Today's Li Guanqi, whether in physical body or primal energy, was an existence that had transcended the mortal realm.
His flesh was tempered and cleansed, his thick meridians radiating a fluorescent shimmer.
Jade bones born of heaven, pure without impurity, unyielding as forged steel!
Bones that once easily fractured in duels would no longer break so readily.
His blood and vitality surged with boundless vigor, and his ability to regenerate depleted vitality was virtually no different from the Demon King Physique.
Bones, flesh, meridians, and internal organs had all undergone a world-shaking metamorphosis.
Only now had Li Guanqi truly transcended the shackles of mortal flesh and blood.
Feeling the changes throughout his body, Li Guanqi shook his head with a bitter smile.
Looking back now, how ridiculous had it been when he laid a trap to corner and kill Gu Xici?
If not for the sword spirit...
Even if he had exhausted every trick at his disposal, he would have been nothing more than a joke in his opponent's eyes.
And precisely because he now understood just how formidable an Ascension realm cultivator truly was,
he felt an even deeper awe toward the power of the sword spirit...
Between the Tribulation Transcendence realm and the Ascension realm lay a difference vast as clouds and mud.
To describe the gap as an insurmountable chasm would not be an exaggeration.
Yet... bolstered by the sword spirit's power, he had actually been able to ignore such a class barrier.
It was unimaginable: if one day he could truly control the sword spirit through his own strength,
just how powerful would he become!
Within the sword coffin rested three swords.
One was Red Lotus, one was Yanluo...
And the last was the true form of the sword spirit itself.
To this day, his impression of the sword spirit's true form was limited to what little he had gathered from the phantom silhouette within the Sword Ruins.
Now, he could sense a sword still hidden in the deepest recesses of the sword coffin.
Yet no matter what, he could not mobilize it in the slightest—not even now.
Li Guanqi curled his lip. If he wanted to wield the sword spirit itself, he would likely have to reach the Immortal Realm first.
Spiritual energy surged around him, and two dragon-like streams seemed to weave between his nose and mouth.
Exhaling a breath of turbid air, Li Guanqi slowly opened his eyes.
A streak of lightning abruptly shot from his gaze!
Li Guanqi rose slowly. With a gentle clench of his palm, endless lightning coalesced within his grip!!
Lightning of this caliber had even surpassed the intensity of a Mahayana realm heavenly tribulation's lightning!!
The corners of Li Guanqi's mouth curved upward slightly. Such tremendous strength brought a measure of calm to his heart.
Sure enough, only overwhelming strength could grant true peace of mind, rendering all schemes and conspiracies moot.
After rising, Li Guanqi pondered for a moment before slowly sitting cross-legged again.
Straightening his collar, he calmed his gaze until it became as still and deep as an abyss.
With a wave of his hand, an enormous chessboard materialized before him.
By now, the white stones on the board held absolute supremacy!!
The scattered black stones were broken and disordered, hiding in corners to wait for an opening.
Yet few opportunities remained for Black. In fact, many of the openings were flaws Li Guanqi had deliberately left exposed,
waiting to see whether his opponent would take the bait.
Li Guanqi murmured softly under his breath,
"Now that the Immortal Realm's offensive has been halted, Grandpa's saber slash should be enough to deter them."
"That leaves only two possibilities going forward."
"One is that the cultivators of the Immortal Realm choose mutual destruction, dispatching an expert powerful enough to intimidate Grandpa and destroy the entire Human Spirit Realm!"
"The other... is Gu Xici, or Old Man Lu from Fulong Village."
"If either of them manages to seize the sword coffin..."
Thousands of thoughts flickered through Li Guanqi's mind in an instant.
"The first scenario of mutual destruction depends on what the Immortal Realm thinks."
"Whether it is worth destroying the entire Human Spirit Realm just for me."
"If the cost is something they can bear, that might indeed be the only way to eliminate future troubles once and for all."
"As for the second... Gu Xici is no longer a concern."
"The only move left to him would be targeting the people around me."
The corners of Li Guanqi's mouth curved into a cold sneer.
"But now... who could you possibly touch?"
