I Told You, You Can't Kill Me!

An overwhelming sense of crisis inexplicably washed over everyone! The spectating cultivators were utterly bewildered, having no idea what was happening. Cao Zhennan had been crippled, and that youth had ultimately been saved. It could be said that from this day forward, Southern Heavenly King Cao Zhennan was reduced to a complete laughingstock. To say nothing of all the atrocious deeds he had committed. Yet just as Li Guanqi was about to execute Cao Zhennan, more people had actually arrived! The onlookers marveled endlessly, thinking that what they witnessed today would serve as fodder for conversation for the rest of their lives. Li Guanqi paid no heed to any of that, reaching directly into Cao Zhennan's body to extract his spiritual root. Because that belonged to Cao Yan! "Ahhh!!" A bloodcurdling shriek pierced the heavens, sending a shiver through the crowd. Ripping a spiritual root straight out of an origin spirit was an agony beyond imagination... The man's features contorted, his eyes bulging as if about to burst at the corners. His dead-fish eyes glared fixatedly at Li Guanqi, and upon sensing those descending auras, an eerie smirk crept onto his lips. Blood mingled with spittle dripped slowly from the corner of Cao Zhennan's mouth. Even though his dantian was crippled, his origin spirit remained intact! As long as he did not die and his origin spirit was not destroyed, he could cultivate anew and quickly regain his realm and strength. "Heh... heh-heh..." "You can't kill me..." "I'm... still the Southern Heavenly King!" Hum! Li Guanqi felt deeply irritated by his glare. Extracting the spiritual root still required some time. At this moment, a thread of blue fire seemed to stretch between the man's glabella and Cao Yan. A cold sneer touched Li Guanqi's lips, and he reached out, gouging the man's eyes straight out of their sockets. He whispered softly, "I really hate the way you look at me." Pop! Pop! The eyeballs burst. A flame ignited in Li Guanqi's hand, and with a light tap of Red Lotus against the ground, the man's body was instantly imprisoned within a cage of lightning. Looking up toward the distance, he spoke in a calm voice: "You three, since you've come all this way, why not show yourselves?!" Boom! An unimaginably terrifying surge of lightning instantly blanketed the void, forcing three figures clad in lavish robes out from concealment. One man, dressed in a magnificent brocade robe, held a folding fan in hand and regarded Li Guanqi with a tranquil gaze. His posture was straight as a sword, with sword-like brows and starry eyes, his deep gaze seemingly able to see through all things. The man standing in the center wore an embroidered black robe, his hands hanging loosely at his sides as he stood beneath the firmament. Faint fluctuations of primal energy surged around him, yet his aura was the most formidable among the three. The man's expression was grim, his features sharp and prominent with a hooked nose and slightly high cheekbones, exuding an icy aloofness that kept people thousands of li away. Beside the two men stood a woman clad in a long green dress. Her dark-green hair was casually pinned behind her head. The hairpin securing it radiated a dense vitality, clearly no ordinary object. Her cheeks were slightly rounded, her features delicate with a dainty nose and small mouth—frankly rather cute. Yet her composed expression paired with her dignified bearing lent her an inexplicable air of majesty. The instant the three appeared, the heavens and earth, drenched in pouring rain, seemed to grind to a halt. The torrential rain hovered midair without falling, while the lightning filling the sky gradually dissipated, drawn away by their aura. Li Guanqi's expression shifted slightly, his eyes narrowing as he looked at the three figures standing aloof above. From the moment they appeared, the three had looked down upon the crowd from on high. Just then, gasps of astonishment broke out among the spectating cultivators as they evidently recognized the trio's identities. Every cultivator who recognized them was struck with utter shock, promptly bowing in deep salutation! "Greetings, Eastern Heavenly King!" "Greetings, Western Heavenly King!" "Greetings, Northern Heavenly King!" Loud, resonant shouts rose one after another, and Li Guanqi understood their identities in his heart. The information given to him by the Tianji Pavilion immediately echoed in his mind. Eastern Region Heavenly King Duan Ming, Western Region Heavenly King Nangong Xi, and Northern Region Heavenly King Lu Xuan! The stern-faced, black-robed man in the middle was none other than Northern Heavenly King Lu Xuan. The man looked down with calm eyes at Li Guanqi and his companions; though somewhat surprised in his heart, that was all. Without exception, all three were late Void Refining Realm mighty figures who had cultivated for ages. As for a few mere middle Void Refining Realm youngsters, the three of them genuinely did not hold them in any regard. Originally, upon hearing that someone had caused a ruckus at Cao Zhennan's birthday banquet, they had not paid it any mind. Only when Li Guanqi and his companions slew Void Refining Realm cultivators one after another did they realize things were getting somewhat out of hand. If Li Guanqi and his group truly killed Cao Zhennan in front of everyone, then the three of them would lose all face as well. If the four grand Heavenly Kings of the Xuanmen Domain had a member slaughtered on his own doorstep by a few juniors, their prestige as Heavenly Kings would be thoroughly ruined. Therefore... no matter what, Cao Zhennan could not die today! Even if he succumbed to heavy injuries and died on his own afterward, he absolutely could not be killed by these people. Lu Xuan's deep voice resonated slowly: "You're Li Guanqi, right? "Since you've already achieved what you set out to do, could today's matter end here?" Hearing this, Li Guanqi narrowed his eyes at the man. He naturally knew what the man meant. He would certainly save Cao Yan. However... The man must also die! Lu Xuan said softly, "As fellow Heavenly Kings, if we let you kill him just like this, we'd lose a great deal of face. "So... could you give me some face and spare his life?" Seeing this, the surrounding cultivators wore strange expressions as they looked toward Li Guanqi. Today's disturbance had escalated to such a degree that virtually all upper-echelon cultivators in the Xuanmen Domain were paying attention. Furthermore, they had all witnessed Cao Yan's wretched state with their own eyes. Given the character Li Guanqi had displayed, he would never let this matter rest. Yet three full Heavenly Kings had arrived together. Their intention was blatant—to suppress him with overwhelming force! The fluctuations of primal energy surging around the three visibly grew stronger. At the side, a sneer appeared at the corner of Cao Zhennan's mouth. Blood welled up as he stammered haltingly: "I... told... you... you can't... kill... me..." Hearing this, Li Guanqi expressionlessly shattered his jaw with a punch and ripped his tongue straight out. Under the icy gazes of Duan Ming and the other two, he snapped irritably: "Noisy!" Xiao Chen and Ye Feng remained entirely calm, turning to look at Li Guanqi. Their meaning was obvious: Heavenly Kings or not, if he didn't agree, they would fight! Li Guanqi felt their gazes as well. He looked up at Lu Xuan and gave a chilling smile. Then, having finished drawing out the spiritual root, he slowly pulled Cao Zhennan before him. Seeing this, Lu Xuan smiled slightly, feeling that today's matter had been resolved quite smoothly. Eastern Heavenly King Duan Ming said softly with an arrogant look, "Whoever recognizes the circumstances is wise." Beside them, the woman cast a nonchalant glance over the group, scoffed softly, and prepared to turn and leave.