Buzz—!
As everyone bore the lightning of the heavenly tribulation with calm expressions, countless thoughts coursed through their minds.
Li Guanqi's gentle gaze swept across each and every one of their faces.
Meeting Meng Wanshu's eyes for a long time, he said softly, "Wait for me to find you."
"All right!"
Li Guanqi then called out in a clear voice, "Brothers!"
Every pair of eyes converged upon Li Guanqi.
Pengluo and the newly awakened Jiuxiao occupied their own ascension passages as well.
Raising his fist, the golden glazed earring dangling from his ear, Li Guanqi shouted at the top of his lungs, "Be careful out there! See you in the Immortal Realm!"
Ye Feng said in a deep voice, "Brothers, see you in the Immortal Realm!"
"See you in the Immortal Realm!"
"Hahahaha! We have to make names for ourselves! See you in the Immortal Realm!"
Tang Ru, who resembled a decrepit old man, broke into a grin. "Brothers, see you in the Immortal Realm!"
Pengluo looked toward Li Guanqi and yelled at the top of his voice, "Master, remember to come find me!"
A low dragon roar rumbled from Jiuxiao as his dragon eyes fixed upon Li Guanqi.
Li Guanqi grinned. "Don't worry. As soon as I'm up there, I'll find both of you!"
"Once you get up there, remember to keep away from other people!"
Heavenly thunder rolled, accompanied by the ceaseless humming of swords.
Li Guanqi looked back at the Great Xia Sword Sect, taking one last look at this mortal world.
Across heaven and earth, streaks of light shot up into the sky.
All the mighty experts of the Human Spirit Realm were ascending to the Immortal Realm on this very day!
Buzz—!
A powerful wave of energy crashed down upon everyone. As they waved their farewells, their figures transformed into streaks of light shooting straight beyond the clouds!
Li Guanqi slowly closed his eyes, feeling this power merge into his body. In the haze of his consciousness, it felt as though heaven and earth were receding into the distance.
Beneath the boundless vault of the heavens, thunder rumbled as if conducting an ancient and solemn rite.
Purple spiritual light coiled around Li Guanqi—the physical manifestation of his immortal essence and the Dao laws.
A massive rift cracked open in the firmament, revealing dazzling celestial spiritual light that poured down like an inverted Milky Way.
The immortal essence inside him surged and boiled, echoing the power from the outside world.
Li Guanqi felt something utterly profound at this moment: his connection to the Youhuang Realm was slowly being severed.
The very source of his power was undergoing subtle, marvelous transformations.
Yet he knew this change was merely the baptism of the Immortal Realm; the true baptism could only take place once he arrived.
Parted from the others, he was once again alone to face the unknown.
This time, not a trace of anxiety lingered in Li Guanqi's heart.
For he knew that he and his sworn brothers would eventually reunite.
Until then, all they needed to do was focus on their own cultivation, constantly striving for higher realms!
As for the Immortal Realm... Li Guanqi was filled with both excitement and uncertainty in the face of unfamiliar challenges.
Just as the celestial power grew increasingly intense, the voice of the sword spirit sounded beside his ear.
"I... might fall into a slumber for a very long time."
Li Guanqi's heart tightened, and he asked mentally, "Is it because you attacked earlier?"
The sword spirit's voice carried a trace of trance-like unease.
"No."
"Once we reach the Immortal Realm, I must conceal my presence. I cannot act recklessly, lest someone with ill intent detect me."
"However... you must do everything you can to help me gather the fragments of my true body. With each piece found, I will recover some of my origin strength."
"Red Lotus might struggle a bit in the Immortal Realm, but you can place any plundered immortal swords into the sword coffin."
"I will help you devour and refine them to strengthen Red Lotus."
At this point, the sword spirit's voice paused slightly.
"However, for the journey ahead... you must walk a stretch of it on your own."
The corners of Li Guanqi's mouth curved upward, and he said softly, "Don't worry. I'll increase my strength as quickly as possible."