All of Li Guanqi's sworn brothers had stepped into the Tribulation Transcendence realm. For Gu Xici alone to make a move against them would be as difficult as scaling the heavens.
Not to mention they were all staying within the Seventh Domain without leaving.
Gu Xici had failed to succeed even while at the Ascension realm; now, he would dare even less.
The only one who made Li Guanqi wary was Old Man Lu, who had remained hidden in the shadows from start to finish.
Although Su Xuan had personally confirmed killing him,
in Li Guanqi's understanding, the fragmented souls and avatars dispatched from the Immortal Realm were all cunning wretches with multiple burrows who clung dearly to life.
In fact, among those Li Guanqi had encountered—whether Xun Tian or Sha—
every single avatar could never escape the temptation to become an independent entity in the end.
Perhaps their goal had long shifted from seizing the sword coffin for their original selves to seizing it to blackmail their main bodies instead.
With Gu Li around, Li Guanqi maintained tight control and awareness over the people close to him.
If anyone ran into trouble, he would arrive at the first possible instant!
With his current strength, even if the enemy were exceptionally powerful, he had the capability to entangle them in battle for a long time!
Furthermore, upon reaching the Ascension realm, Li Guanqi's perception of heaven and earth had become extraordinarily keen.
He possessed an uncanny sixth sense for any Ascension realm cultivator appearing within a hundred li.
Twirling the final white stone between his fingers, Li Guanqi murmured softly,
"This chessboard that is the Human Spirit Realm... it's time to bring the game to a close."
"So... I await your move!"
Li Guanqi slowly opened his hand, and the white stone hovered above the board before gradually fading away.
With a sweep of his wide sleeve, he stood briskly.
As the chessboard dissipated, Li Guanqi's eyes filled with confidence.
In this game, as long as the other side made a move,
he, Li Guanqi... with a single placement of a stone, would deliver a checkmate with no possibility of a turnaround!
This was the confidence granted by his Ascension realm strength!
This was the confidence born from a century of comprehending the Dao in the deathly silent space of the Heart-Calming Cloud Rainbow Grass!
When Li Guanqi stepped out of the Nirvana Pagoda, he was momentarily taken aback.
He had not expected that while comprehending the laws and examining himself just now, the faint pressure and aura he released would actually plunge everyone into sudden enlightenment.
Startled, Li Guanqi rubbed his nose and muttered,
"Am I really that formidable now...?"
Before the words fully faded, his figure flickered. Penetrating several layers of spatial barriers in an instant, he appeared directly within the Seventh Domain.
"Grandpa, you were looking for me."
From inside the house, Su Xuan called out,
"Come, get inside."
Only then did Li Guanqi realize that every time he had come here previously, he had always remained in the courtyard.
He had truly never stepped past that threshold...
Curious about what lay inside the room, Li Guanqi strode forward, following behind the old man as he crossed over.
Boom!!!!
It was as if a clap of thunder exploded within Li Guanqi's mind, leaving his consciousness momentarily dazed.
When he opened his eyes once more, he stood frozen on the spot!
"Hiss... this is..."
Su Xuan tapped his pipe against his scabbard, looking up to say calmly,
"The gate to the Immortal Realm passage."
In the boundless, pitch-black void, celestial spiritual light flickered ceaselessly. A colossal immortal spiritual gate hundreds of zhang tall towered within the firmament.
This was true void.
And beneath Li Guanqi's feet lay the chasm of saber radiance Su Xuan had cleaved back then!
Li Guanqi looked back at the distorted curtain of light, murmuring under his breath,
"Is this... the Seventh Domain's true location?"
Li Guanqi's soul trembled...
"So... behind the threshold is the passage for all immortals descending to the lower realm!!"
"No wonder he was always sitting on the threshold smoking his pipe."
Su Xuan noticed the look in Li Guanqi's eyes and the shift in his frame of mind.
With one hand behind his back, the slight old man puffed on his pipe with quick, steady draws.
Looking toward the massive gate with utter contempt, he said,
"No need to be afraid."
"If I weren't worried about exposing the secrets you carry, I'd have smashed the door open myself to show you around."
Chapter 1481