Parting

Boom! Li Guanqi stepped forward, instantly placing himself in front of Ye Feng. With a flick of one hand, he strapped the sword casket to his left arm. Earlier, he had blocked a sword strike head-on with the casket, yet not a scratch remained on its surface. Still chewing on medicinal pills, Li Guanqi felt the primal energy within him roaring through his limbs like a colossal dragon! Boom! A terrifying pressure instantly knocked Ye Feng back several zhang. Having broken through to the late Core Formation realm, Li Guanqi had arcs of purple lightning flashing in the depths of his eyes. In an instant, the Red Lotus sword underwent Soul Release! Facing the incoming sword light, Li Guanqi's expression turned exceedingly grim. The corners of his eyes twitched slightly, creased with deep lines. His aged, large hand gripped Red Lotus tightly as he slashed out several strikes in rapid succession! Three slashes of Seven Fiends! Yet right at that moment, under Ye Feng's stunned gaze, a fourth sword strike slashed out! "Plunder Fiend!" Boom! Four purple sword beams edged in crimson erupted in unison! The sword lights collided in midair. A deafening blast swept outward in all directions, flinging Li Guanqi out from the explosion. Ye Feng grabbed him, dispersing the momentum coursing through his body. Their figures were driven back nearly a hundred zhang through the air. Dense, crisscrossing wounds now covered Li Guanqi from head to toe. Yet within the smoke and dust of the blast, the black-robed man stood frozen in place, the right sleeve of his robe shredded. Looking down at the split skin between his thumb and forefinger, he frowned slightly. A sharp light flashed in his eyes, and killing intent surged within him as he murmured, "They cannot be spared." Yet just as he resolved to unleash his true strength and slaughter the two, Cao Yan's presence vanished entirely from his senses! He cursed under his breath, "Damn it! How does he have so many teleportation talismans?!" "Wasn't he just a blood slave not long ago? Where did he get so many materials?!" Without looking back, he tore open the void with a single stride and stepped inside! Seeing this, Li Guanqi was overcome with urgency! Stamping against the void, he lunged forward, twisting his wrist into a reverse grip on the hilt! Violent lightning surged around him, wrapping around the blade. He drew back his arm and hurled the sword forward like a javelin! Twisting his waist, Li Guanqi's face contorted fiercely as he poured all his strength into the throw! "Halt!" With Li Guanqi's furious roar, the sword turned into a bolt of purple lightning, shooting toward the black-robed man! Rumble! In an instant, the sky and earth churned. The sword streaked forward like a flash of lightning tearing through the night. Sensing the rapid attack bearing down from behind, the mysterious man showed a flicker of surprise in his eyes. With one foot already in the void, he raised a hand and unleashed a fearsome sword light! Boom! Clang! The clash of blades rang like bronze and iron. Shaken by the blow, the man was knocked back more than ten zhang, stumbling completely into the void. Yet his sword light was actually pierced through by the hurled blade, which carried all of Li Guanqi's gathered might! In desperation, the man raised his sword horizontally to parry. Clang! Bang! The moment his sword met Red Lotus, it shattered into countless fragments! Reacting almost on instinct in his panic, he raised his left arm. The sword pierced straight through his limb, coming to a halt merely three inches from between his brows! The man's throat bobbed, and cold sweat beaded on his forehead. If he had not reacted quickly just now, that sword would have impaled his skull! Looking at his shattered blade, he acutely realized that this sword was extraordinary! Turning deeper into the void, he reached back to seize its hilt. Yet at that moment, the man's expression changed drastically, and he violently released his grip. Looking at his palm, which had been scorched nearly through, he knew he would not be able to take this sword with him. Flinging it aside into the void, he shot a deep look at the blind swordsman. The spatial rift closed, and a pale Li Guanqi collapsed limp in midair. Though the clash had lasted only a moment, the strain on his mind had been immense, and the divine sense in his sea of consciousness was nearly depleted. Their opponent was, at the very least, a cultivator who had entered the Nascent Soul realm long ago. At the very least, he was at the peak of early Nascent Soul, and may even have had half a foot into the middle stage! Not a single breath permitted the slightest lapse in concentration, yet even so, the overwhelming disparity in cultivation realms left Li Guanqi feeling a lingering sense of powerlessness. Perhaps to an outsider, it was already miraculous for someone at Core Formation to wound a Nascent Soul cultivator. Yet only he understood that if this was all he could manage... it was not enough! If this was his limit, how could he ever compete with the geniuses of this land? Still, he had bought Cao Yan plenty of time. Cao Yan had fled at least nearly a hundred li by now; even if that man wanted to search, finding him would be difficult. Nascent Soul realm cultivators could travel by tearing through the void, moving at speeds ordinary cultivators could never match. Moreover, Cao Yan had severed all connection between them, leaving no trace behind. Seeing how weak Li Guanqi was, Ye Feng hoisted him onto his back and said in a heavy voice, "We've done all we can." "As for the rest, I'm afraid we can only leave it to fate." Li Guanqi called out weakly, "Return!" Swish! A sword darted out from the void and swept back into the sword casket in an instant. Ye Feng was stunned. He had not expected the sword to be able to return from the void! Li Guanqi also understood that when Cao Yan shouted earlier, it had been solely to draw that man after him. The rest, just as Ye Feng said, could only be left to fate. Li Guanqi said in a deep voice, "Let's go. Head in another direction and hide." "If that fellow really fails to catch Cao Yan, he'll probably vent his fury on us." Li Guanqi gazed deeply into the distance and murmured, "I hope you stay safe." Helplessly, he knew this was all he could do. Even when he staked his life in a desperate gamble, he had only managed to scratch the man. And as for the sword strike he had used against Fang Yishan back then, he could not unleash it again no matter what. Suddenly! He reached down toward his waist; a storage bag had somehow been slipped into his robes. Sure enough, inside was that stalk of Longevity Grass! Li Guanqi's eyes narrowed slightly. Even in such dire peril, Cao Yan had not forgotten to give him this! Clutching the storage bag with both hands, Li Guanqi said firmly, "No matter what trouble Cao Yan is entangled in, I'll take it on!" Turning to Ye Feng, he glanced around and noticed the auras of several cultivators already closing in on them. "Let's go! We need to leave this place first, then contact the people from Yunding!" "If Cao Yan is all right, he'll definitely find a way to contact us through Yunding." Ye Feng frowned and asked, "But I saw how terrified the people from Yunding were of that man. Will they still be willing to help us?" "Aren't they afraid of drawing fire upon themselves?" Radiating immense confidence, Li Guanqi replied, "Then we will show her our worth!" "We will grow stronger! Strong enough that no one can ignore us!" Hearing this, Ye Feng nodded heavily, a sharp light flickering in his eyes.