A Bit Homesick

Buzz! Dense dark clouds suddenly gathered across what had been a cloudless sky stretching for ten thousand li. Over the past two days, almost the entire Great Xia Domain had learned of the Mo Family's movements. Countless people were shocked, never expecting that one of the Eastern Domain's most powerful families would actually strike directly at the Great Xia Sword Sect! At the same time, onlookers watching the commotion felt that the Mo Family had completely disgraced themselves this time. Even Mo Zhiyuan's elder brother, Mo Yanshan, had died at Li Guanqi's hands. The other Mo Family cultivators swept up in the pursuing host had suffered devastating casualties as well. According to gossip leaking from the grapevine, the assassin from Dark Crow whom Li Guanqi had slain was hired by Mo Zhiyuan at an enormous cost. Yet who would have thought that the Dark Crow assassin was killed by Li Guanqi too, and that Li Guanqi had even successfully broken through to the Soul Formation Realm! The legends surrounding Li Guanqi went far beyond this. The battle at Ziyang Palace that had stirred up a tempest across the entire Northern Region had also been sparked by him. Yet as the conflict between Li Guanqi and the Mo Family escalated, onlookers also noticed something else. A little over two years ago, when Li Guanqi had left the Great Xia Sword Sect, he was merely an insignificant cultivator in the Core Formation Realm! And yet now... he was already an illustrious powerhouse in the Soul Formation Realm! Countless people marveled at Li Guanqi's monstrous cultivation talent and immense strength. At the same time, they also believed that the Mo Family was dead set on killing Li Guanqi once and for all. Buzz! One gargantuan war cloud boat after another tore through the void in rapid succession. Dense swarms of Mo Family disciples stood upon the cloud boats, reeking of murderous intent. As disciples of the Mo Family, who among those wandering the world would not treat them with three parts fear? Yet Li Guanqi's sudden rise had dealt a stinging slap to every single one of their faces. Their teeth had been smashed out by that slap, yet they could only swallow the blood, for not a single one among them had the strength to slay that fellow named Li Guanqi. Quite a few were even still hiding inside their sects to this day, shivering behind sect-protecting grand formations. They were terrified that one day, out of nowhere, that blind youth bearing a black sword casket would come knocking at their doors. They feared they too would vanish without a trace overnight, just like the Crane Alliance and the North Sea Monastery. The Blood Slaughterer... struck terror into their hearts! Awakening from cultivation, Li Guanqi was drenched in sweat, a thin layer of dark grey impurities having surfaced upon his skin. He snapped his eyes open, a piercing sharpness in his gaze. Exhaling a mouthful of turbid air, he slowly stood up. His entire aura had grown even more ethereal and intangible, as though simply standing there, he had merged into one with the surrounding space. His comprehension of the Sword Draw Stance had deepened as well; if given the chance, he would probably still seek someone out to forge a scabbard suited for Red Lotus. As for the other sword inside the sword casket, he did not know when he would finally be able to sense it. Buzz! The jade slip in Li Guanqi's hand flashed continuously as message after message poured in. Both Zhong Lin and Li Sheng'an had sent word. Lowering the jade slip, a glint of cold light flashed through Li Guanqi's eyes as he muttered to himself, "I never expected the Mo Family would actually do this!" At that thought, Li Guanqi had no time to dally and called out sharply, "Jiuxiao!" Jiuxiao, who had remained awake all along, immediately rose upon hearing the summons. Shattering the void before it with a headbutt, it carried Li Guanqi and sped toward the Northern Region! Previously, because Li Guanqi's physical body had not been strong enough, Jiuxiao had not dared travel too quickly through the void. Now that Li Guanqi's physical body was only slightly inferior to its own, Jiuxiao went at full throttle! If someone had happened to be near the void at this moment, they would have witnessed a jaw-dropping sight: A massive purple dragon, fully eleven to twelve zhang long, was shuttling through the void at breakneck speed. It did not even bother dodging smaller void storms, crashing straight through them. Li Guanqi made some silent calculations. Even traveling at this speed, it would take at least three days to reach the sect! Such speed was already astonishing; back when he was in the Nascent Soul realm, traveling to another domain would have taken him at least a month or more. Seated cross-legged atop Jiuxiao's head, Li Guanqi calmed his mind somewhat. Lu Kangnian had displayed immense confidence in his message via jade slip, telling him not to worry. Moreover, with the sect's growth over the past few years, coupled with the presence of the unfathomably powerful Ling Daoyan, as long as the Mo Family Ancestor did not intervene, the Great Xia Sword Sect should be perfectly safe! Sitting atop Jiuxiao's head, Li Guanqi's gaze grew slightly distant. "In the blink of an eye, I've already been away from the sect for over two years..." "I really am a bit homesick." Right now, he felt like a wanderer drifting far from home. When he had not thought about returning, it had been fine. But now that he was heading back, his heart was actually brimming with excitement. *** At the Great Xia Sword Sect. Beneath a clear sky, more than a dozen pitch-black rifts spanning a hundred zhang abruptly tore open! Ferocious-looking cloud boats emerged one after another. In an instant, the Great Xia Sword Sect became the absolute focal point of the entire Northern Region. No one believed the Great Xia Sword Sect could withstand the Mo Family's terrifying might. This time, Mo Zhiyuan had even assembled three close friends to reinforce him, all of whom were mighty cultivators in the Soul Formation Realm! One had to know that Northern Heavenly King Long Qu was said to be only at the peak of Soul Formation, or perhaps half-step Void Refinement. The Great Xia Domain was inherently weaker overall, and a Soul Formation Realm cultivator was already an exceedingly rare titan of a faction. Yet this time, the Mo Family had brought four of them! There were also nearly thirty Nascent Soul realm elders! Core Formation cultivators numbered in the hundreds, with thirty to forty aboard each cloud boat. Everyone broke into a cold sweat for the Great Xia Sword Sect. Spectating cultivators gathered by the thousands, hovering densely in the air a thousand zhang away and whispering amongst themselves. Many had even brought out shadow-casting stones, eager to capture the grand battle. Buzz! Mo Zhiyuan was clad in silver-and-gilded armor, with raised pauldrons that lent him an imposing, menacing air. Holding a golden-edged treasure sword, he stepped through the void, radiating an overwhelming pressure! Boom! Golden light beamed in all directions as three men suddenly appeared behind Mo Zhiyuan, all dressed in flowing brocade robes of obvious extravagance. Mo Zhiyuan's expression was frosty, and his eyes narrowed when he saw that the Great Xia Sword Sect was still maintaining its shimmering barrier array. He had led his entire clan here today, yet the Great Xia Sword Sect still kept its doors shut, refusing to emerge. A chill glinted in Mo Zhiyuan's eyes, and he snorted coldly. Blinding golden radiance erupted around him as he swung his sword violently downward! The spectating crowd gasped in shock, unable to hold back their comments. "Hiss... Not a single word, just hacking at their mountain gate right off the bat?" "Pfft, what is there to say? His son is dead, and on top of that, they've suffered horrific losses lately. Of course he's going to strike!" "If you ask me, there's bound to be a bloody battle between the Mo Family and the Great Xia Sword Sect today. Rivers of blood might flow!" "By the way, hasn't that Blood Slaughterer Venerable Li Guanqi returned?"