Spirit Ruin, Sword Coffin, Blind Swordsman

Tian Ji’s body was cleaved apart, split cleanly in two along with the Heavenly Intelligence Map.

Terror flashed in his eyes. His black pupils shimmered like a sky full of stars, starlight swirling within as he stared at Sword Spirit’s sudden appearance.

He could feel it—a spirit’s aura.

That meant the woman before him had achieved what he’d pursued for tens of thousands of years. She was also a spirit.

But unlike him, she possessed half a mortal body.

A terrifying aura burst from Tian Ji’s form. The eerie, mist-like power around him surged, trying to knit his bisected body back together.

But then a strange force erupted from within Li Guanqi’s body.

Scarlet threads burst from the Red Lotus Sword in countless strands, coiling tightly around Tian Ji’s broken form, binding him in a crimson cocoon. That power crushed Tian Ji’s own, utterly suppressing him.

Sword Spirit hooked a finger lightly. “See it clearly now? This is the power of Spirit Pardon—to command all spirits beneath heaven.”

Li Guanqi shrugged. “No restrictions?”Sword Spirit turned to him, smiling faintly. “There are. Anything above my level won’t be affected.”

“And what realm is higher than yours?”

Her lips curved, a breathtaking smile forming as she murmured, “Across the three worlds and six territories, through the nine heavens and eight desolations? None.”

Li Guanqi’s eyes widened, jaw slack.

Even the Heavenly Intelligence Map seemed to pause, unmoving. The scarlet threads sank deeper into its form.

Suddenly, Tian Ji’s eyes went wide with horror, as if realizing something unthinkable. “No! Impossible! You’re—”

Pfft!

Before he could finish, killing intent rippled through Sword Spirit’s gaze. Her slender finger flicked, and the scarlet threads tightened all at once.

Tian Ji’s body exploded into countless fragments, diced into dust by the threads.

Sword Spirit waved her hand, gathering the fragments into an egg-sized bead that she casually swallowed. Then, with a sweep of her hand, spirit light surged out, and the shattered Heavenly Intelligence Map instantly restored itself.

Except now, without its spirit, it felt completely lifeless.

Sword Spirit covered her lips delicately and gave a small burp. “Hic.”

Li Guanqi almost burst out laughing but didn’t dare. Her face reddened as she lowered her hand, trying to maintain an air of seriousness. “Drip your blood onto it and claim the map as your own. Even without its spirit, it’s still a rare treasure. As you traverse the six territories, mark them on the map. You’ll be able to teleport to any marked location. And every hundred years, the Heavenly Intelligence Map will give birth to new heavenly materials and spiritual treasures.”

Li Guanqi’s eyes gleamed with excitement. He rubbed his hands together and wasted no time, letting out a drop of blood and connecting his mind to the map in an instant.

Then he understood why the Heavenly Intelligence Pavilion wanted it so badly. The map could deduce the Great Dao itself—divine omens, foretell fortune, and predict disaster.

“No wonder they were so desperate to get it.”

His expression shifted, then he shrugged and muttered, “I’d be a fool to give up such a fine thing. But how do I explain this...”

Buzz!

The surrounding barrier shattered, and Li Guanqi’s figure reappeared in the outside world.

The moment he returned, he realized the entire secret realm had been inside the Heavenly Intelligence Map all along. From the moment they entered, they had been within its internal world.

Li Guanqi narrowed his eyes. He could feel the map absorbing the blood and essence of the cultivators within. His divine consciousness surged, expelling everyone from the space at once.

He turned around and smiled at the four old men behind him. He was now dressed in white robes, his hands folded into his sleeves. “Well? Are you not going to make a move?”

The four froze, all of them looking at him oddly. Next to Li Guanqi, Xuan Lin seemed utterly confused.

He recognized all four men, and their relationships were notoriously tangled. Each had grudges against the others. In short, none of them got along.

Xuan Lin shrugged. It looked like all the treasures of the tower had fallen into Li Guanqi’s hands.

Otherwise, how could the Fortune Wheel Tower simply vanish?

His gaze shifted toward the healing rift in the sky, and a trace of awe flickered in his eyes. I wouldn’t have withstood that attack, even with my qilin bloodline fully awakened.

Sword Spirit stood silently behind Li Guanqi, unseen by any of them. Yet none of the people before her were worthy of even a glance.

The white-haired elder at the front stepped forward and bowed deeply. “Young Master Li, your insight is admirable. I am Qi Rongxuan, steward of the Heavenly Intelligence Pavilion in the Soaring Heavens Continent.”

He paused before continuing respectfully, “I wonder if Young Master Li has obtained the Heavenly Intelligence Map?”

Xuan Lin’s pupils contracted. So this secret realm involved the Heavenly Intelligence Pavilion all along?! That’s what he was after!

Li Guanqi tilted his head. “The good news is that I got it.”

The elder visibly relaxed, a smile breaking across his face. The others exhaled as well.

But before Qi Rongxuan could speak again, Li Guanqi spread his hands helplessly.

“The bad news is that it recognized me as its master.”

The old men’s faces changed instantly. Qi Rongxuan’s complexion went from pale to liver-red.

They exchanged glances, all the words they’d prepared suddenly useless. For a moment, Qi Rongxuan’s eyes flickered uncertainly. He didn’t even know how to respond.

Finally, he forced a smile. “Young Master Li, may I at least have a look?”

Li Guanqi blinked. “You four aren’t going to try to snatch it?”

All four turned to glance at the sky, where the lingering sword mark still scarred the heavens. They shuddered in unison.

“We wouldn’t dare.”

With a thought, Li Guanqi unfurled a vast scroll across the heavens, hundreds of zhang wide. The image on it was magnificent: mountains rising and falling through drifting clouds, divine light flowing across its mysterious patterns.

It was a treasure unlike any other.