Spirit Ruin, Sword Coffin, Blind Swordsman

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Ye Feng’s refinement speed could only be described as insane. To Xiao Chen, this kind of madness looked downright suicidal.

He had no idea what Li Guanqi meant by saying Big Head had been found. He only knew something had happened, and he was unconsciously speeding up his own refinement as well.

He had some ideas about what was happening, and a flicker of anxiety arose within him, as if he wished to contribute too. He’d never experienced anything like it before.

Without realizing it, his relationship with Ye Feng and Li Guanqi had become one of both rivalry and camaraderie. Calling them enemies would be a stretch. At most, they could only be considered romantic rivals.

Buzz!

Ye Feng’s aura surged wildly. His strength rose noticeably, and more importantly, his comprehension had clearly improved. He could now sense countless golden points of light drifting around him like starlight. In the past, he could only perceive these things vaguely, never with such clarity.

Boom!

Ye Feng raised his hand and tore open the spirit-gathering barrier beside him, then stepped forward and flashed outside the Yuan Gate.

“Boss, when are we leaving?”“Get ready. We leave immediately,” Li Guanqi said.

The long absence of any news about Cao Yan had always worried him. Even the Heavenly Intelligence Pavilion had been unable to find him, which meant Cao Yan himself had been extremely cautious. This news had come directly from Long Hou, which meant his grandfather still cared deeply about him. He was even helping behind the scenes to protect the people Li Guanqi cared about.

As for why his grandfather did not save Cao Yan directly or have Long Hou do so, there were likely reasons why they could not intervene.

There had been many times when Li Guanqi was on the brink of death and Long Hou had not stepped in. After all, Long Hou was not his guardian.

Li Guanqi also understood that ultimately, self-reliance was the greatest source of confidence.

Rip!

Xiao Chen tore open his Spirit-Gathering barrier and said in a deep voice, “I’m going too.”

Ye Feng frowned. “This has nothing to do with you. Why are you coming?”

Xiao Chen shrugged. “I consider you friends. If your friend is in trouble, my friend is, too. When a friend is in danger, we should go to great lengths to help.”

Ye Feng fell silent. He had not expected Xiao Chen to think that way. Even Li Guanqi was a little surprised, but when he recalled what Meng Wanshu had said before, he understood it better. For someone who had gone so many years without a single friend, growing close to Ye Feng and Li Guanqi must have been something special.

“I’m going too,” Meng Wanshu said softly from the side.

Li Guanqi frowned. “Wanshu… how about—”

She cut him off, her voice firm. “No. I’m going with you. I don’t want to be separated again so soon after finally being together.”

She lifted her head and met Li Guanqi’s gaze directly, showing no sign of backing down.

Li Guanqi rubbed his nose and muttered, “The Southern Heavenly King of the Black Sect Territory is at most in the late Illusory Refinement Realm. The three of us alone would already be more than enough.”

He could only concede when faced with her gaze. And truthfully, he didn’t want to part from her again so soon either. “Alright, alright. We’ll go together. When the time comes, I’ll introduce you to another good brother of mine, Big Head Cao.”

A radiant smile bloomed on Meng Wanshu’s face. She frowned slightly. “Big Head Cao? Is his head really that big?”

Li Guanqi and Ye Feng exchanged a look and burst out laughing.

Ye Feng’s lips curved. “Well… it used to be pretty big. As for now, who knows?”

Though they spoke jokingly, both were extremely anxious. Long Hou’s personal delivery of the message was a sign that Cao Yan’s situation was dire. However, they knew that being anxious would not help. The most pressing concern was figuring out how to cross to the Black Sect Territory.

Meng Wanshu grabbed Li Guanqi and turned to leave, then glanced back at Ye Feng. “You two come along as well.”

Li Guanqi stopped and pulled Meng Wanshu toward the residence instead. At the doorway, he lifted his robe and slowly kneeled down. By the stove, Li Guilan had her back to them, still tidying things up. Her reddened eyes betrayed her sorrow.

Li Guanqi spoke steadily. “Honored Mother-in-law, I will change how I address you a bit early and kowtow to you.”

Thump! Thump! Thump!

After kowtowing, Li Guanqi grinned.

“Auntie Li, don’t be sad. I have no parents, so just think of it as gaining another son. I’ll be taking Wanshu to Black Sect Territory. I’ll take good care of her and never let her suffer any grievance or harm.”

Meng Wanshu kneeled as well. “Mother, Guanqi treats me very well. Please don’t worry. This trip to the Black Sect Territory will not be dangerous…”

Li Guilan, still with her back to them, raised a hand to wipe away her tears and waved dismissively, her voice choked. “Go on, go on. Go find your father. Everything is okay, so why would I need my son to worry about my daughter?”

One by one, they left, leaving her to quietly wipe down the stove. After finishing up, she lifted the hem of her luxurious skirt out of habit to wipe her hands, then sat in the rocking chair in the courtyard, taking a long while to calm herself.

The group flew to a mountain peak, where a resplendent golden hall stood. Though called a small hall, it spanned nearly a hundred zhang, where Meng Jiangchu usually handled various affairs.

After lifting the barrier, Li Guanqi looked over at Meng Jiangchu, who was sitting at the desk, engrossed in paperwork. A sense of awe washed over him. His neighborly uncle from the past had become the Divine Treasure Territory Lord, towering above countless others.

Meng Jiangchu glanced at them. “Find yourselves somewhere to sit. Let me finish up here first.”

They nodded. Li Guanqi glanced over and saw Meng Jiangchu lift his brush, write a huge character for “kill” on a scroll, and toss it aside.

The sight made Li Guanqi sigh inwardly. Meng Jiangchu seemed like a good man, even being scolded by a village woman. But he was still a territory lord.

After processing all the jade slip transmissions, Meng Jiangchu asked quietly, “Going to the Black Sect Territory?”

Li Guanqi nodded.

Meng Jiangchu looked at Meng Wanshu’s awkward expression, and his face darkened. “You’re going too?”

Meng Wanshu stepped up, grabbed his arm, and shook it gently. “Dad…”

“Alright, alright. You can go. I’ll prepare a transport array for you. Remember to wear the ring I gave you.”

Meng Jiangchu knew full well that he could not stop his daughter from going. Supporting her early was better than opposing her in vain.