A Blind Swordsman's Sword Coffin

Li Guanqi traveled to the Lu clan’s territory via the transport array connecting the sect and the clan.

The moment he stepped inside, he was stunned all over again. He saw Lu Kangnian hovering in mid-air, directing the bustling crowd below.

“Yeah, yeah, that floor—pry it all up and take it with us! Why are you just standing there? Strip off all the glazed roof tiles too! And those pillars. Get a couple of Nascent Soul Realm cultivators over there and pull them out! Oh, and the spirit cranes over there, take them as well. Look how skinny they’ve gotten.”

Li Guanqi’s lips twitched.

The Lu clan’s domain was no small place, spanning a thousand li in radius. Its sheer scale was astonishing. Within it lay countless rare treasures, yet none of the Lu clan cultivators had tried to take anything with them. With Nangong Xuandu present, anyone who dared touch so much as a tile would face more than a warning. The annihilation of their entire clan was no empty threat.

Lu Kangnian spotted Li Guanqi and brightened at once. He flitted to his side and, acting sneaky, stuffed a storage ring into his hand before whispering through voice transmission, “Keep this. I set it aside for you.”

Li Guanqi couldn’t help but laugh at his antics. He played along and quietly pocketed the ring.

“Oh, right, how are those brats doing?” Lu Kangnian asked.

“Sect Master, rest assured,” Li Guanqi said gently. “They’re all out of danger for now.”

He glanced at the bustling crowd. “Sect Master, why not just move the whole domain back to the sect? At this rate, it’ll take forever to haul everything over.”

Lu Kangnian’s lips twitched, and he cursed under his breath, “You little brat, are you doing this on purpose? If I could move a domain this big, don’t you think I would’ve done it already?”

Only then did Li Guanqi realize that Lu Kangnian didn’t have the strength to move an entire domain. “Uh... I’ll do it, I’ll do it...”

Lu Kangnian’s expression softened. “You can manage it?”

Li Guanqi smiled faintly and spoke, his voice carrying across the domain. “All disciples of the Daxia Sword Sect, heed my command. Return to the sect at once through the transport array!”

The moment he spoke, countless disciples stopped what they were doing and left through the transport array.

After everyone had left, Li Guanqi and Lu Kangnian tore through space and reappeared outside the domain.

Li Guanqi slowly closed his eyes. His divine consciousness surged outward like a tide, making the void tremble as a violet light enveloped the entire domain. Veins stood out on Li Guanqi’s forehead, and a terrifying pressure bore down.

Boom!

The entire silvery, shimmering expanse rose from the quaking void. Lu Kangnian clicked his tongue. Even with Gong Ze and Tu Zhongqiu helping him, the three of them hadn’t managed to make it budge an inch. Li Guanqi had done what they couldn’t, all by himself.

Then again, the boy was one of their own. The thought filled Lu Kangnian with pride. “Hahaha! Let’s go home!”

The two of them shot toward the Northern Territory. The domain couldn’t be stored away, so they had no choice but to carry it back.

On the way, Lu Kangnian asked in a low voice, “Brat, there was something wrong with Lu Wuhen, wasn’t there? Otherwise, you wouldn’t have taken even his corpse.”

Li Guanqi neither elaborated nor denied it. “There was something off. But it’s nothing I can’t handle.”

Lu Kangnian nodded and said no more. He trusted Li Guanqi’s judgment completely. After a moment’s thought, he added, “Oh, right. I’m planning to grant Ye Feng and the others honorary elder status. What do you think?”

Li Guanqi smiled. “That’s entirely up to you, Sect Master. I’m sure they’ll be delighted. I also plan to have Xiao Chen relocate his family’s domain. When the time comes, just assign them a mountain within the sect’s territory.”

Lu Kangnian waved a hand. “It’s just a trivial matter. Did you really need to ask?”

Li Guanqi chuckled. “Of course I do. I have no intention of becoming the sect master.”

The two exchanged smiles.

Back at Daxia Sword Sect, they set the domain down behind Heavenly Sword Peak.

“Sect Master, when I find the time, I’ll refine this domain for you,” Li Guanqi said. “It belonged to the Lu clan, after all. Safer to refine it before we use it.”

Lu Kangnian nodded in agreement.

Then Li Guanqi asked curiously, “Did taking over the Lu clan’s domain go smoothly?”

Lu Kangnian pulled him aside with a mysterious look, formed a sword finger, and loosed a thread of azure sword light. Its sharpness was terrifying, and Li Guanqi’s chest tightened. An instant later, he understood, and he smiled faintly.

With the domain now at the sect, Li Guanqi was about to go check on Ye Feng and the others when something tugged at his senses. His brows drew together. He took out a jade slip and asked softly, “Uncle Meng, what’s wrong?”

Meng Jiangchu’s voice came from the slip.

—Guanqi, if you’re free, come see me.

Li Guanqi agreed without hesitation. After telling Lu Kangnian, he made for the transport array and departed.

***

In a pitch-black hall, a figure in a blood-red robe leaned back in his chair, his eyes closed in thought. His fingers rhythmically tapped the armrest. “Tsk... Lu Wuhen really was useless. I didn’t expect him to lose even like that. Hm... time to let this black lotus bloom, hehe...”

The tapping stopped, and he murmured, “Did you think this was the end? No... everything is only just beginning.”

As he spoke, a pitch-black ancient bell materialized in his palm, packed densely with countless souls. He rose and set the little bell onto a rack behind him, one that stood a hundred zhang tall.

His cold voice echoed through the hall. “You may proceed with the next phase of the plan.”

From a pool of black water, a woman with a striking figure slowly emerged. A black flower bloomed on her brow, giving off an eerie glow.

***

The moment Li Guanqi stepped out of the transport array into the Meng Family Domain, he sensed an unusual heaviness in the air. Frost clung to the space, and the temperature had dropped noticeably. His eyes narrowed, and he turned toward the back mountain, worried. He hadn’t expected Meng Wanshu’s breakthrough to drag on for so long.

Meng Jiangchu appeared beside him and said softly, “Since you’re here, let’s go.”

Walking beside him, Li Guanqi asked with concern, “Is Wanshu’s breakthrough‌ dangerous this time?”

Meng Jiangchu sighed, giving him an annoyed look. “Your own soul is flawed. Don’t you realize how dangerous that is? Wanshu’s avatar was severely injured by an assassin from the Sha organization. It’s... problematic.”

Li Guanqi frowned. “With your Five Yang Ghost Flame, why fear a little death qi?”

But then Li Guanqi stopped short, and his expression darkened. “You mean... Wanshu’s illusory soul was partially destroyed by the assassin?”