Heavy Casualties

Meng Jiangchu's expression shifted slightly upon hearing Gu Changsheng's words. His gaze narrowed, and he murmured in a frigid voice, "I fear the impact Lu Tian made this time will be even greater than before! Previously, cultivators corrupted and demonized by Abyss Demons merely possessed extraordinary regenerative abilities. Yet... resurrection... that was something no one dared to imagine. And yet, Lu Tian appeared this time and revived fallen cultivators right before countless eyes." Gu Changsheng understood what Meng Jiangchu was worried about. Hearing is hollow, but seeing is believing. Once the old monsters lingering in death seclusion heard of this, many would likely seek out Lu Tian! If that happened... The influence of the Heavenly Demon Divine Hall would rapidly expand in a short span of time! Meng Jiangchu frowned. "Enough. There is no use worrying about this for now. Let's wait until this boy wakes up." Li Guanqi woke swiftly this time, groggily coming to after mere hours of unconsciousness. Awakening, he shot upright in bed, gazing blankly at the familiar bedchamber of the courtyard. Waves of acute pain wracking his entire body brought him back to full awareness. Looking at Meng Jiangchu beside the bed, Li Guanqi rasped in a low voice, "Father-in-law... Sha... no, Lu Tian and the others—are they gone?" The man handed him a medicinal pill, nodding as he said, "Yes. His senses are extraordinarily keen. Before I could even make a move, he had already left." Li Guanqi sat at the edge of the bed and pulled on his boots, murmuring in a chilling voice, "Those revived cultivators—were they truly resurrected? By all logic, the cultivators of the Great Xia Sword Sect aren't fools. Surely someone pulverized their Nascent Souls and divine souls!" Meng Jiangchu narrowed his eyes, his expression grave. While Li Guanqi had been unconscious, he and Gu Changsheng had discussed this very matter at great length. In the end, they had arrived at a conjecture that likely neared the truth. "They did die, but... the bodies of those cultivators were fused with Abyss Demon spirits! Once their original souls were obliterated, those Abyss Demon spirits replaced their divine souls through some mysterious method! However... as to why they still retained their full memories, neither your Uncle Gu nor I can make sense of it. The methods Lu Tian displayed this time are fathomless and bizarre. Even we cannot fathom them..." Li Guanqi nodded, his face somber. Even patching the flaw in his own divine soul had cost him immense effort, yet the enemy was able to replace a cultivator's divine soul simply by having weak demon spirits merge into them. Such a feat was utterly inconceivable! He was certain that this so-called 'resurrection' came with an unseen, undisclosed price! A sudden flash of inspiration struck his mind. Li Guanqi looked up at Meng Jiangchu and asked in a heavy voice, "What of the woman who came with those people?" Meng Jiangchu replied gently, "You mean the woman who rebelled at the very end? She should still be confined within the array barrier above the Great Xia Sword Sect. Xi Yunhuai is watching over her." A cold glint flickered in Li Guanqi's eyes. As he stood, his body swayed, nearly tumbling to the ground! Meng Jiangchu caught him in a steady grip and scolded him crossly, "Take it easy in the future! Taking Spirit Burst Pills consecutively within such a short window carries massive backlash! If you pull a stunt like that again, you might very well pay with a drop in cultivation realm." Li Guanqi nodded silently, but whispered to himself in his heart, *Even if there is a next time... I would still do it without the slightest hesitation.* Meng Jiangchu supported Li Guanqi as they walked out into the courtyard, saying softly, "I'm heading back to the Meng clan. I plan to construct a faster cross-domain teleportation array between the Great Xia Sword Sect and the Meng clan!" Li Guanqi bowed respectfully and said softly, "Thank you for troubling yourself, Father-in-law." Meng Jiangchu waved his hand dismissively. "Just save me some worry, you rascal. Going back this time means I'm in for another scolding..." Once the man departed, a veiled gleam of murderous intent flashed in the depths of Li Guanqi's eyes! Lu Tian had shown up with Ye Feng and Song Zhi'ang for the sole purpose of cornering him! *Phoo...