Spirit Ruin, Sword Coffin, Blind Swordsman

Boom!!!

The black qi swirling around Li Guanqi erupted, sending a violent ripple of energy surging in every direction. The cultivators who were flying recoiled, forced to shut their eyes against the blast.

A thousand zhang away, Zheng Deyuan stared in disbelief.

“Impossible! With how intense that black qi is, he should’ve died in the inner demon illusory realm! How… how can this be?!”

Yet what he thought impossible had already happened.

He glared at the youth furiously, clenching his jaw so hard that blood seeped from the corner of his mouth. The taste of iron filled his mouth, and his killing intent flared. “Good. Very good. In that case, I’ll kill you myself!”

The old man behind him frowned slightly, watching his son descend into madness. After a thousand years of cultivation, he had witnessed countless events, big and small. The sight of this youth enduring the heavenly tribulation made him nervous, but since the boy had killed his grandson, he could not simply stand idle.

His gaze swept over the crowd as he began to scheme. Even if the youth belonged to some powerful faction, as long as they eliminated him cleanly, no one would hold them accountable—even if someone came seeking revenge.

The crowd was in disbelief, frantically sharing their observations with those nearby, as if they were losing their minds. None of them could believe it. A youth already sunk so deep into heavenly tribulation had awoken.

“That’s terrifying! He actually woke up after sinking so far into the illusion!” a muscular man shouted.A white-haired Nascent Soul Realm elder behind him spoke in awe. “To break free of such an inner demon tribulation… that kind of will is terrifying. But a mind that ruthless must be vicious and cold-blooded too.”

The muscular man blinked in surprise and turned around. “Old Gu! Why are you here too? Also… what do you mean he’s a vicious, cold-blooded person?”

The elder’s eyes glinted with a strange light. “Hmph. An inner demon tribulation like that must be tied to his parents. The only way to shatter such an illusion is to kill them within it. Only then will the Heavenly Dao recognize that he has broken free of his demons and steeled his will to pursue the Dao.”

The man shuddered, staring at the youth now opening his eyes. If that were true, then the youth was far more ruthless than most.

Li Guanqi’s eyes opened, tears falling before he realized it. He had cherished those three years in the illusion. For the first time, he had felt the warmth of a mother’s love he had missed, and the father’s care he had never known. His heart still lingered in that fleeting, happy life.

Then the flames of fury ignited within him. Blood vessels crawled across his white eyes, staining them red as he glared at the heavens. His chest felt ready to explode with rage.

With a snarl, he tore off his robes, baring his scar-riddled body.

Before the stunned crowd, he leveled his sword at the sky and roared, hoarse with rage, “You shouldn’t have desecrated my family!”

Boom!

Vital force surged through him, making his golden core crack faster. Only he could hear its relentless splintering. Agony tore through his dantian as the platform in his sea of consciousness swelled outward. Winds howled from the sky, all centered on him.

He held his hand up and crushed ten high-grade spirit stones. Their dense spirit qi burst into mist, pouring into his body. He drew in every trace of spirit qi within a thousand zhang, dragging it into himself.

The tribulation rumbled in answer to his defiance. Clouds rolled violently, and thunder cracked.

The sky darkened as a terrifying pressure pressed down from it. Ear-splitting thunder rolled.

Then, three massive bolts of lightning speared toward him.

Li Guanqi glared at the sky coldly. Sword in hand, he charged headlong at the lightning without fear.

Three consecutive flashes of sword light burst forth, shattering the lightning bolts in an instant.

Jagged arcs writhed over his body, stabbing into his flesh with each flicker. Yet within that torment, a supernatural power seeped into his cracked golden core. Something was forming inside it—though he was still far from forming a nascent soul.

Meanwhile, the platform in his consciousness expanded to its limit, devouring qi at a terrifying speed. His divine consciousness strengthened, and his spirit became stronger and clearer.

Blood-soaked, Li Guanqi glared at the sky and roared, “Is that all?! Come at me!”

Rumble!

The heavens paused, gathering power for the next assault.

All the onlookers knew that a Nascent Soul Realm heavenly tribulation unleashed eighteen lightning bolts, twice as many as a Golden Core Realm tribulation and far more devastating.

The old man surnamed Gu narrowed his eyes and muttered, “Why is he so angry? And why is he provoking the heavenly tribulation? That’s madness!”

The crowd was slightly puzzled, wondering why he would challenge the heavenly tribulation like that.

The heavens did not disappoint. Five bolts of purple lightning struck one after another, each as thick as a man’s thigh, tearing through the air.

Li Guanqi could feel the changes inside him. He felt more attuned to the surrounding space, as though he could rip it apart if he wanted to.

Then a bright, golden dot of light appeared on his golden core.

He was one step away.

Buzz!

Before the lightning could reach him, countless arcs of electricity erupted from his body, turning the space within a hundred zhang into a crackling sea of thunder. His sword intent blazed upward, limitless and unstoppable.

The onlookers saw the youth mutter under his breath, and his sword shone with blinding red light.

“Soul Dissolution, Red Lotus.”

Boom!

The lightning around him convulsed, determination burned in his gaze, and he leaped skyward, leaving nine afterimages behind.

Boom!

A hundred-zhang-long beam of sword light split the heavens.

Before the astonished crowd, the five bolts of heavenly lightning shattered into nothing.