Firmament Sword

After slaughtering the group, Du Qingteng fell silent. He looked at Xu Luo and sighed, “The Jianghu is a treacherous place. It forced Master Du to lie and deceive.”

Xu Luo smiled. “It’s nothing. They couldn’t be allowed to live. I was actually worried you’d go soft on them.”

“Is Master Du a soft-hearted person?” Du Qingteng let out a cold laugh, then sighed. “To be honest, if it weren’t for the overwhelming aura of slaughter and bloodlust rising from their foreheads, I might not have been able to bring myself to do it.”

“Not a single one of them was a good person. Backed by a Celestial Venerable Ancestor who isn’t bound by the laws of this world, they ran rampant, slaughtering indiscriminately. The number of people who have died by their hands in the last few days is impossible to count.”

“If we hadn’t had Lan’s help, we’d probably be… nothing but corpses by now. Or perhaps… we wouldn’t even have left corpses behind.”

“Exactly. So they more than deserved to die. There’s no need to overthink it.” Xu Luo patted Du Qingteng’s shoulder. He felt that the successor of Weiyu Mountain was, in some respects, still quite naive.

Today, it was Du Qingteng who had acted first. But even if he hadn’t, Xu Luo would have.

People like that simply couldn’t be allowed to live!

Then, Lan secretly sent a mental message to Xu Luo, telling him she had found Yao’Er. Xu Luo froze, asking her who Yao’Er was.

Lan gave Xu Luo a strange look and transmitted, ‘Yao’Er saved your life once. Don’t you remember?’

“You mean… Little Nannan? That Holy Medicine?” Xu Luo looked at Lan in astonishment, so much so that even Du Qingteng, standing to the side, noticed something was off.

“What’s wrong?” Du Qingteng asked.

Xu Luo shook his head and gave a wry smile. “It’s nothing…”

Du Qingteng didn’t press the matter and walked outside with Master Mao.

Lan’s voice entered his mind. ‘Of course! Who else could it be? But Yao’Er’s memories often seal themselves away, so she doesn’t remember you. Still, the guidance of fate led her to you in the end, just like it did for me. It makes me so happy!’

‘You’re saying… Nannan is Yao’Er? How is that possible?’ Xu Luo asked mentally.

‘Back in the Chaos Era, before the heavens were even parted, you and the Creator were the first to gain Spiritual Wisdom. I was just a wisp of fire by your side, and Yao’Er was a little herb!’ Lan said, smiling sweetly at Xu Luo. ‘After you gained your Spiritual Wisdom, you took care of me and Yao’Er. It was you, Brother Fu, who granted us our Spiritual Wisdom!’

‘Is that so…’ Xu Luo felt a little strange.

‘It’s as if the “you” Lan is talking about isn’t me, but someone else…’

“Yep! One day, all of your memories will awaken. And then, you’ll finally reign supreme!” Lan stretched out a fair, jade-like finger and pointed upward. “Everything under the Cangqiong will be your domain!”

Xu Luo couldn’t help but smile. ‘Perhaps… what Lan says is true. But I still have such a long road ahead of me.’

“What are your plans after we get out of here? Will you stay with me?” Xu Luo asked, looking at Lan.

‘This is a very important question.’ Xu Luo’s feelings about Lan… were actually quite conflicted.

‘I believe that Lan isn’t deceiving me, that every word she’s said is the truth.’

‘The familiar thrumming deep in my soul also makes it clear that there’s definitely some kind of connection between me and this Fire Spirit Maiden.’

‘Lan’s power is unparalleled. It’s no exaggeration to say that even if the entire Celestial Brilliance dragged out all its reclusive, hidden ancestors, none of them would be her match.’

‘With someone like her by my side, I’d never have to worry about my safety again.’

‘In Du Qingteng’s words: she’s a super-heavy-hitter!’

‘But looking at it another way, if Lan was by my side all the time, even if she never made a move, I’d feel completely secure. Under those circumstances, could I really be tested? Could I truly temper myself?’

‘His immense combat strength was something he had forged with his own two hands, fighting and killing every step of the way!’

‘Although his fortune had always been powerful, even shockingly so.’

‘But that didn’t negate my own efforts. Otherwise, how many people could reach my current realm at my age?’

‘I wasn’t some disciple nurtured by a rich clan or a major sect since childhood. I certainly never had the astonishing resources of a Holy Land.’

‘I came from the mortal world of the Lower Realm, grew up in the fires of war, and rose to prominence on the Ancient Race Continent, a land teeming with experts. I fought my way forward, tore through the void, and stepped into the Divine Domain!’

‘After entering the Divine Domain, I faced peerless geniuses who had both exceptional talent and mountains of resources, but I never backed down. I relied on my own efforts to get to where I am today, one step at a time…’

‘It’s fair to say that, aside from my powerful fortune, every step I’ve taken has been on solid ground!’

‘If… from now on, I really have a peerless expert by my side, one who surpasses the Celestial Venerable Realm… maybe even the Saint Venerable Realm… will I… still be able to charge forward fearlessly like before, cutting a path through all obstacles?’

