Spirit Ruin, Sword Coffin, Blind Swordsman

The moment Li Guanqi unleashed his sword attack, the world seemed to darken. The qi masses within a dozen li of Li Guanqi were drawn to his sword light.

Terrifying power erupted, shredding the surrounding space. The deep purple sword light burst forth with indomitable force, shattering everything it touched.

The black-armored guard charging ahead widened his eyes at the incoming strike. Behind him, the old man and the other guard cried out, “Careful!”

Every hair on his body stood on end, and a chill ran down his spine. A crack opened between his eyebrows, revealing a hologram of a blue sword. He grabbed the sword, and it shone with blue light.

The man had strong, masculine features. He looked at Li Guanqi solemnly.

“Sword spirit void, open! Frost Attack!”

Frost spread across the void as wind vital force roared. Several sword shadows flew past, shredding the surrounding qi storms. The man narrowed his eyes, his black armor swaying despite the absence of actual wind, its plates clanging against each other.

Terrifying sword intent erupted from him. Fierce vital force surged through his body.

Boom!

He swung his sword in a strange, unpredictable arc.Boom!

A hundred-zhang-long blade of blue light burst forth, shattering the void within hundreds of zhang. Li Guanqi’s strike met it at almost the same instant, both moving too fast for the naked eye to track.

Boom!

The explosion blasted them all back several thousand zhang.

Li Guanqi was hit by the powerful shockwaves despite shielding himself with the sword coffin. His arms shattered, and his chest caved slightly inward almost instantly. Blood sprayed from his mouth, mixed with chunks of flesh. Many of his meridians ruptured from the impact, and countless gusts of wind circled him, slicing his skin.

The guard fared no better. Li Guanqi’s lightning and twin heavenly flames ravaged his body. The sword light had pierced his armor, leaving cuts of various depths.

The flames refused to die, and his frost power couldn’t extinguish them. He had no choice but to slice off his own burning flesh.

His two companions rushed over, having been momentarily held back by the explosion’s force.

The old man frowned at the sight of his companion cutting away his own flesh, then gazed into the distance to look at Li Guanqi. When he saw the two distinct flames, he paled. With his capabilities, he recognized they were no ordinary fire, though he didn’t connect them to heavenly flames.

The injured man’s breath was weak, his face pale, sweat beading on his forehead. He glared into the distance, where a flash of lightning was fleeing at top speed.

The three didn’t hesitate. They picked up their swords and gave chase.

“That bastard is too powerful,” the man said icily. “He hasn’t even entered the Illusory Refinement Realm, yet he matched my attack. If he ever breaks through...”

He shook his head. “It’s difficult to imagine how terrifying he would become.”

“As I said, do not underestimate him,” the old man replied gravely. “But he was bold enough to cause trouble in Heavenly Cloud City. No matter what, we have to catch him and take his head as an example. Our authority must be preserved.”

The third man had slightly sunken cheeks, drooping eyes, a hooked nose, and purple lips. With an icy glare, he spoke to his companions through voice transmission. “This person isn’t from any local faction. Heavenly Cloud City has such a strong army, yet he still dared to cause trouble there. The timing is suspicious. Could he be a spy sent to test our strength?”

The other two fell silent. They knew exactly why he found the timing suspicious. If not for that, such a minor incident wouldn’t have required people of their status. They charged ahead at full speed, closing the gap.

The old man paused, frowning. “Old Zhao is right. It’s a possibility. There’s only half a month left! We cannot afford any problems with the defense of Heavenly Cloud City!”

The man with the green sword said, “He shouted the name ‘Cang Lu.’ Do we have any information on the person in the black cloak?”

The old man shook his head. “I sent someone to investigate at the start of the incident. They searched all of Heavenly Cloud City, upper and lower, and found nothing. Even though those two clearly bear deep enmity toward each other, that doesn’t mean they can break our city’s rules.”

The three locked eyes. Killing intent flickered in each gaze.

As they pursued Li Guanqi, another figure was also hurrying over—a youth with golden talismans pasted on both feet. As they burned, he became a blurry streak of light.

***

Li Guanqi swallowed Peng Luo’s severed arm and tossed out more than a thousand mid-grade spirit stones, shattering them. A massive cloud of spirit qi swirled around him.

He guided the energy through his body, becoming the center of a whirlpool that absorbed it all. He still hadn’t tapped into his second dantian—his vital force reserves remained sufficient.

Healing his injuries was the priority. They were severe.

Is this the true power of Illusory Refinement Realm cultivators?

That terrifying explosion had ripped through his vital force shield in a single breath. His opponent’s vital force shield, meanwhile, had blocked a portion of the shockwaves.

He turned and saw three blurry figures.

During the battle, he’d clearly felt the gap between himself and Illusory Refinement Realm cultivators. Their mastery of vital force far exceeded his. His sword light was a joke compared to theirs, riddled with flaws. Even using every trick at his disposal, he’d been at a disadvantage.

There’s still a large gap between true Illusory Refinement Realm cultivators and me.

The trio accelerated, clearly using a secret technique. They were closing in fast.