Spirit Ruin, Sword Coffin, Blind Swordsman

The encircled Daxia Sword Sect disciples suddenly regained their freedom as Li Guanqi tore through enemy lines single-handedly, charging toward the Foundation Building Realm disciples of the opposing sects.

Any disciple who met his bloodshot eyes and felt the crushing weight of his killing intent trembled in terror.

In the span of a few breaths, Li Guanqi had murdered more than twenty Foundation Building Realm cultivators. Their corpses rained from the sky like dumplings dropped into boiling water, none of them intact. With each swing of his sword, countless body parts fell to the ground.

The blood dyed his white robes red.

He moved like the God of Slaughter himself. Even early Golden Core Realm disciples couldn’t last more than three breaths against him. After activating Soul Dissolution, every strike of his Red Lotus Sword carried devastating force. Coupled with his newly awakened Blade Breaker ability, any weapon that wasn’t a soul artifact shattered upon contact.

In just a dozen breaths, five Golden Core Realm disciples had died.

However, the golden core within Li Guanqi had dimmed significantly. The spirit stones he had at hand were not enough to keep up. As the last traces of his vital force waned, he bit down and tore free the two Spirit-Boosting Pills sewn into his collar, swallowing them along with scraps of blood-soaked fabric.

Boom!

The moment the pills entered his body, a guttural scream tore from his throat. It felt as though his blood had ignited, his soul scorched by an inferno. A bloody mist erupted from him as he convulsed mid-air, limbs thrashing uncontrollably.

Boom!His aura exploded, surging to the mid Golden Core Realm, then rocketing toward its peak.

Snatching the floating Red Lotus Sword with a sweep of his arm, he raised his head. His eyes were now completely red.

Boom!

There was a dull explosion as he shot out, turning into a bolt of purple lightning.

Some Daxia Sword Disciples who had already taken their Spirit-Boosting Pills were faltering in exhaustion, succumbing because of the backlash—until that purple streak blazed past them, slicing their enemies clean in half.

The more powerful cultivators in the sky took notice of Li Guanqi’s rampage.

But the peak elders of the Daxia Sword Sect would never allow the Nascent Soul Realm cultivators to touch Li Guanqi. They risked their lives to hold the line, intercepting every threat aimed at Li Guanqi.

A steely light of resolve flashed in Lu Kangnian’s eyes. “Take your pills, now!”

Immediately after Lu Kangnian gave his command, all the elders and peak masters of the Daxia Sword Sect swallowed their pills in unison, and their auras began to strengthen.

Once Lu Kangnian swallowed the pill, his vital force domain expanded to a hundred zhang in diameter.

Lu Kangnian grabbed one of his opponent’s arms and slashed.

Pfft!

The old man’s arm was ripped from his body, and his torso was cleaved in two.

Battle had devolved into carnage. Neither side would back down, and the Daxia Sword Sect’s disciples were already nearing their limits.

Meanwhile, eight Golden Core Realm cultivators surrounded Li Guanqi, doing everything in their power to suppress his attacks. Among them were two late-stage elders, their techniques strange and perilous.

For a moment, Li Guanqi appeared on the brink of collapse. More wounds opened across his body.

Li Nanting wanted to rush to his side despite being bloodied and battered himself, but his own three opponents blocked his way.

Suddenly, a thunderous explosion erupted. Everyone within fifty zhang was blasted backward. Tu Kui let out a roar, grief-stricken and furious. “Linhai!”

Meng Linhai, peak elder of Heavenly Metal Peak, had ruptured his own golden core.

The Daxia Sword Sect had been backed into a corner, and in desperation, the will to die for the sect ignited in many.

Then came more explosions, one after another.

An energetic youth laughed loudly and cried out, “Ji Ren of the Heavenly Wood Peak will happily die for the Daxia Sword Sect today!”

He charged into a knot of enemies and seized two Azure Dragon Island Sect disciples in a death grip.

“Ahh! Get the fuck off!”

Whoosh whoosh!

Ji Ren’s arms were severed, yet he clamped his teeth into one of the men’s shoulders.

Boom!

A fiery blast consumed all three. A mist of blood was all that remained.

The disciples from the three sects who had come to assist the Purple Sun Pavilion could not help but swallow hard at the sight, muttering under their breath, “Crazy… They’re all crazy!”

“I am Zhu Yingwei, disciple of the Heavenly Earth Peak!”

Boom boom boom!

Lu Kangnian watched the scene below with anguish. His disciples were desperately trying to plant their green flag atop a tower with what little strength they had left, but the Purple Sun Pavilion disciples kept snapping the flagpole in half.