* Li Guanqi's chest rose and fell slightly. Forcing down the rage in his heart, he circulated his primal energy and took to the air. The Great Xia Sword Sect was ablaze with lights. Overhead, disciples flew back and forth without pause. Whenever any disciple crossed paths with Li Guanqi, they would halt of their own accord and bow toward him in salute. Looking at the many wounded disciples, Li Guanqi asked softly, "What are our casualties from this battle?" Holding his shoulder, a young disciple bowed and said heavily, "Across the Seven Peaks, a total of ninety-seven disciples perished. Over a hundred are severely wounded, and more than six hundred suffered light injuries." Li Guanqi frowned. Seeing the disciple hesitate as if holding back words, he said in a low voice, "Is there anything else?" Gritting his teeth, the disciple spoke truthfully. "Among the critically wounded in this battle, the Spirit Fish Clan and the Fire-Pupiled Demon Fox Clan suffered the most, with twenty-six dead in total!" Li Guanqi's brow knitted, a look of surprise flashing in his eyes. With a slightly complex expression, he nodded and said softly, "All right, I understand." Li Guanqi did not go to find Yu Hua right away; instead, he headed first to the Sect Grand Hall! At this moment, wind still whistled through cracks in the hall—the shockwaves of the earlier battle had simply been too fierce. Striding into the hall, Li Guanqi looked at Wu Bing in the primary seat and signaled with his eyes for him not to stand! Cupping his hands, Li Guanqi bowed slightly. "Li Guanqi pays his respects to the Acting Sect Master." Wu Bing raised a hand, releasing a gentle wisp of spatial power that swiftly supported Li Guanqi upright. "There is no need for such formalities, Junior Brother Li." Li Guanqi smiled faintly. No matter what he became or how high his cultivation reached, Wu Bing had only ever addressed him as Junior Brother Li, never as Elder Li. After everything that had unfolded recently, Li Guanqi felt from the bottom of his heart that Wu Bing was far better suited to be the Sect Master of the Great Xia Sword Sect. Compared to himself, Wu Bing possessed the same steadiness and grasp of the bigger picture as Lu Kangnian. Not only that, but Wu Bing's boldness in posting an assassination mission against Kong Yan in Guanyun Pavilion proved that he was not someone who placed blind faith in others. He possessed strategic vision yet refused to let personal sentiments tie his hands; he was decisive in slaughter and held firm to his own principles. With enough time to raise his cultivation, such a person would be more than capable of leading the Great Xia Sword Sect into the future! Li Guanqi took a seat just below Wu Bing. Even when Lu Kangnian had presided from the dais, Li Guanqi had sat in this very spot every time! Even when he was absent, no one dared to sit there—no one at all. Turning toward Wu Bing, Li Guanqi asked softly, "I heard that the Spirit Fish Clan and the Fire-Pupiled Demon Fox Clan suffered heavy casualties this time?" Hearing this, Wu Bing let out a deep sigh and said gravely, "Indeed. It was primarily due to the sudden surprise attack launched by those resurrected demonic cultivators at the end! If the experts of those two clans hadn't sensed the danger in advance... the consequences would have been unimaginable! During that wave of counterattacks after the resurrection, if not for the experts of those two clans stepping in, the casualties among the disciples of the Great Xia Sword Sect would have at least doubled." Li Guanqi nodded silently. After pondering for a moment, he asked softly, "Over the years, how many disciples in the Great Xia Sword Sect have received the grace of a Spirit Fish bone sword?" Wu Bing pondered briefly before answering almost without hesitation, "Eighteen. Naturally, I am also one of the beneficiaries." Pursing his lips in thought, Li Guanqi said softly, "Senior Brother Wu, how about we grant the Purple Spirit Grotto-Heaven to both clans to rest and recuperate? Of course, control will remain in the sect's hands, but the worldly spiritual energy within the Purple Spirit Grotto-Heaven is far richer. Furthermore... I suggest that disciples from both clans be permitted to enter the peaks to cultivate, enjoying the same status and exchanging contribution points for resources just like the disciples of the Great Xia Sword Sect."