Firmament Sword

"You!" The Huo Family expert was enraged. His body flashed to the side to dodge the green light. At the same time, a fissure split open between his brows, and a yellow light seemed to struggle, bit by bit... to seep out.

The Huo Family expert looked as though he was enduring immense pain. He grimaced, a pained hiss escaping his throat as he said through gritted teeth, "Huo Xuan Ting, you forced my hand!"

The Huo Family expert who owned the Green Ghost was named Huo Xuan Ting. When he saw the yellow light slowly seeping from between his opponent's brows, his face turned pale with fright. He said in horror, "The Profound Nether Leech... Huo Xuan Shan, you—you actually cultivated a Profound Nether Leech... No, it's not fully formed, it's just a seed... You're actually willing to destroy it..."

Huo Xuan Ting was agitated, his face a mask of panic and his eyes filled with terror. He already wanted to retreat. He yelled, "Huo Xuan Shan... I won't fight you for this peerless weapon anymore! You... put the Profound Nether Leech away! Put it away now!"

"Too late!" Huo Xuan Shan's face was flushed red. He spat out a mouthful of blood and gritted his teeth. "If I hadn't brought out the Profound Nether Leech, you never would have let me go! Even if I'd surrendered... you wouldn't have believed me. Now... you've forced it to emerge, so... you can go die!"

"Brother Xuan Shan... We come from the same origin, the same blood flows through our veins. There's no need to take things this far. I swear... I swear on my soul, I'll never fight you for this peerless weapon, and I'll never tell anyone you possess a Profound Nether Leech..."

Just then, the yellow light finished seeping out from between Huo Xuan Shan's brows. Upon closer inspection, it was a finger-sized, transparent yellow insect radiating a yellow halo. Once it had fully squeezed out from between his brows, it let out a sharp, ear-piercing shriek.

The sound was incredibly chilling. Even Xu Luo, far below, felt his whole body go cold. Information about the Green Ghost and the Profound Nether Leech instantly flooded his mind. He found it rather incredible; he never expected these two could have found such rare, venomous insects from ancient times.

Xu Luo thought to himself, 'It's a good thing I came up with this plan. Otherwise, it would have been nearly impossible to escape from this group.'

After the Profound Nether Leech shrieked, the green light high in the sky froze in place, not daring to move. Its true form was revealed: a tiny, fingernail-sized green beetle.

The tiny green beetle was trembling all over, seemingly gripped by immense fear.

The Profound Nether Leech, still radiating its yellow halo, lunged directly at the Green Ghost. It devoured the Green Ghost in a few quick bites, then, as if unsatisfied, turned its head toward Huo Xuan Ting.

As his Green Ghost died, Huo Xuan Ting cried out and spat a mouthful of blood. His entire demeanor instantly withered, and he seemed to have aged several decades in a moment.

A mere finger-sized insect, yet it put a look of absolute horror on Huo Xuan Ting's face. He begged, "Brother Xuan Shan, I'll be your servant! I'll give you all my treasures... Please... don't kill me!"

"Sigh... Once the Profound Nether Leech is out, how could it possibly return before it has eaten its fill?" The fissure between Huo Xuan Shan's brows still hadn't healed. A white fluid, looking utterly horrifying, was seeping from it. His own face was contorted in pain as he said venomously, "If I wasn't forced into it, do you think I'd be willing to let it out?"

"A blood offering... I'm willing to provide a blood offering! I... I know the Profound Nether Leech's habits. As long as you find a sufficiently powerful blood offering to feed it within four hours, there won't be any problem... Please, just try, won't you?" Huo Xuan Ting was trembling so hard he could barely speak, terrified beyond measure. He didn't even dare to think about fleeing.

Because the Profound Nether Leech was known as the fastest venomous insect in the world!

If he didn't run, he might still have a chance to live. If he chose to flee, his fate would be absolutely tragic.

The Profound Nether Leech loved fleeing prey the most. When a target ran, their blood would start to boil, and the vitality of their qi and blood would peak.

That was why Huo Xuan Ting didn't dare to even think about running away. He could only beg Huo Xuan Shan to spare his life.

Huo Xuan Shan hesitated. For someone to have cultivated to their level, even as a member of a branch family of the Huo clan, meant they possessed wealth beyond the imagination of any ordinary person.

And usually, only the owner knew where that wealth was hidden.

If Huo Xuan Ting died here, then all of his vast wealth... would be lost forever.

Perhaps, many years from now, some fated person would stumble upon a hidden grotto and discover the vast treasures inside...

But that would have absolutely nothing to do with him, Huo Xuan Shan.

"Brother Xuan Shan, please... I'll willingly become your servant and make a soul offering!" Tears were welling in Huo Xuan Ting's eyes as he pleaded desperately. "We are of the same clan, after all... You raised a Profound Nether Leech, so you must know its nature. It... it even devours a person's soul! If my soul is devoured by it, how can your Dao Heart ever be perfected when you try to take that final step in the future?"

