The Nether King's furious roar echoed across the sky, and everyone prostrated on the ground could not help but shudder.
"He... probably won't make it out of Mingchuan alive."
"Yeah. Another monstrous prodigy meets his downfall. Mingchuan is about to gain yet another vengeful ghost."
"His strength was simply terrifying..."
Yet right at that moment, Li Guanqi noticed that Ming Xiao's soul still hadn't dispersed.
After pondering for a long while, Li Guanqi still struck, shattering Ming Xiao's soul to pieces.
Though he understood what kind of conviction Ming Xiao had borne throughout his life, he still made this choice.
Ever since the incident with Cang Lu, an invisible barrier had unknowingly formed within his heart.
He did not want his sympathy or an inadvertent act to bring harm to those around him ever again.
Before severing Ming Xiao's head in the end, he had also seen the complex emotions in his eyes.
Most of all, unwillingness to resign to fate.
Though he had only heard the brief exchange between him and the Nether King, he had gathered a few things.
Perhaps Ming Xiao had cultivated the Ghost King Body and relentlessly boosted his strength for the sole purpose of killing the Nether King with his own hands.
Yet... once one stepped into the cultivation world, wasn't so much simply beyond one's control?
Perhaps if he spared Ming Xiao, they might even have become friends in the future, like Ye Feng.
But now... he didn't want to take that chance.
Li Guanqi did not notice, however, that the shattered light gate behind him twisted slightly.
An illusory gaze lingered deeply on Li Guanqi, then vanished into the gate of light.
The sword casket behind him snapped open, instantly drawing the Shadowless Sword inside.
The corner of his mouth curved upward as he murmured softly, "I can save this for Old Ye. Not bad."
A lingering doubt, however, continued to hover in his mind.
Where had that sudden manifestation of saber intent inside him come from?
He hadn't been able to perceive just how powerful that saber intent was, yet the celestial anomaly it stirred up had been utterly terrifying.
What was more, the aura harbored within the saber intent felt faintly familiar...
At this thought, Li Guanqi realized something, curling his lip in a mutter.
"The old man's actually got a conscience."
Inside a mysterious grand hall, an old man who had been massaging his brow with closed eyes suddenly snapped them open!
*Boom!*
In an instant, the void fractured, and everything within a hundred li was shattered into nothingness!
As the old man rose, icy killing intent surged around him.
His aged face narrowed its eyes, the crow's feet twitching slightly.
Down below in the hall, Long Hou, clad in golden armor, was frightened out of his wits!
Kneeling on one knee, he didn't even dare lift his head. Cold sweat soaked his back in an instant, and pea-sized beads dripped pattering onto the floor from his chin.
He swallowed hard, his wide eyes contracting sharply.
*What happened?! Why is the Domain Lord in such a rage?!*
*Buzz!*
The void suddenly tore open into a pitch-black rift.
Su Xuan slowly reached his hand inside and pulled out an ancient, austere saber scabbard.
The moment Long Hou saw that scabbard, the hairs beneath his armor stood on end, and waves of chill coursed through his entire body.
He croaked hoarsely, "Do—Domain Lord... did... did an immortal from the Upper Realm descend?"
In Long Hou's view, perhaps only an immortal breaking through from the Upper Realm was worthy of making the Domain Lord bring out that scabbard.
The void tore open abruptly before Su Xuan as the old man spoke in a calm voice.
"Some blind bastard tried to kill my grandson."
Hearing this, Long Hou was utterly astounded, his breath hitching.
*Kill Li Guanqi?! Who on earth has that kind of gall?*
*Have they gone mad?! Could it be a Domain Lord of another domain?*
Yet the old man seemed to suddenly recall something. Looking somewhat irritated, he tossed the scabbard back with a flick of his wrist.
With his hands behind his back, he strode huffily back to his throne and began puffing away on his pipe.
After hesitating for a moment, he looked up at Long Hou.
"Long Hou."
Long Hou rose abruptly, bowing his head in a deep voice. "Your subordinate is here!"
Su Xuan's face was clouded with disgust. After a brief silence, he slowly stood up.
He casually tapped the pipe against the armrest of the throne.
Turning his back to Long Hou, he murmured softly, "Flatten Mingchuan."
A cold glint flashed in Long Hou's eyes. Dropping to one knee, he barked,
"Understood!"
After Long Hou departed, Su Xuan cursed under his breath, "Irritating bastard. Stepping in despite being two full realms higher—shameless prick.
"Sigh... there's not much time left...
"Cang Lu... just who are you?
"In Fulong Village, you—"
***
Meanwhile, in the relic secret realm.
Yet as one wave subsided, another surged.
Li Guanqi's whole body suddenly tensed. He turned slowly to look behind him.
Seeing this, the crowd on the ground felt their hearts leap into their throats.
"*Hiss*... Xuan Lin is here!"
"Does he plan to take advantage of Li Guanqi's heavy injuries to snatch that precious sword and the Heavenly Thunder Bead?"
"Peak Soul Formation! Xuan Lin broke through?!"
"Good grief, this relic truly is..."
Three zhang behind Li Guanqi stood an extraordinarily handsome, sturdy youth.
Golden hair draped casually over the youth's shoulders, and a formidable pressure surged around him.
Most striking of all were his arms, covered entirely in fiery-red scales.
He had not a single wound on his body, yet he was bathed in blood.
Xuan Lin had sharp, well-defined features and slightly sunken eye sockets; his deep gaze revealed a faint golden hue.
Li Guanqi sneered. Holding his sword in one hand, he looked at Xuan Lin calmly and asked softly,
"Looking for a fight?"
Xuan Lin gave a wry smile and shook his head.
The sword in his opponent's hand and the monstrous strength just displayed left him without any such ambitions.
Xuan Lin took a deep look at Li Guanqi, parting his thin lips. "You are very strong."
He paused briefly before speaking again.
"I am no match for you."
A faint, curious smile curled the corners of Li Guanqi's mouth as he held out his hand with a grin.
Xuan Lin blanked for a moment, completely at a loss as to what he meant.
Li Guanqi beckoned with his fingers rather impatiently, glancing at Xuan Lin.
"Tsk... Why are you so slow on the uptake?"
Frowning, Xuan Lin asked with an aloof, puzzled air, "What do you mean?"
At that moment, Pengluo popped out from who knows where and plopped down onto Li Guanqi's shoulder.
Extremely pure spiritual liquid began flowing from it into Li Guanqi's body. The instant the liquid entered him, Li Guanqi couldn't help but shiver.
*This power...*
Pengluo's energy was repairing his internal injuries at an unbelievable speed.
Moreover, it was swiftly replenishing the empty primal energy inside him.
Pengluo's energy could be directly integrated into his body without even needing refinement.
With arms crossed, Pengluo looked at Xuan Lin with utter exasperation, piping up to give him a hint:
"Little Xuan, not to criticize, but really, you... oh you."
Hearing the name 'Little Xuan,' Xuan Lin's face instantly fell.
Pengluo, however, acted as though it hadn't noticed his dark face at all, continuing,
"Lord Grandpa here will give you a friendly hint: what was that sentence you just said before this?"
Chapter 439