Spirit Ruin, Sword Coffin, Blind Swordsman

Xiang Huaizhi’s icy voice brimmed with killing intent. If he hadn’t needed to suppress the rampaging vital force inside Li Guanqi, he would have stormed straight into the Yu clan and burned everything to ash.

No one knew just how loudly Nangong Xuandu had laughed when he sent that message. The sound had been grating. Infuriatingly so.

Meng Wanshu kept her eyes on Li Guanqi, too worried about him to spare a thought for her own injuries. If he hadn’t pulled her to safety, he wouldn’t have ended up so badly hurt.

Nine Heavens lowered his massive head and examined Li Guanqi from every angle, clearly anxious. Perched atop Nine Heavens’ head, Peng Luo spoke up. “Relax. Everything’s fine.”

Nine Heavens turned in confusion. There was a Peng Luo on his left and another on his right.

Peng Luo grinned and waved him off. “Don’t worry about me. I’ll be back to normal in a few days.”

Xiang Huaizhi frowned. “The consequences will be grave. Once this seal is in place, he won’t be able to force his way through it again. If he tries… not even an immortal will be able to save him.”

He turned, found Li Guanqi still grinning, and his temper flared. He rapped him on the head. “You’re still smiling? Do that again, and even your grandfather won’t be able to save you!”

Li Guanqi’s smile vanished. If even his grandfather could not save him, then the situation was truly serious. His lips twitched as the gravity of the matter sank in.

Meng Jiangchu and Gu Changsheng both tensed, especially Meng Jiangchu. He was one of the few who understood that man’s true standing. If even someone at that level was powerless, they had to deal with Li Guanqi’s incomplete divine soul, and soon.The three men joined forces, and a three-colored fire seal materialized on Li Guanqi’s brow. There was no way to conceal it. The seal lent his already striking features an eerie, ethereal air.

With the combined effort of three Mahayana Realm cultivators channeling their heavenly fires, the rampaging force within Li Guanqi finally subsided. Once it was done, they all breathed a sigh of relief.

Even so, Li Guanqi could now wield only seventy percent of his full strength. The instant he exceeded that limit, the heavenly fire seal would shatter. Without a complete divine soul, his cultivation would be ruined, and he might not even survive.

They all knew Xiang Huaizhi’s standing. Even Gu Changsheng and Meng Jiangchu treated him with a measure of deference. He hailed from the Seventh Territory and was one of the Eight Generals, the foremost among Mahayana Realm cultivators. The one most widely known was probably Long Hou.

Rumor had it that Meng Jiangchu had earned his place in the Seventh Territory solely through his Five Yang Ghost Flame, ranked seventh among the heavenly flames. Meng Wanshu had played no part in it. That alone showed how high the standards were.

Meng Jiangchu finally relaxed and turned to Meng Wanshu. “Are you all right?”

Meng Wanshu shook her head.

Xiang Huaizhi casually tossed her an ice-blue jade case. “Take the Frost Soul Pill inside. You forced your cultivation up to this level. Weren’t you afraid of damaging your foundation?”

Meng Wanshu didn’t refuse. She bowed in thanks. “Thank you, Senior Xiang. It won’t happen again.”

Xiang Huaizhi pursed his lips as she swallowed the precious pill, then flicked a finger. A crimson fire seal appeared on her brow. Its gentle warmth harmonized perfectly with her body and helped her refine the pill’s power.

With every breath, Meng Wanshu’s cultivation seemed to decline slightly. Meng Jiangchu raised his brows, but he soon realized her cultivation was not regressing. It was simply stabilizing at the early Combined Body Realm.

Meng Jiangchu sighed in relief, then cupped his hands and bowed. “Thank you.”

Xiang Huaizhi waved him off.

Meanwhile, Gu Changsheng, Han Yuan, and the others looked as if they had swallowed something bitter. Xiang Huaizhi had casually tossed out a Frost Soul Pill that they could not have refined even if they spent the rest of their lives trying. That was precisely why Gu Changsheng had insisted on bringing him along; he could never have refined such a pill himself.

Xiang Huaizhi turned, and the sight left him speechless.

Peng Luo had split into two halves, and both were frantically licking the blood from Nine Heavens. Nine Heavens twisted and writhed, trying to shake him off, but Peng Luo clung to him like a parasite.

All the while, Peng Luo muttered, “I can’t let it go to waste!”

Xiang Huaizhi’s mouth twitched. He had never expected Peng Luo to be so shameless, yet he almost admired the brazenness. Even he wanted some true dragon blood.

Li Guanqi shook his head and pulled Peng Luo away. “Nine Heavens, why don’t you gather the blood you’ve already lost?”

Nine Heavens immediately understood and nodded, having heard Li Guanqi’s voice in its ear saying, “Give it to them. You’ll surely earn it back.”

Nine Heavens gathered the spilled blood into a dark-gold sphere about half the height of a person, streaked with flecks of golden light. It radiated formidable dragon’s might, igniting a flicker of greed in everyone’s eyes.

Li Guanqi took out four large jade vials and three smaller ones, then divided the dragon blood among them. He passed the large vials to Meng Jiangchu, Xiang Huaizhi, Gu Changsheng, and Gu Li.

“I’ve troubled you all. Thank you for your help.”

Something had shifted in Li Guanqi’s heart. With his grandfather backing him, he had unconsciously lost some of his respect for Mahayana Realm cultivators. Even when facing Gu Li’s father, he’d felt little genuine reverence.

He had also met the Eight Generals, who had always treated him with care and consideration. Over time, that had dulled his wariness of the truly powerful.

Now, Li Guanqi understood his mistake. He bowed to them with genuine gratitude.

The others all sensed the subtle change, though none commented on it. More respect and wariness would do him good. After surviving the Yu clan’s ambush, he would be far more careful around the powerful from now on.

Han Yuan and the other two alchemists rubbed their hands together and waited.