Spirit Ruin, Sword Coffin, Blind Swordsman

As the two men hurled insults at each other, a strange ripple of energy swept through the air. Everyone stiffened, weapons at the ready, and turned toward the cave at the mountain pass.

Roar!

A deafening roar split the heavens. The ground rumbled, mountain peaks shook, and wave after wave of oppressive vital force poured from the cave.

The crowd stirred uneasily.

Dust billowed from the cave’s mouth, and a colossal silhouette burst forth.

When the crowd saw the demonic beast, their faces turned pale. It was a peak tier-three demonic beast: the Tyrant Bear.

Its maroon fur bristled like steel needles, its eyes glowed blood-red, and when it stood on its hind legs, it towered five zhang tall. The Tyrant Bear was clearly a fully grown adult, radiating a powerful aura.

Killing intent burst forth from it.

The instant it emerged, its gaze locked onto the cultivators hiding in the trees. The cultivators realized the bear was guarding the Purple Sun Immortal Fruit. Perhaps it sought the fruit itself to break through to the fourth tier.

The Tyrant Bear stood on its hind legs and hammered its chest. The weight of its aura pressed down on every shoulder.Its strength was equivalent to a cultivator at the tenth level of the Golden Core Realm, but its terrifying physique made it no weaker than a half-step Nascent Soul Realm expert.

The leaders of the dozens of hunting parties looked at each other, then unanimously chose to attack the Tyrant Bear together.

The owner of the fruit would be settled afterward, depending on their strength.

But before that, every gaze shifted toward Li Guanqi and Ye Feng.

One-Eye and the youth with the folding fan stopped quarreling. The youth gave them a venomous glare, then smiled. “Fellow Daoists, it isn’t always wise to stand in the middle of a crowd. You might not survive.”

It was a thinly veiled threat.

The others also shot them unfriendly glares.

Li Guanqi looked at the cultivators calmly. While they were considered quite strong in the outside world, to him, they were nothing special.

Li Guanqi remained silent, prompting the crowd to exchange glances before beginning to encircle the pair.

Li Guanqi smirked and turned to Ye Feng. “Kill!!”

Two rays of sword light, one golden and one purple, shot through the sky.

In the blink of an eye, Li Guanqi killed one person. Meanwhile, Ye Feng’s golden sword-light lashed out, his movements sharp and unpredictable, injuring an opponent even while facing three at once.

The others retreated in alarm. “No! Those two are very strong!”

Seizing the moment, Li Guanqi blurred forward like purple lightning, aiming for the cave.

But with so many blocking the way, reaching it would not be so easy.

The crowd surged toward them. In an instant, Li Guanqi and Ye Feng were engulfed in battle. Li Guanqi crossed blades with six Golden Core Realm cultivators, while Ye Feng held off three or four at once.

Meanwhile, the Tyrant Bear barreled into the rest.

Its speed defied its massive size. With a single swipe of its paw, much broader than a lotus pad, all the ancient trees within a dozen zhang toppled.

Boom!

The air boomed with each strike.

The Tyrant Bear caught an old cultivator who hadn’t escaped in time. It squeezed, and his bones cracked and shattered beneath the grip. His screams rang through the forest—until his body burst apart in a spray of blood and flesh. White and red gore dripped from the beast’s paw before it stuffed the mess into its maw. Its eyes blazed an even deeper red.

Boom!

Boom boom boom!

The bear rampaged like a living mountain, toppling trees and scattering cultivators in terror. Each swing of its paws tore through the air with a shrill whistle.

Li Guanqi realized they needed a different plan. The other cultivators were incapable of killing the Tyrant Bear.

Not wanting to prolong the situation, Li Guanqi subtly glanced at Ye Feng. Ye Feng immediately understood, and their killing intent surged.

Gripping the Red Lotus Sword, Li Guanqi murmured, “Soul Dissolution! Red Lotus!”

Boom!

A violent surge of power erupted, driving back everyone nearby. The blast alone gave them the feeling of facing a half-step Nascent Soul Realm cultivator. The Red Lotus Sword gleamed cold and deadly, as if it could pierce through them at any second.

“Don’t be fooled!” shouted a scar-faced man. “He’s bluffing! Kill him!”

He charged at Li Guanqi, sword in hand.

Li Guanqi’s eyes flashed coldly. He swung the Red Lotus Sword, releasing a blade of sword intent, then charged using the Traceless Darkness Step and appeared next to him instantly.

Li Guanqi’s voice rang in the man’s ear as if he were the devil. “You want to kill me? You’re not strong enough.”

Whoosh!

A streak of crimson light flashed. Before the thunderclap faded, the man’s gigantic head was already spinning through the air.

Ye Feng, hardened by Li Guanqi’s training, easily fought several opponents at once, striking back with ruthless precision.

But those fighting the Tyrant Bear fared far worse. Few people even got close to it, and those who did barely scratched its hide. Every swipe of its paw left mangled bodies in its wake.

The battlefield split in two, yet the result on both sides was the same: the scales tipped hard toward one side.

Then Li Guanqi felt the shift. The other cultivators had begun to press back toward each other, causing both battles to converge.

Whoosh!

A sudden whistle of air at his back made his every hair rise. Danger screamed at him. He sprang away, straightening his back.

Whoosh!

“Hmmmph!”

A dull thud echoed. A bloody chunk of flesh had been ripped from his back.

The other cultivators scattered, leaving only him and Ye Feng to face the Tyrant Bear.

Li Guanqi’s gaze turned to ice.

“In that case,” he growled, “don’t blame me for taking everything. Brother Ye! Go inside and get the prize—I’ll hold the bear!”

Ye Feng immediately turned and shot into the cave with no hesitation.