Firmament Sword

Because Xu Luo had, at some unknown point, appeared before him. He held two blades; the longer one was already plunged into Li Kai'an's chest, piercing his heart!

Li Kai'an didn't even feel any pain…

Then, with the other, smaller blade—the Bloodthirsty Saber—Xu Luo slashed Li Kai'an's arm. In the span of a few breaths, he carved dozens of wounds all over Li Kai'an's body!

"Ah!"

The excruciating pain caused Li Kai'an to let out an earth-shattering scream!

The sound echoed through the cave, threatening to shatter one's eardrums!

"Come on, refine me, huh?" A cold light glinted in Xu Luo's eyes. 'I'm not a wicked person, but I loathe this man with every fiber of my being.'

'He's just like all the others who wanted to refine me, never once considering that the so-called Beidou's Eighth Star is a living, breathing person!'

'Since your heart is devoid of humanity, don't blame me for being so vicious!'

For Li Kai'an, the worst pain wasn't the feeling of a million ants gnawing at his flesh. It was having seen hope, having been just a hair's breadth from success, with more than half his body already through the door… only to be brutally dragged back out.

No… he had been kicked out from inside the door!

He could clearly feel the surging, immense power from the Golden Core in his Dantian—the core that signified the Seventh Level of Divine Power Realm, which had been on the verge of solidifying—draining away at a frantic pace.

"I won't accept this!" Li Kai'an roared.

BANG!

Xu Luo unleashed the Tyrant Technique, slamming a fist into his Dantian. A shattering sound echoed as Li Kai'an's Dantian was utterly destroyed.

At the same time, Xu Luo viciously twisted the hand gripping the Blood Dusk Blade…

"SPURT!" Li Kai'an spat out a mouthful of blood. His heart was completely mangled. Only a wisp of his Divine Thought, a power unique to the Divine Power Realm, kept him from dying instantly.

A complex mix of indignation, fury, and regret shone in his eyes, then gradually faded.

With a THUD, Li Kai'an's body collapsed. As he died, the domain of power filling the cave vanished like smoke.

Li Ye collapsed to the ground, panting heavily. "That was intense," he muttered. "Fucking hell, that was intense!"

Nearby, Li Hua felt as if he'd just climbed out of a river; he was utterly drenched in a cold sweat.

The brush with death, the sheer, overwhelming tension, had left the minds of the brothers, Li Hua and Li Ye, completely blank. They had almost lost the ability to think.

Xu Luo put away the Blood Dusk Blade. 'This blade... it's best not to reveal it to others. After all, I might have to go back to the Ancient Race Continent and play the part of the Huo Family's young master again someday.'

Then, Xu Luo placed the red dudou, the Heaven-Piercing Shuttle, and the Bloodthirsty Saber before Li Ye. "Here," he said with a smile.

"Ah... oh, huh?" Li Ye grunted in confusion, then his head snapped up to look at Xu Luo. "You're giving them back to me just like that?"

"What did you expect? A formal ceremony?" Xu Luo said with a laugh.

"No… that's not what I mean. I mean… you trust me that much? Aren't you afraid I'll just turn around and betray you?" A complex emotion flickered in Li Ye's eyes.

To be honest, he never thought he would make it out alive.

After encountering Li Kai'an, he had fallen into despair. An expert at the Sixth Layer of Divine Power Realm held a position of absolute superiority over them; they stood no chance at all.

And yet, against all odds, this legendary Beidou's Eighth Star had not only forced Li Kai'an—an expert of the Sixth Layer of Divine Power Realm—to break his own seals in a desperate attempt to reach the Seventh Layer, but had also managed to break through that domain and kill him.

Xu Luo had delivered the fatal blow right at Li Kai'an's moment of greatest triumph.

Li Ye knew he was no match for that kind of power. Even if several of him were to fight together, they would be no match for Xu Luo.

Therefore, the fact that he and his brother had both survived was an unexpected, wonderful surprise. He asked for nothing more, and he certainly hadn't expected Xu Luo to actually return his treasures.

"Betray me? Why?" Xu Luo asked lightly.

"…" Li Ye was struck speechless. He had thought he could give reasons like "for personal gain" or "for fame," but as the words came to his lips, he suddenly felt how hollow they would sound before this legendary figure.

Then, Li Ye broke into a smile. He looked at Xu Luo with sincerity and said, "I think we can be friends."

"I was thinking the same thing," Xu Luo replied, also smiling.

Nearby, it finally dawned on Li Hua. So his brother and this Beidou's Eighth Star hadn't been close friends from the very beginning, as he had imagined.

Xu Luo walked over and removed the restrictions on Li Hua. With a slight exertion of force, Li Hua snapped the ropes binding him. He then gave Xu Luo a deep bow. "Thank you for saving my life. I, Li Hua, will never forget this!"

Xu Luo smiled and shook his head. "It was nothing. It's what I promised your brother."

