Shen Lan's face turned icy cold. She opened her palm and barked into the air, "Spirit Incantation Two Hundred Eighty-Two: Lightning Whip!"
Crack!
The crackling purple whip of lightning struck the speaker across the face without mercy.
Bang!
The colossal force of the lightning whip knocked the man flying dozens of feet back, the flesh of his cheek tearing open into a scorched, bloody mess.
Blood rushed to the man's head as he pointed at Shen Lan, his finger trembling violently.
Shen Lan dispersed the lightning whip and led the disciples past him.
"A mere deacon of Qinglong Island dares spout insolence before me?"
"Hmph! Consider this a lesson so you know to watch your mouth in the future!"
The man looked utterly humiliated, but could not utter a single word.
The look in the woman's eyes told him that if he dared say another syllable, she would strike to kill.
Only after Li Guanqi and his party were far in the distance did the man dare pull himself up and spit furious curses.
"Wretched bitch! You lot, once you enter the Yunmeng Immortal Palace, find a way to butcher those brats!"
Walking at the rear of the group, Li Guanqi merely sneered at those words.
"Heh, butcher us?"
Soon, representatives from Zhenyue Mountain arrived to receive them.
Disciples of Zhenyue Mountain, clad in earthy yellow sect robes, had long been waiting for their arrival.
An elderly elder caught sight of Shen Lan and hurried over with brisk steps.
"Hahaha! I never expected Elder Shen herself to escort the disciples of the Great Xia Sword Sect this time! Pardon me for not welcoming you earlier, pardon me indeed!"
"Oh, it seems the Great Xia Sword Sect has taken in quite a few extraordinary sprouts this year."
The old man treated his guests with warm courtesy, attending to every detail.
He then turned slightly and added in a modest tone, "These are our new disciples for the year. Compared to your little ones, their strength still falls a bit short."
Though he spoke with humble modesty, pride was written all over his face.
The disciples behind him were almost all at the ninth level of Qi Refinement, which was hardly subpar.
Shen Lan smiled and replied, "Once the disciples of our two sects enter the Yunmeng Immortal Palace, they ought to look out for each other."
The elder offered a faint smile. "Naturally, naturally."
He then led everyone toward the rear peaks of Zhenyue Mountain's main summit.
Along the way, disciples from the other sects converged as well.
Among the crowd, Li Guanqi spotted a familiar figure.
His expression remained impassive, but he mused silently to himself,
*What was his name again... Luo Hu?*
*He actually became a disciple of Qinglong Island.*
Li Guanqi shook his head and sighed softly. *It seems not every sect is like the Great Xia Sword Sect.*
*Back during the entry assessment, that Luo Hu had been arrogant and defiant to the extreme, yet Qinglong Island still accepted him because of his dual spiritual roots.*
However, it was that youth named Zhao Xuanzhu who truly drew Li Guanqi's attention—his presence was simply impossible to overlook.
***
Before long, the disciples of all six sects gathered on a massive sacrificial altar platform.
The speaker presiding over the gathering was none other than that Zhenyue Mountain elder.
"Everyone, I trust you have all explained the rules to your disciples."
"Inside the secret realm, life and death are your own responsibility!"
"Grudges formed within cannot be brought out into the world!"
"Now that you are prepared, get ready to enter the Yunmeng Immortal Palace!"
Immediately, the leaders of the six major sects produced unique jade pendants and tossed them into the air.
The six jade pendants radiated a soft luminescence, casting the ethereal silhouette of a breathtaking palace across the sky above.
Shen Lan's voice suddenly rang in Li Guanqi's mind via voice transmission: "If you run into danger inside, strike when you must, and kill when you must!"
At the same time, she transmitted her voice to the whole group: "Once inside, Li Guanqi is your team leader!"
Her voice was resolute, brooking no dissent.
Among the five disciples, Lin Dong and Ye Feng showed no objection. Ke Qin hesitated for only a second before nodding in agreement.
Only Zhong Lin wavered, though he refrained from saying anything.
When a warped spatial rift tore open, the old man barked in a deep voice, "Remember! Under no circumstances must you break through to the Foundation Establishment realm inside, or you will be instantly expelled!"
