A Blind Swordsman's Sword Coffin

Scalding spirit-spring tea overflowed from the rim of the cup. Li Guanqi’s expression darkened, yet he let the heat sear his fingers.

Gu Yong released Song Yunshu’s hand only after she had emptied the teapot. Pale with fright, she slumped into her chair. The back of her hand was now covered in dark purple bruises.

She glanced repeatedly between the two men in horror. The air in the room grew unbearably oppressive. Gu Yong made no effort to restrain his pressure. The spirit qi in the air trembled as though it had gone berserk. On the table, the tea set rattled incessantly.

Gu Yong lowered his head slightly and spoke without a trace of emotion. “Merge the Guanyun Pavilion into the Heavenly Intelligence Pavilion. In return, I’ll give you enough resources to support your cultivation all the way to the Mahayana Realm. Leave the Heavenly Intelligence Map as well. I asked you to retrieve it in the first place.”

His words cut like knives. He had all but discarded their years of friendship without so much as acknowledging them.

Li Guanqi clenched his teeth, veins bulging on his forehead. He looked down at his reddened fingers and the spirit tea brimming in his cup, then ran his tongue across his lips.

Without warning, he hurled the teacup at Gu Yong. A barrier of vital force appeared before the elder, blocking every drop. Li Guanqi shot to his feet and kicked the tea table away. “Fuck you and your bullshit!”

A withered branch appeared in Li Guanqi’s hand, and he swung it down like a sword. “World Annihilation!”

Rumble!

A deafening roar rang out as a thundercloud spanning several thousand zhang formed above the Heavenly Intelligence Realm. Everyone in the Heavenly Intelligence Pavilion saw a fearsome streak of sword light burst from the top of the Heavenly Intelligence Tower, then strike the tower and split it in two.

Li Guanqi flew out and stamped his feet against the void. His arms transformed, dark purple dragon scales spreading over them. He tightened his grip on the lightning sword formed from the withered branch, his expression icy.

“You old bastard,” he said scornfully. “I came here to talk things through, and you’re treating me like I’m here to grant your fucking wishes?”

The dust cleared, revealing Gu Yong ten zhang away in his hemp robes. Lightning crackled violently around Li Guanqi as he raised a hand toward the summit of the Heavenly Intelligence Tower.

Li Guanqi’s face twisted with fury, and he clenched his fist. “You want the Heavenly Intelligence Map?”

Boom! Crack!

Inside the barrier atop the Heavenly Intelligence Tower, wisps of lightning seeped from the replica of the Heavenly Intelligence Map. A web of fine cracks spread across the scroll.

Li Guanqi’s gaze was icy. His lips parted slightly. “Shatter.”

Bang!

The hundred-zhang scroll burst into countless scraps of cloth. The priceless replica of the Heavenly Intelligence Map was destroyed.

Gu Yong’s chest heaved as he narrowed his eyes. “You actually planted a safeguard like that in the Heavenly Intelligence Map all those years ago?”

Li Guanqi sneered. “Too many people have tried to scheme against me. Of course I’d put a few safeguards in place.”

He tightened his grip on the heavenly intelligence jade pendant.

Crack!

As he slowly crushed it, he discovered a tiny array hidden inside.

Bang!

The array shattered.

“You’ve been monitoring me all these years too,” Li Guanqi said. “If you don’t want us to coexist peacefully, fine. From this day forward, the Guanyun Pavilion and Heavenly Intelligence Pavilion are enemies. We’ll see who has the last laugh.”

There was no turning back. The two sides had completely fallen out.

Among the Heavenly Intelligence Pavilion’s members, many who had once trusted Li Guanqi’s leadership frowned. They had never imagined the dispute would go this far.

Song Yunshu sat slumped in her chair inside the tower, her shoulders trembling. She could hardly believe that Gu Yong and Li Guanqi had fallen out. Anyone who saw them together would have thought they were close friends. Gu Yong had helped him so often in the past. How had it come to this?

As Li Guanqi turned to leave, Gu Yong said coldly, “Leave the Heavenly Intelligence Map behind. Do that, and you’re free to go.”

Li Guanqi looked back over his shoulder, his gaze icy. “And if I refuse?”

Gu Yong narrowed his eyes. “Then I’ll take it from you.”

A cold smile tugged at the corner of Li Guanqi’s mouth. Suppressing his fury, he said slowly, “Gu Yong, have you gone senile? Are you that eager to die? Others might not know who I am, but you do.”

Something was wrong with Gu Yong. Li Guanqi was certain of it. He slowly turned to face Gu Yong, his every muscle tensing as he prepared to fight to the death.

Lightning erupted around Li Guanqi, shattering the surrounding void. Terrifying sword intent soared into the sky. A blood-red hologram appeared behind him, looking down on all living beings.

Li Guanqi’s long hair whipped in the wind. He narrowed his pure-white eyes at Gu Yong, then asked a question that left everyone baffled. “Gu Yong left the Heavenly Intelligence Pavilion to break through. But was it really him who came back?”

Boom!

The words struck everyone’s sea of consciousness like a hammer. Their minds buzzed, and their mouths hung open in shock.

Gu Yong narrowed his eyes, his murky gaze full of cold killing intent.

A hundred zhang away, Song Yunshu swallowed hard. Li Guanqi’s words kept echoing in her mind.

Shen Feng kept his head lowered, his eyes wide with shock as a wild thought took hold of him.

Gu Yong remained composed, though his expression was frighteningly grim. “The one who returned was Gu Yong. What you’re saying is meaningless. I know exactly what I’m doing, Li Guanqi. Leave the Heavenly Intelligence Map behind. I’m not after your sword coffin. Give me the map, and I’ll let you leave.”

Li Guanqi’s aura surged violently as he pushed his power to its absolute limit, unleashing the greatest strength he had ever commanded since he began cultivating. He even held a Spirit-Boosting Pill in his mouth, along with a Frenzied Comprehension Pill that could temporarily raise his spirit comprehension by three levels.

Li Guanqi sensed the Heavenly Intelligence Realm around him. An immensely powerful ancient array had enveloped the entire realm, sealing it completely. With his current strength, he could not break through the barrier unless Sword Spirit possessed him.

Rumble!

“You should know my father-in-law and Zhou Yunqing are on their way,” Li Guanqi said quietly.

Gu Yong kept his hands tucked inside his sleeves. “That’s why I’m not going to kill you. I only want the Heavenly Intelligence Map!”

Li Guanqi stared at him. “What secret is hidden within the Heavenly Intelligence Map? Why do you want it badly enough to make an enemy of me?”

Gu Yong offered no answer. “I can’t give you much more time. Meng Jiangchu and Zhou Yunqing are almost here.”

Li Guanqi took a deep breath, brought out the Heavenly Intelligence Map, and tossed it over. Gu Yong caught it, relief plain in his eyes. He raised a hand and tore open a rift in the sky.

Li Guanqi stepped into the spatial crack. As he faded from view, he looked back at Gu Yong, his expression conflicted. “From this day forward, you go your way, and I’ll go mine! The next time we meet, we’ll be enemies.”

Song Yunshu rose to her feet, wanting to say something, but Gu Yong stopped her. He looked at Li Guanqi with a conflicted expression, yet remained silent.

The Heavenly Intelligence Realm also began to fade from view. Clearly, from that day forward, the Heavenly Intelligence Pavilion would abandon these mountains entirely and become an organization hidden in the darkness of the void.