*Buzz!*
The space throughout the entire valley twisted violently.
Immediately after, the old woman, along with Li Guanqi and several other disciples, were all displaced into the true spatial barrier of Xuanfeng Palace!
Li Guanqi looked around at everything with great novelty.
Emerald-green light enveloped the entire barrier. This was the first time he had ever encountered a Void Refining Realm wielder of wood-element power.
Looking up to examine the surrounding domain barrier, Li Guanqi spoke up.
"To be honest, I'm not very fond of Xuanfeng Palace's hospitality."
The old woman sneered, and the dragon-headed cane in her hand struck forcefully against the void beneath her feet!
*Boom!*
"No one has ever dared to show such contempt for my Xuanfeng Palace!"
"Speak! Who sent you?!"
Li Guanqi looked at the old woman and said softly, "I only want to go to the Taiqing Domain, and I came after overhearing the news by chance. But none of that matters now—you intend to attack anyway."
As his words fell, the surrounding spikes were already closing in on him.
Yet within his perception, he also noticed that the old woman had not struck to kill from the outset; she clearly intended to capture him alive.
The disciples of Xuanfeng Palace outside had already seen the situation within the barrier.
Many female cultivators covered their mouths and gasped, "Heavens, what on earth happened? The First Elder is taking action personally?"
"Who is that person? To think the First Elder had to step in herself... I heard Senior Sister Li Wen and the others were all defeated by him."
The dragon-headed cane in the old woman's hand radiated waves of immensely powerful green light. Wherever the glow spread, all the trees seemed to come alive.
Suddenly!
The old woman's pupils shrank slightly. Behind Li Guanqi, an enormous pitch-black sword casket suddenly appeared.
*Boom!*
A terrifically terrifying sword intent soared into the sky!
The sword coffin opened, and the Red Lotus sword swept instantly into his hand!
Sky-filling thunderous sword light erupted, shredding countless vines and tree trunks beneath the vault of heaven.
Li Guanqi swung his sword-bearing hand down fiercely. The terrifying force instantly tore a hundred-zhang gap straight through the old woman's domain barrier!
The suppression of cultivation realms seemed nonexistent. The old woman gripped her cane until her knuckles turned slightly pale, gravity clouding her brow and eyes.
*Humph!*
With a cold snort from the old woman, the colossal gap was mended in an instant.
Beside her, several warriors conjured from ancient trees coalesced, and their numbers continued to multiply.
Gravity crept into Li Guanqi's gaze. The auras of these warriors manifested from ancient trees were exceptionally formidable.
Every single one rivaled an early Void Refining Realm expert!
That was the Void Refining Realm! The old woman's methods were... truly terrifying!
"Whew... Guess I'll have to get a little serious."
Li Guanqi slowly slipped off his upper garment, revealing lean, hardened muscle and a dense array of gruesome scars.
As his vitality surged, Li Guanqi's strength climbed to the pinnacle in that moment. Gripping his sword in his left hand, he whispered softly:
"Soul Release: Red Lotus!"
*Boom!*
*Thud!*
Li Guanqi's figure vanished from where he stood in an instant, the void beneath his feet collapsing.
Immediately following, sword light exploded across the sky, and one warrior forged from an ancient tree after another detonated with a crash!
Three breaths.
Li Guanqi stood three chi away from the old woman, pointing his sword at the center of her forehead as he asked softly, "Shall we continue?"
The old woman's expression was utterly calm. The dragon-headed cane in her hand was aimed at Li Guanqi's throat, yet fell one chi short.
Right at this moment, however, an exquisitely beautiful woman clad in a magnificent, gilded gown suddenly appeared in the clearing!
Li Guanqi frowned slightly, his heart tightening. He had not sensed the slightest trace of her approach!
The woman was tall, appearing no older than thirty, with a curvaceous figure that took one's breath away.
Her towering peaks in particular sent a tremor through the soul.
