Li Guanqi kept his eyes half-closed, his voice chilled to the bone. "Back then, when the Flame Spirit moved to protect me, it was only because he feared I would get hurt. Yet in front of everyone, I actually snapped and berated him. To be honest, at that time, my mind was consumed by thoughts of master and servant!!"
The Flame Spirit stood silently behind Li Guanqi, listening to every word.
This was the reason he had remained so taciturn for so long.
His personality was actually somewhat similar to Pengluo's. Through tens of thousands of long, lonely years, he had possessed a lively heart and yearned desperately to talk with others. But that incident had wounded him deeply. Even so, the moment he drew this wisp of remnant soul out of Li Guanqi's origin soul, he understood what had truly happened.
Xun Tian's remnant soul was so frail that his features could hardly coalesce, yet he asked, unconvinced, "Just from that?"
Li Guanqi sneered. "Of course it wasn't just that. There was also how I lost my temper and shouted at Gu Li and the others. With the bond between us brothers, even if they fell short, my usual nature would have been to shoulder the burden as their elder brother. Yet that time, I lashed out at nearly everyone."
Li Guanqi's expression darkened. It was the first time he had ever spoken so harshly to Gu Li and the rest.
Opening his eyes, his white pupils seemed sharp enough to pierce right through Xun Tian! "Naturally, what made me suspect the most was how I couldn't suppress the doubts in my heart or the nameless rage flaring up within me—to the point where I questioned my grandfather to his face... Even now, I still feel my emotional turmoil back then was far too intense. While I believed my grandfather was at fault, my plan had always been to return to Beiliang City before discussing it. I never intended to confront him like that... But when I stood in Auntie Li's courtyard, I was like a completely different person, forgetting every bit of kindness Grandfather had shown me. My heart was consumed by endless resentment and suspicion!! Every single detail pointed to me turning cold and unfeeling..."
At this, Xun Tian gave a bitter smile. He had to admit that he had lost completely.
How formidable must someone's heart be to maintain such unshakeable faith that he would never change?!
"I lost..."
"I never imagined... you never once doubted whether you might have changed."
Xun Tian knew that this final wisp of his remnant soul could not overcome Li Guanqi. His schemes in the lower realm... were at an end.
Still reluctant to accept it, he spoke once more: "Don't kill me yet. I've lost, and I have no strength left to resist. But... can you tell me how you discovered Gu Xici?"
Li Guanqi casually tossed the box to the Flame Spirit, motioning for him to reinforce the seal.
Rising to his feet, Li Guanqi said softly, "I don't know what method you used to contact Gu Xici. But my guess is that it happened in the Third Domain, while I was locked in life-and-death combat with Shiwu. Gu Xici had already arrived back then, because he would never trust Li Qingchan."
Xun Tian's solemn voice slowly drifted out. "Indeed. It was then."
The corner of Li Guanqi's mouth curved slightly. It matched his deduction.
"Do you know why I've been guarding against Ye Xuan all this time?"
Turning around, Li Guanqi looked down, his gaze fixed intently on Xun Tian's remnant soul.
By now, Xun Tian had only manifested a pair of eyes, and he stared right back at Li Guanqi, desperate for the answer.
"Why? Your inscribed talismans showed no fluctuation whatsoever. Why would you suspect him? Besides, he was by your side the entire time!!"
Li Guanqi cast a profound look at Xun Tian. "Blame the methods you left on Li Shenzhi, which have kept me wary to this day! Senior Ye was indeed under my watch, but you forgot one thing..."
Xun Tian's brow furrowed in utter bewilderment. "What thing?"
Li Guanqi smiled faintly. Glancing at the equally bewildered Ye Xuan, he murmured, "During the time Gu Li was rewriting the inscribed talismans, Senior Ye had already stepped outside the Seventh Domain! That window lasted nearly half an incense stick at the very least. That was more than enough time for Gu Xici to plant a gu parasite... Combined with your manipulation techniques, it was enough for Ye Xuan to erupt into violence and catch me off guard. Unfortunately... from the start, I had planned for the worst-case scenario."
Xun Tian drew a sharp breath, his remnant eyes staring at Li Guanqi in disbelief. "So... from the very beginning, you treated Ye Xuan as someone who might suddenly backstab you?"
"That's right."
Xun Tian's remnant soul grew increasingly feeble, and his words tumbled out rapidly: "Then how did you figure out Gu Xici was behind it? Don't tell me it was a guess—he never once showed his face! Even if you noticed Ye Xuan had been poisoned by gu, your suspicions shouldn't have fallen onto Gu Xici!"
It was clear that Xun Tian desperately wanted to know the truth of how Li Guanqi had orchestrated everything.
The corner of Li Guanqi's mouth lifted in a cold smirk. "The Soul-Devouring Nether Butterfly!"
Xun Tian stared at him in confusion. "The Soul-Devouring Nether Butterfly? That... there were no flaws in that! The Life-Soul Golden Cicada Gu inside Luo Siyang was on the verge of failing. For Luo Siyang's sake, the Luo Clan abducted Ye Bingxin, who was at the peak of the Body Integration Realm. What's strange about that?"
Hearing Luo Siyang's name, Li Guanqi felt a brief surge of emotion.
He had never imagined the Luo Clan would use their own flesh and blood to set a trap. They were ruthless beyond measure... even Luo Changqing had been kept in the dark.
Li Guanqi said softly, "The moment the Soul-Devouring Nether Butterfly appeared, I guessed it was Gu Xici. Right now, in the entire Human Spirit Realm, who else besides you would want to seize my body?"
He turned his gaze back to Xun Tian's remnant soul. "From the very beginning, the Soul-Devouring Nether Butterfly was never meant for Luo Siyang to take Ye Bingxin. It was prepared... for Gu Xici to seize me!"
Xun Tian shook his head, unable to believe Li Guanqi had deduced that it was aimed at him based on this alone.
On the surface, Li Guanqi had fought Ye Xuan to a draw, ended up poisoned by gu, and had his dantian's primal energy drained by the parasite, leaving him severely wounded. Throughout the entire ordeal, he had shown no sign of abnormality, as if he were simply waiting for Gu Xici to reveal himself!
After voicing these doubts, Xun Tian added, "In the end, when you were gravely injured, your sea of consciousness and dantian were sealed, leaving you virtually powerless to resist!! What made you so certain Gu Xici was there alongside the Luo Clan? What if he hadn't shown up?"
Li Guanqi pointed toward the Flame Spirit. "What kind of seal do you think he can't break? And as for why... because last time in the Third Domain, Gu Xici went through great pains to extract a wisp of Li Congxin's divine soul. He believed there must be a connection between me and the sword coffin. Thus... the Soul-Devouring Nether Butterfly was also an instrument for seizing a soul. Other than Gu Xici, who else could be behind it?!"
Xun Tian's eyes widened, his gaze filled with awe. "Brilliant... truly brilliant... I very much look forward to your ascension to the Immortal Realm."
Li Guanqi had no intention of extracting any more information from Xun Tian's remnant soul.
Reaching out, he grasped the box. In an instant, wind and clouds churned across heaven and earth, and a boundless torrent of lightning pierced straight through the flaming coffer.
"Wait for me. I will find your true body in the Immortal Realm—and I will kill you."
*Bang!!*
A violent explosion rang out. This time, Xun Tian was dead beyond dead.
Chapter 1412