This Time... I Shall Be the Sword in Your Hand! Slaying an Immortal!

Li Guanqi gauged his current strength. He could sustain himself at the initial stage of Tribulation Transcendence for half an incense stick at most! And what he was attempting now—slaying an immortal—was utterly staggering. Li Guanqi murmured softly, "Sword spirit, do you need me to hand control of my body over to you?" The sword spirit's calm voice echoed in his mind. "No." "This time... I will be the sword in your hand." Li Guanqi took a deep breath, his gaze turning chillingly cold and resolute! In an instant, the atmosphere grew stiflingly tense. The man's eyes also darkened with vicious malice. Though he did not understand why such a transformation had taken place, he was acutely aware of one thing: as long as he could kill the brat before him, he could seize all of his fortune! Possession! That was an option as well! Li Guanqi no longer held back, unleashing the full might of his Ethereal Dao Body in an instant. In a flash, the lightning-attribute spiritual energy throughout the space went wild, surging toward Li Guanqi in torrents! Watching Li Guanqi now, Jiang Bin's eyes gleamed with manic greed! "The aura of the Thunder Lord... A spiritual physique! You actually have a spiritual physique!" "Hahahahaha! A great stroke of fortune indeed!" Jiang Bin was driven thoroughly mad with desire. If he could kill Li Guanqi and take over his body, not only would he gain Li Guanqi's supreme divine-grade spiritual root, but he would also acquire a special physique—a body on the level of a spiritual physique! Moreover, even if he lacked the capability to keep the phantom of the sword in the boy's hand for himself, so long as he offered it to his superiors... the rewards showered upon him would bring unfathomable, heaven-sent riches! At this moment, Jiang Bin's covetous lust for Li Guanqi peaked. Boom! Familiarizing himself with his suppressed strength, Jiang Bin flicked his wrist and drew several brilliantly shimmering inscribed talismans from his storage ring, slapping them onto his body. At the same time, he swallowed an elixir, instantly boosting his aura to the mid-stage of the Tribulation Transcendence realm! Watching the man whose long hair whipped wildly in the wind, exuding a staggering aura, Li Guanqi raised his vigilance to the absolute peak. Clang! The hum of a blade cutting through air echoed slowly. Jiang Bin stared greedily at Li Guanqi, licking his dry lips. "Kill you, become you, and drain the fortune of the Six Domains Continent dry—I will surely break through to True Immortal!" "And once I receive the bestowed rewards, it might not even be impossible for me, Jiang Bin, to bypass Golden Immortal and attain the seat of an Immortal Lord!" Li Guanqi furrowed his brow, hearing the realm divisions of the Immortal Realm for the first time. Exhaling a mouthful of stale air, a deafening thud reverberated! Bang! The sea of blood spanning hundreds of zhang beneath his feet suddenly collapsed into a deep crater, and Li Guanqi's figure vanished from where he stood! Jiang Bin's gaze sharpened, and he snapped his sword back to parry and thrust behind him! Clang! Crack, crack, crack! The thrusting antique longsword collided squarely with the phantom blade in Li Guanqi's grasp. The instant the first-grade immortal sword clashed with the sword spirit, it shattered and disintegrated inch by inch starting from the tip, incapable of holding out for even a single exchange! The longsword manifested by the sword spirit drove straight through, cleaving through the hilt and splitting the man's right hand wide open! "Ahhh!" Even Li Guanqi was stunned. He had never imagined that the sword spirit, while remaining a mere phantom, could utterly destroy an immortal-grade sword in direct collision! And it was obliterated thoroughly... reduced to countless bursting fragments. The instant Jiang Bin shifted his stance, Li Guanqi snapped a kick into the man's knee. Snap! The blow carried tremendous force, bending Jiang Bin's lower leg at a grotesque angle and crushing the knee to powder. Jiang Bin shrieked as he retreated violently, his eyes filled with shock and horror. In just a single exchange, he had been thrown onto the defensive. Li Guanqi gave him no quarter. The afterimage faded from where it stood, and his true form appeared behind the man in an instant. Jiang Bin raised a hand, conjuring a flaming spiritual sword to slash out! Yet even an immortal sword could not withstand the sword spirit; how could a mere spiritual sword hold the line? Almost the moment the edges met, the spiritual sword exploded into smithereens. However, the man's reflexes were astonishingly fast. With Li Guanqi wielding his sword with one hand, unleashing hundreds of strikes in a single breath, his opponent retreated while trading blows, somehow weathering Li Guanqi's ferocious onslaught! Both wore expressions of utmost gravity. As they traded blows, various immortal artifacts kept appearing in the man's hand. Yet without exception, before the blade formed by the sword spirit, these so-called immortal artifacts proved as fragile as broken chamber pots and crumbling roof tiles by the roadside. Their figures blurred into afterimages, flickering frantically across the sea of blood. Explosive lightning and searing flames blotted out the sky. Against such tempestuous attacks, even a Mahayana realm cultivator could not have survived for more than a few breaths. Murderous intent permeated the air. After only a few breaths of time, numerous wounds were added to each of their bodies! Thud! Trading simultaneous punches into each other's chests, Li Guanqi spat a mouthful of blood, though the spray was incinerated into nothingness by the flames before it even landed. Jiang Bin was having an equally miserable time. Even with immortal talismans adorning his body, his physical form was not exceptionally resilient. Li Guanqi's punch fractured several ribs across his chest. The terrifying force jostled his internal organs out of place. Blood seeped from the corner of his mouth, and his eyes narrowed slightly. Li Guanqi raised