Spirit Ruin, Sword Coffin, Blind Swordsman

Li Guanqi’s gaze turned ice cold as he watched Cang Lu teleport away, but Li Guanqi was helpless. Looking at his empty hands, his brow furrowed tighter and tighter. This was the first time anyone had ever taken his sword since he started cultivating—and it was his very first sword after opening the sword coffin.

That sword had been with him through so many battles, and now it was gone. The fury and regret he felt were indescribable.

Sword Spirit appeared and said gravely, “You don’t need to blame yourself.”

He turned to look at her, then down at his bloody left palm. “I was fighting with all my strength. I just couldn’t stop that force from taking the sword. And… the connection between the Red Lotus Sword and me has been severed completely.”

Sword Spirit thought about it. Then, she replied telepathically, “That black thread… does not belong to the Spirit World!”

Li Guanqi’s pupils trembled, his chest tightening. “Do you think he discovered your presence?”

Sword Spirit’s eyes flashed, but she shook her head. “I don’t think so. At his current level, he definitely can’t see me. There’s something strange about his aura, as if someone powerful used a special technique to obscure it. He used a very direct tactic to lure you out here, so it makes sense that the black thread wasn’t something you could fight.”

She paused. “It’s likely that he’s one of the people looking for me.”

Li Guanqi frowned, his heart sinking. During the past few years, he had cultivated as hard as he could so that he could stand a chance against the immortals in the heavens above. It was all for his own survival, as well as for Sword Spirit.

However, if Cang Lu wasn’t able to confirm Sword Spirit’s presence, why would he lure him out?He took my sword…

Li Guanqi was puzzled, unable to understand Cang Lu’s motives.

Peng Luo jumped out of the sword coffin’s realm and shot off into the depths of the mountains. Li Guanqi watched in confusion.

After a while, Peng Luo emerged holding a severed finger that had been crushed to pulp. He looked at Li Guanqi. “Master, weren’t you suspicious of that old man from the Green Sun Palace?”

He held up Cang Lu’s broken finger. “When you see the old man again, I can confirm his identity by checking for the blood connection between this severed finger and him. We’ll see if he’s actually Cang Lu!”

Li Guanqi’s eyes lit up, and he gave a small nod. “Alright! If you can help me confirm this, I’ll remember your contribution.”

His mind raced. Suddenly, an idea popped into his mind, and he turned pale. His head snapped toward Heavenly Cloud City. “He Yuning!”

Li Guanqi panicked as he realized what Cang Lu intended to do.

He’s going to kill with a borrowed knife![1]

Cang Lu had pulled out all the stops just to take his Red Lotus Sword. With his expertise in disguise, if he posed as Li Guanqi… the consequences would be disastrous.

Li Guanqi would surely die when He Yuanting raged.

Sword Spirit turned pale, arriving at the same conclusion. Li Guanqi had lost his Red Lotus Sword, and he needed to reach at least the Combined Body Realm to activate the second sword in the sword coffin. Without her help, Li Guanqi would surely die if He Yuanting tried to kill him.

The knife intent Su Xuan had planted in the sword coffin could scare people, but it wasn’t actually effective—it was only meant to target Sword Spirit. And there was no time to call for reinforcements.

Cang Lu had escaped, which meant half his plan had already succeeded.

His face went pale. Li Guanqi tore through space, teleporting multiple times. Despite that, he still needed at least half an hour to reach the Great Profound Sword Sect.

Damn it! Please be safe!

He pulled out his jade slip and kept sending voice messages to He Yuning, but received no response. His panic deepened.

A surge of vital force roared through him. Ignoring his injuries, he pushed himself to his absolute limit. The people of Heavenly Cloud City were shocked to see a pitch-black streak flying toward the Great Profound Sword Sect.

Li Guanqi sensed Cang Lu’s aura appearing a dozen li to his west, along with He Yuning’s weak aura.

No!

He changed direction immediately and shot off, radiating electricity.

Many cultivators in the city sensed that something was happening and flew behind Li Guanqi. But he was too fast, disappearing from sight.

The wind roared in his ears as countless mountains and rivers shot past him. The wind currents caused by his tremendous speed tore a long rift through space. A deep trench appeared below him.

He shot forward, causing a sonic boom that traveled as far as ten thousand zhang.

***

At the same time, Shen Bing, Palace Master of the Green Sun Palace, was visiting the Great Profound Sword Sect.

He and He Yuanting were talking about the person who would arrive in two days, someone very influential who required careful handling.

The three main factions had mobilized all their strength to bolster the city’s defenses.

He Yuanting looked toward the distance. “Where’s Yuning? I haven’t seen him today.”

Wu Changfeng smiled. “I saw him leaving with Li Guanqi. He said he’d be back soon.”

He Yuanting smiled. “Li Guanqi is an excellent kid. And how’s it going with the array masters?”

The old man bowed slightly. “They’ll finish carving the array tomorrow. Once that is done, we can reopen the Sword Abyss.”

Shen Bing set down his cup and sighed with a smile. “I’m so jealous of you, Old He. Li Guanqi must be a pretty influential guy, no?”

He Yuanting smiled calmly. “It’s just a simple friendship between the kids.”

What he meant was: There’s no use being jealous. This is a friend my son made on his own. If you want one, tell your kid to find one.

Shen Bing was embarrassed. He stood up with a sweeping gesture of his large sleeve and sulked. “The Green Sun Palace doesn’t have an outstanding talent like Yuning. Anyway, I’ll see myself out.”

He Yuanting smiled. “I’ll go with you. Also, have your disciples begin patrols tomorrow, and make sure to question any unfamiliar faces entering the Central Prefecture.”

***

Li Guanqi spotted Cang Lu through his divine consciousness. Cang Lu was in disguise with a sword coffin on his back and the Red Lotus Sword in hand. He looked exactly like Li Guanqi.

He Yuning’s hands were tied behind his back. His dantian had been sealed, and he seemed bewildered.

1. To kill with a borrowed knife = to use a third party’s strength or resources to achieve one’s own goals without directly implicating oneself. ☜