Suddenly, the sky tore open, and cloud boats appeared through rifts in space. A powerful voice thundered, declaring, “The Zhenyue Mountain Sect is here to help! Kill!”

Whoosh whoosh whoosh!

Hundreds of sword-riding figures descended.

The tall Shen Qi held a shield in one hand and a sword in the other. He had already reached the Golden Core Realm.

He immediately spotted Li Guanqi, who was still surrounded by Golden Core Realm cultivators. Flury flared in his face. He swallowed a Spirit-Boosting Pill and flew toward Li Guanqi.

“Brother Li! Hold on! I’ve got your back!”

Boom!

Shen Qi’s powerful aura burst forth. He stood behind Li Guanqi and shouted, “Leave the attacks from this side to me! I’ll cover you till my last breath!”

The arrival of the Zhenyue Mountain Sect reversed the scales, which had started to tilt toward the Purple Sun Pavilion.

Li Guanqi glanced at him, then unleashed a sword strike heavy as a mountain.

Many people recognized it as the sword technique he had used to kill Zhao Beichen. Enemies scrambled to avoid it, but Li Guanqi pressed forward. Shen Qi stayed close, shielding him from incoming blows.

Soon, Li Guanqi reached the top of the Purple Sun Pavilion’s main hall.

A three-zhang flag appeared in his hand. Gripping the pole in both hands, he rammed it into the rooftop.

Boom! Crack crack!

The staff shattered the golden roof tiles and even pierced through the support beams.

It unfurled, flapping violently in the wind.

Li Guanqi raised his sword high, his eyes burning red with fury. “I’ll stand right here! If you want to take it down, you’ll have to kill me first!”

It was a humiliating declaration. An insult that infuriated every Purple Sun Pavilion disciple.

Even the Purple Sun Pavilion disciples who had wanted to retreat were so enraged by his actions that they charged at Li Guanqi like madmen.

And it wasn’t just them. The Daxia Sword Sect disciples rallied to his side, one after another.

Han Tiange, now bloodied and battered, had nothing to say.

In the skies above, eight Nascent Soul Realm cultivators encircled Lu Kangnian. Killing him would end the battle.

Just then, a ray of golden sunlight broke through the clouds, illuminating the mountains and land below. Cracks in space began to appear, each one radiating a powerful presence.

Han Tiange’s expression contorted in panic. “Now what faction is this?!”

People in various brightly colored robes began to appear.

“Disciple of the Heavenly Metal Peak, Ji Hua, reporting for duty!”

“Heavenly Wood Peak, Duan Chunqiu!”

“Lu Yiyao!”

“Zong Hui!”

“Heavenly Lightning Peak! Ding Yang!”

More Nascent Soul cultivators appeared. Ten… eighteen… twenty-three…

“Heavenly Wind Peak, Fu Hong!”

“Heavenly Fire Peak! Xu Yingyi!”

“Heavenly Lightning Peak! Qiu Yun!”

Forty-seven… fifty-eight!

Fifty-eight Nascent Soul Realm cultivators had arrived.

Colorful streaks of light filled the sky above the Purple Sun Pavilion as countless cloud canoes appeared, each with at least two people on it.

Three hundred Golden Core Realm cultivators… five hundred… seven hundred!

Buzz!

Han Tiange was utterly stunned. All aerial combat ceased. There was no point in continuing.

Then came several auras that warped the space around them—Divine Transformation Realm.

Ye Shaozhen’s face turned ashen. “That… the aura of Divine Transformation Realm cultivators…”

A figure materialized in the air. It was a man with cropped hair clad in golden armor, moving forward with deliberate steps. His face had angular features, with sword-like eyebrows and bright eyes that burned with murderous intent.

Early Divine Transformation Realm.

He turned to Lu Kangnian and bowed. “Cui Quan, thirty-seventh peak master of Heavenly Metal Peak, reporting for duty!”

Buzz!

A graceful woman in ice-blue robes appeared, a snowflake forming beneath her foot with every step. “Tu Shan, thirty-fifth peak master of Heavenly Water Peak!”

Mid Divine Transformation Realm.

Another followed. A white-haired old man in white robes slowly stepped forward, leaning on a dragon-headed cane. His long white eyebrows nearly touched his nose, and a palpable killing intent emanated from him as he surveyed the scene below.

“The thirty-third disciplinarian, Kong Yan, returns to assist the sect!”

Late Divine Transformation Realm.

The world fell silent.

Han Tiange stared with an empty gaze, his face as pale as a sheet. His lips trembled, but he made no sound.

This day would be carved into the annals of the Northern Territory.

As dawn broke across the land, a blood-stained flag billowed loudly above the battlefield. On it, the characters “大夏” blazed defiantly for all to see.

Daxia.

Doge & Char’s Thoughts