Crushing with Sheer Might!

Li Guanqi's icy voice slowly resonated. "If you wish to return and contribute your strength to the sect's growth, everyone from top to bottom welcomes you with open arms. "Yet you lot... "If you intend to return just to fight for power and reap what you didn't sow at a time like this..." *Squelch!* With a flick of his wrist, Li Guanqi sheared the old man's jaw clean off, holding it in his hand. Shaking the fresh blood from his hand, Li Guanqi continued nonchalantly. "Then don't bother coming back at all. The Great Xia Sword Sect of today... has no desperate need for your return! "Consider this both advice and a warning." Clad in a flowing blue gown, Nangong Qianyan stared intently at Li Guanqi, her beautiful eyes flickering with unfathomable thoughts. Beside them, a gaunt elder with snow-white hair and beard and hands tucked into his sleeves also kept silent. Seeing this scene unfold, the corner of the elder's mouth curved slightly upward, his thoughts impossible to guess. Meanwhile, Ling Daoyan stared at the elder with white hair and beard, a look of reminiscence surfacing in his eyes. Suddenly, it seemed something clicked in his memory, sending monstrous waves crashing through his heart! "Tu Zhongqiu! The twenty-ninth-generation Supreme Elder!" This old man was likely the oldest living member of the Great Xia Sword Sect present on the field. And the man whose jaw Li Guanqi had severed was none other than Ji Hong, who had once served as Discipline Master. Hearing Li Guanqi's words, Tantai Yiting cast a deep glance at the sword whose hilt bore the mark of a crimson full moon. The man's expression turned quite unsightly, and beside him, Han Chengxian narrowed his eyes at Li Guanqi! Li Guanqi remained entirely fearless. As primal energy surged through his body, a terrifying, suffocating aura faintly emanated from him. The oppressive atmosphere permeated the heavens, such that even the spectators thousands of zhang away scarcely dared to draw breath. The disciples of the Great Xia Sword Sect held their breath in rapt attention as they watched. Behind them, within the pocket realm, countless figures stood suspended in the air, bearing witness to this sight. Many of those who had returned to the sect recognized Ji Hong! Even those who didn't still had an impression of him. Li Guanqi's display... was simply too shocking. Many of the sharper minds among them were already pondering where they stood and how to conduct themselves from now on. With Li Guanqi at his side, Lu Kangnian possessed immense confidence. However, he knew Li Guanqi was still injured and could not truly allow the situation to spiral out of hand. Not to mention that with so many guests observing the ceremony, it would hardly do to become a laughingstock. Lu Kangnian smiled and spoke up: "Senior predecessors, why don't... we head inside before discussing this further?" Tantai Yiting glanced at the blood on the tip of his sword and sneered, "Why go inside? If you ask me, the sect's juniors nowadays have grown far too ignorant of the rules. "There are times... when they ought to be taught a proper lesson." Li Guanqi sneered, utterly unafraid as their gazes locked. For self-important old bastards like these, the Great Xia Sword Sect was better off without them. *Hum—!* An incomparably immense pressure suddenly crashed down! Immediately following it, a thunder dragon measuring a full hundred zhang in length burst out of the void! The oppressive might unique to a true dragon washed over all directions. Its massive draconic eyes locked firmly onto the figures standing before Li Guanqi as Jiuxiao threw back his head and roared to the heavens! *Roar—!* A single sweep of the dragon's tail shattered hundreds of zhang of empty space, and in an instant, its body swept beneath Li Guanqi's feet! Coiling slowly upright, it hoisted Li Guanqi's figure high into the air! Cold glints flashed in the massive draconic eyes, and a stifled ferocity surged straight toward the sky! "A dragon! A true dragon, and a thunder dragon at that!" "*Hiss!* That's at least a peak tier-six great demon!" "To think it's a true dragon... Is that actually Li Guanqi's mount?!" That was not all. In the next moment, the space at Li Guanqi's shoulder rippled faintly, and a plump, white radish squeezed its way out. Following close behind was a plump, round ginseng that looked seventy percent like it... Standing on Li Guanqi's shoulder with its hands on its hips, Pengluo looked at the people across from them and shouted excitedly, "Master, should we bash them?!" Beneath them, Jiuxiao let out an answering roar of agreement. Opposite them, Han Chengxian's face shifted through several shades. A true dragon and a spirit creature—their auras were actually comparable to their own! *Where... where on earth did he get so many helpers?!* The draconic might rolling off Jiuxiao naturally carried an imperial pressure. Though Pengluo looked entirely harmless, the aura radiating from it was not weak in the slightest. The corner of Li Guanqi's mouth curved upward. As the space beside him warped, several figures stepped out in succession! Ye Feng strode out at an unhurried pace, hair disheveled and a sword slung at his waist. "Big Brother." Cao Yan rolled his wrists as turbulent blue flames surged around him. Casting a sideways glance at the three men opposite them, he asked, "Big Brother, are we fighting?" *Buzz!* A crimson spear pierced through the void, and a youth in red martial robes stepped forth. He flashed a grin at the other two: "Second Brother, Third Brother, you two were pretty fast." Then he turned to Li Guanqi and whined playfully, "Big Brother, I missed you to death. "By the way, are we bashing them or what?" The corner of Li Guanqi's mouth twitched slightly. "Why are all of you cut from the exact same cloth? The minute you show up it's bash, bash, bash—who did you learn that from?" The moment those words left his mouth, the three stared at Li Guanqi with expressions of mock horror, as if to say, *How could you of all people say that?* Across from them, Tantai Yiting and the others looked thoroughly grim. Every single person who had just stepped out... No matter which one they picked, they lacked the slightest confidence of securing a decisive victory against them! *What kind of monsters are these guys?! Four Void Refinement experts who haven't even reached thirty years of age?!* This sight caused countless onlookers to suck in a sharp breath of cold air. Many knew that Li Guanqi had several sworn brothers, but none had imagined that every one of them would be so terrifyingly strong! Suddenly! An even more horrifying pressure crashed down like a thunderbolt! That staggering might instantly bore down on Tantai Yiting and Han Chengxian, compressing their frames so violently they stumbled and nearly sank to their knees in midair! Everyone's gaze whipped around toward the distant, warped expanse of void. *Hum—!* Amid the twisting of space, a massive teleportation array slowly coalesced, and an elder clad in white robes walked leisurely out from within! The elder held a massive storage ring in hand, his gaze sweeping over the two like razor-sharp blades. Only when he turned to look at Li Guanqi did a trace of a smile finally grace his face. "The Five Yang Ghost Emperor presents his congratulatory gifts to Sect Master Lu of the Great Xia Sword Sect: three high-grade spirit veins, one spirit treasure, and three ancient treasures." With that, Li Changqing gave Li Guanqi a knowing wink and sent a voice transmission: "Kid, do you need the old man to lend a hand?" Li Guanqi grinned and winked back. "Just you giving them that little show of force is enough. I doubt they'll dare make any trouble now. "Besides... do you really think I couldn't kill them?" Li Changqing thought back to the Mei-rank assassins of the Sha organization and realized his worry was indeed somewhat superfluous. Even so, Li Changqing had no intention of leaving it at that. Narrowing his eyes at the two men, he let out a cold snort. *Pfft!* *Cough, cough!* *Gah! Pfft!* From nothing more than a single cold snort and the absolute suppression of his cultivation realm, Tantai Yiting and Han Chengxian, along with Ji Hong supported in their hands, turned pale as a sheet and sprayed a mouthful of fresh blood.