Walking through the space of the Fifth Domain was like traversing beneath a starry canopy.
Stars dotted the expanse, yet remained completely unreachable, for their starlight originated from unimaginable distances.
The Fifth Domain was somewhat similar to the Fourth Domain, filled with towering mountains floating in the void.
However, these mountains were pitch-black from top to bottom, with flecks of spiritual light occasionally glinting across their surfaces, shimmering with an alluring luster like the night sky.
The celestial spiritual energy drifting through the void was distinctly denser, yet it could not be absorbed.
Even so, the power of laws here was noticeably clearer than in the other domains!
Yet at this moment, the Fifth Domain was strewn with ruins and devastation.
Shattered mountain ranges had been reduced to countless drifting rocks floating through the void.
A lean, sinewy man sat atop a peak, the blood on his body still wet.
He possessed resolute features and weathered eyes, his entire upper torso inscribed with black markings resembling totems.
Li Guanqi’s gaze narrowed. Coming to a halt, he bowed respectfully.
“Junior Li Guanqi greets Senior Bai Su.”
The bearer of the White Tiger’s soul, ruler of slaughter—Bai Su!
The man looked deeply at Li Guanqi; he naturally knew what had transpired in the Fourth Domain.
He studied Li Guanqi with keen interest, only speaking after two full breaths.
“Well done, little guy.”
Only then did Li Guanqi notice that Bai Su’s back was a mangled mess of blood and flesh.
Evidently, the battle in the Fifth Domain had also been exceptionally brutal—so much so that even one of the Four Kings had suffered severe wounds!
Yet the gaze the man had just fixed upon him was merely a single look.
It had actually inflicted upon Li Guanqi an inexplicable sense of terrifying pressure!
It was hard to imagine what it would be like if he were to fight a life-or-death battle against such a person...
Yet merely running a simulation in his mind drew a wry, helpless shake of Li Guanqi’s head.
It seemed...
At his current level, facing a powerhouse of the Four Kings’ caliber, he had no chance of victory whatsoever.
At most, he could only guarantee that he wouldn't be slain within the time it took to drink a cup of tea!
That was already his limit.
A bitter smile curled the corner of his mouth. Unexpectedly, Bai Su seemed to see right through his thoughts.
Tipping his head back to drink, he cast a sidelong glance at Li Guanqi.
“Little guy, don't belittle yourself.”
“When I was your age, I had barely broken through to the Body Integration Realm.”
“The years of cultivation between us differ by well over ten thousand years... What is there to be dejected about?”
Li Guanqi blinked in surprise at those words, his state of mind gradually settling into peace.
Cupping his hands, he smiled. “Junior aimed too high.”
Bai Su chuckled, looking at him and pointing toward the glowing gate overhead.
“Going up?”
Seeing Li Guanqi nod, Bai Su tore open the light barrier with a wave of his hand and spoke softly.
“Go on.”
Li Guanqi nodded slightly, then vanished from the Fifth Domain in a flash.
Watching Li Guanqi’s departing figure, a look of envy surfaced in Bai Su's tiger-like eyes.
“So young...”
“A Tribulation Transcendence Realm under forty years old. Terrifying.”
At that thought, Bai Su shook his head with a self-deprecating chuckle and muttered with a laugh, “Dammit, and he's depressed because he can't beat me??”
“No way. I have to find a chance to give him a beating to vent a bit.”
No sooner had the words left his mouth than Wen Guyan, clad in bloodstained green robes, emerged smiling from the void.
“You thump him, and the Realm Lord thumps you. Sounds about right.”
Choked by the retort, Bai Su swallowed the rest of his words.
Immediately afterward, the burly Xuan Yue flashed into view, his brow furrowed as he sent a solemn voice transmission.
“Did the Realm Lord... get injured this time?”
The moment those words were spoken, the mountain peak fell dead silent!
Wen Guyan slowly turned his head without expression, his calm pupils shifting into golden vertical slits!
Those cold, contracted pupils looked like narrow abyss chasms.
“Don't entertain thoughts you shouldn't have.”
“Don't think it, don't ask it, don't do it.”
