A Blind Swordsman's Sword Coffin

Li Guanqi flew across the sky, sweeping the land below with his divine consciousness. His brows were furrowed.

The spirit qi of the Soaring Heavens Continent was far denser than that of the Azure Cloud Continent, yet mixed with other currents of qi. Even the cold, eerie vengeful qi hung thick in the air.

Perhaps that was the reason humans, demons, and ghosts managed to coexist.

His sea of consciousness buzzed. A vast map of the Soaring Heavens Continent unfurled in his mind.

He checked his location, then vanished with a flash of lightning beneath his feet.

He wasn’t rushing, understanding the secret realm wouldn’t open for another week. His only focus was on finding Chen Zhi. He would skin him alive and turn him to dust.

Yinxing State lay a mere ten thousand li ahead.

Li Guanqi tore open space and shot forward, not even stopping to take in the unfamiliar scenery.

Lightning flared beneath his feet as he sped through the void, his expression cold, vital force surging through him.

Chen Zhi was a vicious rogue sword cultivator, widely regarded as the strongest young cultivator in the Soaring Heavens Continent.

“Yinxing State...” he murmured as he traveled at lightning speed. In ‌the blink of an eye, he disappeared.

***

Night fell over Yinxing State, leaving the palace dim and near-empty. A creepy gray mist drifted through the air, sharp with frost. Each breath felt unpleasant.

The entire region brimmed with a strange, eerie energy. Unmarked graves dotted the landscape. Rumor had it that the yin qi in Yinxing State was so active that the dead often rose as ghost cultivators. The stronger ones could even walk beneath the sun.

Buzz!

An unknown amount of time later, Li Guanqi appeared. He wore a black cloak, and he brazenly stepped out of the void.

The state stretched far but housed few people. An eerie wind swept past, and he felt as if countless eyes were watching him from the ground beneath his feet.

An ordinary person would have lost his mind to the corroding yin force. However, it couldn’t even reach within a hundred zhang of Li Guanqi.

He looked over the shadowy hills and wandering ghost flames.

Li Guanqi frowned. ‘Why would Chen Zhi be in a place like this?’

His confusion made sense. The place was a haven for ghost cultivators, but Chen Zhi wasn’t one. What business did he have there?

Li Guanqi stepped forward and appeared on the street of a dilapidated city. It had been abandoned for ages, and a rotting stench hung in the air.

A cold gust swept through. Broken doors and windows creaked, harsh against the silent night.

“Hehehe!”

A creepy chuckle rang in Li Guanqi’s ear. Anyone timid would have screamed.

Li Guanqi only smirked. Lightning shot out from his finger, forming a sword.

The purple lightning sword shrieked down the street, then split into five.

“Ahhh!”

A panicked scream rang out, and the lightning sword pierced a shadow radiating death qi, pinning it to the ground with a loud thud.

The ghost writhed violently as its thick death qi peeled away under the lightning’s force.

It was a strong ghost cultivator with abilities at the mid Nascent Soul Realm. But to Li Guanqi, it was no more than an ant.

Whoosh!

The ghost cultivator possessed refined and elegant features. Rather than appearing ghostly, it resembled a handsome scholar, even though it was drenched in death qi.

He stared at the cloaked Li Guanqi and prostrated himself, trembling as the five spirit swords tore into him. “Good Sir! Please spare me... I... I didn’t know what I was doing! I’ll surrender all my cultivation if I must. Just let me go. Whatever the cost, I’ll pay it.”

Even with five spirit swords piercing him, the youth’s strong will was evident, though he was trembling and begging for mercy.

Li Guanqi didn’t move. His gaze was cold under his hood.

“Where is Chen Zhi?”

The youth’s eyes widened. “Do you mean... that sword cultivator, Chen Zhi?”

Li Guanqi stayed silent. The ghost continued at once. “He went to the depths of Yin Hell Valley! He’s looking for something called the Yin Hellfire!”

Li Guanqi’s eyes widened. Something clicked in his mind, though he could not confirm it.

He raised his hand. The lightning swords exploded, releasing a burst of lightning force outward. Everything within a hundred zhang collapsed, flattened under the explosion. The surrounding yin hell qi scattered.

All the ghost cultivators hiding in the surrounding shadows widened their eyes and kept their mouths shut, afraid that Li Guanqi would attack them if he saw them. They even forgot to breathe.

Li Guanqi’s eyes gleamed as he scanned the ruins.

Ghost cultivators bolted in every direction, fleeing as fast as they could.

Whoosh!

Li Guanqi headed toward the depths of the Yinxing State.

As he traveled, strange sights drifted past him.

A ghost bride in a red bridal dress wailed incessantly at the entrance of a house.

An old woman turned to look at him. She smiled, revealing her torn lips. She chuckled.

Li Guanqi smiled back. Lightning crackled faintly around him.

The old woman was so startled that her dentures fell out of her mouth.

He passed a mischievous young ghost and a procession of ghost cultivators carrying a coffin. Each group stepped aside the moment they saw him.

Li Guanqi seized a passing ghost and asked for directions to Yin Hell Valley.

The ghostly Yinxing State was teeming with ghost cultivators. Yet a cultivator with a massive sword box strapped to his back strolled casually along the street.

Word of him spread quickly. The ghost cultivators retreated to their cultivation lairs, not daring to leave.

Li Guanqi was a Divine Transformation Realm cultivator with a Lightning Spirit Root. No one dared offend him.

Even the strongest ghost cultivators didn’t dare act recklessly. Since he’d harmed no one, they had no desire to provoke him.

Lightning flickered under his feet as he traveled. Before long, he reached a valley where the wind howled eerily.

He narrowed his eyes. The mist above was so dark it was nearly black. The yin hell energy in the area was so thick it was almost palpable.

Gusts of wind sliced across the land, warping space and tearing small rifts open.

“Seems like a gathering place for ghosts.”

When he stepped into the valley, the agonizing wails of ghosts rang in his ear.