Finally Unable to Resist Moving Against the Great Xia Sword Sect?

The man calmly withstood his crushing pressure. Dressed in robes of plain green, he wore a faint smile. He seemed completely harmless, yet Li Guanqi slowly rose to his feet and smiled back. "Are all the members of the Lu clan... as strong as you?" Lu Tao chuckled, his gaze fixed on Li Guanqi with deep intrigue. "I know of you. I've heard quite a few things." As the youth spoke, his eyes flicked toward the small, purplish-black tower hovering above the kneeling elder. Even he could not help but twitch his lips at the immense resentment rolling off that tiny spire. Lu Tao pursed his lips and laughed softly. "Could you let them stand up? We didn't kill any of your people, so why such heavy hostility? Uh... did you just ask whether everyone in the Lu clan is as strong as me? No, no, no. There's still one person in the Lu clan who is stronger than I am." Li Guanqi's lips twitched. The fellow before him was genuinely powerful. If his senses were not mistaken, the other man's sword intent had also attained the Sword Heart Realm—perhaps even a fraction sharper than his own. What was more, just like him, this youth had severed his soul to forge a pseudo-god! It was a peculiar feeling. Li Guanqi's eyes burned with fierce intensity as he glanced downward. "Is the Lu clan planning to use the Qianlin Sect as a foothold?" Lu Tao smiled, though this time his expression carried a hint of mockery. He looked at Li Guanqi and could not resist remarking, "Do you honestly think our Lu clan would care about a trifling place like the Qianlin Sect?" Lu Tao gave Li Guanqi an enigmatic look. Beside Li Guanqi, Ji Yuchuan quietly studied the young man without a word. Meeting Ji Yuchuan's eyes without the slightest fear, Lu Tao chuckled. "Ji Yuchuan, the Judge's Brush. Interested in becoming a guest elder in our Lu clan? Name whatever terms you like." Ji Yuchuan merely smiled, not even bothering to reply. He stood respectfully behind Li Guanqi. Watching this, a flicker of envy surfaced in Lu Tao's eyes. "Heh. I truly can't fathom why an exceptional figure like you would willingly humble yourself beneath someone else." Ji Yuchuan answered without an ounce of politeness. "That depends on who it is. If it were you, I certainly wouldn't be willing." Lu Tao's face turned icy cold at the rebuff. Li Guanqi, on the other hand, threw back his head and laughed heartily. With a flick of Li Guanqi's hand, his Sword Prison domain roared into being. Yet the corners of Lu Tao's mouth curled upward slightly as a green domain erupted from beneath his feet to contest it! With a single wave of his sleeve, Lu Tao shifted all the Lu clan cultivators away in an instant. He cast a brief look across the people of the Great Xia Sword Sect and the Qianlin Sect, then turned and sneered, "Li Guanqi, there's no need to rush. It won't be long before we meet again. When that day comes... heh, I only hope you won't end up begging me." Li Guanqi's gaze turned razor-sharp. Raising his hand, he unleashed a magnificent, surging arc of sword light. "Heaven Shatterer Sword Slash!" Lu Tao whipped around, slicing his fingers forward like a blade to unleash a streaming ribbon of azure radiance! *Boom!* With an effortless bearing, Lu Tao turned away, smiling faintly. "Prepare yourselves. Great Xia Sword Sect... heh." *Hum!* Yet the moment Lu Tao turned to vanish, his expression contorted violently! *Drip... drip...* The distorted space collapsed and vanished completely. Ji Yuchuan said in a heavy voice, "Pavilion Master, it seems the Lu clan has already set its sights on the Great Xia Sword Sect!" Li Guanqi's expression shifted several times before he gave a slow nod. "Mm. The Great Xia Sword Sect today would indeed attract covetous eyes. Heh. We'll face whatever comes—water is dammed by earth, and soldiers are stopped by blades. They want the Great Xia Sword Sect? They'd better watch out that they don't break their teeth trying to take a bite!" After seeing to the Qianlin Sect's survivors, Li Guanqi reinforced the sealing formations within their grounds. His actions moved the sect master of the Qianlin Sect to tears of profound gratitude. Li Guanqi then led everyone away to return to their sect. Along the journey, Ji Yuchuan clearly