Firmament Sword

"This king..."

"This king!"

"King..."

The men around Huyan Cyan Mountain were seething, their lungs ready to burst with rage. One by one, they glared daggers at Xu Luo.

One of the attendants pointed at Xu Luo and raged, "Who the hell do you think you are, daring to call yourself 'this king'?"

Huyan Cyan Mountain's eyes were practically breathing fire, fixed intently on the hands Xu Luo and Xie Yurou had clasped together. When his attendant began shouting, he instinctively felt something was amiss, but he didn't intervene. His heart was already filled with absolute hatred for this damned couple.

'At this point, he had already changed his mind. No matter how wonderful this woman is, I, Huyan Cyan Mountain, no longer want her. But I will absolutely make this damned couple pay the price!'

'Kneel and beg for mercy? That's no longer an option!'

'I will make you wish you were dead!'

"Insolence! Lord Medicine King's status is equal to that of the Sect Leader! To see him is to see the Sect Leader himself! Are you not people of Celestial Brilliance? Does that mean you no longer need to pay respects to the Sect Leader?"

The humble smile vanished from the plump, round face of the old man, Zhao Hongzhang. He stood beside Xu Luo, his expression stern, and glared at the attendant who had just spoken. "And who the hell do you think you are? You're a mere attendant, yet you dare to run your mouth so freely? You ill-mannered cur!"

"The Medicine King?"

A buzz of discussion erupted from the onlookers, who were finally recalling the other identity of this Senior Brother from the Medicine Garden.

"That's right. He is indeed the chosen successor of the Medicine King Ancestor from a later generation. He has been recognized by the Medicine King Ring."

"The Medicine Garden had been in decline for many years, but he single-handedly revitalized it. I heard it was all thanks to Luo Tian."

"The Sect Leader himself did admit that the New Medicine King is his equal in status!"

"Everyone overlooked it before. After all, Luo Tian is so young and joined Celestial Brilliance such a short time ago. People subconsciously dismissed him."

"Now this is getting interesting. If one were to meet the Sect Leader, even the Patriarchs of the Heritage Clans would have to pay their respects, to say nothing of the junior descendants of those families."

"Haha, Young Master Huyan, a scion of a Heritage Clan, brought this whole entourage to cause trouble, only to get shut down by status. How ironic!"

"For countless years, although the Heritage Clans of Celestial Brilliance have mostly kept a low profile, they are undeniably powerful. I'm sure that even the Sect Leader himself... isn't without his own opinions about them."

The crowd murmured amongst themselves. The Heritage Clans were accustomed to throwing their weight around. Now, faced with a character like this, there was little they could do short of resorting to violence.

The Sect Leader of Celestial Brilliance would never speak or act the way Xu Luo did, so these Heritage Clans had grown accustomed to their lofty, superior attitudes.

Now, the roles had been forcibly reversed. Someone else was in the superior position, and they found it utterly unbearable.

Huyan Cyan Mountain was nearly blinded by rage, but fortunately, he wasn't a complete fool and still clung to a shred of sanity. His eyes were bloodshot as he stared coldly at Xu Luo. "A fine Medicine King you are. A fine, lofty personage. But even if you're some great figure, what do you mean by openly seducing my fiancée? Does being the Medicine King mean you can do as you please?"

At that, Xie Yurou raised her head, a defiant glint in her eyes. She would never forget the tears in her older sister's eyes on her wedding day, nor that exquisitely beautiful face filled with sorrow and resentment.

'This damned political marriage!'

'I refuse to end up like that!'

Xie Yurou roared internally before speaking out loud, "Huyan Cyan Mountain, make yourself clear. Who is your fiancée? When has there ever been a marriage contract between us?"

"It's a settled matter. What more is there to say? Our elders decided it," Huyan Cyan Mountain said, his face ashen as he stared at Xie Yurou. "Do you want me to summon your parents... the elders of the Xie Family, to confirm it for you with their own mouths?"

Xie Yurou gave a cold laugh. "It's useless no matter who you call. I, Xie Yurou, have never once agreed to marry anyone! It wouldn't matter if my parents came, or if the Xie Family elders themselves were here. The answer is the same!"

"Listen well, Huyan Cyan Mountain. I, Xie Yurou, might marry someone in this life, but it will never be you. Even if you were the last man on earth, I would not marry you!"

"So, please, do not call me... your fiancée again. You are not worthy of it!"

GASP!

A collective gasp rose from the crowd. Nearly everyone stared at the defiant young woman, their hearts shaken.

The marriages of Noble Family Descendants were rarely their own to decide. How many of them would ever dare to speak such outrageously defiant words?

Even some of the young masters and noble ladies standing at the entrance to the Ancient Dao Pavilion looked at Xie Yurou with a measure of admiration.

Words like that... were truly not something just anyone would dare to say.

"Hahaha! Good, good! A fine, damned couple!" Huyan Cyan Mountain pointed a finger at Xu Luo. "Luo Tian! Today, I, Huyan Cyan Mountain, am not the scion of a Heritage Clan, and you, Luo Tian... are no Medicine King. I am challenging you to a duel to the death!"

"This is a fight between two men. It's about honor... Do you dare accept?"

Huyan Cyan Mountain had been driven mad with rage, willing to throw everything away to duel Xu Luo.

Xie Yurou's grip on Xu Luo's hand tightened. She sent a message via Divine Sense, "He's a Great Saint, and incredibly powerful! Don't agree to it. You're the Medicine King; he wouldn't dare do anything to you!"

