Since They Are Enemies...

Li Guanqi fixed his gaze on Xuan Zhen, cupped his hands slightly, and said in a calm, soft voice, "I am Li Guanqi. I have come seeking someone." Though Xuan Zhen maintained a composed expression, tempestuous waves were already churning in his heart! Li Guanqi! It truly was him! The man who had slaughtered the entire Yu clan! Xuan Zhen's throat bobbed involuntarily—a subtle tell that Li Guanqi caught immediately. Yet Li Guanqi also sensed the bizarre atmosphere. Letting his hands hang loosely at his sides, ready for battle at a moment's notice, he spoke in an even voice. "Your Excellency should know who I am talking about, right?" Xuan Lan frowned. He had heard Meng Wanshu mention the name Li Guanqi before, seemingly as her Dao companion. At that thought, a sneer curled Xuan Lan's lips. Taking a step forward, he barked, "Hah! There's no one here for you to find. Get lost, and be quick about it!" *Swish!* An arm flew into the air. Xuan Zhen stepped in front of the young man, but he was a beat too late. Li Guanqi looked past Xuan Zhen toward the youth behind him, his voice utterly flat from beginning to end. "I was speaking with your father. Who gave you the right to speak?" *Boom!* Violent primal energy surged through Xuan Zhen's body, and with a lift of his hand, a piercing sword cry rang out. Xuan Zhen swung his sword in a furious slash! In an instant, the skies transformed as tempestuous astral winds crisscrossed and whipped toward Li Guanqi. The ice-attribute primal energy between heaven and earth boiled as if run amok, threatening to freeze Li Guanqi's flesh and soul solid. A thirty-meter arc of sword light slashed out in a flash! Wherever it passed, pitch-black rifts were torn through space. Strangely, a layer of frost seemed to blanket the edges of the spatial fissures, preventing them from closing for the longest time. A glint of cold light flashed through the depths of Li Guanqi's eyes. With a flick of his wrist, he executed a quick-draw strike in an instant! Amidst the snow and ice, Red Lotus blazed with crimson brilliance, immediately assuming its Apocalypse state. The sword in his hand slashed forward like lightning, sending berserk thunder raging in all directions! The void shattered and dragon scales covered his body, a sight that caused even the elders behind Xuan Zhen to slightly pale. Li Guanqi's aura instantly surged to its absolute peak, and the two arcs of sword light violently collided. *Rumble!* A tremendous explosion erupted. The glaciers shuddered, and mountain peaks within thousands of feet shook violently as roaring avalanches tumbled down. The blast wave sent everyone flying hundreds of feet back. Li Guanqi was hurled backward at high speed. His feet dug two pitch-black spatial fissures through the air as he forcefully checked his momentum. Looking down, Li Guanqi saw a gruesome wound across his chest, where terrifying frost energy was running rampant, wreaking havoc in his meridians. In the blink of an eye, the flesh surrounding the cut had frozen necrotic. Waves of bone-deep agony battered his nerves. Yet Li Guanqi's expression remained unchanged. Raising his hand, he dug out the blackened flesh from the wound. The sword's edge sliced into his own body, carving the flesh straight off the bone. The Xuan clan members winced and grimaced at the sight; even watching it felt agonizing. Yet Li Guanqi acted as though nothing had happened, his hands moving with steady precision. Looking at Li Guanqi with his head lowered, Xuan Zhen said coldly, "If my son speaks out of turn, it is my place to discipline him. It is not for an outsider like you to dictate!" Stemming the bleeding of his wound, Li Guanqi said nonchalantly, "Old fellow, your name is Xuan Zhen, right?" Xuan Zhen narrowed his eyes, deeply displeased at Li Guanqi addressing him by name. "And what of it?" Li Guanqi stared coldly at the man and spoke slowly in a calm voice. "Whenever I want, I can summon a few people to flatten your Xuan clan. Do you believe me?" Hearing this, Xuan Zhen's pupils contracted to pinpricks, trembling uncontrollably. He had no choice; because of Meng Wanshu, he knew quite a bit about Li Guanqi... When he learned that the Eight Generals of the Seventh Domain all shared close ties with Li Guanqi, it had given him an immense headache. That was why every time Xuan Lan harbored designs on Meng Wanshu, Xuan Zhen immediately shut him down. Xuan Zhen said softly, "I believe you. So what?" Li Guanqi sneered, disregarding the gruesome sword wound on his chest, and demanded, "Tell me, is Wanshu in your Xuan clan or not?" Just as Xuan Lan was about to speak, Xuan Zhen cut in first. "She is not. I don't know what you are talking about. If you have no other business, please leave!" Li Guanqi's gaze grew cold, his face darkening. It seemed the Xuan clan truly had no intention of letting him take Meng Wanshu away. Still... The man before him was exceptionally powerful—at least, not someone he could handle right now. The other man had merely swung his sword casually, yet Li Guanqi had been forced to give it his all. Li Guanqi took a deep look at Xuan Zhen and said softly, "You will regret this." With that, Li Guanqi actually turned and left! Watching Li Guanqi's departing back, Xuan Zhen breathed a sigh of relief. Seeing this, Xuan Lan flared with rage. "Father! Are you going to let him go?! Kill him! That mongrel dared to sever my arm!" *Smack!* Xuan Zhen slapped the youth squarely across the face. The strike carried immense force, sending the young man flying dozens of feet away, one side of his face caved in. Xuan Lan spun dozens of times through the air before crashing down, spitting out a mouthful of blood and broken teeth. This sight startled even the elders behind them, leaving them bewildered as to why Xuan Zhen had suddenly lashed out. Xuan Lan's mind was completely dazed. Lying on the ground clutching his face, he looked up in disbelief at the father who usually doted on him most. His entire left eye was bloodshot and bruised. Xuan Lan's voice trembled as he watched his father approach, and in sheer terror, he scrambled backward several paces. "Father..." Xuan Zhen stood before him, eyes burning with fury and bitter disappointment. "Do you even know who he is?! "Did you think he was just some insignificant nobody I could crush at will?! "I've told you more than once: you are not to harbor any ideas about Meng Wanshu! "He is Li Guanqi—the Li Guanqi who slaughtered six Mahayana realm experts of the Nanjiang Yu clan! Do you understand at all?!" Xuan Zhen's chest heaved violently, his emotions thoroughly shaken. Xuan Lan's head was a muddled mess. In a daze, he asked, "Which Yu clan?" At this, Xuan Zhen's fury boiled over. He stomped repeatedly on Xuan Lan's head, the sheer force crushing a deep pit into the solid glacier floor. "Which one?! Which one?! What other Yu clan is there in Nanjiang?! "*Huff... huff...*" Beside himself with rage, Xuan Zhen swept his sleeve and barked coldly, "Carry this useless wretch back and throw him into the ice prison to reflect on what he's done!" With those words, Xuan Zhen took a single step and vanished back into the manor. As for the departing Li Guanqi... he was heading straight for where the Xuan clan's Southern faction currently resided! Indeed, now that he was certain Meng Wanshu was held in Xuan Zhen's Northern faction... Since they refused to release her... Then the enemy of his enemy... could become a friend. He did not care what secrets the Xuan clan was keeping from him. He only wanted Meng Wanshu! As for that fellow named Xuan Lan, Li Guanqi had no intention of ever letting him off.