Apocalypse: Ten Halls of Yanluo!

Her eyes curving into joyful crescents, Li Guilan smiled warmly. "I told you two were a match made in heaven from the start. Look at that, wasn't I right?" "Well now... doesn't this mean I've gained a son? Hahahaha!" Meng Jiangchu, walking ahead of them, was too depressed for words. He had known it: if he didn't give the boy a thrashing back then, he would never get another chance. *Sigh...* He knew his wife far too well. Had it been anyone else, she would have flown into a rage and wanted to skin them alive. But with Li Guanqi... she would never have the heart to touch a hair on his head. Li Guanqi had practically grown up under her watchful eye. Knowing his wretched past, she had treated him as her own flesh and blood since childhood. Whenever he went cold or hungry, she had worried more frantically than anyone. And now look at this... His wife favored the brat, and his daughter shielded him. For a moment, sorrow welled up from the depths of Meng Jiangchu's heart. He tilted his head back with eyes closed, his emotions utterly tangled. *Sigh...* Hearing Meng Jiangchu's heavy groans, the surrounding guards did not dare utter a word. Then again, it made sense. If any of them were in his shoes, they would probably be even more frustrated than he was. Only then did Li Guanqi turn to take in his surroundings, realizing they had arrived within an independent bounded space. Moreover, this pocket world was remarkably stable. Although he could tear open such a spatial pocket at will now, he could never create one of this scale. A light sweep of his divine sense revealed that it stretched hundreds of li across! Its space was extraordinarily solid as well, looking as though it had existed for ages. Li Guanqi was technically capable of opening pocket worlds of his own, but he saw little point in doing so. Why would a wanderer roaming the world bother with that sort of thing? If he truly wanted to make one, he might as well return to the Great Xia Sword Sect and establish a few there. This realm was cradled by mountains and rivers, with three grand peaks towering between heaven and earth. One of the peaks was a volcano, and scorching magma could occasionally be seen erupting from its summit. Meng Wanshu smiled and said, "That's where Father and the other weapon refiners usually forge artifacts. I rarely go over there myself." Li Guanqi nodded. He could sense a terrifying reservoir of fire-attribute power lurking deep within that mountain. Rubbing his chin, he pondered in silence. As the sole eighth-tier Saint-grade armorer in the Shenbao Domain, Meng Jiangchu could not possibly lack a powerful flame within his body—and it had to be a heavenly flame. *Which one is it?* *Buzz—!* "Welcome back, Domain Lord!" The resounding shouts of the crowd broke his thoughts. Li Guanqi looked up to find that the group had already arrived at the main peak's plaza. Magnificent, gold-gilded palaces met the eye in every direction, fronted by a resplendent main hall. Meng Jiangchu strode toward the main hall with a frosty expression. Realizing the occasion, Li Guilan took Meng Wanshu by the hand and headed toward the rear palace. Meng Wanshu had just weathered major trials, after all; as her mother, she naturally had plenty she wanted to talk about. More importantly... Right now, Meng Jiangchu was the Domain Lord of the Shenbao Domain! Earlier, when they had just arrived, they were surrounded only by trusted confidants, so it hadn't mattered if she spoke without restraint. But back here at the Domain Hall, with so many eyes and ears around, she had to preserve his dignity. Otherwise, word would spread that the Shenbao Domain Lord was an utter weakling who could be scolded at will by a village woman, completely stripping him of his prestige as Domain Lord. Though Li Guilan knew nothing of cultivation, the worldly wisdom of human relations had long become second nature to her in the village. A husband and wife could quarrel and fight, but only behind closed doors. Before outsiders, she would give Meng Jiangchu every ounce of face he deserved! "Xiao Li, go have a chat with your uncle. I'll take Wanshu back to get settled first." Li Guanqi nodded with a gentle smile. "All right, Aunt Li, go ahead." Meng Wanshu looked at Li Guanqi with lingering reluctance, a trace of worry unavoidable in her eyes. Li Guanqi signaled her with a reassuring glance. Once she departed, he strode toward the great hall. Attendants had already arrived to escort Xiao Chen and Ye Feng to their guest quarters. Beneath the resplendent exterior of the grand hall lay the reinforcement of over a hundred terrifying arrays. The instant Li Guanqi took a single step over the threshold, an invisible, crushing weight bore down upon him in full force! Clenching his teeth, Li Guanqi's expression turned grave. *This pressure...! It's enough to obliterate anyone below the Integration stage!