Over this period, Li Guanqi had thoroughly come to understand what it meant to be universally condemned...
Yet in circumstances like these, a woman he had seemingly never met before had suddenly appeared, placing unshakeable trust in him.
He Yuanting was naturally perplexed as well; he refused to believe this woman had any past ties with Li Guanqi!
The difference in status between the two was thousands of miles apart, a true contrast of cloud and mud.
Even Ye Feng on the side turned to look at Li Guanqi, grimacing as he asked, "Boss, you know her?"
But right now, Li Guanqi couldn't hear a single sound.
There was only the woman standing before him, framed against the light.
He watched her spread her arms, standing between him and He Yuanting as she argued fiercely on his behalf.
Li Guanqi murmured softly, "Wanshu..."
At those words, the woman before him trembled all over.
"Is it really you?"
He Yuanting swept his wide sleeves in fury and said in a chilling voice, "I don't care what misunderstandings there are! Everyone saw with their own eyes that he... killed my son!!"
"On what grounds do you believe he is innocent?!"
When He Yuanting asked this, Meng Wanshu took a slow, deep breath and turned to look at Li Guanqi.
Looking at the peerless beauty she had become, Li Guanqi couldn't help but grin.
He said softly, "I'm sorry. I look a bit pathetic right now."
Meng Wanshu slowly turned. Disregarding the blood and grime all over Li Guanqi, she caressed his cheek with deep heartache, channeling her purest primal energy into him.
Her voice rang out clear and resolute: "Because..."
"I knew him before the rumors."
Instantly, heaven and earth fell silent. Across the sky above Yuntian Square, Meng Wanshu's firm voice echoed continuously.
Beside them, tears welled in Ye Feng's eyes as he muttered, "Boss, why do I suddenly feel like a third wheel?"
Hearing this, Li Guanqi burst into wanton laughter, surging to his feet regardless of the agony of the chains piercing his body!
Standing, Li Guanqi was half a head taller than Meng Wanshu, his spine straight as a sword.
Lowering his head, he leaned down and kissed her domineeringly.
This sight left the surrounding cultivators dumbfounded, their mouths gaping as they stared at the two figures in the sky.
The white-haired elder at her side widened his eyes even more, waving his hands frantically from the side.
"Aiya... Aiya! Saintess, you mustn't... you mustn't!!"
"Tsk, this won't do at all!! Oh my heavens, this, this, this..."
Even Ye Feng swallowed hard, muttering with a resentful look, "I'm still here... I'm still right here, you know."
Her lips were cool, but Meng Wanshu's breath gradually grew scorching hot.
After a long moment, Li Guanqi lifted his head, looked into her eyes, and said softly, "My wife, all these years, I've waited so hard for you."
To the side, He Yuanting's face was as dark as stagnant water. If Meng Wanshu was determined to protect Li Guanqi at all costs, he truly didn't dare make a reckless move.
Not only was Meng Wanshu the only daughter of the Shenbao Domain's Domain Lord, but the elder behind her, Li Changqing, was no pushover either.
Li Guanqi suddenly leaned down and whispered into Meng Wanshu's ear.
Meng Wanshu's beautiful eyes sharpened, and she nodded almost imperceptibly.
Li Changqing's gaze focused, a sharp glint abruptly flashing in his eyes.
He suddenly raised his hand and slammed it down toward the void beneath his feet!
Instantly, a terrifying spatial barrier sealed off the surrounding hundred li!
Then, Li Guanqi's eyes turned razor-sharp, and he domineeringly shielded Meng Wanshu behind him.
As primal energy surged around him, the power within his body raged with tyrannical fury, like an awakening lion.
He suddenly roared, "Pengluo!!!"
Pengluo, who had been playing dead with eyes closed, snapped his eyes open!
His bisected body instantly joined and healed, limbs regrowing as purple markings glowed brightly across his skin.
Furious and ferocious, Pengluo slammed his hands together!
