Spirit Ruin, Sword Coffin, Blind Swordsman

The three of them held their newly forged weapons, excitement written all over their faces, reluctant to put them down.

Ye Feng clasped his fists and bowed deeply. “Uncle Meng, we three brothers will never forget this kindness. If you ever need anything, just say the word, and we’ll help without hesitation. Tomorrow is the day of the wager, though, so we should head back now.”

Meng Jiangchu waved his hand and laughed. “Alright. When you get back, tell that brat not to worry about Wanshu. It won’t take long.”

The three stepped onto the spatial tunnel leading back to the Daxia Sword Sect, their eyes filled with gratitude.

Ye Feng had always carried nothing more than an ordinary magical longsword, and Cao Yan’s weapon had been low-tier as well. Only Xiao Chen, who came from a better background, owned a spear capable of bearing his previous spear void.

Inside the teleportation passage, the three couldn’t stop admiring their new weapons, wiping them down and turning them over repeatedly. They continuously nourished the blades with pure vital force. Meng Jiangchu had even prepared an ownerless artifact spirit for each of them, items whose value surpassed an Illusory Breakthrough Pill. In fact, three Illusory Breakthrough Pills could not compare to a single ownerless artifact spirit.

Cao Yan looked at the gauntlets glowing in his hands, his eyes turning red with emotion.

Ye Feng carefully wiped his cold, gleaming longsword as though tending to a beloved. Though the blade had yet to taste blood, he could already feel the eagerness of the artifact soul within his spirit void.

Xiao Chen hugged his Divine Slaying Spear, even rubbing his face against it.

Watching this, Cao Yan muttered to Ye Feng, “Why do I feel like Fourth Brother’s being a bit… perverted?” Ye Feng chuckled and glanced at Cao Yan, who was polishing his Solitary Flame Gauntlets with his sleeve. “You’re not much better yourself.”

But as the three stepped into the transport array, something nagged at Meng Jiangchu, and he sent Li Changqing after them.

As the three laughed and chatted, the spatial tunnel to the Daxia Sword Sect rumbled and collapsed without warning. A terrifying sword light sliced through the void, severing the passage cleanly in two.

Ye Feng instantly drew the Wrathful Slaughter Sword, scanning his surroundings with a sharp gaze. Violent power burst outward. “Third Brother! Fourth Brother!”

Cao Yan donned the Solitary Flame Gauntlets, waves of flame surging in all directions.

Xiao Chen’s black Divine Slaying Spear spun around him in midair, warding off the surrounding space-rending forces.

The three stood back-to-back, their divine consciousness sweeping outward like a tidal wave.

Li Changqing appeared before them in an instant, raising a hand and striking toward the space behind them. “Heavenly Desert Palm!”

His eyes, sharp as an eagle’s, locked onto the void behind them. Simultaneously, a hundred-zhang-wide palm of spirit light slammed forward.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

In response, several sword lights slashed out, followed by deafening explosions.

Boom! Boom!

The shockwaves sent the trio flying back dozens of zhang. The space around them ripped open and twisted, forming crack after crack.

Li Changqing stood alone, eyes narrowing as he blocked the enemy’s path. “Who are you? How dare you make a move at a time like this!”

He appeared calm, but his heart was anything but.

The attackers had sealed the space within ten thousand zhang with a mysterious force. No spatial transmission could get through. They meant to silence everyone for good.

Two black-clad figures emerged ahead. Their faces were distorted as though shrouded in mist; their features were impossible to make out.

Li Changqing glared at them. Beside him, Xiao Chen sneered. “Tomorrow’s the martial stage wager, and you intercept us today? Does the Lu clan have no shame?”

The moment the words left Xiao Chen’s mouth, Li Changqing sensed a faint fluctuation in the two men’s auras. Li Changqing’s expression darkened. “Do you even know who I am? Do you know what I represent?”

The two said nothing. Yet, Ye Feng could feel their killing intent weaken. Or rather, from the very start, they had never meant to kill them. There was only one explanation—they merely wanted to stall them. The Lu clan didn’t want them reaching the arena.

“Damn it!”

Li Changqing crushed several jade slips one after another, but the spatial ripples dissipated after only a few dozen li. His eyes narrowed, a silver glow lighting up within them. Scanning the void, he realized they had already been transported into a separate domain space.

“Quite the bold move… sealing off the whole void with a spatial artifact. They destroyed the tunnel and brought us straight here. Looks like no one outside has noticed yet.”

As he spoke, he transmitted his voice to Ye Feng and the others. “These two are at least as strong as I am. Stay sharp. We need to hold out for three hours at most. By then, Territory Lord Meng Jiangchu will realize we never reached the Daxia Sword Sect and come looking. I’ll hold them off. Use your full strength to break through this spatial artifact and leave at once!”

The words had barely left his mouth when the two black-clad figures charged forward.

Li Changqing’s vital force surged, shoving the trio back over a thousand zhang. A longsword appeared in his hand, glinting coldly as terrifying power erupted around it. “Go!”

With that, he charged the two black-clad figures. Their strength rivaled his own, yet he showed no fear. His sword carried immense weight, and his movements were broad and forceful, almost crude in their ferocity. Yet, that was exactly what let him pin the two of them down.

Ye Feng and the others exchanged glances.

“Move!” Ye Feng said, his voice low. “Help him, then find an opening to break out!”

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Three late-stage Illusory Refinement Realm auras erupted at once, terrifying waves of flame sweeping across heaven and earth. The void warped under the heat as the three joined the fight.

Li Changqing let out a quiet breath of relief.

The four moved in seamless coordination and held their ground for the time being. But the two Combined Body Realm cultivators were far from easy opponents. Before long, wounds of all sizes had opened across the three brothers.

The scent of blood drove their fighting spirit higher, yet they held back hard. The power they now had could not be revealed, not the techniques Li Guanqi had taught them, nor the true killing strength of their weapons. These were trump cards they’d painstakingly hidden until now. If they exposed them, everything Li Guanqi had done for them would lose its meaning.

No matter what, they had to break out. Missing the martial stage was not an option.

Boom! Boom!

Rumble! Clang! Clang! Clang!

Sparks flew where blades met, terrifying power churning through the tiny space. The battle shifted with every breath, each moment unbearably tense.