"Good luck to you all!"
Hum!
Once the spatial rift stabilized completely, figures darted forward one after another, leaping into the secret realm.
Shen Lan said softly, "Go on, head inside."
Li Guanqi gave a slight nod and led the group as they shot through the rift.
Passing into the secret realm felt as though his entire body were submerged in water, his consciousness momentarily blurring.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!
Sharp whistling pierced the air in rapid succession.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Li Guanqi stepped into empty air, his body plummeting instantly.
At the same time, he unsheathed his sword in a flash, knocking aside the concealed weapons hurtling toward him.
"Stay sharp!"
Swish, swish, swish!
The group dropped from a height of dozens of feet, their expressions turning grim.
The moment Li Guanqi touched the ground, he burst forward without the slightest hesitation.
The others heard only a dull thud beside their ears as Li Guanqi's feet cratered the ground beneath him.
He sprang forward like a pouncing leopard.
With sword in hand, Ye Feng channeled his movement art and followed right behind.
The remaining three drew their weapons and scanned their surroundings vigilantly.
Zhong Lin's brow furrowed, and he made an instant decision. "Go! We'll flank around to the left!"
A youth dressed in a purple robe saw his hidden weapons parried and moved to turn and flee.
Yet the moment he turned around, his pursuer had already accelerated to within twenty paces of him.
At that terrifying speed, the pursuer would overtake him in mere breaths.
The youth cursed inwardly, *Dammit! How can he be this fast?!*
Behind them, Ye Feng pushed his movement art to its absolute limit, yet he was still left staring at Li Guanqi's dust.
Ye Feng muttered under his breath, "This guy's physical body is an absolute freak! How is he any different from a Body Tempering martial artist?!"
"To move this fast on physical strength alone!"
Li Guanqi's brow knitted slightly. Beneath the sweep of his divine sense, the youth's movements were laid completely bare.
A cold sneer curled at the corner of his lips, and he muttered softly, "Qixian Sect?"
Thump!
His already blinding speed erupted once more.
In the blink of an eye, he pulled ahead of Ye Feng by several paces.
This was an immense forest. The fleeing youth leaped onto a treetop, bounding through the canopy in frantic succession.
At the same time, he pulled out a jade slip to send a transmission: "Come help me, quick! I've been discovered—"
Suddenly!
A gust of scorching breath puffed right against the side of the youth's neck.
He whipped his head around, only to see a pair of eerie, pure-white eyes staring fixedly into his.
"Caught you."
Bang!
Li Guanqi slammed a heavy kick straight into the youth's ribs.
Crack!
The youth flew backward like a battered sandbag, smashing right through an ancient tree as thick as a barrel before crashing to a stop.
"Guh! Pfft!"
The youth sprawled on the ground in agony, clutching his shattered ribs and howling in pain.
"Aaargh!"
Seeing this, Ye Feng caught up and landed beside Li Guanqi.
"Tsk, tsk. Running into you is truly his misfortune."
Only then did the other three catch up to them.
Ke Qin's brow furrowed when she saw the youth coughing up mouthfuls of blood.
Zhong Lin's expression also grew solemn. The youth's aura was at the peak of the eighth level of Qi Refinement at the very least, yet in Li Guanqi's hands, he had been handled like a helpless toddler.
Li Guanqi did not say a word. With his sword drawn, he walked toward the youth with a frosty gaze.
Ke Qin suddenly spoke up. "Should we... let it go?"
"He has already received his punishment. The six sects have frequent dealings with one another; we can't just kill him."
Li Guanqi frowned at her words. Aside from their group, the rest of the entrants were nowhere to be seen in this vast forest.
Even if they killed him here, not a trace would be left behind.
The moment this person launched a sneak attack, Li Guanqi had already resolved to kill him.
Suddenly!
The youth lying on the ground bared a vicious, venomous look. His left hand whipped forward, hurling a dagger straight toward Ke Qin's face.
"Die!"
Whoosh!
Noticing the motion, Ye Feng struck out with his sword to intercept it.
"Watch out!"
Chapter 43