Spirit Ruin, Sword Coffin, Blind Swordsman

Tang Wei leaned back and looked up at the ceiling, countless thoughts flashing through his mind. After a long while, he fixed his burning gaze on Li Guanqi. “Are you telling the truth?”

“If it weren’t true, I wouldn’t have come here. Nor would I have gone around Tang Ru to speak with you directly.”

A faint smile tugged at Li Guanqi’s lips. He knew Tang Wei had already decided.

“Alright… Fine! I agree!” Tang Wei said.

Li Guanqi’s expression suggested everything had gone exactly as he expected. “If the Tang family ever needs help, I’ll stand with you as a steadfast ally, and the Guanyun Pavilion will as well. Of course, the Daxia Sword Sect isn’t mine alone. I can’t make decisions on behalf of the sect.”

Tang Wei nodded and said in a deep voice, “Good! From today on, the Hundred Treasures Pavilion will work with the Guanyun Pavilion as well!”

Tang Wei’s lips curled in a sly smile, making him seem like an old fox. “As for Judge Ji Yuchuan, that peak tier-seven talisman master from the Daochan Territory… I’ve had my eye on him for quite a while.”

In truth, Tang Wei had thought all this through long ago, which was why he agreed so readily. The Daxia Sword Sect was at the height of its power. Even if Li Guanqi hadn’t come to him, he would have sent Tang Ru to seek Li Guanqi out. Tang Wei knew quite a bit about Li Guanqi’s strength and connections, and the sect’s recent moves had already drawn widespread attention.

From what Tang Wei knew of Lu Kangnian, the man was as steady and deep as an abyss. Without absolute confidence, he would never recall every member of the sect stationed outside. Part of that confidence came from having Li Guanqi, but Tang Wei believed Lu Kangnian could control the overall situation without him.

If Tang Ru wanted to inherit Tang Wei’s position, his ability and circumstances still fell short. But if the Guanyun Pavilion was truly what Li Guanqi described, it would let Tang Ru spread his wings. The Hundred Treasures Pavilion possessed immense resources, and in just two days, the Daxia Sword Sect would hold its grand recall ceremony. A sect with barely over five thousand members would rapidly expand to roughly fifty thousand, and maintaining an organization of that scale would consume astronomical resources every single day. Perhaps only by cooperating with powers like the Heavenly Intelligence Pavilion and the Hundred Treasures Pavilion could they solve that problem.

It would be up to Lu Kangnian and Tang Wei to figure out the rest, such as how the sect’s powerful experts could benefit both parties.

With these matters settled, Tang Wei let out a sigh of relief. Among his three sons, only Tang Ru was truly capable, which had caused him quite a headache.

Li Guanqi joked, “I used to think you were only in charge of the northern region of the Azure Cloud Continent.”

Tang Wei laughed. “You didn’t expect me to be in charge of the entire Azure Cloud Continent? Hahaha!”

Just then, the Guanyun jade pendant in Li Guanqi’s storage ring flickered with a faint light. He sent a trace of his divine consciousness into it, and a smile touched his lips.

He picked up the teapot, poured Tang Wei a cup of tea, and said softly, “Uncle Tang, have the Abyssal-Sealing Lands sealed by the Hundred Treasures Pavilion been stirring more often lately?”

Tang Wei’s eyes widened in surprise. This was a secret of the Tang family, something no outsider could possibly know.

Seeing his reaction, Li Guanqi smiled faintly, his expression somewhat mysterious.

Tang Wei finally adjusted his mindset and started taking the Guanyun Pavilion seriously. “It seems… I’ve underestimated this Guanyun Pavilion after all.”

Since Li Guanqi already knew, Tang Wei saw no reason to keep hiding it. “That’s right. For some unknown reason, the seal over the Abyssal-Sealing Lands has been weakening. It’s been giving me quite the headache. And the seal my Tang family maintains over the Abyssal Demons is no small one.”

A flicker of exhaustion crossed Tang Wei’s eyes. It wasn’t that the Tang family lacked sealing arrays. The real issue was that the seals needed to suppress Abyssal Demons were somewhat unique. Ordinary sealing artifacts simply couldn’t withstand the corrosion of demonic qi. Before long, they would be completely ruined.

Li Guanqi gathered his sleeves and smiled faintly. “Leave this matter to me, Uncle Tang. What do you think?”

A sharp glint flashed in Tang Wei’s eyes as he stared at Li Guanqi.

“Are you serious?” His expression grew grave. “This issue has been giving me a real headache lately. I’ve consulted many array masters I know, but none of them could do anything about it. That sealing array is ancient.”

Li Guanqi raised his hand slightly. The space beside him distorted, and an old man stepped out from within.

Tang Wei’s pupils constricted. He had not sensed even the slightest spatial fluctuation within the domain, and even at such close range, he could not detect the faintest trace of the man’s presence. The man stood right in front of him, yet Tang Wei still could not perceive him at all.

Xi Yunhuai gave Tang Wei a slight cupped-fist salute. His expression remained calm, with no sign of concern for Tang Wei’s status. In an even tone, he said, “I am Xi Yunhuai of the Guanyun Pavilion.”

Tang Wei hurriedly rose and bowed deeply. “I’m the head of the Tang family, Tang Wei. Greetings, Senior Xi.”

Li Guanqi also stood and smiled. “Uncle Tang, there’s no need to be so formal. We’re all on the same side.”

Then Li Guanqi turned to Xi Yunhuai with a smile. “Uncle Xi, shall we take a look?”

Xi Yunhuai no longer dared to underestimate Li Guanqi. After studying the array Li Guanqi had casually inscribed that day, he had gained significant insight. Now, he held Li Guanqi in great respect. Not to mention what Ji Yuchuan had told him in private about that golden-armored man…

Xi Yunhuai bowed slightly, showing utmost respect. This was a sharp contrast to his earlier indifference toward Tang Wei.

Tang Wei walked half a step behind Xi Yunhuai. After all, a Combined Body Realm array grandmaster far surpassed him in both status and strength, even as the head of the Hundred Treasures Pavilion on the Azure Cloud Continent.

But how could Xi Yunhuai dare to walk ahead of Li Guanqi? So Li Guanqi walked alone at the very front, with Xi Yunhuai behind him and Tang Wei at the rear.

A faint smile played at the corner of Tang Wei’s lips as he watched Li Guanqi’s back, his eyes flickering thoughtfully. Perhaps letting Tang Ru follow him isn’t such a bad choice. The Daxia Sword Sect…

Tang Wei quietly made up his mind. It might be a risky move, but the rewards would be immense.

Soon, the group arrived before a massive stone stele. It stood more than thirty zhang tall, pitch black from top to bottom. Surrounding it were equally dark stone pillars, each roughly ten zhang high. No one could approach within a thousand zhang of the area. Layer upon layer of array barriers rose around it, sealing off the surroundings from sight.