Only a breath earlier, Han Yuan and the others had still been treating the wounded inside the Pill King Pagoda.
The moment he heard Li Guanqi's voice, he shoved a medicinal pill directly into the injured man's mouth, spun on his heel, and sprinted away.
Nor was he the only one—even the old man lying on the sickbed bolted upright with a sudden start.
Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!
Streaks of light shot through the Celestial Spirit Realm as countless figures transformed into beams of radiance, hurtling toward the Time Pagoda!
Standing atop the Time Pagoda, Li Guanqi took a deep breath, retrieved a jade slip, and explained his conjecture to Su Xuan.
Su Xuan agreed with his assessment.
Looking down at the gathering crowd, Li Guanqi estimated there were barely eighteen or nineteen people, and that included Han Yuan and his companions.
Just then, Li Guanqi caught sight of Gu Li and Tang Ru arriving from the corner of his eye.
Standing among the crowd, they were gesturing toward Meng Jiangchu, Han Yuan, and the others, muttering quietly about something.
"Will it work?"
"Of course it will. As long as they leave behind seeds for me to control, I can merge them into your Bagua Yin-Yang Chart."
"If that's still not enough, I'll figure out a way to weave in some spiritual incantations."
"That power... tsk..."
"Just don't destroy the Fourth Domain..."
"Uh... I'll try my best to keep it under control. I really think it's feasible—want to give it a shot?"
Li Guanqi paid them no mind. Taking a deep breath, he spoke in a heavy voice.
"Seniors of the Heavenly King Pagoda and the Weapon Pagoda, please come here as well."
As soon as his voice fell, the masters of both pagodas arrived leading their respective Mahayana realm cultivators, bringing another dozen or so people.
Combined, they totaled around twenty-five or twenty-six.
Li Guanqi's gaze was somber, his expression resolute.
"Seniors, the descending immortals this time clearly came with the purpose of probing us.
"We... killed too few of them, which means the Immortal Realm will undoubtedly be able to deduce the Seventh Domain's current overall strength.
"Therefore, during this window, I want to do everything I can to elevate everyone's strength and cultivation.
"When the time comes, we will catch them completely off guard!"
Hearing this, the gathered cultivators all turned grave, bowing deeply as they answered in resonant voices.
"Thank you for your hard work, young friend!"
Li Guanqi waved a hand dismissively, swung his arm, and turned to step into the Time Pagoda.
"Everyone, please enter. Time is of the essence.
"I will advance the resources from the Immortal Burial Pavilion myself. Sixth Brother, make a trip to the pavilion and exchange for some immortal crystals."
Hearing the mention of immortal crystals, Gu Li asked no questions. Since Li Guanqi wanted them, he surely had his reasons.
After Gu Li delivered the items, Tang Ru received word that the Eight Generals had returned, bringing several cultivators back with them.
Tang Ru happened to be heading out with Gu Li to find Xiang Huaizhi and the others, so he simply brought those newcomers to the Time Pagoda as well.
A heavy mood hung over everyone's heart.
***
Inside the Mortal Guest Tavern.
Li Qingchan rested her chin on her hand, gazing out the window toward the distant Time Pagoda, from which a dense, oppressive aura emanated.
Zhou Shiyu sipped his Red Dust Brew, his eyes flickering with thought.
For the first time, he felt the meaning of living for himself.
"The Seventh Domain... I truly should have come sooner..."
Even though the recent battle had been fraught with danger, he still felt he had made the right choice to come.
Whether it was an illusion or not, the atmosphere throughout the Seventh Domain had grown distinctly chilling and austere!
Inside the White Jade Tower, only Ye Feng and Meng Wanshu remained.
Cao Yan and Xiao Chen had both run off into the Time Pagoda.
Meng Wanshu sat before a tea table brewing tea, while Ye Feng leaned against the windowsill cradling his longsword.
"You truly care about them, don't you?"
Ye Feng smiled faintly and said in a gentle voice, "Third Brother and Fourth Brother are younger than me, so it's inevitable that they still act a bit childish at times.
"Especially Xiao Chen. Give him another two years and he'll be fine."
Meng Wanshu nodded and said softly, "As for you, though... I heard from him that your temperament used to be quite similar to Xiao Chen's.
