"Aaaagh! My hand! My hand!"
The cut across his wrist was impossibly clean, pale bone exposed as fresh blood sprayed into the air.
He was merely a worthless rich playboy whose cultivation sat at the second-level Mystic Immortal realm; expecting to parry Li Guanqi's sword was nothing short of delusional.
As for the elder at the first-level Heavenly Immortal realm, his face was pale, his forehead drenched in cold sweat.
"Kill him! Kill him!"
"Li Gui! What are you doing? Kill him!"
"Ahhh, my hand!"
The elder did not dare utter a single word, acting as if he hadn't heard the youth's shrieks at all.
His legs trembled as he stood frozen in place.
That sword strike just now... he hadn't even caught its movement...
In other words, even if that sword strike had been aimed at him, he wouldn't have been able to react in time!
A chorus of sharp gasps rippled through the surrounding crowd.
*Hiss!*
No one had seen what had happened with Li Guanqi's strike.
In fact, before anyone could even register what was happening, Zhuang Yu's hand had already been severed.
Li Guanqi gave a cold smile. Stepping forward, he stopped before the severed hand and slowly raised his foot.
"Pick it up, and it can still be reattached."
Seeing no movement from the elder, Li Guanqi brought his foot down onto the severed hand, grinding it slowly until it was mashed into a paste of mangled flesh.
"If you're not going to pick it up, then don't bother."
A bead of sweat trickled down from the elder's temple to his jawline.
He didn't dare move an inch. Bend down and pick it up?
He feared his own head would drop to the ground right alongside it!
"Li Gui! You useless piece of trash! Trash!"
"I'm going to have my father kill you!"
Li Guanqi turned his head slowly. The instant those pure white eyes locked onto him,
Zhuang Yu's voice cut off abruptly, as though an invisible giant hand had clamped tightly around his throat.
"If you want to be arrogant, you need the capital to back it up. If you don't... you pay the price."
Many onlookers in the crowd called out quiet praise, yet they were equally shocked by Li Guanqi's formidable strength!
As for the female cultivator, she had long been struck dumb with terror, her body shivering uncontrollably.
She was terrified that Li Guanqi might strike her down in a fit of rage.
Supporting Zhuang Yu, she dared not even lift her head.
Bloodshot eyes fixed on Li Guanqi with venomous hatred, the young man snarled, "I'll remember you."
The words had barely left his lips.
Li Guanqi knocked back the Heavenly Immortal elder, and a crimson longsword pierced straight through Zhuang Yu's throat!
Blood spurted violently, and Zhuang Yu's eyes filled with the sheer terror of death.
*He... he's going to kill me!*
This sudden explosion of violence terrified quite a few people.
A minor squabble was one thing.
Right at the city gates, with so many onlookers watching,
if Li Guanqi committed murder here, never mind what the Zhuang family would do, even the city guards wouldn't let him off!
Li Guanqi tilted his head slightly and said softly,
"You'll remember me?"
"Say it again."
Blood dripped slowly from the blade to the ground. The young man's face was deathly pale, and his female companion knelt on the ground, trembling so violently she dared not raise her head.
The lines entering the city fell deathly silent, everyone's gaze locked onto Li Guanqi.
Suddenly!
The flight-restriction formation faintly visible in the sky vanished without warning.
Immediately following, a tear spanning hundreds of feet opened across the golden barrier!
Next, Li Guanqi saw numerous cultivators within the city stand at attention and bow deeply in salute.
The city guards swung open all three gates with a resounding boom, and rows of black-armored cultivators fell in formation on either side!
Seeing this, the surrounding cultivators broke into a flurry of murmurs.
"W-what is going on?"
"Qinzhou City's flight-restriction formation was opened?"
An elder with wide experience looked toward the distant horizon and spoke in a deep voice:
"I fear an esteemed figure has arrived at Qinzhou City. To even deactivate the flight-restriction formation—they are inviting someone to fly straight into the city!"
"Wait, what's all the commotion inside the city?"
*Swish!*
"Greetings, City Lord Lin!"
"Greetings, City Lord Lin!"
Resounding chants echoed from within the city walls, rising and falling in succession.
Hearing this, the cultivators outside bowed in haste, shock gleaming in their eyes!
"Lin Jinting came out to welcome someone in person?"
"Heavens... the city lord himself? And standing beside him, isn't that the eldest young master of the Lin family, Lin Wujiu?"