"I'll also gather more immortal swords so that you can recover some of your power sooner."
Inside the sword coffin's space, the sword spirit smiled. Looking radiant as a blooming flower, the woman said softly, "Put that out of your mind for now. I have no interest in trash below the sixth grade."
Li Guanqi chuckled.
The woman's gentle voice drifted into his ear once more.
"In the Immortal Realm, only the ruthless survive long."
"There is a long road ahead that you must walk alone... Take care."
Li Guanqi murmured softly, "I will."
Buzz—!
Li Guanqi's figure vanished from the Human Spirit Realm in an instant!
Not much time had been left for him. Perhaps there were still regrets, still many things left undone.
Yet... in life, didn't having regrets leave behind things to yearn for?
No matter what, he still wanted to return to the Human Spirit Realm one day.
Keeping a few regrets gave him something to remember.
People to care about, matters to hold dear.
"Immortal Realm, here I come!"
Buzz—!
After an unknown passage of time, Li Guanqi's consciousness gradually cleared, and an unimaginably powerful universal momentum abruptly bore down on him!
A blinding white radiance flared up, and Li Guanqi finally felt solid ground beneath his feet.
Snapping his eyes open, he let his divine sense spread outward slightly.
To his shock, he discovered that his sea of consciousness was being heavily suppressed.
Not only that, the surrounding space was exceptionally sturdy—many times stronger than the space of the Seventh Domain.
It felt as though he had stepped into a quagmire; the former feeling of being able to shatter the void with a wave of his hand was completely gone.
Li Guanqi clenched his fist slightly. Right now, he felt like a mortal. Even though the power within him remained, he could no longer split mountains and cleave the earth as he once did.
While still slightly dazed, Li Guanqi stared blankly at the light ahead.
Taking this step would lead into the Immortal Realm.
Just as countless thoughts churned in his mind, an impatient voice suddenly came from beyond the light gate.
"What's the holdup in there? Hurry up and get out!"
Li Guanqi smiled faintly, collected his thoughts, and took a step forward.
Boom—!
An inexplicable force slammed violently into him. The immense weight of the worldly momentum nearly knocked him off balance, making his frame sway slightly.
"Huh? This fellow's physical body isn't half bad. Is he from the demon race?"
Li Guanqi looked out and saw that he was currently standing on a circular platform about a zhang wide, resembling an Immortal Ascension Platform.
The golden platform shimmered with a seven-colored haze, its surface etched with intricate, profound patterns that glowed faintly.
A golden barrier sealed him within.
As Li Guanqi adjusted to the crushing pressure, he murmured internally, "My sea of consciousness is suppressed so much that it can only extend a thousand zhang at most. That's a bit absurd."
Looking up, he saw a colossal plaza stretching nearly a thousand zhang across.
The ground of the plaza was forged entirely of an unknown dark-golden stone, covered in wondrous patterns that seemed to harbor the dao rhymes of certain universal rules.
Densely packed platforms like the one beneath his feet stood in rows, numbering over a thousand.
Outside the ascension platforms, a sparse scattering of Immortal Realm cultivators was standing around.
Most of them were quite young, much like the young man watching over Li Guanqi's platform.
He wore plain white robes and a jade crown, with fair skin and delicate features.
Looking up, the blue sky and white clouds were no different from those of the Human Spirit Realm, but the rare and wondrous beasts soaring past were creatures Li Guanqi had never seen before.
Looking out, he saw celestial radiance flickering around the plaza; immortal mountains, towering pavilions, spiritual pools, and jade terraces indeed matched what Li Guanqi had envisioned of the Immortal Realm.
Just then, however, a flicker of displeasure crossed the young man's eyes.
Raising his hand, he struck the barrier of the ascension platform with a loud bang.
With an annoyed scowl, he snapped, "Hurry up and come out! I still have to process you!"
Li Guanqi frowned slightly...
Chapter 1553