Spirit Ruin, Sword Coffin, Blind Swordsman

Li Guanqi’s gaze shifted to the side, where he saw Xiao Chen intensely fighting two opponents with his spear, a sight that brought him some relief.

Meanwhile, lightning roared endlessly in his ears. Facing the comparatively smaller Ancient Demon Shadow Panther, Nine Heavens displayed absolute, kingly domination.

Roar!

The Ancient Demon Shadow Panther cried out pitifully, over and over. Its attacks landed on Nine Heavens without even breaking its defenses. Even at full strength, the panther’s claws could only leave faint white marks on the dragon’s scales. Yet a casual strike from Nine Heavens tore away sizeable chunks of the panther’s flesh. The defense it had been so proud of was now nothing but a joke.

Li Guanqi paid little attention to their fight, certain of the outcome. He calmly turned to the remaining three cultivators, his gaze as indifferent as if he were looking at three corpses.

“Since you’re out of trump cards, I won’t keep playing with you.”

Though fear churned in her heart, the woman sneered. “What arrogance. You think a nobody like you can defeat us?”

A heaven-splitting arc of sword light flashed across the sky, so fast that no one had time to react.

The protective barrier before the woman had already shattered. Only then did the light between heaven and earth dim.

Blood dripped from the blade of the Red Lotus Sword.“Sword-Unsheathing Technique, Shadow Demon Slash!”

Boom!

A rift tore open in the void behind the woman, stretching across a thousand zhang. She lowered her head and looked at her lower body, now separated from her torso. Blood surged upward and burst from her mouth.

The remaining man and Ding Gengyang exchanged a glance. Without a word, both chose to flee.

But how could Li Guanqi give them that chance?

The space was sealed. Even if they crushed teleportation scrolls, they would not escape.

As Ding Gengyang fled in panic, he frantically pulled three teleportation scrolls from his storage ring and crushed them all at once. To his despair, none responded.

Silver light flared briefly, and the dense spatial force crumbled against an even stronger sealing force.

A chill ran across Ding Gengyang’s neck. Before he even realized it, a cold blade was pressed against his throat.

The other man spun around, gathering all his strength as he drew his sword and slashed.

Boom!

A vast sword light spread across several hundred zhang, tearing the sky to pieces as it shot toward Li Guanqi.

A mocking smile graced Li Guanqi’s lips as the Red Lotus Sword bloomed with crimson radiance.

Slash!

“Heavenly Destruction Technique, Crouching Demon!”

His sword intent surged. A lightning sword beam swept forward with unstoppable force, crushing the man’s sword light without stopping. The man clutched his throat with both hands, only to feel scorching blood flooding his palms.

Boom!

The last man’s legs trembled uncontrollably. Not a single shred of fighting spirit remained. After witnessing that sword light, he could not muster even the slightest thought of resistance. Only one thought remained: Run. As far as possible.

A chill snaked up his spine. He turned, his gaze locking with eyes that held no feeling. It was an utterly indifferent look, yet that unnerving calm made the hairs on his body stand on end.

He roared madly, swinging his sword in wild desperation. Brutal sword lights came in relentless waves, crashing toward Li Guanqi like a torrential storm.

He didn’t understand how Li Guanqi could strike so recklessly, with no regard for the families backing them. They were three Illusory Refinement Realm experts—at the peak of the realm, no less.

Why?! Why can he just kill as he pleases?!

“Aren’t you afraid of our families seeking revenge?!”

Li Guanqi hovered in midair. He didn’t even bother dodging. He simply stood in the void, gripping the Red Lotus Sword in his left hand and unleashing one strike after another.

To his eyes, those subtle, intricate traces of sword light were no different from a mere mortal throwing punches at him.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

Boom! Boom! Rumble!

The explosions of sword light rang endlessly, like war drums beating in relentless succession.

Li Guanqi stared at the nearly frenzied man. His eyes glimmered coldly. “Afraid? The ones who should be afraid… are your families.”

The man’s pupils dilated in fear. “Y-you… what are you going to do?! Could it be—”

Li Guanqi swung his sword, shattering the last of the sword lights before him.

Terrifying sword qi tore through the void. Li Guanqi’s face contorted as he craned his neck and roared, “Today, of the six families, not one gets to live! After I kill you, I’ll personally visit each one of your homes, one by one!”

Boom!!!

“Red Lotus Sword Heavenly Dance: World-Ending Lightning Lotus!”

Boom!!!

A thousand-zhang radius was engulfed in lightning. The lightning sword beams coalesced into a single lightning lotus, blooming explosively.

What had been a mere three chi in diameter surged to nearly three hundred zhang. Everything within that range was utterly annihilated by the Red Lotus Sword Heavenly Dance, a technique with enough power to destroy the world.

This was the flash of inspiration that had first struck Li Guanqi’s mind when awakening the Heaven-Opening Tier of the Red Lotus Sword. Later, during his clone-creation process, he had glimpsed it again. The contrast between life and death born of lightning had helped him refine this technique.

The dazzling sword light eventually dissipated into the void, yet the shockwave sent the other two Illusory Refinement Realm cultivators flying over a thousand zhang.

Xiao Chen seized the opportunity and lunged forward, teleporting beside one of the elders. Gripping his spear with both hands, he slammed it down with all his might.

The strike was fueled by pure wrath. Veins bulged across his arms, his limbs swelling with muscle.

The Divine Blood Spear bent in an exaggerated arc, thick as a wrist, forming a curve that should have been impossible for a rigid weapon.

Boom!

Flames swirled along the Divine Blood Spear as a harsh celestial wind whipped through the air. The fire flared against the wind, expanding explosively. The spear, infused with immense flame power, struck down in an instant.

The elder’s eyes widened in terror as he threw up several defensive treasures. But even these artifacts could not withstand the sheer force of the spear’s wind.

Bang!!!

The spear struck. The elder’s head burst apart, his body split cleanly in two by the sheer force of the blow.

The other cultivator raised his sword with malice, slashing toward Xiao Chen’s arm.

Xiao Chen’s eyes were bloodshot. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught the attack and made a split-second decision, wrenching his body to the side in midair. The sword light struck across his left arm, and the arm shot upward in a high arc.

“Flame Shackles!”

Boom!

Flames transformed into ropes, binding the cultivator tightly in place. Xiao Chen let the opponent’s sword slice across his face, severing his ear and cutting open his chest.

But like a vengeful demon, his right hand reversed the Divine Blood Spear and drove it down through the old woman’s neck.

“Die!!”

The Divine Blood Spear pierced straight through her head and emerged beneath her left rib. Flames blazed into the sky, consuming the souls of both the fallen.

Li Guanqi sighed with relief as Xiao Chen collapsed in midair, gasping for breath. Drenched in blood, Xiao Chen felt some of the tension in his heart ease. He turned to look at Li Guanqi and saw him severing the heads of all the remaining opponents.

Six disfigured heads floated behind him. Li Guanqi walked over and slowly reached out, pulling Xiao Chen to his feet.