Li Guanqi's aura surged violently. Bolstered by Pengluo, the power within his body coursed endlessly like a raging torrent.
Gripping the Xue Ming Sword after Apocalypse, almost no one could stand against its terrifying blood-pact capabilities.
Not to mention the towering gates of the immortal incantation looming beside them, suppressing their cultivation realms.
In just a few breaths, the onlookers watched as Li Guanqi, cloaked in blood red, slaughtered several Heavenly Immortals in succession!
The assassins' supposedly vicious methods were laughably inadequate before him.
After a short while, the battlefield's tides had completely turned.
When Li Guanqi clashed with Liu Xiong once more, his opponent had virtually no power to fight back.
Under the effect of Blade Break, the enemy's weapons could hardly last a hundred exchanges before shattering into pieces.
Such terrifying might lay far beyond anything they could comprehend.
Half an incense stick later.
A hundred-li radius around Ziyun Pass was nearly pulverized into total ruin by the shockwaves of the clash.
Bottomless chasms crisscrossed the ground.
Everywhere lay scorched craters blasted open by explosions, surrounded by heaps of shattered rock.
The jagged crags and towering peaks that once defined Ziyun Pass were now unrecognizable after what had transpired.
The thunderous din of battle had long drawn the notice of many nearby cultivators.
Yet the violent aftershocks kept everyone from daring to step within a hundred li.
Even when they caught sight of the three colossal gates looming against the firmament, they dared only watch from afar, unwilling to cross the boundary.
Corpses lay strewn everywhere, torn and mutilated.
The last three survivors stood back-to-back, their faces twisted in dread.
Li Guanqi's prowess wielded absolute dominion over them.
Never could they have imagined that what seemed like a routine assignment would cost them their lives.
Grievously wounded and on the verge of death, the three men huddled together, spent arrows at the end of their flight.
One of the squad captains was an old man with grizzled hair, yet he was the strongest among the three.
Now missing an arm and a leg, with disheveled hair hanging loosely, he looked utterly wretched.
The old man drew a deep breath, and the hand clutching his sword slowly lowered.
He knew their defeat was sealed, beyond any hope of salvation. Raising his head, he stared at Li Guanqi in his blood-red robe, an unreadable look in his eyes.
"Li Congxin, by killing us today... you forge an enmity with Xutian Palace. You'd best watch your—"
*Pfft!*
A streak of blindingly swift sword light flashed and vanished!
The old man's head flew high into the air, yet no blood spilled out.
A pinprick of crimson light flared across his severed neck, and as the blood pact manifested, his body abruptly swelled and blew apart!
*Bang!*
A mist of blood drifted through the air, and tentacles from the Xue Ming Sword lashed out, devouring the old man's essence blood clean in the blink of an eye.
At this sight, let alone Liu Xiong, even Ran Qingshuang and Han Feng felt an involuntary chill seize their hearts.
At this moment, Li Guanqi looked more demonic than any evil cultivator.
"Noisy."
Li Guanqi struck down the old man, leaving Liu Xiong and the other survivor shivering violently, their faces deathly pale.
Li Guanqi gave his longsword a light flick and spoke in a calm voice:
"When I turned back, I had already prepared for the worst."
Pausing slightly, the blood-red eyes behind his mask looked toward Liu Xiong with a sneer.
"You don't truly believe... you hold any value in the eyes of Xutian Palace, do you?"
Liu Xiong knitted his brows, his voice trembling faintly as he asked in a low whisper:
"What do you mean?"
Li Guanqi let out a cold laugh.
"Once your standing reaches a certain height, you'll realize that interests always come first."
With that, Li Guanqi turned to look at Han Feng. Their gazes met, and both gave a slight nod.
Gritting his teeth, Han Feng stepped forward. Knowing he was doomed, Liu Xiong roared in manic frenzy:
"I'll be waiting for you in the Asura Hell! Waiting for all of you!"
*Shing!*
Sword light swept past, and a head tumbled to the ground. Han Feng's hand shook violently around his hilt...
