Firmament Sword

Li Ye sighed, gave up all resistance, and closed his eyes. 'By now... my brother must be close to reaching Honglou Ancient City, right? As long as he's safe... what does it matter if I die?'

But he didn't know that his enemy's cruelty and cunning were far beyond his expectations. At this very moment, the seventeen-year-old boy had already fallen into the hands of that Pang Xiaogou.

Although the attack was sudden, his enemies had, in fact, been plotting this for many years. How could they have possibly left such a loophole?

Thus, Li Kaiyuan sneered mockingly, "You think your brother is safe, don't you? Hahaha, it won't be long before he joins you!"

Li Ye's eyes snapped open. The Sword Qi that was about to cut him down was instantly pierced by two beams of light that shot from his eyes. The Sword Qi dissipated into the air.

With a cry, Li Ye spat out a mouthful of blood. At the same time, an astonishing aura erupted from his body!

He had broken through at the very brink of life and death!

"The Third Layer of the Divine Power Realm... a true genius. However... killing a genius with my own hands is far more satisfying!" Li Ye's talent terrified even Li Kaiyuan. He decided that no matter what, he could not let Li Ye live past today.

'This kind of talent... it's simply terrifying!'

'How old is he? He's already broken through to the Third Layer of the Divine Power Realm... It's incredible!'

As he thought this, a massive Dharma Aspect rose behind him. It was an ancient hall, looking somewhat dilapidated, yet it shimmered with a divine glow!

Within it, the figures of deities flickered in and out of existence, sometimes clear, sometimes obscured.

The entire ancient hall looked incredibly real, and its mottled, time-worn bricks emanated a boundless, oppressive might.

A single glance was enough to inspire an overwhelming urge to bow in worship.

His Dharma Aspect... was actually a Divine Hall!

Li Kaiyuan's Divine Hall Dharma Aspect bore down on the great crimson curtain in the sky. Then, several more streams of Sword Qi shot out from the Divine Hall, flying toward Li Ye!

RUMBLE!

A deafening, world-shaking boom erupted as if a violent explosion had torn through the sky.

Li Kaiyuan's body was flung back hundreds of yards, and he sprayed a mouthful of blood. With an incredulous look in his eyes, he roared, "Who is it?"

Six complete, massive stars had utterly obliterated his Divine Hall. The flickering deities within had also been instantly wiped from existence.

Li Kaiyuan suffered a powerful backlash that damaged his very foundation. Even when he had been miserably struck by lightning earlier, his injuries had only been superficial, not fundamental.

This blow, however, had wounded him gravely.

Then, a large, jade-white hand materialized in the air and snatched the great crimson curtain. A light sound of surprise followed. "This is actually a bodice?"

Li Ye stared, dumbfounded, at the scene unfolding before him. He felt like his brain couldn't keep up.

"What's happening?" Li Ye stared blankly at the six massive stars fading in the void and murmured, "'The mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind?' Or 'when the snipe and the clam fight, the fisherman profits'?"

Hearing the question about the bodice, Li Ye's face flushed. Then he raised an eyebrow. 'That voice... why does it sound so familiar?'

Then... a figure appeared in the sky. He held up the now palm-sized red bodice and flashed Li Ye a toothy grin. "Hey, we meet again."

When Li Ye got a clear look at the person, he didn't know whether to laugh or cry. 'Am I unlucky, or lucky? To think I'd run into him again!'

"How about a trade?" Xu Luo smiled brightly.

Although this bodice in his hand was a bit... intimate... and even faintly carried the scent of a woman's perfume, which made Xu Luo rather uncomfortable.

'Still, it's a pretty impressive treasure!'

'Infuse it with Magical Power, and it can call down terrifying bolts of lightning. There are probably only a few treasures like this in the entire world, and I just happened to... get it so easily.'

'My luck... it's just off the charts!'

"A trade?" Li Ye had survived by a fluke, but now he felt an urge to die. He desperately wanted to tell the brightly smiling fellow across from him: 'This bodice... my sect's Patriarch actually gave it to me to use against you...'

The ignored Li Kaiyuan was both shocked and furious, wondering who this person was that had suddenly appeared out of nowhere. Swallowing an Elixir to suppress his internal injuries, he overheard their conversation and was stunned to realize they seemed to know each other.

Li Kaiyuan's heart instantly tensed up.

'Those six massive stars directly obliterated my Divine Hall Dharma Aspect. Who in the world is he? On the entire Sect Continent... I've never heard of anyone like this.'

'Logically, a young man this powerful couldn't possibly be completely unknown on the Sect Continent...'

Suddenly, it was as if a bolt of lightning struck Li Kaiyuan's mind. He had figured out the newcomer's true identity!

"Beidou's Eighth Star! You... you're Beidou's Eighth Star!" Li Kaiyuan muttered, then turned and fled without a second thought!

Revenge, treasure... none of it mattered in the face of the temptation of the world's greatest medicine!

If one could capture Beidou's Eighth Star and refine him, they could directly ascend to immortality!

