Li Guanqi looked utterly grim as he realized that many had already decided to abandon their breakthroughs.
Gradually, the fluctuations of power within the Time Pagoda began to weaken.
Yet Li Guanqi knew full well that if they gave up on advancing now...
They would likely never have another chance.
Heaven and earth's immense pressure currently saturated the Celestial Spirit Realm.
Clearly, many of their heavenly tribulations had already been drawn down.
They were just one final step away.
If they gave up now, attempting to summon a heavenly tribulation and break through in the future would be harder than scaling the heavens!
Cold sweat beaded on Li Guanqi's forehead. For a moment, he found himself paralyzed with indecision...
The path to immortality for so many people rested in his hands. How was he supposed to decide?!
Many sensed his dilemma. An old man from the Third Domain's battlefield wore a bitter expression.
His aura slowly receded, settling at the half-step Tribulation Transcendence realm.
"This old man... has lived a worthwhile life. Young friend, do not carry guilt in your heart."
"To be able to take even half a step further was already a blessing."
With that, the old man prepared to disperse his heavenly tribulation.
Yet when he stood up, his eyes were filled with lingering reluctance.
Li Guanqi looked exceedingly grim. He had never expected the Immortal Realm to react so swiftly...
The moment they retreated, they had immediately organized a counteroffensive!
Right then, a man's gentle voice rang out within the pagoda!
"All of you, break through with peace of mind. Only by stepping into the Tribulation Transcendence realm can you be of greater use."
"As for everything else, leave it to me. You have nothing to worry about."
A man clad in green robes slowly stepped out from the void.
Li Guanqi said in a solemn voice, "Junior pays his respects to the Dragon King!"
Wen Guyan smiled faintly, patted Li Guanqi on the shoulder, and murmured, "You did nothing wrong."
Just as his words fell, a woman appeared beside Wen Guyan.
Wen Guyan glanced at her and instructed quietly, "The Third Domain... hold the line there for a while."
Bie Ruxue, clad in crimson robes, frowned slightly.
"Then... what about the Fifth Domain?"
Wen Guyan shrugged, his expression completely calm.
"I'll simply kill a few more."
Hearing this, Li Guanqi finally let out a long breath of relief.
The path to immortality for so many people had been resting on his shoulders.
If Wen Guyan had not shown up, Li Guanqi definitely would have chosen to have them abandon their breakthroughs!
If their top combat forces were absent...
The Second and Third Domains would likely have fallen before long!
The amount of water a bucket could hold never depended on its tallest plank, but on its shortest!
From the Fifth Domain upward, combat mostly took the form of protracted stalemates meant to pin each side down.
The Fourth Domain had originally been the same, but with the arrival of Li Guanqi and his companions, the slaughter there had grown even fiercer.
Yet the Third and Second Domains were where the greatest number of cultivators in the Seventh Domain resided.
They were also the most crucial...
The crowd relaxed. Cao Yan and Xiao Chen were already gone from the pagoda, dragged off to the Fourth Domain by Gu Li.
Li Guanqi took a deep breath, his piercing gaze sweeping over the crowd below.
"Fellow Daoists, success or failure hinges on this single move. I ask that you... give it your all!"
Boom!
As soon as his voice rang out, Li Guanqi pushed his abilities to their absolute limit.
The divine sense within his sea of consciousness drained at a pace visible to the naked eye.
With a grave expression, Shiwu frantically devoured and refined the power within the immortal crystals to replenish him.
Yet compared to Li Guanqi's rate of consumption, even Shiwu struggled to keep pace...
Everyone steadied their minds. The next instant...
Boom!
The aura of the old man who had suppressed himself earlier violently burst past its limits!
Rising to his feet, the old man bowed with cupped fists toward Li Guanqi.
A flash of light gleamed beneath his feet, instantly transporting him to a spiritual platform within the Celestial Spirit Mountain Range.
This was the tribulation platform he had prepared many years ago.
Rumble!
Celestial radiance flickered across the sky as dark clouds gathered and thunder roared.
The old man wore a stern expression, his entire presence giving off the feeling of one who embraced death to find life.
Next came Hu Shouqing!
Afterward, others tore through their barriers of laws one after another, pressing forward in one unbroken breath.
Han Yuan and his two companions broke through in rapid succession!
Qin Xiao laughed boisterously. "Hahahaha! Kid Li, this old man owes you a favor!"
No sooner had the words landed than Qin Wushang and Xu Junlin both tore through their barriers of laws!
Boom! Boom!
"Well, the old man owes a mountain of favors, and now this young one owes one too."
A wicked, handsome smile curved the corner of Qin Wushang's lips.
Xu Junlin stood shoulder to shoulder with Qin Wushang, slinging his spear across his shoulders with a grin.
"The two of us won't break through yet. This insight alone is enough for us to digest for quite a while."
"Don't worry, I've got that kid with the heavy sword covered."
The two received no response from Li Guanqi.
Not minding at all, they exchanged a glance and took to the air, flying straight toward the Third Domain!
In truth, they had thought about heading outside to gather the rest of the Eight Generals' reserves.
However, that sort of thing was hardly their forte...
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Rumble!
A continuous series of explosive roars resounded.
By the time the final elder tore through the barrier of laws and rose, Li Guanqi's face had turned as pale as paper.
Cold sweat soaked his back. His body swayed faintly as waves of weakness pounded his mind.
Supporting himself with both hands against the ground, he found several dozen purple-gold jade boxes laid out before him!
Every single one was packed with incomparably precious medicinal pills, including several immortal pills!
These were undoubtedly the life-saving treasures these senior elders had been reluctant to consume over the years.
Yet pills so precious were now practically covering the floor in front of him.
Li Guanqi did not stand on ceremony, sweeping every last pill into his storage with a wave of his hand.
"Shiwu... pick out some that can... quickly restore me, and devour them."
Shiwu swiftly selected three pills from among them.
Li Guanqi parted his lips and swallowed them whole. The pills transformed into ferocious medicinal power that surged through his body.
Yet that power was carefully enveloped and guided by Shiwu's energy.
Gradually, a touch of color returned to Li Guanqi's face.
Without resting for even a moment, Li Guanqi rose and shot toward the Fourth Domain!
A bolt of lightning surged toward the heavens, a streak of light bursting into the Second Domain.
His lips parted, and in an instant, clouds and winds churned across heaven and earth.
Immediately after, three massive purple thunder gates, each a hundred zhang across, descended from the sky!
The colossal gates crushed two cultivators to death, radiating a potent suppressive power that swept across the battlefield!
Seeing this, the morale of the Second Domain cultivators surged, turning the tide into an immediate counterattack!
In the Third Domain...
Clutching the Red Lotus sword in his left hand, Li Guanqi shifted his form.
"Spell: Nine Dragon Transmutation!"
His left hand danced with the sword, and a tempest of chaotic sword lights erupted in an instant.
Boom!
The void filled with incomparably powerful lightning sword qi traversing the sky.
The empty expanse fractured as lightning pierced heaven and earth.
"Red Lotus: God-Burying Dance!"
Boom!
The sky full of sword rays blotted out the sun, like a gale tearing through a forest of cherry blossoms, scattering petals across the heavens.
Magnificent, lethal!
Wherever the sword light passed, virtually no cultivator could stand against it.
Chapter 1441