Li Guanqi beckoned, and Jiuxiao swept back to his side, distinctly reluctant.
He tossed it an elixir and stroked its head, which finally placated it a little.
Yet when Pengluo saw Li Guanqi casually toss such a precious elixir to Jiuxiao, it executed another sliding kneel right up to his side.
Clinging to his leg, it wailed through a flood of tears, "Brother, I want to eat too...
"I've been in this godforsaken place for over five hundred years and haven't had a single square meal.
"I've practically forgotten what an elixir even tastes like! Give me one, please—even half of one will do!
"If you really can't bear to part with one, just take it out and let me have two licks!"
Pengluo cried its heart out, snot and tears streaming down its face together.
It babbled endlessly about how hard its life had been over all these years, and how bitter its days were.
Irritated by its racket, Li Guanqi produced a fourth-rank elixir and shoved it straight into its mouth.
The moment the elixir entered, Pengluo's injuries began healing at a speed visible to the naked eye.
Looking thoroughly refreshed, Pengluo smacked its lips, still craving more.
It stood up with a solemn face and said, "From this day forth, you're my big brother."
The little creature hopped right onto Li Guanqi's shoulder and proclaimed grandly,
"Little Luo here has finally found himself a patron!
"Truth be told, you're pretty strong.
"At least among the Soul Formation experts here in Mingchuan, you rank in the top three of everyone I've seen."
Li Guanqi's brow furrowed, and he asked softly, "Are there many Soul Formation experts in Mingchuan?"
Pengluo sprawled comfortably across Li Guanqi's shoulder with its eyes shut.
"Piles of them! Don't let Mingchuan's modest size on the Lingxu Continent fool you—it's a chaotic cesspool teeming with every sort under the sun.
"Soul Formation experts are as numerous as hairs on an ox, and there's no shortage of beasts or ghost cultivators, either."
At that point, Pengluo's nose twitched slightly. Shock crossed its eyes, and it stood up on his shoulder to sniff vigorously.
Then, as if confirming something, it cried out in disbelief,
"Holy crap!! The Ethereal Dao Body?!
"Who the hell drew those Great Sumeru Nine Palaces Immortal-Slaying Sigils on you?! Damn, that's insane!"
Li Guanqi looked completely impassive on the surface, but stormy waves churned in his heart.
*The Great Sumeru Nine Palaces Immortal-Slaying Sigils!*
Up until now, the sword spirit had been the only one to recognize the blood runes concealed beneath his skin.
And Pengluo... was the second!
Li Guanqi narrowed his eyes. He realized that this fellow who resembled a white radish was nowhere near as simple as it looked.
It had descended from the upper realm...
"How... did you come down?"
Having realized that Li Guanqi possessed the Ethereal Dao Body, Pengluo was visibly far warmer.
It plunked its rear down on Li Guanqi's shoulder and said,
"Me? Sigh... Back in the day... Yours Truly was quite the overlord in the Immortal Realm, trampling immortal lords underfoot and punching immortal venerables in the face. Even the Supreme Immortal Emperor had to treat me with utmost courtesy!
"Alas, open spears are easy to dodge, but hidden arrows are hard to guard against. Later, while traveling the Immortal Realm, I fell victim to a vile ambush."
Pengluo turned to Li Guanqi and whispered conspiratorially,
"Want to know what happened next?"
Li Guanqi nodded.
Pengluo held out a little hand. "Three elixirs, and I'll give you the full story.
"Make it ten, and once I'm done, I'll even share my revenge plan with you."
Li Guanqi reached up and yanked it straight off his shoulder.
This fellow was quite sizable, and the boast it made was truly immense as well.
The Supreme Immortal Emperor had to treat it with utmost courtesy?
Scrambling back to its feet, Pengluo complained, "Look at you, passing up such a golden opportunity!"
Sitting on a chair, Li Guanqi said calmly, "You mentioned I rank in the top three among the Soul Formation experts you've seen.
"Apart from me, who are the other two?"
Pengluo hopped onto the table, sat cross-legged, and spoke with a grave expression.
"You came for this secret ruin realm too, right?
"In my view, those two are the only ones you need to watch out for.
"One of them is a member of the beast race, rumored to possess a trace of ancient qilin bloodline!
"His name is Xuan Lin, in the late Soul Formation realm. He's way older than you, though—over a thousand years old."
Li Guanqi's eyes narrowed slightly, and he committed the name to memory.
He knew that true ancient beasts existed only in the Immortal Realm.
Most of the great beasts here in the Spirit Realm were of impure bloodlines descended from dragons, phoenixes, and their ilk.
Pengluo continued, "The other is a ruthless ghost cultivator. Rumor has it that years ago, he got his hands on some kind of Nether treasure.
"He cultivated some sort of Ghost King Body and goes by Ming Xiao. He's also in the late Soul Formation realm.
"Years back, while fighting over a treasure deep within Mingchuan, he battled nine Soul Formation ghost cultivators all on his own before leaving without a scratch.
"Anyway, both of them are quite a handful."
Li Guanqi nodded silently, tapping the tabletop with a soft, steady rhythm.
Lying back on the table, Pengluo scoffed. "Still... I'd rather none of them crossed paths with you."
Li Guanqi asked with a curious smile, "Why?"
Pengluo replied as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
"I doubt... anyone under heaven would want to face a sword cultivator capable of a second awakening of their Sword Ruins, would they?"
Li Guanqi's eyes flickered slightly, and he gave the big white radish a deep look.
"You truly have... remarkable vision," he said softly.
"Could you tell me what a second awakening of the Sword Ruins is?"
Pengluo sat up in astonishment. "No way, are you serious?
"The woman inside you is so powerful—she's a sword spirit, right? She never told you?"
Li Guanqi smiled wryly. "You saw her current state for yourself."
Pengluo straightened up and said with total seriousness,
"Be my dad, and will you help me get revenge in the future?"
Not taking it seriously, Li Guanqi chuckled and said, "If I can break through and ascend in the future, I'll help you."
Pengluo gave Li Guanqi a long look, then grinned wide. "Hahaha, deal! When the time comes, I'm going to ride right on that whatever-his-name-is Emperor's skull!
"No need to dwell on what the Sword Ruins are.
"What's truly rare is a sword that matches the sword cultivator themselves.
"Some swords are limited by their quality, or perhaps their spirituality is insufficient, so at most they can only achieve Soul Release."
Li Guanqi listened with complete focus, nodding quietly.
At present, Red Lotus was in the state of Soul Release, boasting terrifying lethality.
"Yet above Soul Release lies an even greater tier of power.
"A level reachable only by those blessed with supreme talent along the path of the sword.
"Apocalypse! The second stage of Sword Ruins awakening!"
A brilliant light flashed in the depths of Li Guanqi's eyes, and he murmured, "Apocalypse..."
Pengluo nodded heavily and said in a grave voice, "That's right, the second stage: Apocalypse!
"Once you touch this stage, your power will explode exponentially.
"The form of your sword will transform along with it. Within the same realm, a sword cultivator who unleashes the Apocalypse form is practically invincible!"
Chapter 428