I Don't Think You're That Strong

An utterly frigid voice slowly echoed out from the void! Li Guanqi's eyes narrowed instantly, a flicker of surprise passing through his heart. He had not sensed the slightest trace of the newcomer's presence. It seemed the man truly had stepped into the half-step Soul Formation realm!! Without a doubt, the arrival was none other than Mo Congyun, ranked sixth on the Heavenly Secret Top 100 Rankings! *Buzz—!!!* A terrifying aura, immensely powerful beyond measure, rolled slowly through the air. *Riiip!!* A pitch-black spatial rift slowly split open three zhang in front of Li Guanqi. Li Guanqi rose to his feet at an unhurried pace, his eyes slitted as he raised a hand to signal Lan Xun and Xuan Qing to step behind him. From within the void strode a man clad in black-and-gold robes. He had grizzled, ash-white hair, a full beard, and a black cloth tied atop his head patterned with red and white. A sword was slung across his back, and his eyes looked toward Li Guanqi with cold indifference. Every gesture exuded utter arrogance. Treading upon the void, Mo Congyun looked down from above. When his gaze caught the massive dragon imbued with purple light and radiating overwhelming draconic might, his heart seized with shock!! "The dragon race!! And a true dragon at that!!" From the corner of his eye, he naturally spotted Lan Xun and Xuan Qing as well, and a glint of greed instantly flashed across his gaze. His personal sword happened to require recasting. For a true powerhouse, reforging a sword that was perfectly attuned to oneself was of paramount importance. And the innate fishbones of the Spirit Fish Clan were natural sword blanks—something Mo Congyun had expended immense effort to track down! Yet all of that had been ruined by the youth before him. Three Nascent Soul realm cultivators under his command had been killed in an instant! Their life-bound jade slips had shattered one after another in less than ten breaths. Only then had he come in person to see just who dared stand in his way. *Roar—!!!!* The moment Jiuxiao sensed Mo Congyun's aura, he slowly pushed himself up! The five-zhang-long dragon coiled beside Li Guanqi, slitting his draconic eyes and roaring toward the sky at Mo Congyun!! Mo Congyun lowered his gaze, looking at the massive dragon before him with a scoff. "A mere beast dares yell at me!" *Boom—!!!!* A terrifying pressure erupted in an instant. The oppressive weight of a half-step Soul Formation aura pressed down upon Li Guanqi as though an entire mountain had dropped onto his shoulders! It was only at this moment that Mo Congyun looked at Li Guanqi with sudden realization. A playful smirk touched the corners of his lips. Lightly tapping his forehead, he closed his eyes and sneered, "You're that blind kid." "What was your name again?" "Well... forget it. Can't remember, and it doesn't matter anyway." *Clang—!!!* Mo Congyun drew the longsword from his back with a backhanded sweep, and a surge of razor-sharp Geng Metal power instantly tore through the void!! The fierce gale whipped his black robes into violent snaps. Li Guanqi curled his lip; he had to admit this fellow was indeed formidable. Yet he dared harbor designs on Jiuxiao... A faint smile played on Li Guanqi's lips as he rose slowly. He lifted his head toward Mo Congyun and said softly, "So, it seems you intend to kill me too." Mo Congyun burst into uproarious, arrogant laughter at those words. He leaned forward to look down at Li Guanqi, his expression gradually darkening. Narrowing his eyes, he spoke: "Knowing that it is something I, Mo Congyun, desire, you still dared meddle in my affairs." "Since you care so little for your life, you might as well throw it away." "Is this true dragon your reliance? Heh... you still don't understand how significant the Tianji Rankings are." "Beyond the top thirty, the ranks mean nothing at all. But among the very top, a single rank's difference means an insurmountable gulf in strength." "You? Heh, you have no idea how vast the gap between us truly is." "Don't worry. I'll take good care of this true dragon of yours!" *Thud!!