Spirit Ruin, Sword Coffin, Blind Swordsman

Boom!

A deafening explosion shook the air. Almost everyone in Wuzi City looked up to see a white-robed figure floating high above, a cage of lightning crackling behind him. Far in the distance, another figure was sent hurtling backward.

Whoosh!

Li Guanqi disappeared. Startled, Lu Yi crossed his arms and struck downward, blocking a vicious kick from below.

Boom!

The force blasted Lu Yi upward into the sky.

Just as Li Guanqi was about to follow up, vital force surged violently through Lu Yi’s body. His muscles swelled, his frame growing bulkier. Twisting sideways, he threw a punch.

Bam!

Li Guanqi crossed his arms to block, but the impact sent him crashing down like a cannonball.

Boom!The mountain peak shook violently, and the impact of his landing, just outside the city on a mountain slope, created a crater that was dozens of zhang across. Dust billowed into the air.

Still airborne, Lu Yi wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth. He tore off his tattered black cloak, revealing a perfect, muscular body covered in scars that crisscrossed like a map of old battles.

He glanced at the blood on his hand, snorted, and said coldly, “You’re strong, I’ll give you that. But let’s see if you’re strong enough to protect him! Li Guanqi, you can’t afford to stick your nose into this!”

Boom!

An earth-yellow light shone from Lu Yi as he released a surge of energy.

Li Guanqi frowned. Lu Yi’s strength was skyrocketing at an unbelievable rate—his physical power now rivaled that of a late Nascent Soul Realm martial cultivator.

Li Guanqi chuckled. Instead of drawing his sword, he channeled vital force through his body. A lightning dragon’s roar erupted from his nascent soul as his vital force surged, accompanied by faint echoes of dragons and elephants.

Boom!

A terrifying wave of energy burst outward. The surrounding buildings cracked apart, and every cultivator below the Nascent Soul Realm within five hundred zhang collapsed to the ground under the crushing pressure.

Then someone finally recognized Lu Yi.

A trembling youth, pinned to the ground, looked up and muttered, “Li Guanqi of the Northern Territory! And that other one… Lu Yi! He’s ranked fortieth on the Heavenly Intelligence Pavilion’s Nascent Soul Leaderboard!”

He swallowed hard. “Just a few days ago, Xue Yan showed up, and he’s ranked thirty-ninth. That means Wuzi City has two people from the top hundred right now!”

Lu Yi licked his blood-stained lips, his eyes fixed dead on Li Guanqi. “I didn’t expect you to be both a spiritual and martial cultivator… I’m—”

Bam!

A thunderous boom cut him off. Space twisted in the distance, with dozens of pitch-black fissures tearing open across the air. Li Guanqi appeared beside him in an instant and threw a punch.

Boom!

Lu Yi caught Li Guanqi’s fist with his large palm, then launched a punch of his own. However, Li Guanqi caught it just as easily.

Boom!

The two clashed head-on, relying purely on brute strength. Waves of force rippled outward, blasting the roofs off the buildings near the city gates.

Li Guanqi remained calm and collected, tightening his grip on Lu Yi’s fist with his left hand.

Crack, crack!

Lu Yi’s expression paled. He raised a leg to kick, but Li Guanqi stepped on his knee, cutting off the attack.

Lu Yi remained composed, instantly adjusting his movement.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

In the blink of an eye, they exchanged dozens of kicks, their feet moving too fast to follow. Neither gained the upper hand.

Lu Yi glanced down at his right hand, already warping out of shape. He twisted his wrists sharply, grabbed Li Guanqi’s arms, and used the momentum to drive his knee toward Li Guanqi’s jaw.

Li Guanqi had no choice but to pull back and guard, huffing coldly.

Lu Yi retreated quickly, then looked down at his right hand. It was twisted and deformed. He set his fingers back into place one by one, gritting his teeth through the pain.

He roared, and a surge of vital force coursed through him. His injuries began to heal quickly.

Without another word, both men charged once more.

The sunny sky turned gray. Dark clouds gathered, thunder rumbled, and a slight drizzle began to fall. Lightning flashed, illuminating the two combatants and exciting the crowd.

Each strike of their fists sent flashes of light across the sky. The drizzle grew into a downpour, yet not a single drop fell within a hundred zhang of their battle.

Rumble! Boom!

The crowd’s excitement mounted as they watched the fight unfold. Each punch landed with incredible accuracy and power. The force of the blows created gusts of wind that pushed people back, with some forced to retreat a thousand zhang away.

Hovering in the air, Tang Ru watched the distant battle with furrowed brows, concern flickering in his eyes. Lu Yi… a martial cultivator. Why him?

The fight had reached its climax. Their movements had become so fast that even Nascent Soul Realm cultivators could only catch blurred afterimages.

Many people stood in the air. They were the clan leaders of Wuzi City. The battle had drawn a lot of attention, but no one dared complain about the devastation, understanding that the battle was crucial to the survival of the local Hundred Treasures Pavilion.

Or rather…

Because once the old man trapped in the lightning cage died, no one could ever prove whether that loan document had been forged.

Meanwhile, in a hidden building far away, Tang Yan sat before a light screen, his face dark with rage. His hand clenched around his teacup until it shattered. Porcelain shards fell to the floor as he roared, “That idiot! That fucking idiot!”

Whoosh!

Tang Yan reached out, pulling a black-robed man from the shadow beneath his feet. He slammed the man on the ground and stomped on his chest, roaring, “Who let him attack inside the city?! Tell me! Who let that shit-for-brains attack them in the city?!”