An oval face, a high nose bridge, willow-leaf brows, and a cherry mouth; crowned with a phoenix tiara, her bearing was supremely noble.
Her pair of eyes seemed capable of seeing straight through human hearts.
The moment the woman appeared, the old woman let out a breath of relief and hastily bowed in greeting.
"Palace Master."
The woman nodded slightly and turned to Li Guanqi, her voice crisp as the tinkling of melting snow in early spring.
"Yanluo Sword, Li Guanqi?"
Li Guanqi smiled faintly and raised a hand to remove the face-changing bug.
Clad in white with dashing features, standing straight as a sword and upright as a green pine.
A handsome face accompanied by a smile, he sheathed his sword, cupped his hands, and said, "It is indeed junior. Please forgive my offense, Palace Master Chu."
That was right—the woman before him was none other than the Palace Master of Xuanfeng Palace, an expert rumored to be in the half-step Body Integration Realm: Chu Menglan!
Chu Menglan looked deeply at Li Guanqi and could not help praising him.
"Truly, heroes emerge from the young. Young Master Li is indeed a dragon among men."
Almost all the factions on the Lingxu Continent had received word of Mingchuan's disappearance.
Yet very few knew the deeper details behind it, and she happened to be one of them.
Though she only had a partial understanding, she could still deduce that the youth before her was not someone to be trifled with.
The old woman frowned slightly and cast a complex look at Li Guanqi.
She too had heard of Li Guanqi's reputation: he had slain Ming Xiao with his sword and suppressed Xuan Lin with his fists—a ruthless character through and through.
Chu Menglan glanced at the surroundings, and the old woman raised her hand to retract her domain barrier.
Only then did Li Guanqi clearly see the full splendor of Xuanfeng Palace.
This special spatial barrier spanned at least a hundred li around.
Encircled by mountains and studded with peaks, lush, verdant mountains towered into the clouds.
Immortal cranes called in chorus, cloud bridges faintly appeared and disappeared, and several mountain peaks floated in midair, linked together by floating boulders.
Li Guanqi could not help praising, "What a majestic immortal sight."
Chu Menglan turned and said, "Let us speak inside the hall."
With the old woman having dispelled the barrier, the surrounding female disciples clearly saw Li Guanqi's true appearance.
For a time, squeals of astonishment rang out incessantly.
"Ahhh!! What a handsome sword cultivator!"
"Heavens! He's Li Guanqi from the Qingyun Continent!!"
"Li Guanqi? Is he famous? How come I haven't heard of him?"
"He is... incredibly strong! He can practically be considered the number one in the Qingyun Continent—oh, right now he could even be called number one in the Lingxu Continent!"
"What?! He's that amazing? He looks the same age as us!"
"It's said he isn't even twenty yet! His talent in the sword dao is monstrous!"
Chu Menglan's lips curved slightly, and she teased with a hint of amusement, "Looks like you're quite popular."
Li Guanqi kept a straight face and shrugged.
"Can't help it. Strong and handsome—it's hard not to be liked."
Chu Menglan's eyelid twitched.
"Quite thick-skinned, aren't you?"
*Creak!*
The party of three arrived at the main hall of Xuanfeng Palace, and Li Guanqi slowly took a seat.
He took an unhurried sip of tea, praising the lingering fragrance on his palate. "Good tea."
The woman sat across from him, her hands folded atop her knees as she asked softly, "Speak. Where did you get this information? You should know I sealed this news—hardly anyone in the outside world knows of it."
Li Guanqi leaned back against the chair and said softly, "I overheard it by chance. I don't know whether I can resolve Su Qian's problem either."
The woman did not press further, asking instead, "Your condition?"
"If I can do it, I hope Palace Master Chu will activate the cross-domain teleportation array and send me to the Taiqing Domain!"
"Just that?"
"Mm, just that."
"Fine! I agree!"
Chapter 456