Hearing her words, Li Guanqi's eyes filled with deep emotion.
"Indeed... gain and loss walk hand in hand."
"How could anyone hope to grow stronger without paying a price..."
Watching the few strands of white hair concealed within Li Guanqi's dark hair, the sword spirit's eyes flickered.
Perhaps noticing the woman's gaze, Li Guanqi turned slightly and smiled. "Then let us give the two of them a little more time."
As his words fell, she asked softly, "Where will you go next?"
Li Guanqi's gaze sharpened, his murmur ringing firm and resolute. "First, I will visit my future in-laws, and then head straight for the Beiming Glaciers!"
The sword spirit smiled and nodded gently, but in the next breath, she suddenly closed the distance between them.
Her slender, elegant finger tapped gently against the center of Li Guanqi's brow, her voice hushed. "You have stepped into the Mahayana Realm. From here on, our path will only grow more perilous, our circumstances more dire."
"Those above will inevitably sense something, and they will become even more aggressive."
"Relying on your grandfather alone... will not be enough to stop them."
"Are you... prepared?"
Li Guanqi chuckled with ease, took half a step backward, and brushed past the sword spirit.
Looking back at her bewildered expression, he said softly, "Hasn't that choice... been settled from the very start?"
"From the moment you and I first met."
The two exchanged a smile, everything understood without a single word.
The sword spirit stood in place, her beautiful eyes fixed on Li Guanqi's faintly weary face as an abrupt wave of emotion surged in her heart.
Startled, she closed her eyes to sense inward, finding that the threads of emotion remained firmly sealed within the Red Lotus.
Opening her eyes, she looked upon the young man before her with deep feeling.
More than twenty years had passed in the blink of an eye since their first meeting. The dashing youth of the past had now grown into a towering powerhouse of his own.
Through this journey, had she been important?
Important, yes, but also not.
Every single stride had been earned through Li Guanqi's own relentless striving, even with her assistance at his side.
He had not been spared any of the hardships he had to endure; in fact, because of her, he had tasted far more of the world's partings and sorrows.
Every step of the way, Li Guanqi had truly earned the realm and power he held today.
The sword spirit spoke softly, "Remember to find time to purge some of the cluttered martial arts from your memory. Too much clutter is never good."
Li Guanqi smiled and nodded, after which the sword spirit's form faded back into the sword coffin.
Carrying the sword coffin on his back, Li Guanqi paused for a long while before reaching behind him to retrieve his wine gourd.
Glancing at the small line of characters carved upon it, he smiled freely, taking swigs of wine as he made straight for the Shenbao Domain.
The Six Domains were thrown into turmoil, the Ancient Clans were stunned, and Piaomiao trembled!
What Li Guanqi had done after vanishing for six whole years spread across heaven and earth in the blink of an eye.
His fame resounded far and wide!
The Great Xia Sword Sect's prestige soared to its zenith, its standing as the foremost sect of the Great Xia Domain completely unshakable!
Every clan and faction connected to Li Guanqi saw their thresholds worn down by endless throngs of visitors.
Yet not a single soul knew where Li Guanqi was at this moment.
Within the Meng clan realm of the Shenbao Domain.
Meng Jiangchu sat in his chair, setting down his teacup. His eyes were filled with emotional reflection as he looked at the young man he had not seen in years.
"Though your actions this time were reckless, they were not without reason."
"Even so... in your future undertakings, you must remember to leave yourself a way out. Do not give others grounds to condemn you."
Li Guanqi smiled faintly and replied softly, "Rumors are like blades, yet they cannot graze me in the least."
Taking a sip of wine, he murmured, "Ever since the Liu clan, I have long ceased to care about how any outsider sees me."
"To draw the sword... is simply to follow my true heart."
Meng Jiangchu frowned and leaned forward, sitting upright as he looked at Li Guanqi and said in a grave voice, "I heard you slaughtered everyone in the Yu clan above the Nascent Soul realm. Does such conduct not make you fear being plagued by heart demons in the future?"
Li Guanqi understood the man's meaning; it seemed Meng Jiangchu felt his methods were at times too cold-blooded and merciless.
Hanging the wine gourd back at his waist, Li Guanqi rested both hands upon his knees and straightened his back.
Meeting the man's gaze directly, he spoke with absolute calm.
