Breaching the Second Domain!

Li Guanqi sat cross-legged where he was, eyes closed in deep concentration, his entire mind immersed in his sea of consciousness. Scenes from the preceding battle flashed continuously across his sea of consciousness. His expression was solemn as he watched the flickering figures in the memories like a detached onlooker. Every detail of the combat unfolded fully before him. The more Li Guanqi watched, the heavier his expression grew, for he realized his performance in this clash had been far from satisfactory. In fact, it was worse than unsatisfactory... If someone truly attacked the way his clone had, he would be utterly powerless to withstand it! Given his current strength and cultivation realm, he feared nothing even against a half-step Tribulation Transcendence cultivator. Yet only after this battle did he understand... The only reason he possessed such confidence was that he had never encountered an adversary who was truly on his exact level of absolute ability! If there were genuinely an opponent whose Sword Ruins and primal energy attributes were not one bit inferior to his own, his enormous shortcomings would be laid bare! And the strength the clone inside the Nirvana Pagoda displayed had woven virtually every technique and method Li Guanqi possessed seamlessly into combat. Its fluid transitions between sword momentum and sword techniques had exerted immense pressure on him. More than that, whether it was combat instinct or the deployment of divine sense in battle, the clone far surpassed him! Li Guanqi scrutinized every moment of the clash; some moves were intimately familiar to him, yet he could never produce the same efficacy! Moreover, throughout the clash, the rhythm of the clone's onslaught was never disrupted for any reason! Even when Li Guanqi parried an attack, the clone would almost simultaneously unleash another. It could even leverage the potency of its divine sense mid-battle to lay incantation traps! It was precisely this ceaseless assault—relentless as a torrential downpour—that had subjected him to unprecedented pressure! Gradually, Li Guanqi began consciously studying the clone's way of fighting. This gapless style of combat fascinated him. In truth, his physical strength was equally terrifying. Every blow and gesture could inflict significant damage. Yet in his current battles, he relied almost exclusively on his sword dao. Furthermore, he depended far too heavily on powerful sword techniques and named moves to defeat his foes. After who knew how long, Li Guanqi's aura gradually steadied, and silver radiance flickered faintly around him. Cao Yan, who had awakened, looked at Li Guanqi and muttered, "An epiphany?" "Boss has epiphanies like child's play..." As soon as he spoke, he noticed that Gu Li, who had slipped into an epiphany earlier, had yet to wake, and Tang Ru had entered an epiphany as well. Meanwhile, Ye Feng and Xiao Chen seemed to have caught some inspiration of their own. Seeing this, Cao Yan couldn't help giving a wry chuckle. "Good grief, looks like everyone's gained something." A moment later, Cao Yan slipped into an epiphany too! This was the feedback upon natural talent brought about by the elevation of their spiritual roots' quality! In the past, an epiphany was something that could only be stumbled upon by sheer fortune, never sought at will. When Li Guanqi opened his eyes, a glint of lightning flashed deep within his pupils! His entire bearing underwent a profound transformation! His cultivation aura hadn't risen at all, yet the impression he gave off had become vastly more terrifying. Ye Feng, jolted awake by the sheer force of Li Guanqi's aura, opened his eyes, and his pupils shrank the instant he looked at him! Every hair on his body stood on end as an inexplicable sense of danger welled up from his heart. Ye Feng exhaled a long breath and murmured inwardly, *Big Brother's comprehension ability is terrifying...* *It was only a single epiphany, yet it gives me such a dreadful feeling.* What Ye Feng didn't know was that Li Guanqi had now synthesized everything he had ever learned! He could now emulate thirty percent of the clone's combat prowess in the Nirvana Pagoda! This was the frightening reality of the Ethereal Dao Body! So long as Li Guanqi recognized his shortcomings and had a clear direction to change, he would undeniably achieve that change! The corners of Li Guanqi's mouth curved upward slightly. Only now did he truly understand what his Ethereal Dao Body was... Supreme comprehension! Supreme talent! Even during his epiphany, he hadn't anticipated grasping the essence of the clone so swiftly. Just as Li Guanqi took a step forward, intending to enter the pagoda once more— A vast, boundless momentum descended in an instant! Boom! Hum! The void warped, and terrifying pressure crashed down. Everyone was jolted from their epiphanies. Li Guanqi's brows furrowed as he commanded in a deep voice, "Go outside! See what happened." One after another, they turned into streaks of light and shot out from the sword coffin. With one hand, Li Guanqi scooped up the sword coffin and slung it across his back. In the next moment, everyone teleported into the sky above the White Jade Tower! Meng Wanshu also appeared beside them, looking up grimly at the flickering portal of light across the firmament. With a flip of her hand, Snow Shadow appeared in her grasp. Narrowing her beautiful eyes, she said coldly, "The Immortal Realm... has breached the Second Domain!" Li Guanqi's face grew equally grave. The Second Domain of the Immortal Burial Realm was known as the Nether-Piercing Realm. It was steeped in a desolate aura of ruin and was where the Sword Steles of all who died in battle stood. The enemy had broken through layer upon layer of defense to push straight into the Second Domain?! Aside from the first layer, the Celestial Spirit Realm, every domain in the Immortal Burial Realm was garrisoned by numerous cultivators standing guard in rotations! At this thought, everyone's heart lurched, and they all turned toward Li Guanqi. Li Guanqi made a grasping motion, and Red Lotus instantly flew into his grip! Simultaneously, Li Guanqi handed an azure immortal sword to Meng Wanshu. "Use this sword." "Brothers! To the Second Domain—we must hold the line!" "Move!" As his words fell, seven streaks of light soared skyward from above the White Jade Tower! Numerous cultivators, women, and children on the first layer looked up at them in unison. Many pressed their palms together, silently praying for them. Having just been jolted from seclusion, Li Guanqi and his group were already the last ones to ascend to the Second Domain. Li Guanqi took the lead ahead of everyone, primal energy surging within him as terrifying lightning crackled around him! Hum! Traversing the domain barrier, the moment Li Guanqi emerged, he found two Mahayana realm Immortal Realm cultivators ambushing him! Furthermore, both were at the peak Mahayana realm! By that measure, their true strength in the Immortal Realm was without doubt at the ninth rank of Mystic Immortal! Unshaken, Li Guanqi repelled one with a sweep of his sword, while his free right hand formed an incantation seal, conjuring dozens of ferociously potent spirit swords that shot forth in an instant! Yet before the repelled man could even react, a surge of boundless spatial power had already bound him in place! Though it lasted only an instant, for a cultivator of Li Guanqi's caliber, that was more than enough.