Li Hua looked at his older brother, his eyes filled with shame. He pursed his lips, unsure what to say. After a long moment, he finally managed, "I'm sorry, I'm so useless…"

"That's enough. You're already outstanding. I believe in you," Li Ye said, walking over and embracing his younger brother.

Li Hua hugged his brother tightly and suddenly burst into tears.

The years of estrangement between the two brothers finally vanished in that moment.

With a faint smile, Xu Luo turned and walked out of the cave, leaving the two brothers alone.

Once outside, Xu Luo activated his Treasure Hunting Skill and began searching for the Source of Creation that Dubhe had mentioned.

Dubhe hadn't explained much, and Xu Luo hadn't pried. All he knew was that if he could obtain the Source of Creation, the Dubhe Star Soul… would truly awaken.

Soon, following the guidance of his Treasure Hunting Skill, Xu Luo arrived deep underground. He was now likely several hundred meters beneath Old Baldy Ridge.

The entire way was lined with well-excavated tunnels. They were spacious, with no claustrophobic feeling, and the air circulated freely. It was clear Pang Xiaogou and Li Kai'an had put great effort into their construction.

He walked on until he came to a stop before a naturally formed Array.

Xu Luo's gaze fell upon the Array.

There was nothing particularly remarkable about the Array's appearance. It was shrouded in a layer of swirling mist, making it difficult to see what lay within.

"This is a Celestial Extinction Array," Dubhe said suddenly.

"A Celestial Extinction Array?" Xu Luo was curious. "What kind of Array is that?"

"The Celestial Extinction Array… is a peerless Array that formed naturally during the Era of Opening the Heavens," Dubhe explained slowly. "This kind of Array has no Life Gate. The name 'Celestial Extinction' means that within this Array, even the heavens themselves are rejected! The Source of Creation and the Celestial Extinction Array are symbiotic. Wherever a Source of Creation is found, a Celestial Extinction Array will be there to guard it."

"How do we get in?" Xu Luo asked.

"I don't have a way," Dubhe answered.

"What? You've got to be kidding me." An expression of disbelief crossed Xu Luo's face. "If we can't get in, how are we supposed to get the Source of Creation?"

"Heh, the Source of Creation… isn't something you 'take,'" Dubhe's voice was light, tinged with mockery. "Mortals don't understand these matters. They think some earth-shattering treasure lies behind this Array, and that if they just open it, they can have it. So naive."

'Not something you take?' Xu Luo was very unhappy with that answer. According to his Treasure Hunting Skill, there was indeed an unimaginable treasure behind this Array. If it was a treasure, why couldn't it be taken?

"Do you think the Source of Creation is some kind of object?" Dubhe said lightly. "You're wrong. The Source of Creation is the wellspring of all fortunes between heaven and earth. Of course, there isn't just one; there are many. And among them, there are good fortunes… and there are evil fortunes."

"Obtaining a good fortune grants one immense opportunities and karmic luck. For a mortal, this luck could allow them to be ennobled as a lord or appointed a chancellor, or even ascend the throne as an Emperor!"

"An evil fortune, however, can cause an Emperor's house to be overthrown overnight, their dynasty destroyed and their family ruined!"

"So…" Xu Luo's lip twitched as he muttered, "the Source of Creation… is actually a type of intangible luck? And… you can't even be sure whether the Source of Creation behind this Celestial Extinction Array is good or bad?"

"No, the Source of Creation behind this Celestial Extinction Array is a good one," Dubhe said. "If someone were to move their ancestral tombs to this location, then within a few short generations, a peerless and supremely talented expert would be born among their descendants."

"A place with excellent feng shui?" Xu Luo asked.

"Yes," Dubhe replied, then continued, "If you could directly refine the Source of Creation here and make it your own, it would be equivalent to obtaining a monumental fortune!"

"With this Array blocking the way, how am I supposed to get it?" Xu Luo grumbled in frustration. "And you said the Array can't be broken."

'Pang Xiaogou and Li Kai'an tried for so many years and never found a way to crack the Array. I know even less about this stuff. Maybe… if Sui Yan were here, there might be a chance?'

Suddenly, Xu Luo thought of his family and friends, so far away on the Central Plains Star Continent. A wave of homesickness, tinged with loneliness and bitterness, washed over him.

"Why break the Array? We'll just refine the Celestial Extinction Array along with it!" Dubhe's voice was light, but it conveyed a sense of immense confidence to Xu Luo.

"Refine the Celestial Extinction Array too?" Xu Luo was stunned.

"Of course. An Array this good, naturally formed during the Era of Opening the Heavens, is a supreme treasure in its own right. Why couldn't it be refined?" Dubhe's answer made Xu Luo feel an urge to punch him. 'If you had a method, why didn't you just say so? Why keep me in suspense for so long?'

"I said *I* don't have a way. That doesn't mean *you* don't. To enter the Celestial Extinction Array… in all the heavens and the earth, only one person can do it!"

Dubhe said with a laugh, "And that person is you!"

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