Across the scarred and battered grounds of the sect's main square, a bustling, festive cheer swept through the air.
The high platform of the crimson pavilion remained as magnificent as ever, though this time its doors were shut to outside guests.
Within the territory of the Great Xia Sword Sect, peace and harmony reigned.
Li Guanqi personally presided over the wedding of Ye Feng and Xiao Chen. After discussing it with their respective Dao companions, the two had decided to hold a joint ceremony.
Adorned in a phoenix coronet and embroidered robes, Li Qingchan was breathtakingly radiant.
Beside her, Ye Qing'er appeared slightly bashful.
Ye Feng was now completely at ease entrusting his sister to Xiao Chen. On the platform, he gave Li Qingchan's hand a gentle squeeze before stepping over to Ye Qing'er. Taking his sister's hand, he placed it into Xiao Chen's palm.
"You must always cherish Qing'er, do you hear me?"
Xiao Chen nodded vigorously, his eyes rimmed with red.
Ye Feng turned toward Ye Qing'er, speaking in a profoundly earnest, gentle tone. "Xiao Chen is a dependable, trustworthy man—someone you can truly rely on! Your brother would never lie to you!"
Her eyes brimming with tears, Ye Qing'er nodded heavily. Though parting and anxiety weighed on her heart, she now had Xiao Chen's promise.
With Xiao Chen's current status and his bond with Li Guanqi, the resources left behind for Ye Qing'er were more than enough to sustain her cultivation all the way to the Mahayana realm!
Though the Seven Domains were no more, Li Guanqi had brought back two great treasures.
Two new peaks now rose within the Great Xia Sword Sect's territory, and upon each summit stood a towering structure: the Time Pagoda and the Hall of Heroic Spirits!
These were the most precious gifts Li Guanqi could bestow upon the sect. As for whether anyone might covet what belonged to the Great Xia Sword Sect... they would simply have to see whether they possessed the confidence to challenge the contingencies left behind by Li Guanqi and his companions.
The wedding was both warm and solemn. Under the witness of all the family elders, the grand ceremony came to a close, and the two pairs of newlyweds departed to their private quarters.
After all, time waited for no one.
Once the ceremony concluded, Li Guanqi took Meng Wanshu by the hand and said softly, "Go back first to spend time with Aunt Li and Uncle Meng. I will return shortly."
Meng Wanshu nodded, a deep pang of sorrow lingering in her heart. Li Guilan, after all, was merely a mortal; once they parted today, there was no telling when they would ever meet again.
Though Meng Wanshu did not ask, Li Guanqi spoke softly. "I'm going to spend some time with Mother."
"Do you want me to come along?"
"No need. Go back and keep your parents company first. I won't be long."
The two parted, and Li Guanqi soared into the air, flying toward Beiliang City.
The youth of yesterday had now grown into the supreme powerhouse of this world—calling him a Realm Lord would hardly be an exaggeration. Yet right now, all he wanted was to lean against his mother's gravestone for a quiet while.
Meanwhile, over at the Dan Peak of the Great Xia Sword Sect, Gu Li was engrossed in tinkering with something.
The Human Spirit Realm was currently in a state where a thousand things waited to be rebuilt from the ashes.
Li Guanqi rested beside the gravestone as a thin spiral of blue smoke drifted from the burning sandalwood incense. Exhaling a long breath, he murmured many words in a low voice.
At the same time, the power within Li Guanqi's body shifted, molding an avatar. It took the form of an old man with a slightly stooped back, clad in a black robe, with a benevolent face. However, this avatar could only endure for around a century and possessed little raw power, merely equivalent to the Void Refining Realm.
With a tear through space, the avatar vanished.
Within Linyan City, a courtyard long blanketed in cobwebs was pushed open. From that day forth, an old, taciturn knife-grinder appeared in the city. Though a man of few words, his skill at sharpening blades was unparalleled. He kept to himself, and the townsfolk only knew him as an eccentric who was exceptionally kind to the Yun family. Every time he sharpened scissors for the cloth-selling Yuns, he refused any payment, asking only for two steamed buns.
Li Guanqi remained before the grave for a long time. Clad in his finest white robe, he parted the hem and knelt down slowly, bowing his head in prostration. All the words he wished to say ultimately condensed into a single murmur at his lips:
"Mother, don't worry... Your son grew up well, and I ate well! I will take good care of myself, and... I will survive in this turbulent world!"
A warm, gentle smile graced Li Guanqi's face.
A light breeze swayed, setting the wild blossoms across the hills rippling with the wind, like a tender hand caressing the crown of his head.
