Li Guanqi hesitated for only a moment before steadying his mind. With his head held high and chest out, he strode toward the open grand hall.
The heavy door leaves imparted a sense of solemnity, and the high threshold reached almost to his knees.
The instant Li Guanqi stepped into the hall, a mysterious ripple abruptly enveloped his entire body.
In a flash, the originally dim hall grew brilliantly bright as thousands of oil lamps were lit simultaneously.
All kinds of illuminating stones also blazed to life.
Li Guanqi finally got a clear look at the old man atop the raised dais!
The elder wore a white robe—not particularly lavish, yet adorned with cloud patterns that shimmered with an undulating radiance.
His frame was somewhat lean, his eye sockets slightly sunken, and his gaze brimmed with wisdom.
With a high-bridged nose, thin lips, a goatee on his chin, and grizzled white hair, he seemed to bear witness to a lifetime of vicissitudes.
The elder's voice was gentle as he raised his eyes to look at the youth walking toward him.
His slightly cloudy eyes made no attempt to conceal his fondness.
The old man slowly rose from the golden throne and gently waved Li Guanqi closer.
"Come, come, young friend. Step closer and let this old man have a look at you."
Seeing that Li Guanqi remained completely unmoved, standing below the dais about seven zhang away, the elder merely smiled without pressing further.
Li Guanqi bowed slightly in a deeply respectful manner.
Yet as he bowed his head, confusion stirred in his heart.
He could not understand: this was merely an inheritance of the sword dao, so why was there an elder appearing so vivid and lifelike?
This was simply too abnormal...
At the same time, a faint sense of vigilance arose within him.
Yet the elder seemed to harbor no ulterior motives at all. He sat back upon the throne, his eyes filled with nostalgia.
With a large, calloused hand like that of an old farmer, he slowly stroked the armrest and gazed blankly out beyond the main doors.
He murmured softly, "My name is... Li Qingcheng.
"The world preferred to call me the Grand Sword Immortal, or perhaps Thunder Sword Li Qingcheng.
"In its prime, the Zhenglei Sect had thirty thousand disciples.
"We even had twelve peak lords in the Avatar realm.
"Every morning, even from ten li away, one could hear the vigorous shouts of our disciples during morning practice!"
At this point, the elder slowly opened his eyes, looked at Li Guanqi, and smiled. "What do you think?"
Li Guanqi had not expected the elder to ask him a question at this moment, so he could only follow along and reply, "Truly a great sect worthy of the name!"
He was not lying about this; if things had truly been as the elder described, that was indeed the case.
Gradually, the elder's gaze dimmed a little. Wearing cloth shoes, he walked slowly down the dais.
With his hands clasped behind his back, he fixed a burning gaze upon Li Guanqi.
The surrounding white jade pillars, each thick enough to require several men to embrace, were majestic and imposing, yet under the elder's pressure, they seemed utterly insignificant.
With every step the elder took, his slightly stooped silhouette appeared several inches taller in Li Guanqi's eyes.
Every step he took felt as though it landed squarely on a beat of Li Guanqi's heart.
Little by little, Li Qingcheng's figure grew in his vision until it resembled a colossal mountain.
The terrifying oppressive weight constricted his breath, making his chest feel exceedingly tight.
Immediately afterward, the shrill screech of thunder—something intimately familiar to Li Guanqi—echoed all around!
In a flash, an incomparably terrifying aura erupted from within the elder's body!
As this aura washed over the area, the entire sect illusion spanning dozens of li abruptly shattered!
A mysterious, mighty surge of sword intent rolled toward Li Guanqi like crashing ocean waves!
Wave after wave, as if intent on crushing his will!
As the razor-sharp sword intent was unleashed, even the elder's stooped frame appeared remarkably upright.
Li Guanqi's whole body trembled faintly. He had never felt such a terrifying will before!
The intent of thunder... destruction!
The fundamental source of power behind lightning spiritual power was the terrifying killing might that could all but annihilate heaven and earth.
And speed was likewise an intrinsic characteristic of lightning spiritual power.
At this moment, Li Guanqi clearly perceived what sword intent truly was!
It was an exquisitely profound comprehension, the physical manifestation of a swordsman's will!
Yet as this overwhelmingly potent sword intent emerged, Li Guanqi actually felt a deeply awkward dissonance.
It was as though this sword intent was not suited for him.
Just then, the elder spoke with a kindly smile.
"Little one, I still do not know your name."
Li Guanqi, his mind preoccupied yet deliberately putting on a panicked demeanor, said, "This junior is Li Daniu."
Hearing this, the elder smiled faintly and did not press for more details.
Perhaps a name held no meaning for him; whether true or false mattered little.
The elder merely stared at him with burning eyes and spoke in a deep voice.
"You and I have crossed several thousand years to meet here, and we share the same spiritual root affinity. This is fate.
"Since fate has brought us together, are you willing to receive my inheritance today?
"To one day make the name of my Thunder Sword resound across the world?"
Hearing this, Li Guanqi immediately feigned trepidation and said hastily, "Junior is naturally willing to become Senior's inheritor!"
A deeply satisfied smile spread across Li Qingcheng's face, and he gave a slight nod.
The elder spread his arms, and that surging sword intent instantly swept over Li Guanqi.
"Open your mind and guard your celestial spirit!
"Use your body and soul to feel my sword intent, and accept it wholeheartedly!"
The elder's voice seemed to carry an enchanting allure, and Li Guanqi opened his mind almost without the slightest resistance.
Right at that moment, a cunning glint flashed deep within the elder's eyes!
Little did he know that this brief glimmer was clearly caught by Li Guanqi's powerful divine sense.
Before Li Guanqi could react, however, the majestic sword intent had already engulfed him!
In an instant, deep purple lightning enveloped his entire body!
The lightning power raged wildly across him, and within a single breath, the elder's lightning power slashed open Li Guanqi's skin and flesh!
"Ugh!"
Even with Li Guanqi's iron willpower, he could not hold back a pained grunt!
The sensation of pain was so vivid that he even felt as if his physical body were present in this world.
The elder's grave voice suddenly sounded beside his ear.
"Hold on! You must comprehend my sword intent within my power!
"If you cannot endure, your divine soul will sink into eternal oblivion here!"
Li Guanqi clenched his teeth. The black robes on his body were almost instantly torn to ashes.
The blood-red patterns on his back flickered faintly, only to dim again.
Countless arcs of lightning coursed over him, tearing his flesh to shreds. The agonizing pain battered his spirit in wave after wave.
Amidst this lightning, Li Guanqi also felt a thread of sword intent belonging to the elder.
Yet the more closely he examined it, the more pronounced that sense of awkwardness became. Li Guanqi understood.
The elder's sword intent was not suitable for him. Moreover...
This old man genuinely wanted him to absorb this power. The seemingly violent lightning and surging sword intent were, in reality, the most fundamental essence.
In other words, as long as Li Guanqi was not a complete fool, merely making contact with it would allow him to absorb it with ease.
Yet the more this was the case, the more abnormal Li Guanqi felt it was!
Because the other party was being too righteous!
Yes!
It was far too selfless, far too righteous!
For a figure who had once shaken an entire region to still retain a lucid sliver of his divine soul was already abnormal in itself.
To say nothing of how the elder was now offering up his inheritance 'willingly'!
Chapter 258