Everyone Awakens

Yet just as Long Hou was breaking through, Li Guanqi went alone to the tavern in the Immortal Spirit Realm. The tavern was rather quiet and deserted now. The woman slumped over the counter was pale, clearly suffering from no light injuries. The moment Li Guanqi stepped through the door, he sensed a faint yet terrifying aura of pressure coiling around her. Li Qingchan glanced at him. Li Guanqi gave a slight nod and said softly, "A pot of strong liquor, please." Li Qingchan nodded gently, then turned to head into the back kitchen to prepare it. Only a scattering of guests sat at a few tables across the first floor. When they saw Li Guanqi enter, they all rose to their feet. They bowed deeply toward him! Their eyes shimmered, overflowing with unspoken gratitude. Li Guanqi's brothers were severely wounded and currently resting in the Pill King Tower; news of this had long since spread. Although the cultivators of the Immortal Burial Realm had suffered catastrophic casualties in this battle, had it not been for Tang Ru directing the battlefield, they all might have perished long ago. Li Guanqi gently pressed a hand downward, using his aura alone to settle every cultivator back into their seats. "There is no need for such courtesy. It was all for the common people of the Human Spirit." At these words, many cultivators raised their cups and drained them in one gulp! The atmosphere in the tavern was somewhat somber. Li Guanqi found a seat by the window and sat down. Before long, Li Qingchan brought over a jar of liquor. As she set it down, Li Guanqi hesitated for a second before raising a finger. A flash of spiritual light sparked at his fingertip, and an overbearing, domineering power surged into her body. Li Qingchan's brow furrowed, and she relied purely on her powerful origin energy to hold Li Guanqi's force at bay. "What are you doing?" Li Guanqi gave a wry smile. "I am the Thunder Master. If you try to suppress that residual power lingering in your body on your own, it will take at least a month." Li Qingchan froze for a moment, then finally relaxed her guard. "Thank you." Li Guanqi waved a hand. "It was rash of me. I should have warned you first." A faint smile appeared on the woman's face as the power lingering in her meridians was swiftly purged. This also caused Li Qingchan to look upon Li Guanqi's strength with newfound respect. Only by experiencing it firsthand could one understand just how terrifying his control over power truly was. Such mastery was simply unlike that of a cultivator who had only just stepped into the Tribulation Transcendence Realm. Yet as Li Qingchan turned away, she could not resist looking back to ask, "Is he all right?" Hearing this, Li Guanqi looked back at her with a knowing smile. "Why not... go see for yourself?" Li Qingchan was never one to be coy; she pushed open the door and stepped out immediately. The corners of Li Guanqi's mouth curved upward. Taking a sip of his liquor, he turned to look out the window. The Immortal Spirit Realm seemed like a haven of pure land, remaining as it had always been. Yet Li Guanqi knew that far, far too many people would never return. It was precisely because of their sacrifice that the Immortal Spirit Realm could remain so peaceful. Looking at the innocent smiles of the children playing in the street, Li Guanqi suddenly felt that everything had been worth it. Suddenly, Li Guanqi glanced toward a high mountain at the edge of the town, where a youth sat meditating, cultivating with fierce dedication. The youth's face had not yet lost its boyish innocence, yet it was filled with unwavering resolve. And his eyes burned with deep hatred... Dressed in a white robe, he opened his eyes, which glistened with tears as he stared fixedly at the void above. The boy clenched his teeth, bloodshot veins gradually creeping into his eyes. His jaw remained set so tight that his entire body trembled faintly. Just as Li Guanqi thought he was about to weep, the boy raised a hand, wiped his eyes, turned around, and drew the iron sword beside him to begin practicing his forms. Seeing this scene, Li Guanqi felt deeply moved. Hatred was the thing that drove a person to advance the fastest. Yet Li Guanqi could not help but worry. If things continued like this, the hatred between the two realms would only be passed down to the next generation. Now, he had gained the strength to stand on his own, yet the matters he needed to consider only multiplied... Li Guanqi knew that his crisis had not ended with Xun Tian's death. On the contrary, the other mastermind behind the scenes undoubtedly knew that Xun Tian was dead. That person was now entirely concealed in darkness, and as long as they made no move, they would never reveal the slightest flaw. And the other figure he worried about... Was the one who had manipulated the ancient Lu Clan and Lu Wuhen back then using the Sword Spirit's true body! Back then, Lu Wuhen's strength had been hailed as monstrous, precisely because he possessed the tip fragment of the Sword Spirit. Now, that fragment rested within the Red Lotus sword. The person behind Lu Wuhen was cautious—far too cautious. They had left virtually no traces behind within the Lu Clan or on Lu Wuhen. Lu Wuhen had not even realized he was merely a chess piece! He had no way of knowing who was orchestrating everything from behind the curtain. And that very person was someone Li Guanqi had always kept his guard up against. Yet even if he wanted to investigate them, there was nowhere to begin. Even though his Guanyun Pavilion's intelligence apparatus had become remarkably sophisticated, with agents spread across the Six Domains and even infiltrating into the Ethereal Immortal Domain and the Ancient Clans, they still had not uncovered the faintest clue regarding the person behind Lu Wuhen. Li Guanqi narrowed his eyes, sipping the fiery liquor mouthful by mouthful. The burning spirits helped clear his mind. At this moment, Li Guanqi could not help but ask the Sword Spirit in his mind, "Can you guess who it is?" The Sword Spirit slowly opened its eyes from cultivation and replied bluntly, "I cannot. Their methods are far too covert. "Furthermore... the level of their true body's cultivation and realm is something far beyond what we can fathom right now. "Their true body might possess immense standing and power in the Immortal Realm, or they might simply be an ordinary cultivator... "However, their strikes are exceedingly hidden. If a blow fails, they vanish and retreat immediately, giving you not the slightest chance to track them down. "With such methods and temperament... they are clearly an old fox who has cultivated for an exceptionally long time." Li Guanqi nodded slightly, sharing the exact same sentiment. That person was like an endlessly patient hunter, waiting in the shadows for an opportunity. Li Guanqi rubbed the bridge of his nose. In truth, he did not fear the mastermind attacking openly. What he feared far more was that undetectable method of controlling others. If that person truly made up their mind to target him, given their abilities, anyone by his side could become his enemy! Meng Wanshu, Ye Feng, Meng Jiangchu... or even Li Guilan! Back then, the reason he had chosen to strike down and obliterate Li Shenzhi directly was that he had already grown paranoid, seeing enemies behind every shadow! If Li Guanqi had possessed his current strength back then, he would have been fully capable of suppressing Li Shenzhi and removing whatever manipulation had been planted, meaning Li Shenzhi would not have had to die. The more he thought about it, the more tangled his thoughts became, and Li Guanqi had no good solution. Sighing, he retrieved a jade slip. From within came the voice of an elderly man. "They have all awakened. Would the Sword Venerable like to come over?" The speaker was none other than the master of the Pill King Tower, a grandmaster alchemist at the half-step Tribulation Transcendence Realm. Hearing this, Li Guanqi expressed his thanks and said he would head over immediately. Standing up, Li Guanqi settled the bill for the wine, forcefully suppressing the whirlwind of thoughts in his mind, and turned to take his leave.