Spirit Ruin, Sword Coffin, Blind Swordsman

Li Guanqi looked solemnly at the man before him. The swarm of ravens whirling around him obscured half of his body, including his face.

The moment the man appeared, every hair on Li Guanqi’s body stood on end. A chill ran down his spine, and his Adam’s apple quivered. This man radiated danger—he was likely the strongest opponent Li Guanqi had faced yet.

Even Mo Yanshan had only made him feel a faint sense of danger.

Li Guanqi looked at him calmly and quietly said, “Are you from the Dark Raven Order?”

The ravens vanished at once, revealing the man’s face. He had sharp features, deep and dark eyes, and a knife hanging at his waist. He met Li Guanqi’s gaze and said calmly, “Xuan Luo. Dark Raven Order.”

Li Guanqi’s chest tightened. His guess had been right.

And Xuan Luo was far stronger than the last assassin sent by the Dark Raven Order. The previous assassin wasn’t confident enough to finish the job, so they sent someone else.

Li Guanqi took a deep breath. His body warped slightly as he returned to his true form. He took off the Face-Changing Bug, and his hair fluttered in the wind.

Invisible energy fields burst from both men.

Dong!Li Guanqi’s massive black sword box dropped to the ground. He asked in a low voice, “Where are the townspeople?”

Xuan Luo silently drew the knife from his waist. That was answer enough.

Above the town, layers of light barriers warped and shimmered, sealing the area from outside view.

As their auras collided with the surroundings, the buildings on either side of the street began to crumble. Stone tiles split apart, exploding under the sheer pressure of their power.

Dong!

Clang!

The sword coffin opened, and the Red Lotus Sword flew into Li Guanqi’s hand in a streak of light. Without hesitation, he unleashed a Sword Prison with all his strength.

His Lightning Dragon Flames spread across the entire domain.

Red lotuses bloomed on his sword hilt, and the blade glowed a fierce, bloody red. His sword spirit void opened, and his two spirit void abilities, Destruction and Blade Breaker, flared to life, amplifying his might.

His sword intent burst forth, so sharp it seemed to split the heavens.

Xuan Luo did not move. His gaze was as deep and lifeless as a well that had long dried up. Despite Li Guanqi’s efforts, his only reaction was widening his eyes ever so slightly. He had underestimated Li Guanqi’s power.

He muttered to himself, “I can’t blame Huang Qining for insisting on switching, even at the cost of his success rate. With power like that... I imagine only the top two on the Nascent Soul Leaderboard can compare.”

Boom!

The ground beneath Li Guanqi’s feet cracked apart. The buildings on both sides of the street exploded into fragments. His white robes flapped loudly in the wind as he leaped, a crater forming beneath him. In the next instant, he shot forward like lightning and vanished.

Boom!

An incredibly fast flash of sword light streaked through the air.

“Seven Killings!”

At that moment, Li Guanqi’s aura surged to the early Divine Transformation Realm. Seven rays of sword light nearly merged into one as they shot toward Xuan Luo.

Li Guanqi dared not lower his guard. He could sense that Xuan Luo was at least in the mid Divine Transformation Realm.

A streak of golden knife light sliced toward Li Guanqi.

Boom!

Li Guanqi’s eyes widened. He flew backward, unleashing dozens of sword lights to block it, but the golden blade tore through them like brittle reeds, charging straight for him.

Lightning flashed beneath Li Guanqi’s feet. He leaned back, pushed down mid-air, then somersaulted.

Pfft!

Li Guanqi landed in the sky more than a hundred zhang away from Xuan Luo. He looked down at the large wound on his waist. Cold sweat ran down his forehead.

Another powerful, blinding ray of golden light burst forth as Xuan Luo’s own domain expanded.

Xuan Luo’s domain ripped through the Sword Prison. His heavenly fire was sealed outside, unable to advance.

Xuan Luo stood mid-air, his black robes flapping in the wind created by his attacks. Gazing calmly at Li Guanqi, he said, “You’re very strong. But the Nascent Soul Realm is just a joke to us Dark Ravens.”

Blood roared through Li Guanqi’s veins. His skin reddened as he used his vital force to seal his torn intestines. His right hand burst into flames.

He clamped his sword between his teeth, grabbed the torn flesh at his side, and ran his burning palm across the wound.

Sizzle‌!

The sound of searing flesh echoed in the quiet night.

When the wound had finally sealed, sweat glistened on his forehead. However, not a single sound had escaped his lips.

Xuan Luo’s eyes widened. He’d long known Li Guanqi was ruthless toward his enemies, but he hadn’t expected him to be just as merciless toward himself.

A person like that…

Xuan Luo shifted his grip, now holding the knife backward, his eyes narrowing. If he lives, he will reach great heights.

Li Guanqi had no idea what he was thinking. He could sense Xuan Luo’s knife intent rising again, which radiated a subtle will to survive.

Yes... It was the will to live.

Every mission of the Dark Raven Order was deadly. Xuan Luo had clawed his way through countless brushes with death. He was a survivor who had crawled out of mountains of corpses.

And with only a single exchange, Li Guanqi had already been wounded.

Xuan Luo wielded his knife with such speed that Li Guanqi’s body couldn’t react in time, even though he saw the attack coming.

Li Guanqi licked his lips and curled his fingers. Endless dark clouds gathered in the sky.

Xuan Luo glanced up briefly and murmured, “A spirit spell?”

Rumble!

The lightning within the Sword Prison surged. Bolts of lightning lanced down from the sky.

Xuan Luo narrowed his eyes, sensing the arrival of an immense power.

Li Guanqi stood tall, his body now encased in a layer of lightning armor.

“Spirit Spell number ninety-nine—Lightning Armor!”

Xuan Luo raised his foot and teleported, appearing three zhang in front of Li Guanqi. He raised his knife and swung down.

Li Guanqi barely dodged, but the knife qi still tore a long gash across his chest. Blood splattered as vital force coursed through him. Above, the storm clouds raged.

“Spirit spell number two hundred and forty-six—Lightning Spear!”

Rumble! Rumble!

Hundreds of lightning spears crashed down, flooding the Sword Prison with violent light. Each spear carried the force of a half-step Divine Transformation Realm cultivator. Even Xuan Luo dared not meet them head-on, twisting and darting between them.

Xuan Luo narrowed his eyes, muttering in shock. “How can one mass of clouds support so many consecutive lightning spells? How vast must his divine consciousness be?”

“Spirit spell number two hundred and sixty—Lightning Rope!”

Dozens of lightning chains shot from the clouds like serpents, coiling toward Xuan Luo. He slashed them apart, but more and more appeared.

When they finally caught his limbs, thunder boomed.

Li Guanqi pressed both hands down in the sky, and the Lightning Dragon Flame erupted. A massive wave of fire slammed into Xuan Luo like a tidal wave.

“Spirit spell number two hundred and twenty-one—Torrential Flames!”

Wave after wave crashed down, turning everything within a thousand zhang into a sea of fire. The entire town below was reduced to ash, disappearing amidst the flames.

Li Guanqi growled, “Spirit spell number one hundred and ninety-six—Flame Burial!”

Li Guanqi’s flames engulfed Xuan Luo completely, forming a pillar of fire that shot straight up into the clouds.

With a series of thunderous explosions, the barrier surrounding the town shattered.