A Blind Swordsman's Sword Coffin

Fortunately, Xiang Huaizhi was there. A top-tier alchemist’s reserves were far beyond anything the rest of them could match.

He was drenched in blood, but neither his strength nor his aura had suffered much. He had taken so long to arrive for two reasons: he had matters to settle in the Qilian Mountains, and the mountains were a long way from this battlefield.

This time, there were simply too many wounded people. Nearly every cultivator who had taken part in the battle had suffered grievous injuries.

Xiang Huaizhi sent Li Guanqi a voice transmission. “Take everyone else back to the Daxia Sword Sect. Second Sister and the others are too badly injured. I need to get them to the Seventh Territory immediately.”

Li Guanqi nodded absent-mindedly and pressed a talisman to himself, forcing his emotions down. Yet, even with the talisman in place, thoughts of Ye Feng kept surfacing in his mind. He simply could not pretend that nothing had happened.

Meng Wanshu walked over with one hand clasped over her injured arm, her eyes full of sorrow.

Many people saw her as cold and heartless, and perhaps she often did come across that way. Her response to what had happened to Ye Feng was one example, and the choice she had once faced when Coward Li’s life was at stake was another. To outsiders, she was a villain, a woman without a shred of compassion.

But those who knew her understood. Everything Meng Wanshu thought and everything she did was for Li Guanqi’s sake.

In her eyes, Coward Li was his own person and not just Li Guanqi’s clone. But if his existence ever came to affect Li Guanqi... she would erase him without a moment’s hesitation.

She didn’t want Ye Feng to die either, but if he were to become Li Guanqi’s enemy someday, she’d rather Ye Feng die by her own hand than see Li Guanqi and Ye Feng turn their blades on each other after years of brotherhood.

Given how deeply Li Guanqi cared for those close to him, Meng Wanshu knew he could never deliver the killing blow.

To outsiders, the Yanluo Sword Sovereign was ruthless and decisive, cold and bloodthirsty. Yet he, of all people, cherished his bonds above all else.

Meng Wanshu remained silent. Standing beside Li Guanqi, her thoughts drifted to Song Zhi’ang. “Hmph! I should have killed her on the spot last time. If I had, none of this would have happened!”

Li Guanqi took a moment to regain his composure, then called Cao Yan and Xiao Chen over to start clearing the battlefield. They incinerated everything with their heavenly flames, wiping out every last trace of the demonic qi that had escaped.

Li Guanqi crushed a teleportation scroll. Silver light flared, and a teleportation passage a full ten zhang across took shape.

Meng Jiangchu let out a heavy breath and withdrew the power of the Five Yang Ghost Flame. His expression eased when he realized that Meng Wanshu’s injuries were only minor. He had left her numerous life-saving magical treasures beforehand.

Meng Jiangchu looked at Li Guanqi with a complicated expression. “The Sha organization is finished, at least. That much is good news. As for Ye Feng...”

Li Guanqi cut him off. “Father-in-law, let me go check on everyone else first. We’ll leave this for later.”

Meng Jiangchu opened his mouth to speak, but in the end said nothing more, quietly helping Li Guanqi deal with the aftermath.

Neither Cao Yan nor Xiao Chen spoke. Their spirits were low.

Cao Yan took it hardest of all. He simply couldn’t understand why Ye Feng had done what he did.

Some distance away, Wu Mian kept glancing at the unconscious You Ming. Xiang Huaizhi did not notice.

Suddenly, a chill brushed across You Ming’s neck. Wu Mian’s icy hands had settled there.

You Ming shuddered violently and jolted awake. Still unable to move, he helplessly looked at Wu Mian. “Could you wake me up some other way next time?”

Wu Mian shrugged. “I was just checking whether you had any connection to that guy. Turns out you really don’t.”

You Ming grinned despite the pain and cursed, “Am I really that unreliable? Why does every single one of you suspect I’m connected to him?”

