Tang Wei looked up at the ceiling, countless thoughts flashing through his mind in an instant.
Only after a long while did the man turn his blazing gaze onto Li Guanqi.
"Is everything you said true?"
"If it weren't, I wouldn't have made this trip, let alone bypassed Tang Ru to come straight to you."
The corners of Li Guanqi's mouth curved slightly. He knew Tang Wei had reached a decision.
"Phew... Fine! I agree!"
With an expression showing that everything had unfolded just as expected, Li Guanqi said softly, "If the Tang family ever has need, I will be a steadfast ally, and so will Guanyun Pavilion. Of course, the Great Xia Sword Sect does not belong to me alone; I will not make decisions on the sect's behalf."
Tang Wei nodded heavily and said in a deep voice, "Good! Starting today, the Treasure Pavilion and Guanyun Pavilion will also cooperate!"
The corner of the man's mouth curled slightly, and he couldn't help revealing the grin of an old fox. "Judge Ji Yuchuan, the peak seventh-rank talisman master of the Daochan Domain—I've coveted his talents for a long time."
In truth, Tang Wei had agreed so readily because he had already been weighing this in his mind for a long time.
Presently, the Great Xia Sword Sect was in the ascendant. Even if Li Guanqi hadn't come to him, he would have instructed Tang Ru to seek Li Guanqi out. Tang Wei was aware of some of Li Guanqi's strength and connections.
Not only that, the Great Xia Sword Sect's recent maneuvers were massive and had already drawn the attention of many. Based on Tang Wei's understanding of Lu Kangnian, the man's temperament was as deep and steady as an abyss. Without absolute certainty, he would never have chosen to recall every member of the Great Xia Sword Sect from outside!
Part of Lu Kangnian's confidence came from having Li Guanqi around, but on the other hand... Tang Wei believed it was because Lu Kangnian felt that even without Li Guanqi, he could still maintain full control over the overall situation!
Tang Ru wished to inherit his position, but given his current abilities and situation, he was indeed still lacking in many ways. If Li Guanqi's Guanyun Pavilion truly was as he described, it would allow Tang Ru to unleash his full potential and accomplish great things!
As for why Li Guanqi had come to Tang Wei, aside from wanting to bring Tang Ru into the fold, an even more important reason was the Treasure Pavilion's vast reservoir of resources!
The Great Xia Sword Sect's recall ceremony was only two days away.
A sect currently numbering merely five thousand disciples could suddenly swell to around fifty thousand in a short span of time!
For a sect of such colossal scale, the daily resource consumption would be an astronomical figure. Perhaps only cooperation with behemoths like the Tianji Pavilion and the Treasure Pavilion could resolve this problem.
The remaining matters were for Lu Kangnian and Tang Wei to discuss—namely, how to utilize the sect's experts for mutual benefit.
Once these terms were settled, Tang Wei also breathed a sigh of relief.
Of his three sons, only Tang Ru was fit for great responsibility, which had caused him no small amount of headaches.
Li Guanqi joked, "In the past, I thought Uncle Tang was only the pavilion master overseeing the Northern Region of the Qingyun Continent."
Tang Wei laughed heartily. "You didn't expect that I was responsible for the entire Qingyun Continent? Hahahaha!"
Just then, the Guanyun Jade Pendant inside Li Guanqi's storage ring flickered with a faint light.
Probing it slightly with his divine sense, a smile suddenly touched the corners of Li Guanqi's lips.
Picking up the teapot, he poured Tang Wei a cup of tea and asked softly, "Uncle Tang, has the Abyss Sealing Grounds suppressed by the Treasure Pavilion also experienced successive disturbances lately?"
Hearing this, Tang Wei's pupils abruptly contracted to pinpricks!
One had to know that this matter was a secret of the Tang family; ordinary people had no knowledge of it whatsoever!
Seeing this, Li Guanqi smiled faintly, an air of mystery surrounding him.
Only now did the man truly adjust his mindset and view Li Guanqi's Guanyun Pavilion with full seriousness!
*It seems... in the end, I still underestimated this Guanyun Pavilion.*
Since Li Guanqi already knew, Tang Wei had no intention of continuing to conceal it.
He said in a deep voice, "Indeed. For some unknown reason, the seal on the Abyss Sealing Grounds has recently begun to weaken, giving me quite a headache. Moreover, the seal our Tang family uses to confine the Abyss Demons isn't small."
A trace of exhaustion flickered in the depths of Tang Wei's eyes.
It wasn't that the Tang family lacked various sealing formations, but rather... the seals used against Abyss Demons were somewhat different. Ordinary sealing dharma artifacts and tools could hardly endure the erosion of demonic energy; before long, the artifacts would be completely ruined.
Li Guanqi smiled faintly, sitting back in his chair with his hands tucked into his sleeves, and said softly, "Leave this matter to me. What do you think, Uncle Tang?"
A sharp glint flashed in Tang Wei's eyes. Looking at Li Guanqi, he asked gravely, "Are you serious?"
A solemn look fell over the man's face as he continued with utmost gravity, "I've been fraught with worry over this matter recently. I approached many array master friends, but none could do anything about it. That sealing formation is an ancient formation..."
Li Guanqi gently raised a hand. Next to him, space twisted slightly, and the figure of an elderly man stepped out!
Watching this unfold, Tang Wei's pupils shrank violently!
For he had felt no spatial fluctuations from the domain whatsoever.
At such close range, he hadn't detected the slightest shred of the newcomer's aura!
The man was clearly standing right in front of him, yet he could not perceive him at all!
Xi Yunhuai cupped his hands slightly toward Tang Wei, his expression entirely aloof, not considering Tang Wei's status to be anything extraordinary.
With a calm gaze, he said softly, "Guanyun Pavilion, Xi Yunhuai."
Tang Wei hurriedly stood up, bowed to the elder, and said with great solemnity, "Head of the Tang family, Tang Wei, pays respects to Senior Xi."
Li Guanqi also rose with a smile. "Uncle Tang, there's no need to be so formal. We're all family."
Then, turning to the elder beside him, he said with a smile, "Uncle Xi, shall we head over and take a look?"
These days, Xi Yunhuai didn't dare underestimate this Pavilion Master of his in the slightest.
Just from contemplating the formation Li Guanqi had casually inscribed that day, his attainments had improved considerably in recent times.
Toward Li Guanqi, he now held immense respect—to say nothing of what Ji Yuchuan had privately told him regarding that golden-armored man...
Xi Yunhuai bowed in salute, showing utmost reverence.
It stood in stark contrast to the indifference he had shown Tang Wei.
Tang Wei walked alongside them, falling half a step behind Xi Yunhuai out of respect for the strong.
After all, a grandmaster of array dao in the Body Integration Realm was superior in both status and power to a Qingyun Continent Treasure Pavilion master like him.
Yet how could Xi Yunhuai dare walk ahead of Li Guanqi?
Thus, it ended up with Li Guanqi walking alone at the very front, Xi Yunhuai behind him, and Tang Wei trailing at the rear.
The man's eyes flickered and a smile played on his lips as he nodded silently at Li Guanqi's back.
*It seems... having Tang Ru follow him might not be bad after all. The Great Xia Sword Sect...*
Tang Wei reached a decision in his heart. It might be a risky move, but the returns would definitely be enormous!
Soon, the group arrived before a colossal stone monument!
The stele before them was fully over thirty zhang tall and pitch-black all over, surrounded by ten-zhang-tall black stone pillars.
Within a radius of a thousand zhang, no one could approach, and a surging barrier of light blocked the view of outsiders.
Chapter 733