Really Letting Me Go?

The man faltered slightly. He had not expected that the other party would remain utterly unmoved even after hearing the name of the Mo Family of the Eastern Domain. It was as if even a super-clan that stood at the very peak of the Eastern Domain stirred no fear in him at all. Especially after hearing Mo Congyun's name—he could actually sense that the other party was faintly excited. Suddenly!! The man's body abruptly went rigid, his gaze fixed dead on Li Guanqi! His voice trembling, he murmured, "Blind... a huge black sword casket... you... you!!" "You're Li Guanqi—thirteenth on the Tianji Top Hundred!!" A nameless dread began to spread through his heart. Li Guanqi was someone who had only recently appeared on the Tianji Rankings, yet he shone with extraordinary brilliance! Because of his incomparable, terrifying battle record: almost everyone he had killed had surpassed his own original realm. Within the Core Formation realm he had slain one hundred and thirty-two cultivators of that same realm. If word of that got out, probably no one would believe it. But this was the Tianji Rankings!! Everyone had no choice but to believe. The man instantly realized how bad things were—a person like this would never let him live!! "Run!!" Even though he could dimly sense Li Guanqi's aura, he did not dare so much as think of drawing his sword!! Having followed Mo Congyun for years, he knew all too well what kind of monsters the people on the Tianji Rankings were. Any single person on that list could wipe him out, let alone a monster ranked in the top twenty! The man suddenly pounded his chest with a muffled thump and spat out a great mouthful of blood. In an instant his whole body became a streak of blood-red escape light and vanished into the night. The corner of Li Guanqi's mouth curved into a cold smile. His right hand lifted slightly, and Red Lotus shot out of the sword casket in a flash. "Moon-Treading Sword Control Art!" Buzz!!! As his divine sense surged, Red Lotus burst with a smear of crimson light; then, wreathed in lightning, flames blazed up! Whoosh!! Screee!!! A shrill sword cry rang out, and a red streak tore through the night sky, arriving in an instant!! Its terrifying force pierced straight through the man's heart; the dozens of primal energy barriers he had thrown up were of no help at all. Red Lotus flashed back at once, its blade untouched by a drop of blood. Li Guanqi reached out and caught Red Lotus, flicked his wrist back over his shoulder, and slid it into the sword casket. He raised his hand and released two bursts of flame power, burning the corpse at his feet to nothing. The searing flames ignited the moment they touched the corpse, and in the space of a breath the body was burned away entirely, not even bone fragments left. Only two patches of scorched black remained on the ground. He collected the two men's storage rings; lightning flashed beneath his feet, and he instantly appeared a thousand zhang away. He disposed of the other corpse in the same way, and only after confirming its origin spirit had perished did he relax. But just as he was dealing with the corpse, he suddenly sensed that the girl's aura from before was close by. Li Guanqi's brows knitted slightly. After erasing the traces on the ground, he flickered away toward the direction he had sensed. Splash, splash!! Splash splash!! Before he even drew near, the sound of waves beating the shore rose in his ears. The air around him had gradually grown damp as well. Li Guanqi took a single step and teleported over. Standing on the void, Li Guanqi looked down at the broad river beneath his feet and felt a little surprised. He hadn't expected to find a river thousands of zhang wide out here. And on the rocky shoal by the bank, the young girl lay sprawled at the water's edge, utterly weak. Blood had stained the river water around her; her body gave off a faint blue glow, and blue scales showed on her arms. Seeing the girl in this state, Li Guanqi was briefly taken aback. He muttered, "Little Steamed Bun must be almost nine by now, right?" This was the first time he had seen a girl with such a face, and he was rather curious about why she was being hunted. He raised his hand, his five fingers closing in a grasping gesture, and at once the girl was lifted out of the river. He took out a healing pill; it drifted into the girl's mouth and turned into pure medicinal power that helped mend her injuries. Taking advantage of the time, Li Guanqi mulled over what he knew about Mo Congyun. He pulled out the Tianji jade pendant and looked at the Tianji Rankings. "Mo Congyun, thirty-five years old, peak Nascent Soul, presumed half-step Soul Formation." "The Mo Family behind him ranks among the top five powers of the Eastern Domain; the family's ancestor Mo Qingyu is a Void Refinement mighty one." "His most dazzling feat came not long ago, when he killed an early Soul Formation rogue cultivator while at peak Nascent Soul." Li Guanqi smacked his lips. It seemed Mo Congyun really was formidable. At least, as of now, he had never truly fought a Soul Formation cultivator. Seeing the girl still hadn't woken, Li Guanqi simply built a campfire and roasted some meat. Before long, the girl's eyes trembled and slowly opened. She had just opened her eyes when she saw a huge dragon head staring at her curiously. "Ah!!" The girl fell back in fright. Then a youth's gentle voice sounded. "Jiuxiao, don't frighten her." The giant dragon slowly withdrew, tongue lolling, and stared eagerly at the roast meat in Li Guanqi's hand. Its nose twitched and its eyes shone; the smell of roast meat had woken it. It had never smelled anything so fragrant!! Drool pattered onto the ground, and there was nothing Li Guanqi could do but toss it the meat in his hand. Jiuxiao lay down on the ground, hugging the meat, and started gnawing at it. Li Guanqi walked slowly over to the girl's side and crouched down. Softly he asked, "Are you human or demon?" The girl tugged at her tattered clothes and looked at Li Guanqi timidly. She could sense that Li Guanqi's aura was very powerful, yet not evil—unlike those people from before. But she didn't dare say much; she was afraid that once the other party learned a few things, he too would turn out like those people. Seeing she said nothing, Li Guanqi didn't press her. He stood up, took out a black robe, and handed it to her. The girl carefully took the black robe and draped it over herself, though her gaze kept stealing toward the riverbank. Seeing that, Li Guanqi couldn't help laughing. "Go if you want to go. I'm not stopping you." At those words the girl's brows lifted slightly, and she asked cautiously, "You'll really let me go?" Li Guanqi laughed heartily. "I'll really let you go." As the words fell, the girl got up and walked toward the river. Suddenly!!! An overwhelming pressure instantly enveloped everything within a thousand zhang! A flash of joy passed through the girl's eyes, but still afraid of Li Guanqi, she timidly turned her head and glanced at him. Buzz!!! Li Guanqi stayed where he sat, unmoving. The vast river abruptly began to part slowly down the middle!! The bottomless river was split with such ease, and then a tall woman slowly walked out from within it. The woman was tall, with fair skin, scales glinting on her cheeks, and she wore a blue-and-white robe. Her long hair was pale purple, and her features were exceedingly beautiful. Her azure eyes were vivid and bright, except that right now they were filled with chilling killing intent. The instant she saw Li Guanqi, the long sword at her waist flew from its sheath!! Li Guanqi's pupils contracted. The blade looked somewhat illusory, yet it gave him a sense of incomparable sharpness. He drew Red Lotus with a backhand and met it head-on!!