Everyone fell silent.
All of them had stepped into the Tribulation Transcendence realm some time ago. Standing in this void, they naturally could sense how different it was from the space they knew.
Moreover, the power Li Guanqi was currently releasing sent shivers down their spines. The surging, tempestuous might of the law of thunder filled them with dread.
Ye Feng's gaze grew heavy. He took a slow step forward and reached his hand beyond the barrier into the void!
Li Guanqi did not stop him.
Crack!
Merely two breaths after his palm extended outward, Ye Feng's fingers were abruptly crushed and snapped.
Pulling his hand back, Ye Feng boldly took a full step forward!
"Second Brother, what are you doing?" Cao Yan yelled, his brow furrowed with deep concern.
Within two breaths, Ye Feng's bones groaned and fractured under pressure as though a mountain were grinding over him.
"Pfft!"
Ye Feng's chest caved in, his ribs crushed. Just as he gritted his teeth to hold out a little longer, a force instantly pulled him back inside.
Ye Feng slumped to the ground, gasping for breath as the worried clamor of the group washed over his ears. Yet his eyes burned with excitement...
The corner of Li Guanqi's mouth curved upward. "Second Brother Ye really is the sharpest."
Ye Feng said nothing, closing his eyes to tend to his injuries.
Li Guanqi's voice rang out slowly. "Do the rest of you want to try, too? Go and feel the true void. Experience what is real."
Hearing this, Cao Yan and the others had their eyes light up. They finally understood why Ye Feng had done it.
However...
Among them, only Cao Yan managed to last a breath and a half.
As soon as Gu Li extended his hand, it was crushed to splinters. The moment the fellow caught sight of his bloody, mangled hand, his eyes rolled back, and he passed out cold on the spot...
Looking at the pale Gu Li lying unconscious on the ground, Li Guanqi's mouth twitched. "What kind of Tribulation Transcendence mighty expert faints at the sight of blood?!"
Xiao Chen held out slightly longer than Tang Ru.
Yet after experiencing it for themselves, everyone's expressions turned grave.
If this was the true void, what in the world had they been experiencing all this time?
Li Guanqi sat cross-legged atop Jiuxiao's head, watching their shifting expressions without speaking. After a moment's thought, he reached out and patted Jiuxiao's head. The dragon's eyes flashed, and it instantly wheeled around, darting into the depths.
Jiuxiao flew with incredible speed through the void. Fortunately, Li Guanqi's current power was formidable enough to shield them.
Estimating the time, Li Guanqi had Jiuxiao come to a halt.
By then, Ye Feng and the others had mostly recovered from their injuries.
Ye Feng opened his eyes, looked at the white-robed figure standing on the dragon's brow, and slowly rose to his feet. But just as he walked up beside Li Guanqi to speak, his open mouth seemed to choke on his own breath.
Ye Feng's pupils shrank, his outstretched hand trembling as he asked in a low voice, "That is..."
Cao Yan, Xiao Chen, and the others also rose and gathered at the front of the dragon head.
Countless shattered, ice-blue boulders floated in the void. Each boulder was colossal, together forming an orderly ring that slowly revolved.
The group looked as if an invisible hand were clutching their throats. Their eyes trembled in shock, leaving them utterly speechless.
Li Guanqi's voice rose softly. "You guessed right. This is the Bingqi Realm."
As he spoke, Li Guanqi turned his head and looked gently at Meng Wanshu, whose face was filled with shock.
The woman narrowed her beautiful eyes, murmuring under her breath, "This is... the Bingqi Realm..."
Part of the reason Meng Wanshu possessed such strength was the legacy she had received from Realm Lord Bingqi. There had even been a time when her temperament had felt subtly off. But under Li Guanqi's deliberate, repeated efforts, he had ultimately helped refine away Realm Lord Bingqi's lingering consciousness—especially after he refined the Devouring Void Sacred Flame.
Li Guanqi said softly, "Shall I show you the Human Spirit Realm?"
Xiao Chen and the others nodded eagerly.
Li Guanqi smiled, slipping an arm around Meng Wanshu's waist. "Don't dwell on it so much," he whispered. "You merely inherited her legacy; you aren't obligated to carry her vengeance."
Meng Wanshu lowered her head, a trace of melancholy flickering in her eyes. "I know... It's just... I don't know if it's the legacy affecting me, but seeing this, my heart can't help feeling sorrowful."
Li Guanqi sighed, saying no more to persuade her. With a flick of his hand, he left a wisp of lightning behind as a spatial coordinate, then teleported everyone back to their previous position!
Li Guanqi showed them the Human Spirit Realm.
While there, he had wanted to take them to see Emperor Chen's domain, only to find that Ling Tianchen had concealed the domain space.
"Tsk, so stingy."
Everyone marveled at the Human Spirit Realm's vibrant beauty and brilliance. Compared to the worlds scattered across the pitch-black void that emitted only faint fluorescence, the Human Spirit Realm where they lived was like the most dazzling star in the heavens. Radiant and magnificent.
Leaning against a dragon horn, Li Guanqi looked at them with a faint smile. When he had seen the Human Spirit Realm from the outside for the first time, he had felt much the same way. Perhaps that was why the Immortal Realm was unwilling to destroy it entirely?
Standing by, Li Guanqi explained the relationship between the Human Spirit Realm and the void, recounting the analogy of the fist and the palm.
Everyone listened with utmost seriousness. Ye Feng said in a deep voice, "In other words... even if we reach the Ascension realm, if we fail to break through the void of that palm blinding the firmament, we remain... nothing more than ants!"
Li Guanqi glanced at Ye Feng in surprise, but nodded solemnly. "That's right, still ants. Still ants who look up and cannot see the true sky. Perhaps I can traverse realms now and appear mighty to the people of other spirit realms, but there are worlds far stronger than our Human Spirit Realm, where I might be nothing more than ordinary. That is why we must cultivate diligently and tear open that palm!"
Hearing this, the others fell into pensive silence.
Originally, their cultivations had reached the very apex of the Human Spirit Realm. Yet just at this moment, Li Guanqi had shown them an even vaster expanse of sky.
Xiao Chen could not help muttering, "Why do I feel like Eldest Brother is just worried we'll get cocky...? How does cultivating get faster and faster the further we go? Back when I was pushing from Body Integration to the Mahayana realm, I thought: once I hit Mahayana, shouldn't I roam the Six Domains and swagger around in glory?"
The others pursed their lips, listening to Xiao Chen ramble on.
Xiao Chen scratched his head and continued to himself, "Damn it, now we're in the Tribulation Transcendence realm, stronger than any ancestor in our Xiao family history, yet here we are looking at this... After all that fuss... are we all just caged birds?"
With that, Xiao Chen looked up at the surroundings.
Roars of laughter rang out across the void.
"Hahahahaha! Looks like Fourth Brother isn't a fool after all!"
"Tsk, who knew Fourth Brother could come up with something as profound as 'caged birds'?"
"We've treated you like an idiot for so long, I almost forgot you had half a brain!"
Chapter 1478