After a bit of bickering, Li Guanqi promised to give He Yuning some scales from Jiuxiao's shed skin once the dragon molted, which finally put an end to the fuss.
He Yuning then began to tidy himself up. Seeing him change into a rather opulent green robe, Li Guanqi couldn't help asking in puzzlement, "Why are you dressed so lavishly and formally today? Is that woman arriving today?"
Only then did He Yuning remember that he hadn't explained a thing. "No, not today. In preparation for her arrival, the three major powers of Yuntian City are meeting today to discuss security measures and prevent any unexpected incidents."
Li Guanqi nodded. If that woman's status was truly as exalted as He Yuning claimed, no degree of security in Yuntian City would be excessive.
"Brother Li, do you want to come along?"
Li Guanqi declined without a second thought, chuckling softly. "Forget it. That's business between your factions; I won't go eavesdropping. I'll just wander around on my own later."
He Yuning thought it over and figured that made sense. He simply unhooked the jade pendant from his waist and tossed it to Li Guanqi.
Catching the pendant, Li Guanqi heard He Yuning say, "Take my jade pendant. As long as it isn't a forbidden area, you can go anywhere in the Taixuan Sword Sect. I'll give Old Wu a heads-up later.
"Oh, right—you can't enter the Scripture Pavilion, since you aren't a member of our sect after all. But you can check out the Sword Abyss."
The corners of Li Guanqi's mouth curved slightly. Being around He Yuning felt very comfortable. The man was genuine and spoke his mind plainly; if the Scripture Pavilion was off-limits, he said so outright and explained the reason. It wasn't stinginess—after all, a scripture pavilion was the foundation of a sect, and outsiders would never be allowed free entry no matter how close the friendship.
Li Guanqi did not refuse. He was genuinely interested in visiting the Sword Abyss, a treasured ground of the Taixuan Sword Sect. With more than thirty types of sword intent residing there, it had to be a place of immense importance to the sect.
Once he was ready, He Yuning twirled his bamboo flute lightly, rested his hands behind his back, and smiled. "Then I'll leave you to your own devices. I'm off to the main hall, and I'll come find you once our discussions are done."
Li Guanqi nodded. After He Yuning departed, he too took to the air, flying away from the detached courtyard.
Along the way, quite a few people cast puzzled glances at Li Guanqi. Many disciples did not know He Yuning had brought him back, and the white robe he wore was clearly not the uniform of the Taixuan Sword Sect. Still, seeing him roaming the sect so brazenly, the disciples merely assumed he was a visiting guest of one of the powers.
Li Guanqi pondered for a moment, then closed his eyes slightly to sense his surroundings. His divine sense spread at an astonishing speed—at least thirty percent faster than before!
He couldn't help marveling inwardly, *If I encountered those three black-armored commanders now, I probably wouldn't end up in such a pathetic state.* Only by growing strong could one face everything with composure. Throughout his travels, he relied very little on the sword spirit. Clenching his fists, Li Guanqi had long realized that relying on his own strength was always the safest path.
Before long, he sensed an area thick with mixed sword intents. Though the aura was faint, with his sword intent at the Sword Gall Realm, his perception of sword intent was extraordinarily sharp.
*Whoosh!*
Li Guanqi darted forward like an arrow, swiftly arriving in the sky above a gorge a hundred li away.
The ground of the gorge was tinged with black, shrouded in thick clouds and mist, looking utterly mysterious. Gazing down through the mist, one could faintly make out a chasm stretching several thousand zhang. The dark rift was only around twenty zhang wide, resembling a long spatial fissure.
Wild winds seemed to howl within the gorge, neatly slicing through the cloud layer above into a long boundary line. A sea of clouds billowed toward the sky, presenting a breathtaking spectacle.
Li Guanqi stared blankly at the scene, rubbing his chin as he muttered, "Maybe I should make one of these on Yuhu Peak?"
With lightning crackling beneath his feet, Li Guanqi flickered into position above the gorge.
Yet the Sword Abyss was not deserted. At the edge of the chasm lay a middle-aged man reeking of alcohol. His green clothes were somewhat dirty and tattered, his skin slightly dark, and his features chiselled and resolute like stone carved by blades and axes. With stubble framing his jaw, he looked thoroughly unkempt.
Yet Li Guanqi found that he couldn't see through the man's cultivation at all!
Li Guanqi had just broken through to the peak of the Soul Formation Realm, only a single step away from the Void Refining Realm. With his inherently powerful divine sense, he could usually perceive something even from a mid Void Refining cultivator.
After a moment's hesitation, Li Guanqi remained where he was and bowed respectfully. "Junior Li Guanqi has come to the Sword Abyss at the invitation of my good friend, He Yuning. Senior..."
Before he could finish, the man waved his hand in utter annoyance.
"Get lost."
Li Guanqi froze slightly, as the direction the man waved toward was straight down into the Sword Abyss.
Li Guanqi didn't take offense. Cupping his hands toward the man, he soared into the air and plunged toward the depths of the Sword Abyss.
Still, this encounter made him keenly aware of the gap between the Great Xia Sword Sect and a premier sect of this caliber. First there had been Elder Wu, whom he couldn't see through, and now this man was equally inscrutable.
Pushing these stray thoughts aside, Li Guanqi plummeted rapidly. Yet even after descending for several breaths, there was no sign of reaching the bottom.
Looking up toward the sky from below, he could only see a faint sliver of light, flanked on both sides by pitch-black stone cliffs.
Observing the smooth rock faces, Li Guanqi couldn't help making a bold guess: *Could this Sword Abyss have been carved out by some mighty figure with a casual swing of a sword?*
As Li Guanqi continued to fall, the wind howled ceaselessly past his ears, and sharp, ferocious sword qi began to appear around him. The sword qi sliced through his robes, causing Li Guanqi's expression to tighten.
He clearly sensed dozens of immensely powerful sword dao auras! In his perception, those auras resembled hundred-zhang giants standing tall between heaven and earth, their swords pointed toward the vault of heaven!
Li Guanqi snapped his eyes open. Without realizing it, he had already arrived deep within the chasm.
*Tap, tap!*
After dropping nearly five hundred zhang, Li Guanqi finally touched down at the bottom of the Sword Abyss.
Stepping upon the uneven ground, Li Guanqi knew these were all marks left behind by crisscrossing sword intents. Looking around, he saw thirty-three sword scars of varying depths etched into the pitch-black stone walls of the gorge. Every single sword scar radiated dazzling light, imbued with exceptionally powerful fluctuations of primal energy.
Filled with reverence, Li Guanqi slowly walked up to the first sword scar.
Looking up at the terrifying slash that cut dozens of zhang into the rock, Li Guanqi closed his eyes slightly and felt an intensely fierce, unyielding will radiating from it!
Chapter 483