*Buzz!*
A profoundly enigmatic ripple suddenly emanated from the stone cliff.
As space rippled and twisted, a warped curtain of light abruptly emerged from within the boulder.
The distortion of the light curtain was like the shimmering air above a scorching fire.
Even before stepping inside, one could distinctly feel the terrifying wave of blistering heat.
Li Guanqi’s expression remained unchanged. Circulating the primal energy within his body, he released a barrier of primal energy over his skin.
Instantly, the scorching sensation lessened considerably.
Looking straight ahead, Li Guanqi drew a slow, deep breath and stepped into the distorted curtain of light.
*Buzz!*
The moment Li Guanqi stepped through the light curtain, the twisted space immediately closed and vanished without a trace.
At the same time, the jade pendant reappeared in his hand.
Yet the instant he crossed over, Li Guanqi's eyes trembled almost imperceptibly.
He felt it!
Someone had followed him inside!
However, the moment the interloper entered, they vanished completely; even his divine sense could only catch the faintest wisp of their aura.
Had he not been keeping close watch on his rear all along, he likely would not have noticed at all.
*Hmph! I refuse to believe you can stay hidden forever!*
As waves of mysterious spatial power rippled outward, Li Guanqi felt as though he were traveling through a spatial tunnel, countless streaks of light flashing past him.
Before long, a sudden heaviness settled over his head, and a colossal force hurled him out of the spatial tunnel!
*Boom!*
The moment Li Guanqi’s feet found solid ground, endless flame power suddenly surged toward him from all directions!
"Hmph!"
With a cold snort, Li Guanqi wielded Red Lotus, slashing his blade so tightly that not even a gust of wind could pass through. Crisp, biting sword light deflected all the incoming flames!
Only when the fire dissipated did he finally see his surroundings clearly.
Beneath his feet lay a long stone suspension bridge!
Beneath the hanging bridge was a bottomless abyss, bathed in crimson light that cast a fiery glow over the entire space.
And deep within that chasm, crimson magma churned relentlessly!
Looking up, the bridge was formed from slab after slab of pitch-black stone suspended midair.
Scattered sparks drifted throughout the air, and the fire-element spiritual energy in the void was exceptionally volatile.
The flames just now had erupted precisely because his sudden arrival agitated the ambient fire-element spiritual energy wandering through the area, causing it to go wild.
Li Guanqi narrowed his eyes. This realm imparted an inexplicable pressure, as if it had once been the cultivation grounds of some mighty expert.
He switched his breathing to internal respiration; otherwise, the scorching air would be enough to scald his mouth raw!
Stripping off his outer robe, he wiped a hand across his face, returned the face-changing bug to his storage ring, and reverted to his original appearance.
In just moments, he was already drenched in sweat. Pulling out his wine gourd, he tipped his head back and gulped two mouthfuls of wine, instantly feeling a refreshing chill.
Gripping Red Lotus, he leaped carefully, darting toward the far end of the suspension bridge.
Yet the moment he took off, Li Guanqi’s face abruptly changed!
As he stepped along the suspension bridge, he discovered that flight was strictly forbidden in this void!
Li Guanqi's expression shifted, and his eyes flickered as he murmured under his breath, "A flight-restriction formation!"
"Just what kind of place... is this?"
The floating suspension bridge stretched into a pitch-black expanse. With sword in hand, Li Guanqi had no choice but to rely on his movement techniques to skim across the stone slabs.
From the abyss below, geysers of magma occasionally erupted hundreds of zhang high, trailing wisps of white smoke as they burst.
Li Guanqi moved with blinding speed.
Meanwhile.
Hundreds of zhang behind him, a mysterious elder clad in black robes was staring fixedly at his back.
A raspy, frigid voice muttered softly, "Heh, just as I thought."
With that, concealing his presence once more, he vanished like a shadow, trailing after Li Guanqi.
Before long, Li Guanqi clearly sensed that the ambient fire-element spiritual energy was growing even more turbulent and dense.
The concentrated energy had even condensed into a thin crimson mist floating across the cavernous space.
Li Guanqi was astonished. If a cultivator with a fire spiritual root were to cultivate here, a single day would be worth at least half a month in the outside world.
Pushing the thought aside, Li Guanqi plunged into the thick mist, expanding his divine sense across a hundred zhang around him.
In an instant, everything within that hundred-zhang radius fell under his grasp.
Yet he found nothing out of the ordinary.
Only after half an incense stick burned did a towering, colossal stone gate suddenly loom before him!
To either side of the gate stood a stone guard a hundred zhang tall!
Terrifying pressure radiated from the two sentinels, each clutching an all-crimson greatsword in hand.
Looking up at the two guards, Li Guanqi was suddenly struck by an ominous foreboding...
Suddenly!
Dozens of flames burst into view within the thin crimson mist!
Dozens of light motes materialized out of thin air.
Li Guanqi’s pupils shrank instantly.
"Fire essence!"
The moment he laid eyes on the fire essence, Red Lotus in his hand flashed repeatedly!
In an instant, the clumps of fire essence within the dense mist detonated one after another!
*Boom! Boom! Boom!*
*Rumble!*
Explosion after explosion roared, the terrifying shockwaves blasting Li Guanqi back over a hundred zhang.
Such aftershocks could not harm him at his current level, but out of the corner of his eye, he noticed that the surrounding mist shifted with his movements, closing in to engulf him.
The remaining dozen or so fire essences abruptly burst apart, transforming into flame spirits ablaze with fire from head to toe.
Each fire spirit stood fully a zhang tall—humanoid yet not human, possessing a face without features.
Their bodies burned crimson with terrifying flame power. Gripping longswords, they surged forward in a pincer formation, charging straight at Li Guanqi!
The aura emanating from every single fire spirit was comparable to an early Nascent Soul realm cultivator!
One could easily see just how terrifying the power contained within this fire essence truly was!
Under the coverage of his divine sense, every single fire spirit was locked within his awareness!
In that instant, Li Guanqi’s gaze sharpened. Primal energy surged violently within him, unleashing countless flickering bolts of lightning around his form.
Sinking low, he gripped the Red Lotus Sword and murmured softly, "Soul Release: Red Lotus!"
"Seven Fiends!"
*Boom!*
The stone beneath his feet abruptly shattered, and the thick crimson mist was torn apart by the overwhelming pressure.
Lightning flashed under Li Guanqi's feet. His figure flashed repeatedly through the void, leaving behind streak after streak of afterimages.
In the spark of a flint, he darted right through the dozen-plus fire spirits!
Dozens of sword lights flashed across the void in rapid succession. Terrifying arcs of lightning merged into an almost unbroken line, darting back and forth through the air.
*Boom! Boom! Boom!*
A continuous barrage of explosions rang out as one piece of fire essence after another clattered to the ground.
Li Guanqi’s chest heaved slightly. Looking down at the scorched sword mark on his arm, he frowned.
He had not expected these fire spirits to be so formidable—they had actually managed to inflict a minor wound on him.
Chapter 331