The sword light was barely a zhang long, entwined with fire and thunder, yet it sent a chill racing down Xuan Luo's spine.
The moment the biting sword ray clashed with the saber light, it shattered the blade glare like rotten wood!
Xuan Luo hurled out several defensive dharma artifacts in rapid succession, layer upon layer of primal energy barriers condensing before him.
Yet before this sword strike, the glow of the artifacts and the barriers were as fragile as glass, crumbling at the gentlest touch.
Xuan Luo shifted his stance, twisting his body aside with sheer force, but the strike still pierced straight through him!
Spurt!
Half of Xuan Luo's shoulder and torso were sheared open by the strike, and the scorching flames ignited violently the moment they touched his flesh!
In the blink of an eye, Xuan Luo was completely engulfed.
No matter what techniques he deployed, he could not purge the flames from his body.
His burning figure hovered in midair as the short saber slipped from his grasp, tumbling downward.
Engulfed in fire, what little primal energy remained in Xuan Luo's body was steadily devoured.
Yet at this moment, a flicker of relief appeared in Xuan Luo's eyes, and as he looked at Li Guanqi, his gaze held a strange brilliance.
The corners of Xuan Luo's mouth curved; he smiled.
Looking at Li Guanqi, he murmured softly, "You are strong. I can even sense you were still holding back.
"But... with my death, Dark Crow will hunt you down without end.
"This life... was too bitter... At last... it's finally over..."
With those words, Xuan Luo ceased all resistance, no longer circulating his primal energy.
In an instant, the heavenly flame burned him to cinders, leaving behind only a pile of white ash.
Li Guanqi coughed up a mouthful of blood, looking at the heap of ashes with conflicted eyes.
A gust of wind swept by, scattering Xuan Luo's remains into the sky and earth.
Li Guanqi did not try to do anything. They stood on opposing sides; there was nothing to say.
Even if Xuan Luo had a tragic past, it had nothing to do with him.
Xuan Luo's guess had been correct: he truly did have trump cards remaining.
Such as his martial cultivator's body, now comparable to a Soul Formation Realm cultivator; the true form of his Sword Prison; and the Heaven Breaker Sword Art.
A person couldn't play all their cards at once—who knew if others were lurking in the shadows?
Besides, he had needed an enemy like Xuan Luo to quickly acclimate himself to the power of the Soul Formation Realm.
Dispelling the Sword Prison, Li Guanqi's brow immediately furrowed.
The commotion of their battle had been too immense; many had already taken notice and were rushing toward the scene!
Li Guanqi narrowed his eyes and licked his lips, deciding against slaughtering them.
At the moment, the primal energy within him was violently turbulent; he needed to find a place at once to stabilize his realm.
Whoosh!
Raising his hand to tear open the void, Li Guanqi paused slightly...
It seemed far easier than before.
With no time to dwell on it, he covered a thousand zhang in a flash of teleportation, vanishing into the void.
By the time the black-robed figures arrived, Li Guanqi had long since vanished without a trace.
Yet when they took in their surroundings, terror seized their hearts!
Across a radius of a thousand zhang, it looked as if an earth dragon had overturned the land; the ground had been plowed through, leaving deep craters and charred devastation everywhere.
The air was thick with intensely dense lightning primal energy and turbulent fire primal energy.
Faint arcs of electricity still crackled intermittently in the air, while the mountain trees had all been reduced to ash.
Along the ubiquitous ravines, lingering saber intent and sword intent hung in the air, rapidly dissipating.
Though only thirty percent of the heavenly tribulation's residual might could still be felt, even that much left many trembling in shock as they deduced an outcome that was all too likely!
"Li Guanqi... has stepped into the Soul Formation Realm!!"
"And... he even slew an exceptionally formidable Soul Formation Realm bladesman! A bladesman who had comprehended saber intent!"
Within the span of an incense stick, these two pieces of news swept through the entire Great Xia Domain!
