The strength Li Guanqi displayed at this moment had completely exceeded Shi Lin's comprehension.
Never had he imagined that an Ascension realm cultivator could possess such terrifying power.
It was not just Shi Lin; even Zhao He felt profoundly shaken by the sight before him.
Narrowing his eyes, a chilling murderous intent flickered deep within them.
"Such terrifying strength... Which Human Spirit Realm was he the Realm Lord of?
"No... I cannot allow this brat to walk out of here alive!"
With that thought, Zhao He suddenly roared at the top of his lungs.
"Whoever can slay this brat will be rewarded with a Xuantian Pill!"
The crowd glanced back toward the teal pill in Zhao He's hand, crazed greed flaring in their eyes!
A Xuantian Pill could raise a cultivator's chance of breaking through to the Mystic Immortal realm by twenty percent!
Pills that aided in breaking through cultivation bottlenecks were extraordinarily rare, and purchasing one on the open market would cost an exorbitant fortune.
Yet Zhao He was actually putting such a treasure up as a bounty on Li Guanqi's head.
In an instant, the pressure bearing down on Li Guanqi multiplied.
The passage, where he had previously only needed to face a handful of cultivators at a time, was suddenly jammed so tight that not even water could trickle through.
Distracted, Shi Lin looked back over his shoulder, only to see Li Guanqi locked in a blood-soaked struggle all by himself.
The sheer might Li Guanqi wielded left Shi Lin deeply stunned.
Amidst such chaotic combat, Li Guanqi could somehow still keep an eye on the entire battlefield.
Every single person who attempted to break through and disrupt Shi Lin was intercepted by Li Guanqi.
Yet because of this, his wounds had grown exceedingly grave.
"Stop getting fucking distracted! Hurry up and tear it open!"
Just then, however, Li Guanqi abruptly noticed that Zhao He had vanished from sight...
An ominous premonition surged into his heart.
Suddenly!
A cold glint arced around Li Guanqi, darting straight for Shi Lin's back.
Shi Lin's heart leaped into his throat as a mortal dread engulfed his mind.
Yet the breach in the boundary barrier was right before his eyes. With this formation's regenerative speed, if he gave up now... all their efforts would truly go to waste, and there would never be another chance to escape.
Just as hesitation seized him, the crackling screech of lightning resounded.
Li Guanqi forcefully blasted back the enemies before him, his body vanishing from the spot like a bolt of lightning.
*Pfft!*
A longsword pierced straight through Li Guanqi's shoulder. With a ruthless glare, Li Guanqi clamped one hand firmly onto the blade.
With a flick of his other hand, dozens of sword beams shot forth.
The terrifying radiance carried a surging wave of sword intent and the power of the Sword Ruins.
Vigilance flashed across Zhao He's eyes. Feeling the horrific might contained within the sword beams, he had no choice but to pull back.
At the same time, Zhao He crushed a crystal concealed within his sleeve.
In an instant, countless icicles coalesced in midair, engulfing the two of them.
Yet during the brief moment Zhao He drew back, Shi Lin let out a thunderous roar.
*Rip!*
A shoulder-wide opening was violently torn through the barrier before him.
*Boom!*
A sea of flames blanketed heaven and earth, the searing heat holding back the surrounding icicles for a single breath.
Shi Lin vaulted through the fissure, his large hand abruptly grabbing Li Guanqi by the belt and hauling him out through the tear.
Looking back at Zhao He's infuriated expression as the formation barrier knit itself shut, the corner of Li Guanqi's mouth curved slightly upward.
Shi Lin burst forward with every ounce of speed he could muster, sprinting into the distance.
A piercing sword cry rang out as cultivators continuously took to the sky from among the sprawling mountains and pavilion complexes.
Without hesitation, Shi Lin assumed his true form, slinging the heavily wounded Li Guanqi onto his back as he sprinted along their escape path.
Enduring the agonizing pain racking his body, Li Guanqi forced himself upright.
He pulled out several grade-one immortal crystals and gripped them tightly. Coordinated with his cultivation technique, Shiwu's power frantically devoured the immortal spiritual energy inside the crystals.
