Firmament Sword

The old woman froze for a moment. Then, she watched as the man beside her made his way toward the crowd. Her brows knitted together, but there was nothing she could say. After all... this man was her mistress's honored guest.

Xu Luo, however, paid no mind to the old woman's thoughts and walked directly toward the source of the commotion.

"I swear on my life! The reincarnated Beidou's Eighth Star has already cultivated to the Eleventh Layer of the Divine Power Realm!"

"His terrifying combat prowess far surpasses that of any Half-Saint!"

"The Lower Realm I hail from has flawed Heaven and Earth Laws. Back when I was at the Saint Realm, I was unable to ascend. It was the reincarnated Beidou's Eighth Star who altered the laws of that world, giving me the opportunity to ascend!"

"To be frank, and I don't care if you all laugh, my vitality was failing at the time. Even though I possessed the aura of the Saint Realm, I was no longer his match!"

"What? You think I'm repaying kindness with hatred? You're wrong... You can't possibly imagine the bitterness in my heart!"

"Yes... I admit I have selfish motives. After all... refining Beidou's Eighth Star would allow one to reach the Venerable Realm. Who wouldn't be tempted by that?"

"And that's not all... This man was a tyrant in the Lower Realm who committed countless wicked and cruel deeds! He's a menace that anyone would be justified in eliminating!"

Peering through the crowd, Xu Luo watched with cold eyes. The old man at the center, brimming with vitality, was none other than the Su Family Ancestor, whom he had not seen in a very long time.

Xu Luo found it strange. He never would have expected such a coincidence. The Su Family Ancestor... had actually ascended to Xi Hezhou as well. And he had come all the way to Baihua City to ruin his reputation.

Just then, someone in the crowd voiced their doubt. "That's just your side of the story. It might not be true. The Divine Domain is a land of wonders, filled with exceptional people. Setting aside whether someone would actually refine another person to achieve their goals, even if they would, I don't believe refining some so-called star-reincarnation would allow one to become a Venerable..."

"That's right. If it were that easy to break through to the Venerable Realm, there would be Venerables everywhere in the Divine Domain by now!"

"I've seen this old man before. He's been very active lately. His shadow has been cast over many of Xi Hezhou's major cities, and he's told this same story to countless people. I highly suspect he's the one with a grudge against this reincarnated Beidou's Eighth Star!"

"Exactly. Otherwise, why go to such lengths to slander someone's name?"

"My thoughts exactly. If this Beidou's Eighth Star were truly as wicked as he claims, someone would deal with him sooner or later. The Divine Domain is teeming with powerful experts. Who cares if he's the reincarnation of a star, the moon, or whatever..."

"Exactly... I think there's something very wrong with a person like you, who goes around ruining people's reputations!"

A wave of accusations rose from the crowd of onlookers. Many of them clearly didn't believe the Su Family Ancestor's words.

Xu Luo sighed softly, feeling a touch of emotion. 'Not everyone in the world is blinded by greed,' he thought.

The Su Family Ancestor, for his part, seemed accustomed to such accusations. With a look of righteous indignation, he declared, "Justice lies in the hearts of the people! As for what that man is truly like, you will all see for yourselves when he eventually ascends to the Divine Domain! When that day comes, you will remember my words and feel ashamed!"

Xu Luo raised an eyebrow. He understood the Su Family Ancestor's plan perfectly. He was trying to cement an idea in people's minds through constant, widespread repetition.

The first time you hear something, you might not believe it. The second time, you might be suspicious. The third time... you might be half-convinced. If you hear it a fourth and a fifth time, then... a lie can become the truth.

'This... is the principle of a lie told often enough becoming the truth,' he mused.

Xu Luo sneered inwardly. He didn't confront the Su Family Ancestor, as it wasn't the right time to reveal his identity.

The Divine Domain was simply too vast, with an innumerable variety of Heavenly and Earthly Treasures. This gave the Cultivators here a fundamentally different mindset from those in the Lower Realm.

Only a truly great power, one who understood the secrets of the past and knew the true significance of Beidou's Eighth Star, might be interested in refining him. But would an expert of that caliber really scheme against a young man who had just ascended?

Even if they did... they certainly wouldn't do it so openly, as they might in the Lower Realm.

Therefore, the Su Family Ancestor still had a long way to go before he could successfully tarnish Xu Luo's name throughout the Divine Domain and make everyone hunt him down to be refined, just like in the Lower Realm.

'I'll deal with you when I get the chance.' Xu Luo shot one last, deep look at the Su Family Ancestor in the crowd.

Then he turned and departed quietly.

When the old woman saw Xu Luo return so quickly, she didn't say much. After sending him a message via sound transmission, she took her leave.

After a quick stretch, Xu Luo walked directly toward the bank bearing the Celestial Brilliance mark.

