Zhou Yunqing had never imagined that Li Guanqi alone could draw so many top alchemists here!
Guo Feng and the others arrived one after another at the Purple Spirit Grotto-Heaven. Looking at the youth submerged in the medicinal pool, their expressions all turned grave.
Never before had they seen a cultivator injure himself to such an extent!
With an exceedingly grim expression, Jiang Qizhi hastily pulled Li Guanqi out of the pool.
The three of them took turns examining Li Guanqi’s body, then exchanged glances, all unable to keep from frowning.
Seeing this, Qin Xian felt a tremor run through his heart. Plucking up his courage, he stepped forward, bowed before the three of them, and inquired, "Seniors, how... how is Guanqi’s condition right now?"
Guo Feng frowned and replied, "Recovering his primal energy is not so bad. The backlash of the Spirit Burst Pill will clear up within half a month at most.
"However, his sea of consciousness is damaged, and his meridians are shattered to pieces!
"Healing those will be a bit more troublesome."
Qin Xian’s voice trembled. "Is his life safe?"
"Mm, his life is in no danger."
"That is good, then..."
When Qin Xian turned away, his shoulders slumped as deep grief surged into his heart.
Wiping his face with a rough hand, the old man pressed his lips together and walked off.
Not long after, Gu Changsheng arrived as well.
Upon his arrival, Gu Changsheng also examined Li Guanqi’s current condition.
In the end, the four top alchemists concocted a new healing medicinal pool for Li Guanqi, only then putting their minds at ease.
Meng Jiangchu had originally intended to come over as well, but his worries were eased once Gu Changsheng and the others relayed the situation.
Yet the doubts in his heart only grew stronger. Inside a secluded cultivation chamber, Meng Jiangchu frowned and muttered under his breath, "It seems Guanqi’s deduction regarding the enemy in the shadows was spot-on. To think that an expert of the Mahayana realm struck this time!
"To preserve his life in such a dire crisis is already no small feat... Alas..."
Meng Jiangchu’s eyes brimmed with heartache. He could not understand why Li Guanqi’s path had to be fraught with such hardship.
Yet he never felt that Li Guanqi was entitled to the effortless pampering enjoyed by scions of powerful factions.
For he had been to the Seventh Domain, and he knew very well what Su Xuan was doing...
Meng Jiangchu let out a long sigh, and his mind once again immersed itself in cultivation.
He needed to raise his own strength as much as possible.
Whether for Li Guanqi’s sake or the Seventh Domain’s, he felt his current power was simply not enough!
Li Guanqi’s body remained stiff, his hands clutched tightly against his chest, his brow furrowed, and the trails of blood from his eyes never ran dry.
Thus, Li Guanqi remained soaked in the medicinal pool, with Guo Feng and the others standing guard at his side.
Han Yuan watched the unconscious youth, his face dark as stagnant water. Over the past two days of meticulous searching, he had detected several lingering traces of spatial fluctuations around the borders of the Great Xia Sword Sect.
Yet no matter how hard he tried, he could not sense any distinguishing aura.
Seeing Han Yuan fly over from the direction of the rear mountain, Jiang Qizhi frowned and asked, "Find anything?"
The old man gave a bitter smile and shook his head, speaking in a heavy voice, "The adversary’s methods were exceedingly covert. He left virtually no trace of his aura behind.
"Nor did he leave the slightest clue. It seems he has done this sort of thing many times before.
"Moreover, a chain capable of ripping out something concealed deep inside a person’s body is something I have never even heard of."
Not only Han Yuan, but Jiang Qizhi had also privately consulted Meng Jiangchu over the past two days.
Yet Meng Jiangchu had noted that such an object was either born of heaven and earth, an acquired spirit treasure passed down from antiquity, or something even stronger!
In short, modern artifact-crafting methods were incapable of forging a dharma artifact of that caliber!
Meng Jiangchu had even harbored private doubts about whether the object had come from the realm above...
White mourning silk was draped everywhere across the Great Xia Sword Sect.