Feeling the condition of his meridians, Li Guanqi could not help but worry...
It was not just the pursuers barring their path, but also the wariness he harbored toward Shi Lin.
He dared not let himself lose consciousness. Under circumstances like these, he trusted no one—not even Shi Lin!
Shi Lin, naturally, could sense that Li Guanqi was in dire straits.
Yet his own strength fell short of Li Guanqi's.
With cultivators constantly flying toward them through the air, Shi Lin gritted his teeth. His massive eyes swept toward Li Guanqi as he sent a low, urgent voice transmission.
"Brother Li, hold on tight!"
The moment his words fell, flames suddenly burst into life beneath the hooves of Shi Lin's true fire qilin form.
Everywhere he passed, faint flaming hoofprints were left across the sky.
The explosive speed he unleashed was hardly inferior to Li Guanqi's own.
The scales covering Shi Lin's body gradually flushed fiery red, coursing with fine crimson streams of light—seemingly some secret art of the qilin clan.
*Boom! Boom! Boom!*
*Swoosh! Swoosh!*
Yet the cultivators blocking their path were no ordinary mortals either. Seeing Shi Lin's sudden surge of speed, they instantly unleashed a flurry of blade lights and sword shadows to obstruct him.
His face pale, Li Guanqi could only drag his battered body forward, raising his hand to intercept the attacks with sword strikes!
Coordinating with one another, Shi Lin veered sharply. Li Guanqi's eyes flickered with focus before he finally barked in a deep voice,
"Break through to the northwest!"
Shi Lin understood immediately. After several rapid shifts in direction, he shot toward the northwest like an arrow.
The entire sequence could only be described as happening in the spark of a flint.
Even so, both of them suffered several wounds along the way.
Bleeding freely, the fire qilin galloped across the firmament.
The cultivators behind pursued relentlessly. Shi Lin poured every bit of strength he possessed into the sprint, keeping it up for four full two-hour periods.
Only then did the pursuers finally give up the chase.
With his scales shattered and his flesh torn and bloody, Shi Lin had only one thought in his head: keep running!
Having lost too much blood and unable to replenish his immortal primal energy fast enough, Li Guanqi had long since lost consciousness against Shi Lin's back.
Ever since his ascension, the power inside his body had remained in an extremely turbulent state.
Whether it was converting his primal energy into immortal primal energy or enduring the harsh environment of the Immortal Realm itself, immense strain had been placed on his physical body.
Continuous combat had been constantly overdrawing his vitality.
Clinging to the last shred of his awareness, Li Guanqi had groggily passed out against Shi Lin's back.
Yet on Shi Lin's body, dozens of immensely powerful inscribed talismans had also been quietly affixed.
Through the haze of his drifting consciousness, Li Guanqi caught the sound of Shi Lin's roars and the howling wind by his ears. Shi Lin reined in his aura and the blazing light, darting between the sheltering peaks.
The pursuit had never truly ceased.
Back on the Ascension Platform, Zhao He's expression was grim to the extreme as he roared into a jade slip,
"No matter what it takes, you must find those two bastard runaways!
"Send out a public bounty: whoever kills them may take the Xuantian Pill!"
With a dark face, Zhao He turned around and snarled in a low voice,
"Not a single word of this is to leak out! If I find out any of you talked, you know what will happen to you!"
Zhao He was terrified. Over a dozen platform guards had been killed, and Li Guanqi and his companion had still managed to escape.
Right now, the hall master of the Tianshu Ascension Hall and the others were all away, leaving only him, the vice commander, in charge.
Ascenders had actually managed to flee...
Having stirred up such a monumental disaster, Zhao He could never bear the responsibility on his own.
If the commander and the hall master returned and discovered what had happened, the consequences would be unimaginable!
Hovering in midair with an utterly dark expression, Zhao He issued order after order in rapid succession!
Just then, the voice of a subordinate came through the jade slip.
"Commander Zhao, the men report that their auras were last detected disappearing toward the Chiyu Mountain Range."
Chapter 1561