Slaying Zhang Qixuan!

This spell was something Li Guanqi had learned from an Ancient God Bead dropped by an exceptionally powerful Ancient God Illusory Soul. It allowed him to maintain his full strength while manifesting eight clones for thirty breaths! As for the backlash... to Li Guanqi, whose divine sense was remarkably potent, it was practically negligible. In an instant, nine figures surged forward with swords raised as tyrannical lightning sword radiance bloomed violently across the sky. Boom! Boom! Boom! Clang! Clang! Clang! The clash of metal was as dense as a downpour. Zhang Qixuan managed to hold out for merely several breaths before sustaining injuries! Four shields were abruptly cast out, and blinding light erupted as the torrential barrage of sword strikes hammered against them. After three breaths, fissures already riddled the shields. At this moment, the Sword Ruins' power within Li Guanqi finally bared its savage fangs. Under the effects of Blade Break, not even spirit treasure–grade dharma artifacts could withstand such concentrated attacks from Li Guanqi. The nine figures intertwined, and Zhang Qixuan's divine sense could not even discern which one was Li Guanqi's true body. The suffocating pressure bore down on him relentlessly. The web between his thumb and forefinger had split open, and the arm holding his sword had long lost all feeling. He even felt as though his arm might snap at any moment. His aged body was far from a match for Li Guanqi in sheer physical strength. Eyes darting, Zhang Qixuan was already seized by the urge to retreat. A cold glint flickered in Li Guanqi's eyes, and he drove his sword forward with three parts more force. He refused to believe these shields could save the old man's life! Crack! Crack, crack, crack! Fine fractures suddenly spiderwebbed across the four shimmering golden shields, spreading further by the second. They clearly would not hold out much longer before shattering. Without the slightest hesitation, Zhang Qixuan seized the moment and violently spewed a mouthful of blood! Spurt! The fresh blood coalesced in midair into a bizarre talisman, which immediately flared with crimson light as space began to ripple violently! Right as the shields shattered, a gap a zhang wide was torn through space. Bang! Bang, bang, bang! The shields detonated one after another. Zhang Qixuan's figure flashed as he laughed boisterously, "Hahahaha! This old master shall take his leave!" Li Guanqi's eyes narrowed. Shattering the flying debris with a wave of his hand, he spoke in a frigid voice. "Leaving? Did you ask for my permission?" Boom! Thunder raged as Li Guanqi and his clones took up different positions, each separated by barely thirty zhang. All nine figures raised their hands simultaneously and slashed three consecutive strikes! "Severing Heaven and Earth!!" The winds and clouds shifted across heaven and earth as the clones dispersed throughout the area attacked in unison. The space within a radius of a hundred zhang was instantly cleaved into an independent domain realm! Not only that, but this hundred-zhang domain space was inundated with endless lightning in the blink of an eye. Several breaths later, accompanied by a bloodcurdling shriek from the old man, a figure charred black and pierced through in numerous places by lightning darted out in flight. Li Guanqi's figure blurred as he raised his hand and unleashed a ferocious slash! "Sword Strike: No Return!" Whoosh! A streak of sword radiance swept upward from below! This strike was fast to the absolute extreme—so swift that divine sense could not capture it, so rapid that the eye never even registered the flash of the blade. When the old man dodged and looked back, he saw to his horror that the arm still gripping his sword remained back where he had been standing! "No... Impossible!!" "He's clearly only at the early Mahayana realm!! How can he be this strong?!" "Furthermore... he just broke through! How could he possibly know so many spells and divine abilities?!" The old man turned pale. Clutching the bloody stump of his severed arm in agony, he retreated swiftly through the air. Yet he failed to notice that behind that lightning domain, one clone had already vanished. Suddenly! Every hair on Zhang Qixuan's body stood on end, and he jerked sideways several zhang! Squelch! A blood-red sword pierced straight