Firmament Sword

The Sect Leader braced himself and said, "While the Eighth Star represents a grand fortune and a great opportunity, I fear that getting involved will entangle us in immense karma, which would be detrimental to our Honglou Sect."

"Since when did you start spouting the same nonsense as those bald monks?" Elder Rui snorted disdainfully, then glanced at the others. "I agree to ambushing Beidou's Eighth Star to avenge the Celestial Star Grand Elder and seize this grand fortune! Raise your hand if you agree!"

As he spoke, he was the first to raise his own stick-thin arm. "I agree!"

Then, his chilling gaze swept over the others.

A few other elders, who looked to be in their twilight years as well, raised their arms one after another in enthusiastic support of Elder Rui's proposal.

"How can the Honglou Sect be so weak, so easily bullied?"

"A member of our Honglou Sect cannot be allowed to die in vain, let alone a prominent figure of great power and status! This vengeance must be sought!"

"As one of the three great powers on the Sect Continent, one of our own was killed, and we don't even have the courage to take revenge? What would others think of the Honglou Sect then?"

"Indeed! If we don't get revenge, the Honglou Sect's prestige will be greatly damaged!"

'A bunch of old fossils!' the Honglou Sect's Sect Leader cursed inwardly. 'Every one of you looks so sanctimonious. You think I don't know how to say all these high-minded things? My every thought is for the good of the entire Honglou Sect. But you lot? Every single one of you is just looking out for number one!'

This was the problem with ancient Cultivation Sects—too many Supreme Emperors!

These old-timers had outlived one another, and even the youngest among them was probably over a thousand years old. If they were mortals, they would have rotted away so long ago that not even bone dust would remain. But in these Cultivation Sects, such living fossils were a dime a dozen.

Any one of them possessed frighteningly high seniority and rank. Even with the ancestor's decree that 'all sect matters are to be decided by the Sect Leader,' it was of little use in front of these men.

Rules are rigid, but people are flexible. These old geezers were flaunting their seniority just like that. Even as the Sect Leader, what could he do? Was he supposed to actually invoke the ancestral decree and offend this group of terrifyingly powerful old men?

Frustration welled up in the Honglou Sect's Sect Leader, but he couldn't show it. He could only bottle it up inside.

This Elder Rui was a living ancestor from the Pang Family lineage of the Honglou Sect and likely the most senior of them all. Pangtian Star was but a descendant of his, seven or eight generations removed.

The Sect Leader knew perfectly well that Elder Rui's goal was definitely not revenge for Pangtian Star. His real target... was Beidou's Eighth Star!

A mere Pangtian Star wasn't important enough to draw this old man out of his year-round seclusion.

Just then, Elder Rui's gaze swept over to the Sect Leader of the Honglou Sect. "Then it's settled," he said nonchalantly. "Sect Leader, don't blame me for being presumptuous..."

The Sect Leader gave a bitter smile. "How could I, a junior, dare?"

"This matter is of great importance. If we don't teach Beidou's Eighth Star a lesson, people will truly think our Honglou Sect is powerless."

Elder Rui offered this brief explanation as if to give the Sect Leader some face, then he suddenly asked, "By the way, I heard... that two of our sect's little ones... have some connection to Beidou's Eighth Star?"

The Sect Leader of the Honglou Sect stiffened at his words. 'Who told this living fossil about that?' he wondered. 'Aren't they just stirring up trouble for no reason?'

From Li Ye receiving treasures from the ancestor, to being hunted after leaving the city, to Li Hua being taken hostage by Pang Xiaogou at Old Baldy Ridge... Beidou's Eighth Star was mixed up in all of it.

Years ago, Li Kai'an was schemed against by Pang Xiaogou and forced to serve the Pang Family, but he betrayed Pang Xiaogou after meeting Beidou's Eighth Star...

Then Pang Xiaogou escaped, and Li Kai'an's fate remains unknown...

With the involvement of Beidou's Eighth Star, the entire affair had become hopelessly convoluted. If they were to investigate, it would open a complete can of worms!

Too many things couldn't see the light of day!

For instance, the matter with Li Kai'an...

That was why the Honglou Sect's Sect Leader had always hoped to keep this matter under wraps. If it were exposed, there would be no benefit to either the Pang Family or the Li Family.

And if these two families decided to get serious about it, the very foundation of the Honglou Sect could be shaken!

For the sake of the bigger picture, the Honglou Sect's Sect Leader wanted nothing to do with this matter. But to his dismay, someone had gone and reported it directly to this living fossil, Elder Rui.

The Sect Leader had a good idea who had done it, and real anger flared in his heart. 'After this is over, I'll settle the score with you. You want to be the Sect Leader of the Honglou Sect? Not a chance!'

"I am not aware of the details of this matter," the Sect Leader of the Honglou Sect replied coolly. Although he didn't want to have a falling out with old-timers like Elder Rui, he couldn't just let them run wild.

These living fossils had lived for too long and already acted without any scruples. If he indulged them further, there was no telling what they might do.

The lives of a few sect disciples were worthless in their eyes.

"Sect Leader, it's not that this old one is trying to flaunt his seniority or criticize you, but really... you're being a bit incompetent as a Sect Leader!" Elder Rui said nonchalantly, his old eyes not even looking at the Sect Leader, his eyelids drooping. "Such a major incident, and you claim to know nothing about it?"

