"Take it. This is my private jade slip."
"If anything comes up, you can contact me directly."
With those words, the old man muttered to himself, *Should I leave him some defensive measures?*
*Forget it. That person must have left him plenty already.*
If Li Guanqi knew what Gu Yong was thinking, he would have grabbed his leg and begged him for a few more jade slips.
Because... the offensive power inside his body was not meant for Li Guanqi's defense at all.
After examining it carefully later on, Li Guanqi had realized that the saber intent existed solely to restrain the sword spirit.
If the sword spirit hadn't erupted with unmistakable murderous intent back then, the saber intent in his body wouldn't have appeared at all!
Li Guanqi smiled. "Since matters here are settled, I'll have to trouble Elder Gu to escort me out of Mingchuan in a moment. Otherwise..."
Li Guanqi chuckled. Having provoked the master of Mingchuan, he naturally needed a sturdy backer to lean on.
That was why he would have agreed even if Gu Yong had offered him just half a percent earlier.
Yet upon hearing his request, the elder's expression turned exceedingly strange, a sharp glint flickering in his cloudy eyes.
Clearly, he had deduced something, and behind everything lay a far deeper meaning.
The old man remained silent for a long time. The sudden silence made Li Guanqi somewhat uneasy.
*Could it be... that dealing with the Nether King is a bit too much even for this old fellow?*
*Hiss... should I give up a bit more of the profits?*
*But once it's swallowed, how can I spit it back out...*
Wrestling with himself, Li Guanqi finally gritted his teeth and was about to speak when the elder cut him off.
"Well... the Nether King... is dead."
"Mingchuan is gone."
Li Guanqi visibly froze, frowning in confusion. "Dead? Gone? What do you mean?"
The old man shrugged helplessly. "It means exactly what it sounds like. The Nether King is dead, and Mingchuan is no more."
As he spoke, the elder raised an arm slightly, and the surrounding void was instantly torn open by a hundred-zhang rift.
At that moment, the space inside the world of the Tianji Chart seemed as fragile as paper, severed with effortless ease.
As the rift widened, everyone looked out at the scene before them in utter shock.
The ground was battered and shattered, yet bathed in bright sunlight.
The yin-nether qi that had lingered for countless years seemed to have vanished completely in an instant.
Mingchuan had once been a domain where humans, ghosts, and demons coexisted.
Now, not a single living creature could be seen, and a pungent stench of blood assaulted their nostrils!
A faint mist of blood still drifted in midair.
A dry rattle caught in Li Guanqi's throat, and his brows drew tight with sharp intensity.
He had no idea what had happened out here, but Mingchuan was obliterated, and everything within a hundred li had turned into a land of death!
A storm of chaotic thoughts raced through his mind.
He didn't know how many had perished in that hundred-li radius. Even by the most conservative estimate, the dead among humans, ghosts, and demons numbered at least in the tens of thousands.
Li Guanqi's face went cold, his expression unreadable.
The elder beside him took note of this, though he saw nothing wrong with Long Hou's actions.
In fact, he had already guessed that Long Hou restricting the destruction to within a hundred li was because that venerable figure had explicitly instructed him to do so.
Li Guanqi pulled out an ordinary-looking jade slip, his voice trembling slightly. "Did you send someone to do this?"
The light on the jade slip faded, only to glow faintly a few moments later.
"It was me."
That aged, gentle voice made Gu Yong's heart shudder, his pupils contracting to pinpricks!
Beneath his sleeves, his hands trembled faintly. The suspicion he hadn't dared confirm was finally answered!
"Do you know how many died?" Confusion bled into Li Guanqi's voice.
"Within that hundred li, every innocent soul not belonging to the Nether King's forces was evacuated."
"Damn it all, do you really think this old man is a butcher?"
"Brat, cause less trouble for me!"
Hearing this, Li Guanqi broke into a grin. Before he could respond, the old man's voice sounded from the jade slip again.
"Don't think you can run wild just because you have this old man behind you. My enemies are beyond anything you can imagine."
The voice turned markedly solemn, yet it remained full of concern.
"So... raise your strength as quickly as you can!"
"Keep getting stronger, until... you can come find me in the Seventh Domain in person!"
Li Guanqi narrowed his eyes, muttering softly, "The Seventh Domain?!"
Beside him, Gu Yong barely dared to breathe.
Just then, as if sensing everything taking place here, the voice spoke again with authoritative majesty. "Little Gu is there too, isn't he?"
Even through a jade slip, Gu Yong hastily straightened his robes and bowed deeply. Taking the jade slip with both hands, he murmured respectfully, "Elder Su, Little Gu is right here. Please, give your command."
Li Guanqi was thoroughly astonished by the sight.
To think this old fellow was so nervous over a mere jade slip... Just what kind of person was his grandfather?
"Aside from what you two agreed upon, you are not to directly intervene to help him!"
Su Xuan's voice was stern, the warning unmistakable.
Li Guanqi wore a helpless expression. He had finally secured a powerful backer, and just like that, it was gone.
The elder nodded like a pecking chick, repeatedly agreeing. "Rest assured, I certainly won't!"
After a long pause, Su Xuan's voice drifted slowly from the jade slip once more.
"In three years, come find me."
The moment Gu Yong heard those words, wild joy flashed in his eyes!
He bowed with the utmost reverence. "My deepest thanks, Venerable Xuan!"
Carefully returning the jade slip to Li Guanqi with both hands, the elder chuckled.
"Hahaha! Little friend, you heard him yourself. My leg... isn't nearly as thick as your grandfather's."
Li Guanqi shrugged and said wryly, "What good is that? It's not like I can use his name to throw my weight around."
At that, the old man winked. "Silly boy, you can use mine!"
Li Guanqi immediately beamed.
"Didn't I say Elder Gu and I hit it off?"
In high spirits, the elder exchanged a glance with Li Guanqi, both of them squinting with wide smiles.
Li Guanqi suddenly said, "Elder Gu, may I ask you something?"
Gu Yong waved a hand generously. "From now on, treat the Tianji Pavilion as your own home. Ask whatever you like."
"That jade slip I gave you works just like a Tianji jade pendant, except you can ask anything free of charge."
Li Guanqi's expression turned serious, his voice deepening. "Who was hunting Cao Yan last time?"
Gu Yong pondered for a moment before laying bare Cao Yan's background.
"Cao Yan... is the son of the former Southern Heavenly King of the Xuanmen Domain."
Li Guanqi raised an eyebrow, quickly catching the key word. "Former?"
"That's right. Although the current Southern Heavenly King of the Xuanmen Domain also bears the surname Cao, he is not Cao Yan's father!"
"What? Then who is the current Southern Heavenly King?"
"His maternal uncle."
A glint of murderous intent flashed in Li Guanqi's eyes, and he muttered in a cold voice, "A usurpation?"
"Yes."
"And his parents?"
"Both dead..."
Chapter 450