Fled?

That strike left the onlookers utterly stunned. Even Li Guanqi himself felt that the power of that sword strike was almost too terrifying. By now, his lightning spiritual power had mutated. The once-pale purple lightning had deepened considerably into a rich, dark violet. As the eerie light flickered, its power was many times greater than before. Yet before anyone could react, Zheng Yuanzhong, his face grim, actually chose to flee right before the eyes of the crowd! The old man raised his hand and tore through the void with his sword, then plunged straight in. At the same time, a mist of blood erupted from his body as he transformed into an earthy-yellow streak of light, vanishing into the void in an instant. "Holy shit, the old guy actually ran away?!" "Both his son and grandson are dead, and he still runs?" A young man among the onlookers stared wide-eyed in disbelief. However, an older cultivator standing beside him sneered. "What's so impossible about that?" "After all, you only have one life, and that kid is clearly no pushover." "As the saying goes, a gentleman can wait ten years for revenge. In the cultivation world, if you bide your time, coming back for vengeance hundreds or thousands of years later isn't unheard of." But how could Li Guanqi allow the old man to get away like that? Although he didn't believe the old man would be stronger than him if he ever returned, cutting weeds... required pulling them out by the roots! With that in mind, light flashed beneath Li Guanqi's feet, and he slammed his left fist forward! Boom! In an instant, visible shockwaves slammed into the pitch-black tear. The spatial rift, which was on the verge of closing, was forcefully blasted wide open by that single punch. Li Guanqi vanished into the void at once. Watching this, the spectators all wore expressions of lingering excitement. After all, the Zheng Clan had dominated Nanze City unchallenged for many years; already, quite a few clans throughout the city were beginning to stir. The elder surnamed Gu pondered for a moment before choosing to tear open space to go take a look, just like several others. Among the crowd that had yet to disperse, the young man who had previously sat behind Li Guanqi also looked on in shock. He had never imagined that such an immensely powerful, peerless prodigy had been sitting right in front of him earlier. Back then, he hadn't sensed much strength from the youth's aura. A bitter smile touched his lips, and he picked a direction to leave. He had serious business to attend to after coming down the mountain. At the thought of that woman's image in his mind, an embarrassed, shy smile crept onto his face. The void. This was Li Guanqi's first time tearing into the void and seeing the space concealed beneath the sky. It was pitch black here, surrounded by countless bizarre, dazzling shards of drifting light. There were also spatial storms carrying strange auras, as well as the terrifying spatial turbulences spoken of in legends. None of these were things he could touch at his current level; getting sucked into any of them would spell certain doom. Li Guanqi fixed his eyes on the figure a thousand zhang away, a glint of killing intent flashing across his gaze. "Phew..." Enveloping himself in spatial power, he executed his movement technique, and his speed surged! Cold sweat covered Zheng Yuanzhong's palms as he gripped his sword. He had initially thought that with his realm advantage, handling a newly broken-through Nascent Soul cultivator would be as easy as turning his hand over. Yet after seeing the youth shatter heavenly lightning with two strikes during his tribulation, that thought had vanished without a trace. He felt he had no confidence in withstanding those profound sword techniques! Not to mention his son had died right before his eyes without the slightest ability to resist... Powerful! He couldn't fathom how a mere youth could be so strong. The other's aura was rapidly closing in, leaving Zheng Yuanzhong frantic. He couldn't understand why the kid was so fast! "I've already used a blood escape method! How is he still so fast?!" "Damn it! Zheng Shaohua, you fool, I told you long ago to show some restraint!" Yet it was too late for regrets. Inside the void, two streaks of light chased each other in rapid succession, with several Nascent Soul realm cultivators trailing behind to watch the excitement. However, those observers kept a distance of at least a thousand zhang, not wishing to cause any misunderstanding with Li Guanqi. Li Guanqi merely cast a backward glance and paid them no further heed. None of them gave him any strong sense of crisis; since they were just there to watch, he couldn't be bothered to care. Seeing the distance close to just a few hundred zhang, he let out a cold snort, and his speed spiked again! Primal energy roared within him as his control over it became ever more refined. Mobilizing primal energy through his Nascent Soul was even faster than with his former golden core. With almost a mere thought, the Nascent Soul inside him would instantly direct the flow of primal energy. It could be said that the Nascent Soul was an extension of his own consciousness, with his soul and Nascent Soul virtually merged into one. No wonder people always said that Nascent Soul cultivators could perform possession! A Nascent Soul's strength far exceeded the soul of lower-realm cultivators; an ordinary cultivator had practically no means of resisting a Nascent Soul. In an instant, lightning flashed beneath Li Guanqi's feet, spreading ripples of electric arcs like a starry expanse. In just a few breaths, Li Guanqi caught up to Zheng Yuanzhong! Without a word, both swung their swords! Boom! Boom! Boom! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clink! Lightning shrieked, and heavy, earth-yellow primal energy roared ceaselessly. The two figures dodged and weaved through the void, their sword lights intersecting. With his battle intent climbing, Li Guanqi wielded his sword with divine skill—swift, fierce, and vicious! Zheng Yuanzhong, on the other hand, barely managed to parry by relying on his centuries of combat experience. After all, the desire to flee had already taken root in his heart, leaving his will shaken. Still, the strength of the middle Nascent Soul realm was nothing to scoff at. Drawing on his formidable foundation and comprehension of the realm, the elder managed to cause Li Guanqi considerable trouble as well. Boom! Li Guanqi shattered another spatial cage, feeling a flare of irritation. "You like using that? Take this!" With a twist of his waist, Li Guanqi unleashed his sword like a torrential downpour! His left-hand sword was blindingly fast, leaving onlookers dazzled! All anyone could see was a deluge of crimson sword light pouring down from above. In mere moments, numerous new sword wounds appeared across the elder's body. Just then, the old man whipped out a banner radiating shimmering light! Sensing danger, Li Guanqi instantly retreated a hundred zhang. At the same time, faint bloodshot veins surfaced in the old man's eyes. He swallowed two blood-red pills and slapped several spirit talismans onto himself. In an instant, the old man's aura surged wildly, though it still fell short of late Nascent Soul. Even so, it exerted an immense, suffocating pressure on Li Guanqi! Li Guanqi wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth with the back of his hand, standing proudly with his sword in hand!