Yet no burial ceremony had been held for Li Nanting.
It was as though everyone tacitly believed that Li Nanting was not dead.
Shen Lan sat listlessly beside the medicinal pool, waiting for Li Guanqi to awaken.
She wanted to know whether there was still any possibility of bringing Li Nanting back to life.
Though the hope was infinitesimally slim...
...she still firmly believed that Li Guanqi would find a way!
He could even mend a damaged divine soul. Now that Li Nanting’s soul fragments had been fully gathered and restored by that mysterious pill, a true recovery might not be impossible in the future!
Three more days passed before Li Guanqi’s body trembled slightly from pain, and his eyes opened.
*Splash!*
Li Guanqi sat bolt upright in the pool, wanting to check on Li Nanting’s condition, only to find himself as weak and helpless as an ordinary mortal.
All strength in his body seemed to have vanished; he could mobilize neither primal energy nor divine sense.
Looking up, he saw an utterly haggard Shen Lan walking unsteadily toward the edge of the pool.
Her eyes were fixed on Li Guanqi, her pale face brimming with desperate anticipation.
Suppressing his sorrow, Li Guanqi called out in a raspy voice, "Martial Mother..."
Shen Lan’s voice trembled faintly. "Nanting... he’s... still alive... isn't he?"
Thoughts raced through Li Guanqi’s mind, a thousand considerations flashing past in a split second.
Yet when he spoke, his tone was unwavering.
"He is alive!
"No matter how great the price, I will rebuild a body for Master!"
Hearing those words, tears poured down Shen Lan’s cheeks as she nodded repeatedly. Her lips pressed tight, her legs suddenly gave way.
Li Guanqi hurried to support her and helped her sit to one side. Then, leaning against the stone wall, he pulled his knees to his chest and buried his head low...
A long time passed before Li Guanqi finally raised his head.
*Hum!*
Guo Feng and the other two elders arrived together; as it turned out, none of them had departed the Great Xia Sword Sect during this time.
Seeing that he was awake, Jiang Qizhi sighed and said softly, "Young Friend Li, my condolences."
Li Guanqi nodded in silence without speaking. He knew...
Even though his master’s divine soul was intact, it had been pieced back together after shattering, so the three celestial souls and seven terrestrial souls were bound to have suffered some harm.
To say nothing of whether he currently possessed the means to help him reshape a physical body, even if he did, the process of fusing flesh and soul would hardly go smoothly.
Unless...
...he ascended to the Immortal Realm in the future!
And found the materials capable of reshaping a physical body there!
Guo Feng said gently, "If you have no urgent matters, the three of us will help you untangle and align the meridians in your body.
"Whatever happens, you must restore your cultivation and realm first.
"Besides... things between Tianji Pavilion and Guanyun Pavilion have escalated considerably of late. It will not do for you to be away from Guanyun Pavilion for long."
Li Guanqi’s gaze still held boundless grief; he seemed entirely indifferent to whether Guanyun Pavilion lived or died.
Yet on second thought, he drew a deep breath and murmured, "Junior thanks you, Seniors."
Guo Feng smiled. "No trouble at all. Just now, I already had that little girl from your pavilion announce that the three of us are partnering with Guanyun Pavilion."
Li Guanqi looked at the three in surprise. Three top eighth-grade alchemists publicly declaring their partnership with Guanyun Pavilion...
His expression turned solemn, and he said in a heavy voice, "Junior will engrave Seniors’ great kindness upon my heart."
Han Yuan said softly, "Hurry and recover your strength. The backlash of the Spirit Burst Pill is enough to drive a man insane."
Led by the three alchemists, Li Guanqi climbed to the mountain summit of the Purple Spirit Grotto-Heaven. There, they laid down a spirit-gathering array and a mind-calming array.
The three Mahayana realm cultivators then set to work soothing and clearing Li Guanqi’s meridians.
Meanwhile, numerous clans and powers harboring designs on the Great Xia Sword Sect had now gathered together within a mysterious grand hall.
Chapter 1021