Close on their heels came a shift on the Heavenly Secret Top 100 Rankings!
Li Guanqi's name jumped straight to third place!
And behind his name, a new line of small characters appeared:
"Broke through to Soul Formation; slew a middle Soul Formation Realm Dark Crow assassin."
The cultivators who possessed a Tianji jade pendant generally possessed some worldly knowledge, and they understood all too well the sheer weight behind the words "Dark Crow assassin"!
From this moment forth, those who had previously looked down on Li Guanqi no longer harbored any naive illusions.
To rank third on the Tianji Rankings and personally defeat an assassin from the Dark Crow organization head-on—this was no longer something that sheer numbers could hope to overwhelm.
Not to mention, he had now stepped into the Soul Formation Realm.
Back in the Nascent Soul Realm, he had single-handedly slaughtered everyone who tried to besiege him among over thirty Nascent Soul cultivators.
And at half-step Soul Formation, he had forcefully wiped out two Soul Formation factions.
Yet Li Guanqi knew none of this.
Beneath an unnamed karst cave in the Eastern Domain, a giant dragon coiled at the cavern entrance, wide eyes scanning the surroundings vigilantly.
Upon a stone pillar sat a white-robed figure cross-legged, the bloodstains upon his garments long dried.
Faint traces of thunder and flame surged throughout the cavern.
Li Guanqi held his breath and focused his mind, stabilizing his cultivation realm,
all while observing the changes within his Nascent Soul. The once-tiny infant now bore the appearance of a young child.
It bore a ninety percent resemblance to himself, its entire body radiating specks of blue light that gathered above its head into a hazy glow.
The fusion of soul and Nascent Soul gave him an indescribably peculiar sensation.
As his soul merged with the Nascent Soul, he felt a strange illusion that the Nascent Soul was his very self.
As his consciousness sank into the Nascent Soul, the immense power brought him profound peace of mind.
Furthermore, his affinity with the various spiritual energies drifting between heaven and earth had grown far stronger, as had his comprehension and control over space.
Previously, when he struck, his sword rays would stretch tens of zhang across; though appearing grand and imposing in sword momentum, the power was actually diffuse and far from condensed.
Yet the final Rushing Thunder strike that killed Xuan Luo had concentrated every ounce of its force into that single zhang of sword light.
The destructive power unleashed had surprised even him. Unfortunately, Red Lotus possessed no scabbard.
A scabbard formed from primal energy could only accumulate so much force. The Sword Draw Stance could unleash immense explosive power in an instant.
To some extent, he even felt that the power of Rushing Thunder surpassed that of the Demon Shadow Slash.
Lost in thought, Li Guanqi slowly rose, gathering his sword intent and power into a thunder scabbard conjured in his right hand.
Crack! Sizzle!
Thunder crackled and hissed as a destructive power began to amass within the scabbard.
As the Red Lotus sword sheathed into it, the blade began to tremble slightly, letting out a piercing hum.
Swish!
Gripping the hilt with his left hand, a dazzling sword ray slashed out in an instant!
Rumble!
In an instant, the entire cavern and mountain range shook violently, followed by a beam of sword light blasting right through the mountain!
Standing in the depths of the cavern, Li Guanqi stared blankly at the massive, chasm-like fissure before him and swallowed hard.
The cavern lay over thirty zhang underground, and the mountain above stood over a hundred zhang tall.
Yet standing down in the underground cave, he could now look up and see the open night sky outside.
The corners of Li Guanqi's mouth twitched into a grin. If he activated the power of the Sword Ruins, this strike would likely be even more terrifying.
Furthermore, the Sword Draw Stance faintly resonated with the Heaven Shatterer stance. If they could be merged and combined with the power of the Sword Prison...
Just as he began pondering the Sword Draw Stance, Mo Zhiyuan had already arrived at the foot of the Great Xia Sword Sect's mountain, leading an assembly of elders!
Chapter 368