"Jade-Faced Asura Lin Wujiu, and of the Qinzhou Lin clan, Lin Jinting!"
"Just who possesses such immense stature to receive this honor?"
Seeing this, Zhuang Yu let out a sigh of relief. He didn't believe Li Guanqi would dare brazenly commit murder right in front of Lin Jinting!
Everyone assumed the same...
Yet right at that moment, Li Guanqi slowly twisted the sword in his hand, sending a wave of piercing, bone-chilling agony through Zhuang Yu.
Pointing at the figures in midair, Li Guanqi wore a faint, enigmatic smile.
"I told you, I've got people at the top in Qinzhou."
*Slash!*
The longsword swept across, and a head tumbled to the ground!
Gasps erupted in quick succession from all around.
Li Guanqi sheathed his sword and stood upright. Seeing Lin Wujiu roll his eyes at him, he shrugged and mouthed the words:
*He provoked me first.*
Lin Wujiu pointed to the man beside him.
*My dad.*
Lin Jinting's expression remained as calm as still water, his eyes like a frozen pool without the slightest ripple.
It was as though Li Guanqi killing Zhuang Yu had nothing to do with him at all; dead was dead.
However... Lin Wujiu heard a voice sound beside his ear.
"This friend of yours has quite a temper."
Lin Wujiu curled his lip.
"He's always like that..."
"Of all the things he shouldn't have done, Zhuang Yu shouldn't have said he'd remember him."
Lin Wujiu shrugged.
"He's the type to settle every grudge. Zhuang Yu was courting death by swearing vengeance... He got what he deserved."
Lin Jinting had thought Lin Wujiu would worry about his father thinking poorly of his friend and make excuses for him.
He had not expected Lin Wujiu to care so little about what his father thought of Li Guanqi.
It was as if Lin Wujiu had never felt the need to seek his approval for his friend in the first place.
The corners of Lin Jinting's lips twitched upward slightly. Looking deeply at his son, who was waving a greeting, he murmured inwardly,
*My son has grown up; he has a mind of his own now.*
Little did he know that these changes in Lin Wujiu had all been brought about by Li Guanqi.
To this day, Lin Wujiu still remembered what Li Guanqi had told him when he asked whether saving Qi Mobai had been worth it.
*Follow nothing but your own heart.*
Li Guanqi smoothed his robes and bowed formally with the respectful etiquette of a junior, saying in a deep voice,
"Junior greets Senior Lin."
The city guards who had originally moved to apprehend Li Guanqi were utterly flabbergasted.
Lin Wujiu flashed to Li Guanqi's side, throwing an arm around his shoulder with a booming laugh.
"Brother Li, you're finally here!"
"Tsk, I can barely see through your cultivation realm now. Aren't you advancing a bit too fast?"
"How is your foundation? You should take fewer medicinal pills. If you ingest too many, the lingering pill toxins inside you are hard to purge, and that will only cause trouble down the line."
Lin Jinting's eyes flashed with a sharp gleam that seemed capable of seeing through everything. He chuckled softly.
"You don't need to worry about that. His foundation is sturdier than yours, and there isn't a speck of pill toxin in his body!"
"Little friend, there is no need for such ceremony. Just call me Uncle."
With that, he gave Li Guanqi a profound look.
With a wave of his hand, he unexpectedly displayed a supreme divine art, restoring the decapitated Zhuang Yu, though the young man remained unconscious.
Turning to the elder beside him, Lin Jinting said slowly,
"Take word back to Zhuang Qiusheng: leave Qinzhou City within three days. Not a moment later."
His face deathly pale, the elder bowed repeatedly while holding Zhuang Yu, nodding frantically.
"Yes, yes, yes. I will surely deliver City Lord Lin's words..."
With that, he cradled Zhuang Yu and hurried away.
Watching this, Li Guanqi's eyes flickered.
*Just as I expected—the methods of a True Immortal are truly miraculous and incomprehensible!*
Lin Jinting's voice suddenly sounded directly in Li Guanqi's ear.
"Still playing dumb, kid?"
"You could have shattered his soul with sword qi, yet you only took his head even after seeing me arrive... Need something from me?"
The corners of Li Guanqi's mouth curved upward slightly. Dealing with smart people really saved a lot of trouble.
Lin Jinting said softly, "Let's go. Bring your friend home for a chat."
Chapter 1641