At the same time, a large number of similarly dressed people surged into the bank alongside him. The entire building was nearly overrun by these mysterious figures in black cloaks!

The people who had staked out the bank in advance were left dumbfounded by the scene.

They had no way of telling which one... was the real target!

'But... you still have to make your withdrawal, right? We don't believe you can stay hidden forever!' some thought resentfully.

The Celestial Brilliance Bank was magnificently decorated. Its vast hall was a glittering spectacle of gold and jade, with every detail screaming high-end luxury.

At this moment, however, the hall was a sea of heads, almost completely filled with people in black robes and cloaks.

The Celestial Brilliance Bank was tiered. It had a special VIP reception room located deeper inside the main hall. Only those with substantial assets were permitted to enter.

Not just anyone could walk in; guards would promptly escort out any unauthorized individuals.

Right now, a group of people was staked out right beside the VIP reception room. At this stage, they no longer cared about exposing their positions; all that mattered was keeping a close eye on everyone who entered.

Finally, a figure in a black robe and cloak pushed open the door to the VIP reception room and went inside.

Everyone nearby tensed up. Instantly, countless messages were sent out via Sound Transmission Stones.

"The target has entered!"

"Suspected target has entered the VIP reception room!"

"He's in!"

But what happened next left them completely dumbfounded.

A long time after the black-robed figure entered, they finally emerged. This was clearly no intruder; otherwise, the Celestial Brilliance guards would never have remained so impassive.

Just as the watchers were about to get excited, a second black-robed figure... pushed open the VIP room door and went inside.

After another long while, this person came out and slowly walked away.

Then came a third... a fourth... a fifth!

Over the course of the entire day... a total of seventeen people went in!

All of them wore black robes and cloaks, and their builds matched the descriptions held by the major powers almost perfectly.

What's more, all seventeen of them possessed VIP status at the Celestial Brilliance Bank!

This... threw everything into chaos.

No one knew if the real target was among those seventeen people, and prying that information out of the Celestial Brilliance Bank was next to impossible.

After all, Wanghai could use a few minor tricks to spread news about the owner of the Nether Flower Seed. That was a personal act, and no one would blame him for it.

Besides, Wanghai wasn't the only one who knew; the Baihua Auction House was also aware of the situation.

No one dared to openly accuse Wanghai, an Inner Disciple of Heavenly Brilliance, of leaking the information.

But the Celestial Brilliance Bank was another matter entirely. It represented the face of the entire Celestial Brilliance organization!

If information were to leak from them... not only would Celestial Brilliance's image be tarnished, but their bank's reputation would be utterly ruined.

Just think... what wealthy person would want their personal information spread around so freely?

Therefore, the Celestial Brilliance Bank would certainly never reveal which black-robed individual withdrew what amount of funds.

"Keep watching! Tail every single one of those black-robed figures! I refuse to believe we can't find him!"

"A fortune that large is enough to sustain our sect's development for thousands of years. As soon as we get it, we disappear!"

"Don't let a single one get away!"

Driven to madness, the factions secretly monitoring the situation all issued the same order.

Standing in the crowd, Xu Luo nodded slightly. 'Piaomiao Palace's power... is truly formidable,' he thought. 'To arrange all this in such a short time... No wonder Xie Yudie was so confident she could guarantee my safety, allowing me to not only withdraw the money but also leave unharmed.'

With that thought, Xu Luo turned and left.

The first day passed like this. Then the second, and the third... For the next seven days, at least fifteen or sixteen people in black robes and cloaks entered the VIP room of the Celestial Brilliance Bank each day.

During that time, several ambushes occurred in Baihua City, with certain factions making direct moves against the black-robed figures.

The result... was that before a fight could even begin, a large number of powerful, unidentified experts would appear out of nowhere and annihilate the attackers on the spot, leaving no one alive.

This show of force immediately deterred the many factions that had been eager to make a move.

"How could the owner of the Nether Flower Seed be some nobody? They're probably... a member of some super-clan. Looks like someone kicked the hornet's nest."

"They provoked a counterattack, and some factions suffered disastrous losses!"

"They lost so many people without even catching a glimpse of their target. Besides... Baihua City is a peaceful place. For people to act like this is just too much!"

Within Baihua City, voices of discontent grew louder against the factions targeting the owner of the Nether Flower Seed.

After all, no one wanted their home thrown into chaos by a bunch of troublemakers.

The groups who had been targeting the owner of the Nether Flower Seed were furious, but they were completely helpless.

「On the eighth day」

Early in the morning, Xu Luo was the first person to enter the VIP room of the Celestial Brilliance Bank.

The reception staff had been driven to the brink of collapse by the farcical events of the past few days. A beautiful female receptionist looked at Xu Luo with a strained smile and asked, "Hello, how may I help you?"

Xu Luo took a Sound Transmission Stone from his robes and played the voice of the Celestial Brilliance Medicine Garden's Elder.

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