A severed finger suddenly appeared before him.
In an instant, purple light surged around Pengluo. The severed finger suddenly burst, and the remnant blood instantly transformed into a crimson thread, shooting toward the crowd!
Li Guanqi's eyes narrowed, and he roared, "Cang Lu!!!"
Boom!
In that instant, all the indignation and fury in his heart erupted violently!
The sword coffin trembled, and the sword spirit within looked on in utter disbelief.
The sword coffin burst open with a roar!
Immediately following, a resonant sword cry tore across the heavens!
Within a radius of a thousand zhang, every sword cultivator's blade let out a mournful wail, and even magic treasure-grade swords trembled, humming in resonance.
Then, a four-foot-long sword of pitch black abruptly shot forth from the sword coffin!
Li Guanqi opened his right hand and gripped the sword, becoming one with the blade.
The muscles in his right arm tautened, as if he felt none of the sword's immense weight.
Looking at the sword in his hand, Li Guanqi said softly, "From this day forth, your name is Yanluo!"
*Cang!*
The blade vibrated, letting out a gleeful sword hum.
The corner of the sword spirit's mouth curved slightly; she hadn't expected Li Guanqi to make a second sword acknowledge him as master on its own initiative at such a time.
At this moment, the Sword Ruins in Li Guanqi's spiritual terrace hummed, and the sword spirit unreservedly released the power that belonged to her.
*Hum!*
Li Guanqi took a fierce stride forward and looked up at the firmament!
With a wave of his hand, heavenly flame wrapped around the Yanluo sword, severing the chains binding him in an instant!
Gripping the chains with his right hand, he wrenched them rawly from his flesh; as primal energy circulated, his wounds rapidly healed.
Only now did Meng Wanshu finally feel the pressure emanating from Li Guanqi.
He was clearly only at half-step Void Refinement, yet he felt even more terrifying than Ye Feng had earlier.
Li Guanqi walked forward slowly. With a flick of his wrist, light flashed, and a shadow-casting stone appeared.
With primal energy poured into it, the shadow-casting stone abruptly burst open, and an enormous light screen over fifty zhang across instantly materialized.
The image displayed Cang Lu disguised as him, forcefully thrusting the Red Lotus Sword into He Yuning's chest.
And the sword intent inside He Yuning had naturally been acquired by Cang Lu through some method.
He Yuanting watched in silence, unable to comprehend...
"You could have clearly proven your innocence, so why drag it out until now?"
Li Guanqi turned to look at the red thread controlled by Pengluo and murmured, "Naturally, to kill someone with absolute certainty..."
Suddenly!
The red thread, which had previously been aimless, abruptly shot toward a specific direction!
In the crowd, Cang Lu had tried his utmost to conceal his aura, but Pengluo's methods likewise did not belong to the Spirit Realm!
Boom!
Cang Lu's aura erupted instantly, and he actually revealed himself voluntarily, stepping out of the crowd and into the void.
Slowly throwing back his black robe, Cang Lu calmly gazed at the assembly of mighty cultivators, a strange smile touching the corner of his lips.
"Li Guanqi, you're ruthless enough."
"Just to draw me out, you didn't hesitate to gamble with your own death."
"Weren't you afraid I wouldn't come?"
Rumble!
Rolling peals of thunder resounded. Only now did the crowd look up, realizing that at some point, the sky above the entirety of Yuntian City had been blanketed by heavy, dark clouds.
With a raise of his hand, Li Guanqi shattered several thousand spirit stones, swallowing the dense spiritual mist like a whale.
Li Guanqi looked up at the heavenly tribulation about to descend overhead and smiled freely.
Looking toward Cang Lu, who calmly faced his death in the distance, Li Guanqi said softly, "To ensure your death, it's worth it."
"Of all the things you shouldn't have done... you should never have laid a hand on the people by my side."
Boom!
From the heavens above, a bolt of lightning as thick as a water barrel crashed violently downward!
Chapter 503