A Blind Swordsman's Sword Coffin

Lu Kangnian’s furious roar echoed across the entire Daxia Sword Sect. A terrifying aura surged outward in all directions.

Cang Lu had betrayed the sect. And he had struck an elder.

Shock hit the disciples like a plunge into icy water. None of them had ever suspected Cang Lu would do such a thing.

The elders shot into the sky.

Whoosh whoosh whoosh!

Shrill wind tore through the air as one enraged elder after another rose upward.

On Pill Peak, Sun Miao’s eyes flickered. Before leaving, Li Guanqi had asked him to find another way to test Cang Lu. Yet even after sweeping him with his divine consciousness, Sun Miao had found nothing out of the ordinary.

Cang Lu, fleeing like a madman, radiated a terrifying aura. He was clearly a Divine Transformation Realm cultivator, and he had been in that realm for a long time.

Sun Miao’s face drained of color. He pulled out a pill cauldron covered in flowing lights and took to the air.

Far out over the waters, the leader of the Spiritfish elders rose.

“Clan leader, should we really involve ourselves?”

The old clan leader stood with a bone sword in hand, his robes snapping in the wind. The scales on his cheeks glowed faintly. With a firm gaze, he said, “We must. From now on, the Spiritfish Clan and the Daxia Sword Sect will face every victory and tragedy together. Not just this time. Even if an Illusory Refinement Realm expert comes, we have to step forward. Leave anyone at the Divine Transformation Realm or above to me.”

Whoosh whoosh whoosh!

A dozen Divine Transformation Realm auras burst forth. The eruptions of vital force created a whirling storm that ripped up rocks and tore trees from the ground. A dense web of tiny cracks spread across the sky.

Ling Daoyan appeared in the courtyard with a flash and pulled the crying Yu Sui’an aside.

“Move! Let me!”

As he spoke, he produced a clear crystal bottle, lifted the unconscious Li Nanting, and poured the liquid into his mouth.

The liquid spilled out of Li Nanting’s mouth. With no other choice, Ling Daoyan wrapped the medicine in his vital force and guided it into Li Nanting’s body.

Li Nanting’s golden core was covered in cracks. It had already been fragile. Now, it looked ready to shatter.

Frantic, Ling Daoyan looked up and cried furiously, “Old Li’s golden core is cracking, and it’s about to break! We need to find a way to save him!”

Thousands of zhang above, a dozen Divine Transformation Realm cultivators had encircled Cang Lu. Their vital forces and spatial forces overlapped to form an airtight barrier.

None of them dared to underestimate him. He was singlehandedly resisting their combined pressure.

He was at the late Divine Transformation Realm, close to the peak.

Lu Kangnian glared at him, saying nothing. He didn’t even ask for an explanation. He pointed his sword at him and roared, “Kill him!”

Boom!

Spirit light of every color streaked across the sky. Vital force erupted. Knives and swords howled in unison. Multiple explosions rippled outward, and the sky warped with spatial tears.

Cang Lu threw off his black cloak with a sneer. He licked his lips and took the guqin from his back. The moment he infused it with his vital force, it shone brightly.

He sat cross-legged in midair, expressionless, letting the dozen attackers unleash their strikes.

When the blades were about to reach him—

Twang! Pluck‌! Twang!

A frantic melody burst forth. All twelve figures were blasted hundreds of zhang away by an invisible force. Sharp sound waves tore through them. Blood sprayed through the air.

Pfft pfft pfft!

Severed arms spun through the sky.

Lu Kangnian stepped in front of the others to protect them, but his vital force shield shattered at once. He dodged, yet a chunk of flesh was sliced from his shoulder.

A woman appeared in the courtyard—Lan Xun from the Spiritfish clan. She frantically passed a bright blue fish pearl to Ling Daoyan. “Put it in his mouth. Quick!”

Ling Daoyan inspected the concentrated life force in the fish pearl for a moment, then opened Li Nantin’s mouth and pressed the pearl inside.

A mysterious force spread through Li Nanting’s entire body, slowing the loss of his life force.

Shen Lan arrived in tears after receiving the news. She looked down at Li Nanting, trembling.

Ling Daoyan said a few words to comfort her. Then, with killing intent flashing in his eyes, he shot upward, sword in hand.

Boom!

The courtyard floor sank three inches as he launched into the sky like a furious lion.

“Contact Li Guanqi!”

Shen Lan snapped to her senses and pulled out her jade slip. After a moment’s hesitation, she described the situation.

“Cang Lu attacked Li Nanting. Your master is on the brink of death. We’ve slowed the loss of his life force, but it’s still draining away. Cracks have appeared on his dantian, and it’s about to shatter. Guanqi... please... think of a way to help...”

Boom boom boom!

Li Guanqi’s emotions overwhelmed him, and he shattered the jade slip in his hand.

Blood vessels crawled across his pure white eyes. He grimaced and roared, “Cang Lu! Damn you!”

The altar in his sea of consciousness buzzed as his divine consciousness moved to suppress his rage, forcing him to calm down.

As he breathed, countless thoughts flashed through his mind. Above all else, he had to keep his master safe.

He pulled out another jade slip. “Tang Ru, help me!”

He quickly explained everything.

In the distant Hundred Treasures Pavilion, Tang Ru held his jade slip with a grave expression. An old man stepped out of the shadows and said solemnly, “Young Master, when a person’s golden core is about to shatter, there is virtually nothing that can save them.”

Tang Ru heard the desperation and hope in Li Guanqi’s voice. He clenched his jaw. “There’s one way.”

The old man’s eyes widened. He rushed forward. “Young Master, you need to think this through! That thing is vital to you too. Even if you give it to him, it will only keep his master alive for a month. It cannot reverse his injuries. Please reconsider!”

Tang Ru pressed both palms to his desk. A vein throbbed on his forehead. His eyes were conflicted.

Then he slammed his fist down. “Give it to him!”

The old man sighed and said in a low voice, “Alright... I’ll send it to him... But Young Master, you—”

“I’ve made my choice,” Tang Ru said.

Tang Ru sank back into his chair. “Everything I have, I have because of him. Even if I take it, it’ll only raise my chances by twenty percent. Li Guanqi is someone who cares a lot about repaying kindness. I want to take a gamble.”