Wen Guyan, the Dragon King, looked deeply at the two of them.
As he turned to leave, he seemed to recall something.
Tilting his head, the corner of his eye swept over them, a terrifying pressure surging all around.
“Don't get crooked ideas.”
“We've been together for ten thousand years. Don't force me to kill you with my own hands.”
With that, Wen Guyan turned his head toward the void to his left.
A red glint flickered, and from a cluster of flames stepped a woman with an alluring figure.
The Vermilion Bird, Bie Ruxue!
From start to finish, Wen Guyan’s voice did not carry the slightest ripple of emotion.
“Oh, and you.”
Bie Ruxue narrowed her eyes slightly. Just as Wen Guyan was about to leave, she hesitated, opening her mouth as if to say something.
Suddenly!
A large hand clamped down viciously onto her cheek.
Five fingers transformed into dragon claws, their razor sharpness piercing her skin as blood flowed freely.
Boom!
A stupendously formidable force crushed and suppressed the Vermilion Bird Flames entirely.
Roar!
A hundred-zhang illusory projection of the Azure Dragon manifested behind the man, its dragon head swooping down to glare coldly at the woman with a thunderous roar!
The Vermilion Bird Flames surged endlessly around Bie Ruxue, yet she dared not retaliate.
Xuan Yue and Bai Su watched this unfold with cold detachment.
Their eyes flickered with diverse, hidden thoughts.
Wen Guyan gripped Bie Ruxue’s head, lifting her into midair.
Through the gaps between his fingers, the woman saw his chilling gaze.
A voice devoid of the slightest trace of emotion issued from the man’s mouth.
“Truly... don't force me to finish off the three of you myself.”
Bai Su shrugged, got up, dusted off his backside, and muttered, “I didn't say a damn thing, why take it out on me?”
Bie Ruxue’s pupils shrank drastically; from the man’s eyes, she clearly discerned a sliver of killing intent!
Wen Guyan narrowed his eyes and slowly unclenched his hand.
Bie Ruxue dared do nothing, simply watching as Wen Guyan turned and walked away.
Before departing, Wen Guyan’s voice rang slowly in the trio’s ears.
“Remember, the Four Kings can be anyone—all it takes is a single word from the Realm Lord.”
“A friendship of ten thousand years is not something I want to see reach that point.”
“So I advise you to perform your duties faithfully.”
Pausing briefly, Wen Guyan’s tone softened slightly.
“Remember this: as long as you follow the Realm Lord, benefits will never be lacking for you.”
“Ascension? Heh, do you truly believe ascension means a brand new paradise?”
“You couldn't possibly think you'd be formidable once you ascended to the Immortal Realm, could you?”
Xuan Yue kept his head lowered in silence, while Bai Su was lost in thought.
Only in the depths of Bie Ruxue’s eyes did a flicker of defiance flash, unnoticed by anyone else.
Wen Guyan pretended not to notice. With a sneer playing on his lips, he turned and left.
For a friendship spanning ten thousand years, offering these few words of warning was already the extent of his benevolence.
If someone truly persisted in their delusions, he would not mind killing.
***
Li Guanqi knew nothing of what had transpired in the Fifth Domain.
After stepping through the light gate, he did not emerge in the Sixth Domain, but found himself directly inside Su Xuan’s study.
In the quiet courtyard, an old man sat on a rocking chair drinking liquor.
A pale-faced old man sat directly opposite Li Guanqi.
Li Guanqi’s heart jolted.
“Grandpa!”
“Are you all right?”
Su Xuan waved his hand with a smile and scolded in exasperation, “Stupid brat, what are you yelling so loudly for? Anyone who didn't know better would think I’d kicked the bucket.”
Li Guanqi scratched his head in slight embarrassment. Hearing the old man's vigorous scolding, he finally set his mind at ease.
“Heh, as long as you're fine... you had me worried sick.”
Outside the door, Ling Tianchen shrugged helplessly.
His eyes held a hint of complexity. Even he no longer knew just how terrifyingly strong Su Xuan truly was now.
“A Human Spirit Immortal?”
“Heh, Old Man Su really is goddamn terrifying...”
Chapter 1316