Spirit Ruin, Sword Coffin, Blind Swordsman

Meng Wanshu looked surprised. She had not expected Li Guanqi to know someone in the Ethereal Immortal Territory. “Who?”

Li Guanqi smiled faintly and took out a jade slip. “Are you in Qinhuang City?”

Soon, a warm, refined male voice came through the jade slip.

—You’re here?

—Come over. I’m waiting for you in Qinhuang City.

Li Guanqi put away the jade slip, checked their bearings, and took Meng Wanshu by the hand before speeding east.

They traveled at an unhurried pace, taking in the Ethereal Immortal Territory’s unique sights along the way. Withered, flesh-devouring trees lurked within the dense forests, their branches sweeping through the air with wails like tormented ghosts. Clusters of beautiful flowers bloomed nearby, but their pollen carried deadly poison.

These sights fascinated Meng Wanshu. Like a curious little girl, she drew closer to examine everything they came across. Li Guanqi was happy to indulge her and never once rushed her.

Meng Wanshu plucked a pink flower as broad as a lotus leaf. She smiled and said, “Look at this! It’s huge. Isn’t it beautiful?”

Li Guanqi nodded with a smile, his eyes full of adoration.Only then did something occur to Meng Wanshu, and she tossed the flower aside. “Wait, isn’t someone waiting for us?”

Li Guanqi smiled. “It’s fine. Let him wait. I’ll just say we stopped to enjoy the scenery along the way.”

Meng Wanshu playfully stuck out her tongue and took his hand. “My bad. I got carried away.”

Li Guanqi only smiled; a small delay hardly bothered him. The two soared side by side above the clouds, looking every bit like an immortal couple.

Li Guanqi was dressed in white. Meng Wanshu flew beside him with her arm linked through his, a radiant smile on her face. The cold, aloof pride she showed outsiders was nowhere to be seen. Even around Ye Feng and the others, she instinctively carried herself with a dignified air. With Li Guanqi, however, she was warm and gentle.

Along the way, Meng Wanshu sighed softly. “The Ethereal Immortal Territory really is vast. What kind of existence could have created such an enormous domain? After tens of thousands of years, it’s almost indistinguishable from the outside world. Far fewer cultivators live here, yet the population is still immense.”

Li Guanqi nodded. “Entry from the outside is strictly controlled. And… the people here don’t seem to like venturing into the Six Territories. Even members of the ancient clans rarely travel there. Still, I’ve always felt the natives consider themselves naturally superior to outside cultivators, as though they were born above them.”

Meng Wanshu smiled. “Anyone born here would find it hard to avoid that mindset. In a land blessed with such abundant spirit qi, children are born with far superior spirit roots. And with hardly a trace of the mortal world anywhere, the whole place feels that much more like an immortal realm.”

For all she said about the territory, Li Guanqi could tell that Meng Wanshu held little attachment to it. She preferred the warmth and bustle of ordinary mortal life.

Ever since her childhood in Prosperity Village, she had yearned for the lively towns below the mountains, with their noisy streets, roadside hawkers, laughing children, and steamy food stalls.

Li Guanqi gently squeezed her hand. “Once all this is over, I’ll take you to live in a mortal town for a while, okay?”

Meng Wanshu looked at him in disbelief. Then her brows relaxed, and her eyes brightened, curving into crescents as a smile spread across her face. “Okay.”

Whoosh!

Even at their speed, several hours passed before Qinhuang City appeared on the horizon. The city’s imposing grandeur surprised even Meng Wanshu, but the scene outside its gates astonished her more.

Li Guanqi, too, eyed it with resignation.

Qinhuang City’s massive gates were shut tight, and the cultivators gathered outside could only watch from a distance, barred from approaching.

Atop the city wall, a man in a fitted black brocade robe lounged inside a pavilion. He plucked a spirit fruit from beside him and popped it into his mouth. Outside the city gate, more than a hundred black-armored guards stood in orderly ranks on either side.

Across the bluestone pavement, a red silk carpet stretched more than three hundred zhang, its opulent embroidery glimmering faintly.

Hundreds of cultivators had been stopped outside the city gate. Everyone was trying to guess who could possibly warrant such a reception in Qinhuang City.

The spectacle alone was enough to astonish the crowd, especially with Qin Wushang, the crown prince of Qinhuang City, personally waiting atop the city wall.

Qinhuang City was home to many local and traveling cultivators, most of whom had reached the Nascent Soul Realm. Even the teenage descendants of prominent clans were at least in the late Golden Core Realm. The city also had its share of Divine Transformation Realm and Illusory Refinement Realm powerhouses.

“Just what kind of big shot could make Crown Prince Qin Wushang receive them in person?” an elder in embroidered robes asked in a grave voice.

Qin Wushang’s eyes lit up. He rose from his seat and teleported beyond the gates in a flash of light. Standing in midair, he watched the two approaching figures with a faint smile.

The cultivators turned toward the horizon. One moment, the two figures were little more than distant blurs. The next, they were already close enough to see clearly. Their astonishing speed left many cultivators stunned.

Li Guanqi flickered to a stop one zhang from Qin Wushang and said wryly, “Was all this really necessary?”

Qin Wushang smiled lightly. “For you, this is the bare minimum of respect. And this is…?”

Li Guanqi curled his lip. “My Dao companion, Meng Wanshu. Don’t tell me you haven’t heard what happened with the Nine Dragon Immortal Sect.”

Qin Wushang did not deny it. He merely smiled and cupped his hands toward Meng Wanshu. “I’m Qin Wushang.”

Meng Wanshu returned the greeting with a smile. “I’m Meng Wanshu.”

Qin Wushang let his gaze linger on her a moment, shock plain on his face.

No wonder…

“You’re strong.”

Li Guanqi held up two fingers, as if to poke his eyes. “Keep staring and I’ll gouge your eyes out.”

Qin Wushang lifted a hand to shield his face and dodged aside with a laugh. “Easy, easy. I was only admiring Wanshu’s strength. Come, let me take you both to my residence.”

The colossal city gates rumbled open for them.

Qin Wushang and Li Guanqi strolled side by side along the red carpet, chatting as they went.

“Are you on good terms with the Nine Dragon Immortal Sect now?” Qin Wushang asked.

Li Guanqi shrugged. “I wouldn’t say that. Their ink jiao dragons helped Nine Heavens break through, so I owe them a big favor. That’s about it.”

Qin Wushang smiled. “By the way, someone is waiting for you at my residence.”

Li Guanqi frowned, unable to fathom who would be waiting for him.

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