In the Ethereal Immortal Domain, the Southern Domain's Liao clan—which possessed a half-step Tribulation Transcendence realm ancestor—was destroyed.
Overnight, news of the slaughter spread across almost the entire Ethereal Immortal Domain.
Everyone felt endangered, and without exception, people speculated over who had struck.
Yet... this was hardly a secret.
Almost every cultivator at or above the Mahayana realm had sensed that extraordinarily dense celestial spiritual qi.
They had likewise sensed two distinct auras:
one of awe-inspiring, murderous saber radiance that shook the heavens, and one of razor-sharp sword intent bent on extinguishing all living beings.
The Liao clan's annihilation meant that Liao Qingming, the man who had prepared for thousands of years, had also failed to ascend to the Immortal Realm.
Several old men huddled together. The room was heavy with the lifeless, declining breath of encroaching death.
"Old Liao... died after all."
"All nine hundred-plus members of the Liao clan perished, yet they still failed to hold back the Eight Generals."
"Speaking of which, not long ago Azure Dragon Wen Guyan stepped out of the Seventh Domain. Are we supposed to keep waiting?"
Dead silence followed.
Not a soul spoke. The atmosphere in the room grew suffocating and grave.
Not only here—on that day, numerous powerhouses across the Ethereal Immortal Domain came out of seclusion.
Countless experts of the Ancient Clans and Hidden Clans held secret discussions. Even powerhouses and clan factions across the Six Domains convened in secret.
The entire world was shaken!
For Liao Qingming had likely been the person most capable of ascending to the Immortal Realm.
Few people knew about Xun Tian, making Liao Qingming the aspirational goal of all ordinary cultivators.
Yet even Liao Qingming, who had made every conceivable preparation, was slain...
Worse, the lives of nearly a thousand Liao clan members had been ruthlessly wiped out. Overnight, the hostility harbored by the world's powerhouses toward the Seventh Domain reached an absolute peak!
On the way back to the Seventh Domain, Li Guanqi remained silent, uttering not a word.
Walking ahead of him, Hong Zhi quietly tended to her injuries, then glanced back at him.
"Feeling troubled?"
Li Guanqi nodded.
"They only wanted to live... In their eyes, they did nothing wrong."
Hong Zhi stopped in her tracks, not denying it.
"I know. Everyone knows."
"Still... you have no idea how grave the consequences are if immortals descend in reverse through an ascension passage..."
Hong Zhi offered no further explanation. She merely sighed, her gaze turning conflicted.
The two maintained their silence for the rest of the journey. Hong Zhi's eyes held deep emotion; undoubtedly, Liao Qingming's death weighed on her as well.
They had been old acquaintances, meaning he had certainly been a prominent figure of his era alongside Hong Zhi.
To meet again now, only to find the world so changed, and to cut down an old friend with her own saber...
Li Guanqi, meanwhile, had been deeply moved by how the entire Liao clan had united to help Liao Qingming breach the boundary between the mortal and immortal worlds.
For the first time, he questioned in his heart whether his grandfather's aeons-long vigil guarding the mortal realm had been right or wrong.
"Phew..."
Li Guanqi let out a long sigh. Hong Zhi raised a hand and tossed an identity jade slip into the air.
A vortex of spiritual light materialized before them, and the two stepped through.
*Buzz!*
The first layer: the Celestial Spirit Domain.
Hong Zhi said gravely, "I must report back on my mission, so I won't go with you."
Li Guanqi nodded silently.
"Alright. Safe travels, Senior."
The two parted ways, Hong Zhi heading straight for the portal of light.
Li Guanqi stood frozen in midair, lost in thought for a long time.
Suddenly!
A torrential frost power erupted from the top of the White Jade Tower.
The force expanded across dozens of li in an instant!
The terrifying frost power caused the ambient temperature to plummet. Li Guanqi's eyes flickered, lightning crackled beneath his feet, and he turned into a bolt of purple thunder, arriving in a flash!
Ye Feng and the others manifested instantly, followed by several others exiting seclusion one after another.
*Buzz!*
The spiritual energy of heaven and earth around them went wild, and even the distant Celestial Spirit Mountain Range trembled slightly under the pull of this aura.
"Sister-in-law is breaking through... That's so fast!"
Ye Feng stared with a grave expression toward the peak of the White Jade Tower.
Tang Ru's eyes dimmed. Cao Yan and Xiao Chen were both at critical junctures in their breakthroughs.
Before long, they would likely advance to the late Mahayana realm.
Seeing his expression, Li Guanqi understood his thoughts. What Tang Ru needed most right now was time.
Without time to settle his mind and cultivate, Tang Ru's cultivation speed was simply too slow.
Ye Feng smiled faintly and sent a quiet voice transmission:
"Big Brother, a senior named Kong Ming specially prepared a pill for Tang Ru."
"A pill? What pill?"
Ye Feng shrugged.
"A divine-grade pill of rather impressive quality!"
"With this pill, Tang Ru will be able to close the gap between us in a short time!"
Li Guanqi's eyes lit up. That was great news!
Before he could speak, a breath of power so immense it defied description erupted!
Terrifying pressure instantly blanketed the void, drawing numerous powerhouses in the first domain to take to the skies!
When they saw that it was the White Jade Tower once again, they were stunned.
Ever since Li Guanqi and his companions entered and the Realm Lord visited in person, practically all of them had been advancing at a visibly astonishing pace.
Such cultivation speed even made those veteran powerhouses a bit envious.
Yet they also knew that every single person following Li Guanqi possessed monstrous talent when compared to the rest of the world!
Lately, powerhouses had even begun approaching Tang Ru and Gu Li.
These old figures had lived for thousands of years and possessed countless precious materials.
Although the Seventh Domain had its own Talisman Tower, housing cultivators who were all top talisman masters of the current age,
they had originally come merely with the intention of testing the waters and befriending Gu Li.
Yet... once they received their respective inscribed talismans, they were utterly dumbfounded!
His craftsmanship in drawing inscribed talismans had completely surpassed those old monsters in the Talisman Tower!
Apart from the Master of the Talisman Tower—that old Tribulation Transcendence monster—
hardly anyone could produce inscribed talismans on par with Gu Li's!
Moreover, word had it that the fellow possessing the Purple Cloud Thunder Flame was an alchemist.
However, Cao Yan had personally declined many requests to concoct pills.
He was currently captivated by the martial path, having lost his former passion for alchemy.
This only made many realize that Li Guanqi's circle was truly full of hidden dragons and crouching tigers.
*Rumble!*
An explosion suddenly rang out!
Meng Wanshu emerged from seclusion, dressed in a gorgeous azure-blue gown.
Her terrifying aura pushed straight toward the peak Mahayana realm, and this surge of power showed not the slightest hint of instability.
It was as though...
a cultivator whose realm had fallen was steadily recovering her former power.
Li Guanqi's brow suddenly furrowed.
Seeing Meng Wanshu's haughty demeanor and frigid eyes, he was struck by a bad premonition!
Ye Feng also frowned upon seeing her arrogant gaze.
That demeanor... did not seem like Meng Wanshu at all!
Just then, Meng Wanshu looked down from high above, and her gaze collided with Li Guanqi's!
Li Guanqi's expression darkened, his narrowed eyes seemingly piercing through a person's soul.
Staring at Meng Wanshu, he murmured in a calm yet icy voice:
"You're already dead. Do you still dare try to seize her mind?"
Chapter 1190