The old man outside the door slowly rose, glanced back at the wooden cabin behind him, and turned to vanish from sight.
He knew Li Guanqi had surely come to see Su Xuan about something.
At a time like this, he had no business eavesdropping on grandfather and grandson.
Seeing Ling Tianchen leave, Li Guanqi's expression grew solemn.
Fixing his gaze on the old man before him, he asked in a deep voice, "Grandpa, are you sure you're all right?"
Su Xuan's fingers paused slightly as he rubbed tobacco leaves, and a soft sigh escaped his lips.
He had not expected Li Guanqi to already be capable of noticing something amiss with him.
Su Xuan tamped the tobacco down, lit it, and puffed on his pipe.
Turning to Li Guanqi, he murmured, "You guessed right. I'm injured."
Li Guanqi's heart gave a sudden lurch.
Yet right after, the old man burst into hearty laughter, patted his shoulder, and spoke.
"Don't worry. Your grandpa... how should I put it..."
"Well... hm... in any case, you've got nothing to worry about."
"Before you break through the pinnacle of the Ascension Realm, you don't need to worry about a single thing concerning the Human Spirit Realm."
"I was a bit careless this time. I didn't go all out from the start and took a cheap shot."
The old man spoke with utter nonchalance, and not the slightest sign of destruction could be seen anywhere in the Seventh Domain.
He still looked like a twilight-years elder from a rural village, smacking his lips as he puffed on tobacco leaves that two mortal copper coins could buy by the fistful.
His eyes were calm, as if discussing something utterly trivial.
With mixed feelings swirling inside, Li Guanqi wanted to say something more.
Instead, the old man drew out his saber scabbard and said softly,
"Guanqi, do you know why your grandpa only has a scabbard?"
Li Guanqi frowned. He pondered for a long time, but couldn't think of an answer.
Right then, the long-silent sword spirit materialized slowly.
Staring at the scabbard in his hand with a flicker of wary dread in her eyes, she spoke softly.
"Because the Human Spirit Realm... cannot withstand you drawing your blade with all your might."
"Is your blade in the Immortal Realm?"
Su Xuan smiled, looking at the sword spirit with an indecipherable gaze.
The sword spirit's look toward Su Xuan was likewise complicated and hard to put into words. Her brow knit slightly.
"I truly can't remember who you are..."
"Someone as strong as you—there is no way I wouldn't know of you in the Immortal Realm!"
Su Xuan waved his hand dismissively, murmuring,
"Why overthink it?"
"Look at my grandson—he has the right attitude. Just focus on what's right in front of you. If someone steps out of line, smash them; if they blot out the sky, slash through it!"
Compared to the sword spirit, Su Xuan seemed rather carefree and unconstrained.
Li Guanqi shrugged. He couldn't make heads or tails of what the two were talking about, so he simply gave up trying.
Hearing this, the sword spirit paused, then shrugged. A faint smile touched the corner of her lips as she waved a hand and vanished.
Puff...
Curls of smoke drifted, veiling most of the old man's face.
Reaching out, the old man patted Li Guanqi's head with his rough, calloused palm.
His somewhat cloudy eyes were filled with gentleness and doting fondness as he spoke.
"I know you have far too many questions in your heart right now."
"But Grandpa cannot tell you. Some things, some paths, must be sought by yourself alone!"
"Remember, in this world, aside from me and the sword spirit, you must stay on guard against everyone!"
Though Li Guanqi didn't know why the old man said this, he took the words to heart.
Su Xuan took a drag on his pipe, exhaled deeply, and murmured,
"You needn't worry about the days ahead. I will personally guard the Seventh Domain until you have fully grown!"
"When that time comes... once you ascend, the Human Spirit Realm will no longer need the Immortal Boundary Wall."
Li Guanqi fell silent for a long while before asking,
"If... all of us ascend and cultivators from the Immortal Realm descend again, what will become of the cultivators in the Human Spirit Realm?"
This was a worry Li Guanqi had long kept buried in his chest.
