Lingxu Continent

Song Yunshu handed the freshly brewed spiritual tea to Li Guanqi. The flirtatious charm she had worn earlier vanished completely, replaced by unprecedented solemnity. With a flick of her hand, more than a dozen formation lights lit up across the study in rapid succession! Seeing these formation lights flare, Li Guanqi narrowed his eyes. He could sense that the power contained within them was immensely formidable. Even if a mighty Void Refining expert attempted to pry into the room, they would likely be detected in an instant. And activating such formations naturally came at no small cost. Song Yunshu said solemnly, "There is an ancient ruin about to open on the Lingxu Continent. The Tianji Pavilion needs a scroll from within it!" Li Guanqi frowned upon hearing this. "Just that? The Tianji Pavilion only wants a single treasure chart?" Song Yunshu nodded in affirmation. "That is correct. Just a single treasure chart." "As far as I know... the Tianji Pavilion possesses countless experts. Even if the ruin imposes numerous restrictions, surely it wouldn't pose much of a challenge to your pavilion, would it?" Li Guanqi tapped his fingers lightly against the desk, fixing an inexplicably oppressive gaze upon her. "Take you, for instance." Song Yunshu offered a wry smile and replied softly, "Although you are only in early Soul Formation right now, and although I take pride in my own strength, from the very first moment I laid eyes on you, I felt that killing me would take no effort on your part at all. "Perhaps that is precisely why the pavilion insisted on choosing you." Li Guanqi curled his lip. He did not believe for a second that the Tianji Pavilion lacked experts stronger than him. Yet regardless of what motives they harbored, he could not refuse this task. "I want to see the Ancient Creation Pill." Song Yunshu showed no surprise. Turning her hand, she produced a translucent purple jade casket. "The Ancient Creation Pill is inside. However, I advise you to wrap it in spatial power before opening it, lest its medicinal efficacy dissipate." Li Guanqi nodded. Raising a hand to seal off the surrounding space, he slowly opened the jade casket. The instant the lid parted, a rich, aromatic medicinal fragrance poured out, accompanied by boundless vitality and an inexplicably profound aura. Li Guanqi carefully closed the casket, having confirmed that this pill could indeed help his master recover. Placing the jade casket on the table, his gaze turned progressively colder. "I want all the information on Chen Zhi." Song Yunshu handed him a jade slip, having clearly prepared everything in advance. Just then, however, her expression shifted drastically! Her Tianji jade pendant flashed furiously... Rising to her feet, she bowed with an apologetic gesture, then turned and walked deep into the study before checking the message inside the pendant. Yet the moment she read it, her eyes widened, pupils trembling in disbelief. "All four Pavilion Masters of Great Xia were severely injured simultaneously by a mysterious golden-armored expert, with no explanation given..." What truly shocked Song Yunshu was that the golden-armored expert had struck at the exact same moment... The only possibility was that all four attackers were avatars! And the lowest cultivation level among those four Pavilion Masters was Void Refining! Lowering the pendant, Song Yunshu felt a surge of panic, wondering what manner of existence had set their sights on the Tianji Pavilion. Her expression slightly strained, she spoke, "Young Master Li, since you have no further questions, I shall see you off. "The Lingxu Continent is exceedingly treacherous. I hope you will exercise caution. "The Pavilion Master has instructed that regardless of whether the mission succeeds, the Ancient Creation Pill belongs to you." A trace of suspicion flashed through Li Guanqi's eyes. Their tune had changed rather quickly... Why offer him the pill unconditionally the moment she read that message? Without lingering on it, Li Guanqi stowed the Ancient Creation Pill away and stood. "Could you send it directly to the Great Xia Sword Sect for me?" Song Yunshu smiled faintly and replied softly, "Of course. That will be no trouble at all." After sending a transmission to Lu Kangnian, Li Guanqi followed the woman down a hidden path to a mysterious teleportation passage. *Buzz—!* Li Guanqi's figure vanished within the swirling light. Song Yunshu let out a sudden breath of relief, her eyes flickering as she watched the empty space where he had disappeared. For reasons she could not explain, she felt an inexplicable sense of pressure whenever she faced Li Guanqi. Such a feeling was rare even among her peers within the Tianji Pavilion. "Chen Zhi... why did he kill Ning Xiu?" To be frank, even she found the matter baffling. "Chen Zhi: the foremost individual under one hundred years of Dao age on the Lingxu Continent, late Soul Formation Realm, half-step peak. "Currently residing in Yinxing Prefecture, Lingxu Continent. "Rogue cultivator! "No conflict of interest with Ning Xiu whatsoever." That was the extent of the information on Chen Zhi. *** Li Guanqi sat suspended within an isolated teleportation passage. A cross-continental conduit of this scale required the combined efforts of at least three Void Refining grandmasters to construct. Consequently, the passage was remarkably stable. Li Guanqi sat cross-legged in the void, brilliant ribbons of light streaming rapidly past him on both sides. Frowning deeply, he muttered under his breath, "It makes no sense... Why would Chen Zhi kill Ning Xiu?" Afterward, Li Guanqi laid out spirit stones around himself and entered a state of cultivation. Lately, his strength had been suppressed to its absolute limit; a breakthrough was imminent at any moment. His journey to the Lingxu Continent was driven by several compounding reasons. Leaving aside the fact that Ye Feng was there, the Ancient Creation Pill was not something to be taken lightly. Even if the Tianji Pavilion had changed its stance for unknown reasons, he had no desire to owe them a favor. As for that scroll... it was known as the Tianji Chart, and by its name alone, it was clearly no ordinary item. With the Ancient Creation Pill secured, he no longer had to worry about his master's injuries, which brought a measure of relief. However, Ning Xiu had died because of him, and he was determined to seek justice on her behalf! *Hum—!* Turbulent spiritual energy surged madly into Li Guanqi's body. Recently, he had also begun to sense that the sword spirit would soon awaken. Three full days passed. *Buzz!* In the center of a colossal plaza, a pitch-black teleportation gate faintly shimmered. Immediately afterward, a black-robed figure materialized upon the stones. With over a thousand cultivators bustling across the plaza, Li Guanqi's arrival drew little notice. Yet Li Guanqi himself was inwardly startled. Not only were there human cultivators present, but demons were just as numerous, alongside many intensely formidable ghost cultivators! *Swish!* Within breaths of his arrival, several demons and ghost cultivators turned their greedy gazes toward him! A sinister elder reeking of ghostly qi fixed his blood-red eyes on Li Guanqi and greedily licked his lips. "What a fragrant, sweet soul!" A vixen cultivator cast a flirtatious glance at him, her eyes rippling with allure. "Such potent masculine vitality... such surging blood and qi!" For a moment, quite a few onlookers stopped in their tracks, preparing to enjoy the show. Li Guanqi cast a frigid glance over the two of them, and an instant later, a terrifying aura of crushing pressure descended from the heavens! *Bang! Bang!* Both the fox cultivator and the ghostly elder were slammed into the ground! Blue flagstones shattered. Li Guanqi casually curled a finger. *Swoosh!* A streak of thunder sword qi decapitated the fox cultivator on the spot. As for the sinister elder, his eyes filled with terror as flames erupted around him. Before a scream could even escape his throat, he was reduced entirely to black smoke, dispersing into nothingness. "Anyone else?" A cold voice rang out, striking the gathered crowd into dead silence. Yet a few individuals murmured with keen interest, "Who is that? So strong!" Li Guanqi let out a cold snort, took a single step forward, and teleported a thousand zhang away.