Spirit Ruin, Sword Coffin, Blind Swordsman

Nangong Xuandu looked at Cao Yan for a long moment. If not for the demonic qi he couldn’t suppress or expel...

“First match, Daxia Sword Sect versus the Lu family of the ancient clans. Victory goes to the ancient clans!”

Buzz!

The barrier dissipated.

Li Guanqi rushed onto the platform and scooped Cao Yan up.

Cao Yan’s fist gauntlets had fallen off. His knuckles had shattered, yet his right hand still trembled, struggling to close into a fist.

Li Guanqi gripped his hand, tears welling in his eyes as he whispered, “That’s enough.”

No one blamed Cao Yan for losing the match.

As Li Guanqi carried him down the steps, he turned to look at Lu Wuhen. His voice was neutral—not loud, but clear enough for everyone to hear. “I will kill you. Definitely.”

Nangong Xuandu said, “Rest for one incense stick’s time. After that, the second match will begin.”Li Guanqi rushed Cao Yan back to the Purple Spirit Paradise Realm.

Inside, Peng Luo sat with the purple ginseng spirit. He picked up a small knife and began to slice the purple ginseng.

“Kid, see that? That’s my master. Don’t mess with him, got it?” Peng Luo murmured. Then he shouted, “Hey! Why are your slices so thick? Thinner! Thinner!”

Violent lightning-element power coursed through Cao Yan, but the demonic qi had already seeped into his bones and tainted his soul. If not for his terrifying willpower, he would have turned into an Abyssal Demon long ago.

Li Guanqi gritted his teeth and raised his hand. Lightning roared in his palm. Flames coiled into a dragon and surged into Cao Yan’s dantian. “Third Brother, swallow the Lightning Dragon Flame!”

As if sensing it, Cao Yan began desperately refining the flame.

But heavenly fire was still heavenly fire. Within just a few breaths, it nearly incinerated his flesh and blood. Without Peng Luo and Li Guanqi, Cao Yan would have been reduced to ashes already.

Peng Luo muttered from the side, “Master, Brother Nine seems a bit anemic lately. Should I call my kid over to give it a little boost?”

Li Guanqi’s mouth twitched, and he ignored Peng Luo.

At the Six Gates Holy Sect, Zhou Shiyu learned of Cao Yan’s defeat. He frowned at first, but he relaxed once he learned that Cao Yan had lost due to a flare-up of demonic qi. In truth, Zhou Shiyu was no stronger than Cao Yan. If Cao Yan had lost due to a lack of strength, he wouldn’t have fared any better.

He didn’t wait to hear more. He slowly opened his eyes and waved the disciple away.

Zhou Shiyu rose, his expression conflicted. In the end, the guilt was too much. He headed for the teleportation passage.

Beside the platform, Xiao Chen sat quietly with his eyes closed, cultivating. A tear slid down the corner of his eye. He had witnessed everything.

Rage burned in his chest, as though it were about to tear him apart. Cao Yan’s almost inhuman willpower had shaken Xiao Chen deeply, but the Lu clan’s despicable methods pushed his anger to its limit.

Soon, Li Guanqi returned.

Xiao Chen asked, “How is Third Brother?”

Li Guanqi shook his head and let out a long breath. “He’s alright. He only damaged his foundation a little.”

Xiao Chen bit his lip. After seeing how pale Li Guanqi was, he lowered his head and whispered, “Boss... you...”

Li Guanqi waved a hand and clapped his shoulder. “It’s just a heavenly flame. My brothers matter far more than any heavenly flame. If it had been you, I would have given it up too.”

A swirl of emotions rose in Xiao Chen’s heart.

Li Guanqi alone possessed two heavenly flames. Within that domain, who could stand against him? Yet, he had given up the Yin Hellfire to suppress Ye Feng’s Ghost Arm. Then, after retrieving the Lightning Dragon Flame from his clone, he surrendered that as well to keep the demonic qi from corrupting Cao Yan. This time, the heavenly flame would completely fuse with Cao Yan. Li Guanqi would no longer be able to borrow its power through the Flame-Devouring Sutra.

Li Guanqi tightened his grip on Xiao Chen’s shoulder and smiled. “No need to feel pressured. Crush them.”

Xiao Chen took a deep breath. When he looked up again, he stared at the ancient clans’ side of the arena, eyes sharp.

As he watched them chat and laugh, his anger intensified, but his aura remained outwardly calm. He softly declared, “I will give it my all.”

Nangong Xuandu’s voice rang out. “It’s time for the second match. Representatives from both sides, take the stage!”

Swoosh!

Dressed in white robes, Xiao Chen appeared on the battle platform. The arena had already been repaired and looked as good as new.

Xiao Chen stood tall on the platform, his red earring swaying in the wind. His good looks drew murmurs from many of the female cultivators.

On the Lu clan’s side, a young man casually stood up, only for Lu Wuhen to glance at him.

The young man froze in place.

Lu Wuhen turned his gaze to Lu Tao, who was quietly cultivating with his eyes closed. “Lu Tao, you go.”

Lu Tao opened his eyes. He frowned slightly but slowly stood up. He shouldn’t have been the one fighting in the second match. His target was Ye Feng, but Lu Wuhen had spoken, and he couldn’t refuse.

As he passed Lu Wuhen, Lu Wuhen said coldly, “Remember, you must win this round. I want all the Six Territories sects to see what true ancient clan strength looks like when it crushes them. So what if the Daxia Sword Sect’s foundation runs deep? I want everyone to despair.”

Lu Tao gave a faint smile, realizing why Lu Wuhen had sent him out so early.

Lu Tao flickered forward and appeared on the platform, ten zhang from Xiao Chen.

Li Guanqi frowned slightly and glanced up, in time to meet Lu Wuhen’s faint, almost mocking smile.

Li Guanqi narrowed his eyes but said nothing. He knew Xiao Chen was in for a hard fight. Still, he held his tongue, trusting Xiao Chen to give everything he had.

On the other side, Lu Tao smiled faintly as he reached into the void and slowly drew out a longsword, its edge restrained but terrifyingly sharp. Three cun of sword light extended from the blade. Its hilt was unusually long, and jagged fissures tore at the air along both edges.

Xiao Chen narrowed his eyes. Lu Tao had activated the Heaven-Opening Tier right from the start.

And the aura coming from him…

“The second match. Daxia Sword Sect’s Xiao Chen versus the Lu family’s Lu Tao. Begin!”

Boom! Boom!

Their auras surged to their peak. Late Illusory Refinement Realm pressure swept through the void unchecked.

In the same instant, the Divine Slaying Spear in Xiao Chen’s hands revealed its full, ferocious form for the first time. Blood-red energy coursed through its pitch-black shaft, while the spearhead widened into a blade nearly the length of a forearm. The shaft stretched longer as blood-red patterns spread across it, and a killing aura rolled outward.

Xiao Chen gripped the spear in both hands and settled into a forward-back stance. He looked like an invincible general on the battlefield.

A great battle was about to erupt.