Dark Crow's Secret!!

It was truly no wonder Dark Crow had uttered such an exclamation. How long had Li Guanqi been cultivating? Not even thirty years in total, and Dark Crow had crossed paths with him only ten-odd years ago. Back then, Li Guanqi was only in the Nascent Soul realm, yet now he was already at the half-step Mahayana Realm. Which of those arrogant cultivators who reached this stage had not spent hundreds or thousands of years cultivating? Dark Crow reached into his robes, pulled out a healing pill, and swallowed it. With a flick of his left wrist, he produced another dagger. Gripping the dark-gold daggers reverse-handed, he lowered his stance slightly. The next instant... Swish!! Dark Crow's figure vanished from Li Guanqi's sight, replaced by a blurry shadow hurtling toward him with murderous intent! Swish, swish! Splat!! Two plumes of blood mist burst from Li Guanqi's waist as gruesome wounds severed his intestines. Agony tore through him. Li Guanqi wiped the wound with one hand, searing the flesh with lightning to forcefully cauterize and stop the bleeding. His heart sank, his gaze turning exceedingly grave. His mind was strained to the absolute limit, yet he still could not sense the slightest trace of the man's aura. Dark Crow's elusive movements were like a ghost's, and gradually, more and more wounds appeared on Li Guanqi's body. No matter how he searched, he could not detect the other man's presence. Li Guanqi narrowed his eyes and exhaled a breath of turbid air. He could tell that Dark Crow's current strength was only at the early stage of the mid Mahayana realm. Moreover, deprived of spiritual energy replenishment for so long, he possessed less than eighty percent of his peak combat power. Even so, that divine ability of remaining concealed in nothingness gave Li Guanqi an immense headache. Li Guanqi gritted his teeth and pressed his right hand down into the air! "Sword Prison Domain!" Boom!! A terrifying spatial force instantly swept across an area of a thousand zhang. Yet the moment the Sword Prison expanded, two cold glints flashed. A golden light followed, forcefully tearing open Li Guanqi's domain space. Li Guanqi's expression changed abruptly! Even in previous battles, deploying the power of his Sword Prison could suppress his opponents to some degree. Yet against Dark Crow, it failed to hold him for even a single breath! However, Li Guanqi's true intention was not suppression. A cold sneer curled at the edge of his lips. Through the lightning power of the Sword Prison, he had branded a faint aura mark onto Dark Crow! "Found you!!" Swish!! Li Guanqi pushed his speed to its utmost limit, appearing hundreds of zhang away in the blink of an eye. He unleashed a succession of sword strikes into the empty air! The afterimages of sword light formed a fan-like, impenetrable barrier, forcing Dark Crow's body out of concealment. A cold light flickered in Dark Crow's eyes. As he swung his twin daggers, a storm of Geng metal seemed to coalesce around them. With a slight twist of his body, the metallic clatter of dagger blades against sword slid steadily from the tip toward the hilt. Li Guanqi's expression shifted slightly. He had not anticipated Dark Crow to be this powerful—the man was pressing closer through the barrage of his attacks. Just as Li Guanqi moved to shift stances, Dark Crow sneered, "Too late." In a flash, Dark Crow's body blurred into an illusion, closing in on Li Guanqi in an instant! Li Guanqi's face hardened. He slashed horizontally with his sword while snapping a front kick into the man's arm. Using the rebound to retreat, he opened his right hand and instantly condensed a four-foot thunder sword. Gripping the sword with both hands, Li Guanqi's gaze grew graver than ever before. A fine line of blood welled across his neck. A chill ran down his spine, leaving him shaken with lingering dread. Had he not kicked the man away just now, his head would have already been severed from his shoulders. An inexplicable pall of death enveloped him. He had truly been brushing shoulders with death. The pride he had felt from his recent breakthrough shattered in an instant. The gap between cultivators could be vast indeed, even between those in the same realm! After only a brief exchange, it