But Xu Luo didn't answer her. Instead, he released Xie Yurou's hand, took a few steps forward, and looked at Huyan Cyan Mountain. He spoke coolly, "Ordinarily, I wouldn't need to stoop to the level of a junior like you."

A sharp intake of breath went through the crowd. 'This New Medicine King is unbelievably audacious,' they thought. 'He'll say anything, even to the face of a Heritage Clan's young master!'

Ignoring the strange looks from the crowd, Xu Luo continued, "And your honor, in my eyes, is completely worthless!"

"You don't need to glare at me like you want to eat me alive. I don't scare easily. I just find you laughable, like a little banty rooster puffed up for a fight."

An irrepressible wave of laughter rippled through the crowd.

Huyan Cyan Mountain's ashen face flushed crimson. He gritted his teeth, but somehow managed to restrain himself from exploding.

"I said your honor is worthless because you are the one who started all this trouble for no reason!"

"Is Yu Rou your fiancée? Is there a marriage contract between you? Has she ever once agreed to it?"

"None of the above, right? Then what right do you have... to call her your fiancée? Do you have any idea how much damage your actions have caused her reputation and honor?"

"You want to duel me? On what grounds? I am the Second Generation Medicine King. I am the Senior Brother of the Medicine Garden. We have no prior grievances, no history of enmity. You want to duel me simply out of jealousy. You tell me, what kind of honor is that?"

"What is a man's honor? It is constant self-improvement! It is unyielding perseverance! It is being indomitable in the face of setbacks! It is striving to better oneself!"

Xu Luo's words were powerful and resonant. He looked coldly at Huyan Cyan Mountain and added coolly, "Honor isn't a tool for petty, jealous squabbles!"

"And that is why your honor, in my eyes, is worthless!"

"Now," Xu Luo asked, looking calmly at Huyan Cyan Mountain, "do you still want to duel me?"

"I'm going to... kill you!" Huyan Cyan Mountain's last shred of reason vanished completely, thrown beyond the highest heavens. All that remained in his heart was pure hatred for the man before him.

"Who the hell do you think you are, daring to lecture me like this?"

"My entire life, not even my family has ever spoken to me like that! What gives you the right?"

"I, Huyan Cyan Mountain, have been steeped in the classics and histories since childhood! Is there any principle I don't understand? What makes you think I need a lesson from you?"

"What gives you the right to stand there posturing and spouting such shameless drivel!"

Huyan Cyan Mountain's body blurred into an afterimage as he charged directly at Xu Luo. Simultaneously, a gleaming golden-yellow gourd, looking as if it were carved from pure Gold, appeared above his head. It shimmered with a dazzling light and radiated a boundless, oppressive might!

"The Vajra Gourd! This is bad, Young Master Huyan is putting his life on the line!"

"That's the Huyan Family's heirloom... It possesses immense power! Everyone, fall back! That thing's power is astonishing!"

"Is that the real Vajra Gourd? Not a replica? Does Huyan Cyan Mountain want to destroy this entire city?"

"Back, get back! The aura it's giving off is terrifying—that's no replica!"

A fresh wave of panicked shouts erupted from the crowd as nearly everyone scrambled to retreat.

The faces of the young masters and noble ladies at the door of the Ancient Dao Pavilion all changed upon seeing the gleaming golden gourd. They couldn't believe Huyan Cyan Mountain had actually brought out such a magical treasure. He clearly intended to kill the Medicine King, Luo Tian!

The Shopkeeper of the Ancient Dao Pavilion, Zhao Hongzhang, wore a grave expression. He pulled a Jade Ruler, about a foot long, from his robes and, holding it ready, bellowed at Xu Luo, "Get back!"

"Too late!"

Huyan Cyan Mountain roared, "Today, you will all die!"

BOOM!

A world-shaking aura erupted from the Vajra Gourd. In an instant, a brilliant light, as bright as the sun itself, burst forth, so piercing that no one could keep their eyes open.

A boundless, infinite aura swept directly over Xu Luo as the Vajra Gourd unleashed a terrifying suction force, seeking to pull him inside!

First, suppress with its aura, then suck in with its infinite power, and finally... refine him to nothing!

This... was the Huyan Family's Vajra Gourd!

Their clan's most priceless treasure!

In the crowd, Wang Xu stood with a cold smirk playing on his lips, his eyes flashing with smug satisfaction. He muttered to himself, 'Dog eat dog... This is so damn satisfying! It would be best if you both annihilated each other!'

Having just been slapped hard by Xie Yurou and then threatened by Huyan Cyan Mountain, Wang Xu had been forced to swallow his anger. His hatred for them had reached its peak.

Now, seeing the two sides come to blows, he was utterly delighted.

But in the next moment, his smile froze on his face. He looked as if he had just witnessed the most unbelievable sight in the world, his eyes... practically popping out of his head.

THWACK!

The gleaming golden Vajra Gourd hovering above Huyan Cyan Mountain's head was suddenly sent flying by a brick-shaped object in Xu Luo's hand!

Then, Xu Luo brought the brick-like object down hard on Huyan Cyan Mountain's head. Blood... instantly streamed down Huyan Cyan Mountain's handsome face.

Huyan Cyan Mountain collapsed on the spot.

A dead silence fell over the area. Everyone... seemed to forget how to breathe, staring dumbly at the scene.

Wang Xu's lips twitched violently. "What... what was that? A brick shattering a magical treasure?"

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