Unexpected, Isn't It? No Contract!

Her eyes half-closed, the Sword Spirit waved her hand, condensing a chair of spiritual radiance before leaning back against it. In a soft voice, she said, "From the very beginning, he must have already seen through Li Congxin's disguise." "As for you disguising yourself as Li Qingchan and, with Gu Li's help, breaking apart Li Qingchan's clone and merging it into yourself..." "That part shouldn't have aroused his suspicion." "There was only one flaw: when you disguised yourself as Li Qingchan and killed 'Ye Feng'... you were far too decisive." "Though your emotional fluctuations were intense, there wasn't the slightest hesitation." "Because you already knew it was merely one of Ye Feng's clones, not a single trace of hesitation lingered in your heart as you went in for the kill." Li Guanqi sighed. He had never expected such a subtle emotional ripple would end up being the decisive flaw! The Sword Spirit began explaining everything that had just occurred. "Li Congxin's aura showed no sign of change, but his conduct and fighting style bear no resemblance to yours." "A fellow like Gu Xici might understand you better than you understand yourself." "You and Li Congxin share the exact same origin. I believe he figured this out as well..." Frowning, Li Guanqi asked, "Then why did he go to such great lengths to extract a wisp of Li Congxin's soul origin?" The Sword Spirit opened her eyes and gave Li Guanqi a deep, searching look, a faint smile playing at the corners of her lips. Looking up at the heavens, the woman remarked with a hint of emotion in her voice, "Because..." "He assumed some kind of contract existed between you and me, and that was why I willingly remained by your side." The Sword Spirit's tone was deeply complex, and for a moment Li Guanqi could not quite decipher all the emotions interwoven in her words. Li Guanqi's heart tightened. Thoughts whirling through his mind, he spoke in rapid succession. "Once Gu Xici realized Li Congxin's true nature, he planned to extract a wisp of his soul aura." "He was attempting to target my soul origin, intending to use the contract as a medium to restrain you?!" The Sword Spirit said nothing, merely meeting Li Guanqi's gaze in silent understanding. Li Guanqi threw his head back and laughed—a wild, unrestrained burst of laughter. The corners of the Sword Spirit's mouth curved slightly into an enigmatic smile. *** Deep within the pitch-black void, a torn, infuriated remnant soul was fleeing frantically! "Damn it! Why?! Why?!" "Why is there no contract at all?!" "Why would someone as proud as you follow another person?!" "Aaargh! Curse you!" Through a bizarre stroke of irony, Gu Xici had ended up the biggest loser in the entire affair. Just when he thought his plan was flawless—that he could seize control of the Sword Spirit through her soul and effortlessly strip the Devouring Void Sacred Flame from Li Guanqi... He had truly believed everything was under his control. It was only an Ascension realm body; he had expected to sit back and reap the spoils, taking everything that belonged to Li Guanqi. Yet... Not a single contract bound Li Guanqi and the Sword Spirit. From start to finish, the Sword Spirit had simply taken an interest in Li Guanqi and chosen to follow him of her own accord. Calculate as he might, Gu Xici had never imagined that the proud Sword Spirit would ever choose to follow a cultivator from the Human Spirit Realm. As he fled, Gu Xici concealed his trail with meticulous care. Yet this time... He had tried to steal a chicken only to lose the rice he used to bait it. His physical body was ruined, forcing him to rely on his contingency plan. It was a catastrophic loss. In his very first clash against Li Guanqi, he had suffered utter, total defeat. Gu Xici's remnant soul fled frantically. He was terrified. He feared the Sword Spirit would use the power of Spirit Absolution to track him. The moment his location was exposed, Su Xuan could effortlessly hunt him down! Recalling Su Xuan... the sheer terror that made his very soul tremble surfaced once more. "To think... I actually tried to fight him..." "How completely... out of my depth I was." "Beyond the Ascension realm! That power is unquestionably beyond the Ascension realm!" "How could the Human Spirit Realm ever endure his might?" Eyes gleaming with anxiety, Gu Xici's remnant soul passed through several teleportation array screens in succession before vanishing into the void. Within a mysterious pocket of void, the fragment of a secret realm no larger than a speck of dust had lain sealed for several thousand years. *Buzz!* A peculiar spatial fluctuation rippled out, opening a three-foot rift in the void. Gu Xici's remnant soul instantly darted inside and vanished. Inside a world that resembled an immortal paradise, Gu Xici headed straight for a golden palace overgrown with vines. Inserting a peculiar key into the gate, the long-sealed ancient hall ground open with a resounding boom. Three figures sat upright in the center of the hall. These three figures harbored terrifying pressure, yet they were like hollow husks, devoid of divine souls. A chilling glint flashed in Gu Xici's eyes as he darted into the central husk. The white-robed man slowly opened his eyes, and a surge of primal energy blasted the dust from his body. Standing up, he stretched his stiffened limbs, his aura climbing relentlessly toward the Tribulation Transcendence realm! "Li Guanqi!" "Su Xuan... can you still hold out for a hundred years?" "When the hundred-year limit arrives and the Human-Immortal Realm Barrier shatters, the day Li Guanqi ascends will be the day he dies!" The man strode out of the hall. The mountains and rivers across the domain space shook, and dense spiritual energy converged upon him in torrents. *** At the White Jade Tower. Ye Feng and the others were drinking, their faces lined with concern. Gu Li, on the other hand, was not nearly as worried. Instead, he flashed a mischievous grin. "Second Brother, heheh." Ye Feng rolled his eyes at him and snapped, "What? Why that wretched smirk?" Gu Li chuckled, exchanging a glance with Cao Yan and Xiao Chen. Xiao Chen also smiled teasingly. "When are you going to let Second Sister-in-Law come out?" Hearing that, Ye Feng blushed sheepishly. Right now, Li Qingchan was indeed inside his domain. From the very start of the plan, Li Qingchan had vanished from inside the wine shop, and the person who had stepped out was Li Guanqi using an inscribed talisman substitute. Just as everyone was chiming in to tease Ye Feng, Li Guanqi suddenly appeared inside the White Jade Tower. By now, Li Congxin had recovered, though he was still somewhat weak, so Li Guanqi had simply tossed him into the Nirvana Pagoda. "Big Brother! Are you all right?" "How is Li Congxin?" "Big Brother, what just happened?" Li Guanqi smiled and waved his hand gently. "All right, all right, don't worry. Everything is fine." "Li Congxin is recovering right now as well. No need to fret." Just as the words left his mouth, before Li Guanqi could ask about Li Qingchan— Suddenly! A pillar of icy blue light shot straight into the clouds! The expressions of Li Guanqi and the others shifted as they saw Meng Wanshu breaking through seclusion from within the Nirvana Pagoda! Her blue skirt fluttered in the wind, and with a cold, resolute expression, she soared directly into the skies. In an instant, the winds and clouds across the Realm of Celestial Spirits shifted violently, and the temperature plummeted. Ice blossoms suddenly began drifting down from the sky that had just been glittering with celestial brilliance. The snowstorm intensified and the gale howled, the biting cold cutting painfully against their cheeks. Meng Wanshu turned her head and cast a tender look toward Li Guanqi. Seeing this, Li Guanqi hastily crushed a jade talisman to contact Meng Jiangchu. Meng Jiangchu, who had still been in seclusion within the King of Weapons Pagoda, jolted awake instantly. Treading upon the Five Yang Ghost Flame, he transformed into a streak of light and sped toward them.