Firmament Sword

'Now that these three have decided they want to take Beidou's Eighth Star for themselves, things will be much easier. At the very least... when they encounter other members of the Huo Family also heading to the Sect Continent, these three definitely won't hold back!'

Having made his decision, Xu Luo began moving in a direction away from his elder brother's residence.

Huo Wanchong, Huo Wanhua, and Huo Wanyu didn't notice anything amiss, much less realize they had just had a brush with death.

Along the way, they encountered many Martial Artists from the Ancient Race Continent heading to the Sect Continent. The vast majority were young men and women seeking to gain experience.

However, some among them didn't seem to be traveling for training, but for other purposes. When these people saw Huo Wanchong and the others, their gazes were shifty and evasive, arousing suspicion.

"Could the news have already gotten out?" Huo Wanchong was very puzzled.

"There's probably a traitor in the family!" Huo Wanyu said with some dissatisfaction. "Not many people knew about this at first, but soon... almost every family in the entire Ancient Race knew. And every time we make a move, some families always get the news immediately. That's why I've always suspected that someone in the family's upper echelons has turned traitor!"

Huo Wanhua nodded and said coldly, "Some Elders deserve to die. Even if they haven't turned traitor, they're just useless freeloaders!"

Xu Luo smiled to himself. 'Whether there were traitors among the Huo Family's upper ranks in the past, he didn't know. There was no such information in Huo Feng's memories either.'

But this time, the news that Beidou's Eighth Star had appeared on the Sect Continent was something *he* had suggested the Ancestor leak, via a secret report he'd sent!

It wasn't difficult to persuade the Ancestor. First, Beidou's Eighth Star was not weak—this was common knowledge. From the defeat of Huo Wanzhang and his men to the deaths of Huo Jinyin and Huo Jinshan, everything pointed to the Eighth Star's power. Second, since Beidou's Eighth Star dared to first appear on the Ancient Race Continent, kill Huo Jinshan and Huo Jinyin, and then flee to the Sect Continent, it proved this person was highly skilled at concealment. Finally, Xu Luo suggested to the Ancestor, Huo Tongtian, that he must dispatch a few truly powerful experts to the Sect Continent. Once they found a trace of Beidou's Eighth Star, these experts should act personally to completely suppress the target!

In another recent secret report, Xu Luo had also subtly pointed out that Huo Wanchong, Huo Wanhua, and Huo Wanyu had selfish motives. He expressed fear that he couldn't control them and begged the Ancestor that when the time came, the dispatched experts should personally kill the three of them if they showed any signs of disloyalty!

After seeing this secret report, the Ancestor flew into a rage. He simultaneously praised Huo Feng for his loyalty and sensibility while cursing the three brats from a branch family. How dare they have designs on *his* prize? It was the height of audacity!

Of course, the Ancestor had no idea that the real reason Huo Wanchong, Huo Wanyu, and Huo Wanhua had so blatantly exposed their selfish ambitions was due to Xu Luo's instigation!

Xu Luo was playing a very big game of chess!

And in this game, he had schemed against nearly every family on the Ancient Race Continent!

*Obtain Beidou's Eighth Star, and ascend to immortality!*

This ancient prophecy had struck a nerve with nearly every expert on the Ancient Race Continent.

Then, news spread that Beidou's Eighth Star had killed two great experts from the Huo Family at the Fourth Layer of the Divine Power Realm before fleeing to the Sect Continent.

Over the past few days, Xu Luo had heard that many experts from the Ancient Race Continent had set out for the Sect Continent.

Among them was the Su Family Celestial Maiden, whom Xu Luo had encountered on his way to the Huo Family. Her signature four Pure-blooded Unicorn Celestial Horses and the carriage carved from Divine Wood always caused a stir wherever they went.

That other great expert, the one whose carriage was pulled by two Quasi-Saint Jiao Long Beasts and fashioned from Celestial Yang Wood, had also set off in the direction of the Sect Continent. Whether he was also after Beidou's Eighth Star was unknown.

The four of them, Xu Luo included, were currently in a tavern. This was the last city before the passage to the Sect Continent.

The city's name was Tianya.

For the ordinary people living on the Ancient Race Continent, this place was truly the edge of the world.

Because further ahead lay a chaotic forbidden zone, separated by a massive mountain range that stood like a celestial spine between the Sect Continent and the Ancient Race Continent.

The mountains were so high that even a Sword King at the Transformation Realm would find them difficult to climb.

In the past, Tianya City was very quiet. Being on the very edge of the Ancient Race Continent, few outsiders ever came here.

As the young master of Tianya City's largest family, the Pang Family, Pang Xiaoye's past few days had been eventful—both happy and a little disheartening.

The happy part was that the once-quiet Tianya City had suddenly become bustling, as if it had undergone an earth-shattering transformation overnight!

The taverns and inns run by the Pang Family were all filled to capacity, and almost all the patrons were big spenders who didn't care about money and were extremely generous.