How many times had he envisioned this very scene in his mind?
Han Feng stood frozen where he was, holding Liu Xiong's severed head by the hair. He looked up at the sky as two streams of clear tears rolled down his cheeks.
Spiritual light gleamed between his brows. With one hand, he cupped a cluster of spiritual light with the utmost tenderness and care.
A grown man, now weeping profusely, murmured in a soft, gentle voice:
"Yu'er... Did... did you see that?"
"I've avenged you... and our child... avenged you at last!"
Han Feng wept uncontrollably, sinking to his knees in midair as if every ounce of strength had been drained from his body.
Everyone who witnessed this felt stirred by the sight.
Li Guanqi raised his hand to finish off the final survivor, then signaled the others to give Han Feng some space.
The group descended upon a fractured peak of Ziyun Pass.
Watching the man in midair who was unable to contain his grief, Li Guanqi felt a swirl of complex emotions.
Lin Wujiu produced several new rings and slipped them onto his fingers, taking quite some time before he finally suppressed the restless power churning within him.
The young man walked up beside Li Guanqi and asked in a low, solemn voice:
"Is he Han Sijin?"
Li Guanqi gave a slight nod. Hearing this, Ran Qingshuang snapped her head up to gaze at the man in the sky.
"So he is Han Sijin?"
"No wonder... his strength is so formidable."
Ran Qingshuang was severely wounded. Li Guanqi looked back at her and tossed over a section of large white radish.
"Eat it. It'll do you good and keep any hidden ailments from taking root."
Ran Qingshuang hesitated for an instant before catching it. She popped it into her mouth and swallowed, her eyes lighting up at once.
"Why did you come searching for us?" Li Guanqi asked.
Ran Qingshuang's expression darkened slightly, for regarding this matter, the Ran family's attitude...
Or rather, her father's attitude, had caught even her off guard, yet she bore no grudge against Ran Shiming.
She simply looked at Li Guanqi with open candor, clutching her wounded abdomen as she spoke softly:
"I cannot sway my father's decisions; after all, he must consider the entire Ran family."
"Yet what I choose to do comes from my own conscience. It has nothing to do with the choices my father makes."
"I... can't quite explain why, but the moment I learned of this, all I thought was that I had to come and help. It's that simple."
Having said her piece, the woman rose, intending to depart.
Lin Wujiu looked at Ran Qingshuang in surprise, murmuring to Li Guanqi:
"The Ran family's eldest legitimate daughter, Ran Qingshuang—truly a heroine among women!"
"Still... how on earth did you get to know her?"
"Isn't it said that the Ran clan's eldest daughter hasn't returned to her clan in years?"
Li Guanqi offered no lengthy explanation, merely opening his palm.
Lin Wujiu rolled his eyes and reluctantly handed Red Lotus back.
Staring longingly at the blade, he muttered under his breath:
"Stingy bastard!"
"Please, can't you just let me have it... I love it so much..."
Li Guanqi ignored him and flashed over, barring Ran Qingshuang's path.
The woman lifted her gaze to him and kept silent, seeing that he had words to share.
He looked at Ran Qingshuang, holding a very favorable impression of this straightforward woman.
"Uncle Ran has his reasons for what he thinks."
"However, I'm the sort who stands by those close to me rather than detached principles. So while Uncle Ran's actions were not wrong, I cannot accept them."
Hesitating briefly, Li Guanqi spoke softly:
"Yet... for what you have done, Miss Ran, I, Li, am deeply grateful."
"The Ran family is already caught in circumstances beyond their control."
"Return at once. I will get in touch with you later."
Ran Qingshuang started slightly at his words, but quickly grasped his meaning.
Her heart sank and her face paled; for a moment, panic seized her.
If an organization as powerful as Xutian Palace truly set its sights on the Ran family...
she really would have brought an extermination catastrophe down upon them!
Ran Qingshuang cupped her fists slightly and took to the sky with a grave expression, speeding away into the distance.
Chapter 1689