Isn't This Taking It Too Seriously?

Li Guanqi was immersed in an epiphany. Novel ideas welled up continuously in his mind. Gradually, a subtle shift occurred in his demeanor. Only Li Guanqi and Xuan Yue opposite him could sense this change. Between Li Guanqi's brows, a mysterious silver-white sigil flickered. Watching this, even Xuan Yue felt a flicker of shock. Sitting cross-legged in the distance, the man frowned slightly and murmured under his breath, "Is this... the Ethereal Dao Body?" Boom! Flames surged skyward. The fusion of flame and thunder unleashed immense, tyrannical power! His brow furrowed tightly, Xuan Yue actually rose and stepped back more than ten zhang. At this moment, Li Guanqi finally stopped resisting Shiwu's power, fusing it completely into himself. Sharp sword intent crisscrossed around him, and Li Guanqi's body gradually grew shorter. The burly frame that had once radiated such crushing pressure vanished. In its place was Li Guanqi's original build. Though on the surface it looked merely like a change in height, Xuan Yue's eyes narrowed slightly. After all, pummeling Li Guanqi for so long today had been for precisely this purpose. Only with his own true body could he achieve complete control. The seemingly burly physique had, in Xuan Yue's eyes, merely been an impressive facade. With that enlarged stature, Li Guanqi's judgment of his sword's reach and distance had grown slightly flawed. Gradually, the aura surrounding Li Guanqi grew stronger and stronger. Xuan Yue rose slowly, the power of the Black Tortoise permeating his entire body. If he had used only thirty percent of his strength before, he now had to bring fifty percent to bear against Li Guanqi. "Hu..." Li Guanqi slowly opened his eyes. The wounds on his body still throbbed with faint pain. Yet his gaze was extraordinarily bright, shimmering with excitement. Through his battle with King Xuan, his Demon King Body had been thoroughly broken down, reduced to merely one of the abilities within his Spirit-Devouring Dao Body. That sense of true ownership—of moving it like an extension of his own limbs—was something he had never felt before. He had also realized King Xuan's painstaking intentions. Before, he had not even realized his height had changed. Now, through deliberate refining, the Demon King Body would no longer swell his frame. Though he no longer possessed that towering presence looking down on all living things, his lethality now was far greater! All of this was thanks to the man before him. The moment Li Guanqi opened his eyes, he saw King Xuan in the distance, aura surging. The corner of Li Guanqi's mouth twitched. "Isn't this... taking things a bit too seriously?" Indeed, Xuan Yue's present aura was worlds apart from before. If previously the man had simply intended to thrash him, now Xuan Yue was truly acknowledging his strength and getting serious. Li Guanqi glanced at the sky. The first day was not even over yet... Licking his lips, he realized why the Dragon King, Wen Guyan, had said three days. Three days was apparently Wen Guyan's estimate of the absolute limit he could endure. Exhaling a breath of turbid air, he pulled out a piece of dried radish and swallowed it down. Instantly, his superficial wounds began healing at rapid speed. As he recovered, his heart was as still as water. He would fight Xuan Yue purely as a sword cultivator, casting aside all superfluous tricks. His injuries healed completely. Dragon scales covered Li Guanqi's upper body, making him look exceptionally fierce. He gave off an intensely dangerous aura, distinct from the crude pressure of a massive physique, yet carrying a suffocating threat of death. Without a single word, the moment their eyes met, both shot forward! This time, Li Guanqi did not deploy the power of his thunder wings. Though the wings were swift, they betrayed his movements. Every time he intended to shift direction, the adjustment of the thunder wings gave him away in advance. This time, Li Guanqi pushed his movement technique to its peak—graceful as a startled swan, swift as lightning. Several afterimages flickered through the air, yet Xuan Yue calmly halted and took a single step back. The sword blade grazed past the bridge of the man's nose. Xuan Yue's right hand slapped toward Li Guanqi's wrist while his left fist punched out violently! Li Guanqi's heart