Youming was dead... dead beyond all doubt, body and soul obliterated.
He had fallen right before the culmination of millennia of arduous effort.
He had clearly reached out and seized that hope, only for Wen Guyan to sever his hand without mercy.
Perhaps from the very moment Wen Guyan appeared, Youming's demise had already been sealed.
Even so, Li Guanqi had not anticipated that the man's strength would be so horrifying...
He had effortlessly slain an almighty figure in the mid-stage Tribulation Transcendence realm, and right beneath the descending reception power of the Immortal Realm no less.
It was an absolute, overwhelming crushing of power!
Wen Guyan possessed complete confidence: even if Youming broke through to the mid-stage Tribulation Transcendence realm, even beneath the Immortal Realm's reception light, he could still strike him down!
Dragon King Wen Guyan...
The strength he displayed was not as viscerally shocking to Li Guanqi as when he had first laid eyes on Long Hou years ago.
Yet from beginning to end, Wen Guyan radiated an unfathomably powerful confidence.
Whether it was casually crushing Youming's sword light or utterly ignoring his domain seal, the moment he intervened to rescue them, the crisis was already over.
Li Guanqi had braced himself for elders coming to their aid, but he had never imagined the crisis would draw one of the Four Kings here in person.
Presumably, this had also been Grandfather's doing...
And perhaps Wen Guyan had never intended to spare Youming from the start.
The young man sheathed his sword and stood tall, his gaze tranquil as still water, as if he had merely taken care of an inconsequential chore.
Wen Guyan's posture was straight as a drawn sword, yet his sharpness was completely concealed.
Standing there, cultured and refined, he gave off not the slightest oppressive aura.
He looked toward the group with a smile, his magnetic voice clear and resonant.
"The matter here is settled. I must return to report my mission."
His eyes shone brightly as he looked at Li Guanqi, the corners of his mouth curving upward.
"I will wait for you all in the Seventh Domain."
As he spoke, expressions varied across the crowd; they clearly sensed there was more behind his words.
Perhaps before long, they would meet again! In the Seventh Domain!
Hearing this, Li Guanqi cupped his fists in salute and said solemnly, "Junior gives thanks to Senior for coming to our rescue! In the future, I will surely bring fine wine to your door to offer my gratitude."
Wen Guyan smiled faintly at Li Guanqi's sincere words.
"You all did well."
"At the very least, Lu Tian's death was something I had not anticipated."
"All right, we part here."
With those parting words, the man turned away with easy grace. Prudent as ever, he swept up every last fragment of the Immortal Ascension Platform.
Taking a single step, he vanished entirely from their sight.
Only now did everyone finally breathe a collective sigh of relief.
The six sworn brothers and Meng Wanshu exchanged glances and burst into hearty laughter!
Their laughter was carefree and relaxed. The brothers embraced tightly, tears blurring their vision, the rims of their eyes slightly red.
They traded light punches, playfully pounding one another's chests and shoulders.
Moments later, powerful auras descended one after another into the desolate void.
When Meng Jiangchu saw Meng Wanshu, he finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Gu Changsheng stared at his son—now already in the mid Mahayana realm—in utter disbelief, his eyes wide and mouth slightly agape.
"Is this still my son?"
Seeing the father he had not seen in so long, Gu Li's eyes reddened as well, but hearing those words, he swallowed down all the churning emotions in his heart.
"Father! Is that any way to talk about your own son?"
Gu Changsheng pulled Gu Li close, looking him up and down as he murmured with heartache in his eyes, "Brat, you must have suffered quite a bit all these years..."
He knew Gu Li's temperament all too well; to break through successively in such a short time, he must have endured unimaginable hardships.
Right then, a young man holding a golden spear slowly emerged.
Yet the instant the young man appeared, a blood-red spear tore through the void, thrusting straight for his face!
Xu Junlin cursed under his breath. Gripping his spear with both hands, he jerked it violently, knocking the Blood God Spear flying several dozen zhang away before barking out in fury, "You bastard, are you out of your mind?! I came here to save you!"
Xiao Chen beckoned with one hand, drawing the Blood God Spear back into his grip. Slinging the spear behind his back, he curled his lips and sneered, "A defeated foe, and you think I need saving from you? Don't tell me you just came to laugh at my misfortune?"
Li Guanqi reached out to hold Xiao Chen back, chuckling helplessly. "Stop bickering. Junlin isn't that kind of person."
Xiao Chen's mouth twitched. Looking at Li Guanqi, he couldn't help saying, "Big Brother... this punk is rotten to the core beneath that quiet face. Don't let him fool you."
Xu Junlin's chest heaved with rage. To think such words came from Xiao Chen's mouth! Of all people, him!
Hum!
A tall, straight-backed man clad in black robes stepped slowly out from the void.
The man was covered in wounds, his primal energy fluctuating violently.
His once-luxurious black robe was shredded and disheveled, leaving him looking thoroughly battered.
Qin Wushang's eyes shone with urgency, immediately spotting Li Guanqi amidst the crowd.
Seeing so many people gathered here, he froze for a moment.
"The battle is over? It's done? I missed it?!"
Turning his head, he noticed the fuming Xu Junlin. Flashing forward before the group, he looked at Li Guanqi and asked, "Where's the enemy? Is everyone all right?"
Looking at Qin Wushang's anxious face, Li Guanqi felt a warm current flow through his heart.
Lightly patting his shoulder, he said softly, "It's all resolved... The dust has settled!"
At long last, Qin Wushang breathed a sigh of relief.
"That's good..."
"Your transmission scared the life out of me. I rushed out immediately."
As for where he had rushed out from, Qin Wushang did not elaborate.
The Eight Generals had not shown up; it appeared Wen Guyan had taken them away.
And just as Li Guanqi had surmised, the Eight Generals were currently trailing behind Wen Guyan like children who had done something wrong.
Downcast and crestfallen, they followed behind him.
With his hands clasped behind his back, Wen Guyan's expression was grim.
Each of the seven carried a massive boulder strapped across their back.
"Youming nearly ascended to the Immortal Realm. The reception power of the Immortal Ascension Platform had already descended."
"If Youming had gotten away, do you realize how grave the consequences would have been?"
Everyone kept silent. Among them, Yu Shan felt like weeping without tears.
He was the one in charge of intelligence among the Eight Generals, yet even he had failed to uncover the connection between Youming and Lu Tian.
After probing multiple times, he had actually ruled out Youming as a suspect.
It was not just Youming; he had suspected every single person among the Eight Generals, yet in the end, Youming had proved to be the greatest culprit of all.
This incident had sounded a deafening alarm for him.
Yu Shan's eyes flickered constantly as he murmured inwardly, "Sometimes... once people believe they have 'seen clearly' the truth, they no longer harbor any doubt."
"It seems I must be even more cautious in the future."
Wen Guyan stretched his arms. He could no longer remember how many years had passed since he had felt this free...
The corners of his lips curled up slightly, and his voice sounded calm as he spoke.
"Prepare yourselves once we return. Your disciples and the Domain Lord's grandson should be arriving before long."
At these words, everyone's heavy mood lifted slightly.
Even Long Hou could not help letting a faint smile slip out at the thought of Xiao Chen.
As his words fell, an enigmatic smile tugged at the corner of Wen Guyan's mouth.
"Regarding this matter... Tiger King is very displeased. You had best prepare yourselves for punishment."
Chapter 1148