Spirit Ruin, Sword Coffin, Blind Swordsman

Inside the main hall, Li Guanqi said softly, “Wanshu, wait here for me. I need to make a trip to the Guanyun Pavilion.”

Whoosh!

The instant Li Guanqi appeared before him, Tang Wei’s face darkened. Tang Wei remained silent.

Li Guanqi took out a heavenly intelligence jade token and said solemnly, “Elder Gu, it’s time to issue the Three Pavilion Bounty Order.”

—Good!

Buzz! Buzz buzz!

Countless cultivators took out jade pendants and slips. The single message contained within sent them into a frenzy.

The Heavenly Intelligence Pavilion, Hundred Treasures Pavilion, and Guanyun Pavilion had jointly placed a bounty of one billion spirit stones for information leading to the Sha organization’s headquarters.

Standing upon the void, Li Guanqi gazed into the endless darkness and murmured softly, “Come on... let chaos reign.”

If anyone claimed the bounty, it would empty the coffers built up by the Guanyun Pavilion and the Tang family over the past thousand years. But Tang Wei had no regrets. He knew perfectly well what mattered more.Tang Ru possessed extraordinary business talent. Spirit stones could always be earned again.

The Heavenly Intelligence Pavilion alone had contributed four hundred million spirit stones, surprising both Li Guanqi and Tang Wei. Li Guanqi’s eyes flickered.

Ripples suddenly spread through the void. A talisman flashed with spirit light, and the white-robed Ji Yuchuan slowly emerged from the darkness. He wore a bitter smile. He had not expected Li Guanqi to go so far as to remove his identity token.

Li Guanqi narrowed his eyes. “Why did you come back? Didn’t you receive the message?”

Ji Yuchuan bowed. “I did. But I still wanted to return and explain everything personally.”

Tang Wei glanced between them and said softly, “I’ll go prepare the materials for the Meng family. You two can continue talking.”

The pavilion disciples visibly relaxed when Ji Yuchuan returned. Li Guanqi had come back with such overwhelming killing intent that they could barely breathe.

Quite a few people had left the Daxia Sword Sect because of Ji Yuchuan, which made Li Guanqi realize something. Since he had never managed the Guanyun Pavilion’s affairs, his prestige still fell short of Ji Yuchuan’s. To many of them, perhaps, Ji Yuchuan was the true Pavilion Master.

Li Guanqi stepped forward and vanished. The next instant, he appeared outside the study and pushed the door open. The antique room was spotless, clearly maintained regularly.

Although Li Guanqi rarely visited the Guanyun Pavilion, the pavilion’s highest seat still belonged to him.

Whoosh!

Ji Yuchuan followed Li Guanqi into the study.

A woman with slightly disheveled hair suddenly appeared at the doorway. She glanced nervously at Li Guanqi and opened her mouth, yet said nothing.

Qian Qiusui had spotted someone who should no longer have been there. Ji Yuchuan!

Li Guanqi looked at Qian Qiusui, then glanced toward Ji Yuchuan. “Come in.”

Qian Qiusui glanced at Ji Yuchuan, who stood motionless at the entrance, then stepped past him. She looked at Li Guanqi and offered a respectful curtsy, her eyes tinged with anxiety. “Pavilion Master, where is Tang Ru? What happened?”

Li Guanqi sat down and rubbed his temples with his eyes closed. He did not hide anything from her. “To keep the Sha organization from getting what it wanted, he deliberately revealed himself and let them take him.”

Qian Qiusui’s heart fell into turmoil. Her eyes dimmed as she stood in a daze. Even she could not explain why the news left her so distraught. She had never imagined a man would stir such intense emotions in her, nor could she explain the inexplicable connection she felt with Tang Ru.

She remembered Tang Ru patiently teaching her the intricacies of business. Whenever a problem had stumped her for days, he would smile and offer a word or two of guidance, and everything would suddenly fall into place.

Li Guanqi watched her stand there in a daze. “I’ll bring him back, so don’t worry. You should leave for now. I need to speak with him.”

Only then did Qian Qiusui snap back to reality. “Ah... All right. I’ll take my leave, Pavilion Master. If you need anything, just call for me.”

Li Guanqi waved his hand. Lost in thought, Qian Qiusui passed Ji Yuchuan with her head lowered.

Once she was gone, Li Guanqi idly fidgeted with the black tower in his hand. “Close the door.”

Ji Yuchuan turned around to shut the door.

A blood-red sword suddenly flashed into place against his neck. The blade bit half a cun into his flesh, and blood dripped onto the floor.

Drip.

Drip.

Li Guanqi crouched low, killing intent blazing in his pure-white eyes.

He held the Red Lotus Sword in a reverse grip. The slightest movement would take Ji Yuchuan’s head.

Ji Yuchuan froze with his hands suspended in midair. The door remained one chi from closing.

In the distance, Qian Qiusui seemed to sense something and turned back.

Ji Yuchuan slowly shut the door.

Qian Qiusui frowned at the closed entrance, then flew away.

Lightning roared through the air as the entire study became a purgatory of thunder. Shrill cries tore through it all as Li Guanqi’s aura surged to its limit. His eyes narrowed, and his icy voice rang out.

“Who are you really?”

Ji Yuchuan’s face paled, though he retained the same sickly look. He stood perfectly still and frowned. “I am myself. Who else could I be?”

Li Guanqi flexed his wrist. The blade sank another half-finger into Ji Yuchuan’s neck.

“You are yourself, and you are Ji Yuchuan. But... are you really only Ji Yuchuan?”

The man smiled bitterly. “If I’m not Ji Yuchuan, then who am I? What exactly are you suspecting?”

Without a moment’s hesitation, killing intent flared in Li Guanqi’s eyes. “Do it!”

Wind and snow erupted across heaven and earth.

Li Guanqi swept his sword along Ji Yuchuan’s neck, unleashing a devastating burst of sword light.

Boom!

The entire domain shook. Meng Wanshu appeared behind Ji Yuchuan and drove her sword toward his heart.

Boom!

Terrifying ice-element power swept across heaven and earth, blowing the study apart.

A trace of helplessness flashed across Ji Yuchuan’s face. He retreated swiftly, evading Li Guanqi’s close-range strike at an unbelievable speed. Then he extended a finger and flicked Meng Wanshu’s blade aside, sending her flying dozens of zhang away with the terrifying force of the blow.

With his hands clasped behind his back, Ji Yuchuan blurred and reappeared a hundred zhang away.

Brilliant sword light tore through the air and split the mountain beneath the pavilion. Thunderclouds churned overhead. Countless spears of lightning pierced the void and pierced the clouds as they descended toward Ji Yuchuan.

Ji Yuchuan extended a finger and tapped the empty air. Layer upon layer of earthen-yellow light surged forth, forming a ten-zhang barrier before him.

The violent torrent crashed against the barrier without breaching it in the slightest.

Meanwhile, Ji Yuchuan’s aura surged, and his cultivation rose until it neared the peak of the Combined Body Realm.

Despite facing Li Guanqi and Meng Wanshu simultaneously, he showed not the slightest sign of strain. The terrifying gap in strength between him and his two opponents was laid bare.