tightened. He had not expected Xuan Yue's spatial perception to be this formidable. The power of earth laws was simply too potent. Gaze flickering, he twisted aside to evade the punch and reversed his left-handed sword, thrusting it toward the man's palm! He dared not let Xuan Yue land a solid strike on his wrist. If that palm connected cleanly, his wrist would likely be crippled. Xuan Yue was not surprised in the least by Li Guanqi's mid-strike shift. Stepping forward with his left foot, his shoulder hunched slightly as he rammed viciously into Li Guanqi's chest! Li Guanqi's posture of pulling back and leaning away had not yet reset; dodging was already out of the question. Kicking violently against the void, he forced his body back three cun, twisting his waist to whip his left leg toward the man's head! Bang! Xuan Yue brought up an arm to block, spun, and smashed his fist down! The whistling wind howled against his face; Li Guanqi's expression shifted, not daring to take it head-on. Boom! A dull detonation sounded as dozens of zhang of empty void shattered under the fist. A massive swath of the Dao platform's surface collapsed and cracked! One could easily see how terrifying the might of that single punch was. Li Guanqi's gaze hardened. Leaping laterally, his left hand swung his sword to guard his perimeter! The moment sword light burst forth, Li Guanqi spun upward into the air! His right hand shot out like lightning, seizing the man's hair, while his left sword slashed horizontally across his neck! Cold light gleamed as sharp sword qi sliced into skin. Xuan Yue's face turned frosty. "You little bastard, going for the kill, are you?!" Before the words had finished falling, a massive hand grabbed toward Li Guanqi's wrist. Leaning backward, Xuan Yue planted a hand against the Dao platform floor. The tremendous leverage of his backward tilt dragged Li Guanqi down toward the ground. A thick, muscular leg chopped down like a battleaxe toward Li Guanqi's face! Li Guanqi knew he could not take the blow, releasing his grip and retreating explosively. Boom! Crash! The sturdy Dao platform cracked open under the kick, splitting a fissure tens of zhang long. The moment Li Guanqi flew back, the man vanished from his field of vision. Extending his divine sense, a tiny flicker in the scattered flames stirred... The corners of Li Guanqi's mouth curved upward. Instead of retreating further, he stepped forward three chi. Condensing a spirit sword in his right hand, without even turning around, he slashed backward horizontally with both blades! Red Lotus and the Thunderflame spirit sword sheared across like a pair of giant scissors! Startled, Xuan Yue manifested a shield and raised his arm to block. Clang! Clang! Boom! The instant Xuan Yue was knocked back, the corner of his eye caught Li Guanqi pursuing him. Sword light erupted. A sharp glint flashed in Xuan Yue's eyes as primal energy condensed into armor, his fists throwing out a barrage of afterimages! In an instant, the two clashed frantically at speeds invisible to the naked eye! Clang! Clang! Clang! Boom! Crash! Clang! Li Guanqi's heart jolted as a fist broke straight through the impenetrable curtain of sword strikes. Pfft! Li Guanqi's pupils narrowed, and he spat out a mouthful of blood. His right shoulder took the punch; the dragon scales across it shattered and embedded into the flesh, blackened and mangled... The colossal impact blasted him hundreds of zhang away. Tumbling and skidding dozens of times across the ground, he finally came to a halt. Xuan Yue came to a stop and looked down at the dense network of wounds covering his body. "Heh, now this is getting interesting." "This level of sword skill is no small feat. As expected of someone who comprehended sword intent at the Sword Po realm." Standing in the distance, Xuan Yue lifted his chin slightly, hooking his finger with an arrogant look. "If I haven't crippled you yet, come at me again." Li Guanqi's mouth was filled with the coppery taste of blood, his blood boiling. Standing up, he rolled his neck. Half of his shoulder was completely numb. His entire right arm hung limp and useless from his shoulder, and he hastily channeled primal energy to repair it. Li Guanqi lowered his head slightly, fixing his gaze on Xuan Yue. Boundless battle intent erupted as he raised his sword and charged once more!