Regarding his true origins, Li Guanqi spoke not a single word. A mother was a mother; that was a truth that would never change. The bond between him and his mother had nothing to do with whatever bizarre, intricate mysteries lay behind his heritage.
Leaving behind a suspended sword of thunder and fire, Li Guanqi looked back three times with every reluctant step.
Sealing the domain, Li Guanqi sighed, composed his emotions, and returned to the Great Xia Sword Sect.
Upon his return, he headed straight for the courtyard on Tianlei Peak, where Meng Wanshu, Meng Jiangchu, and the others were gathered.
As he drew near, he heard the weeping of Li Guilan and Meng Wanshu. Meng Jiangchu sat by the doorway, his face etched with helplessness and sorrow.
The pressure of the Heavenly Dao was growing ever heavier. With Su Xuan no longer suppressing it, the Heavenly Dao would not permit so many profoundly powerful cultivators to linger in the Youhuang Realm. Only by purging them could it preserve its strength from diminishing.
All cultivators at or above the late Mahayana realm had roughly eight shichen remaining at most. Once that time elapsed and the disordered laws of heaven and earth righted themselves, everyone would be forcibly compelled to ascend.
Li Guanqi sighed, sitting down beside Meng Jiangchu, and asked softly, "What are your thoughts, Father-in-law?"
Meng Jiangchu let out a heavy sigh. "Alas... there is no other way. Your mother-in-law is only a mortal after all. How could it ever be easy to cultivate to the Mahayana realm?"
Li Guanqi fell silent for a long moment, his eyes flickering, before he finally rose to his feet. "Wait for me here."
Meng Jiangchu looked at him blankly, while Meng Wanshu sent a sound transmission: "Where are you going?"
"You'll know in a moment."
Taking a deep breath, Li Guanqi tore through the void with a wave of his hand and vanished on the spot.
His figure shot upward through the sky. Drawing the Red Lotus sword, he swung it in a ferocious slash!
Transforming into a bolt of lightning, he blasted forward. Peering into the depths of the void where the Immortal Realm's space had been cleaved open by the sword spirit, he saw celestial spiritual light shimmering within the swirling mist.
Li Guanqi recalled how Su Xuan had once extracted celestial spiritual energy. The alteration in spiritual roots that Cao Yan and the others underwent had also been made possible by the power Su Xuan coalesced. Such a technique could only be performed by a Human Spirit Immortal who possessed immortal essence within their body.
Li Guanqi took a deep breath, his chest rising and falling, and exhaled a breath of stale air.
Sweeping his sword with his left hand, he drew upon the celestial spiritual energy with a single beckoning gesture. Under the refinement of his immortal essence, a palm-sized orb of spiritual light gradually took shape.
Carefully controlling this power, Li Guanqi extracted several more orbs of light. With the task complete, he finally let out a breath of relief, returned to the Great Xia Sword Sect, and headed straight back to the courtyard on Tianlei Peak.
The moment he saw what Li Guanqi held in his hands, Meng Jiangchu shot to his feet!
"This is...?!"
Li Guanqi's face was slightly pale, but he smiled and nodded. "With this, combined with the presence of the Time Pagoda, Mother-in-law will be able to ascend eventually, even if it takes a bit of time!"
Meng Wanshu's eyes brimmed with profound gratitude, and Li Guilan pressed her lips together and nodded firmly. "I will definitely cultivate with all my might so I can ascend soon and reunite with you all!"
Without anyone noticing, Lu Kangnian had arrived outside the door. Seeing Li Guanqi, he smiled and waved.
Li Guanqi rose and stepped outside. "Sect Master, your injuries are so severe—why haven't you gone to heal?"
Lu Kangnian waved his hand dismissively, his face pale. "It is nothing serious... I came to ask if you might ascend here at the sect. A grand spectacle like that would both inspire the disciples and deter any scoundrels."
Li Guanqi smiled and nodded. "Naturally!"
Excitement shone in Lu Kangnian's eyes, and he nodded vigorously. "Good! I will go and make the preparations at once!"
The moment Lu Kangnian turned around, Li Guanqi could not help but call out, "Sect Master."
"Hmm? What is it?"
"Aren't you coming with us?"
Lu Kangnian smiled and waved his hand. "No. I cannot let go of the sect just yet. I must wait a while longer."
Li Guanqi's eyes flickered. The man before him had dedicated half his life to the sect. Even now, with the opportunity to ascend to the Immortal Realm before him, he still could not lay down his worries.
He did not know what past sect masters had been like, but in his heart, no one could ever replace Lu Kangnian as sect master!
Countdown to ascension... six shichen.
Chapter 1551