his sword and cleaved straight down! "World Annihilation!" Boom! The terrifying pressure forcefully depressed the sea of blood beneath them by several zhang, carving a long trench across the surface that prevented the blood from flowing back. The man's expression twisted in horror. With no time to think, he hurled several shields! A single sword strike tore heaven and earth asunder, splitting a trench hundreds of zhang long across the sea of blood! Locked in place by this overbearing aura, Jiang Bin had nowhere to flee and had no choice but to take it head-on! In an instant, soaring sword intent surged to the heavens. The jade crown atop the man's head shattered, leaving his black hair to lash wildly in the gale. Suspended in midair, endless flames converged around him into a fire shield covered in shimmering runes! "Flame God Shield!" Boom! A flash of blood-red sword light flared and vanished in midair! The shield was severed with a mirror-smooth cut, and Jiang Bin's arm, along with one of his ears, flew high into the sky, the stumps charred black. At the same time... Behind Jiang Bin, countless flaming spiritual swords suddenly materialized, engulfing Li Guanqi! "Detonate for me!" Boom! Boom! Boom! Charred black from head to toe, Li Guanqi burst out of the conflagration! His face blanched abruptly, yet his eyes remained ruthless as he slashed again and again! Bang, bang, bang! The flaming spiritual swords shattered and detonated. The two locked in combat at a blistering pace, trading relentless blows. As time slipped away, the divine marks on Li Guanqi's face showed signs of collapsing, and charred wounds accumulated across his flesh. Jiang Bin was in no better state, his body covered in scorch marks from lightning, while bone-deep sword lacerations crisscrossed his frame. Yet neither dared relax for a single heartbeat. The slightest misstep meant death and the end of one's Dao! Bang, bang! Clang, clang, clang, clang! A dense barrage of clashes rang out, and explosive flames incinerated empty space. Li Guanqi darted out from the fire again and again. The battle raged for over a hundred breaths! Neither gave an inch, exhausting every trick up their sleeves! Suddenly! Seizing the split second when his opponent's strength flagged, Li Guanqi drew a deep breath and unleashed several consecutive slashes! "Heaven Shattering Sword Art!" Boom! Jiang Bin was turning when several sword strikes struck his back, carving bone-deep wounds that exposed his internal organs. Those strikes nearly hacked him to pieces! All of a sudden, Li Guanqi accelerated, appearing behind the man in the blink of an eye! He aimed the sword in his hand at Jiang Bin's heart and thrust violently! The blade impaled the man's torso. The sword spirit started in alarm. "Not good!" Jiang Bin's body suddenly burst into a sky full of exploding flames. Li Guanqi frowned. Within his divine sense perception, he had not sensed any change in the man's aura from start to finish! Just when had he managed to imprint his aura onto this flame clone? Scorching flames engulfed Li Guanqi completely! The terrifying heat caused the sea of blood spanning ten thousand zhang to boil and bubble, filling the air with bloody mist! Jiang Bin's figure materialized a hundred zhang away, madness dancing in his eyes as his hands snapped together to form hand seals! "Immortal Art: Flame Spirit Burial!" Boom! The boundless flames expanded almost instantly, engulfing a expanse of ten thousand zhang! Having fought to this point, both were on the brink of their limits. Yet the moment Li Guanqi raised a barrier of primal energy, the sea of blood beneath his feet surged violently! A colossal hand of blood wrapped around Li Guanqi, shielding him tightly within! The longsword manifested by the sword spirit abruptly vanished, and the sword spirit appeared behind Li Guanqi, wrapping her arms around him in a tight embrace. Li Guanqi froze, his gaze sharp with alarm. "Sword spirit!" Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! The thunderous explosions fell like a torrential downpour, reverberating without a moment's pause. Jiang Bin panted heavily, that single technique having depleted nearly thirty percent of his remaining primal energy! He was supremely confident that his opponent could not possibly survive such an attack! Just as he expected, he sensed Li Guanqi's aura grow faint and feeble. The figure lying in midair was missing limbs, his consciousness drifting. A manic greed flared within Jiang Bin's eyes! "Hahahaha! My new body, here I come!" Jiang Bin's face and flesh aged at a terrifying speed, his skin sagging, mottled with age spots as his eyes clouded over. Immediately after, a spiritual body shot out from within his physical form! The distance of a hundred zhang vanished in the blink of an eye. Just as he was about to reach Li Guanqi's body, Li Guanqi's eyes snapped open, and he sat bolt upright. Squelch! The pool of blood on the earth churned, instantly morphing into nearly a hundred spikes of blood that impaled Jiang Bin's soul body! A flicker of worry crossed Li Guanqi's eyes, and he called out anxiously in his heart, "Sword spirit! Are you all right?!" "I am fine. Rest easy." Jiang Bin's soul body trembled in terror. His eyes widened in utter disbelief as he stared at the tall woman standing behind Li Guanqi! Her back a bloody mess, the sword spirit reformed into a blade once more. Li Guanqi rose slowly, dragging his heavily wounded body forward step by step. His divine sense hummed, fusing with his primal energy to channel the purest force into the blade! A blood-red glow flared restlessly across the sword's phantom. Amid the thick of battle, a flash of insight struck Li Guanqi. With a sweep of his hand, the blade traced an ethereal, profound trajectory and shot forth! Boom! A long fissure was torn across the firmament, cleaving the sea of blood clean in two! Jiang Bin's soul was instantly slashed into countless fragments. Slumping down in midair, Li Guanqi watched the surrounding sea of blood gradually dissipate, muttering softly under his breath, "This strike... is named Immortal Slayer!"