Firmament Sword

"What else did you think?" the Bai Family Patriarch asked with a bitter smile. "That I, the proud patriarch of a great Ancient Race family, would be happy to apologize to him like this?"

"Is there really no one in this world who can truly suppress him?" Bai Zhihai asked, unable to hide his resentment.

The Bai Family Patriarch shook his head. "I'm afraid not. Whether among the Ancient Race or on the Sect Continent, almost everyone at the Saint Realm left this world and entered the Divine Domain the moment the laws of heaven and earth changed."

"The Divine Domain... What a place to aspire to. If I could enter the Divine Domain one day, how great would that be!" Bai Zhihai said wistfully.

"Which is why you must work hard. The Bai Family is not without connections in the Divine Domain. As long as you can get there, you'll naturally have your chance to get revenge on Xu Luo," the Bai Family Patriarch said calmly, a flicker in his eyes.

"I will work as hard as I can!" A determined light flashed in Bai Zhihai's eyes.

...

"Third Bro, did you notice? Back at the Bai Family residence, someone was secretly staring at you," Little Fatty said to Xu Luo. "And at Qianqian, too."

"Me?" Su Qianqian looked at Little Fatty, a naive expression on her face.

Xu Luo patted Su Qianqian's arm and said with a smile, "It's nothing."

Su Qianqian nodded and hummed a soft, compliant "mm."

Then, Xu Luo said, "That was Bai Zhihai."

"Oh? I get it!" Little Fatty said, the realization dawning on him. "He's got some serious self-control, then. If it were me, I'd never be able to stand by while someone tried to steal my fiancée."

Xu Luo said, "When you think about it, you can't really blame him. But you can't blame Qianqian, either."

Little Fatty laughed. "Then I guess it's all your fault!"

Xu Luo rubbed his nose and said with a smile, "Maybe so."

In truth, they both knew that the Su Family was the root of the entire affair. Su Qianqian had never wanted to marry another, but she had no control over her own fate.

It was just that the Su Family of the Ancient Race was now in decline. With the Su Family Ancestor having entered the Divine Domain and their Patriarch deposed, the family was leaderless, and its downfall was inevitable.

At this point, Xu Luo's trip to the Ancient Race Continent could be considered complete.

Afterward, he left the Ancient Race Continent with Little Fatty and Qianqian, crossing the void to return to the Central Plains Star Continent.

Back at the Xu Family estate, Su Qianqian met everyone. She was shy around strangers and clung to Xu Luo's side.

Xu Luo recounted her story to the others. Huangfu Shishi, Lianyi, and Phoenix were stunned and deeply sympathetic. Any initial pangs of jealousy they might have felt vanished completely.

The unexpected ascension of Xu Jie and Huangfu Chongzhi left everyone sighing with a mix of awe and sorrow.

The Little Emperor, Huangfu Hongzhi, rushed over upon hearing the news. The moment he saw Xu Luo, he offered a respectful bow. Though still young, he already possessed his father's regal bearing.

"Third Uncle, my father the Emperor... is he never coming back?" the young emperor asked, his expression sorrowful and his eyes welling with tears.

In front of others, the Little Emperor was always composed, but before Xu Luo, he let his true feelings show.

"He's gone to find your mother. Sooner or later, your family will be reunited," Xu Luo said, his heart aching for the Little Emperor.

"Really? He went to find my mother?" A spark of hope ignited in the Little Emperor's eyes. "But I heard Mother's family is really powerful. They don't like Father, and they even sent people to try and kill him. Now that he's gone there all alone, won't he be in great danger?"

Xu Luo sighed inwardly. 'I wonder, if Big Brother could hear him now, would he still have the heart to leave this child behind in the Lower Realm to face a vast Empire all by himself?'

"Don't worry. Your father knows what he's doing." Xu Luo reached out and patted the Little Emperor's head, speaking softly. "You must study diligently and grow up fast. When you do, I, your Third Uncle, promise you that your father will absolutely return for you!"

"Third Uncle, I want to cultivate." The Little Emperor, Huangfu Hongzhi, lifted his head and looked at Xu Luo with grave sincerity. "I know you're the most powerful person in the world. I, Hongzhi, want to cultivate so that one day I can go find them. And when I do, if my mother's family still won't agree, I'll tear their entire clan apart!"

As the young emperor spoke these words, his face completely serious, a powerful aura emanated from him.

Xu Luo looked at the fine-featured young emperor. He didn't smile. Instead, he asked with equal seriousness, "Is that really what you think?"

The Little Emperor nodded. "Yes!"

Xu Luo pondered for a moment before nodding. "Very well. But it will be difficult."

"I'm not afraid!" the Little Emperor declared.

"Alright. Starting tomorrow, come to my courtyard every morning. I'll start teaching you from the very basics," Xu Luo said. "What you've learned before can't be used as your foundation."

Huangfu Hongzhi nodded. "Thank you, Third Uncle!"

"Call me Uncle-in-law," Xu Luo said with a smile.