Huo Xuan Shan fell into thought. He knew Huo Xuan Ting had a point. Killing a fellow clansman was one thing, but to not even spare his soul was tantamount to renouncing his own bloodline!

If he had no hope of taking that step, it wouldn't matter. But he, Huo Xuan Shan... was already a great expert at the Ninth Layer Peak of the Divine Power Realm. He was just one step away from the Saint Realm. If he couldn't break through in the future because of an imperfect Dao Heart, he would regret it for the rest of his life!

While struggling to restrain the Profound Nether Leech's urge to lunge at Huo Xuan Ting, Huo Xuan Shan said coldly, "Did you know? I was saving this insect for our Old Ancestor! Years ago, the Old Ancestor came out of seclusion and took a fancy to a woman I had brought back. That woman possessed an Innate Spirit Body. With the right nurturing, if one were to join with her on a specific day, they could transform their own constitution, making themselves into an Innate Spirit Body!"

"But the Old Ancestor happened to discover her. He ignored my desperate pleas, took her away, and... slept with her!"

Huo Xuan Shan ground his teeth, his face a mask of hatred. "That bastard! As the Old Ancestor of the Huo Family, with his power already at the Tongxuan level, he was so shameless as to throw away all his dignity for a woman! Even though I'm from a branch family... I'm still his descendant! From that day forward, I swore that sooner or later, I would kill him!"

Huo Xuan Ting was utterly dumbfounded. He never imagined the man had a backstory like that.

He knew exactly what an Innate Spirit Body was, and if he had seen one, he wouldn't have passed it up either. But at a time like this, he had to play along with Huo Xuan Shan.

"That's right! The Old Ancestor is a shameless, unprincipled, despicable old bastard! Brother Xuan Shan, rest assured, from this day forward, I will be your servant. I'll do everything in my power to find blood offerings for the Profound Nether Leech and raise it. When the time comes, we'll let it devour that old bastard Huo Tongtian!"

"Alright!" Huo Xuan Shan finally made his decision. After all, sparing his life meant he would not only gain all of Huo Xuan Ting's wealth but also a powerful servant—not to mention the sword...

In contrast, killing him would only get him the sword.

Just then, the brilliant sword that had been hovering quietly high in the sky suddenly erupted in a dazzling flare of light. SWOOSH! It shot like a lightning bolt toward the vortex high above...

'Not good! This sword is highly sentient! It tricked me and is trying to escape while I'm distracted!' The thought flashed through Huo Xuan Shan's mind, and his body transformed into a streak of light to pursue the sword.

As a result, his control over the Profound Nether Leech weakened considerably. The leech, already overcome with ravenous hunger, shot toward Huo Xuan Ting like a maddened beast.

By the time Huo Xuan Shan realized what was happening and tried to stop it, it was already too late!

Since the Profound Nether Leech had not been fully refined, it was almost completely beyond his control, with the sole exception that it would not turn on him.

Huo Xuan Ting let out a terrifying scream. "Huo Xuan Shan! Save me!"

"Stop!" Huo Xuan Shan only had time to shout that single word before he saw a bloody hole suddenly appear on Huo Xuan Ting's forehead.

Then...

Huo Xuan Ting let out an utterly bloodcurdling scream. The sound... it seemed to shake the very heavens, a cry that erupted from the depths of his soul and made one's own spirit tremble in response.

As the Profound Nether Leech burrowed into Huo Xuan Ting's skull, his body began to shrivel at an incredible speed. In just a few moments, his body was as desiccated as a piece of paper. A gust from the violent winds of the upper atmosphere blew past, and he turned to dust, scattering in the air.

"Sigh..." Huo Xuan Shan heaved a heavy sigh, his face full of regret. He was down one War Servant and a massive fortune. He murmured, "What a shame! Still, at least I have this sword!"

As he spoke, Huo Xuan Shan looked toward the peerless weapon as it sped away, and a smile returned to his face.

But then, his smile suddenly froze. He felt a bone-chilling killing intent radiating from the sword. The blade... it looped once high in the sky and was now streaking toward him at an unbelievable speed!

A chill ran through Huo Xuan Shan's entire body. He thought of a possibility he had never considered before... one he was most unwilling to face.

This sword... had a master all along!

His group from the Huo Family had fought and killed each other over this sword until only he remained. He had even been forced to play his final trump card, the Profound Nether Leech. And now, the sword's true master... had appeared.

Huo Xuan Shan nearly coughed up a mouthful of blood from sheer rage. He roared with grief and indignation, "Who is it?! You damned... bastard! What the hell is your problem with me?! Why did you set me up like this?!"

The Beidou Sword scattered flakes of starlight, stirring the heavens and the earth as Star Power surged across the sky.

This time, there was no need for an introduction. Huo Xuan Shan knew exactly who his opponent was. He roared the name with absolute venom, "Xu Luo! We cannot live under the same sky!"

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