Spirit Ruin, Sword Coffin, Blind Swordsman

Peng Luo studied Li Guanqi for a long moment. “In all my knowledge of the Spirit World, it’s extremely rare for someone at the Divine Transformation Realm to reach this stage. You’re one of them. You have the potential to become a great emperor.”

Li Guanqi smiled bitterly. “You’re always going on about emperors. If someone didn’t know better, they’d think you used to be some big shot, Radish.”

Peng Luo was annoyed. He stood up, hands on his hips, indignant. “I used to be very powerful, seriously!”

Li Guanqi’s gaze snapped to the sky. He murmured, “The secret realm is about to open.”

Powerful spatial ripples radiated across the sky above Hell Rivers City. Spirit lights blazed so brightly that night turned to day.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Many silhouettes tore through space in rapid succession, arriving in the sky above.

Li Guanqi grabbed Peng Luo. With a flash of lightning beneath his feet, they reappeared high in the air.

The sky above the Hell Rivers was already packed.

Li Guanqi surveyed the crowd gravely. So many Divine Transformation Realm cultivators…A rough scan revealed over three hundred of them.

Hiding under Li Guanqi’s black cloak, Peng Luo sent a voice transmission in surprise. “Tsk, there are many non-locals here. The secret realm must be very special this time…”

As he spoke, his nose wriggled. He frowned.

“What’s the matter?” Li Guanqi replied through voice transmission.

“Something’s off, but I can’t put my finger on it.”

Li Guanqi did not dwell on the matter. He scanned his surroundings.

Then the sky—bright as day just moments ago—went dark.

Peng Luo’s eyes widened. “It’s the Hell King, Ming Li! Why is he here?!”

“Hell King?”

“That’s right! The ruler of the Hell Rivers! I heard he’s on the same level as a territory lord!”

Li Guanqi’s chest tightened.

Rrrip!

A terrifying aura spread across the sky.

A hundred-zhang tear ripped through the heavens, gaping like a beast’s maw. One look was enough to evoke primal dread.

The wind howled, and the sky darkened further.

Though the ancient ruins blazed with light, that brilliance seemed flat and dim against the spatial tear.

Clang! Clang!

Armor rattled in unison as hundreds of black-armored soldiers stepped out of the rift. The army moved as one, black spears leveled forward, radiating killing intent.

Li Guanqi extended his divine consciousness and felt his breath catch. Three hundred Nascent Soul Realm cultivators. Every single one of them.

Two of the soldiers rolled out a carpet in midair. A figure in black robes emerged from the tear.

“All hail the Hell King!”

“All hail the Hell King!”

The entire crowd bowed, their voices ringing out as one.

The Hell King stood with impeccable posture. He had short cropped hair, masculine features, deep-set eyes, and sparse stubble. His eyes and stubble made an unforgettable impression. A deep knife scar ran through his left eye, rendering it white.

He swept his gaze over the crowd.

Li Guanqi bowed with the rest, trembling under the Hell King’s aura. He’s beyond even the Illusory Refinement Realm.

Two women followed behind him, beautiful and seductive, wearing little more than scraps of cloth. Li Guanqi couldn’t even gauge their cultivation.

The Hell King was about to speak when his gaze turned cold. He looked toward someone in the crowd.

Boom!

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!

An old Divine Transformation Realm man beside Li Guanqi swelled without warning—and exploded. His body ruptured, utterly unable to resist the force.

In an instant, his body and soul alike were gone.

Blood and flesh splattered on Li Guanqi, but he dared not move.

The explosions continued for two breaths. A dozen Divine Transformation Realm cultivators died.

Li Guanqi gulped. He knew why they had died.

It was a simple reason: they looked up. And they had looked up to look at the women behind the Hell King.

The Hell King withdrew his gaze. Black mist gathered above the Hell Rivers, coalescing into a throne roughly a zhang wide. He ascended the steps made of yin hell qi, which led up to the throne.

The two women ascended first and lounged across the seat.

The Hell King settled onto one woman’s thighs, leaning back against her. “Rise.”

The crowd sighed in relief, straightening up.

The Hell King looked at the ancient ruins, which were about to open, and said, “I came here to remind you all not to enter if you are below the Divine Transformation Realm.‌ It’ll be suicide. As for the rest of you, prepare yourselves. If you find anything worthwhile, you may bring it to the Myriad Treasures Pavilion in the city.”

He raised one hand. A black palm a hundred zhang wide materialized and seized the spatial tear above the ruins.

Rrrip!

The secret realm shone with multicolored light, and a hundred-zhang-wide gap tore open. Space distorted, revealing blurred depths within.

The ruins trembled violently. Already unstable, they now showed signs of collapse.

The Hell King narrowed his eyes and huffed. Then, a powerful spatial force erupted, stabilizing the almost-collapsing secret realm.

“You may enter.”

Everyone bowed, then flew toward the spatial tear.

Li Guanqi, hidden beneath his Black Hell Robes, drew a deep breath. “Let’s go.”

Whoosh!

One after another, blurry figures flew into the secret realm.

The Hell King watched them go, tapping his fingers idly on the throne.

“The Heavenly Intelligence Map… hehe… Who did the Heavenly Intelligence Pavilion send? I heard Chen Zhi was killed… What was the name again… Li… Something… Qi?” He smiled faintly. “Seems he’s quite strong.”

No one knew why the Hell King had come. But the reason was simple.

The Heavenly Intelligence Map.

Li Guanqi had no idea he’d been dragged into a war between two superpowers.

Meanwhile, Li Guanqi tossed Peng Luo into the sword box. The moment he entered the space, he felt like he was sinking into mud.