Moving a Mountain!

Hearing about Jiang Hui's choice left everyone with their own thoughts and reflections. After chatting for a while, the crowd also knew Li Guanqi would not be staying long. Lu Kangnian did not attempt to meddle in what transpired at Guanyun Pavilion. He knew Li Guanqi had a proper sense of discretion in everything he did. Moreover, Guanyun Pavilion and the Great Xia Sword Sect complemented each other naturally, with neither holding seniority over the other. Guanyun Pavilion had been established by Li Guanqi; Lu Kangnian had neither the right nor the reason to dictate its affairs. Li Guanqi spoke softly, "Everyone, please step outside for a moment. I have something to discuss with the sect master in private." Hearing this, the others tactfully withdrew. Lu Kangnian was somewhat curious as to what required dismissing everyone just to tell him alone. Once everyone had departed, only Li Guanqi and Lu Kangnian remained in the hall. With a flick of his wrist, Li Guanqi laid down an overwhelmingly powerful flame barrier inside the hall! The instant the flames appeared, Lu Kangnian—long a Mahayana realm cultivator—felt a sudden, inexplicable tremor of dread seize his heart! He immediately realized there was something extraordinary about this flame of Li Guanqi's. "Guanqi... this flame of yours?" "This certainly isn't your previous Purple Cloud Thunder Flame or Yinming Profound Flame!" The corners of Li Guanqi's mouth curved upward slightly. "Naturally. This is the ranked number-one heavenly flame—the Devouring Void Sacred Flame." Li Guanqi's calm voice detonated like thunder in Lu Kangnian's ears. The man bolted to his feet! "What?! Ranked first among the heavenly flames?!" Lu Kangnian rubbed his face and dug at his ear, terrified he had misheard. Licking his lips, a rare, sly grin spread across his face. Li Guanqi could not help but say, "Don't say another word. I'll definitely leave a flame seed for Alchemy Peak, alright?" "Though... with Sun Miao's current strength, he will likely find it very difficult to control this flame." Lu Kangnian waved his hand broadly. "Just because Sun Miao can't do it now doesn't mean he won't be able to in the future!" "Besides, you took Gu Lie away and I didn't even say anything." "No, no, you truly have to leave one... definitely leave one behind." Once Li Guanqi agreed, the man beamed like a child who had just received a cherished toy. Slumping casually back into his chair, Lu Kangnian chuckled softly. "Was that all?" "Once the flame seed is placed on Alchemy Peak, they'll find out sooner or later anyway. Why send them away for that?" Li Guanqi took a deep breath and drew a crystal-clear amber piece of immortal crystal from his storage ring. Gazing at the immortal crystal in his hand, Li Guanqi spoke with grave seriousness. "This object is called the World-Breaker Immortal Butterfly!" "As long as one channels origin power into it, one can shatter the realms and ascend!" Thud! Lu Kangnian tumbled off his chair and landed flat on the floor. His pupils shrank to pinpricks as he stared in utter disbelief at the item in Li Guanqi's grasp. Feeling his throat turn bone-dry, Lu Kangnian swallowed hard and pointed a trembling finger at it. "Channel origin power... and one can ascend to the Immortal Realm?" "What about the Human-Immortal Realm Barrier? And the ascension conduit...?" Li Guanqi shook his head and said quietly, "Since it is an artifact capable of breaking realms, it naturally tears open a path between two worlds. The Human-Immortal Realm Barrier cannot stop it." Collecting himself, Lu Kangnian climbed back onto his seat, his breath growing rapid and shallow. Gradually, his expression turned solemn. "No, this thing is far too precious. Keep it for yourself!" Li Guanqi could not help saying, "Ye Feng and the others and I will naturally ascend together through our own strength. We have no use for this." Lu Kangnian frowned. "Even so, it won't do. You should still keep it. I understand full well the disaster that harboring a treasure beyond one's strength can bring." "If word of this ever spread, old monsters of the Tribulation Transcendence realm—or even the Ascension realm—would tear the world apart to seize it!" Li Guanqi smiled. "Right now, no one knows about this except you and me." "I want to leave it in the sect to serve as a