The Mysterious Figure Reveals Himself!

Naturally, this entire spectacle did not escape the eyes of the mysterious figure lurking in the shadows, whose gaze took on a trace of astonishment. "As expected of someone capable of making the Tianji Rankings. His strength truly isn’t to be underestimated." With a flick of his sleeve, Li Guanqi collected all the fire essences strewn across the ground. This time, however, none of the fire essences contained that bizarre sealed lightning; they were all ordinary fire essences. A single piece of fire essence could fetch at least a few dozen high-grade spirit stones. In just that brief span of time, he had pocketed several hundred. By now, the dense surrounding fog had thinned slightly. It seemed dispersing those flame spirits had had some effect on the environment. He looked up at the two hundred-zhang-tall guards and frowned slightly. He couldn't shake the feeling that these two stone statues weren't as simple as they appeared. After all, he had often heard that mystic realms or the resting grounds of mighty experts would feature golems or puppets to guard the peace of their final slumber. He didn't believe for a second that these two stone sentinels were placed here merely for decoration or to frighten onlookers. Lifting his head, he gazed into the distance at the colossal stone gate. Beyond it, not a single trace of any other structure could be seen. It was as though this solitary stone gate was the only thing existing in the void before him. The carvings across the massive gate had long since weathered into a blur, yet from the vibrant crimson hues, Li Guanqi could still distinguish motifs of flames. Considering the surroundings, he surmised that this place likely had something to do with fire. Near the top of the stone gate was a small depression, exactly matching the shape of the jade pendant in his grasp. Yet traced horizontally, the indentation sat perfectly level with the eyes of the two stone sentinels. The armored sentinels’ eyes were pitch-black and eerily hollow. Lowering his head, Li Guanqi licked his dry lips. Having someone shadowing him from behind had begun to grate on his nerves. After all, he was the one slogging through life-and-death battles here, while that bastard was just waiting to reap the spoils… With that thought, Li Guanqi simply tossed the jade pendant into the air. Raising his hand, he unleashed dozens of lightning bolts, suspending it midair. The two ends of the lightning were tethered to the heads of the two sentinels. Having done all this, Li Guanqi turned slowly toward the dense mist behind him, the corners of his mouth curling into a cold sneer. *Boom!* A terrifying wave of pressure erupted outward. The sword coffin manifested behind him and slammed heavily onto the stone bridge. A sharp gleam flared in Li Guanqi’s eyes as he spoke in a frigid voice, "Old bastard… still refusing to show yourself?" His voice faded, yet all remained dead silent around him. Narrowing his eyes, Li Guanqi abruptly swung his sword, unleashing a terrifying sword beam! *Boom!* A hundred zhang of the floating bridge in the distance was instantly blasted to pieces! The void above the bridge warped faintly, and a black-robed figure was forced into the open. Looking down at his severed sleeve, the man in black clicked his tongue in wonder. "Your karmic fortune is truly remarkable. To think that in just a single year, you could grow to such an astonishing level." Li Guanqi sneered and pursed his lips. Yet deep inside, his heart pounded violently. He could sense an inexplicable pressure radiating from the man. It was an immense, suffocating weight! *Late Nascent Soul… No! Even higher!* *Peak Nascent Soul!* An inexplicable fighting spirit began to swell wildly within his chest. Li Guanqi licked his dry lips, squinted at the man in black, and scoffed. "Old man, there’s no point in hiding behind tricks at this stage. "Don't you agree? "Old Man Miao!" Li Guanqi’s voice was bone-chilling. He had already deduced this person's identity! Back then, he had used the Tianji jade pendant to purchase a piece of intelligence—specifically to learn who had been trailing him all along! The elder clearly had not expected him to guess his identity, and he froze for an instant. Then, letting out an arrogant burst of laughter, he tore off his black robe. As expected! Li Guanqi’s eyes narrowed. The old man was none other than Miao Rongchang, the one who had run a street stall at the dock! He was the very person from whom Li Guanqi had bought his first jade pendant! To think… The man had been trailing him ever since that day. If Li Guanqi hadn't broken through to the Nascent Soul realm, he probably never would have noticed him following along. Miao Rongchang stood barely three zhang away with his hands tucked into his sleeves, looking at Li Guanqi with a genial smile. "I truly didn't expect you to figure out who I was. "And… your senses have been remarkably sharp ever since your breakthrough. It’s given this old man quite a headache." Li Guanqi scoffed. "I didn't expect an old coot who pretended to be in the Foundation Establishment realm back then would turn out to be a mighty peak Nascent Soul expert. "Though, I am curious… "Have you been following me ever since that day?" Li Guanqi was genuinely curious about this and quietly waited for an answer. Yet the elder merely looked up at his surroundings and murmured something entirely unrelated. "The ruins of the Flame God Temple, lost to the river of history. "Ever since I obtained that jade pendant four hundred years ago, I traveled across the entire continent, yet never found it." At this point, the elder’s gaze shifted, an inscrutable smile touching his lips. "So I changed my approach. I sought out individuals blessed with great fortune and destiny to try my luck. "Heheh, this old man’s luck turned out to be quite good. It only took following eight people to finally find it!" Hearing this, Li Guanqi was inwardly shaken. He had never imagined… Someone would go to such lengths for an unknown opportunity! That meant over the course of four hundred years, the elder had used this exact method to trail seven other people, and Li Guanqi was merely the eighth! *Rustle!* The old man slowly opened his hand, and an ancient longsword abruptly appeared within his grip. The scabbard was fiery red, and the hilt was embedded with three red gemstones. *Sizzle!* Crimson flames suddenly billowed around the elder as a majestic pressure surged steadily upward. Miao Rongchang smiled warmly at Li Guanqi and said softly, "Of all the people before you, the one I followed the longest took a full fifty-six years. "You were the quickest, yet the only one who actually found this place. "Rest assured, I will give you a painless death." As he spoke, the elder’s expression twisted into something utterly hideous. Even if Li Guanqi hadn't come here, he had already been preparing to make his move. He knew Li Guanqi had obtained two jade pendants, but had lacked an opportunity to strike along the way—especially while Li Guanqi was at the Wind Thunder Sect. Once, Chu Xingxian had even nearly discovered him. He couldn't afford to delay any longer. Li Guanqi’s rate of growth was simply too terrifying… Furthermore, he had witnessed every step of Li Guanqi’s rapid rise with his own eyes. Therefore… he had to kill Li Guanqi this time! In his eyes, someone like Li Guanqi was vengeful down to his very bones. If he allowed the boy to escape today, he would never know peace again. *Boom!* A terrifying wave of flames swept through the void, roaring inward to engulf Li Guanqi from all sides! Li Guanqi’s pupils instantly contracted to pinpricks! "The power of a domain!"