Aggressive

Boom! Before the words had even faded, a terrifying aura of pressure erupted from the man's body. Like a towering, monstrous wave, the immense pressure surged up behind him, as if it would swallow Li Guanqi whole the very next instant! Yet Li Guanqi's expression remained utterly calm. Beside him, both old men struck out simultaneously, shattering the man's pressure into nothingness. He Yuanting's gaze was as sharp as an eagle's. Ignoring the two elders in front of him, he glared fixedly at Li Guanqi. His voice was biting cold. "Li Guanqi, do not push your luck too far." Li Guanqi curled his lip in mockery. "Push my luck? Hahahaha. "No, no, no. I think 'bullying others by relying on powerful backers' fits much better. "If Elder Chu and Elder Li weren't here today, I might have kept these words buried deep in my heart. "When the day comes that I have the ability and the strength, I will naturally stand before you in person and say them." At this point, Li Guanqi gave a slight shrug. "It's just that right now, I don't yet have the ability to stand before you as an equal. So I might as well throw my weight around with the backing I have." Beside him, Meng Wanshu's lips curved into a faint smile. Seeing this unconventional, carefree attitude of his, she felt that nothing about Li Guanqi had ever truly changed. For so many years, the outside world had viewed her as an aloof, exalted favored daughter of heaven. Yet only she knew the monumental upheaval she had experienced as a child. The sudden transformation in status and standing had caught her completely unprepared—and on top of that, she had gained the ability to cultivate. Pursuing the Grand Dao of immortality, walking the path of cultivation, ascending to the upper realms... Things like that were beyond anything the younger her could have ever conceived. Back then, she had merely trailed after Li Guanqi every day, snapping tree branches and playing house. That little blind boy had deliberately wandered past her front door several times a day, just hoping to see if he could scrounge something to eat. She had left Fulong Village even earlier than Li Guanqi. When she awoke the next day, she and her mother were already in the Shenbao Domain. Everything Li Guanqi displayed now brought her profound peace of mind. It was as if everything had returned to how it once was, as though nothing had changed at all. No matter how grave the matter or how terrible the trouble caused, the boy beside her would always step forward with a cheeky grin and claim he was the one who did it. He Yuanting's face was grim as his gaze swept across the two old men. Among them, Li Changqing had intervened entirely out of consideration for Meng Wanshu's stance. However... Chu Jingze was someone he didn't dare cross, someone he couldn't afford to provoke in the slightest! And that Heart of the Ancient Kiln... Just as his eyes flickered, the plump old man beside Li Guanqi narrowed his eyes, his countenance darkening as well. In a calm, unruffled voice, he spoke. "He Yuanting, when you're shown respect, you'd better accept it. "If not for Young Master Li, that Heart of the Ancient Kiln wouldn't be paid for even if you sold off the entire Taixuan Sword Sect. "Others might not know the full story, but you certainly should. "Acting like this... is wrong. "Just for that pathetic pride of an expert, you bring up karmic debts without discerning right from wrong. Utterly ridiculous." The old man's scathing remarks were like sharp blades, exceptionally biting. He Yuanting's face turned livid as he listened, yet he had no way to refute a single word. A conflicted look flashed through the depths of his eyes. Cupping his hands slightly, he prepared to apologize to Li Guanqi. Yet Li Guanqi simply ignored him, raising a hand to stop him. "Those walking different paths cannot make common plans. Sect Master He, there is no need to force yourself into an insincere gesture. "From here on, Li Guanqi and the Taixuan Sword Sect will likely have little to do with each other anyway. Why put on an act? "You aren't sincere, so I won't accept an apology. Forcing you to apologize would only disgust you as well. "It's better left as is." Hearing this, He Yuanting dropped all pretense. Lowering his hands, he swept an arm out, shattering the sealing boundary over the distant Sword Abyss. With a cold smile that didn't reach his eyes, he said, "Be my guest." Li Guanqi was not one to stand on ceremony. Raising his hand, he immediately recalled his sword intent from the Sword Abyss! All that remained was a deep sword slash, proving that a wisp of Sword Heart Realm Yanluo Sword Intent had once lingered there! The disciples of the Taixuan Sword Sect felt the earth and the towering peaks tremble faintly. Immediately after, an extraordinarily powerful wisp of sword intent burst forth from within the Sword Abyss! The sword intent tore through the void, causing all the disciples' mouths to fall open. That sword intent was so potent that it rivaled the very strongest among those in the Sword Abyss. Yet now, they could only watch helplessly as the sword intent soared back and returned into Li Guanqi's body. Having reclaimed the sword intent, Li Guanqi looked straight at He Yuanting and slowly opened his palm. "Return Red Lotus to me." He Yuanting's eyes narrowed slightly, and he made no move. To tell the truth, that sword... at the very least, it was an ancient treasure-grade sword, and he even suspected it was very likely a rare spirit treasure! Moreover... Red Lotus's Apocalypse-grade form... A chilling glint flashed in Chu Jingze's eyes. He naturally caught the greed in He Yuanting's gaze. Right in front of everyone, he produced a Tianji jade pendant and spoke bluntly into it: "Dispatch the Tianji Guard here. Declare war on the Taixuan Sword Sect." He Yuanting's head snapped up as he stared at Chu Jingze! "What is the meaning of this?" The old man said impassively, "Literally what I said. What you heard is what it means." Gritting his teeth, He Yuanting's face turned ashen. "Does his family own the Tianji Pavilion?! You would go so far as to start a war with the Taixuan Sword Sect over this?" It was originally meant as a sardonic remark, but the old man chuckled, looked at He Yuanting, and grinned broadly. "Even if the entire Tianji Pavilion in the Taiqing Domain were wiped out in battle, the Old Pavilion Master wouldn't utter half a complaint. "In fact, he would be more than delighted." At those words, He Yuanting's pupils instantly shrank to pinpricks, and a hint of terror surfaced in his eyes as he looked at Li Guanqi. He believed that the old man before him was not exaggerating. What he said... was real. Chu Jingze gave a cold sneer, having no respect whatsoever for He Yuanting's pettiness and narrow vision. The man lacked even the slightest discernment. Never mind Li Guanqi himself—even Meng Wanshu, that golden phoenix branch, was completely beyond what his son could ever hope to reach. The old man sneered mercilessly, "When you go back today, you'd better burn incense to your ancestors and see if your ancestral tombs are smoking from sheer good fortune. "If anything were to happen to Young Master Li, not a single soul across the Taixuan Sword Sect would be left alive." He Yuanting's throat bobbed slightly, his pupils trembling violently! Gritting his teeth, he finally produced the Red Lotus sword. Taking Red Lotus back, Li Guanqi felt the blade emit a low hum. Not wanting to waste any more time here, Li Guanqi strode toward the Taixuan Sword Sect's main hall. Before that, however, Chu Jingze raised his hand and unleashed an utterly terrifying spatial power, laying down another formidable spatial seal within the Taixuan Sword Sect's sect-protecting grand formation! Li Guanqi led Meng Wanshu into the main hall. All the upper echelon of the Taixuan Sword Sect—the elders and consecrated elders—were gathered here, along with quite a few alchemists radiating powerful auras. Ignoring everyone's gazes, Li Guanqi walked straight toward He Yuning on the bed. Looking at the pale He Yuning, whose chest was a mangled mess of flesh and blood, a flicker of apology crossed Li Guanqi's eyes. At this moment, a hazy, gentle radiance emanated from He Yuning's chest, his heart beating with vigor. Li Guanqi reached out and patted his shoulder, opening his mouth, yet in the end, he said nothing.