Speculations on the Sha Organization!

That day, Li Guanqi accompanied the old man drinking in the courtyard all night. Only when Shen Lan arrived the following morning was the old man carried inside. Li Guanqi gave all of his remaining tea leaves to Shen Lan, smiling as he said, "Martial Mother, this is good stuff. Later, you and Master should both drink some. Breaking through the shackles of Soul Formation won't be an issue at all." Shen Lan was startled to hear this, but she voiced her worry. "Spend more time with your master lately. What happened with Sui'an... took a heavy toll on him. I often see him sitting in the courtyard, smoking his pipe and staring blankly into space." Li Guanqi nodded, then turned and vanished from where he stood. Arriving at Yuhu Peak, Li Guanqi looked at his tidy room and felt warmth welling up inside. Perhaps it was only upon returning to the Great Xia Sword Sect that he could truly relax like this. Because this was his second home—a place willing to shield him from the wind and rain. Lu Kangnian could never have imagined that in just a few short years, Li Guanqi would have grown to such an astonishing height. These past few days, the Sect Master had been so busy his feet barely touched the ground, constantly rushing from place to place. Ever since the thunder sword Li Guanqi released had hung suspended in midair, not a single trace of Abyss Demons had appeared within a radius of three hundred li. Li Guanqi sat at the mountain peak, slowly breathing in and out as his chest rose and fell gently. The breath he exhaled was slightly murky, and a trace of pitch-black fiendish qi seeped from both his palms, resembling dark ink. *Buzz!* A faint aura of pressure drifted through the air. Li Guanqi opened his eyes and looked down at his palms. Thunder surged across his skin, annihilating the fiendish qi, and he could not help letting out a sigh. The fiendish qi released in that final outburst by the assassin from the Mei branch had been terrifying. At his current rate, completely purging the fiendish qi from his body would take at least half a year to a full year. "It still feels a bit lonely... I wonder how Second Brother and Third Brother are doing. And Jiuxiao... uh... is he in the Southern Domain?" Li Guanqi gazed into the distance, then made another trip to the Great Xia Sword Sect's domain realm. Looking at the bustling scene inside, he suddenly realized he had nothing left to do. Pavilions and towers were rising across the realm, and everyone went about their tasks in an orderly manner. Just then, Ji Yuchuan's voice suddenly sounded in Li Guanqi's ear. "Pavilion Master, we found it!" Li Guanqi frowned and replied in a low voice via voice transmission, "I'm coming over now!" He tore open the void with a wave of his hand and vanished. By the time Li Guanqi arrived at Feiyun City, a long dragon of a queue had formed outside the gates—it was an absolute sea of people. Notices of all kinds were plastered around Feiyun City, listing the items for this Yunding Auction House sale. The very first item was... Marrow Cleansing Liquid! The corner of Li Guanqi's mouth twitched. He hadn't expected the Sect Master to actually sneak around and unseal it. While cultivating yesterday, he had sensed faint spatial tremors from one of the nearby peaks. Furthermore, Li Guanqi saw that the auction list even included fourth-rank spirit beast cubs! "Things from the Purple Spirit Grotto-Heaven?" Without dwelling on it, he knew Qianqiusui could handle such affairs. Nowadays, Yunding Auction House was a premier auction house across the entire Qingyun Continent, auctioning countless rare and exotic treasures. Even the Treasure Pavilion of the Great Xia Domain was doing everything it could to negotiate cooperation with Qianqiusui. Considering the distribution channels Qianqiusui controlled, any terms she demanded would likely fetch offers that no one could refuse. Yet with a single wave of her hand, Qianqiusui refused even to meet with them. *Buzz!* The domain gateway opened. Ji Yuchuan had not come out in person, sending a young man instead. The youth possessed handsome features and had already attained the Nascent Soul realm at a tender age. Seeing Li Guanqi, he was visibly nervous, not daring even to look him in the eye as he bowed his head and respectfully led the way. Li Guanqi said nothing; as Pavilion Master, he still had an air of authority to maintain. Guided by the youth, they soon reached an antique, elegant pavilion. Passing through the dense crowd of people toiling away at their desks, Li Guanqi was surprised to find Ji Yuchuan sitting at the head of the room behind them all. Ji Yuchuan had been frowning over various tasks, but sensing Li Guanqi's presence, he immediately looked up and rose to his feet. With a smile and a bow, he said, "Greetings, Pavilion Master. Please forgive me for not coming out to welcome you. There are simply... far too many matters to attend to." Noticing the orderly desk and the man's bloodshot eyes, Li Guanqi waved a hand. "It's fine. I don't care much for formalities. Let's talk in your study." Ji Yuchuan bowed and led Li Guanqi toward the back. Once inside the study, Ji Yuchuan poured Li Guanqi a cup of tea, produced a jade slip, and said softly, "That woman's identity has been confirmed. She is from the Great Xia Domain—or rather, from Lingxu Continent! "Her name is Zhuang Yue, twenty-six years old, wood-attribute king-grade spiritual root, an inner-court core disciple of Wanhua Tower. Her master is Du Ying, a late Soul Formation Realm cultivator. Ten years ago, she was severely wounded by an elder from a rival sect, leaving her at death's door. After that, she vanished completely, until... now!" Li Guanqi casually picked up the jade slip. Inside was a partial map of Lingxu Continent, with Wanhua Tower's location marked. Frowning slightly, he asked in a low voice, "What were the circumstances of Zhuang Yue's injury back then? What was her cultivation realm at the time?" Ji Yuchuan replied gravely, "According to our investigation, Zhuang Yue was sixteen years old at the time and already at the mid Core Formation Realm. After she was ambushed by enemies, her golden core shattered and poison entered her body, causing the peerless prodigy to fall from grace. At that time, she had only three months left to live." Li Guanqi listened to Ji Yuchuan's account while his fingers tapped rhythmically against the tabletop. When he had killed Zhuang Yue earlier, her origin spirit had been entirely whole and intact. If a golden core truly shattered, the damage was irreversible! Just like... his own master, unless one shattered the core, regressed in realm, and cultivated all over again! *Wait... fiendish qi... the power of Abyss Demons!!* A spark of inspiration flashed through Li Guanqi's mind as a possibility struck him. Turning to Ji Yuchuan, he said in a chilling voice, "Tell me... is it possible that the Sha organization selects certain candidates in advance, severely injures them, or uses other means to force them into a corner, only to suddenly appear as saviors and recruit them, using special methods to let them devour the power of Abyss Demons? "And by utilizing the power of Abyss Demons... they restore and elevate their strength on one hand, while keeping them under control on the other!" Hearing this, Ji Yuchuan's heart jolted violently! The question he had been pondering all along was how Sha managed to attract so many formidable experts. After all, the stronger people were, the prouder and more arrogant they became. Without an irresistible enticement, how could such figures willingly submit to others? Yet what if... by devouring the power of Abyss Demons, they could assume a half-human, half-demon form to evade the samsara heavenly tribulation of higher realms? Or perhaps... by turning into that state, they could extend their lifespans!