Chapter 121 — Heaven's Road-Class Warrior

Wu Guang's killing intent was so tangible it cowed the entire hall. It had taken only a single boast, and that intent pierced the air, leaving everyone present utterly shaken.

Only then did the crowd realize what a formidable master stood before them.

"The... the Skyfall Blade!"

"He's the Skyfall Blade, Wu Guang!"

"Oh, heavens! A Heaven's Road-class warrior!"

...

The stunned crowd abruptly recalled the name Kong Yiyu had spoken moments before—and the weight that name carried.

The Skyfall Blade, Wu Guang. A Heaven's Road-class master.

This was the first true master Tang Tang had ever seen. His strength was such that even Kong Yiyu, who had already stepped into the eighth rank, dared not defy him.

And yet...

"Eh?" Tang Tang turned a blank face to Jing Hao. "What's a Heaven's Road-class warrior? Does it just mean a warrior who can go to Heaven's Road?"

Jing Hao nodded gravely, deadpan. "Exactly. So a Heaven's Road-class warrior is nothing remarkable at all."

Wu Guang yanked the battered blade off his back with a rasp and leveled it at Jing Hao, eyes blazing. "Little Jing Hao, you thankless wretch—slandering your martial uncle's name! Today I'll teach you a lesson on my senior brother's behalf."

"Cancel the mission," Jing Hao said, tilting his head toward Tang Tang. "He's thoroughly unreliable."

Wu Guang deflated like a punctured balloon and sidled over, shameless. "Come now, we're all one family here—why wound the bonds of affection? You'll learn soon enough, young Tang: Heaven's Road-class warriors charge very high appearance fees."

"Then what exactly makes one a Heaven's Road-class warrior?" Tang Tang asked, curiosity piqued.

Wu Guang scratched his head. "Well now, let me think how to put it. Hmm—Heaven's Road has many regions. Perseus here, for instance, is a safe zone, thoroughly developed. But within Heaven's Road, it's only a tiny corner. The constellations of the safe zones mostly have long histories. Every constellation has many star gates, and some of those gates lead to unknown regions."

It was rare to hear such firsthand information, and Tang Tang listened closely—Wu Guang's experience roaming Heaven's Road ran deep.

"Many people assume those unknown regions are empty of people. That notion is completely wrong. Humanity's history of traversing Heaven's Road is ancient, and through the ages many masters have pushed deep into its farthest reaches. Some came back; others stayed. They multiplied out there, and over tens of thousands of years they developed worlds of their own."

Wu Guang's tone turned wistful and yearning.

"In Heaven's Road, star gates are the most vital nodes forming the routes. But few know that star gates are not fixed—only that their cycles of change are long, mostly a thousand years or more. Many routes explored in the past are severed when the star gates shift, and are gradually forgotten. They are like scattered isles in a vast sea, seldom visited, where civilizations of their own have grown. Many constellations in history were extinguished for exactly this reason. Their routes were cut."

"The exploration of Heaven's Road has never ceased. Everyone keeps searching out those extinguished constellations—seeking hidden treasures, star stones, soul cores—one after another, without end. And Heaven's Road-class masters are the elite among them. A Heaven's Road-class warrior means one with the ability to open new star gate routes."

Wu Guang jabbed a proud thumb at his own chest.

"And I am the man who opened the Waterfall Route!"

"That sounds amazing!" Tang Tang's eyes lit up. "The Waterfall Route? Where does it lead?"

"The Waterfall Planet." A nostalgic look crossed Wu Guang's face. "A very beautiful place—the whole planet is covered in lovely waterfalls. The locals are kind, too. A pity it isn't a constellation and produces no hidden treasures."

"Is it far?" Tang Tang's face showed longing.

"Hmm, fairly far. You pass through more than twenty dead planets—oh, dead planets are those with no value. They're the most common sort in Heaven's Road, the most numerous. Dead planets are usually brutal environments. The worst one had winds like knives; I could only lie flat in the cracks in the ground. That godforsaken place—I never want to go back a second time. Still, five months of grinding there did improve my blade technique considerably."

Wu Guang could not help preening over that last remark.

"You look like a young man burning with ambition. What—you want to make a run at Heaven's Road?" Wu Guang wore the expression of a seasoned veteran.

"Yes! Qianhui and I agreed to go to Heaven's Road together!" Tang Tang answered frankly, without concealment.

"Then you'd best be careful. The masters and star soul beasts of Heaven's Road are all formidable. Your current strength is a bit lacking." Wu Guang smacked his lips.

Tang Tang did not argue. Given Wu Guang's strength, he was certainly qualified to call Tang Tang weak. However...

He clenched his fists, not flinching in the least, a flame called fighting spirit blazing in his eyes. He glared back, unyielding. "Hmph! So you're a Heaven's Road-class warrior—just wait to be beaten by a godlike youth!"

"A godlike youth?" Wu Guang blinked, then burst out laughing, admiration undisguised. "I like that title! A young man ought to have such grand ambition! Hmm, in my day, my greatest rival was my senior brother. I trained day and night, drove myself relentlessly—and ha, finally..."

"You got beaten like a dog," Jing Hao cut in out of nowhere.

Wu Guang choked as if a bite of food had lodged in his throat, his face flushing crimson. It was a moment before he recovered and bellowed, "Today I'm going to put you in your place for my senior brother!"

"Was it because my master beat you like a dog?" Jing Hao's tone was flat, without the slightest ripple.

"Aaaah! I'm so furious!" Wu Guang stamped and raged, howling.

Tang Tang stared open-mouthed at Jing Hao and Wu Guang. His image of Brother Jing Hao was utterly overturned.

Never, ever cross Brother Jing Hao...

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The Shangguan family took on an entirely new atmosphere.

The training grounds were the liveliest place each day; every Shangguan disciple cultivated there like a madman. The victory over the Yu family had firmly seated the Shangguan family as Perseus's foremost clan.

The Skyfall Blade, Wu Guang—a genuine Heaven's Road-class warrior. Before the Perseus Crown declined, Perseus too had possessed several Heaven's Road-class warriors; now there was not a single one.

Tang Tang and Wu Guang conversed like old friends, plainly on close terms for all to see—and Wu Guang even bore a faintly ingratiating air, which left everyone's hearts shaken.

And Tang Duo the soul general, that gaunt old man—such a breathtaking claw strike could never belong to a nobody.

Just what was Tang Tang's background?

The more reliable reports held that Tang Tang belonged to the Lightstone, but beyond that there was no further intelligence. By any measure, Tang Tang did not seem like an ordinary warrior of the Lightstone.

Every faction understood one fact at once: the present Shangguan family was absolutely not one to provoke. So the next day, the heads of the various families came one after another to apologize for their juniors' disruption the day before.

For a time, the Shangguan family's gate was a bustle of carriages and horses, an endless stream of visitors.

Tang Tang, however, was not distracted by it. He trained hard every day without the slightest slackening. With him as their model, the other disciples dared not be remiss either—by now Tang Tang had established absolute authority in the Shangguan family.