When Li Guanqi issued his challenge to the Eight Generals, his brothers had also been spurred into action.
Their fierce pride would not allow too great a gap to form between Li Guanqi and themselves.
While they were still considering how to best utilize the time dilation to cultivate in peace, Li Guanqi had already launched a challenge toward greater heights and embarked on a path of his own.
Because of this, over the past several days, both Ye Feng and Cao Yan had been holding in a fierce drive to push forward.
Now, Li Guanqi looked back at the group and said softly, "I'll go alone this time. Everyone, focus on your cultivation!"
Hearing this, the others hesitated. At that moment, Ye Feng decisively took charge.
"Cultivate."
With those words, Ye Feng was the first to turn and head toward the third floor.
Among them, perhaps only Ye Feng could truly understand Li Guanqi to some degree.
He knew Li Guanqi had told them to stay and cultivate not because he thought they would be useless if they went along, but rather...
Lately, the tempo of the Immortal Realm's offensives was even more frequent than Li Guanqi had anticipated!
According to the information Ye Feng had gathered at the wine shop, before Li Guanqi and his companions came to the Seventh Domain, the fighting here had not been nearly this frequent.
At times, years would pass between battles. Even at its shortest, several months would separate one Immortal Realm offensive from the next.
Furthermore, the clashes in previous years had never resulted in casualties this severe.
Most of the time... it was more like military drilling!
Both sides honed themselves against one another, though such drilling was of little real value to the cultivators of the Immortal Realm.
As a result, the cultivators of the Seventh Domain now had the distinct impression that the Immortal Realm seemed to have made up its mind to conquer the Human Spirit Realm no matter the cost!
Every battle was now fought with total devotion, devolving into unrestrained slaughter. The frequency of the assaults was escalating, and the descending immortals were growing increasingly powerful.
Ye Feng kept his head lowered, eyes flickering.
He had learned a great deal from Li Qingchan. From the timeline she had described, Ye Feng was shocked to discover that whenever the Immortal Realm shifted the timing of their slaughter campaigns, every single change seemed linked to Li Guanqi!
Ye Feng glanced at Li Guanqi, who waved as he stepped out the door, and murmured inwardly, *Perhaps... Big Brother was also shaken after seeing Ye Mohan, which is why he feels such an urgent need to raise his strength?*
The truth was remarkably close to Ye Feng's supposition.
As the Immortal Realm's offensives grew more frequent and more lives were lost, Li Guanqi felt an inexplicable sense of crisis. In particular, what had happened to Ye Mohan had dealt him a heavy blow.
Only last month, their group had clashed with Ye Mohan. Li Guanqi had assumed they would cross paths and butt heads with Ye Mohan and his crew frequently in the days ahead.
Yet to his utter surprise, across just two battles, so many had died—leaving Ye Mohan completely alone.
Ye Mohan had even lost the confidence and arrogance he once possessed, spending his days drinking himself into a stupor to escape reality, unwilling to face the world.
Li Guanqi would never allow himself to become the next Ye Mohan!
Thus, he had to do everything in his power to raise his strength, stepping into the Tribulation Transcendence realm with the absolute strongest Mahayana foundation!
Perhaps only upon reaching the Tribulation Transcendence realm would his heart find some sense of security.
Meng Wanshu watched his increasingly mature and steady figure, the corners of her lips turning up in a faint smile, her gaze softening completely.
Turning, she stepped onto the second floor of the Nirvana Pagoda. The others left one after another, until only Gu Li remained seated cross-legged on the square, brow furrowed in thought.
Blank talisman papers floated around him as countless talisman brushes manifested from spiritual light. Gu Li was simultaneously drawing dozens of completely different inscribed talismans!
Everyone was giving it their all!
***
The Fourth Domain.
The Palace of the Eight Generals.
Clad in green robes, Nangong Xuandu slowly opened his eyes, a brilliant gleam flashing across his pupils!
*Weng!* An inexplicably immense aura rippled outward.
Immediately after, Nangong Xuandu took a step forward, flickering into the void above.
*Whoosh! Whoosh!*
Long Hou and the others appeared one after another. Seeing Nangong Xuandu's presence as calm and deep as a frigid pool, their expressions turned solemn!
Over seven full days, Nangong Xuandu had brought his vitality, spirit, and soul to their absolute peak.
Long Hou smiled faintly, brimming with confidence in Nangong Xuandu.
With a flick of his hand, Long Hou tossed the Dao platform into the air once more. The palm-sized, dark-gold Dao platform swelled rapidly upon meeting the wind!
By the time the platform fully unfurled, Nangong Xuandu had already landed upon it, touching down lightly on one foot to stand at its center!
This duel had likewise captured everyone's attention, though the Four Kings did not make an appearance this time.
Nearly all the cultivators of the Fourth Domain were present, and not just them—almost all the cultivators from the Seventh Domain had gathered here as well.
Many had even dragged floating islands out from the void and linked them together. Floating along the perimeter of the Dao platform, these connected islands served as vantage points for the spectators.
Nangong Xuandu wore a calm expression, eyes gently closed as he stood on the platform.
*Weng!*
Silver light flared as the portal from the Third Domain shone with dazzling radiance.
A white-robed figure stepped into view.
The instant Li Guanqi appeared, quite a few powerful cultivators gasped!
Many among them had watched Li Guanqi duel Chan Kongzi.
"He... the presence he gives off has changed again!" an elder blurted out as he sprang to his feet, squinting his cloudy eyes in disbelief.
Beside him, another elder in luxurious purple robes wore an equally grave expression, the look in his eyes shifting repeatedly as he stared at Li Guanqi.
"Indeed! I feel it too!"
"If I could still vaguely sense the gap between us last time..."
"Now... I can't sense it at all!"
Just as the words left his mouth, a burly man behind them couldn't resist looking at the two elders and saying incredulously, "Elder Li, Elder Zhou, is that kid really as miraculous as you make him out to be? It's only been a few days—how could a Mahayana cultivator change so drastically?"
Hearing the man's question, the two old men simply rolled their eyes, not bothering to offer an explanation.
Anyone who hadn't watched Li Guanqi duel Chan Kongzi could never comprehend just how monumental Li Guanqi's transformation truly was!
*Weng!*
The instant Nangong Xuandu sensed Li Guanqi's aura, his eyes snapped open!
When his deep gaze fell upon Li Guanqi, his pupils constricted slightly, and his expression gradually turned grave.
Hong Zhi narrowed her eyes, her tone somber. "Guanqi... has changed so much!"
Clad in golden armor, Long Hou did not speak, but the gravity in his eyes said everything.
Every one of them felt the shift in Li Guanqi!
*Weng! Whoosh!*
Li Guanqi took a single step forward, and the Dao platform seemed to materialize right beneath his feet.
Stepping onto the platform, Li Guanqi looked at Nangong Xuandu and said softly, "Senior, thank you for waiting."
Hearing this, Nangong Xuandu took a long, deep look at Li Guanqi, involuntarily drawing a deep breath to steady his mind.
With a flick of his right hand, the longsword on his back leaped from its sheath with a crisp clang and flew directly into his grasp!
Nangong Xuandu swung the sword down at an angle.
*Boom!*
Dense azure sword qi surged in all directions!
Twisting his wrist, he pointed the blade downward and cupped his fist in salute.
"Sword cultivator Nangong Xuandu. Sword name: Qingxiao!"
Li Guanqi's expression turned solemn. Reaching into the void with one hand, he drew Red Lotus.
"Sword cultivator Li Guanqi. Sword name: Red Lotus!"
Chapter 1248