A Tribulation Transcendence Enemy?

The instant the streak of light plummeted, Lu Kangnian's face turned deathly pale. Without time to explain anything to the crowd, he vanished from where he stood. *Boom!!* A tremendously formidable pressure erupted with a roar as Lu Kangnian flew straight toward the heavens, sword in hand! Awoken by the commotion, countless disciples of the Great Xia Sword Sect looked up at the sky in succession. They saw Sect Master Lu Kangnian wrapped in overpowering pressure, sword qi crisscrossing around him as earthy-yellow sword radiance surged incessantly. The man himself was like a sharp sword shooting straight into the firmament! The falling streak of light resembled a fire dragon, trailing a hundred-zhang tail of flames as it plunged straight downward. With Lu Kangnian looking grim, many sect elders and peak masters took to the air one after another. Qin Xian ordered the sect-protecting grand formation raised. Sword light collided with the falling streak. *Rumble—!* A deafening boom echoed through the air. Lu Kangnian spat a mouthful of blood and plummeted from midair. The falling light finally revealed its true form—it was merely an archaic, fiery-red jade slip. The jade slip's descent had only been slightly hindered. After blasting Lu Kangnian away, it smashed straight through the barrier of the Great Xia Sword Sect's protective formation. With a loud crack, the barrier shattered, and the jade slip shot violently toward the sect's main hall. Yet at that very moment, the lightning spirit sword hovering over the peak of Tianjian Peak shot forth with a sudden burst! *Whoosh—!* The hundred-zhang spirit sword forcefully absorbed the remaining downward force of the jade slip. Shockwaves of residual energy rippled outward in all directions. For a moment, it was as if a violent gale tore across the entire Great Xia Sword Sect territory, causing the forests to rustle frantically. The clouds and mist curling around the towering peaks were instantly blown apart. Many disciples flying in midair swayed unsteadily, nearly tumbling to the ground. Finally, the jade slip fell, crashing onto the sect square like a ball of raging fire. Returning to its place like an anchor steadying the sea, the lightning spirit sword hovered above the summit of Tianjian Peak once more now that the crisis had passed. This sight deeply shook every elder and disciple of the sect. Ever since Li Guanqi and the others had left behind their power, this was the first time that hundred-zhang lightning sword had intercepted an enemy! Lu Kangnian teleported to the edge of the square and raised his hand, deploying a sturdy, earthy-yellow barrier. With a heavy expression, he said chillingly, "No one is permitted near this place!" As soon as his voice fell, all the elders immediately moved to maintain order, escorting the sect disciples over a thousand zhang away. Lu Kangnian stepped into the barrier alone with great caution. He swallowed nervously, yet walked toward the jade slip with firm resolve. The jade slip was as large as a forearm, entirely unlike ordinary palm-sized slips. The flames burning on its surface slightly warped the surrounding hundred zhang of space; one glance was enough to tell it was no ordinary object. At this moment, Qin Xian could not help frowning and spoke up. "Sect Master, should we... perhaps notify Guanqi?" Lu Kangnian shook his head and said in a heavy voice, "The Great Xia Sword Sect is his home, not a burden. "I don't want us troubling him over every single matter. "The Seventh Domain... none of us know how difficult life has been for him there. "Remember this: we are the ones who must stand behind all the disciples, not drag them down whenever we run into trouble!" Hearing this, many elders and peak masters turned solemn. Over these years, the Great Xia Sword Sect had enjoyed smooth sailing, and subtle shifts had begun to creep into their mindset. Lu Kangnian knew such tendencies were inevitable, but he still needed to keep them grounded. Taking a deep breath, he condensed his surging primal energy into a thick protective barrier around himself and stepped toward the jade slip one pace at a time. One step, two steps... The blistering heat drenched Lu Kangnian in sweat. The scorching temperature caused the surrounding space to fracture and crack. A crack thin as a strand of hair suddenly appeared on the jade slip! Lu Kangnian failed to notice this anomaly. Suddenly! Lu Kangnian stopped when he was three chi away from the jade slip. The fiery-red jade slip shone brilliantly, and right after, a cold corpse was cast out! The peak master of Tianhuo Peak turned pale instantly. "Yunting!!" A disciple of Tianhuo Peak... Lu Kangnian squatted down to inspect the body, only to discover that the young man's internal organs had been completely reduced to ash! The entire body was like an empty husk... Such cruel methods made Lu Kangnian's eyes nearly tear at the seams in fury! Yet at that moment, an icy chill crept up his spine and rushed straight to the crown of his head! Without him noticing, cracks had already spread all across the jade slip. Without a second thought, Lu Kangnian scooped up the corpse from the ground and leapt backward! Yet his movement was just a fraction too slow. A torrent of blistering, mighty flames erupted violently, swallowing Lu Kangnian in the blink of an eye! "Sect Master!" "Not good! Block that power!!" "Sect Master Lu!!" Amid frantic shouts from the onlookers, crimson flames engulfed nearly the entire earthy-yellow barrier in an instant. Unable to hold out for even a single breath, the barrier creaked under the unbearable strain. Just when everyone thought this force would shatter the barrier and obliterate the Great Xia Sword Sect's main hall, an immensely powerful sealing energy suddenly manifested. In an instant, the skies turned and winds surged; violent gales howled, and myriad bolts of lightning descended from the dense clouds toward the sect square! His robes burnt to cinders, the man stared blankly at the silhouette before him. A slender, tall man stood dressed in white robes. With just a single hand, he held back the boundless flames before him. Li Guanqi's face was cold as frost. As he closed his left hand into a loose fist, the endless sea of flames was suppressed and gathered inward by his power. In the end, it was reduced to a wisp of flame that Li Guanqi tossed toward Alchemy Peak. Just then, the residual flames in the sky coalesced into a line of large characters: *“Bitterly cultivating for seven thousand years, Duan Xian has come seeking vengeance!!”* There was only this single sentence before the fiery light faded away. Pengluo emerged from the void, shaking its head with a solemn face. "I can't find any trace of them." Li Guanqi gave a slight nod, then turned to Lu Kangnian and bowed. "Guanqi greets the Sect Master." The surrounding crowd bowed to Li Guanqi in succession! "Greetings, First Elder!" "Greetings, First Elder!" Li Guanqi nodded slightly, then exchanged a look with Lu Kangnian, his eyes flickering as he clearly realized what had occurred. Dragging the corpse, Lu Kangnian said in a heavy voice, "Let us return to the main hall first." This time, only the upper echelons of the Great Xia Sword Sect gathered inside the hall. Li Guanqi sat in a lower seat with his eyes half-closed, one hand resting on the deceased disciple's body. The instant he opened his eyes, his expression darkened severely. "This disciple... was burned alive while still conscious. "His internal organs, flesh, and blood were entirely reduced to charcoal... tortured to death. "His divine soul is shattered; clearly, the enemy used secret soul searching techniques to extract a great deal of information." In truth, there was one thing Li Guanqi did not say out loud: he suspected the culprit was a cultivator of the Tribulation Transcendence Realm, having sensed a faint aura of the laws of fire! At his spoken words, an uproar broke out across the hall.