"Yes, thank you, Uncle-in-law!" Huangfu Hongzhi's small face beamed with excitement.

After he left, Huangfu Shishi came to Xu Luo's room and said with a hint of reproach, "Before my brother left, he asked you to take good care of Hongzhi. But now you're setting him on the path of cultivation. Is that really what's best for him?"

"Even if I hadn't agreed, do you think someone with his temperament would have let it go?" Xu Luo asked with a smile, taking Huangfu Shishi's hand and pulling her down to sit.

"Sigh... whether he takes after his father or his mother, I suppose he would never be content," Huangfu Shishi sighed. "But in my eyes, being an Emperor of the Human World and enjoying worldly prosperity is far better than walking the path of cultivation... It's a path like millions crowding onto a single-plank bridge. Every step is like walking on thin ice, and one careless move will send you plummeting into an abyss..."

"His bloodline dictates that his life can never be ordinary. Qiqi, haven't you noticed? Forget our own relatives, even the servants in our estate are different from those in other households," Xu Luo said.

Huangfu Shishi thought for a moment and then said, "You're right. Servants in other households are always thinking about how to please their masters for a bigger reward, or using little tricks to line their own pockets. But our servants, besides carrying out their duties, spend almost all their time desperately cultivating..."

"So, this is Hongzhi's destiny," Xu Luo said. "His father, his uncles... they are all immensely powerful individuals who have ascended to the Divine Domain. Should he be the only one left behind in the Mortal World to be an Emperor of the Human World? So, even if we hadn't agreed, he would have embarked on this path sooner or later. And if he did it on his own, he might have taken many wrong turns or even gone completely astray. Since that's the case, it's better that we guide him properly from the start and point him in the right direction. As for how far he'll go in the future, that will depend entirely on him."

Huangfu Shishi leaned against Xu Luo's shoulder. "What's to be done about Qianqian? Are you really going to take her to the Divine Domain with you?"

"You've seen Qianqian's condition. The only way for her to slowly recover is by cultivating the Soul Scripture. And the Soul Scripture... it's the Holy Scripture of a powerful sect in the Divine Domain, so..." Xu Luo trailed off, but Huangfu Shishi already understood his unstated conclusion.

She said softly, "I'm not against you doing this. Just remember that you have a family. I don't mind you bringing another sister into our lives, but you absolutely must take care of yourself!"

Xu Luo nodded and sighed softly. "Getting the Soul Scripture... I'm not just doing it for myself."

Thinking of the last remnants of the Cyan Dragon's and White Tiger's consciousness that he had sealed within his Dantian, Xu Luo's heart grew heavy.

To help him, the Cyan Dragon's Spirit and the White Tiger Residual Thought had fused the last of their strength with his own.

Before their consciousness could dissipate completely, Xu Luo had sealed a trace of its source and stored it within his Dantian.

He hoped that one day, he would have a chance to bring them back to life.

...

Xu Jie's ascension also plunged his household into a state of grief.

Mo Yun was hit the hardest, her heart filled with sorrow and fear. She had never imagined that their last farewell would be the final time they would see each other in this world.

To be honest, a part of Mo Yun resented Xu Luo.

'If he hadn't taken Xu Jie with him, how could Xu Jie have left so soon?'

But she was not a petty woman, and after the thought surfaced, she quickly suppressed it.

'Even if Xu Luo hadn't taken him, he would have left before long anyway!'

There were no secrets between the couple; Mo Yun knew perfectly well that Xu Jie had been forcefully suppressing his cultivation for the past two years. So, aside from her initial resentment toward Xu Luo when she first heard the news, she quickly understood the situation.

This bold and decisive woman went straight to her mother-in-law.

In truth, the two of them—mother-in-law and daughter-in-law—did not get along well at all.

It all stemmed from an absurd arranged marriage years ago. Xu Jie's mother had always felt the Xu Family had deeply wronged Liu Ruyu... the only daughter-in-law she ever truly acknowledged.

Even though Mo Yun and Xu Jie had later returned and even brought her a grandson, a knot remained in Madam Xu's heart—the kind that was almost impossible to untie.

Thus, for all these years, there had been almost no contact between Mo Yun and Madam Xu, let alone any meaningful conversation.

The only person who could bridge the gap between them was Mo Yun and Xu Jie's son; the old matriarch doted on her grandson.

It was dusk when Mo Yun arrived at Madam Xu's courtyard, just around dinnertime. She gestured for the servants not to announce her, and quietly made her way to her mother-in-law's door.

The door was open. Inside, Madam Xu sat silently weeping. On the table before her, a dinner lay cold and untouched.

Mo Yun sighed inwardly. Whatever misunderstandings had happened in the past, they should have faded after so many years. General Xu Zhongtian was gone, and now her son had ascended. Although he wasn't dead, for Madam Xu, it was hardly different from being separated by the veil of life and death forever.

Therefore, despite possessing a status and respect most people could only dream of, Madam Xu was privately enduring immense pain.

It would not be an overstatement to say her twilight years were desolate.

She raised her hand and knocked gently on the door.

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