"You even had a nickname... the King of Gamblers?"
Hearing that title, Ye Feng pursed his lips into a smile.
"Sister-in-law, please don't tell Qingchan about that nickname."
Meng Wanshu glanced up at him, covering her mouth to stifle a laugh. "Seems the two of you are progressing rather quickly."
Ye Feng scratched his head without answering.
Meng Wanshu continued gently, "He's told me so many stories about your past.
"I just feel that the way you are now... is sometimes a bit too solemn."
Ye Feng shook his head, leaning against the window frame as he spoke slowly.
"Sister-in-law, one can't remain a child forever.
"I understood that truth back when I crawled out of the Abyss of Purgatory.
"I know what you want to say..."
Ye Feng lowered his head, staring down into the pitch-black abyss below, his voice quiet.
"Those years in the Heavenly Demon Hall were my own choice. Tell Boss not to blame himself.
"I became who I am today because I feel comfortable this way, not because I'm weighed down by heavy thoughts."
At that point, Ye Feng stretched, his gaze turning exceptionally warm as he looked toward Meng Wanshu.
"With an elder brother like him, we've already been protected far too well.
"Compared to Boss, it's only right that I, as the second brother, look after the others."
Meng Wanshu looked at Ye Feng in mild surprise.
In the end, all the words she intended to say remained unspoken. Pouring the tea, she said softly, "Then here's to our early ascension to the Immortal Realm!"
A faint, enigmatic smile touched the corner of Ye Feng's mouth. He looked up at the sky and murmured, "We will. We'll go see what that Immortal Realm is like."
With that, Ye Feng returned to the Nirvana Pagoda to temper himself.
Meng Wanshu sat in the top-floor study of the White Jade Tower, gazing toward the distant Heavenly King Pagoda.
She had a premonition...
The struggle between the two realms would likely reach its conclusion before long.
And the crucial pivot lay entirely upon Li Guanqi!
Now, Li Guanqi had already broken through to the late Tribulation Transcendence realm.
Both she and Ye Feng were feeling the strain of trying to keep up.
Even back in the Mahayana realm, their breakthroughs had already been remarkably swift.
Yet now, in the Tribulation Transcendence realm, Li Guanqi's pace was even faster than it had been before!
They pushed themselves desperately to catch up, but only Ye Feng and Meng Wanshu had barely touched the threshold of the peak early Tribulation Transcendence realm.
Thanks to the Nirvana Pagoda, the combat lethality of their small group could never be measured by ordinary cultivation realms.
Every one of them possessed the undeniable capability to slay foes across minor realms.
Even when facing late Tribulation Transcendence cultivators, they could barely hold their own—at least ensuring they wouldn't be struck down instantly.
Yet the sense of urgency Li Guanqi imparted to them was simply too intense.
What they did not know was that the urgency within Li Guanqi's own heart burned far fiercer than anyone else's!
For every day that dragged on, if someone in the Seventh Domain perished, he would feel it was his fault...
***
Inside the Time Pagoda.
The terrifying Devouring Void Sacred Flame spread across every corner of the void, enveloping everyone within!
The Spirit-Devouring Dao Physique's ability to resonate with heaven and earth was operating at full power, though among them, cultivators with fire and lightning spiritual roots gained comprehension the fastest.
Li Guanqi's face was slightly pale, cold sweat beading on his forehead as his divine sense depleted at a frightening rate.
Yet under his assistance, numerous cultivators made breakthroughs!
Soon, the fluctuation of primordial energy inside the Time Pagoda turned extraordinarily violent.
Spiritual light and energy rippled out in every direction like waves.
Seeing that a large-scale breakthrough was imminent, Li Guanqi finally let out a sigh of relief.
Suddenly!
Heaven and earth shook as a dense, overwhelming pressure from the Immortal Realm crashed down with a deafening roar!
Li Guanqi's hands and feet went icy cold. His vision wavered as he murmured in a daze, "So fast... Why did they arrive so quickly?!"
"Could our actions have been exposed?!"
"No... impossible."
"Which means... the moment they returned, they immediately prepared an assault!"
Just as Li Guanqi moved to forcefully interrupt the session, he realized that many cultivators were already on the very brink of breaking through.
Chapter 1440