was clear that Dark Crow was vastly more formidable than that pure eighth-rank martial artist from before. From the start of the battle until now, Dark Crow had already revealed two powerful divine abilities, each giving Li Guanqi immense trouble. Boom!!! A vast, oppressive momentum of heaven and earth abruptly descended. Li Guanqi's stance sank. He recognized this as an ability wielded by Mahayana Realm cultivators—channeling the power of the world to suppress their foes. With a cold snort, Li Guanqi unleashed a crisscrossing torrent of violent pressure and sword qi, lightening the burden on his body. In his blurred perception, Dark Crow was rapidly shifting positions around him. Li Guanqi licked his lips, closed his eyes, and observed through his mind's eye. Clang!!!! Li Guanqi brought his sword behind his back in a horizontal block. A dagger struck straight toward the back of his head. In an instant, cold gleams flashed as both combatants pushed their strength to the peak! Clang, clang, clang! Boom! Boom! Li Guanqi held nothing back, instantly circulating the second layer of Divine Punishment! The primal energy roared within him. Under the art's amplification, Li Guanqi's aura climbed frantically until it approached the Mahayana Realm! The longer they fought, the more alarmed Dark Crow became. He could clearly perceive Li Guanqi's aura surging at an unbelievable speed. Furthermore, this increase did not stem from some secret technique or pill, but was a fundamental transformation from the inside out. Even Dark Crow's defensive magic treasures were hacked to pieces by Li Guanqi. The youth's sword was both swift and merciless. What was more, Li Guanqi's present strength caused even Dark Crow to feel a sense of dread. Even his Shadow Concealment had been seen through by Li Guanqi. Suddenly! Dark Crow crossed his daggers and shoved Li Guanqi back violently. His narrow eyes glared fixedly at Li Guanqi as he said in a chilling voice, "You can actually use divine sense!" He had originally assumed that Li Guanqi had managed to leave a mark in the Sword Prison space. Yet Li Guanqi had accurately pinpointed his position every single time, forcing Dark Crow to consider an alternative explanation. Sure enough! Li Guanqi sneered, "You realized too late." Even as Li Guanqi spoke, Dark Crow looked up sharply toward the sky—Li Guanqi had leaped backward, his hands instantly forming seals! An overwhelming downpour of spirit incantation lightning crashed down like a torrential storm. Dark Crow let out a cold laugh. Gripping his daggers forward, two thin golden chains snapped onto the pommels. Swinging his daggers like whips, he met the incoming barrage head-on! Under the slashing strikes of the golden daggers, the violent lightning spears shattered on impact. In an instant, the ground across hundreds of zhang around the two was blasted into ruin. Dark Crow sneered, "With just this... you dare hope to kill me?!" Suddenly! A strange smile appeared on Li Guanqi's face. Dark Crow's heart leaped, his eyes narrowing. He could not fathom what Li Guanqi was plotting, and an ominous premonition washed over him. Rumble!! Thunder boomed. Li Guanqi spread his arms wide, aiming his hands at Dark Crow and the distant stone pillar! With a furious roar, several immensely powerful sealing spirit incantations manifested in rapid succession! "Spirit Incantation One Hundred Forty-Six: Hundred Realms Four-Direction Barrier!!" Layer upon layer of square sealing arrays materialized, numbering a full hundred layers. Immediately after, Li Guanqi slammed both hands onto the ground. The earth shook and rumbled as six purple-black gates rose instantly! "Spirit Incantation 76: Three-Elephant Jinling Gate!" This technique was one he had learned from Lu Wuhen's memories. Immediately after, Li Guanqi clenched his fists tightly and barked a low cry. "Spirit Incantation 78: Four-Direction Heaven-Reaching Pillars!" A cross-shaped pillar of lightning light pierced through the barrier, standing tall in the center of the three gates. Li Guanqi soared forward, arriving before the stone pillar hundreds of zhang away. He swung his sword in a furious slash down toward the immobilized black crow perched upon the stone pillar! Dark Crow roared in terror, "No!!!!"