Spirit Ruin, Sword Coffin, Blind Swordsman

At Lu Kangnian’s thunderous command, every disciple of the Daxia Sword Sect raised their swords and shouted as one. Meanwhile, the battered and bloodied Mo Family began to retreat.

A cold light flashed in Li Guanqi’s eyes, killing intent surging through him. Sensing it, Lu Kangnian lifted a hand to stop him.

Li Guanqi said nothing. With a flick of his wrist, the Red Lotus Sword shot forth like a crimson bolt of light.

A dazzling scarlet arc split the sky, injuring dozens and sending them tumbling from their cloud boats.

His voice rang out, cold and unyielding. “These cloud boats will stay as compensation to the Daxia Sword Sect.”

His tone was calm but left no room for refusal.

The last surviving Mo Family elder’s face darkened. After a long moment, his expression shifting through several emotions, he waved his hand sharply. “We’re leaving!”

At once, many of the juniors cried out, “Grand Elder, that’s over ten cloud boats! Why should we hand them over?!”

Fury blazed in the elder’s eyes. He slapped one of them hard across the face. “So we should keep them? Then go take them back from the Bloody Butcher yourself! Say it to his face!”

The youth who moments ago was seething with indignation went silent. His gaze dropped, fear flickering in his eyes.Even Mo Zhiyuan had been killed. The clan’s pillar was gone. All they could do was flee back to their ancestral lands and regroup. Better to live and fight another day.

Without another word, the elder clasped his hands stiffly, tore open a spatial rift, and led the disciples away.

Li Guanqi narrowed his eyes at the retreating figures, then turned to Lu Kangnian, about to speak. But Lu Kangnian had already grasped his intent: he planned to intercept them along the road and finish what he’d started. In his eyes, Li Guanqi’s killing intent ran too deep.

Lu Kangnian’s deep gaze lingered on him for a moment before he said softly, “You decide.”

Li Guanqi stood in silence for a while, then let it go.

Lu Kangnian nodded faintly. Good. He can still restrain himself. Seems the child has suffered no small amount these past two years.

He turned to the crowd and swept his sleeve. An invisible force rippled outward, pushing the onlookers back more than a thousand zhang.

Some were strong enough to resist, yet none dared test the Daxia Sword Sect’s patience.

Soon, the masses dispersed. For them, witnessing the battle was more than enough for one day.

Once the outsiders were gone, even the Daxia Sword Sect disciples grew more subdued. After all, the name “Bloody Butcher” clung to Li Guanqi like a shadow.

Among the hundreds of corpses still hanging in the air, not a single one was below the Nascent Soul Realm.

In the sect, such cultivators served as peak elders, yet every one of them had fallen to someone barely older than themselves—a fellow disciple, no less.

Li Guanqi’s expression softened when he saw an elder with glistening eyes. In an instant, he appeared before the old man, bowed deeply, and said in a sonorous voice, “Disciple Li Guanqi pays his respects to Master!”

Li Nanting, who had been standing with his hands clasped behind his back in an attempt to maintain his composure, instantly dropped the act. He hurried forward to pull Li Guanqi to his feet, noticed the stubble that had grown on his jaw, and smiled as he ruffled his hair. “Brat, look at you. You’ve gotten taller. And stronger too.”

The elder’s dry hands trembled faintly. He didn’t ask what hardships Li Guanqi had faced in the past two years.

A disciple whispered in surprise. “Wow, so Senior Brother Li is Elder Li’s disciple?”

Another snorted and laughed. “Everyone knows that. How could you not?”

“I knew, but I thought it was just a rumor. Elder Li’s only at the Golden Core Realm, yet Senior Brother Li’s already at the same realm as the Sect Master!” the disciple said, astonished.

The mocking disciple’s expression hardened. “Have you forgotten where you are? In our sect, a teacher’s worth isn’t measured by cultivation.”

The young man’s face flushed red, shame flickering in his eyes.

As everyone was still absorbed in the warmth of this reunion, a bright, lively voice suddenly rang out. “Little blind boy! You’re finally back!”

A red-clad figure streaked across the sky, rushing straight toward them. Every Daxia Sword Sect disciple stiffened involuntarily at the sound. Even Zhong Lin and Li Sheng’an exchanged looks, their expressions twisting with mixed feelings.

At that voice, Li Guanqi’s lips curved in the faintest smile.

The next moment, Yu Sui’an, clad in her flowered jacket, landed squarely on his back and wrapped her arms around his head, grinning from ear to ear.

“Little blind boy, did you miss me? Hahaha! I knew you’d make a name for yourself, but I didn’t expect it to be this big!” Yu Sui’an said, even spreading her arms wide to emphasize her point.

Lu Kangnian watched with a faint smile. “Alright, everyone’s dismissed. Tend to your wounds and get back to your duties.”

“Ah? But we want to watch a little longer.”

“Yeah! Senior Brother Li’s been gone for so long. He should at least teach us something!”

“Sob… I’ve thought about Senior Brother Li every single day for seven hundred and fifty-six days! Do you even know how I survived those seven hundred days?!”

“Shameless! Senior Brother Li belongs to all the sisters of the Heavenly Water Peak!”

The boy’s words earned him a storm of exasperated glares from the female disciples around him.

Their complaints carried genuine affection for Li Guanqi.

Lu Kangnian could only shake his head with a helpless smile. Nearly ninety percent of the disciples had joined the sect because of Li Guanqi. If they weren’t indulged now and then, they would surely feel disappointed.

He turned to Li Guanqi and said softly, “Why don’t you return to Heavenly Lightning Peak and rest first? Come to the hall at the main peak later.”

Li Guanqi smiled and nodded. He looked at the gathered disciples and said gently, “Go wait for me in the main hall.”

At his promise, the disciples cheered and scattered. The men rushed off to change into fresh robes, some only bothering to bandage their wounds. The women dashed off to bathe, comb their hair, put on makeup, and dress anew.

Li Nanting clasped his disciple’s hand, then led him and Yu Sui’an toward the Heavenly Lightning Peak.

Zhong Lin glanced at Li Sheng’an with a grin. “Shall we go with them?”

Li Sheng’an scratched his head sheepishly. “Not yet. Brother Li just got back. Let him catch up with his peak first.”

All along the way, Li Nanting’s heart surged with emotion. He felt pride at his disciple’s brilliance, but also a pang of sorrow.

When Li Guanqi had first appeared, his killing intent had been far too heavy, leaving him uneasy. He couldn’t help but wonder what this boy had gone through in the past two years.