Firmament Sword

"Of course! She's the woman all the young prodigies of the Ancient Race Continent are chasing after. You're telling me you're not interested?" Pang Xiaoye said, glaring at the sleazy youth.

The sleazy youth shook his head with a straight face. "When I 'pluck flowers,' I only go for the ones without thorns. Someone like the Su Family Celestial Maiden… It's not that I'm not interested, I just don't have the nerve."

"Then why are you egging me on?!" Pang Xiaoye stared at the sleazy youth. "Are you trying to get me killed?"

"Brother Pang, how could you say that? We grew up together, we're as close as brothers! I'd sooner harm my own relatives than you! Just listen to me. I think… if you play your cards right… you have a chance!"

...

Xu Luo, Huo Wanchong, Huo Wanyu, and Huo Wanhua were dining quietly in the main room. Xu Luo overheard every single word of the conversation between Pang Xiaoye and the sleazy youth.

By the end, a cold smile touched Xu Luo's lips as he thought to himself, 'That sleazy guy was probably hired by one of Pang Xiaoye's rivals. His advice sounds reasonable on the surface, but if you think about it for a second, it's obviously a trap!'

But Pang Xiaoye seemed to have bought it. He nodded repeatedly and actually agreed to the plan.

Xu Luo shook his head and sighed internally. 'A man ruled by desire… has no brain!'

However, Xu Luo did feel a flicker of interest in this Su Family Celestial Maiden. 'The Su Family... that must be Qianqian's clan on the Ancient Race Continent, right? I wonder what this Su Celestial Maiden, who they say looks like a goddess even with a mask on, actually looks like.'

At this thought, Xu Luo suddenly remembered Su Qingyi, the one who had given him a Token. He wondered if he would ever see him again.

Just then, a commotion erupted outside the restaurant. A man's furious roar could be heard. "Su Celestial Maiden, what is the meaning of this? Is it a crime to admire you? Even if you don't like me, you didn't have to attack me, did you?"

Then, a cold voice replied, "You're pathetic."

When Xu Luo heard that voice, a flash of utter disbelief crossed his eyes.

"You…" The furious voice grew even angrier, spitting through clenched teeth, "Su Celestial Maiden, don't think I'm afraid of you just because you're from the Su Family! Piss me off, and don't blame me for disrespecting your family!"

"Then come and kill me," the cold voice replied again.

Xu Luo's expression became completely placid, but inside, his heart was in turmoil.

'Qianqian! That's definitely Qianqian's voice! How did she get to the Ancient Race Continent? And how did she become the Celestial Maiden of the Su Family, the very clan she despises most?'

'And… she seems to be held in high regard… What in the world is going on?'

Xu Luo's mind reeled. He desperately wanted to go straight down there and demand answers, but he had to force the impulse down. Because right now, he was Huo Feng… a young master of the Huo Family!

"Su Celestial Maiden, don't take it too far. Don't assume every man on the Ancient Race Continent will dote on you. At the very least, I, Ding, don't care about you!" a cold male voice interjected.

"Ding Fengyi, who the hell do you think you are? Does the Su Celestial Maiden need you to care about her? That's hilarious!" another voice chimed in.

"Bai Zhihai, you've gone too far! Do you think I, Ding Fengyi, am afraid of your Bai Family?"

"What do you think? This is Tianya City, not your Ding Family's territory. My Bai Family can parade through your city, acting as arrogantly as we please. But your Ding Family… would you dare do the same in a Bai Family city? Hmph, if you dare to say that your family would… I, Bai Zhihai, will have to admire you!"

"You…"

Up in the restaurant, Xu Luo couldn't help but shake his head. It was just a group of young, reckless scions from the great clans of the Ancient Race Continent, fighting out of jealousy. 'But why did Qianqian get into a conflict with that man named Cai?'

As he was pondering this, Su Qianqian's voice rang out again. It was icy and emotionless, yet Xu Luo could detect a powerful undercurrent. "You, with the surname Cai, remember this: if you want to kill Beidou's Eighth Star, you'll have to get through me first! Now, do you understand?"

The man named Cai was stunned, his mouth twitching in disbelief. "Su Celestial Maiden… what do you mean? Are you saying… you intend to protect Beidou's Eighth Star?"

At this, everyone else fell silent, including Ding Fengyi and Bai Zhihai. They all stared at the Su Celestial Maiden in surprise.

The one and only reason they were all here was Beidou's Eighth Star!

Every single one of them wanted to get their hands on Beidou's Eighth Star.

Some wanted to challenge him to temper themselves. Others wanted to refine Beidou's Eighth Star to achieve immortality and eternal life.

Regardless of their reasons, their objective was direct: Beidou's Eighth Star.

Before this moment, not a single person had ever declared so bluntly: I'm on the side of Beidou's Eighth Star!

Never!

Standing by the restaurant window, Xu Luo remained silent, his face devoid of expression. Deep inside, however, his heart was anything but calm.

'It seems Qianqian is still the same Qianqian she always was. Maybe… something happened to cause her to change this much, but deep down, in her bones, she hasn't changed at all.'

