Spirit Ruin, Sword Coffin, Blind Swordsman

Li Guanqi spoke slowly, his voice cold. “If you want to return and contribute to the development of the sect, the entire Daxia Sword Sect welcomes you wholeheartedly. But you… if you’ve come only to fight for power and seize its benefits…”

Pff!

Li Guanqi flipped his wrist, slicing off Ji Hong’s jaw and catching it in his palm. He shook the blood from his hand, his voice calm. “Then don’t come back. The Daxia Sword Sect doesn’t need you. Consider this both advice and a warning.”

Nangong Qianyan, dressed in a flowing blue skirt, fixed a burning gaze on Li Guanqi. Her eyes flickered, unreadable. Beside her stood a gaunt, white-haired elder with his hands tucked into his sleeves, silent from beginning to end. Another elder watched the scene with a faint smile, his thoughts impossible to discern.

Ling Daoyan stared at the white-haired elder. Then he recalled something, and shock surged through his heart. “Tu Zhongqiu! The twenty-ninth-generation Chief Elder!”

Tu Zhongqiu was likely the oldest living person in the Daxia Sword Sect.

The one whose jaw Li Guanqi had just severed was Ji Hong, once the disciplinarian.

Duantai Yiting’s eyes flicked to the sword cradled in Li Guanqi’s hands, its blade gleaming like a crimson full moon. His face darkened. Beside him, Han Chengxian narrowed his eyes, coldly staring at Li Guanqi.

Li Guanqi showed no fear. Vital force surged around him, and a faint but terrifying pressure rolled outward. The oppression spread across the heavens. Even those watching from a thousand zhang away dared not breathe.

The Daxia Sword Sect disciples held their breath, eyes fixed on the scene. Li Guanqi’s display was simply overwhelming. Many of the returning disciples recognized Ji Hong, and some others at least knew the name.In the domain behind them, countless figures hovered in midair, staring on in shock. The sharper ones in the crowd had already begun calculating where they should stand going forward.

With Li Guanqi at his side, Lu Kangnian felt deeply reassured. However, Li Guanqi was injured, and Lu Kangnian had no intention of letting things spiral out of control. With so many eyes on them, any slip would be a public humiliation.

Lu Kangnian smiled and said softly, “Venerable elders, shall we… step inside and discuss this?”

Duantai Yiting sneered, his eyes on the blood at his sword’s tip. “Discuss what? It seems the sect’s younger generation has grown too unruly. Sometimes… a proper lesson is in order.”

Li Guanqi let out a cold laugh, meeting the elders’ gazes unflinchingly. The Daxia Sword Sect had no need for arrogant old fools like them.

Buzz!

An overwhelming pressure descended. A lightning dragon, over a hundred zhang long, burst from the void. The aura of a true dragon spread in every direction. Its massive eyes locked onto the group across from Li Guanqi, and it unleashed a sky-shattering roar.

Roar!

Its tail lashed through the air, tearing through space across hundreds of zhang as its massive body settled at Li Guanqi’s feet. It reared up slowly, carrying Li Guanqi aloft. Its huge eyes glinted coldly, an oppressive pressure rolling off it.

“A dragon! A true dragon, a lightning dragon!”

“Gah! It’s at least a peak tier-six monster!”

“It’s a true dragon… Could it actually be Li Guanqi’s mount?”

And that wasn’t all. From the void near Li Guanqi’s shoulder, a plump white radish popped into view, followed by a round, ginseng-like creature with an almost identical shape.

Peng Luo stood on Li Guanqi’s shoulder, hands on his hips, glaring at the group across from them. “Master, shall we deal with them?!”

Below, the lightning dragon roared in agreement.

Han Chengxian’s expression shifted repeatedly. The power emanating from the true dragon and the strange creature was comparable to that of the elders. “Where… did he get so many allies?!”

The dragon’s natural aura alone carried an unfathomable pressure. Peng Luo looked harmless enough, but his aura was anything but.

Li Guanqi’s lips curved slightly. Beside him, the void twisted subtly as several figures stepped out in succession.

Ye Feng emerged, hair disheveled, a sword at his waist, walking steadily forward. “Big Brother.”

Cao Yan came next, wreathed in raging blue flames. He glanced sideways at the three across from him and rolled his wrist. “Big Brother, shall we start?”

Buzz!

A crimson spear pierced through the void, and a youth in red martial robes stepped out behind it. He grinned at the other two.

“Second Brother, Third Brother, you two beat me here.” Xiao Chen turned to Li Guanqi with a coy look. “Big Brother, I missed you. Should we take care of them?”

Li Guanqi’s lips twitched. “Why are all of you like this? The moment you show up, all you think about is fighting. Who taught you that?”

The three froze in shock, staring at Li Guanqi as if to say, “How could you say something like that?”

Across from them, the faces of Duantai Yiting and the others went dark. Facing the new arrivals, none of them felt confident they could secure an outright victory, regardless of their opponent.

“What sort of monsters are these people? Four cultivators in the Illusory Refinement Realm, all in their mid-thirties!”

The onlookers gasped in astonishment. Many knew Li Guanqi had a few sworn brothers, but they hadn’t realized just how powerful they were.

Then an even more terrifying pressure erupted. The overwhelming force bore down on Duantai Yiting and Han Chengxian, nearly forcing them to stagger and kneel in midair.

Every gaze turned to the space rippling in the distance.

Buzz!

Within the distortion, a massive teleportation array slowly condensed, and a white-robed elder emerged from within. He held a large storage ring, his piercing gaze fixed on Duantai Yiting and Han Chengxian.

Only when he turned toward Li Guanqi did a faint smile appear on his face. “The Five Yang Ghost Emperor sends these gifts to Sect Master Lu: three high-grade spirit veins, one spirit treasure, and three ancient treasures.”

Li Changqing then winked at Li Guanqi and sent him a voice transmission. “Kid, want me to lend a hand?”

Li Guanqi grinned and winked back. “Just you showing up will be enough to make them think twice. They won’t dare act rashly. Besides… do you think I can’t handle them on my own?”

Li Changqing thought of the assassins from the Sha organization and realized he might have been overly concerned. Still, he wasn’t done. He narrowed his eyes and glared coldly at the two before him.

“Pfft!”

“Pfft! Cough, cough!”

“Wah! Pfft!”

It was nothing more than a cold snort. Yet beneath that crushing pressure, Duantai Yiting, Han Chengxian, and Ji Hong all turned pale and spat out mouthfuls of blood.