Mo Yanshan!

The moment Li Guanqi laid eyes on the old man, his heart gave a sudden jolt! Beneath the sleeve of his white robe, Jiuxiao pulsed with a faint tremor. Across from him, the old man narrowed his eyes and tilted his head slightly. Those deep eyes seemed capable of seeing straight through all his secrets. Li Guanqi narrowed his eyes as he looked at the elder. The sword coffin behind him sprang open instantly, and the Red Lotus sword shot into his grip with a resounding hum! *Buzz!* Red Lotus vibrated, as if it had sensed a formidable foe. Though the old man had not uttered a word, Li Guanqi was certain he had to be from the Mo Family! It was an inexplicable instinct, and judging from the faint aura the man radiated... The elder was undoubtedly a genuine Soul Formation Realm cultivator—and noticeably stronger than Wei Xian or that fellow from the North Sea Monastery! Licking his dry lips, Li Guanqi felt his fighting spirit surge! "From the Mo Family?" The old man showed no haste, remaining perfectly calm and deliberate. A faint gleam flickered in his hand, and an orange-red longsword materialized. At the same time, a spark of fire flashed deep in the elder's eyes. As he looked at Li Guanqi, not a ripple of emotion surfaced on his face. He merely gave a slight nod and spoke softly. "Yes. Mo Family." "I came... to take your head." The old man made no mention of his status, nor did he even give his name. *Boom!* A terrifying pressure erupted violently! Without a single wasted word, the elder looked on with utter detachment in his deep eyes, as though coming here to kill Li Guanqi were nothing more than a trivial chore. As the elder's aura burst forth, even the spatial storms raging through the surrounding void ground to a brief halt. In an instant, primal energy churned, and an endless crimson light spread across the void in every direction! *Rumble, rumble, rumble!* Rolling heat waves swept across heaven and earth, conjuring a flame domain in the blink of an eye! Everything within a radius of over a thousand zhang was transformed into a sea of fire. Li Guanqi's body trembled faintly. The crushing weight of such terrifying pressure only stoked his battle fervor. He had not anticipated that the old man before him would be this formidable. He could not help muttering beneath his breath, "Peak early Soul Formation!" Within his divine sense, the elder's aura felt comparable to the middle Soul Formation Realm! Even when Lu Kangnian from his own sect had broken through, his aura had not been anywhere near this terrifying. Gripping his sword tightly, Li Guanqi mused inwardly, *The Mo Family really spared no expense to see me dead!* What he did not know was that this old man was none other than Mo Zhiyuan's elder brother—Mo Yanshan! Mo Yanshan had never married. Mo Zhiyuan's son, Mo Congyun, was someone he had raised with his own hands from childhood. The moment he learned that Mo Congyun had been slain, he departed the Mo Family immediately. Yet Li Guanqi had moved too quickly; every time Mo Yanshan caught wind of a sighting and rushed over, he was greeted only by ruin and devastation. Without another word, Mo Yanshan brandished his sword, his full aura exploding into motion. In an instant, the entire expanse turned into an inferno! A sword beam concealed within the flames struck with silent, lethal speed! A sharp light flashed in Li Guanqi's eyes as he shot backward in a flash! His gaze hardened, yet he chose not to unleash his full might just yet. He wanted to test the waters! *Boom! Clang, clang, clang, clang!* A barrage of clashing steel echoed from the heart of the fiery sea as Li Guanqi was forced to retreat continuously! His opponent was simply too powerful; without resorting to his hidden trump cards, he stood no chance of matching him. That extraordinarily dense primal energy crashed forward like an ancient savage beast! The monstrous force blasted him back several hundred zhang, his white robe instantly reduced to ashes by the flames. *Pfft!* Thrown back hundreds of zhang, Li Guanqi spat a mouthful of blood as fierce sword qi slashed several deep gashes across his shoulders! Under the searing heat of the flames, the internal injuries left over from his previous battles flared up all at once! Mo Yanshan's eyes narrowed slightly, a trace of gravity creeping into his expression as he regarded the young man. To his perception, the youth was undeniably strong. Even after unleashing his full might, Mo Yanshan had only managed to suppress him. More importantly, he could clearly tell that the boy still had strength to spare! Refusing to grant Li Guanqi even a moment of respite, Mo Yanshan surged forward with a murderous glint in his eyes. At the same time, the flames within the surrounding domain ran wild, every swing of the elder's sword channeling the domain's full might as it rained down toward Li Guanqi with frenzied force! *Boom!* Lightning exploded. Daring to hold back no longer, Li Guanqi snapped his Sword Prison boundary wide open! Beneath the terrifying thunder, a massive tear was ripped straight through the flame boundary. Through that breach, the power of the Sword Prison boundary began spreading wildly. Simultaneously, a domineering, peerless sword intent soared skyward! The power of the Purple Dragon Thunder Flame instantly suppressed the elder's boundary, and the bizarre flame began devouring the domain's power the moment it appeared! A collision between forces of the same elemental origin was exceptionally perilous. Because... any power lost was gone forever! Horror seized Mo Yanshan. The moment he sensed something amiss, he pulled back several hundred zhang, scanning his surroundings with deep unease. That strange flame actually harbored the power of lightning. The instant it emerged, the fires throughout his entire flame domain dimmed! It was an absolute suppression of the flame's foundational origin! As the possessor of a fire spiritual root, Mo Yanshan was naturally familiar with most flames under heaven. His voice rang out, thoroughly shaken. "Purple Dragon Thunder Flame?! How is that possible?!" *Boom!* His words trembled with disbelief and shock. No matter what, he could never have imagined that such a precious heavenly flame would reside within someone who held a lightning spiritual root! A faint, nearly imperceptible flicker of dread passed through the old man's eyes. Li Guanqi instantly felt the crushing pressure lift from his body. Previously, the flame boundary had weighed down upon him, preventing him from unleashing his true strength! Feeling the release, Li Guanqi's expression twisted into a ferocious sneer as the Red Lotus sword slashed out repeatedly! *Boom!* With the primal energy roaring inside him, Li Guanqi vanished on the spot, leaving only a blur of afterimages behind. By the time he reappeared, he was already behind Mo Yanshan! "Demon Shadow Slash: Dark Night!" Sensing the chill at his back, the elder's face twitched as an inexplicable wave of terror washed over him! Watching the youth slash toward him with sword in hand, he felt a profound sense of threat from the boy for the very first time! That strange sense of oppression made his heart tighten. Hastily, he reached into his robes, pulled out several medicinal pills, and swallowed them whole. "Hmph! Today, your life belongs to me!"