In all the world, how many could possibly resist such a temptation?

"You're Beidou's Eighth Star?" Li Ye felt his brain was overloading again. He asked the question, only to find that Xu Luo had already vanished.

A moment later, from the direction in which Li Kaiyuan had fled, a boundless killing intent surged into the heavens. A defiant roar from Li Kaiyuan echoed out, and then... silence.

Moments later, Xu Luo flew back, dragging Li Kaiyuan by the collar. He landed on the ground and tossed Li Kaiyuan in front of Li Ye. "He's all yours."

"This... Why?" Li Ye's mind was in complete chaos. He had no idea what the man before him was planning.

'Logically... with his terrifying strength, catching Li Kaiyuan was as easy as catching a chicken. Killing me, then, would be a simple matter of lifting a hand. He probably wouldn't even need to move. A single glance... and I'd be dead.'

'So why isn't he killing me? Is it just because of our encounter on the Southern Celestial Divine Continent? But that time... we were clearly enemies, weren't we?'

"Why not? Isn't this man your enemy?" Xu Luo looked at Li Ye, a little confused. "Or did I misunderstand something?"

"No... that's not it. He is my enemy..." Li Ye desperately wanted to add, 'And I'm supposed to be your enemy, too!' But there was no way he could say that out loud. After a long hesitation, he could only stammer, "Thank you!"

"Heh, it was nothing." Xu Luo smiled and waved his hand, realizing he hadn't misjudged this person.

'This Li Ye, after hearing I'm Beidou's Eighth Star, had no reaction at all... Of course, he might just be stunned, but at least it shows one thing: he isn't like most people, who just think about refining Beidou's Eighth Star... into a great medicine!'

"'It was nothing?'" The corner of Li Ye's mouth twitched. He suddenly realized that in the short time since they had last met, this guy's strength had grown yet again!

'And he'd so easily captured Li Kaiyuan, a master at the Fifth Layer of the Divine Power Realm... It was unbelievable.'

"Are you really Beidou's Eighth Star?" Li Ye asked, looking doubtfully at the handsome young man who was about his own age.

"What if I am, and what if I'm not?" Xu Luo said.

"Whether you are or not... has nothing to do with me. I've never thought about refining you into a great medicine..." The corner of Li Ye's mouth twitched. 'Even if I wanted to,' he thought, 'I wouldn't have the power. Besides, refining another person... and consuming them like medicine? That's just beyond the pale!'

"Haha, I don't think now is the time to discuss that. Don't you want to ask him a few questions?" Xu Luo said, pointing at Li Kaiyuan on the ground.

Just now, he had used White Tiger Qi and Cyan Dragon Poison to suppress Li Kaiyuan, seal his power, and capture him.

Li Ye snapped back to his senses. His gaze fell, cold as ice, on Li Kaiyuan. "What did you mean before," he asked coldly, "when you mentioned my brother?"

Li Kaiyuan's expression was venomous, directed less at Li Ye and more at Xu Luo. Hearing the question, he let out a laugh. "What, you still don't get it? Since we attacked you today, how could we not have a backup plan? That brother of yours can forget about ever returning to Honglou Ancient City! If he's lucky, he might still be alive. If not... he's already taken a step ahead of you into the Underworld! Hahahaha!"

As he spoke, Li Kaiyuan began to laugh wildly.

"What happened? Tell me the truth, and I'll give you a quick death. I also promise not to kill your family and kinsmen. But if you tell a single lie, I'll make sure your death is anything but peaceful! And as for your loved ones, not a single one of them will meet a good end!"

Li Ye finished, staring coldly at Li Kaiyuan. "Don't tell me you don't care about them. I won't believe you!"

A complex light flickered in Li Kaiyuan's eyes. Indeed, what human could truly not care for their own blood relatives? Besides, even if he really didn't care... he didn't want to die yet.

"If I tell you, you have to promise to let me live! I guarantee I'll never appear before you again or oppose you! I'll swear it on my Heart Demon!" said Li Kaiyuan.

"Don't even think about it. Letting you go is impossible!" Li Ye stared coldly at Li Kaiyuan. "I don't care what you swear on, I won't believe you! You have only one path now: confess everything, and pray for a quick end!"

"Pah! You little brat, stop putting on airs with me! It wasn't even you who caught me! You want to torture me? Go on, try it!" Facing certain death, Li Kaiyuan lost all reason and abandoned any semblance of dignity, roaring defiantly.

Xu Luo, standing to the side, just smiled. "If it's torture you want... there are so many ways. And I happen to be very good at it."

Li Kaiyuan gritted his teeth and glared at Xu Luo with venomous hatred, but he didn't dare run his mouth again. This young man's methods were completely beyond his comprehension.

'His cultivation level is clearly not as high as mine, but for some reason, in his presence, I feel completely and utterly suppressed!'

That was why he had tried to run.

And as it turned out, Xu Luo had caught him as easily as snatching a chicken.

At that, Li Ye took a deep breath, looked at Xu Luo with grim determination, and said, "Let's make a deal!"

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