Ancient Spirit-Burning Ring!

Meanwhile, having left the blood pool, Duan Xian returned to his personal chambers. Constructed entirely from massive blood-colored stone, the bedchamber spanned hundreds of zhang, yet stood as the sole hall in the entire area. Aside from mountain ranges and the blood pool, this scarlet grand hall was the only structure within the domain realm—along with a cultivation site enclosed beneath a massive, blood-hued dome. From this, it was plain to see that Duan Xian held very little regard for material desires. His world contained only the goals he wished to achieve, nothing more. Once he set his sights on a purpose, he was like a lone wolf, possessed of patience few ordinary men could ever rival. Returning to the hall, Duan Xian gazed at the incessantly flickering scarlet spiritual glow before him and muttered to himself, "It seems the reason that fellow Li Guanqi managed to raise his power and realm so rapidly is inextricably linked to the Seventh Domain. "The Eight Generals treat him with such utmost respect. The Great Xia Sword Sect truly picked up quite a treasure... "Only... will they still adhere to the sect creed they've held for ten thousand years? "The current sect master, Lu Kangnian, has close ties with Li Guanqi. That can certainly be exploited. "And then there is the other half of the Spirit-Burning Ring... that old bastard refused to reveal where it was right until the moment he died! "Dammit... the signs of my power running rampant are growing worse by the day. I can't drag this out much longer." Before Duan Xian lay an intricate web of relationships, at the very center of which sat Li Guanqi and Lu Kangnian! Ideas flashed through his mind one after another, only to be rejected one by one. Suddenly, the corners of Duan Xian's mouth curved upward. Tapping his finger on the name of Guanyun Pavilion, he murmured, "Since you're so clever, you should find out about me soon enough, shouldn't you? "Hehehe..." A raspy, bizarre laugh echoed as Duan Xian vanished from the grand hall. Moments later, his figure soared into the sky, and in an instant, boundless flames surged forth in torrential waves! The Great Xia Sword Sect disciples in the blood pool were shaken to their cores. Looking up at the scarlet flames blotting out the sky, they had no idea what the man intended to do. Duan Xian pressed his hands downward, and the terrifying fiery power instantly sank into the earth and the surrounding peaks. Even more flames merged directly into the blood pool holding the disciples! The fire swept continuously downward. As it rushed past them, they could all feel its terrifying, scorching heat. Yet the flames did not harm them; instead, they concealed themselves at the bottom of the pool. Across the depths several zhang down, flames swirled as a bizarre, mysterious scarlet fire formation quietly took shape beneath the surface. Duan Xian then seized a youth from the pool who had only recently joined the sect. Without a word, Duan Xian snapped the boy's limbs! Then, hoisting the youth by the collar, he turned and strode away. *** Inside the Scripture Pavilion on Tianzhu Peak of the Great Xia Sword Sect. Ling Daoyan and Li Guanqi were frantically scouring through ancient records. Li Guanqi wanted to uncover more information about Duan Xian. To know one's enemy was to be assured of victory. He knew far too little about him at present, and the fact that Duan Xian remained cloaked in the shadows left Li Guanqi deeply unsettled. Dense piles of ancient volumes covered the floor. The Scripture Pavilion housed numerous journals and casual records left behind by past guest elders and other seniors. Searching for clues among these faint traces was like looking for a needle in the ocean. Li Guanqi released his divine sense, frantically sweeping across every ancient book. Suddenly, Li Guanqi drew a volume into his hand. The four characters "Ancient Spirit-Burning Ring" leaped into view. Li Guanqi quickly flipped through the pages, which contained the personal records of an elder surnamed Wang. *"Heh, today Duan Xian actually broke through to the Core Formation realm. His cultivation speed is truly astonishing.* *"To encourage him, the Sect Master bestowed upon Duan Xian the upper half of the Ancient Spirit-Burning Ring."