A Blind Swordsman's Sword Coffin

Boom!

Before Li Guanqi even finished speaking, terrifying pressure erupted from He Yuanting. The overwhelming force surged behind him like a towering tidal wave, ready to swallow Li Guanqi whole.

Yet Li Guanqi’s expression remained utterly calm. The two elderly men beside him moved in unison, dispersing the pressure.

He Yuanting’s gaze was sharp. He ignored the two elders and stared straight at Li Guanqi. “Li Guanqi, don’t push your luck.”

Li Guanqi’s lips curled in mockery. “Push my luck? No, no. ‘Bullying’ fits better. If Elder Chu and Elder Li hadn’t been here today, I might have buried these words in my heart. But the day I gained the ability and the strength, I would have stood before you and said them to your face.”

He shrugged slightly. “Since I still can’t stand on equal footing with you, I might as well bully you with borrowed power.”

Meng Wanshu’s lips curved upward. To her, this unorthodox frankness meant Li Guanqi hadn’t changed at all.

All these years, the outside world had seen her as a lofty, heaven-blessed prodigy. Only she knew how drastic the upheaval of her childhood had been.

The sudden change in status and identity had caught her completely unprepared. On top of that, she had begun to cultivate—seeking longevity, walking the path of immortality, ascending to the upper realms. Such things were once beyond imagination. Back then, she had simply followed behind Li Guanqi every day, breaking branches as she walked and playing make-believe.

That little blind boy would deliberately wander past her house several times a day, hoping to scrounge some food.

She had left Prosperity Village even earlier than Li Guanqi. When she woke up the next day, she and her mother were already in the Divine Treasure Domain.

Everything Li Guanqi displayed now put her at ease, as if nothing had changed. No matter how big the trouble or how great the disaster, the man beside her would always step forward with a grin, claiming it was all his doing.

He Yuanting’s expression turned grim, his eyes moving between the two elders. He knew Li Changqing had only stepped in because of Meng Wanshu’s status, but Chu Jingze was another matter. He couldn’t afford to provoke the man.

That Heart of the Ancient Cave...

As He Yuanting looked them over, the chubby old man beside Li Guanqi narrowed his eyes, his expression sinking. “He Yuanting, when someone gives you face, you’d better take it.

“If it weren’t for Young Master Li, the Heart of the Ancient Cave wouldn’t be enough even if you sold off the entire Great Profound Sword Sect. Others may not know the full consequences, but you should. Doing this is wrong.

“For the sake of a pitiful scrap of pride, you dragged out talk of karma without even distinguishing right from wrong. Laughable.”

The old man’s words were sharp as blades, mercilessly incisive.

He Yuanting’s face turned iron-blue, yet he couldn’t refute a single word. A complicated emotion flickered through his eyes. He clasped his hands, about to apologize.

Li Guanqi raised a hand to stop him. “Different paths lead to different ends. Sect Master He need not force himself into an insincere apology.

“From this day on, I, Li Guanqi, will have little to do with the Great Profound Sword Sect. Why put on a show?

“I wouldn’t accept an insincere apology, and forcing you to offer one would only displease you. Better to leave it at that.”

He Yuanting no longer bothered to hide his feelings. He lowered his hand and dispersed the sealing barrier around the Sword Abyss, forcing a smile. “Please, go ahead.”

Li Guanqi did not stand on ceremony. He waved his hand and retrieved the sword intent from the Sword Abyss.

All that remained was a deep sword scar, a testament to the brief presence of the Yanluo Sword Intent, once at the Sword Heart Realm.

The disciples of the Great Profound Sword Sect felt the earth tremble beneath their feet. A peerless sword intent burst forth from Sword Abyss, slicing through the void. Every disciple stared in shock. It rivaled the strongest sword intents of the Sword Abyss.

Yet now, they could only watch helplessly as it flew toward Li Guanqi.

After reclaiming the sword intent, Li Guanqi fixed his gaze on He Yuanting and slowly spread his palm. “Give me back the Red Lotus Sword.”

He Yuanting narrowed his eyes and made no move.

That sword was at the very least an ancient treasure-tier longsword. He even suspected it might be an exceedingly rare spirit treasure.

And the Red Lotus’s Heaven-Opening Tier form...

A cold gleam flashed through Chu Jingze’s eyes. He had caught the greed in He Yuanting’s gaze.

Right in front of everyone, he took out a Heavenly Intelligence jade token. “Dispatch the Heavenly Intelligence Guard. Declare war on the Great Profound Sword Sect.”

He Yuanting looked up sharply. “What do you mean?”

“Exactly what it sounds like,” Chu Jingze said, expressionless. “Whatever you heard, that’s what it means.”

He Yuanting clenched his teeth, face livid. “Is the Heavenly Intelligence Pavilion his personal property? You’d start a war with the Great Profound Sword Sect over this?”

Chu Jingze’s words hadn’t been entirely serious. He chuckled, baring his teeth. “Even if the entire Heavenly Intelligence Pavilion of the Taiqing Territory were wiped out, our boss wouldn’t speak a single word. He’d even be happy.”

He Yuanting’s pupils shrank to pinpoints. When he looked at Li Guanqi again, fear crept into his eyes. He believed it.

When the old man said those words, there was no exaggeration. He meant them.

Chu Jingze snorted coldly, utterly disdainful of He Yuanting’s narrow-mindedness. The man had no foresight at all despite being a sect master. Even Meng Wanshu’s phoenix branch was far beyond what He Yuanting’s son could ever reach.

The old man sneered. “When you go back today, you’d better burn some incense for your ancestors. Check whether your ancestral graves have caught fire.

“If anything happens to Young Master Li, not a single soul in the Great Profound Sword Sect will survive.”

He Yuanting’s throat bobbed, his pupils trembling. He ground his teeth and took out the Red Lotus Sword.

Li Guanqi took it, and the blade let out a low hum.

He had no desire to waste more time. He stepped toward the main hall of the Great Profound Sword Sect.

Chu Jingze raised his hand and unleashed terrifying spatial force, adding another powerful seal to the sect’s grand protective formation.

Li Guanqi led Meng Wanshu into the main hall. All the sect’s high-ranking elders and honored retainers were present, along with many powerful alchemists.

Ignoring their gazes, Li Guanqi walked straight to He Yuning’s bed.

He looked at He Yuning’s pale face and the mangled flesh on his chest. A hazy glow radiated from the wound, his heart beating strongly.

A trace of guilt flickered in Li Guanqi’s eyes. He reached out and patted He Yuning’s shoulder, opening his mouth to say something. But no words came.