Wu Mian calmly used a dagger to cut away the rotted flesh around You Ming’s wounds. Supporting You Ming’s neck with his left hand, he smiled gently. “Idiot. Because we love you, obviously.”

You Ming curled his lips. “Spare me your love. You’re squeezing so hard I can’t breathe.”

As he spoke, he weakly tried to pry away Wu Mian’s hand. This time, You Ming had truly done everything he could.

Wu Mian smiled, stood up, and quietly walked away, forcing down the blood rising from his throat. Beneath his black robe, his fingers lightly traced a pattern, and a ripple too faint for anyone to detect vanished into the void.

***

Inside a study somewhere within the Seventh Territory, a mysterious rune suddenly appeared in front of Su Xuan.

Sha’s remnant soul parasitized Ye Feng’s arm and escaped under the guidance of an ancient soul lamp. You Ming is no longer under suspicion.

Su Xuan brushed away the glowing words. A sharp light flickered within his clouded eyes. With both hands tucked into his sleeves, he fell into deep thought.

“Just who is the one standing behind Sha?” Su Xuan murmured. He raised his head toward the heavens. “Sigh... It seems I’ve been too merciful lately.”

His eyes narrowed. “Contact the Four Kings and tell them not to hold back anymore. Start killing. And have Long Hou return to look after those youngsters.”

Having spoken, he reached into the void and drew out a saber scabbard. A trace of pain crossed his eyes as he murmured, “Guanqi, your life was never destined to be smooth sailing. Every trial must be endured, and every obstacle must be overcome. A difficult path... will only make you stronger in the end. As your grandfather, this is all I can do for you.”

His lingering words echoed through the study, though his figure had already disappeared.

***

Within a mysterious land, barrier lights filled the sky, and countless powerful auras descended from above.

Four figures fought like war gods, drenched in blood. Their expressions were utterly calm, like tireless machines built solely for slaughter.

Dozens more figures fought beneath the barrier. Sword qi crisscrossed, and storms broke out everywhere. The fighting here was fiercer and more brutal than the battle to annihilate the Sha organization.

The instant Su Xuan appeared, the whole battlefield went silent, as though a great hand had closed around everyone’s throats.

Su Xuan ignored the barrier and walked forward at an unhurried pace, his withered right hand slowly closing on empty air.

At that moment, an overwhelming aura surged from him and bore down on heaven and earth. The scabbard trembled faintly. A streak of saber light flashed past, too fast for the eye to follow.

Su Xuan’s chest rose and fell, and one corpse after another dropped from the highest reaches of the heavens.

It had been a plain, unadorned slash, and yet it seemed to have torn the heavens open.

Su Xuan walked slowly forward into the rain of blood, and when he reached the enormous crack in the barrier, he raised his head. Beyond the crack, there was nothing but haze.

Su Xuan was standing still, but every expert within the barrier tensed up. They stood rigid, their vital force surging as they braced themselves.

Su Xuan let out a disdainful chuckle. His thin lips moved slightly. “Do you dare come down?”

Silence.

After a long while, he lost interest and turned his gaze toward the barrier. Just as he was about to step through, a voice as vast as the Heavenly Dao itself resounded in the minds of everyone present, Su Xuan included. “Do you dare come up?”

Su Xuan paused where he stood. An aged, roaring laugh burst out of him. “Hahahahaha! Go up? Anyone else, I couldn’t say. But you? You, I can kill.”

Silence. The speaker seemed to be weighing whether Su Xuan meant his words. And the more he thought about it, the more certain he became that Su Xuan was not merely boasting.

The man inside the crack spoke, his voice low. “I hope... you can stand guard this place forever.”

Su Xuan suddenly turned and slashed once more.

Mmph!

A muffled groan echoed from beyond the fissure.

Narrowing his eyes, Su Xuan said coldly, “If you don’t dare come down, keep your mouth shut.”