Qin Wushang failed to understand what Li Guanqi meant. Pointing at the three Soul Formation Realm women before them, he asked, "Isn't this a great place?? Or... should I switch to a different performance for you?"
Li Guanqi threw a punch at his shoulder, an outburst that gave all three dancers quite a fright.
Li Guanqi cursed in annoyance, "I'm asking whether the Misty Immortal Domain has any places suitable for me to undergo experiential training."
Only then did Qin Wushang realize what he was getting at, nodding as dawn broke over his face. "Oh... so that's what you meant..."
Qin Wushang rubbed his chin, furrowing his brows in deep thought for a long while.
"Hmm... The Sea of Silent Demons... Heavenly Fiend Ridge... tsk, neither will do.
"Those places are boring enough for me, and they'd be even more pointless for you."
The corner of Li Guanqi's mouth twitched. Pointing at himself, he said, "If I weren't blind, I'd definitely be rolling my eyes at you right now."
Then, his tone turned slightly grave. "Are there any places... that would be considered forbidden zones even here in the Misty Immortal Domain?"
Qin Wushang waved his hand to dismiss everyone, leaving only the two of them sitting side by side.
Seeing Li Guanqi holding his wine gourd, Qin Wushang simply snatched it away and took a swig.
The sharp, burning liquor made him knit his brows and grimace.
"Do you have any idea that places called forbidden zones in the Misty Immortal Domain are mostly death traps even for those in the Body Integration Realm?
"Even Mahayana realm cultivators wouldn't dare claim they could walk out alive."
Seeing Qin Wushang take two gulps while speaking, Li Guanqi snatched the wine gourd right back.
"If you're talking, then talk. Why keep chugging my liquor? That's a bad habit."
Gulp...
"Hahh... I know. That's why I asked if there was anywhere suitable for me to go."
Qin Wushang turned to look at Li Guanqi and said in all seriousness, "I know you carry a heavy burden, but raising your strength and realm isn't something to be rushed like this.
"This isn't training. You're being reckless—you're looking for a way to get killed."
Li Guanqi's expression remained completely unchanged, his voice calm. "You only need to tell me what places exist.
"As for the rest... I understand."
Qin Wushang rose with a flash of anger, sweeping his sleeves and scowling. "Piss off. Even if I know, I won't tell you.
"Entering a forbidden zone with a mindset like yours, you won't weigh the risks when danger strikes. You'll inevitably choose to gamble your life.
"With that mindset, I refuse to tell you. Telling you would be leading you to your grave."
Li Guanqi looked at Qin Wushang with a hint of surprise; the man's words proved he truly regarded him as a friend.
If not, he could have easily brushed him off with a few perfunctory words.
"Li Guanqi, the Mahayana realm... is far from being as simple as you think.
"Comprehending heaven-and-earth spiritual energy is one matter, comprehending the world itself is another, and raising your combat strength is yet another.
"To break through to the Mahayana realm, strength, luck, fortuitous chance, and comprehension are all indispensable.
"If you charge headlong into a forbidden zone, you won't necessarily find what you want."
Li Guanqi stared blankly out the window, sipping his wine as he said softly, "I only believe that a person's strength grows fastest when walking the razor's edge between life and death.
"To tell you the truth, I have reached Spirit Comprehension Stage Six, but I feel this final threshold is far, far too difficult...
"If I just cultivate step by step, who knows if it will take decades or even centuries."
The corner of Qin Wushang's mouth twitched. "Breaking through to Mahayana within a century, and you still think that's slow?"
Li Guanqi turned to face Qin Wushang, his knuckles turning faintly white around the gourd.
"I don't have much time left."
"Why?"
"Because... when I last saw Second Ye, his divine soul was already at least sixty percent eroded by the demon spirit.
"Sixty percent... The time remaining to me is ten years at most!"
Qin Wushang frowned, wanting to say more, but he saw Li Guanqi fixing him with a steady gaze and speaking in a calm voice.
"If my brother's current plight were your sister's instead, could you still say what you just said?"
Qin Wushang started to blurt out, "I—I..."
He pictured his sister in his mind, captured by Lu Tian and having her soul eroded by a demon spirit.
In that single breath, he understood why Li Guanqi was in such an agony of haste.
Qin Wushang lowered his head with a bitter smile and shook his head. "If I were in your shoes, I might be even crazier than you."
With that, Qin Wushang hesitated no longer. Reaching out, he handed over a jade slip and said softly, "Take this map. No matter what, you must come out alive!"
Li Guanqi took the jade slip and discovered that the location marked on the map was in the Southern Border of the Misty Immortal Domain.
The exact spot shown was in the northeastern corner of the Southern Border, where a colossal valley lay.
A shroud of dense mist hung over the valley, and several large, blood-red characters were clearly inscribed upon it:
"God Burial Valley?"
Beside him, Qin Wushang said softly, "That's right, God Burial Valley. Legend has it that it was a battlefield of the gods in the immemorial era.
"They say an earth-shattering slaughter once took place there, leaving behind relics and ruins of countless mighty beings.
"A few have emerged with their power vastly increased, but far more were buried within.
"Of course, that is all hearsay; no one knows what is truly inside.
"Five Mahayana realm cultivators once ventured in together, yet not a single one returned alive.
"After that, many powerhouses went to explore one after another, and all vanished without a trace.
"That is why God Burial Valley is known as one of the four great forbidden zones of the Misty Immortal Domain."
Li Guanqi nodded, put the map away with a turn of his hand, and said quietly, "Thanks."
Qin Wushang curled his lip and let out a dry laugh. "Thanks for what? Coming out alive is what matters."
Li Guanqi slowly got to his feet. "I'm off. Wait for me to come out for drinks."
Qin Wushang stood up as well, facing Li Guanqi with a solemn expression. "Be careful in all things. If you weren't starving for strength and a breakthrough, I wouldn't have told you about this place.
"So... you'd better come out alive!"
Li Guanqi smiled faintly, turned, and departed.
Yet, just as Li Guanqi was leaving the city, Qin Wushang stood in midair, sweeping his hand to send a streak of light shooting straight toward him!
With his back to Qin Imperial City, Li Guanqi caught the incoming streak with one hand.
A longsword with an entirely violet scabbard landed in his grasp. Qin Wushang chuckled from above.
"The sword is named Bixiao. Take it and use it.
"What kind of sword cultivator goes around without a sword in hand?"
The moment Li Guanqi held it, he knew this Bixiao Sword was no ordinary weapon. He gave the blade a light flick, the corners of his lips curling up slightly.
"Thanks."
With those words, Li Guanqi took a single step forward and vanished into the distant horizon.
Qin Wushang swept his wide sleeves, slowly turning around as he spoke softly into the air:
"Send word to my father that I am heading to the trial grounds to break through to the Mahayana realm."
With those words, Qin Wushang took a step and vanished into Qin Imperial City.
Guided by the map, Li Guanqi journeyed for several months before finally arriving at God Burial Valley.
The terrain of God Burial Valley was bizarre and perilous, looking every bit like a cursed land.
Chapter 1072