Li Guanqi glanced at the map and found that although the one concealed beneath the jade pendant had some discrepancies compared to the map Tang Ru had given him, they were largely consistent and aligned on the terrain.
Looking at the map, Li Guanqi murmured softly, "Southern Domain... Blazing Flame Valley..."
After pondering for a moment, Li Guanqi took a step forward and tore open the void. Yet just before he departed, a subtle, sharp glint flickered in the depths of his eyes.
Because... that sensation of being watched had surfaced once again!
Ever since he left the Wind Thunder Sect, that faint, elusive feeling of being watched had returned.
The sensation made him feel as though thorns were pricking his back, yet he could not find the slightest trace of whoever was following him.
Even when he deliberately exposed numerous openings several times, the onlooker never chose to strike.
This made him realize that this unseen enemy might be the most troublesome opponent he had ever encountered.
Amidst the pitch-black void, exquisite void-piercing shuttles could occasionally be seen streaking past.
Yet the cultivators riding those cloud shuttles were at the Nascent Soul realm at the very least.
A plump old man sat aboard one of the cloud shuttles, comfortably savoring fine wine. But when he turned his head, he saw a bare-chested youth madly wielding a sword in the void!
The terrifying might of it made even the old man shudder. In stunned disbelief, he muttered, "Wh-What kind of monster is that... actually practicing swordplay in the void!"
The sword spirit's cold voice rang out: "Continue! You have not reached your limit yet!"
Li Guanqi felt only grogginess in his head, his entire body limp and exhausted...
Over the span of this past month, he had swung his sword at least hundreds of thousands of times in the void!
Even so, he still had no clue how to grasp the final stance of the Heaven Breaker Sword Art.
He had no choice but to desperately temper his sword path while simultaneously honing his physical strength.
Every day, the muscles across his entire body were torn apart countless times by his own efforts!
Torn again and again, healed again and again.
He had seen the cloud shuttles passing by as well, but he knew such luxuries were not yet meant for him to enjoy.
Wiping the sweat from his face, he felt the wounds all over his body burning with searing pain.
Across his chest lay a gruesome scar. Li Guanqi had not removed it, choosing instead to leave it there.
He had met many powerful figures and had acquired many wounds from others.
Yet he wanted to keep this scar to remind himself that there was once a swordsman named Xue Yan.
The man's Unrestrained Sword Intent—born of a pursuit of true freedom—had left a profound impression on him.
His own comprehension of sword intent had also deepened somewhat. For true experts, what one sometimes needed to show was not mercy.
Pouring out every ounce of strength to slay him was the greatest respect one could offer.
*Buzz!*
Gradually, as he swung the longsword, Li Guanqi became deeply immersed in it, unable to pull himself away.
A miniscule change appeared in the sword momentum in his hand.
Yet that tiny change instantly rendered his sword momentum completely flawless!
Immediately afterward, boundless thunder power abruptly surged into existence around Li Guanqi!
Within his dantian, the Nascent Soul also radiated an incomparably profound glow!
*Buzz!*
The void within a hundred zhang began to tremble faintly, and a chaotic storm of spiritual power gradually took form.
*Rumble!*
Gradually, thunder roared on all sides within the void, an endless barrage of deafening booms.
Surrounded by lightning, Li Guanqi floated in midair with his eyes closed tight.
*Boom!*
All at once, a terrifying pressure erupted, and a domineering sword intent soared into the sky!
Echoing each other, this intent and the power of thunder actually showed signs of merging!
The sword spirit's figure drifted out. Staring at the scene in disbelief, she widened her eyes and murmured:
"Is he... about to comprehend a domain?!"
"Sword intent... A sword domain?!"
*Boom! Boom!*
Before the sword spirit could figure out what was happening, thunder roared across the void, and an immensely potent pressure erupted from within Li Guanqi.
Immediately following that, the void within three hundred zhang transformed entirely into a vast ocean of a thunder pool!
Sword qi crisscrossed throughout the entire thunder pool, brimming with Li Guanqi's world-scorning sword will!
The sword spirit looked around in astonishment, and when she raised her eyes toward the youth at the center of the thunder pool, they were filled with deep gratification.
To be able to comprehend the stacking of domain and sword intent at this stage—how much had Li Guanqi's lethal power increased!
*Buzz!*
The surrounding thunder power began to slowly dissipate, and Li Guanqi opened his eyes, filled with excitement.
He had not expected such a transformation to occur after his sword intent merged into a domain.
Inside the domain, he felt the illusion that... he was Heaven itself!
Because everything within the domain was under his control; whatever he wished to do was merely a matter of a single thought.
Of his own accord, Li Guanqi gave the domain a new name: "Sword Prison!"
Swords govern slaughter; thunder governs destruction.
Within the domain, all is prison!
In the past, the power of thunder had merely served to numb his enemies.
Yet as his strength grew and his horizons widened, he felt that the most terrifying aspect of thunder was destruction!
That horrifying power capable of destroying heaven and earth was enough to make all living beings tremble. Otherwise, why would so many cultivators fear the arrival of heavenly tribulation?
Although his cultivation realm had not advanced, Li Guanqi felt that if he were to encounter Xue Yan again now, he probably would not even need to use the Heaven Breaker Sword Art.
With a flick of his hand, he pulled out a high-grade spirit stone and began delightfully absorbing its energy.
Putting on his clothes and strolling through the void, Li Guanqi felt immense interest in the figures ranked ahead of him on the Tianji Rankings.
Looking at the battle records of the top three—slaying Soul Formation cultivators across a major realm—Li Guanqi could not help falling into deep thought.
He considered himself far from weak, but if he were truly made to fight mighty Soul Formation cultivators right now, he would probably be killed within a few moves.
The chasm between realms was difficult to bridge with anything else. Only if he also reached the late Nascent Soul stage, or even the peak realm, might he have a chance to try.
Looking at the long string of kill records, Li Guanqi felt a bit abashed and muttered, "Fucking monsters, every one of them."
"And that's only in the Great Xia Domain alone!"
Though he said so, in his heart he secretly anticipated the day he could face those people and fight with all his might!
He did not know how much time had passed, but by the time Li Guanqi stepped out of the void, a faint peach fuzz of a mustache had grown on his upper lip.
In the cloudless sky stretching ten thousand li, a pitch-black rift was suddenly torn open, and amid the warping space, an ordinary-looking youth stepped out.
Feeling the scorching air, Li Guanqi could not help smacking his lips and muttering, "Summer in the Northern Region is definitely cooler."
With that, he checked his bearings, took a step, and vanished from the spot.
Yet just as he was about to take another step, he froze in place!
Immediately after, he vanished from midair.
Inside the sword coffin's space, atop a colossal altar, sat a giant egg taller than a person.
The giant egg was covered in purplish-black scales. At this moment, however, those scales emitted cracking sounds under immense strain.
Looking at the violently trembling giant egg, Li Guanqi nearly burst into tears.
Ever since obtaining this Thunder Dragon egg years ago, he had been desperately pouring resources into this bottomless pit. It seemed those days were finally coming to an end.
Chapter 326