Amidst the midair flames enveloped in thunder and fire, a battered, disheveled figure slowly emerged.
Half of Zhao He's shoulder was a mangled mess of flesh and blood, charred black. Near the crook of his neck, a sharp, palm-sized fragment was deeply lodged into the bone. Deep, blackened wounds were scattered across his entire body, so severe the bone showed through, with tiny arcs of lightning still crackling and dancing within them.
Covered in blood, Zhao He's face was dark with fury.
As the commander here, when had he ever suffered such humiliation?! A lowly ascender had actually wounded him to this extent!
Yet when Zhao He looked at the distant glow of flames, a thick greed gradually surfaced in the depths of his eyes.
The sword in Li Guanqi's hand, and Shi Lin's innate bloodline—in the entire Immortal Realm, both were rare and precious treasures.
He didn't understand why Li Guanqi's sword had undergone such an incredible transformation. But its sharpness and spiritual fluidity both proved it was no ordinary weapon. To clash head-on with his own immortal artifact blade without shattering meant it was of no low grade!
Severely wounded, Zhao He retrieved a jade bottle, shook out a round pill the size of a fingernail, and swallowed it down.
In an instant, the wounds across Zhao He's body began healing at a speed visible to the naked eye. Not only that, but the immortal primal energy he had expended earlier was also rapidly replenishing.
Zhao He gave a cold laugh, crushed a jade slip in his hand, and rasped in a chilling voice, "Activate the formation!"
Boom!
A dull rumble sounded. The earth shuddered, and the entire Ascension Square roared and shook.
Immediately after, immortal spiritual energy surged across the ground, flashing with light as an immense, heavy formation barrier rose abruptly!
Mystical, intricate talismans and arrays pulsed within the golden barrier. Caught completely off guard, Shi Lin slammed headfirst into it!
Yet the formation barrier remained motionless, failing to ripple in the slightest.
Zhao He licked the blood from the corner of his mouth, his face twisting into a savage grin as he swung the jade pendant at his waist in his hand.
"You lowly vermin... Without the identity jade pendant I bestow, you can never walk out of here. You didn't really think you could escape, did you? Don't worry. I will brand you both with slave marks and sell you for a handsome price! After all, mining slaves fetch quite a sum these days."
Shi Lin transformed into human form, the skin on his forehead split open and bleeding profusely. He glanced back at Li Guanqi, then reached out to touch the thickness of the barrier.
Gritting his teeth, he turned to Li Guanqi and said in a heavy voice, "Do you trust me?"
Sword in hand, Li Guanqi kept his vigilant gaze fixed on Zhao He without turning his head. "Cut the crap. What's the point of talking about trust in a situation like this? If we don't go all out, we're both dead."
A sharp glint flashed in Shi Lin's eyes, and he sent a low mental transmission. "Buy me the time it takes an incense stick to burn. I can break through this!"
Li Guanqi frowned slightly. "You're not tricking me, are you? You felt the barrier of the Immortal Realm just now. Breaking it won't be easy..."
Shi Lin hesitated for a moment before replying through transmission, "It's the racial talent of our fire qilin clan. If I risk my life, there might still be a glimmer of hope."
Hearing this, Li Guanqi gave Shi Lin a deep look. "I hope you aren't harboring any crooked ideas. Otherwise... even if I die, I'll slaughter you first."
The two stood back to back, their frames offering a striking contrast.
Shi Lin grinned and said softly, "Li Congxin, from this moment on, I, Shi Lin, consider you a friend!"
Li Guanqi curled his lip and muttered under his breath, "Spare me the nonsense. Fight for your life!"
Boom!
Back to back, two pillars of light—one red and one purple—soared straight into the sky!
A wave of heat surged abruptly behind Li Guanqi. Shi Lin slammed both hands against the formation barrier, causing the heavy golden barrier to ripple.
Li Guanqi's mouth ran dry. The blood within him churned as if boiling, raising the hairs across his body as his battle intent soared!
Seeing this, Zhao He narrowed his eyes, a bad premonition rising in his heart. Raising his hand slightly, venom flashing in his gaze, he barked, "Go! Kill them both!"
At his command, nearly a hundred Ascension Realm cultivators below moved in unison!
Streaks of light shot into the sky. Zhao He sneered at Li Guanqi, his face filled with disdain.
Noticing this, Shi Lin was gripped with alarm.
Yet in the very next breath...
Two towering walls of lightning crashed into existence!
Like an impassable chasm, the lightning ramparts concentrated an immense, overwhelming force. They completely enclosed Shi Lin within, leaving Li Guanqi standing behind him to face everyone alone.
Layer upon layer of barriers condensed behind Shi Lin.
The burly Shi Lin stared in disbelief at the slender man beyond the sealing barrier. Covered in scales, Li Guanqi slowly looked back over his shoulder.
"One incense stick."
Boom!
Lightning erupted around Li Guanqi, and he blurred into an afterimage, charging straight out!
Shi Lin watched this, his mind shaken. A strange sense of security washed over him—as if the 'one incense stick' spoken from that man's mouth meant he would truly buy that entire incense stick of time, no matter what.
Shi Lin muttered, "Rest easy. Leave it to me!"
Boom!
A fist-sized flame blazed fiercely within Shi Lin's chest—his qilin core!
Mysterious fiery-red patterns ran beneath his skin. Slowly, his hands actually began sinking directly into the formation barrier.
Meanwhile, Li Guanqi faced the simultaneous siege of several cultivators in the same realm!
In an instant, the thunder walls shook as flashes of blades and swords intertwined. Li Guanqi moved like a swimming dragon, striking with lethal ferocity. With the explosive burst of thunder and fire and the amplification of his cultivation techniques, the power he unleashed was not on the same level as these Ascension Realm cultivators at all.
Moreover, the healing Zhao He in the distance noticed something else.
Li Guanqi's strength was steadily growing stronger, bit by bit! And this change was visible to the naked eye...
Zhao He's eyes flickered, murmuring internally, *What terrifying talent. Ordinary ascenders generally only have the strength of the Mahayana Realm. Leaving aside that these two arrived directly in the Ascension Realm, that Li Congxin is even a Human Spirit Immortal. Others can at most bring fifty percent of their power to bear right after ascending and need at least half a year to adapt. Yet in just fifteen minutes, this Li Congxin can already exert nearly ninety percent of his true strength!*
Suddenly, as if realizing something, Zhao He knit his brows tightly. *When that fellow looked at me, there was no fear or terror in his eyes at all. Could it be he already met an immortal back in the Spirit Realm?*
Reality was just as he suspected. Li Guanqi had not only met an immortal—he had killed one!
Clang! Clang! Clang! Pfft!
Swish! Swish!
"Ah! My arm!"
Pfft!
"Urgh... cough, cough..."
In just a few breaths, three Ascension Realm cultivators were slain by Li Guanqi!
Suddenly, several cultivators broke out from the flank, aiming their weapons straight at Shi Lin!
Swish!
Lightning flashed beneath Li Guanqi's feet. Red Lotus slashed out repeatedly, blasting several of them backward. But a sword cut landed on Li Guanqi's body in return.
Fortunately, the blade only shattered a few scales, which quickly regenerated as his vitality surged. Li Guanqi swept a fierce, sharp gaze across his surroundings, murmuring softly, "The incense stick isn't finished yet. If you want to get past me... you have to kill me first."
Shi Lin shuddered, unconsciously quickening the pace of his hands. By now, both of his palms had sunk completely into the formation barrier. The barrier began slowly melting like molten lava, trickling downward.
Shi Lin knew all too well: the longer this dragged on, the more dangerous it would become for Li Guanqi!
Chapter 1560