through his belly, tearing open a massive gash across his waist with a horizontal slash. Before the old man could react, Li Guanqi's clone had already caught up. Zhang Qixuan coughed up blood and cast a blood escape art to flee frantically, with Li Guanqi pursuing relentlessly behind him. Sharp sword qi crisscrossed the void, and within moments, numerous fresh wounds covered Zhang Qixuan's body. "Li Guanqi!! I have ties with your grandfather! You cannot kill me!" Li Guanqi raced forward, nearly catching up to Zhang Qixuan several times. Hearing those words, he sneered coldly, "Ties with my grandfather? Hah, if my grandfather knew you colluded with upper-realm cultivators to seize my sword coffin, guess whether he would kill you?" He had no idea what was going through Zhang Qixuan's head. Even at a moment like this, the old man actually tried to invoke his grandfather. Li Guanqi's eyes flickered. To avoid further complications, he violently channeled the primal energy within his body. Swish! Li Guanqi flashed directly into the old man's path. With a casual flick of his hand, the old man launched several three-inch green needles shooting toward Li Guanqi! Li Guanqi's expression remained unchanged. Red Lotus traced an esoteric arc and struck each of the three long needles with precision. Clink, clink, clang! Slowly balling his fist, he threw a ferocious punch! "Firmament Shatterer: Fist Smashes the Vault of Heaven!!" Boom! Space shattered as a terrifying fist astral surged toward Zhang Qixuan. The horrifying power sent a chill down the old man's spine, and he frantically summoned several magic treasures to defend himself. Yet before the fist astral, those magic treasures proved as fragile as porcelain. The old man vomited mouthfuls of blood mixed with bits of mangled flesh, his body hurled backward at blinding speed. Treading on lightning, Li Guanqi struck second yet arrived first, his sword cleaving down in an instant! At that moment, the howling winds between heaven and earth seemed to freeze, and the churning sea of clouds stopped rolling. Li Guanqi murmured softly, "Red Lotus: World's End..." Buzz! The lightning of heaven and earth converged into the long sword at this very instant. Such terrifying power could likely only be borne by the divine Red Lotus Sword. The blade's edge gleamed with terrifying sharpness, letting out a resounding sword cry. Zhang Qixuan's expression warped drastically, his eyes wide with horror as he looked around. Only now did he truly believe that the Mahayana realm cultivators who died in the Yu clan had indeed been slain by Li Guanqi's own hands. The old man's face darkened. He drew out a handful of medicinal pills and swallowed them all, his aura instantly skyrocketing to the peak of the mid-Mahayana realm! An ancient-looking long sword appeared in his grasp once more, and his eyes blazed with fury as he roared, "Soul Release: Wave Severance!" Boom! A violent aura erupted from within the old man. The power bursting from him at this moment was even stronger than Yu Changbo's. "Great Sky-Imprisoning Ocean-Severing Stance!!" In an instant, violent sword radiance surged from the ground, accompanied by an overwhelming, surging sword intent. Yet compared to Li Guanqi... the old man's sword intent was like a child swinging a toy. Boom! The brilliant, razor-sharp sword radiance slashed downward, colliding with the old man's all-out strike. The purple-black sword radiance flared with an eerie crimson gleam, obliterating the opposing sword light with overwhelming force! "No! Li Guanqi, I was wrong! Don't kill me!" Li Guanqi's eyes were stern and cold, devoid of the slightest pity. His voice was calm and frigid as he slowly spoke. "No, you don't think you were wrong. You're just afraid to die." Slash! The more than ten protective magic treasures around the old man shattered completely, and his body was cleaved in two by the sword radiance. The terrifying sword light struck the earth, cleaving the entire domain in half! The domain trembled violently, and immediately after, a tear a thousand zhang wide was ripped open in the sealing barrier outside. Qin Xiao's figure flickered into view, staring in shock at the youth performing soul gathering with a raised hand. Looking upon the devastated land, Qin Xiao knew. Among the names of today's truly strong, there must be a place for Li Guanqi!