Spirit Ruin, Sword Coffin, Blind Swordsman

The moment Li Guanqi departed from the Daxia Sword Sect, a cultivator sitting on the Heavenly Lightning Sect’s Spirit Gathering Array slowly opened his eyes.

The jade slip in his hand flickered weakly.

The message has been sent.

Cang Lu’s mouth curled into a thin smile. He rose and stretched, his half-closed eyes flashing with killing intent. The mix of that smile and his wide eyes made him look downright sinister.

“I’m exhausted from pretending. Li Guanqi… is it really you? In that sword box… hehe.”

He stepped out of the cultivation room and wandered into the courtyard with his hands at his sides. Many disciples along the path bowed as he passed.

“Greetings, Senior Brother Cang.”

“Senior Brother Cang, are you going to visit Elder Li to discuss the Dao again?”

“Senior Brother Cang, you’re incredible! Your aura feels even stronger today!”

Cang Lu merely smiled and nodded.Before long, he reached the entrance of Li Nanting’s courtyard.

Knock knock knock.

A childish voice called out, “Who is it?”

Sitting by the doorstep, Li Nanting smiled. “It’s Cang Lu.”

Yu Sui’an pursed her lips. She didn’t really like Cang Lu, but she still ran to open the door.

Creak–

“You’re here again.”

“Haha. Yeah, I gained some insights while cultivating just now. I was hoping to discuss my ideas with you.”

Li Nanting tapped his pipe on the ground.

“You’re already in the Nascent Soul Realm. What could you possibly gain from chatting with a Golden Core Realm cultivator like me?”

His eyelid twitched, and he kept his head down. When he tapped his pipe, he accidentally broke it.

Crack!

Cold sweat trickled from Li Nanting’s forehead.

At the entrance, Cang Lu smiled and stepped inside.

Yu Sui’an, also sensing something, retreated a dozen zhang back with a flash of golden light beneath her feet. She spread her arms, shielding Li Nanting. A spirit treasure sword appeared in her hand.

It was one of the seven swords from Heavenly Metal Peak.

“What are you doing?!”

Li Nanting pulled out a jade slip and crushed it between his withered fingers.

But nothing happened.

His face drained of color as he squinted at Cang Lu.

The youth had already taken out a black-brown guqin[1] and sat down cross-legged on the doorstep. A faint sneer tugged at his lips. “Don’t bother. I’ve sealed the space here. Nothing gets out.”

Clang!

Li Nanting sprang to his feet, sword in hand, and stood in front of Yu Sui’an. He glared at Cang Lu with cloudy eyes. “You’re not in the Nascent Soul Realm. Who the hell are you? What do you want?”

Cang Lu smiled. “You’re right. How could I be in the Nascent Soul Realm? I’m in the Divine Transformation Realm.”

As he spoke, his slender fingers brushed the strings of his guqin.

Twang!

A powerful note rang out, unleashing terrifying sound waves that tore through space.

Whoosh!

“Careful!”

Li Nanting’s white robes fluttered despite the still air. Vital force surged through him. He hurled a streak of lightning-bright sword light straight ahead. At the same time, he grabbed Yu Sui’an by the collar and flung her back.

Boom! Crack! Thud!

The sword light looked powerful, yet it collapsed the moment it met the sound wave. Pitch-black spatial tears fanned outward, shredding it into pieces.

Li Nanting flipped his sword and braced it before himself.

The blade shattered into fragments along with the several vital force barriers he threw up. The sword pieces pierced his chest.

The force hammered through him, breaking his bones and flinging him back dozens of zhang.

The sharp sound waves cut through the building like paper. Blood sprayed from his mouth as he crashed down, eyes wide with shock. He quickly grabbed another jade slip and crushed it.

Boom!

A terrifying ray of sword light erupted, cutting apart the incoming sound waves. Blood ran freely from the wounds across his chest. The attack had stopped a finger’s width from piercing his heart.

If it was not coincidental, it could only mean that Cang Lu’s control over his strength far exceeded his imagination.

Yu Sui’an appeared by Li Nanting’s side in a flash, her eyes reddening.

“Grandfather Li! Grandfather Li! Are you alright?!”

Cang Lu stood at the entrance. He pursed his lips and snorted, bored. “How dull. I gently plucked one string and you’re already like this.”

He kicked the guqin into the air, letting it flip a few times before catching it. Then, he slung it over his back.

Seeing the look in Li Nanting’s eyes, he laughed. “Heh. Don’t bother looking around. I’ve set up an illusory array. Nobody outside can hear or see anything. Not that it matters, though. I’ll be fighting the others soon enough.”

Li Nanting’s eyes widened. On the other hand, Cang Lu remained calm, as if Lu Kangnian and the others meant nothing to him.

“Cough, cough. Who are you?! What do you want?!”

He couldn’t understand how Cang Lu had suddenly become a Divine Transformation Realm cultivator. When he first joined the sect, he had clearly been in the Golden Core Realm. And when he broke through to the Nascent Soul Realm, countless people had watched. No one noticed a thing.

Even Li Guanqi confirmed he hadn’t been possessed.

Which meant…

Cang Lu had always been in the Divine Transformation Realm and had hidden it with some unknown method.

Seeing the dawning realization in Li Nanting’s eyes, Cang Lu smiled.

“What do I want…? How should I say it? I had some free time, so I decided to confirm something.”

A cold glint flashed through his eyes. He raised his hand and shot a crushing force straight toward Li Nanting’s dantian.

Yu Sui’an broke free of Li Nanting’s grip and appeared in front of him in a flash.

Li Nanting’s heart lurched. “Sui’an!”

Her eyes hardened with resolve. She channeled a surge of vital force, and her sword let out a sharp cry.

Clang!

She unleashed a complex sword technique, sending out a brilliant arc of light. Despite the great pressure bearing down on her, she did not retreat.

Cang Lu snorted and flicked a ray of light from his finger. The moment it shattered her sword light, the sky darkened.

Tens of thousands of li away, Li Guanqi turned pale.

“Nine Heavens! Return to the sect now!”

The jade slip at Yu Sui’an’s neck exploded. A terrifying streak of lightning sword light burst forth, its red glow accompanied by roaring flames.

Cang Lu froze for a heartbeat, caught off-guard by the sudden eruption. He whipped the guqin around and plucked with all six fingers of his right hand. Nine terrifying sound waves shot out.

Simultaneously, his eyes gleamed. He subtly pointed a finger from beneath his sleeve towards Li Nanting, who remained sprawled on the ground.

Pfft!

A powerful burst of energy slammed into Li Nanting’s golden core, already covered in cracks.

Crack!

Color drained from his face. Blood gushed from his mouth. His body sagged, his eyes turning glassy.

Boom!

The explosion tore across Heavenly Lightning Peak. Boulders tumbled down. Li Nanting’s courtyard vanished into dust, replaced by a three-hundred-zhang trench carved into the earth.

The barrier shattered. A figure stumbled out amid the smoke and falling stone. He turned and saw the green barrier around the Daxia Sword Sect.

Lu Kangnian arrived in a flash, rushing out of a spatial tear. He swung his ancient treasure sword three times, his divine consciousness sweeping the scene.

Then he roared, voice trembling with rage, “Cang Lu has betrayed the sect! Kill him at all costs!”

Doge & Char’s Thoughts

The guqin is a Chinese zither with five or seven strings. It has over 3,000 years of history, has been historically favored by scholars, and is associated with China’s intellectual elite. It is known for its subtle, refined tone, produced through three basic techniques: open strings, stopped strings, and harmonics.