Spirit Ruin, Sword Coffin, Blind Swordsman

There was one thing even Sword Spirit had misjudged. Lu Wuhen’s Ascension Sword did not actually contain a fragment of its true body. What lay within Lu Wuhen’s innate spirit void was a phantom projection of Sword Spirit’s blade tip.

When his spirit void awakened, a Saint-tier spirit void had appeared alongside the fragment, but his instincts told him to take the crimson shard instead. Though it was only the size of a soybean, it had let him soar to the heavens in a single leap. That was why he named his sword Ascension. He believed that with this fragment, he could shatter the heavens and ascend to immortality.

Sword Spirit shared her revised speculation with Li Guanqi. After thinking it through, she no longer believed Lu Wuhen could truly possess a fragment of her original body. If the fragment were real, she would have sensed it long ago.

Sword Spirit sighed softly and murmured, “It should be a projection of my fragment… like Wrathful Slaughter. Be careful. The tip of that sword will be extremely powerful.”

Boom! Boom!

The two stood facing each other, neither making the first move. Then, in an instant, their auras surged to their peaks. The pressure they unleashed rivaled that of experts half a step into the Combined Body Realm. Neither made any effort to conceal their true strength.

Meanwhile, Lu Kangnian’s divine consciousness spread outward. “How is Coward Li’s side progressing?”

Qin Xian quickly replied through voice transmission. “Almost there! He’s already reached the late Illusory Refinement Realm, but he’s still some distance from the peak. He needs more time!”

The speed of Coward Li’s breakthroughs had long since left Qin Xian numb to shock. He felt like a miner shoveling coal until the shovel threw sparks. With precise control over his spirit power, he fed batch after batch of spirit stones into the Spirit-Gathering Arrays.

No fewer than eighteen Spirit-Gathering Arrays surrounded Coward Li, and his cultivation technique refined spirit qi at such a terrifying rate that more than a dozen cultivators had to stand by and continuously replenish the formation. “Sect Master… we’re almost out of spirit stones…”

“Open the domain,” Lu Kangnian replied in a low voice. “Tang Ru is here, and Tang Wei as well.”

Before he could finish, Qin Xian spoke up again, surprised. “Uh… Sect Master, Territory Lord Meng and Elder Gu’s clones have also arrived. That should be enough.”

Lu Kangnian exhaled in quiet relief, his gaze turning solemn as he looked toward the stage.

On the stage, Li Guanqi and Lu Wuhen could both sense the other’s chilling killing intent. Whatever answers they sought, neither intended to let the other leave alive.

Could his spirit void hold a fragment as well?! Lu Wuhen thought

Boom!

Two explosive blasts rang out, and the ground beneath their feet collapsed into pits several zhang deep.

Clang!

Clang clang clang clang!

Clang! Clang clang clang!

Boom boom! Clang! Thud! Clang!

Two afterimages intertwined in midair, flashing with cold brilliance, the clash of metal ringing too fast to leave a single gap. The shrill cry of swords echoed through the heavens as a shockwave swept across the arena.

Li Guanqi and Lu Wuhen were blasted back a hundred zhang. The moment they parted, the space at the center of the arena ruptured violently, tearing open a hollow spatial rift over a hundred zhang wide. The pitch-black cavity looked ready to devour everything, wild energy raging within it. Everyone watching sucked in a sharp breath.

Every strike from either side carried enough force to kill a mid Illusory Refinement Realm cultivator outright. Any cultivator at that level who stepped into the heart of their clash would be shredded in an instant.

Yet, neither Li Guanqi nor Lu Wuhen showed the slightest disarray. Even their hair remained perfectly still as they stared at one another in mid-air, their expressions grave. Both had realized that they had underestimated the other.

Lu Wuhen laughed coldly. “I didn’t expect you to have already reached the peak of the Illusory Refinement Realm. Only one step away from the Combined Body Realm.”

Li Guanqi remained calm, seemingly unconcerned that his true cultivation had been exposed. “And I didn’t expect your physical strength to be this formidable.”

Lu Wuhen’s raw strength was not inferior to his own in the slightest. This was the first time someone had matched him in physical strength, even after fully activating the Dragon-Elephant Subduing Sutra.

Lu Wuhen’s strength seemed tied to the same beast spirit runes Lu Xiuzhong had once displayed, only Lu Wuhen’s were of a higher grade and far more powerful. Li Guanqi’s eyes narrowed slightly. He suspected Lu Wuhen had more than one beast marking.

Lu Wuhen smiled faintly. The methods of the ancient clans far exceeded what Li Guanqi understood. Beneath his sleeve, Lu Wuhen’s left hand flew through seals.

The instant Li Guanqi sensed the fluctuation, he activated his sprint technique and appeared in front of Lu Wuhen, slashing at Lu Wuhen’s left arm.

Lu Wuhen’s heart jolted. He had not expected Li Guanqi to be so fast. Relying on nothing but physical strength and a sprint technique, Li Guanqi moved so quickly that he seemed to teleport.

With no time to think, Lu Wuhen raised his sword and bent low to evade. In one smooth motion, he deflected the Red Lotus Sword and thrust his blade toward Li Guanqi’s wrist.

Li Guanqi’s eyes glinted sharply. The instant their swords met, his technique shifted mid-motion. The downward slash flowed into a coiling movement, and with a twist of his wrist, he redirected the Ascension Sword toward Lu Wuhen’s own wrist.

Lu Wuhen’s heart skipped a beat. He erupted with overwhelming force and blasted Li Guanqi backward, but the outburst broke the seal his left hand had been forming.

Cold sweat beaded on his forehead as he retreated. That exchange had been no coincidence. It was as though Li Guanqi had seen through his every intention.

Lu Wuhen raised his head to look at Li Guanqi. Only then did he notice that his milky-white eyes had become unfathomably deep. Lu Wuhen had never imagined the word deep could describe a blind man’s eyes, yet right now, he felt like prey awaiting slaughter. And Li Guanqi was the hunter, blade in hand, ready to take his head at any moment.

A faint smile touched Li Guanqi’s lips. Looks like he already noticed something.

Destruction. Blade Breaker. Illusory Form.

With three major abilities empowering him simultaneously, he could see through Lu Wuhen’s sword intent before it fully took shape. The Illusory Form ability made Lu Wuhen feel as though every thought in his mind had been exposed.

There was another reason as well: Li Guanqi was waiting for Lu Wuhen to reveal his spirit void’s true ability. If it proved powerful enough, he would not hesitate to seize it. With his current strength and cultivation, he could take several more abilities.

He activated the Great Wilderness Dragon Technique and closed the distance again, giving Lu Wuhen no chance to breathe.

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