supreme protective heirloom." "Think of it as... a foundation of security." Lu Kangnian's eyes reddened, and he cursed under his breath, "You little bastard, if you're leaving it for me, just say so. What's the point of beating around the bush...?" "My talent is limited. I fear that even if I spend my whole life trying, I won't ever break through to the Tribulation Transcendence realm." The corner of Li Guanqi's mouth twitched, and he retorted, "Aren't you belittling yourself a bit too much?" "How many years has it been? You're already on the verge of breaking through to the late Mahayana realm." "Besides, when you were trapped while traveling back then, you absorbed immortal incense, which elevated both your constitution and your spiritual root quality." "It's only Tribulation Transcendence... it isn't unattainable." "Isn't your skin getting a bit too thick?" Lu Kangnian chuckled mischievously. "Isn't this just preparing for the worst?" Li Guanqi curled his lip and murmured, "In any case... this World-Breaker Immortal Butterfly will remain with the sect." "After all, I snatched it from someone else's hands, and I don't know whether it carries any hidden side effects. Be prudent, and try not to use it unless absolutely necessary." At these words, Lu Kangnian's expression tightened, and his brow furrowed. "Understood. If push comes to shove, we'll treat it as a magic treasure and detonate it. Surely that could take down a Tribulation Transcendence cultivator, right?" That was Lu Kangnian's virtue: when circumstances demanded, he truly was willing to part with anything. The reason Li Guanqi had given the warning was that he, too, suspected the World-Breaker Immortal Butterfly was not so simple. It had come from Gu Xici's hands, after all; caution was always warranted. After handing the World-Breaker Immortal Butterfly over to Lu Kangnian, Li Guanqi retrieved a vast quantity of heaven-and-earth spirit herbs and rare treasures from his storage ring. "Set aside ten percent of these resources for the Spirit Fish Clan." "Last time, I took nearly all of their Spirit Fish bone swords. It's only right to give them proper compensation." "Also, look after the Fire-Eyed Demon Foxes a bit." Lu Kangnian waved his hand and said softly, "Rest assured on those matters. The Great Xia Sword Sect doesn't lack resources these days." "The younger generations of both clans are currently cultivating on Spirit Peak. The sect elders take turns teaching them, with no discrimination whatsoever." Li Guanqi nodded slightly, leaning back against his chair as he gazed toward the doorway. "To think that in just a few short decades, a sect like ours—which once couldn't even scrape together a single spiritual vein—would reach such heights." Lu Kangnian was equally filled with emotion. Back then, he had buried all his ambition deep in his heart, thinking it would be enough if he could simply safeguard their small foundation. He had never imagined that, piece by piece, everything would turn out like this because of Li Guanqi. Though the rest of the sect had worked tirelessly as well, none of this would have been possible without Li Guanqi. Their gazes met, and both smiled faintly. Between them lay the unshakable trust of two men who had resolutely chosen to believe in each other. "Sect Master." "Hmm?" "I'll be taking my leave then." "Mm... Be safe. Cultivate diligently. If anything happens, let your family know." "Understood!" Li Guanqi vanished from the spot, yet he did not depart immediately. Stepping upon the void, Li Guanqi swept his gaze toward a mountain peak several dozen li away. Raising his hand, he slashed out horizontally with a sword strike, cleanly severing the hundred-zhang-tall mountain at its roots! Closing his right hand around empty air, he uprooted that towering hundred-zhang mountain, levitating it through the void and drawing it toward the sect grounds where he stood! Rumble, rumble, crash! Every disciple looked up to see a massive mountain hurtling across the sky. Such a tremendous disturbance naturally alerted the upper echelons of the Great Xia Sword Sect as well. The peak lords, elders, consecrated retainers, and other elders took to the sky in succession, rushing forward. Looking at Li Guanqi, Ling Daoyan and the others could not help muttering among themselves, "What in the world is he doing?"