Hearing this, Qisha frowned slightly and looked at the storage ring Li Guanqi held out, making no move to take it.
Inside that storage ring lay a full million immortal crystals!
"What are you trying to do?"
"Don't tell me..."
Qisha's brows shot up as a thought struck him, his voice laced with utter disbelief.
He shot to his feet, sleeves snapping with a violent wave of his arm.
"No! Absolutely not!"
"Even if I lend you the treasure hall, a single misstep will cost you your life and end your path of cultivation!"
"Chen Tianhua is a genuine True Immortal! Do you think the gap between you two is merely one of cultivation realms?"
"If he catches even the slightest opening, you won't have a prayer of turning the tables!"
Seeing Qisha's agitation, warmth spread through Li Guanqi's chest.
Qisha wasn't refusing out of stinginess; he was genuinely terrified for Li Guanqi's life.
His chest heaving slightly, Qisha sat back down, fixed his gaze on Li Guanqi's eyes, and spoke in a low, heavy voice.
"Right now, everyone in Qinzhou knows of the feud between you and the Tianhua Sword Sect."
"At your current cultivation, you've already made quite a name for yourself."
"Listen to me. Let this matter... end here. You can find a way to leave Qinzhou."
Qisha thought his heartfelt counsel would make Li Guanqi reconsider.
Yet to his surprise, Li Guanqi shook his head.
Setting the storage ring down in front of Qisha, Li Guanqi spoke calmly.
"I don't intend to leave Qinzhou anytime soon."
"First, regardless of what happens with the Tianhua Sword Sect..."
"There is one person I must kill."
Qisha's brow furrowed.
"Who? Besides the Tianhua Sword Sect, who else have you crossed?"
Li Guanqi closed his eyes, the memory of Senior Chan Kongzi's death flashing through his mind again and again.
"Zhao Chengyong, Vice Hall Master of the Tianshu Ascension Hall!"
"No matter what it takes, I will slaughter that bastard!"
Li Guanqi did not reveal his reasons to Qisha.
Yet his voice dripped with chilling murderous intent and unshakeable resolve.
"Tianlong and Diya were sent to kill me by Zhao Chengyong in the first place."
"And as for the Tianhua Sword Sect..."
"Back in the Spirit Realm, whenever I faced enemies like this, I tore them out by the roots and slaughtered their entire sect to wipe out the threat forever!"
"Chen Tianhua is too strong for me to beat right now, true... but I will make him regret ever crossing me!"
Looking at Li Guanqi's calm face, Qisha let out a helpless sigh.
"Madman... Are all of you from the Spirit Realm like this?"
Li Guanqi twitched his lips, pointed at his own earring, and chuckled.
"If you ever happen across someone wearing the same earring as mine, go right up and ask them for a drink."
"And if you ever find yourself in danger, you can turn to them for help."
Qisha's interest was piqued. Leaning closer, he asked, "What, are they all madmen like you?"
Li Guanqi shrugged, tilting his head as he considered it.
"Pretty much..."
"How many of them are there?"
Li Guanqi slowly opened his hand, holding up five fingers.
"Five younger brothers."
"Tsk. You ascendant cultivators all have that ruthless streak in your bones..."
"Fine. I can't talk you out of it. I'll lend you the hall."
With those words, Qisha sliced open his palm. His blood essence drifted into the air, condensing into an intricate blood seal.
*Bang!*
The blood seal shattered, severing Qisha's connection to the treasure hall entirely.
Stemming the bleeding from his palm, Qisha murmured, "Just bind it with a drop of blood. Its greatest function is shrinking down into a speck of Xumi dust. It's a rank-three immortal artifact."
"Anyone below the seventh realm of True Immortal shouldn't be able to detect it, but you still need to be cautious around late-stage True Immortal cultivators."
Li Guanqi let a drop of blood fall upon it to claim ownership, and a mental link with the treasure hall was swiftly forged.
Opening his eyes, he nodded toward Qisha and said solemnly, "A lifesaving treasure like this... Well, true gratitude needs no words."
"If you ever need my help down the line, just say the word!"
Qisha crossed his arms, leaned back against a stone pillar, and let out a long breath.
Looking at Li Guanqi with mixed emotions, the corner of his mouth curved slightly.
"To be honest, I thought I'd walk between heaven and earth alone for the rest of my life."
"I used to consider myself a lone wolf. Even when wounded, I'd only lick my wounds in secret, all by myself."
"Over all these years... I've seen far too many selfish scoundrels and friends who'd stab you in the back."
He looked up at Li Guanqi, his gaze deep.
"Yet you and Lin Wujiu came barging into my corner like adhesive plasters."
"From the two of you, I felt a rare... sincerity that I haven't seen in a very long time."
Li Guanqi smiled, taking a sip of wine.
"Whether to be sincere depends on the person."
"Unchecked compassion only lands you in danger."
"Yet if you treat people with hypocrisy, hypocrisy is all you will get in return."
Qisha curled his lip in a nod, finding truth in the words.
From across the distance, the two raised their cups to toast each other.
"By the way, Lin Wujiu has contacted me several times asking about you. Should I tell him?"
"He said Lin Chuanqing asked about you a few times, and..."
Qisha's eyes flickered, his voice dropping low.
"He said the Lin family is ready to stand by your side at any time."
Li Guanqi frowned and pondered in silence for a moment before speaking softly.
"Forget it. This is my private grudge. I don't want to drag him or the Lin family into it."
"If that had been my intention, I probably would have fled to Yuxu City this time around."
Qisha nodded slightly.
"Alright. Then I'll just tell him you're fine."
Having said that, Qisha fell silent for a long while before looking up at Li Guanqi.
"Do you want me to come along?"
"Don't worry, my strength won't drag you down. My concealment and assassination skills are actually quite formidable."
Without a second thought, Li Guanqi shook his head in refusal.
"No. I don't want any of you mixed up in this. It's too dangerous..."
With that, Li Guanqi took out a different storage ring and tossed it to him.
"Inside are a hundred thousand immortal crystals and two bottles of Xuanyuan Pills. Keep them."
Qisha moved to decline, but Li Guanqi cut him off.
"Take them. You're about to break through to the fifth realm of Mystic Immortal, aren't you?"
"Besides... it's probably been a long time since you took on an assassination job in the black market, hasn't it?"
Qisha's breath caught, and he lowered his head without a word.
Watching him, Li Guanqi suddenly broke into a bright grin.
"We're friends, don't be so bashful. Your older brother has plenty of cash."
Qisha did not refuse any further and pocketed the storage ring.
"Fine, I won't dither about it then. I really have been short on cultivation resources lately."
Feeling the immortal primal energy steadily replenishing within his body, Li Guanqi said softly, "Once you're ready, head out. You don't need to worry about the rest."
"With this treasure hall, I finally have the capital to clash with the Tianhua Sword Sect!"
The corner of Qisha's mouth twitched.
"Hearing words like that from a Mystic Immortal is truly... unbelievable."
"Yet coming from your mouth, I can't help but feel the Tianhua Sword Sect is in for some terrible luck."
"Alright, I'm off! Take care of yourself."
With that, Qisha rose and took his leave, the two clasping fists and nodding in parting.
Once Qisha was gone, the expression on Li Guanqi's face gradually darkened.
Taking out a jade slip, he murmured into it, "Mobai, could you refine a batch of Xuanyuan Pills and blood-replenishing pills for me?"
Chapter 1632