Dugu Chongming

Masked by the rumbling din of battle outside, Li Guanqi swapped out this pocket of space without making a sound. Though Xuan Lan was an utter fop, his cultivation realm remained genuine. The moment he sensed the anomaly in the surrounding space, he flung the maidservant beneath him aside with a wave of his hand. Quickly pulling on his clothes, Xuan Lan drew his longsword with a sharp ring and surveyed his surroundings with vigilant eyes. As for the maidservant, she had long since been knocked unconscious by the faint pressure permeating the room. "Who's there! Come out!" A cold sneer tugged at the corner of Li Guanqi's mouth as he materialized slowly, making no effort to conceal his form. Xuan Lan narrowed his eyes. The instant he recognized Li Guanqi, shock gripped his heart, and cold sweat beaded on his forehead. "Li Guanqi!" "What are you doing here?" Before the words had completely left his mouth, Xuan Lan's back was already drenched in cold sweat. Right now, heaven and earth shook outside, clearly indicating a fierce battle was underway. Yet Li Guanqi had appeared here. The reason was blindingly obvious: Li Guanqi had come to kill him! Back then, Li Guanqi had withstood a sword strike from his father, Xuan Zhen. His strength was far beyond anything Xuan Lan could contend with. In the blink of an eye, Xuan Lan made his decision. With a wave of his hand, several jade slips floated into midair and detonated with a crash! At the same time, a peculiar pendant appeared in Xuan Lan's grip. He gritted his teeth and crushed it without hesitation! Standing outside the ice prison, Li Guanqi looked on coldly, his gaze showing not the slightest ripple. Hardly any spatial ripples managed to escape; unable to push through, they merely swirled fruitlessly inside the cell. Li Guanqi sneered, "Give it up." Cold sweat poured down Xuan Lan's forehead. He swung his sword and struck the ice wall behind him. Yet the wall was lined with dense, glowing array runes. His strike left only a shallow white scratch across the surface. This ice prison had originally been constructed to contain Mahayana realm cultivators. Now, it served only to cocoon Xuan Lan in a trap of his own making. Li Guanqi could not help but mock him, "This ice prison was built sturdily indeed." Those words seemed to jog Xuan Lan's memory. Glaring at Li Guanqi outside the door, he sneered, "You can't get in either!" "Hahahaha, Li Guanqi, oh, Li Guanqi." "It doesn't matter if I can't get out! There's a massive battle outside; my father will notice something's wrong here soon enough!" "With spatial ripples this strong, it's impossible for my father not to notice. You just wait to die!" Watching the arrogant display on Xuan Lan's face, Li Guanqi was momentarily at a loss for words. To think such an idiot could be forcibly shoved into the Mahayana realm by his father... Li Guanqi slowly drew Red Lotus, his aura instantly saturating the void. Within the subterranean prison spanning a hundred zhang, many of the imprisoned experts felt this terrifying pressure! Several fierce-looking figures rose to their feet and peered toward Li Guanqi through the narrow gaps in their cells. A man covered in stubble chuckled softly. "Little brother, how about letting the rest of us out too?" "Whatever you want to do, we'll lend you a hand!" The man seemed to carry considerable prestige in this ice prison. The moment he spoke, the other three chimed in one after another. "All of us were framed and ruined by Xuan Zhen! As long as you're willing to help us out, little brother, we'll definitely back you up!" Li Guanqi paused and slowly turned his head. Walking over to the stubble-faced man's cell, he looked at the unkempt, disheveled figure and asked softly, "Why should I believe you'll help me?" The man's hands and feet were bound in thick chains, and two large, dark iron hooks pierced through his shoulder blades, suspending him against the wall. He had short hair and wore ragged hemp clothes. Though his face was covered in scruff, his eyes were exceptionally bright. He was slightly taken aback when he saw Li Guanqi's face, not expecting him to be so young. Yet the pressure radiating from Li Guanqi was formidable. Peering through the opening at Li Guanqi's pure white eye, the man said softly, "Though you are blind of eye, your heart is as luminous as the moon." "My name is Dugu Chongming. I was seduced and framed by an enchantress of the Xuan clan. My power is sealed right now, so I cannot offer you any promises." Li Guanqi's brow suddenly furrowed. A gaunt, purple-robed old man flashed through his mind. He leaned closer to take a better look and indeed discerned a slight resemblance in the man's facial features. Approaching the cell holding the man, Li Guanqi asked via voice transmission in a low tone, "What is your relationship to Senior Dugu Lingxiao?" The man's pupils shrank sharply. His gaze filled with vigilance, and he abruptly clamped his mouth shut! Li Guanqi gave a wry smile; it seemed the man truly was related to that old senior. Noticing the man's wariness, Li Guanqi spoke softly, "Senior Dugu showed me great kindness. My grandfather... is named Su Xuan." The man's eyes went wide, filled with disbelief! "Your grandfather... Impossible..." "Dugu Lingxiao is my grandfather!" Li Guanqi's brow knitted. Raising his hand, he unleashed three consecutive strikes! The three lightning sword lights seemed unassuming at first, but the moment they made contact with the ice wall, they sliced through it like a blade through bean curd! The ice wall shattered, and the warding formations within disintegrated instantly! Li Guanqi stepped before the man. His sword flashed in a dazzling flurry, severing all the chains binding him in an instant! Dugu Chongming recognized the blade's uniqueness with a single glance. "Divinity!!" he blurted out. Li Guanqi crouched down and asked with a frown, "How many years have you been locked up here?" Dugu Chongming sighed, a flicker of hatred surfacing in the depths of his eyes. His voice was cold and precise as he replied, "Seventy-six years and two hundred and thirty days!" Li Guanqi drew a sharp breath. He had not expected this man to have been confined to this sunless ice prison for over seventy years! Gratitude flashed through Dugu Chongming's eyes. As he tried to stand, he stumbled and nearly collapsed to the ground. After hanging from that wall for so many years, this was the first time his feet had touched solid ground to walk. "I have yet to ask for your name, little brother. Thank you for saving my life!" Li Guanqi said softly, "Li Guanqi." Dugu Chongming was a ruthless man toward himself; reaching behind his back, he took hold of the iron hooks and pulled them out bit by bit. Having remained inside his body for decades, the hooks had long since fused with his flesh and blood. Seeing this, Li Guanqi could not help but frown. "Perhaps I should help you." The man replied coldly, "Mere shackles. I want to remember... clearly and distinctly... everything the Xuan clan has done to me!!" Li Guanqi did not know that for a man who had just regained his freedom, this agonizing pain served as a sharp reminder that he was truly alive! *Pfft! Shrrk!* *Clang! Clatter!* Tearing the shackles free, Dugu Chongming roared toward the ceiling! "Ahhh! I, Dugu Chongming... am finally free!" Li Guanqi raised a hand and slapped his back. The man mounted no defense, spitting out a mouthful of dark, clotted blood. Seeing this, Li Guanqi finally let down his guard a fraction. He altered the energy originally meant to extract a soul into a strand of pure primal energy, channeling it into him. His suspicion toward the man faded considerably in that moment. Meanwhile, inside his cell, Xuan Lan was as frantic as an ant on a hot pan. He had already realized that this ice prison could not stop Li Guanqi. The very structure that had once provided him a sense of security now felt like an icy coffin.