The disheartening part was that Young Master Pang, who had been considered the number one genius in Tianya City, had met seven or eight peers far stronger than him in just a few short days!

This was especially true of the Su Family Celestial Maiden, who was staying in an inn under the Pang Family's name. Pang Xiaoye was fortunate enough to catch a glimpse of her and was immediately stunned by her otherworldly beauty. He had wanted to go over and strike up a conversation, but was blocked by several of the Celestial Maiden's female attendants.

Confident in his strength and relying on his home-ground advantage, Pang Xiaoye tried to force his way through. Unexpectedly, one of the most inconspicuous female attendants simply struck him with a single palm, injuring him. It was clear she had held back; otherwise, he probably wouldn't have been able to get out of bed for several months.

Pang Xiaoye was drinking sullenly in one of his family's taverns, his expression melancholic. He sighed, "To think that I, Master Pang, was born the most outstanding prodigy in Tianya City. I've never lost a fight against someone my age, and I've always thought I was a real somebody. But to my surprise, just an attendant of some outsider defeated me... Life is truly ironic!"

Sitting across from him was a young man of about twenty-seven or twenty-eight. The man had a rather sleazy appearance, his eyes darting back and forth. Just from his looks, he didn't seem like a good person.

Hearing Pang Xiaoye's words, the young man chuckled slyly. "Why so down, Brother Pang? If you knew who that woman was, you'd be shocked, and you'd stop dwelling on being defeated!"

"Oh? Tell me," Pang Xiaoye said, seeming to perk up a bit.

"That woman is the Su Family's... Celestial Maiden!" the young man said, leaning close and whispering in Pang Xiaoye's ear.

"The Su Celestial Maiden? What? She's that woman from the legends?" Pang Xiaoye was stunned. The expression on his face became incredibly dramatic, and his lips twitched as he muttered, "Heavens... I actually went and recklessly provoked the Su Celestial Maiden. I'm really... lucky to be alive!"

"See? You feel much better now, right?" the sleazy young man said with a grin. "And that's not all. I discovered something else."

"What else?" Pang Xiaoye asked subconsciously, not yet fully recovered from his shock.

The sleazy young man whispered, "The Su Celestial Maiden is wearing a human-skin mask! That is definitely not her real face. Based on my deduction, the real Su Celestial Maiden must be even more beautiful than she looks now!"

"What?" Pang Xiaoye said in surprise. "I thought the current Su Celestial Maiden was already a peerless beauty!"

"Heh, Brother Pang, don't you trust my eyes? I may not have been to many big places, but my perception... I'm confident it's better than most!" The sleazy young man lowered his voice. "The Su Family Celestial Maiden wasn't very famous before. She only truly rose to prominence less than two years ago, yet she's sought after by almost every young prodigy on the Ancient Race Continent. Why is that?"

"Why?" Pang Xiaoye asked, looking at the sleazy young man in confusion.

The sleazy young man shook his head with a wry smile. "My dear Brother Pang... Master Pang! Think about it. If the Su Celestial Maiden only looked like this, could she really be pursued by all those young prodigies?"

"Why do I get the feeling... that you're questioning my taste?" Pang Xiaoye shot a glance at the sleazy young man and asked coolly.

"There's nothing wrong with your eye or your taste, Brother Pang, but think about it. Don't you find the Su Celestial Maiden's expressionless face a bit stiff?" the sleazy young man said. "And then think about the skin on her neck. Isn't it fairer and more delicate than the skin on her face?"

"Holy shit... You fucking observed her more closely than I did! You really live up to your reputation as a master pervert!" Pang Xiaoye grumbled.

The sleazy young man felt no shame, instead smiling smugly. "So, based on my judgment, the real Su Celestial Maiden is definitely even more beautiful!"

"Sigh, what's the use of being beautiful? A person like her is not someone we can even dream of having," Pang Xiaoye said, dejected.

"That's not necessarily true!" the sleazy young man said, lowering his voice. "Do you know why so many of them have suddenly gathered in Tianya City?"

"How would I know? But I have overheard some talk these past few days, something about a 'Beidou's Eighth Star'..." Pang Xiaoye said.

"That's right, that's it!" the sleazy young man said. "They've gathered here to cross that forbidden zone and enter the Sect Continent! Because according to legend, Beidou's Eighth Star... is on the Sect Continent!"

"So what? What does that have to do with anything?" Pang Xiaoye said, his interest flagging.

"Brother Pang, what do you say we... tag along and go to the Sect Continent to broaden our horizons?" the sleazy young man said with an expectant look. "When we get there, I can get a taste of the Sect Continent's local customs!"

"Oh, give me a break. What can you do besides preying on women?" Pang Xiaoye rolled his eyes at the sleazy young man, then downed his cup of wine. "I'll go if a trip to the Sect Continent can win me the Su Family Celestial Maiden!"

"You really want to have her?" The sleazy young man's expression turned serious as he looked at Pang Xiaoye.

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