"Protect him? What a joke. He doesn't need my protection. I'm just making my stance clear," the Su Celestial Maiden said coolly. "I'm going to the Sect Continent this time because I want to see with my own eyes how you self-righteous fools are defeated by him!"

"It seems you and Beidou's Eighth Star… are quite familiar!" Ding Fengyi said with a sinister, malicious tone.

"He's my idol! What about it?" The Su Celestial Maiden's lips curled into a scornful sneer as she looked at Ding Fengyi with contempt. "He could crush you with a single finger!"

"You… Su Celestial Maiden, don't think I won't make a move!" Ding Fengyi flew into a rage. They were all prodigies of the Ancient Race, and though some were stronger than others, their pride was the same. He couldn't tolerate being humiliated like this.

"Is that so? Then go on, give it a try," a soft voice said from beside the Su Celestial Maiden. As the voice spoke, a young man stepped forward.

Xu Luo's gaze froze, landing on the young man. He almost cried out.

Su Qingyi!

The young man… was Su Qingyi, whom he hadn't seen in so long!

"You're Su Qingyi?" Ding Fengyi stared coldly at the young man before him, then said hatefully, "You're just absurdly lucky, that's all. If I had your luck, I'd definitely be stronger than you!"

With that, he shot a fierce glare at the Su Celestial Maiden. "We'll see about this!"

Su Qingyi smiled faintly, unconcerned. "Luck… is sometimes a form of strength in itself. Little sister Qianqian, wouldn't you agree?"

The Su Celestial Maiden was expressionless as she said flatly, "My name is Su Celestial Maiden!"

"Haha, fine. Celestial Maiden, let's go." Su Qingyi didn't seem the least bit angry. As if sensing something, he even lifted his head and glanced toward where Xu Luo was standing.

But by then, Xu Luo had already returned to his seat.

"Young Master Feng, it looks like word has spread. Nearly all the young talents from the Ancient Race Continent have come," Huo Wanchong said with a bitter expression. "This is going to be troublesome. Capturing Beidou's Eighth Star will probably be very difficult!"

Huo Wanyu also sighed. "Indeed. Although our Huo Family isn't afraid of any other clan, with so many people involved, there are bound to be countless complications."

Huo Wanhua looked at Xu Luo. "Now, all our hopes are on you, Young Master Feng!"

"That's right. Young Master Feng is the only one who has seen Beidou's Eighth Star. We can only rely on you this time!" Huo Wanchong said.

Xu Luo nodded and said, "Don't worry, the Ancestor will help us when the time comes." As he spoke, a happy smile appeared on his face.

The three Huo brothers thought Xu Luo was laughing at the idea that even the wise Ancestor could miscalculate, but they had no idea that Xu Luo was actually laughing at the three of them.

The best inn in Tianya City had been completely booked out by the Su Family.

Su Qianqian returned to the inn in a huff, slammed her door shut, and sat on a chair, fuming.

A moment later, the door was pushed open gently. Su Qingyi walked in with a smile, sat down beside Su Qianqian, and looked at her with a doting expression.

"What are you looking at? I'm in a very bad mood right now! Get out!" Su Qianqian snapped.

"Alright, there's no one else here. Calm down. There's no point in acting like this. Other than letting the family learn more about your past with that Xu Luo, what good do you think it does?" Su Qingyi coaxed gently.

Su Qianqian rolled her eyes and sneered. "I want those bastards to know that Xu Luo and I are good friends! So what? Don't they want to become immortals too? Pah! A worthless mob like them wants to become immortal? They should take a good look in the mirror and see themselves for the trash they are!"

Su Qingyi looked at Su Qianqian with a helpless expression. "Little sister Qianqian, that was a harsh scolding. You even included your own brother in it."

"So what? Are you going to hit me?" Su Qianqian said with an indignant huff, not even glancing at Su Qingyi. "Don't think that just because your Su Family killed everyone who made a move, I'll forgive you. And don't think I'm naive enough to believe the words of those hypocritical old geezers in the family. If I hadn't already refined the Heart of the Fire Dragon and possessed powerful life-saving techniques, would they be indulging me like this?"

Su Qingyi shook his head with a wry smile. "Alright, you may look down on them, but don't take it out on me. Let's talk about your plan. By doing this, you've almost completely exposed your relationship with Xu Luo. I'm afraid someone might move against you because of it."

"I'm not afraid! Don't I have a large group of Su Family experts protecting me? Are they all dead? If someone tries to harm me, won't they act?" Su Qianqian sneered. "This time, I've already told the family: if you want the Heart of the Fire Dragon, it's simple. Protect Xu Luo, and I'll give it to them!"

"What? You… You actually agreed to the family's demand? Do you have any idea… what that means?" Su Qingyi shot to his feet, staring at Su Qianqian in astonishment, an indecipherably complex look flashing in his eyes.

"It's just death. What's there to be afraid of?" Su Qianqian said flatly, her expression unchanging, as if she were talking about someone else's fate.

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