Old Man, Times Have Changed

The elder, however, had no intention of leaving just yet. Instead, he flashed directly behind Li Guanqi. At the sight, the faces of several onlookers turned drastically pale! This was a genuine, bona fide Body Integration powerhouse! Not only that... the Five Yang Ghost Emperor was the exalted title of none other than the Domain Lord of the Shenbao Domain! Yet that was not the end of it. While the leaders of the various attending factions were still reeling from the shock, violent spatial ripples abruptly churned through midair! Sensing the auras within, the corners of Li Guanqi's mouth curved slightly upward. He looked toward Lu Kangnian and said softly, "Sect Master, this is my force." Tantai Yiting and Han Chengxian had already been trembling with apprehension the moment they felt those terrifying presences. They could sense at least two Body Integration auras! And now they heard Li Guanqi boldly claim that this was his force?! *Buzz!* Several figures slowly stepped out of the void! Leading the way was the dashing and elegant Ji Yuchuan, with Xi Yunhuai by his side. Behind them came the grinning Tang Ru and the breathtaking Qianqiusui. Under everyone's watchful eyes, Ji Yuchuan led the group and dropped to one knee before Li Guanqi! This time, not even Xi Yunhuai was an exception! "Subordinate Ji Yuchuan, leading everyone from the Guanyun Pavilion, offers congratulations to the Great Xia Sword Sect! We have prepared modest gifts, wishing the Great Xia Sword Sect boundless prosperity!" "Ji Yuchuan... Ji... from the Daochan Domain... the Judge, Ji Yuchuan?! A peak rank-seven talisman master! Heavens above!!" "Guanyun Pavilion? I've never heard of such a faction. Was it founded by Li Guanqi?" Among the crowd, an itinerant elder stared unblinkingly at Xi Yunhuai beside Ji Yuchuan. His fingers trembled as he murmured, "The Daochan Domain's peak rank-seven array master, Xi Yunhuai!!" "That fat man... isn't he the pavilion master of the Treasure Pavilion in Wuzi City?" A clamor of voices rose in waves, and some even recognized Qianqiusui's identity. Many factions that had quietly harbored grievances couldn't help but gasp at the sight. Against such a terrifying force, they were fortunate not to have had their entire clans wiped out. Li Guanqi smiled, raising his hand to lift everyone up. "Rise." Originally, Li Guanqi hadn't planned on having Ji Yuchuan come, but Ji Yuchuan, who had been watching from the shadows, simply couldn't hold back after seeing how arrogant those men had been. Even they held their pavilion master in the highest reverence. How could a few mere Void Refinement cultivators be permitted to mock him as they pleased? As a Lantern Lighter, Su You was unsuited to showing his face in the outside world. Yet today, the grand spectacle of the Great Xia Sword Sect drew countless eyes. If the Guanyun Pavilion wanted to expand, it needed to be recognized and known by all. Thus, this scene had come to pass. Just as everyone thought the shock couldn't get any greater, another voice rang out slowly. "Hahaha! Little friend, this old man isn't late, is he?" The newcomer was none other than the master of the Qingyun Continent's Treasure Pavilion, Tang Wei! At the same time, an entire throng arrived! Spatial fluctuations and the glows of teleportation arrays lit up in rapid succession! "Chu Menglan of the Lingxu Continent's Xuanfeng Palace arrives with sect elders to congratulate the Great Xia Sword Sect!" "Chu Xingxian of the Wind Thunder Sect arrives to offer congratulations!" "Song Yunshu of the Tianji Pavilion arrives to offer congratulations!" "Gu Huai of the Six Ancient Sacred Sect arrives to offer congratulations!" "Shen Qi of Zhenyue Mountain arrives to offer congratulations!" Li Guanqi smiled faintly as one powerful aura after another surfaced. Turning toward the two flustered elders, Li Guanqi stood straight, sword sheathed, and chuckled softly. "Old man, times have changed. "When you walk the world... it's all about backing." Tantai Yiting and Han Chengxian were utterly pale. Standing beside Qin Xian, Gong Ze couldn't help but chuckle inwardly at the sight. *This isn't just times changing... for the two of them, the fucking sky just collapsed.