A Blind Swordsman's Sword Coffin

A hidden figure in the shadows watched it all, a flicker of surprise passing through his eyes. As expected of someone who can climb the Nascent Soul Leaderboard. His strength is not to be underestimated.

Li Guanqi raised his hand and gathered the fire essences that had fallen to the ground. None of them bore the strange lightning seal from before; they were ordinary fire essences. But even so, a single piece could fetch dozens of high-grade spirit stones. In just a short while, he had already earned several hundred.

The surrounding mist had thinned somewhat, as if the dispersal of the fire spirits had weakened it. Li Guanqi frowned at the two colossal guardians, each a hundred zhang tall. He couldn’t shake the feeling that those statues weren’t as simple as they appeared.

After all, he’d heard tales of secret realms and the resting places of powerful experts, where guardians or puppets were typically left behind to protect the dead’s eternal peace. He didn’t believe the two statues were merely for decoration or intimidation.

He looked toward the massive stone gate in the distance and saw no other structures around it. The gate’s carvings had blurred with time, yet he could still make out flame motifs through vivid crimson hues. Above the gate, a small groove matched the exact shape of the jade pendant in his hand.

Li Guanqi guessed that the place had to be tied to fire.

However, the groove’s position aligned perfectly with the eyes of the two stone guardians when viewed horizontally. Their black-armored faces were hollow and lifeless, their eyes pitch-black and empty.

Li Guanqi licked his cracked lips and glanced back with irritation. The person who’d been following him still refused to show themselves. All his fighting and bloodshed—was it just for that figure to swoop in at the end and take the prize?

He casually tossed the jade pendant into the air and sent dozens of lightning arcs to bind it midair. The lightning chains snaked out and anchored onto the heads of the two guardians. Then he turned slowly toward the dense fog behind him, a cold smile tugging at one corner of his mouth.

Boom!

A terrifying aura burst out. The sword coffin manifested behind him and slammed heavily onto the ground. Li Guanqi’s eyes flashed cold. “Old bastard, you still won’t show yourself?”

No one answered. Li Guanqi narrowed his eyes and then attacked, sending out a dazzling arc of sword light.

Boom!

The suspension bridge ahead shattered into fragments. The void above the bridge wavered, and a black-robed figure was forced out, his severed sleeve fluttering in the fiery wind.

The black-robed man clicked his tongue and chuckled. “Blessed, aren’t you? In just a year, you’ve risen to such a level.”

Li Guanqi sneered, but his heart thudded. An oppressive pressure radiated from the man, making his chest constrict. Late Nascent Soul Realm—no, stronger. Peak Nascent Soul Realm.

Battle intent surged in Li Guanqi’s chest. He licked his lips, narrowed his eyes, and let out a mocking laugh. “Old man, no point hiding now, is there?”

Li Guanqi’s voice turned icy. “Old Miao.”

He’d already figured out the man’s identity. He’d purchased information from the heavenly intelligence jade pendant to learn who had been tailing him.

The old man hadn’t anticipated such a direct guess, and he was momentarily stunned. Then, he burst into wild laughter, ripping off his black robe in a single movement.

Li Guanqi’s eyes narrowed. It was Miao Rongchang, the old peddler from the docks—the very man who had sold him one of the incomplete jade pendants. Who would have thought the old man had been following him ever since then? Had Li Guanqi not broken through to the Nascent Soul Realm, he might never have discovered him.

Miao Rongchang stood three zhang away, hands folded in his sleeves, smiling slyly. “I didn’t think you’d figure it out. Since your breakthrough, your senses have become annoyingly sharp.”

Li Guanqi smirked coldly. “I didn’t think a harmless old man pretending to be a Foundation Building Realm cultivator would actually be a peak Nascent Soul Realm powerhouse. But tell me, have you been following me all this time?”

He genuinely wanted to know.

The elder glanced around and muttered something seemingly irrelevant. “The ruins of the Flame God Hall, lost to the river of time. I searched the continent for four centuries after I first obtained that jade pendant, yet I never found it.”

His eyes gleamed, and his lips curved into a strange smile. “So I changed my approach. Find those blessed by fortune and follow them.

“Hehe. My luck is good. After only eight tries, I found it.”

Li Guanqi’s heart jolted. He’d never imagined someone would pursue a hidden chance for four hundred years using such tactics. That meant Old Miao had trailed seven people over the centuries, each with their own fortune. And Li Guanqi was the eighth.

Ssshh!

The old man spread his palm, and an ancient longsword appeared, its sheath fiery red and its hilt set with three red gems.

Zzzt!

Crimson flames burst around the elder, and the oppressive pressure rose.

He smiled with narrowed eyes. “The longest I followed someone was fifty-six years. You’re the one I’ve followed for the shortest time, but the only one who actually found this place.”

His expression twisted hideously. “Don’t worry. I’ll make your death painless.”

Even if Li Guanqi hadn’t found the ruins, Old Miao would have struck eventually.

He knew Li Guanqi held two jade pendants, but he’d lacked the opportunity to take them, especially at Phoenix Lightning Sect, where Chu Xingxian had nearly discovered him.

Li Guanqi’s growth terrified him. He had watched every step with his own eyes, and he couldn’t wait any longer. If Li Guanqi escaped, Old Miao knew he would never have peace.

Boom!

A monstrous wave of flame swept through the void, crashing toward Li Guanqi like a burning ocean.

Li Guanqi’s pupils shrank to the size of needles. The power of a domain!