Didn't You Like Branding Irons?

Zhou Xuanze gripped the banner in his hands and waved it with all his might! Primal energy surged violently within him, churning into a tempest of savage power. The banner burst with blinding white radiance, shooting beams of spiritual light toward Li Guanqi in rapid succession! The frenzied rays roared like vengeful ghosts, baring their fangs and engulfing Li Guanqi! Zhou Xuanze glared with eyes bloodshot from broken capillaries, bellowing, "Die, you lower-realm mongrel!" The sight made more than a few onlookers' expressions shift. "Tsk, Zhou Xuanze's grade-one White Feather Soul Banner is quite something," a youth in the distance murmured, a flicker of greed showing in his eyes. The man beside him sneered. "He hasn't broken through to the Mystic Immortal realm yet, so he can't unleash the banner's true power. Still, he's made a massive fool of himself today. Heh, he might end up reassigned to guard the Beast Spirit Realm's Ascension Platform." The youth who spoke first smiled. "Isn't that the truth? At least guarding the Human Spirit Realm's platform brings some perks. Watching over the Beast Spirit Realm is a thankless, grueling chore. But... that one who ascended from the Beast Spirit Realm isn't behaving either. Are all the newcomers today this prickly?" A man with long fiery-red hair stood surrounded by two cultivators. Scorching flames blazed furiously around him, his tiger-like eyes burning with fiery light, and eerie totem markings glowed across his skin. His massive fists drove forward with unstoppable force, completely suppressing the two cultivators! In their hands, the two Immortal Realm cultivators each held a dark-gold collar connected to chains... On the other side, Li Guanqi's expression remained unchanged before the barrage pouring from the soul banner. He strode forward step by step, purplish-black flames heating the twenty-odd branding irons clutched in his right hand until they glowed crimson. Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Wielding his sword in his left hand, Li Guanqi slashed without pause. Explosions rang out in rapid succession. Lightning filled the sky, and sword qi crisscrossed the air. The onslaught did not slow his forward march in the slightest. Gradually, Zhou Xuanze panicked. He realized his attacks could not harm Li Guanqi at all. Worse, the soul banner's vengeful spirits' mental attacks seemed completely ineffective against him. Seeing his foe close to within thirty zhang, Zhou Xuanze shouted in sheer desperation, "Brother Cao, save me!" Cao Dong's face tightened. Gritting his teeth, he was just about to take a step— Boom! Crack! A beam of sword light arrived in an instant! He had not even seen Li Guanqi swing his sword! A fissure a zhang long tore open right before the tips of his toes. Li Guanqi had never turned his head, nor had Cao Dong seen him swing his blade... Yet in that momentary hesitation, Li Guanqi crossed the distance in a single stride, appearing right before Zhou Xuanze! Those cold eyes looked down on him from above! Zhou Xuanze opened his mouth to call for help, but— Bang! Li Guanqi planted a kick squarely in his face! "Ugh!" The kick mangled the youth's features beyond recognition. With a casual wave of Li Guanqi's hand, several swords of thunder and fire condensed from immortal primal energy manifested beside him. Swish! Swish! Swish! In the blink of an eye, the spiritual swords impaled the youth through his torso and limbs! The terrifying power of thunder and flame instantly bound his origin spirit. Spurt! Spurt! Spurt! Scalding blood sprayed across Li Guanqi's face. Expressionless, Li Guanqi stepped onto Zhou Xuanze's chest and severed the arm gripping the soul banner with a single stroke. Stowing the banner into his storage ring, he leaned down and stared directly into the youth's eyes. Zhou Xuanze trembled from head to toe with terror. With his limbs pinned by spiritual swords, he finally realized what was wrong... Immortal primal energy! Li Guanqi was actually using immortal primal energy! He was a Human Spirit Immortal! Gathering all his strength, he screamed, "He's a Human Spirit Immortal!" Bang! Li Guanqi slammed a fist down! Half the youth's face caved in. His jaw and nose were reduced to a mangled mess of flesh and blood, while blood coated the dragon scales on Li Guanqi's back. Yet that single sentence cast the entire plaza into a momentary hush. Cultivators who had previously paid no mind to this corner turned to stare at Li Guanqi. "A Human Spirit Immortal! An Ascension realm cultivator who opened the Immortal Path?" "Heh, not a single person who becomes a Human Spirit Immortal is ordinary. Every last one is a genuine monster." "This guy is terrifying... You can tell he crawled out of mountains of corpses and seas of blood in the mortal world. Zhou Xuanze ran straight into an iron wall." The Immortal Realm cultivators chattered among themselves, yet not one moved to help. Even the saber-wielding burly man took two hesitant steps back, his eyes darting uneasily. Li Guanqi let out a cold scoff. The callous indifference of these Immortal Realm cultivators aligned perfectly with his expectations. Seeing this, Zhou Xuanze craned his neck to glare at Li Guanqi. "You don't dare kill me!" "Ascenders from the lower realms are under the unified jurisdiction of the Ascension Platform!" "No matter how strong you are, if you kill me, you'll be punished!" "Trust me, you definitely don't want to face those penalties!" The telepathic transmission rang in Li Guanqi's ears. Li Guanqi smiled. It was a savage, chilling grin. Leaning down to Zhou Xuanze's ear, he whispered, "Do you know what many people in the Human Spirit Realm call me?" Before Zhou Xuanze could react, a piercing agony struck him! Sssssss! Li Guanqi raised the branding irons in his right hand and pressed them firmly against his chest! The red-hot irons sizzled against flesh, sending up plumes of gray smoke accompanied by the stench of burning meat. "Aaaaaagh! Aaargh!" Li Guanqi slowly lifted the fistful of branding irons. Across the youth's chest burned multiple brands of the characters for "Human Slave." As the irons lifted, strips of torn flesh clung to them. The sight made onlookers grimace, as though the burning iron had been pressed into their own flesh. Li Guanqi heated the branding irons red-hot once more, whispering in a bone-chilling murmur, "They call me... Yanluo!" His right hand plunged an iron viciously into the man's cheek! Sizzle! Hiss! "Aaaargh! Don't kill me! Don't kill me!" "Aaaaaagh!" One of the branding irons plunged directly into the man's eye socket. The sight sent chills running down the spines of the onlookers. A lame cultivator clicked his tongue at the scene. "What a madman... He just ascended and dares to do something like this. He'll probably draw the notice of some major figures very soon." The branding iron was pulled free once more, coated in bits of charred flesh. The man's entire face was ruined, his breathing faint as a thread. This scene also caught the eye of the burly man who had just ascended. He glanced at Li Guanqi, his gaze brimming with admiration. By now, his own battle was nearing its conclusion as well. Single-handedly, he had suppressed two Immortal Realm platform guards. Snap! Lifting one of the Immortal Realm cultivators like a helpless chick, the man snapped his arm with a sickening crack. With a hand as wide as a cattail-leaf fan, he snatched the beast-taming collar and crushed it to pieces with raw strength! Meanwhile, Li Guanqi's longsword rested against Zhou Xuanze's throat. Suddenly! A terrifying pressure descended from the heavens, instantly crushing the churning thunderclouds in the sky! Li Guanqi slowly lifted his head. A man in a magnificent navy robe stood atop a massive roc, soaring over from a distant pavilion. Around the roc's neck clamped an identical teal beast-taming collar. The man looked calm and otherworldly. He had monolid eyes, an aquiline nose, and an emaciated frame, yet he gave Li Guanqi an intensely dangerous impression.