Even now, with the Immortal Burial Realm standing in their way, the entire Human Spirit Realm was teetering on the brink of ruin.
If they were gone, wouldn't the Human Spirit Realm be left entirely at their mercy?
Su Xuan smiled faintly.
Clearly, he had foreseen that Li Guanqi would ask this.
The old man slowly rose to his feet. Spiritual light flashed, and in a single step, he carried Li Guanqi straight out of the Seventh Domain!
Li Guanqi looked up sharply, seeing with absolute clarity the celestial light shimmering overhead.
The brilliant, flowing celestial spiritual energy was like a mysterious conduit.
Enchanting, yet lethal!
Looking down, he could see a complete space sparkling with spiritual radiance!
And further below that was the entirety of the Immortal Burial Realm.
It sat precisely within the void interlayer between the Human Spirit Realm and the Immortal Realm—a profoundly marvelous design.
Su Xuan chuckled and pointed at the Seventh Domain beneath their feet.
"This is a realm I created."
"And as for them..."
"They can only reach this place by resorting to special methods and paying an enormous price."
"As for the Human Spirit Realm further down... trust me, even they would not be willing to pay that kind of price."
At this, Su Xuan continued softly,
"Once you ascend, I will take this realm back."
"When that time comes, it will be virtually impossible for cultivators of the Immortal Realm to descend."
"By then, the Human Spirit Realm will simply be an ordinary spirit realm. Whoever wants to ascend can ascend."
Seeing this, realization finally dawned on Li Guanqi.
"So... the Seventh Domain was a bridge connecting the Human Spirit Realm and the Immortal Realm all along!"
Su Xuan smiled.
"Exactly. Once the link is gone, it will be no easy task for anyone from the Immortal Realm to come down."
"Of course, there is one more crucial reason..."
Li Guanqi narrowed his eyes slightly, tempestuous waves already crashing in his heart.
"Is it because... I won't be in the Human Spirit Realm anymore?"
Su Xuan roared with laughter.
"Right on! You won't be there, and I won't be there—what the hell would they come down for?"
Li Guanqi shrugged, a weight finally lifting from his mind.
After the two returned to the study, the old man looked at Li Guanqi and said softly,
"Out with it. What did you come here for this time?"
Li Guanqi was just like an acquaintance who never reached out unless they wanted money or your life.
"Heheh..."
Li Guanqi gave an awkward chuckle, before his expression turned solemn.
"I want to build a Heavenly King Pagoda in the Realm of Celestial Spirits with five times the flow of time!"
"For every cultivator capable of touching the barrier of laws, I can help them break through!"
Su Xuan frowned upon hearing this and gave Li Guanqi a deep look.
His voice grew grave yet gentle, as though urging Li Guanqi to think the matter through carefully.
"Are you... sure?"
"Doing this won't just expose some of your unique abilities—it will also drag down your own cultivation speed."
Li Guanqi nodded with utmost solemnity.
Since he had come today, he had clearly made up his mind long ago.
"It doesn't matter!"
"In the Immortal Burial Realm today, if we cannot rapidly raise everyone's strength, we will be completely powerless in the face of future onslaughts from the Immortal Realm!"
"Even if the Seventh Domain can absorb cultivators in the future, many hidden perils will remain."
"If we can elevate many cultivators to the Tribulation Transcendence Realm while still in the Human Spirit Realm,"
"then when the time comes that ascension is possible again, it will only benefit them."
Su Xuan nodded with a solemn expression and said in a heavy voice,
"It is a noble thing that you can sacrifice so selflessly."
"Since you want to do it, Grandpa will back you up!"
"I'll prepare the materials to construct the Heavenly King Pagoda for you later. For now, take some time to recuperate properly."
At that, the old man let out a cold snort.
"Hah. We weren't the only ones to suffer heavy casualties in this battle."
"The Immortal Realm was severely wounded as well. Most likely, no one will be coming down again for quite a long time."
"This will give you all time to heal up properly and get started on building the Heavenly King Pagoda."
"All right, head back."
Chapter 1317