Ambush

Over the next few days, Li Guanqi devoted himself entirely to cultivation. He had only just familiarized himself with the introductory chapter of the Thunder Execution Divine Art, and the lightning seed condensed within his origin spirit still required time to refine and stabilize. Once the lightning seed was formed, the core foundation of the cultivation art was complete. According to the technique's description, when cultivated to the highest state of perfection, a phantom of the Thunder God would coalesce around the origin spirit. At that stage, the art's amplification would reach a terrifying threefold increase. Unfortunately, Li Guanqi possessed only the first half of the technique. He did not dare enter the Nirvana Pagoda while inside Yuxu City. One could never be too careful. For seven consecutive days, Li Guanqi remained completely absorbed in cultivation. His prolonged seclusion led Zhao Ke and his cohort to let down their guard completely. Deciding that Li Guanqi was nothing more than empty show, they simply left him be. At first, they had been on edge, suspecting Li Guanqi might be plotting some sort of scheme. But after observing for days, they realized he had not stepped foot out of his residence at all. Little did they know... Li Guanqi did not care in the slightest about what they valued so dearly. His only concern was elevating his own strength. "Phew..." Li Guanqi slowly opened his eyes, exhaling a breath of turbid air. During this time, he had thoroughly stabilized his realm and gained a deeper comprehension of the law of thunder. He had finally cultivated the Thunder Execution Divine Art to the initial grand perfection stage. Such a terrifying speed of cultivation would be hard to believe if spoken aloud. At last, he also had time to look over the movement technique manual. "*Rushing Thunder Cloud-Stepping Art*!" Li Guanqi curled his lip. He did not believe his own Thunder Shadow Flash Step was much inferior to this movement method. Sitting cross-legged on the ground, he set fresh immortal crystals into the spirit-gathering array disc. Closing his eyes to concentrate, his divine sense spread out slightly. *Qi gathers within wind and cloud;* *Intent stirs as lightning hides and breeds.* *Treading steps upon the void;* *Clouds and mist encircle light and free.* *A flash of lightning in a single thought;* *The form dissolves into shadowless trace.* *Thunder rumbles to shake the Nine Heavens;* *In an instant traversing a thousand peaks.* *Treading clouds to chase sun and moon;* *Wandering the four seas clear and serene.* *Formless and without mark;* *Only the sound of thunder remains.* An unbroken stream of obscure incantations flooded into his mind. The sheer volume of information caused even Li Guanqi's sea of consciousness to throb with a faint ache. Only now did he finally admit that he had underestimated the arts and techniques of the Immortal Realm. This movement technique was noticeably far more advanced than what he had created himself. The path along which immortal essence circulated through the meridians was not confined merely to the legs and feet. In this way, immortal essence from across the entire body was mobilized, driving the movement technique with greater speed. Li Guanqi took a deep breath and entered a state of sudden comprehension, the spiritual imprint between his brows flickering. According to the manual's description, merely achieving the introductory Cloud Concealment stage would grant speed exceeding his current pace by several degrees. Once cultivated to the intermediate stage, it carried the momentum of roaring thunder, bursting forth in an instant like lightning through the clouds. In an instant, it could span a distance of a thousand zhang, making it nearly impossible for ordinary cultivators to track. Li Guanqi was delighted. If he could master this movement technique to the realm of perfection, he would possess overwhelming speed against any opponent in the same realm! As for the grand perfection stage, according to the text, it was to tread the clouds and chase lightning, leaving no trace behind. Incorporating principles of escape techniques, it would not leave even a ripple in space. Li Guanqi's heart surged with emotion. He had not expected Lin Chuanqing to be so generous. Combined, these two cultivation arts were likely worth well over a million immortal crystals! To think that when he previously sold Xuanyuan Pills, he had earned a mere twenty thousand immortal crystals. *Looks like I really owe Lin Chuanqing a favor...* Pondering further, Li Guanqi realized that trying to comprehend this movement technique purely through meditation would not suffice. He rose, walked out into the courtyard, and soared directly into the air! His figure shot toward the sky like a bolt of lightning. A hundred zhang, a thousand zhang, ten thousand zhang! The air grew increasingly thin, and the ambient temperature plummeted to a terrifying degree. A layer of frost coated Li Guanqi's eyelashes and hair. Not only that, but the higher Li Guanqi flew, the tighter his brow furrowed. He felt the force of an exceptionally powerful spatial barrier, so immense that he was forced to halt his ascent. All around him, the sky was pitch-black. Thick clouds surged violently, laced with fine arcs of crackling lightning that leapt and writhed continuously within the mist. Feeling the power of the barrier, Li Guanqi muttered inwardly, *Is this the barrier between the Ten Lands and the Eight Wildernesses? Does that mean... the Immortal Realm is actually divided into three vertical tiers?* It reminded Li Guanqi of a triangle. The cultivators of the Ten Lands naturally occupied the very bottom. Even in terms of resources, there was likely no equality to speak of. He shook his head. For now, such matters were not his concern. Circulating his divine sense, he suppressed his wandering thoughts and immersed his mind in the movement technique incantations. In an instant, immortal charm drifted around Li Guanqi as lightning surged. He lifted his foot slightly, and with a mere thought, his figure reappeared a hundred zhang away as if teleporting! Li Guanqi glanced back. The clouds behind him had parted as though split open by a sharp blade! Yet Li Guanqi was not satisfied; his brow knit tightly. This was still some distance short of his own movement speed. By all logic, it should not be this slow... Just then, the arcs of lightning leaping through the clouds and the ripples of mist spreading around him sparked a sudden flash of insight in his mind! However, the flash vanished as quickly as it came, slipping away before he could grasp it. With no other choice, Li Guanqi mobilized the movement technique once more, dodging and shifting through the sea of clouds. *Whoosh!* Coming to a stop, Li Guanqi stared intently at the swirling clouds expanding behind him, seemingly on the verge of grasping the truth. Yet just as he was fully immersed in that realization, the hairs on his arm suddenly stood on end. *Squelch!* A sharp blade pierced straight through Li Guanqi's body! A black-robed figure slowly emerged from the clouds. A sneer of mockery flashed in his eyes, but it instantly turned to sheer shock. The figure of Li Guanqi before him suddenly shattered like glass. A blood-red blade came thrusting directly toward his throat! A pair of cold, indifferent eyes stared at him, devoid of the slightest tremor. *Clang!* Blade met blade, the horrific force blasting the man backward hundreds of zhang in an instant. Yet amidst the churning clouds, another black-robed figure struck at Li Guanqi from behind! Lightning surged violently around Li Guanqi, instantly dispersing every wisp of mist within a thousand zhang. Twisting his body in a flash, he barely evaded the sneak attack from the rear, whipped his wrist around, and slashed his sword backward! "Dao Fall!" *Splat!* The biting sword light carried terrifying lightning power, pulling the lightning within a thousand zhang into a roaring vortex that swept straight toward the black-robed assailant! Li Guanqi's single stroke sheared clean through half of the man's body. Blood erupted in a violent spray. Li Guanqi caught hold of a severed arm, blood splashing across his face, yet he did not even blink. Immediately after, a scarlet boundary barrier locked down the sky for a thousand zhang in every direction, and the place where Li Guanqi stood vanished completely into the cloud layer. Ten thousand zhang high in the sky, no one could possibly detect them!