Old Six Gu

After hearing Li Guanqi's detailed explanation, everyone couldn't help but draw a sharp breath of cold air! To think someone like that had lurked behind the scenes for ten or twenty years—the mere thought was suffocating. Li Guanqi had naturally concealed everything concerning the sword spirit. As for the details he left out, none of the people standing here would pry. After all, each of them carried secrets of their own that could not be shared with others. Qin Wushang frowned and asked in a low voice, "So what are your thoughts? Sect Master Lu's disappearance is almost certainly an open trap waiting for you to walk right into! Should I notify my father and the others?" Li Guanqi shook his head, his tone solemn. "We cannot alert the enemy. Because all of you are in the Great Xia Sword Sect, and the realm has the barrier we set up together, they wouldn't dare act rashly here." At this, Li Guanqi narrowed his eyes slightly, a grave look settling on his face. "However... since they already calculated that I would look for the sect master as soon as I returned, that indirectly proves they have been keeping us under constant surveillance! If we go seeking Uncle Qin or anyone else right now, they will definitely notice. Right now, the enemy is in the open while we are in the dark; the initiative is still in my hands!" Li Guanqi swept his gaze across the people beside him, his voice heavy. "You are all the brothers and friends I, Li Guanqi, trust the most! So this time, I hope everyone will lend me a hand!" While Li Guanqi was speaking, Tang Ru, who had been standing nearby the entire time, worked his abacus with hands that blurred into afterimages, clacking away without pause. Yet gradually, Tang Ru's face grew deathly pale, and blood began trickling involuntarily from his nose. His pupils trembled violently, yet the hands flicking the abacus grew slower and slower. By the end, pushing each bead seemed to take immense effort! The commotion quickly drew everyone's attention. Suddenly—! Tang Ru let out a savage roar and pushed a bead with all his might. A loud snap rang out as his thumb broke! Grim white bone pierced straight through the skin, and in the next instant, the abacus shattered to pieces! Golden abacus beads burst in every direction. Tang Ru, struck by the spiritual backlash, coughed up a violent torrent of blood. Everyone rushed over to support him. His gaze had grown somewhat glazed, and he muttered repeatedly, "They're... spying on us... peering in right now!" With that, his head rolled back, and he blacked out. Cao Yan hurriedly reached out to examine him before letting out a breath of relief. "He'll be fine. Just sustained some injuries, his soul was slightly shaken, and his sea of consciousness took some damage." Cao Yan retrieved several medicinal pills from his storage ring and fed them to Tang Ru. Only then did Tang Ru's aura gradually stabilize. Xu Junlin looked at Tang Ru, eyes flashing with sharp light. He hadn't expected this Body Integration Realm fellow to possess such an ability. Even Qin Wushang was astonished. Which of them present wasn't stronger in realm than this fatty? Yet none of them had sensed the slightest anomaly or caught any trace of an aura. Yet Tang Ru had accurately declared that the enemy was watching them at this very moment! Though the price... was by no means small. After settling Tang Ru, everyone's expressions grew heavy. Li Guanqi narrowed his eyes and looked up toward the sky, his voice low. "They must be checking whether any spatial transmission ripples emanate from us. If there aren't any, they will surely let down their guard, which is all the more reason not to alert them! We joined forces to slay Lu Tian, so right now, we should appear brimming with confidence! As long as we don't contact other powerhouses, they will never suspect we've already figured it out." Xiao Chen looked grim and frowned. "Boss, if this opponent possesses such deep scheming and patience, their strength probably isn't something we can contend with, is it? Since you said Youming had that pleading look before he died, their backer is very likely a Tribulation Transcendence Realm expert! We couldn't even fight back against Youming, so how can we face someone like that?" Xiao Chen's words immediately plunged the room into silence. His concern was far from baseless. After all, they had directly faced Youming after his breakthrough to the Tribulation Transcendence Realm. That level of power was simply not something they could withstand. Li Guanqi narrowed his eyes. He had naturally anticipated this long ago. Turning to look at Gu Li, who had been rubbing his chin all this while, Li Guanqi couldn't help chuckling softly. "Old Six Gu." Gu Li started, looking utterly bewildered. "Huh? What is it, Boss?" Li Guanqi asked gently, "Tell me, back when Qinglong showed up, did you secretly plant inscribed talismans on him too?" At those words, everyone was inwardly shocked. Gu Li? Plant inscribed talismans on the Dragon King?! How could he possibly pull that off? Xu Junlin couldn't help saying, "That's impossible... That senior is at the peak of the Tribulation Transcendence Realm. Besides, we were all there. When could he have planted talismans on the Dragon King? We were watching the entire time." The corners of Li Guanqi's mouth curved upward. It seemed they truly didn't understand what kind of person Gu Li was. An eerily peculiar smile crept onto Gu Li's face. He didn't answer Xu Junlin. Li Guanqi shrugged and smiled at Gu Li. "Why don't you... let them see for themselves?" Gu Li curled his lip, shifting his hand seals even as he spoke. "Boss, aren't you just exposing my secrets here..." Yet despite his grumbling, his hands didn't slow down one bit. As he spoke, everyone discovered to their horror that at some point, their bodies had been densely plastered with inscribed talismans! Xu Junlin had the most talismans on him, followed closely by Qin Wushang. What's more, ninety percent of the talismans on those two were explosive talismans. Terrified, Xu Junlin hurriedly stripped off his outer robe, only to discover in utter shock that his undergarments and bare skin were covered in talismans as well. "Damn it! When did you stick these on me?! And... why is it that he and I are covered in explosive talismans, while everyone else gets all sorts of defensive and boosting talismans?!" Gu Li shrugged and answered bluntly, "Who told you to be on bad terms with Fourth Brother? I had to take precautions just in case. If we ever fall out later, I can blow you to pieces." The corners of Qin Wushang's mouth twitched. He hadn't felt a single thing when those talismans were planted. Yet he didn't dwell on why he had so many explosive talismans; instead, he asked with keen interest, "I'm a bit curious. When did I get tagged with so many? If I recall correctly... from the moment I emerged from the forbidden ground of the Ethereal Immortal Domain until we met, my protective barrier was active the entire time." Gu Li lowered his head slightly, the whites showing beneath his irises as he smiled an inscrutable smile. "The very instant you stepped out of the void." A look of sudden comprehension dawned on Qin Wushang's face. He gave a thumbs-up, the corners of his mouth twitching. "Impressive, Old Six Gu..."