*Thnk!*
The sword, having lost its spiritual essence, embedded itself into the mountain formed of condensed spiritual light.
The observing cultivators had long since stirred from their meditation. Rising to their feet, they gazed upon the scene in silence, speechless for a long time.
A heavy solemnity settled over everyone.
Especially Li Guanqi.
At this moment, his heart was a tempest of complex emotions...
Chen Xianzhi's death was not merely a failed breakthrough.
He... could have taken more time to prepare...
Yet faced with the samsara heavenly tribulation governed by the laws of time, he, as a cultivator, chose to defy heaven, break through, and face the tribulation!!
And for the greater good of all beneath heaven, he chose to attempt his breakthrough and undergo his tribulation in the Realm of Celestial Spirits.
By doing so, as he broke through and faced the tribulation, he allowed even more cultivators stuck at the peak of the Mahayana realm to perceive the existence of the barrier of laws.
And precisely because of that selfless act, he had been forced to divide his attention between resisting the heavenly tribulation and seeking comprehension.
Though Gu Li's three inscribed talismans bought him precious time...
In the end, Chen Xianzhi still failed to seize that fleeting thread of life!!
Regardless, this elder deserved the utmost respect of everyone present!
What he had done was true righteousness.
With slightly reddened eyes, Li Guanqi called out in a resonant, solemn voice:
"Heaven and earth are ruthless, treating all things as straw dogs!
"Senior Chen Xianzhi stepped into the tribulation and dissolved his Dao—such righteousness demands our highest reverence!
"Farewell... Senior Chen Xianzhi!"
Clasping his hands, his back straight, he slowly bent forward and bowed his head.
As his words fell, every cultivator straightened their expression and shouted in unison:
"Farewell, Senior Chen Xianzhi!!"
After a long pause, Li Guanqi looked up at the sky and whispered softly, "When I enter Tribulation Transcendence, it will be here as well!"
He believed he was not the only one with this thought; in the crowd, many eyes flickered with diverse, unspoken resolves.
No one moved to touch the battered sword standing upright atop the mountain.
It was proof that Chen Xianzhi had once lived, and even after ten million years, none would disturb it.
Li Guanqi turned to look at the companions beside him and said in a low voice, "Change into black robes. We go to the Sword Stele."
No one uttered a word. What had just transpired had shaken not only Li Guanqi, but each of them deeply.
From the old man's deeds and words, they had felt a fierce reluctance to yield.
Equally, they had felt a cultivator's unprecedented, unyielding will to defy the natural order for the Great Dao!!
Even Meng Wanshu was no exception; her eyes were downcast, heavy with thought.
Ye Feng and the others hung their heads in silence, lost in contemplative thought.
Every one of them was a favored child of heaven, and with Li Guanqi as their elder brother paving the way before them, their cultivation paths had been smooth sailing. Even the samsara heavenly tribulation that arrived once every few centuries seemed exceedingly distant to them.
None of them had ever undergone a samsara heavenly tribulation, so naturally, they did not know the despair of facing one whose power grew several degrees more terrifying with each recurrence.
Even though they knew the samsara heavenly tribulation was terrifying, they could not truly feel it.
For them, cultivation was merely constrained by resources.
With Li Guanqi present, they possessed the finest resources and the greatest talent.
Chen Xianzhi's death had given them much to ponder.
Ye Feng and the others were no fools; on the contrary, they were sharp and perceptive, and they thought further ahead.
Ye Feng even wondered whether, after ascending to the Immortal Realm in the future, he too would face such a choice.
Forced into a corner where he could only choose between two manners of death.
Carrying such complex emotions, the crowd made their way slowly to the Sword Stele in the Second Domain.
Beneath a dim sky lay ruins and rubble, surrounded by pitch-black mire.
Everything felt overwhelmingly oppressive.
The silent gathering numbered more than two hundred people, all dressed in black robes, their faces solemn.
Fresh flowers were piled high before the Sword Stele.
Even in death...
Chen Xianzhi had left nothing behind in the mortal world.
Only his old friend had managed to retrieve a green wine gourd and a tattered hemp robe from his cramped, meager hut.
In complete silence, everyone bowed deeply to the wine gourd and tattered hemp robe resting upon the stone platform.
At the front, Long Hou looked austere, his eyes likewise tinged with red, and he called out in a low, resonant voice:
"Farewell, Fellow Daoist Chen Xianzhi!"
No one penned an account of his life. Long Hou merely waved his hand and inscribed four grand characters:
"A Master's Great Righteousness!"
Incense sticks crowded before the Sword Stele, wafting curling blue smoke that burned thick and strong.
Li Guanqi led his companions to the front of the Sword Stele, bowing respectfully and offering their incense.
Every one of them had benefited from the elder's grace, a debt of gratitude... they could never repay...
After straightening up, Long Hou actually walked over to Li Guanqi's side.
Having heard many things from Hong Zhi, seeing Li Guanqi again filled him with deep emotion.
He was marveling at how terrifyingly fast Li Guanqi had advanced.
Now, even he could no longer see clearly through Li Guanqi, able to perceive only a vague impression.
Long Hou said softly, "Let's push back our match a bit. Go back and cultivate in seclusion for a while."
Li Guanqi nodded. It was not just Ye Feng and the others who had gained insights; even Xiang Huaizhi, Nangong Xuandu, and others among the Seven Generals had attained new realizations.
Li Guanqi cupped his hands to the others in salute, showing not the slightest arrogance from having defeated them before.
These people were his seniors, seniors who had aided him many times.
Ye Feng and the others also needed seclusion, so Li Guanqi did not refuse.
His upcoming battle with Long Hou was, more than anything, a matter of his own obsession.
Once the crowd dispersed, Li Guanqi led his companions back to the White Jade Tower.
"Big Brother, we're going into seclusion."
With those words, Ye Feng and the others all departed.
Meng Wanshu was in no hurry to begin secluded cultivation.
She, too, had drawn insights from observing the Tribulation Transcendence heavenly tribulation, yet she keenly sensed the unease lingering in Li Guanqi's heart.
Taking his hand, she led Li Guanqi out of the White Jade Tower.
The two walked among mountains and forests shimmering with spiritual light.
The woman's gentle voice drifted softly:
"Feeling overwhelmed with emotion?"
Li Guanqi nodded and murmured with his head lowered, "There are many things I still cannot understand.
"Yet as time passes, I find myself gradually beginning to resonate with the words spoken by so many seniors in the cultivation world."
His voice trailed off briefly before he sighed and continued, "In the past, hearing that cultivators would seclude themselves for decades or centuries filled me with wonder and disbelief.
"Now, for me... a single sudden enlightenment can take a year, or even several years.
"This relentless passage of time makes me feel uneasy."
What Li Guanqi spoke of was precisely what he felt after his recent three years of seclusion.
It was merely three years, yet so much in the world outside had changed beyond recognition.
This feeling of being detached from the world while time continued to slip away filled him with unease.
And now, he had witnessed an immensely powerful cultivator perish just like that beneath the heavenly tribulation.
Powerless to resist, dead and his Dao extinguished.
In the end, not even bones remained after his death, leaving only a cenotaph in his memory.
Fortunately, in the Seventh Domain, a person's name could still be remembered after death.
If no one had recorded it for him, would he have passed without even leaving a name behind?
Chapter 1280