* Li Guanqi narrowed his eyes and flipped ahead, but found no further mention of it in the later pages. "Search for this elder's journals!" Li Guanqi said in a deep voice. Ling Daoyan nodded. Through their joint efforts, they eventually unearthed two more volumes. However, these two books spanned a vast gap of nearly several centuries. They mentioned the sudden turn of events surrounding Duan Xian—having his limbs broken, his cultivation destroyed, and being banished from the sect. Toward the end, the elder's journal recorded once again: *"The Sect Master traveled outside and was assassinated by a mysterious figure. The Sect Master's token has been lost, throwing the sect into panic and turmoil...* *"The new Sect Master has ascended to the seat, yet that mysterious assailant actually destroyed thirty peaks within the sect's territory! What could possibly be the reason for this?"* Li Guanqi's breath hitched as he slowly closed the journal! It seemed... he had found what Duan Xian was truly after! A former sect master of the Great Xia Sword Sect had actually been assassinated by Duan Xian? "No... if that's true, then Duan Xian's claim of seeking vengeance is merely a cover!" "The sect master who wronged him was assassinated by his hand long ago, and even the Sect Master's token was stolen by him. "It seems he must have discovered the secrets hidden within the three thousand wondrous peaks and eight hundred scenic rivers... "Otherwise, how could there be such a coincidence!" With that, Li Guanqi looked at Ling Daoyan and said gravely, "Elder Ling, I'm going to see the Sect Master." Before his voice had fully faded, Li Guanqi vanished on the spot, using teleportation to arrive at Tianjian Peak, where he found Lu Kangnian. With a wave of his sleeve, he cast a barrier over their surroundings. Seeing him arrive, Lu Kangnian hurriedly asked, "Did you find any clues?" Li Guanqi handed the ancient journals to the man and said heavily, "Based on our current intelligence, I am certain he will use the lives of the sect disciples to threaten you into handing over the Ancient Spirit-Burning Ring!" Lu Kangnian froze slightly as he set down the books. After pondering for a long while, he couldn't help but transmit his voice in a low murmur, "What in the world is an Ancient Spirit-Burning Ring? "I have no idea... There's no such thing in the sect treasury!" Now it was Li Guanqi's turn to be stunned. He trusted that Lu Kangnian wouldn't lie to him; this was no matter to joke about. "Sect Master, are you certain it's not there?" Lu Kangnian couldn't resist retorting, "Nonsense! The Great Xia Sword Sect was dirt poor these past few years. "I know every single scrap of the sect's assets like the back of my hand. I could recite the entire inventory with my eyes closed! Where would we get an Ancient Spirit-Burning Ring?" Watching the man's furtive, whispery demeanor, Li Guanqi couldn't help grumbling inwardly. Sighing, Li Guanqi asked in a heavy voice, "Could you take me in to have a look?" Lu Kangnian's eyes lit up. He stood up and smiled. "Of course. I've wanted you to take a look for a long time now. "Though with your current standing, you probably won't fancy most of what's inside." Lu Kangnian closed his eyes. Spiritual light shimmered across his hands, and the Sect Master's token at his chest floated into midair. *Buzz!* Guided by an intricate series of profound hand seals, a rift of spiritual light opened before them. Li Guanqi followed Lu Kangnian, stepping slowly inside. *Buzz!* The rift sealed shut, and the hall returned to silence. Yet in the next instant, Li Guanqi whipped his head around! A strange pulse of probing intent had just been deflected by the barrier he had laid down. In the final split second before stepping through the rift, Li Guanqi muttered, "Can't hold back already? Heh, getting anxious, are we?" A nearly imperceptible gleam of blood light had not dispersed, but rather faded away slowly in an almost provocative manner. It was as though Duan Xian had no fear whatsoever of Li Guanqi discovering his probe into the Great Xia Sword Sect. Still, the enemy's methods were indeed ingenious. Because... Pengluo popped out from the rift, his head surfacing right in front of Lu Kangnian.