Home!

While everyone else was immersed in joy, Li Guanqi sent a divine sense transmission to Pengluo and Jiuxiao. Together, the three of them began scouring the area for any lingering traces of Youming's aura. Only after quite a while did Li Guanqi finally exhale a long breath of relief. Dragon King Wen Guyan... The moment he struck, Youming's divine soul had been completely obliterated. Across a radius of a hundred li, Youming had not been given the slightest chance to leave behind a contingency. After a meticulous sweep, Li Guanqi finally let out a long breath. He stood frozen in place, lost in thought. Even now, it all felt somewhat surreal. The Sha organization that had tangled with him for so many years, along with Youming who pulled strings behind them, had all perished in a single day. The only regret was that he still had not discovered who stood behind Youming—who that person above truly was. And furthermore... Li Guanqi narrowed his eyes. In the final moments before Youming died, he had clearly seen a desperate desire to live in the man's eyes. Yet that figure in the Upper Realm had not answered him. Looking back, the golden-haired Ye Feng laughed until tears streamed down his cheeks, surrounded by the others who were bombarding him with questions. Meng Wanshu quietly stood beside Li Guanqi, looping her arm through his, and smiled softly. "Can you finally breathe easy?" Li Guanqi's chest rose and fell gently. Seeing his brothers gathered together brought hot tears to his eyes. He pressed his lips tight and nodded vigorously. After a long pause, he finally said softly, "Yeah... Thank goodness. We finally brought him back." "All these years, I don't know what he went through, but it definitely wasn't easy." "Among the five of us brothers, Ye Feng sometimes felt more like the eldest brother than I did. Responsible, dependable, always shouldering the burden!" Beside him, Meng Wanshu cut in to interrupt him. Tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, her beautiful eyes fixed earnestly on Li Guanqi, and she said in a firm voice, "No." "In my eyes, you are the one who bore the true burden!" "Ye Feng chose to stay by Lu Tian's side for the greater good and for brotherly affection." "Yet whether it was you or Cao Yan and the others, in the end, you all gave everything to bring Ye Feng back." "You shouldered far, far too much." Li Guanqi smiled and said nothing. Perhaps in Meng Wanshu's heart, she was the one who ached for him most of all. Her ability to break through to her current realm had been thanks to the legacy power of Realm Lord Bingqi. But what about Li Guanqi? He had slaughtered day and night in God Burial Valley for more than three full years. No one knew how Li Guanqi had persevered through those solitary days. To spend over three years with one's mind strung tight without going mad was already an incredible feat. Li Guanqi wrapped his arms around Meng Wanshu, whispering with heartfelt emotion, "It's all in the past... It's all over now!" A tremendous weight was lifted from his chest. Li Guanqi laughed heartily and strode over to his brothers. He looked first at Cao Yan, pressing his lips together before punching him hard on his solid shoulder. "Brat, you've lost some of that scholarly air. It's almost weird to look at." Cao Yan scratched his head, at a loss, and chuckled foolishly. "Couldn't help it. These past few years have been rough." Turning toward Xiao Chen, Li Guanqi realized that this fellow's temperament had shifted considerably as well. He looked more like... Long Hou? Li Guanqi shook his head, finding Xiao Chen's transformation hard to believe. Yet Xiao Chen stole a glance at Meng Wanshu not far away and sent a quiet transmission: "Boss, can you take us to temper our hearts in the mortal realm?" "I've been bottled up for years. No booze, no beauties..." Li Guanqi's expression froze, the corner of his eye twitching. Changed my ass. He hadn't changed one bit... Gu Li had a smile on his face, looking noticeably more relaxed. The two of them clasped large hands tightly; everything was understood without words. In contrast, Tang Ru stood somewhat reservedly at a distance, looking a bit out of place. Right then, Ye Feng was the first to speak, his voice deep and earnest. "Thank you!" "If you hadn't been directing us from behind, facing Lu Tian wouldn't have been nearly so smooth." The tension on Tang Ru's face eased at once. He was thrilled that he had been able to help. Among them all, his cultivation realm was currently the weakest. Even with Ji Yuchuan's personal tutelage, his latent talent and starting cultivation had simply been too low. To have advanced to the mid-stage Body Integration Realm by now had already cost him more than ordinary people could imagine. In truth, everyone knew full well that Tang Ru had poured immense effort into reaching his current realm. After all, when they had parted ways back then, Tang Ru's cultivation had been the lowest of all. Ye Feng's gaze softened considerably as he looked at Gu Li and Tang Ru. Deeply moved, emotions churning within his chest, he murmured silently to himself, *What did I, Ye Feng, ever do to deserve people risking their lives for me like this...* Li Guanqi looked around at the figures nearby and called out in a deep voice, "Brothers, let's go home!!" As the words fell, Meng Jiangchu insisted on taking Meng Wanshu away first, refusing to let her go to the Great Xia Sword Sect. Li Guanqi felt a bit awkward, but Meng Wanshu smiled. "It's fine. I'll go home to see Mother first." "Besides, we have a teleportation array that leads straight to the Great Xia Sword Sect. I'll come over then." Gu Changsheng refused to leave as well, insisting on following Gu Li to the Great Xia Sword Sect. Soon, Li Guanqi sensed several powerful auras rapidly approaching, and inside his storage ring, numerous jade slips were glowing. As Li Guanqi took out a jade slip, Meng Jiangchu frowned. "This aura... Dugu Chongming?" Not only Meng Jiangchu, but even Gu Changsheng was startled. "Dugu Chongming? Hasn't he been missing for years?" "How do you have his jade slip? And he's sending you messages?" Li Guanqi did not offer much explanation, because Dugu Lingxiao's message had arrived as well. Nor were they the only ones—there were Han Yuan, Jiang Qizhi, and the others. Ye Xuan of the Nine Dragons Immortal Sect, Qin Xiao of Qin Imperial City, Tang Ru's father Tang Wei, and more... Almost every powerhouse Li Guanqi knew had received a transmission from him earlier. Now, he could only reply to them one by one, letting them know the matter was resolved. Tang Wei was still in the Guanyun Domain Boundary, so he simply waited there for their return. Li Guanqi took a deep breath and said resolutely, "Let's go. Home!" At his words, Ye Feng's eyes reddened, and he choked out, "Home!" Cao Yan, Xiao Chen, and the others echoed the call: "Home!!" Caught up in the fervor, Gu Li was just about to chime in when Gu Changsheng cuffed him upside the head and grumbled in annoyance, "Move, move, move! Can we just go home already?" Hearing that, the group burst into uproarious laughter. With hearts pounding with immense excitement, the group sped off toward the Great Xia Sword Sect. The crushing boulder on their chests had finally fallen away, and they began drinking right there on the road. Naturally, Li Guanqi had not forgotten Xu Junlin and Qin Wushang, inviting them both to visit the Great Xia Sword Sect as guests. Above, sword immortals drank with wild abandon; Below, mortals gazed in awe upon their untamed spirit. Apart from Meng Wanshu, the party counted a full nine Mahayana realm cultivators. A giant dragon soared, circling overhead, and the heavenly tribulation was safely weathered amidst their laughter and chatter. Setting down his wine jar, the corners of Li Guanqi's mouth curled slightly upward. Had these past years been bitter? Bitter. Had these past years been exhausting? Exhausting. Yet he had never once thought of giving up. Just like right now... Looking back on the past, every bit of it had been worth it. "Come! Drink!"