* Wave after wave of guests arrived in endless succession, many of whom Li Guanqi barely even recognized. The spectators watching the ceremony were so overwhelmed that they eventually grew numb. There were simply too many people arriving... So many that even the onlookers lost count. Eventually, those attending merely to observe scrambled to prepare congratulatory gifts of their own, terrified that Li Guanqi might bear a grudge against them. Tantai Yiting and Han Chengxian stood frozen in place, their faces devoid of color. Whether intentionally or not, those Body Integration experts directed heavy, suffocating pressure onto the two of them. No sooner had one wave crushed down than another took its place. Even the sycophantic Ji Hong wasn't spared. His mangled jaw had mostly healed, yet fresh blood kept trickling steadily from the corners of his mouth. Ji Yuchuan and Xi Yunhuai in particular singled out the three of them, crushing them beneath their auras again and again. By the time Li Guanqi finished exchanging pleasantries, the chests of all three men's robes were soaked in blood... Watching this, Tu Zhongqiu and the still-alluring Nangong Qianyan felt their hearts pounding in alarm. Li Guanqi had been quietly observing them all along, feeling somewhat surprised. Nangong Qianyan and Tantai Yiting were clearly from the same generation—one a sect master, the other a Discipline Master. Yet the woman seemed to look down on Tantai Yiting entirely, not speaking a single word in his favor from start to finish. In contrast, Ji Hong—the thirty-sixth-generation Discipline Master, whose relationship with Han Chengxian mirrored that of Qin Xian and Lu Kangnian—had chimed in to support Tantai Yiting. It seemed these three were thoroughly in league with one another! Meanwhile, Gong Ze, who had arrived earlier, kept his hands tucked into his sleeves, watching the spectacle with a genial smile. In terms of strength, this old man was second to none among them! Gong Ze's peak Void Refinement cultivation was no joke, and he was also a twenty-ninth-generation Disciplinary Law Enforcer! Looking toward Tu Zhongqiu, the elder quipped right in front of Tantai Yiting, "Old Tu, why aren't you speaking up for this bastard?" Tu Zhongqiu shrugged and said bluntly, "Gong Ze, your tongue is as vicious as ever. I'm not close with him; we merely bumped into each other on the road." The elder nodded and muttered, "With that donkey temper of yours, it's true you could never see eye to eye with these two." With that, Gong Ze asked with a trace of concern via voice transmission, *"How many rounds has it been?"* Tu Zhongqiu's lips barely moved. *"The fifth..."* Li Guanqi made no effort to eavesdrop on their private exchange. Seeing that most of the guests had arrived, he turned to Lu Kangnian and bowed. "Sect Master, we may head inside now. We still have guests to attend to." Then Li Guanqi turned toward the smiling Nangong Qianyan and Tu Zhongqiu, cupping his hands with a warm grin. "Senior Tu, Senior Nangong, you must be weary from your journey. A banquet has already been prepared within the domain to welcome you." His attitude toward the two of them was night and day compared to how he treated the rest. Lu Kangnian turned, casting a sideways glance at the three men still standing dazed in place, and spoke. "The Great Xia Sword Sect of today is not your Great Xia Sword Sect, nor is it mine. "If you put away those petty schemes, you may enter. If you cannot... then take your leave at once!" Anyone thinner-skinned would have stormed off in humiliation after such a disgrace. Yet how many years had these three spent cultivating? A little humiliation was nothing to them. Tantai Yiting sheathed his longsword and forced a smile. "In that case, we shall trouble Sect Master Lu to arrange our lodgings. "We... were merely worried that Sect Master Lu might have difficulty managing the sect as it is today. It was only born of concern." Lu Kangnian kept a smile on his face, though inside he was already cursing their ancestors up and down.