* And what was more... *A realm within a realm!* Indeed, the moment he stepped inside, the space shifted around him once again! It was as though the entrance of the grand hall was merely a gateway to an entirely separate dimension. Meng Jiangchu wore a goatee, his face somewhat lean, but his eyes were filled with sharp intensity. Draped in a white robe, he sat upon a high-platform throne, casting a downward glance at Li Guanqi with a sneer. "Boy, don't tell me you lack even the courage to step through the door?" Before he could finish, Li Guanqi brought his foot down heavily into the room. *Thud!!* The entire hall seemed to shudder faintly beneath the impact. Meng Jiangchu's eyes narrowed, a sudden chill striking his heart. *Not bad, kid... you've got some nerve...* *No, no, keep it together. Why the hell am I praising him?!* Meng Jiangchu maintained the formidable posture of a supreme ruler, exuding an overwhelming aura of oppression. In Li Guanqi's eyes, Meng Jiangchu was no longer the rustic villager of his memory. He was a true peak powerhouse standing tall between heaven and earth. A terrifying pressure emanated from him, paired with eyes as calm and still as water. The man simply sat casually on his throne, yet the entire hall and the seat behind him flared with bursts of fiery radiance. In that split second, the man's figure seemed to swell boundlessly in Li Guanqi's vision! In the blink of an eye, he transformed into a heaven-propping colossus seated above the clouds, looking down upon the mortal world from on high. And Li Guanqi was merely an insignificant pebble in a vast, boundless ocean. Only the two of them remained within the vast expanse of the hall. The monstrous pressure surged toward him like crashing tsunamis, intent on forcing him to his knees in surrender. Every bone in Li Guanqi's body let out groaning creaks under the unbearable strain. Even so, Li Guanqi stood as erect as an unsheathed sword, his spine straight as an iron pillar. Gradually, the pressure grew increasingly horrifying, pounding against Li Guanqi like mountain after mountain piled upon his shoulders. Cold sweat beaded on his forehead. His body began to tremble involuntarily, and veins bulged along his neck. Just as Meng Jiangchu thought Li Guanqi was on the verge of collapsing, Li Guanqi, whose mind had drifted into an inexplicable state, slowly closed his eyes. When he snapped them open again, the massive sword coffin abruptly manifested behind him! *Boom!!* The sword coffin slammed into the ground! Two swords—one crimson, one black—instantly leapt into his hands. The Sword Ruins hummed with power, and Li Guanqi took a fierce stride forward! *BOOM!* In an instant, Li Guanqi's battle intent soared to unprecedented heights. "Apocalypse: Red Lotus Sky Dance!" "Apocalypse: Ten Halls of Yanluo!" *Rumble!* Red Lotus in his left hand erupted with peerless, dread-inducing might as sword intent shot straight into the heavens. Ghostly silhouettes flickered along the blade of Yanluo in his right hand, and the pitch-black phantom of Yanluo suddenly materialized behind Li Guanqi. In an instant, heaven and earth churned with storm clouds as gale-force winds howled. The scarlet-gold hall shuddered violently, and the entire towering main peak swayed beneath the shockwaves. Lost in the surge of his own soul, Li Guanqi burned with soaring battle intent. Angling his swords toward the towering colossus seated above him, he roared, "Draw your sword!!" Meng Jiangchu froze, momentarily failing to grasp his words. Li Guanqi's battle intent surged higher still, burning to clash with the titan before him. Once more, he roared with all his might, "*Draw your sword!!*"