Spirit Ruin, Sword Coffin, Blind Swordsman

Lightning flashed beneath Li Guanqi’s feet as he blinked through the void. Moments later, he stepped calmly out of a spatial rift.

Lu Kangnian and Ye Feng were waiting for him.

Li Guanqi’s brow furrowed when he saw Ye Feng hesitate, clearly wanting to speak but holding back. Something must have gone wrong.

“Let’s go,” Li Guanqi said. “We’ll talk in the courtyard.”

Whoosh!

A powerful spatial force enveloped them, and the scenery changed in an instant. They were already atop Jade Teapot Peak.

“Speak,” Li Guanqi said, his voice low. “What exactly happened? Why aren’t Wanshu and Xiao Chen in the sect?”

Lu Kangnian gestured for Ye Feng to explain.

Ye Feng held nothing back. From Xiao Chen’s sudden departure, to his own growing unease, to traveling with Meng Wanshu to the Xiao family, he recounted everything in detail. He even told Li Guanqi about Meng Wanshu’s experience in the Heavenly Massacre Sea and handed over the scarlet blood mask.

He even told Li Guanqi about Meng Wanshu’s experience in the Heavenly Massacre Sea and handed over the scarlet blood mask.Li Guanqi’s expression darkened. He had never imagined that in a mere half-month of secluded cultivation, so much could have happened.

His fingers tapped lightly against the stone table, piecing together fragments in his mind. He slowly wove together seemingly unrelated events.

“Heavenly Massacre Sea… the Sha organization’s Upper Black-tier members taking action… Long Hou’s hidden trump card exposed… Abyssal Demons appearing… the Sha organization still operating in secret… The demons must have been the Sha organization’s doing, and they deliberately targeted the Xiao family…”

Every thread branched into countless possibilities.

Suddenly, Li Guanqi snapped his eyes open and pulled out Meng Jiangchu’s jade slip, asking sternly, “Uncle Meng, did you leave the Divine Treasure Territory recently?!”

Moments later, Meng Jiangchu’s voice came through the jade slip.

—That’s right. Didn’t anyone tell you?

Ye Feng hadn’t mentioned this, yet Li Guanqi had deduced it on his own.

“I understand. By the way, Uncle Meng, how is Wanshu?”

—Rest assured. With me here, nothing will happen. What about you? Have you finished dealing with your breakthrough?

“That’s good. And yes, my breakthrough went well. I’ll contact you again later,” Li Guanqi replied.

As he put away the jade slip, Ye Feng frowned in confusion. “What does this have to do with Senior Meng leaving the Divine Treasure Territory?”

Even Lu Kangnian was lost. “What are you two talking about?”

Li Guanqi closed his eyes slightly, his thoughts rapidly converging.

Tap. Tap. His fingers drummed against the tabletop as he laid out his deductions.

“The Sha organization likely set its sights on Wanshu long ago. Their goal probably wasn’t to kill her, but to capture her.”

Ye Feng frowned. “If they captured her, they could threaten Senior Meng. But why him?”

Li Guanqi gazed deeply at Ye Feng. “When Uncle Meng returned, was his cultivation still only at the Combined Body Realm?”

Ye Feng nodded heavily.

Li Guanqi sneered. “If one could seize the lifeline of a Mahayana Stage cultivator, there are far too many things one could force them to do. Not to mention, Uncle Meng is the territory lord of the Divine Treasure Territory.”

Ye Feng recalled the Abyssal Demons. His pupils trembled as he stared at Li Guanqi, and he swallowed hard before speaking with difficulty. “Perhaps… they could force him to massacre an entire territory!”

Li Guanqi neither confirmed nor denied it. It was simply the worst possible outcome he could foresee. He continued, “Judging from the two attacks, the first assassination attempt likely had deeper motives.”

Ye Feng clutched his head, feeling overwhelmed. “There’s more?”

Lu Kangnian stood aside, eyes wide, utterly confused.

“Even Auntie Li would know if Uncle Meng left. Many in the Meng family must have known too. Yet, despite Wanshu’s special identity, they only sent one assassin from the Combined Body Realm.

“On one hand, it avoids attracting attention from Mahayana Stage cultivators. On the other hand, they were likely testing whether Uncle Meng had truly left the Divine Treasure Territory.”

Li Guanqi recalled the old man who held the key to the Seventh Territory. Gu Yong. He pulled out Gu Yong’s jade slip.

“Elder Gu, did you travel with Uncle Meng recently?”

Gu Yong replied quickly, slightly confused.

—That’s right.

Li Guanqi took a deep breath, possibilities racing through his mind.

He muttered, “What a masterful move, killing three birds with one stone.

“A failed assassination confirms Uncle Meng and Elder Gu’s absence, exposes Long Hou’s hidden trump card, and uses the chaos to set the demon-raising scheme in motion…

“Even after Uncle Meng’s return, their objectives would still be met. Capturing Meng Wanshu would be a huge gain, but failing to do so wouldn’t derail their later plans.”

The more Ye Feng listened, the more alarmed he became. No wonder the assassin hadn’t unleashed her full strength right away, even after being discovered. And when Meng Jiangchu arrived, her shock was genuine. She had never expected him to return so quickly.

Li Guanqi retrieved his jade slip and the heavenly intelligence jade pendant and spoke coldly. “Uncle Meng, investigate the senior ranks within your clan. There may be traitors. Elder Gu, anyone aware of your movements should also be thoroughly investigated.”

He relayed all his deductions to both men. Both understood immediately.

Yet Li Guanqi’s brow remained furrowed. One final doubt lingered.

He turned to Ye Feng. “There was another Combined Body Realm assassin hiding in the shadows, wasn’t there? You and Wanshu forced him out, correct?”

Ye Feng nodded gravely. “I thought about that at the time. Why would they send only a half-step Combined Body Realm cultivator to the Xiao family? Back then, Wanshu pointed out that they must have had a backup plan to ensure success. But how does that matter?”

Li Guanqi’s gaze grew heavy. “It matters a great deal… They clearly had the strength to annihilate the entire Xiao family, yet they killed slowly and deliberately. And why specifically choose the Xiao family? Could it be that the Xiao family possessed something they coveted?”

Even Li Guanqi had no answers for everything.

He pulled out a mysterious jade slip and said quietly, “Grandfather, Uncle Meng and Elder Gu were likely tailed when they went to the Seventh Territory.”

Soon, Su Xuan’s voice came through the jade slip, calm and steady.

—I already suspected as much. This enemy… is very powerful. Do not act rashly. I can handle matters on my own.

“Also… when you reach the Mahayana Realm, come find me.”

“Before then, no matter what happens, do not attempt to seek me out.”

Li Guanqi froze slightly. He hadn’t expected his grandfather to directly tell him that he could find him once he reached Mahayana Realm!

But he didn’t dwell on it. Given his current situation, his stay in the Illusory Refinement Realm would likely be far longer than anticipated.