* The moment the words left his mouth, Li Guanqi's figure vanished from the ground. A dull crash sounded, and Mo Congyun, so arrogant moments ago, was blasted toward the sky like an artillery shell!! He flew at such terrifying speed that he shattered the space along his trajectory!! Countless pitch-black rifts were torn across the void!! Mo Congyun spewed mouthful after mouthful of blood, his body violently bowed as five or six ribs in his chest were shattered by Li Guanqi's single punch. Mo Congyun's pupils quivered. He hadn't even caught a glimpse of the other's movements!! Fast! Far too fast!! *Whoosh—!!!* Li Guanqi's figure abruptly materialized behind Mo Congyun. Twisting his waist, he swung his leg like a giant battleaxe straight toward Mo Congyun's head. The dreadful speed and power kicked up continuous sonic booms, ripping fresh rifts through the fabric of space! Mo Congyun's pupils shrank to needlepoints. He had never imagined the other party possessed such monstrous physical strength!! That physical might utterly overwhelmed him—the preceding punch alone had carried enough force to shatter a hundred-zhang mountain. Against it, his own physical body was completely defenseless. Primal energy roared within Mo Congyun. Snapping his torso backward, he tapped lightly against the void with one hand, flipping backward several times through the air to pull open the distance. Before his eyes gaped a pitch-black rift over ten zhang wide, cleaved open by Li Guanqi's kick just now. Mo Congyun licked his dry lips, his heart thumping wildly against his ribs. Looking at the slowly mending spatial rift, lingering dread gripped him. *Isn't he a sword cultivator?! How could he possess such terrifying physical strength?!* Down below, watching the spectacle high in the sky, Jiuxiao roared with immense excitement, as if cheering Li Guanqi on. Because Mo Congyun had harbored designs on Jiuxiao, Li Guanqi had never intended to let the dragon fight from the very beginning. Besides, he wanted to test the true worth of sixth place on the Tianji Rankings and see just how large the gap was between himself and an expert renowned across an entire domain. *Boom—!!!!* Blood trickled from the corner of Mo Congyun's mouth as his gaze sharpened. Staring at Li Guanqi, he said in a heavy voice, "I admit I underestimated you before. As expected of someone on the Tianji Rankings, you have a few tricks up your sleeve." Li Guanqi stood suspended midair and merely shrugged without replying. He had plenty more tricks; he just wondered whether Mo Congyun had the ability to draw them out. *Buzz—!!!* Right then, Li Guanqi spoke up: "To be honest, I really don't think you're that strong." Hearing that, an unnamable fury flared within Mo Congyun's heart. He sneered. "I hope you can still say that in a moment!" Down on the ground, Xuan Qing clenched her small fists, watching midair with extreme anxiety. "Sister Lan, can that big brother defeat that awful man?" Though Lan Xun was likewise a Nascent Soul realm cultivator, she did not dare claim Li Guanqi could overcome Mo Congyun. After a moment's contemplation, Lan Xun pushed Xuan Qing toward the river and said in a low, urgent voice, "Hurry back and fetch the First Elder!" Jiuxiao glanced at her, but did not stop them. Xuan Qing nodded vigorously, leaped into the river, and instantly transformed into a swimming fish that plunged into the water. Having assumed her fish form, Xuan Qing swam toward the depths of the river with all her might. Lan Xun gripped her longsword, ready to strike at any moment. She believed that between Li Guanqi and the true dragon, the three of them combined ought to be able to deal with Mo Congyun! *Boom—!!!!* Terrifying sword qi tore wildly through the void as ripple after ripple of golden radiance instantly enveloped five hundred zhang of space!! Within the domain, sword qi crisscrossed violently. Li Guanqi's robes were sliced open, and even his skin was effortlessly lacerated! Li Guanqi's brows furrowed slightly as he murmured to himself, *Interesting...* *Sixth on the Tianji Rankings... he ought to possess a Sword Ruins, shouldn't he?* *It seems... I can plunder three more?*