

However, to fully awaken his ancestral bloodline, the most important thing for Master Mao to do... was sleep.

And it had to be deep sleep!

It was a very miraculous Cultivation Technique, using deep, completely unconscious rest to awaken his ancestral bloodline bit by bit.

In fact, Master Mao often slept like this back in the Lower Realm. It’s just that people didn’t know back then and thought the big lazy cat was just sunbathing...

”To Piaomiao Palace,” Xu Luo said.

”What for? Are we crashing their gates to get revenge?” Master Mao’s sleepy eyes instantly lit up with excitement.

Xiaojin, perched on Xu Luo’s shoulder, gave the cat a speechless look and explained, ”The boss said we’re going to Piaomiao Palace to pay a visit to the wife of the Piaomiao Palace Master...”

”...” Master Mao was also speechless. He twisted his head in the pocket to look up at Xu Luo. ”Kid, have you finally seen the light?”

”Seen what light?” Xu Luo was a little confused.

”You’ve finally learned to go after other people’s wives!” Master Mao said, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

Xu Luo swatted at him. ”Go back to sleep!”

WHOOSH! Master Mao leaped out of Xu Luo’s pocket, transforming into a streak of light before landing some distance away. He arched his back, fur standing on end, and said furiously, ”Was I wrong? Why else would you be looking for that little dame?”

The Monkey burst into laughter beside them. ”If I didn’t know any better, I’d think you were a female, HAHAHAHAHA!”

”Monkey, I’m going to fight you to the death!” Master Mao roared in fury.

Amidst the laughter and banter, Xu Luo’s heart felt much lighter as they headed in the direction of Piaomiao Palace.

”Brother Hui, your uncle must have traveled to many places back in the day, right?” Xu Luo asked, looking at the Monkey.

The Monkey’s face filled with pride. ”But of course! Back then, my uncle had traveled across almost the entirety of Xi Hezhou! If it weren’t for those bastards from Celestial Brilliance, my uncle might have already left Xi Hezhou to travel to even more distant lands!”

Whenever his uncle was mentioned, the Monkey’s face would fill with pride. This made Xu Luo feel a great sense of curiosity towards this uncle he had never met.

”I hope I can meet your uncle one day,” Xu Luo said.

”There will definitely be a chance! I will definitely rescue my uncle!” the Monkey said earnestly.

Piaomiao Palace was vast. The residences of its upper echelons, in particular, had always been a mystery. Almost no one knew where they truly lived.

But the Monkey held a piece of information: The Lady of Piaomiao Palace... had a favorite place to frequent—Baihua City!

Baihua City was an extremely famous, major city in Xi Hezhou!

It was most renowned for the various splendid and famous flowers within Baihua City!

Almost all the famous flowers of Xi Hezhou... could be found here!

Even some extremely rare flowers with immense medicinal value... flowers that could be considered divine materials, could be found here!

Therefore, Baihua City was also a city that women loved to visit most.

Of course, men liked it too.

Nearly every major power in Xi Hezhou had businesses in Baihua City, and every year, the noble ladies and young misses from these great powers would come to admire the flowers.

When the Lady of Piaomiao Palace was still a Celestial Splendor Noble Lady, she loved coming here. She especially loved a famous flower in Baihua City called the Illusory Cactus!

The vast majority of epiphyllum flowers are white, with a few being pink, light pink, and some blue and pale yellow.

But the Illusory Cactus was like a rainbow. When it bloomed, its petals would flow with seven-colored light, both illusory and real, a beauty so breathtaking it could steal one’s breath away!

It was a kind of unimaginable beauty that almost no one could resist.

Most importantly, the fragrance of the Illusory Cactus had the effect of preserving one’s youthful appearance!

Although someone like the Lady of Piaomiao Palace hardly needed external aids to maintain her youth, what woman... would ever complain about being more young and beautiful?

There was a common saying, ”a flash in the pan,” which described how the epiphyllum blooms for a very short time, perhaps only a few hours before wilting.

But the Illusory Cactus’s blooming period was even shorter. From unfurling to wilting, there was but a single moment!

So, to witness the blooming process of the Illusory Cactus, one had to stay in Baihua City and wait patiently!

The Illusory Cactus bloomed every year in July, and it was currently June.

The Lady of Piaomiao Palace would without fail come to Baihua City to admire the flowers every year.

At this time, if nothing unexpected had happened, she was, in all likelihood, already in Baihua City!

The Golden Monkey Race had some small influence within the human territories. For the Monkey, getting this kind of information was not a big deal.

”In Baihua City, there are many noblewomen, many noble ladies, many pampered young misses... and even more men!” The Monkey looked at the vast ancient city on the distant horizon, which emanated a magnificent aura, and said flatly, ”Here, the chances of encountering the prodigies, both male and female, from the major powers of Xi Hezhou are extremely high!”

As he spoke, the Monkey gave Xu Luo a mischievous look and bared his teeth. ”So if you want to get famous, just go stir up some trouble in Baihua City. You’ll definitely be known throughout the world in no time!”

The corner of Xu Luo’s mouth twitched. ”I haven’t lived long enough yet, and I still have many things to do!”

The Monkey suddenly said with a meaningful tone, ”Actually, sometimes, being a little unrestrained and adding a halo to your own head isn’t necessarily a bad thing!”

Xu Luo sighed. ”You’re right. A lot of the time, that halo might just be your own protective umbrella.”

With that, the Monkey and Xu Luo, along with Master Mao and Xiaojin, disguised themselves and entered Baihua City.

”You can’t fight in the city. Baihua City is full of precious flowers. If you fight here, the Guard Team won’t let you off.”

”If a conflict arises and you want to resolve it, you can go to the fighting arenas. Baihua City has many such places. Each arena is a small pocket space, similar in principle to a Small World, but the difference in level is like heaven and earth!”

As soon as they entered the city, the Monkey began to send voice transmissions to Xu Luo, explaining the various rules of Baihua City.

”Originally, there was none of this. But because this place gathers the elites from all the major powers of Xi Hezhou, conflicts are inevitable. And every time, some precious flowers and plants were inevitably damaged. Therefore, the City Lord of Baihua City later set up many fighting arenas in the city.”

”Don’t underestimate the Guard Team of Baihua City. They are all composed of elites from the major powers of Xi Hezhou! They rotate every few years. Being able to become a guard of Baihua City is a great honor!”

Xu Luo looked at the Monkey with some surprise. This country bumpkin from the Vast Mountains seemed to have transformed into a different monkey the moment he stepped into the Human World. His understanding of the Human World within the Divine Domain was anything but ordinary!

Even with the intelligence support of the Golden Monkey Race, the Monkey’s knowledge of the Divine Domain was far beyond that of any ordinary beast. Even... many human Cultivators might not know as much as he did.

”You don’t have to look at me so strangely. I told you, I traveled far and wide with my uncle back in the day!” the Monkey said, baring his teeth.