Xu Luo asked himself. He was afraid it would be nearly impossible.

Lan didn’t look at Xu Luo, simply nodding cheerfully. “Of course I want to stay by your side always! That way I can protect you!”

The corner of Xu Luo’s mouth twitched, but he couldn’t bring himself to say anything.

However, Lan then added, “But after we get out, I have to go to a few places first. I need to warn certain existences not to go too far!”

“Hm?” Xu Luo looked at Lan, puzzled.

“They’re ancient existences living in the No-Man’s-Land of the Divine Domain. Those things are outrageous. Not just outrageous, but downright malevolent. Back in Ancient Times, they often fed on humans!”

“I thought that after so many years, those things would have reined themselves in a bit. I never expected that the Divine Domain today would have so few experts at or above the Celestial Venerable Realm. It just shows how brazen they’ve become!”

“So, after we get out, I’m going to pay them a visit and warn them not to go too far!”

Lan looked at Xu Luo with a serious expression. “Because Brother Fu… is the one… and only king… under these stars!”

“All living creatures… are meant to be… your subjects, brother!”

As Lan spoke, her gaze on Xu Luo grew dreamy, her expression one of utter adoration.

Walking up ahead, Du Qingteng casually glanced back, then immediately whipped his head forward again, crying out in his heart, ‘What have I done… ‘

‘I shouldn’t have looked back…’

‘I saw something I shouldn’t have seen!’

‘But… oh, my god… Good heavens… Is there any justice left in this world!’

‘A Celestial Blue Fire Spirit! A Divine Fire Spirit of that level, looking at Luo Tian with that kind of expression…’

‘I’m speechless…’

He’d lost count of how many times Du Qingteng had been left completely in awe of Xu Luo.

Xu Luo was also a little speechless, thinking, ‘You’re probably the only person in the world who thinks that.’

Lan continued, “When I leave this time, I’m taking Yao’Er with me. Her memories can’t stay sealed forever; it’s time to unlock them. To do that… I’ll need to go to those places to find a few things. And while I’m at it, I can take care of that other business I just mentioned.”

There was no hint of killing intent in Lan’s voice, but Xu Luo could sense her resolve.

“How long will it take?” Xu Luo asked.

Lan smiled sweetly at Xu Luo. “Are you worried about me, brother?”

“Er… yes.” Xu Luo thought, ‘Somehow, I feel like it’s the beings in those forbidden zones who should be worried.’

Lan spoke in a cheerful tone, “Don’t worry, it should be very quick. By human calculations, two or three years… should be enough, right?”

Xu Luo thought, ‘Two or three years… That should be enough time for me to grow much stronger.’

At that moment, Xu Luo looked at Lan and asked, “By the way, there’s something… I was wondering if you knew about it?”

“Hm?” Lan tilted her head, looking at Xu Luo.

“Legend says there’s an ancient text in these ruins called the Soul Scripture.” As he spoke, Xu Luo took out the Soul Scripture Stele and handed it to Lan. “This is the first half of the Soul Scripture, the ‘Liberation’ chapter. I’m trying to find the second half, called the ‘Transcendence’ chapter…”

“This thing… I feel like I’ve seen it somewhere before?” Lan held the Soul Scripture Stele and frowned slightly, muttering to herself, “This… if I remember correctly, it was a stele from the Chaos Era. But back then, it was a single, whole piece. Someone must have split it in two later on.”

“Let me think hard…”

Lan fell into thought. After a long while, she said with some uncertainty, “If this is what you’re looking for, then there’s likely only one place it could be.”

With that, Lan pointed to the northwest. “It should be on an altar in an ancient city over that way. That thing… back in the day, it was in the hands of the one who was this world’s Lord of the Continent.”

“I have to get it!” Xu Luo said seriously.

“Then let’s go!” Lan said in a lighthearted tone. “Whatever my brother wants, Lan will bring it to you!”

Xu Luo looked at Lan. “Thank you!”

Lan shook her head slightly. “You don’t need to thank me, brother. Lan is willing to do anything for you!”

A ripple went through Xu Luo’s heart as he thought, ‘The me of the past… I might have helped you a great deal. But the me of today is just an ordinary young man, struggling desperately to climb his way up in this world… You really don’t have to be this good to me.’

As if sensing his thoughts, Lan reached out her translucent, jade-like hand and gently took his. Then, she looked up at him, her expression one of pure innocence.

In that instant, Xu Luo seemed to understand everything.

‘She… didn’t need a reason either!’

After that, the group changed direction and continued deeper to the northwest.

For days on end, they crossed countless mountains and rivers, encountering many powerful and ferocious beasts. Among them were even some Great Calamities at the Celestial Venerable Realm. Had it been only Xu Luo and Du Qingteng, they would have found it nearly impossible to cross.

But with Lan by their side, all it took was a soft hum from her for those Great Calamities of the Celestial Venerable Realm to flee in terror, giving them a wide berth.

The very few who were foolish enough not to… ended up as their next meal.