Chu Menglan looked deeply at Li Guanqi, struck by the immense confidence radiating from the young man.
This confidence stemmed entirely from his own strength, not from blind arrogance or conceit.
Yet on second thought, she realized he had every reason for such poise.
After all, Mingchuan had vanished into nothingness, yet he had emerged unscathed—and rumors held that he had claimed every treasure from the ancient ruins for himself.
As for why Mingchuan had disappeared in the first place, no one truly knew.
Ever since its vanishing, every faction across the Lingxu Continent, great and small, had been frantically digging for the truth.
Even the supposedly omniscient Tianji Pavilion had offered only a single answer: "Unknown."
This cast an even deeper veil of mystery over Li Guanqi's identity.
A figure of his caliber would never stoop to underhanded schemes, which was why she chose to believe his explanation.
Chu Menglan spoke softly, "Do you know what takes place two days from now?"
Li Guanqi shrugged. He genuinely did not know the details and had only heard passing remarks. "I would like to hear the particulars."
Looking somewhat weary, the woman leaned gently back against her chair, her taut gown outlining her figure in vivid detail.
Yet she seemed entirely oblivious to it, speaking on in her measured tone.
"The three of our factions jointly manage the cross-domain teleportation array, and bad blood has run deep among us for a very long time."
"Because of that, a rather cliché arrangement was established: every hundred years, each faction sends out one disciple to compete for control over it."
"In our Xuanfeng Palace's current generation of disciples, only Su Qian shows any promise, which is why..."
Li Guanqi naturally picked up the thread. "Which is why she ended up like this?"
The woman nodded helplessly, a trace of bitterness touching her face.
She looked up at Li Guanqi and whispered, "To tell you the truth, we've tried every remedy imaginable. I even brought in a sixth-rank grand alchemist, but to no avail..."
Li Guanqi shrugged again. He could have guessed as much.
For a Saintess of Xuanfeng Palace, how could the sect have simply sat on its hands?
Rising to his feet, Li Guanqi said, "To be honest, though I truly wish to reach the Taiqing Domain through your teleportation array, I cannot guarantee I can resolve your saintess's condition either."
"Let us go take a look first."
At those words, the old woman's expression twisted abruptly. She struck her dragon-headed cane heavily against the stone floor!
Primal energy surged violently around her, primed for battle!
Fixing Li Guanqi with a frigid stare, the old woman hissed, "Little brat! Are you playing us for fools?"
Li Guanqi narrowed his eyes, his gaze turning icy.
"Old hag, watch your tone. Don't force me to cut you down."
Furious, the old woman bristled, about to lash out.
Though Chu Menglan was annoyed by the old woman speaking out of turn, she was still the Palace Master of Xuanfeng Palace and possessed her own fierce pride.
Looking down at Li Guanqi with an aloof air, she said, "Young man, don't let your temper flare so easily, lest you end up harming yourself."
Chu Menglan felt that this youth was far too dismissive of her—acting as though they were equals!
Hearing this, Li Guanqi let out a cold, incredulous laugh, seeing right through her posturing.
He kicked aside the table beside him. Amid the thunderous roar of primal energy, the Red Lotus sword instantly achieved its Apocalypse form!
*Boom!*
The four-foot blade flashed into existence, lightning-laced sword qi swirling wildly around him.
The sword spirit slowly materialized, silently resting a hand over Li Guanqi's.
In an instant, heaven and earth trembled. The tremendous power instantly tore countless pitch-black rifts across the secret realm space of Xuanfeng Palace.
Chu Menglan shot up, her lovely eyes fixed on Li Guanqi as her heart hammered frantically against her ribs.
The fine hairs on her arms stood on end, and cold sweat beaded across her forehead.
The old woman was even less capable of enduring this oppressive aura, her legs trembling violently. Had she not been leaning on her cane, she would have collapsed to her knees on the spot.
Li Guanqi narrowed his eyes and spoke evenly. "Don't look down from on high when you speak to me."
"Getting to the Taiqing Domain doesn't require Xuanfeng Palace. I could just as easily go negotiate terms with the Heavenly Demon Sect or the Nether Shadow Palace."
"I could even temporarily join one of their ranks if I wished."
"Do you truly think these disciples of your Xuanfeng Palace could stop me?"
"Ungrateful fools who spurn the courtesy offered."
The woman remained rooted to the spot, thoroughly pinned down by that unfathomable pressure.
Li Guanqi let out a cold snort, raising his hand and cleaving a massive rift straight through the grand hall with a single slash.
*Crash!*
Bricks, tiles, and wooden beams rained down, tearing an actual breach through the sturdy fabric of space itself.
He stepped through and vanished from sight, his disdainful voice drifting back through the air.
"I hope you won't come kneeling to beg me later."
Drenched in cold sweat, the old woman stared icily at Li Guanqi's departing back. "Palace Master, are we truly going to let him walk away so easily?"
Chu Menglan struck the old woman across the face with a merciless slap.
With an expression like frost, she growled, "Know your place, Yu Guizhi!!"
"Do you think his background is that simple?"
"Use your pig brain! Even setting his identity aside, the power he revealed just now filled even me with the terror of death!"
The old woman's expression shifted repeatedly before she finally bowed her head in contrition.
"Even without him, it makes no difference. Isn't that esteemed personage arriving today?"
"With that guest here, everything will surely be fine. We don't need him anyway."
Chu Menglan's expression darkened, a strange unease settling into her chest for reasons she could not explain.
Sitting back down in her chair, she rubbed the bridge of her nose and commanded, "Hurry and restore the hall to receive our distinguished guest."
With that, she rose, cast a chilling glance at the old woman, and warned, "Keep your mouth shut."
Chu Menglan then vanished into thin air. She, too, needed to bathe and change her attire.
After all, the visitor arriving shortly was someone of exceedingly noble status.
***
Having stepped out of Xuanfeng Palace, Li Guanqi asked in bewilderment, "Sword Spirit, why did you have me lose my temper back there?"
Standing behind him, the sword spirit chuckled softly. "A physician never knocks uninvited. That woman and the old hag clearly harbored doubts about you."
"Rather than pandering to them, it's far better to wait for them to seek you out themselves."
Li Guanqi curled his lip, but after thinking it over, it made plenty of sense.
With his hands tucked behind his back, Li Guanqi strolled toward a tavern. Suddenly recalling something, he asked, "If you had struck back then, how much would you have had to drain from me to kill that Chu Menglan?"
The sword spirit smiled with utmost gentleness. "She is at the peak of Void Refinement, after all. But this time would have been much better than the last—ten years."
Li Guanqi raised an eyebrow, a gleam of delight flashing in his eyes as he rubbed his hands together. "Only ten years? Not bad at all! With my current lifespan... I could unleash that a hundred times over!"
"What the hell do I have to fear then? Haven't I just stood tall?!"
The sword spirit folded her hands behind her back, leaning forward slightly as she beamed at him. "What I meant was... ten years remaining."
Li Guanqi's face collapsed instantly, looking as though he had swallowed a basket of bitter gourds.
"Only... ten years left..."
The sword spirit straightened up and assumed a serious expression. "Never, ever entrust your life to someone else—not even to me."
"Focus on cultivating properly. That old hag still possesses a few tricks; if it truly came down to an all-out fight, you would still be the one at a disadvantage."
Chapter 457