You... Are You

From the moment Li Guanqi raised his head and asked, "Who am I?" The entire Immortal Burial Realm was instantly frozen by a mysterious, terrifying power! Even Ling Tianchen, hand raised mid-move over a chessboard, could do no more than slightly shift his eyes, unable to move his body in the slightest! From the Sixth Domain downward, the consciousness and movements of all living beings halted at that exact instant. Su Xuan sighed and slowly rose to his feet. Taking a single stride, he appeared without warning in the courtyard where Li Guanqi stood. Looking at the old man who could not have been more familiar, Li Guanqi rose to his feet with an unreadable expression. Buzz! The figure of the sword spirit materialized behind Li Guanqi. In a flash, the sword coffin surged out from the White Jade Tower to hover at his back. For the very first time, crimson patterns flickered incessantly across the pitch-black stone coffin. The sword spirit's gaze was solemn beyond measure. Su Xuan merely glanced at her before turning his eyes onto Li Guanqi. Barely three feet separated the two. The slightly stooped elder lifted his head slightly to look at Li Guanqi. Li Guanqi calmly met the gaze of the old man clothed in a plain white hemp robe. Su Xuan let out a soft sigh, his voice dry and raspy. "Is this why you've never once returned to Beiliang City in all these years?" For the first time, Li Guanqi looked at Su Xuan with hostility! His deep eyes were like an endless abyss, concealing all thought. "That's right..." "My appearance, your appearance—none of it makes sense..." "Who am I?" Su Xuan looked deeply into Li Guanqi's eyes and said softly, "You are you. No one is pulling the strings of your life." Li Guanqi shook his head and enunciated three words: "I don't believe you." Su Xuan was not surprised by Li Guanqi's response. He simply sat down across from him, his hands tucked inside his sleeves, the furrows on his aged face somehow carved deeper than before. Lowering his head, Su Xuan fished out his long pipe with a withered hand, packed it with tobacco shreds, and took a slow draw. As clouds of smoke billowed, a bluish haze shrouded the elder's features, but through it all, his eyes never wavered or looked away. "Have I ever harmed you?" Li Guanqi shook his head. "No." The elder spoke again. "When you have the chance, go back to Beiliang City and take a look." "You... are you." The old man's voice was tinged with an indescribably complex emotion. "Perhaps... in the future, you will face countless conspiracies and find yourself caught in the vortex." "But you must understand: in this world, I am the only one who will never harm you!" "Trust no one other than me." Li Guanqi's eyes flickered, but he said nothing. Su Xuan had cautioned him with similar words more than once. Yet once doubt took root... Until the truth came to light, that doubt would linger. Which meant... Li Guanqi now trusted only his own judgment and reasoning. Though Su Xuan would never harm him, when it came to his background and his identity... he was definitely concealing something. In just over thirty years, Li Guanqi had climbed from a mere Qi Refining realm cultivator to where he stood today. He simply could not believe his origins were so ordinary! Why would a mother with the body of a mortal give birth to a child with such monstrous talent? Why did his elder sister, Li Cuiwei, possess not a shred of cultivation aptitude? And who was his father? Why had his mother never once spoken of him? Did all of this have something to do with Su Xuan? Li Guanqi felt a splitting headache. He gritted his teeth, crimson veins quietly creeping into the whites of his eyes. His heart pounded violently, his hands grew numb, and his entire frame began to tremble. Yet just as his emotions were on the brink of erupting— A figure stepped forward to shield him. The tall, slender silhouette of the sword spirit positioned herself between him and Su Xuan. An ethereal voice, like water flowing through mountain glades, sounded gently by Li Guanqi's ear. "In the future, whatever comes, I will stand by your side and face it together." Her crimson robes fluttered softly in the air. At that moment, the sword spirit's back seemed remarkably broad and solid in Li Guanqi's eyes. Her fox-like eyes narrowed slightly, and her lips moved without producing any sound. Evidently, there were things she did not want Li Guanqi to hear, choosing to speak to Su Xuan via divine sense instead. Su Xuan narrowed his eyes at her words, a glint of chilling killing intent flashing across his gaze. Then, before Li Guanqi's bewildered eyes, the elder slowly raised his hand. With a slight clench of his withered palm, the last remaining saber light inside Li Guanqi's body was drawn back by the elder. Li Guanqi froze for an instant, only to see the unyielding, resolute glare the sword spirit directed at the old man. Having retrieved the saber light, Su Xuan took a deep look at Li Guanqi. "You little bastard..." "Perhaps when you ascend in the future, you'll come to understand a few things." The elder offered no further explanation. The silhouette of his turned back carried a tinge of desolation. Or perhaps... even a touch of sorrow? Once the elder departed, order in the Immortal Burial Realm resumed, and time began to flow once more. A heavy sigh from Meng Jiangchu pulled Li Guanqi's thoughts back. Only now did he realize what had just taken place. His perception of Su Xuan's terrifying power became clearer than ever. Halting time... Was this a Human Spirit Immortal? Within the realm he had created, he was the Heavenly Dao! In other words... As long as the old man wished it, there was very little he could not accomplish. Yet the more Li Guanqi realized this, the more terrified he became. A chill shot straight to the crown of his head. The Seventh Domain also fell within the territory created by the elder. If he could even pause time itself, how could he have been injured? Even if a truly monstrous immortal descended, would Su Xuan really be wounded as long as the fight took place within the Seventh Domain? From that perspective... Su Xuan's injury was very likely intentional! Li Guanqi's face paled slightly, his thoughts tangled into a chaotic web. "Guanqi? What's the matter?" "Why do you look so unwell?" Li Guanqi waved his hand and took a deep breath, forcefully pressing down the turbulent thoughts in his heart. "It's nothing," he said softly. "Probably just an old ailment acting up after all the consecutive battles." Li Guilan was completely baffled by their exchange, her brow tightly furrowed. "Well, no matter what, you two still need to give me an answer about this..." Meng Jiangchu glared at her and said in a low voice, "What does a woman know about such things? Guanqi is worried about Wanshu's safety. Didn't you hear him say that the enemies lurking in the dark are immensely powerful?" Suddenly, Meng Wanshu, who had remained silent all along, lifted her head to look at Li Guanqi. With firm resolve in her eyes, she spoke. "I'm not afraid." Just three words, yet they embodied Meng Wanshu's stance. Just as before, her cultivation had already reached the Tribulation Transcendence realm; ordinary schemes and methods were nothing for her to fear. Her thought was simple: if Li Guanqi held back out of fear of putting her in danger... She was not afraid.