At this moment, Li Ye's grandfather, who was sitting beside the Sect Leader, simply couldn't watch any longer. A glint flashed in his eyes as he looked at Elder Rui and said, "Elder Rui, this junior dares to interject..."

"Who gave you the nerve... to interrupt me?" Elder Rui said flatly, without raising his head or opening his eyes.

Elder Li's face flushed crimson, and rage surged in his chest. He lifted his head and declared loudly, "The ancestor decreed that in all sect matters, the Sect Leader's authority is supreme! The elders of the senior generation are the sect's foundation, and they may only emerge during a time of great crisis. They are not to interfere in the sect's affairs, much less usurp the Sect Leader's power for personal gain! Elder Rui, this junior respects you as part of the Honglou Sect's foundation, as a senior elder. This junior is being polite to you, and I hope you, Elder Rui... will not go too far! Everyone here knows your surname is Pang!"

As soon as Elder Li finished speaking, the entire council hall fell deathly silent.

Nearly everyone turned to stare at this unbelievably audacious elder. The Sect Leader looked at Elder Li with a hint of approval, thinking to himself: 'This Old Li has some serious nerve. He just said everything I didn't dare to say.'

'However,' the Sect Leader also worried for Elder Li. 'It's like I said: rules are rules, but reality is reality... Rules are made by people, and people are flexible!'

"How insolent!" It wasn't Elder Rui who spoke, but a decrepit old man next to him. He was just as skeletal, with deeply sunken eye sockets, looking like a corpse that had just crawled out of a coffin. The sight was truly terrifying.

This decrepit old man sneered at Elder Li. "Who gave you this kind of nerve? What right do you have to speak to Elder Rui like that? What do you think you are? Do you have any idea who Elder Rui is? He's someone who met the sect ancestor with his own two eyes! He learned his arts at the ancestor's side back in the day! Where did you get the courage to talk back to Elder Rui? Get on your knees and apologize to him... now!"

Having followed the ancestor... this was something Pang Rui had always been immensely proud of. In his younger years, before he went into seclusion, it was practically his catchphrase.

Although he had never been Sect Leader, and his position as an Elder wasn't even that high back then, no one had ever dared to look down on him because of this one fact.

Especially in his later years, Pang Rui had managed to surpass his peers. Not only had he lived the longest, but his power had also grown stronger and stronger, making him the most prestigious of all the senior figures in the Honglou Sect.

Elder Li let out a short laugh. Though he didn't show any open mockery, anyone could hear the disdain in his voice. He then said coolly, "By that logic, isn't the fact that my Li Family's child, Li Ye, has received treasures from the ancestor twice even more worthy of pride?"

At these words, the decrepit old man was rendered speechless. He had tried to use the ancestor to make his point, but he never expected the other party to have a comeback... using the ancestor as well!

And... it seemed even more convincing than Elder Rui's claim!

Legend had it that the ancestor had ascended to immortality many years ago, yet his spirit often manifested to bestow treasures upon the younger disciples. In all of history, the only person to have received treasures from the ancestor twice was Li Ye!

Elder Li glanced around at the crowd and then said, "Let's put aside the unprecedented fact that my Li Family's junior received the ancestor's treasures twice. Let's just talk about one thing: before Pangtian Star, did Beidou's Eighth Star have any enmity with our Honglou Sect?"

The crowd was silent. Everyone knew in their hearts that Beidou's Eighth Star had offended no one. His only crime... was probably that he himself was far too valuable!

Elder Li continued, "So, what was wrong with my great-great-grandson befriending Beidou's Eighth Star? On the other hand, there are certain people who are so dark-hearted that they spend their days scheming like dogs and flies! This attitude has even infected their descendants, to the point that an innocent seven-year-old child is capable of placing a restrictive seal on someone... Not only are they not ashamed of such filthy, disgusting acts, they're fucking proud of them! Pah!"

"You're courting death!" This time, Elder Rui could no longer remain seated. Without waiting for the man beside him to speak, his eyes snapped open, and two beams of light shot out, aimed directly at Elder Li.

Humiliation had turned to murderous rage!

A mighty expert of his realm could kill with a single glance!

"Elder Rui, don't!" Though the Sect Leader was inwardly cheering, he was startled when he saw Elder Rui's move. He knew Elder Li had thoroughly enraged the living fossil and wanted to stop it.

But for an expert of Elder Rui's realm, when he wanted to kill someone, how could others possibly stop him?

Even though Elder Li's own strength had reached the supreme Ninth Layer of the Divine Power Realm, he had no room to even resist before Elder Rui!

Just as Elder Li was about to be killed by the living fossil's gaze, a flash of red... suddenly appeared in the council hall. It blocked the attack in front of Elder Li, and a faint, pleasant fragrance drifted out.

POP!

Elder Rui's two beams of light struck the flash of red, making a soft sound.

The red light shuddered, and the attack dissipated.

An icy voice, as if coming from ten-thousand-year-old profound ice, rang out. "Getting angry with a junior of a later generation, and even trying to harm a child I've taken a liking to... Pang Rui, you've got some nerve, don't you?"

You could have heard a pin drop in the council hall.

Everyone could now clearly see the flash of red that had blocked the attack in front of Elder Li. The corners of many people's mouths couldn't help but twitch violently.

This was especially true for the Honglou Sect's Sect Leader and those who had seen this object that day. They were all utterly flabbergasted.

"This bodice... so it... it's actually a treasure!"

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