"To cut the grass without digging up the roots invites it to sprout anew when the spring wind blows."
"I will not debate such principles with you, Father-in-law, for doing so is meaningless."
"Heart demons?"
Li Guanqi drew a deep breath and said solemnly, "The Realm of Pure Consciousness!"
"All external heart demons are nothing more than reflections cast by the mind."
"All dharmas arise from the mind and perish with the mind. If the mind remains unmoved, all things remain unmoved."
"I harbor no fear, so how could any heart demon arise?"
"When I, Li Guanqi, draw my sword to kill, I seek only peace of mind and an unburdened conscience."
"My title of Yanluo does not come from how many lives I have taken, but from the fact that every time my sword is drawn, it is for a righteous cause."
"In nearly twenty years of walking the Dao, I have never killed indiscriminately!"
"Heart demons? Why should I, Li Guanqi, fear them?"
His words rang out with unyielding power, grounded in sound truth.
Even Meng Jiangchu found himself swayed by the depth of these insights into the Great Dao.
Especially that phrase—'All dharmas arise from the mind and perish with the mind. If the mind remains unmoved, all things remain unmoved!'
Was this not the ultimate explanation for the birth and death of heart demons?
What did it mean to shatter a heart demon?
Was it not to face it head-on, no longer held in terror by it?
Meng Jiangchu let out a low sigh and said softly, "What you say... makes sense."
"Still, you must be careful. The baleful aura clinging to you right now is far too heavy."
"Furthermore... never allow yourself to grow arrogant, assuming that because you killed Yu Changbo and Zhang Qixuan, you can look down on all the heroes under heaven."
Li Guanqi rubbed his nose and murmured, "I know."
The image of a certain figure wielding a golden spear surfaced unbidden in his mind, and the corners of his lips curved upward.
"There is at least one person whose true depth I have yet to measure."
Meng Jiangchu let the matter drop. He had ended his seclusion early solely to see Li Guanqi.
Yet he never imagined that the moment he stepped out, he would receive a transmission from Qin Xiao...
Upon learning the two pieces of news, Meng Jiangchu had stood frozen in place for a long, long time before regaining his senses.
Slaying six Mahayana cultivators single-handedly; walking out alive from that forbidden ground known as God Burial Valley.
By the time Qin Xiao sent his message, Li Guanqi had already executed Zhang Qixuan.
Each revelation was more shocking than the last, until Meng Jiangchu had simply waited in his study for Li Guanqi's arrival.
Setting his teacup down, Meng Jiangchu frowned. "Your spiritual root..."
Li Guanqi smiled and nodded. A look of astonishment flashed across the older man's eyes, followed by sudden enlightenment.
"No wonder..."
Li Guanqi rose slowly and said with a light smile, "Father-in-law, I'll go see Auntie Li."
Meng Jiangchu nodded, then added with a furrowed brow, "Remember to go check on Wanshu. It has been several years since she last sent a message back."
Li Guanqi's brow knitted. He had come here partly to ask whether Meng Wanshu had contacted Meng Jiangchu.
His own jade slip contained only that single old message; he had not expected Meng Jiangchu to have received nothing for years as well.
Li Guanqi nodded quietly and said in a low voice, "Understood."
"Once I leave here, I will make a trip to the Beiming Glaciers."
Meng Jiangchu then tossed Meng Wanshu's life-bound jade slip to Li Guanqi, saying gently, "Keep it safe. If anything happens, remember to let me know."
Li Guanqi smiled, nodded, and turned to fly toward the back mountain of the realm.
"Mother-in-law, I'm back! Can we stew a chicken today?"
Upon hearing his voice, Li Guilan walked out of the house in delighted surprise, carrying a basin of coarse grain in her hands.
"You wretched child! Years have slipped by and you never once thought to come back and visit your aunt!"
Looking at the somewhat gaunt woman, Li Guanqi could not help spreading his arms, acting like a pampered child as he chuckled. "Aiya, it's my fault, it's all my fault."
"Haven't I returned now? Mother, I want stewed chicken."
Li Guilan shot him a fond glare, swiftly caught the fattest hen, handed the winnowing basket to Li Guanqi, and rolled up her sleeves.
"Wait here. It will be ready shortly."
With a warm smile, Li Guanqi sat down on a stone stool in the courtyard, casually scattering a handful of grain across the ground.
Chapter 1098