Accompanied by the woman's sharp cry, the five disciples of Xuanfeng Palace instantly formed a profound sword array!
Flickering in motion, the five took up flanking positions in the blink of an eye, trapping Li Guanqi in their midst.
What was more, every one of these five disciples possessed a metal spiritual root.
In an instant, wild winds howled through the valley, and sword qi crisscrossed the air.
Clouds and mist shrouded heaven and earth. Li Guanqi could not see his surroundings at all; he could only sense the figures rapidly shifting positions around him.
Though merely five Nascent Soul cultivators, the array bolstered their collective aura to the verge of half-step Soul Formation.
Empowered by such strength, the strikes within the sword array rivaled those of a Soul Formation cultivator!
*Whoosh! Whoosh!*
Successive beams of sword light struck out from all directions!
Li Guanqi's expression remained unchanged; he did not even bother drawing the sword at his waist.
Lightning flickered beneath his feet as he wove through the fierce sword light using sheer movement technique alone.
With hands clasped behind his back, he spoke with a touch of exasperation.
"What is the meaning of this? Trying to take me down without a word."
The woman's voice came through the mist.
"You little thief, one look and it's clear you harbor wicked intentions!"
"Subdue him!"
Giving Li Guanqi no chance to explain, the attacks around him grew drastically fiercer before her voice even faded.
Lightning flashed beneath Li Guanqi's feet, primal energy roaring within him. He did not take these attacks seriously in the slightest.
Even though the incoming sword light was several times denser than before, he continued weaving effortlessly through the sharp beams.
Shifting rapidly, the woman moved incessantly through the mist.
*What speed! To think he can dodge all of it. Hmph!*
Li Guanqi called out, "I already told you I'm here to save someone. Why must you keep dragging this on?"
Seeing that she offered no reply, Li Guanqi had no desire to keep dodging either.
*Whoosh!*
Seeing Li Guanqi come to a halt, the woman assumed her chance had arrived.
"Gengjin Soul-Severing Array: Void Piercer!!"
*Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!*
Sharp shrieks of tearing air rang out beside Li Guanqi's ears as several dozen dense beams of sword light converged upon him from all directions!
Yet right then, Li Guanqi stood where he was and slowly raised an arm.
Just as everyone thought he was about to be subdued, their eyes widened as they stared ten zhang ahead.
Li Guanqi casually extended his right hand, his fingertips striking out like lightning, tracing an array of afterimages as he tapped every single incoming beam of sword light!
*Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!*
A continuous barrage of explosions echoed out, and all the golden sword light vanished into nothingness.
From the center of the smoke and mist, a figure clad in white slowly stepped forth.
*Whoosh!*
Finding the man right in front of her, the woman was momentarily at a loss.
*Boom!*
Li Guanqi merely cast a sidelong glance at her, and a terrifying pressure erupted in an instant!
The overwhelming might slammed all five of them flat against the ground.
Her face flushed scarlet from the strain, her pupils trembling faintly as cold sweat soaked her collar.
"W-What do you think you're doing?! I am a disciple of Xuanfeng Palace!"
Li Guanqi slowly crouched down, saying nothing before delivering a stinging slap across her face.
*Smack!*
The woman's gaze went blank, utterly bewildered.
With a cold face, Li Guanqi said softly, "I told you why I came. Would it kill you to pass along a message?"
With those words, he turned toward the mist behind him, sank his breath into his dantian, and roared:
"Someone in charge from Xuanfeng Palace, get out here!"
*Boom!*
In an instant, boundless thunder and lightning erupted around Li Guanqi.
The dense fog blanketing the entire valley was cleared away in a flash!
The woman on the ground gaped in astonishment at the sight.
Only now did she realize just how terrifyingly powerful this young man was.
From start to finish, all he had used against their sword array was a single finger.
*When... when did such a monster appear on the Lingxu Continent?*
As the thunder and lightning dispersed between heaven and earth, the space ten zhang before Li Guanqi warped slightly.
Immediately after, an old woman dressed in opulent robes and leaning on a dragon-head staff slowly materialized.
She wore dark green brocade robes, holding the staff in her left hand and a string of milky-white prayer beads in her right.
Her white hair was meticulously groomed. Though slightly stooped, her expression was stern, her lips thin.
Wrinkles lined her face, the slack skin of her cheeks drooping toward the corners of her mouth, while fierce sharpness filled her brow and eyes.
Her appearance made the Xuanfeng Palace disciples behind her shudder, and they called out in unison:
"Disciples pay respects to the First Elder!"
The old woman swept her eyes across the ground, then slowly raised her murky gaze toward Li Guanqi.
When she laid eyes on him, a flash of sharp light glinted in her eyes.
"Who are you?"
"Why have you attacked and injured disciples of my Xuanfeng Palace?"
Her tone dripped with arrogance, her aura domineering.
Li Guanqi's sturdy frame stood straight as a sword. Looking at her calmly, he replied,
"From the Qingyun Continent, Li Guanqi."
"If I had truly wished to strike, these disciples of yours would have lost their lives long ago."
The old woman narrowed her eyes, an inscrutable look in her gaze.
The young man showed not the slightest fear toward her aura; his strength was formidable.
"Hmph! You are not from Zhongnantian. For what purpose have you come seeking Xuanfeng Palace?"
Li Guanqi shrugged and stated plainly,
"I heard that Xuanfeng Palace's Saintess, Su Qian, has been afflicted with lethal poison. I came to see if I might be of assistance."
Upon hearing this, a cold gleam erupted in the old woman's eyes. Her robes billowed without any wind.
The vegetation in the valley began to grow wild and rampant. Blades of grass that had only reached ankle height shot up to the knees in the blink of an eye.
The surrounding trees swelled by several zhang out of thin air, their rustling branches swaying erratically.
"Our palace's Saintess is in sound health. Where did you hear such news?"
"What... are your intentions?"
Li Guanqi felt a chill in his heart. He had not expected her guard to be so heavy.
From the look of it, word had not leaked out at all; Xuanfeng Palace was clearly keeping it under wraps as well!
This old woman before him... was definitely a powerhouse of the Void Refining Realm, though he could not tell her exact minor stage.
In his perception, her aura was as deep as an abyss, brimming with murderous intent—far from someone easily dealt with.
Li Guanqi thought to himself, *Should I borrow a big name to smooth this over?*
Yet he quickly dismissed the idea.
Although Gu Yong seemed to get along well with him, he could not run to that grand buddha for every little thing.
Favors were diminished with every use, and he knew he had not reached a point where Gu Yong needed anything from him.
Even as these thoughts crossed his mind, the old woman barked fiercely, "Speak! Who sent you?!"
Before her voice had faded, the surrounding environment shifted abruptly!
The valley's flora surged frantically at that very instant, their interlocking branches and stems wrapping around the entire valley like an impenetrable thicket of vines.
An extraordinarily powerful spatial ripple washed through, and the space of the entire valley was displaced in an instant!
Li Guanqi narrowed his eyes, muttering inwardly,
*It really is hard to be a good person these days...*
Chapter 455