Spirit Ruin, Sword Coffin, Blind Swordsman

Li Guilan smiled, her eyes crinkling. “I knew you two were a good match even when you were young. See, I was right! I have a son now, hahaha!”

Up ahead, Meng Jiangchu sulked even harder. If he hadn’t beaten Li Guanqi just now, he knew he’d never get another chance.

He sighed. He knew his wife too well. Had it been anyone else, she would have been furious. But this was Li Guanqi. Li Guilan had watched him grow up, and with his tragic background, she had always treated him as her own. Whenever he went hungry or was cold, she worried more than anyone.

His wife doted on Li Guanqi, and his daughter had taken the boy’s side too. A wave of sadness washed over Meng Jiangchu. He closed his eyes and looked up, his heart a tumult of emotions. He sighed once more.

His bodyguards didn’t dare say a word. If they were in his shoes, they’d probably be even more frustrated.

Li Guanqi looked around. They were in an independent realm with a remarkably stable space. He could open similar realms himself, but nothing this large. He scanned the area with his divine consciousness, revealing it to be hundreds of li wide and incredibly stable, as though it had existed for ages.

He never saw a point in creating his own realms, preferring instead to travel. He thought he might as well return to the Daxia Sword Sect one day and build a few for them.

The land was a stunning sight, dominated by three prominent mountain peaks. One was a volcano, with scorching lava occasionally flowing down its slopes.

Meng Wanshu smiled. “That’s where Father and the artifact blacksmiths usually forge. I rarely go there.”

Li Guanqi nodded. He could sense the terrifying fire energy deep within the mountain. He stroked his chin. As the only tier-eight holy artifact blacksmith in the Divine Treasure Territory, Meng Jiangchu had to possess a powerful flame. A heavenly flame, no doubt.Which is it? Li Guanqi pondered.

Buzz!

“Welcome back, Territory Lord!” a crowd shouted. They had arrived at a plaza atop the main peak. Golden pavilions lined every side, and an opulent main pavilion stood before them.

Meng Jiangchu walked toward the main pavilion with a cold expression. Li Guilan thought of something and pulled Meng Wanshu toward the back pavilions. Her daughter had been through a great deal, and as a mother, she surely had plenty to say.

Most importantly, Meng Jiangchu was the territory lord of the Divine Treasure Territory. Only his most trusted people had been present when they first arrived, so Li Guilan could speak freely. The main pavilion was different, though, with too many eyes and ears. She had to give him face. Otherwise, word would spread that the territory lord let a village woman scold him into submission, and he’d lose all dignity as a ruler.

Li Guilan didn’t know much about cultivation, but her years in the village had made her adept at managing relationships. While she could bicker with Meng Jiangchu all she wanted behind closed doors, in front of outsiders, she had to give him face.

“Xiao Li, you go talk to your uncle. I’ll take Wanshu to get settled.”

Li Guanqi smiled and nodded. “Alright, Auntie Li. Go ahead.”

Meng Wanshu gazed at Li Guanqi longingly. She was worried about him. Li Guanqi met her eyes with a reassuring look. Once she was gone, he strode toward the main pavilion.

Xiao Chen and Ye Feng were escorted to a resting area by the attendants.

The opulent pavilion was reinforced by over a hundred hidden arrays. The moment Li Guanqi stepped through the entrance, an invisible aura slammed into him. He gritted his teeth in awe, his expression turning solemn.

Such a strong aura! Enough to kill anyone under the Combined Body Realm! This is a realm within a realm!

The surrounding space had transformed the moment he crossed the threshold, as though the main pavilion’s entrance were a gateway to another realm entirely.

Meng Jiangchu sat on a throne atop a raised dais, clad in white robes. He had a short beard and slightly sunken cheeks, but his gaze was sharp. He looked down at Li Guanqi with a snort. “You don’t even have the courage to walk through the door?”

Before he could finish, Li Guanqi’s foot slammed down.

Boom!

The main pavilion trembled. Meng Jiangchu narrowed his eyes, inwardly surprised.

Wow, brat. Not bad…

No, no. Keep your cool. How can you be praising him right now?!

Meng Jiangchu assumed a regal air, exuding a suffocating aura. Li Guanqi no longer saw Meng Jiangchu as a man from his village, but as an elite cultivator at the peak of the world.

Meng Jiangchu’s eyes were as still as water. Though he sat casually, the throne beneath him flickered with firelight. He seemed to grow until he was a giant seated among the clouds, gazing down upon humankind. Li Guanqi felt like a speck, lost among the masses below.

They were the only two people in the main pavilion. Meng Jiangchu’s aura crashed into him in waves, as if to force him to his knees. Li Guanqi’s bones crackled under the weight, but he stood tall as a sword.

The pressure mounted, layer upon layer, until it felt like mountains pressing down on him. Cold sweat beaded on his forehead. Li Guanqi shook uncontrollably, veins bulging in his neck.

Just as Meng Jiangchu thought Li Guanqi was about to collapse, Li Guanqi closed his eyes, entering a peculiar mental state. When he opened his eyes again, the gigantic sword coffin appeared.

Thud!

The sword coffin slammed into the ground, and two swords—one red and one black—shot into his hands. His sword spirit void hummed, and he stepped forward.

Boom!

Li Guanqi’s battle spirit rose to an unprecedented level.

“Heaven-Opening, Red Lotus Heavenly Dance!”

“Heaven-Opening, Yanluo Ten Pavilions!”

Boom!

In his left hand, the Red Lotus Sword radiated a terrifying aura, sword intent piercing the heavens. In his right, a ghostly silhouette coalesced along the Yanluo Sword’s blade. Behind him, the dark phantom of Yanluo rose into being.

The weather changed, and the wind howled. The golden pavilion trembled, and the entire mountain shook slightly.

Lost in his trance, Li Guanqi leveled his blade at the towering Meng Jiangchu and roared, “Swords out!”

Meng Jiangchu froze, caught completely off guard. Li Guanqi’s battle spirit surged again, itching to fight the giant before him.

Once again, he roared, “Swords out!”