sensed how weighed down with worry Li Guanqi was. Seeing him like this, Ji Yuchuan resolved to bring his own abilities to bear, determined to investigate the Lu clan thoroughly and uncover the true meaning behind Lu Tao's parting words. Upon returning to the sect, Ji Yuchuan immediately relocated the domain of Guanyun Pavilion into the territory of the Great Xia Sword Sect. Facing the pavilion's arrival, Lu Kangnian was naturally beaming with delight. He selected a mountain adjacent to Pill Peak and named it Guanyun Peak, appointing Ji Yuchuan as its Peak Master. Much like Pill Peak, Guanyun Peak was granted autonomous rule, free from undue sect constraints. This arrangement spared both sides unnecessary friction. Once the domain was settled, Ji Yuchuan promptly sealed off its borders. Guanyun Pavilion bore immense pressure these days, with thousands upon thousands of messages pouring in at every passing moment. Though the mental toll on Ji Yuchuan was staggering, it brought him an enormous sense of accomplishment—a fulfillment wholly unlike his past in the Tianji Pavilion, where he had lived in constant concealment. Now, who across the Great Xia Domain did not know that Ji Yuchuan was the Vice Pavilion Master of Guanyun Pavilion? The Judge's Brush, whose name had once echoed through the Six Domains, could finally be himself. Li Guanqi sought out Lu Kangnian and recounted everything that had transpired at the Qianlin Sect. Frowning deeply, Lu Kangnian said in a somber tone, "Hmph! It seems this Ancient Lu clan is truly coming for us! With the Six Domains in upheaval and the Abyss Demons slaughtering unchecked, life has become unbearable for the common folk. Lately, our returning disciples haven't just been rushing to reinforce various allied sects; we've also dispatched a great number of people to patrol the cities, towns, and villages. It seems the reemergence of the Ancient Clans is a mixed blessing. Yet regardless of their motives... when the Ancient Clans step in to suppress the Abyss Demons for the people under heaven, it remains fundamentally a good thing!" Watching the man sigh while expressing such heartfelt concern, Li Guanqi could not help a faint smile touching the corners of his lips. Perhaps while others fretted over how the Ancient Clans' return might affect their own standing, few ever considered that the Ancient Clans' powerful suppression of the Abyss Demons ultimately benefited ordinary mortals most of all. Faced with the Abyss Demons, mortals had no power to resist. Yet the various cultivation sects were struggling just to survive, leaving them no leeway to spare a thought for commoners. Even the Great Xia Sword Sect could only protect the settlements within a thousand-li radius. It was precisely because of this that Lu Kangnian remained a sect master worthy of Li Guanqi's deepest respect! Perhaps Lu Kangnian did not possess the towering cultivation talent of his predecessors, nor did he harbor vast ambitions or make flawlessly decisive moves. For many long years, he had even holed up in a humble corner of the world without grand, far-reaching aspirations. Yet even then, the villagers at the foot of the Great Xia Sword Sect's mountains still looked up to the sect with deep longing and reverence. Ask anyone, and they would call it an upright, noble sect! Li Guanqi took a deep breath, set down his teacup, and said softly, "Rest easy, Sect Master. As long as I am here—as long as everyone in our Great Xia Sword Sect stands united—if an Ancient Clan wants to swallow us whole, they'd better weigh whether they're heavy enough to manage it!" Lu Kangnian smiled. Looking at Li Guanqi warmly, he murmured, "Guanqi... over these past few years, you've shouldered so much." *Clink...* Their teacups lightly touched. Neither spoke further; everything was understood without words. Lu Kangnian felt much like a proud father basking in his son's glory, for Li Guanqi alone had caused the Great Xia Sword Sect to become renowned across the Six Domains. And Li Guanqi had always understood that no matter what became of him, he had a sect standing behind him with unconditional support! It was precisely this mutual trust and shared devotion that made them what they were. Li Guanqi and Lu Kangnian were both ready to face the towering storm ahead.