Spirit Ruin, Sword Coffin, Blind Swordsman

“Ahh… What’s happening?!”

It was oddly startling to hear such a soft, dainty voice coming from such a gigantic woman. She stumbled about in confusion, trying to make sense of the chaos. She turned and, by chance, spotted “Li Pei,” dressed for battle.

As if she’d finally found her anchor, she ran toward him in a rush of relief.

Li Guanqi’s face darkened. He could feel the ground tremble under her feet.

She flung her arms wide, clearly aiming to pull him into a crushing hug—only for Li Guanqi to punch her straight into the air.

Ye Feng let out a laugh. “Boss, you’ve got some taste in women!”

Li Guanqi ignored him and said, “We need to split up and search for an underground dungeon or something that resembles one! Head toward the back of the land!”

The three of them split up, searching the area while staying hidden.

Li Guanqi scouted several places that could have been dungeons, but turned up with nothing. Thinking back to the relationship between Fang Yishan and Fang Zhongnan, he decided to check Fang Yishan’s courtyard.

When he arrived, he saw a patrol team leaving through the backyard. Something about it felt off, so he squinted and leaped into action.With his flying sword technique, he cut down all three Foundation Building Realm cultivators in an instant.

He found a key on the squad leader and wandered through the grounds, probing around blindly. Eventually, in an inconspicuous rooom, he discovered a hidden stone door that led to a secret tunnenl.

When he opened it, a revolting stench surged out, making him flinch. The stone walls of the tunnel were damp, and the air reeked of blood and rotting flesh.

Li Guanqi extended his divine consciousness into the depths.

Buzz!

Just as his divine consciousness stretched a hundred zhang deep, he jolted.

Through his heart’s eye, he saw a naked youth tied to a stone stool. His entire body was riddled with deep wounds, exposing the pink flesh beneath. Barely a patch of intact skin remained. His limbs had been broken, and white bone pierced through his skin with bits of flesh clinging to it.

Countless needles had been forced into all of his fingernails, and all his toenails had been pulled off. Several metal nails had been hammered into his feet and thighs. The blood had long since dried, and his head hung low, unmoving. It wasn’t even clear if he was still alive.

Li Guanqi closed his eyes. Rage blazed within him.

He sent a voice transmission to Ye Feng and Cao Yan, then dashed down the tunnel.

As he drew near, an old man’s voice barked, “Didn’t I tell you all not to come in here without good reason?!”

The only reply he received was a flash of lightning-covered sword light.

Li Guanqi’s eyes filled with killing intent. He looked at the old man, who was in the early Golden Core Realm, then swung his sword. Before the man could react, Li Guanqi had already closed the distance, his menacing face inches away.

“Thunderbolt!”

Zing!

The Red Lotus Sword shrieked through the air. In a flash of crimson light, the old man was cleaved in two.

The youth looked up with great difficulty, likely startled by the commotion. Li Guanqi recoiled in shock. The youth’s eyes were gone, replaced by two bloody holes.

Li Guanqi’s hands trembled as fury surged through him. From the tattered remains clinging to the youth’s body, he could make out the distinctive robes of the Daxia Sword Sect.

Li Guanqi slowly walked over. The youth’s golden core had been destroyed, and he hung his head.“Just… kill… kill me… I won’t… tell you… anything…”

Li Guanqi halted, his heart aching. He looked up to prevent his tears from falling.

Whoosh whoosh whoosh!

Li Guanqi cut the chains with his sword and cried in a shaky voice, “I am Li Guanqi, disciple of the Daxia Sword Sect… I’ve come to rescue you, Senior Brother.”

The youth jerked his head up. He fixed his hollow eye sockets on Li Guanqi and said, “Is… is it really you, Junior Brother Li?”

Li Guanqi helped Zhao Yang to his feet and secured him to his back with rope, his voice thick with killing intent as he replied, “It’s me! My master is Li Nanting, and my sect master is Lu Kangnian! I’m Li Guanqi of the Heavenly Lightning Peak! I... I was too late…”

Zhao Yang went slack, letting himself be carried. His heart, once tempered like steel, surged with a hundred emotions. He wanted to cry but couldn’t.

His shoulders quivered. Just as he was about to collapse from the weight of it all, he whimpered, “I didn’t… I didn’t tell them anything…”

Li Guanqi’s eyes closed again. “I know. I believe you. You didn’t tell them anything, Senior Brother. Rest now. I’m taking you home.”

Boom!

Just then, Ye Feng’s voice echoed through Li Guanqi’s jade slip.

—Bad news! Boss, I think they discovered us!

The chaotic sounds of a fight came through the jade slip. Li Guanqi gripped the Red Lotus Sword and used his vital force to lull Zhao Yang into a deep sleep.

His eyes filled with cold killing intent as he murmured, “Kill them.”

Boom!

At that moment, Li Guanqi broke through to the mid Golden Core Realm, power surging through him. As he did, the stone door to the tunnel burst open, and a streak of light shot out.

A dozen Foundation Building Realm cultivators rushed into the tunnel, but their advance was short-lived. Soon, agonized screams echoed from within. Moments later, a blood-soaked Li Guanqi slowly emerged from the secret passage, leaving behind a mess of broken limbs.

Ye Feng had just arrived. He grimaced at the sight and sensed a strong murderous aura still clinging to Li Guanqi. Cao Yan also showed up in a flash.

Li Guanqi could feel a large group closing in from every direction. He suppressed his killing intent. “We’re leaving. Let the sect handle the rest.”

The other two nodded. Before the pursuers could reach them, the trio took to the skies.

Suddenly, Li Guanqi sensed something. He glanced back. The sounds of fighting from the back of the estate had gone silent. A bad premonition struck him.

“Hurry! The fight over there is over!”

Whoosh whoosh whoosh!

The three of them fled the scene using their respective sprint techniques.

The wind suddenly howled loudly in their ears. They turned around and saw a black dot fast approaching them.

The figure’s aura was powerful, clearly late-stage Golden Core Realm. And it was no recent breakthrough.

It was Fang Yishan, glaring at them with widened eyes.

His blood-soaked robes clung to him. Behind him, a massive pair of wings flapped violently, with occasional flashes of purple lightning and bursts of thunder. They looked like the wings of a giant Peng.[1]

Cao Yan’s pupils dilated in shock. He cried out in alarm, “Thunder Wings!”

Fang Yishan surged forward with terrifying speed, propelled by the Thunder Wings. Blood vessels pulsed in his eyes as he let out a furious roar. “You little brats! I’ve finally caught you! You think you can escape?!”

Li Guanqi’s mind spun, but only for a moment.

Then he shouted, “We fight!”

1. A Peng (鹏) is a Chinese mythological being that resembles a gigantic bird ☜