Breaking into Body Integration?

There was no denying that in terms of strength, Lu Wuhen was the most formidable opponent of the same cultivation realm Li Guanqi had ever encountered. Whether in the quality of his spiritual root, his innate talent, or the caliber of his Sword Ruins, not a single person could compare to him. Above all was Lu Wuhen's cunning mind. His casual schemes harbored layer upon layer of hidden contingencies, enough to send a chill down Li Guanqi's spine. Buzz! The Red Lotus Sword suddenly broke free from its seal! Skreee—! An enraged sword cry rang out as a dazzling streak of crimson light swept into Li Guanqi's hand. With Red Lotus in his left hand and Yanluo in his right, Li Guanqi swung both blades, instantly forcing Lu Wuhen back. Both men were covered from head to toe in wounds cut deep to the bone, their primal energy fluctuating violently. The red lotus blossomed, trembling faintly as it radiated chilling killing intent and fury. Very few had ever seen Li Guanqi in such a state. Gripping a sword in each hand, Li Guanqi took a deep breath, veins throbbing against his forehead. His eyes were locked dead onto Lu Wuhen, who matched his cautious gaze, eyes narrowed. Both men knew the battle ahead would only grow more perilous. Lu Wuhen sneered, "Given the power of your Sword Ruins, there's no way you can release both swords at once. Why are you still holding on to the other?" The corners of Li Guanqi's mouth curved upward into an enigmatic smile. Buzz! "Apocalypse: Red Lotus Sky Dance!" Lu Wuhen's pupils shrank to pinpricks, monstrous waves of shock crashing through his mind! "No... Impossible!" "Could it be... the fragment inside his Sword Ruins is far larger than mine?!" Li Guanqi smiled coldly. To say nothing of wielding Red Lotus and Yanluo together, he could manipulate ten more swords at once if he wished. Exhaling a mouthful of turbid air, Lu Wuhen suddenly sheathed his blade and smoothed back his disheveled hair with both hands. Looking at Li Guanqi, he murmured softly, "You are strong." "I believed all along that you weren't worthy of forcing my final trump card." "Yet it seems I still underestimated you." Hearing Lu Wuhen's cryptic words, Li Guanqi narrowed his eyes and immediately glanced toward Lu Kangnian! Lu Kangnian caught his drift at once and quickly sent a voice transmission: "What's the situation?!" At that very moment, the void behind Lu Wuhen began to warp. The sight shocked everyone, and many realized what was happening in an instant. "Is he... is he choosing this moment to step into the Body Integration Realm?! Has he lost his mind?!" "Attempting Body Integration with zero preparation? Isn't Lu Wuhen being far too arrogant?!" Buzz! A formidable pressure radiated outward as a tall figure stepped slowly out of the warped space. The man bore an eighty percent resemblance to Lu Wuhen, and his surging aura marked him as another cultivator at the peak Void Refining Realm! Li Guanqi's eyes flickered with shock, his brow heavy with solemnity. The technique of summoning an avatar could bypass any spatial barrier, for its origin was one and the same with the host. Thus, the barrier could not keep the avatar out. Lu Wuhen gave Li Guanqi a profound look, his voice carrying deep meaning as it sounded by Li Guanqi's ear. "You are like me—equally confident that you can ascend to the Immortal Realm, severing your three souls and seven corporeal spirits to step outside the karma of the five elements!" "I know you are ready as well. Come, let us have our final showdown!" Yet at that moment, Lu Wuhen's Void Spirit's pupils trembled. Feeling an irresistible pulling force latch onto it, it suddenly lashed out in rebellion! Seeing this, many old monsters of the Body Integration Realm chuckled. Terrifying power enveloped Lu Wuhen, but the man didn't panic in the least. With a wave of his hand, an absolute suppression born of origin power erupted! He seemed to have anticipated this Void Spirit's backlash all along. Yet the suppression of origin was something a Void Spirit could never resist, rendering everything it did utterly futile. But the very moment the Void Spirit made its move, Li Guanqi's body vanished from where he stood. Twisting his wrists, he reversed his grip on both swords and drew back into stance, roaring in fury: "Apocalypse: Sword Draw Stance!" Two majestic sword lights, one crimson and one black, erupted instantaneously! The terrifying beams shot forth side by side, their hundred-zhang width carving the arena clean into three pieces! These two sword strikes nearly drained the primal energy from Li Guanqi's dantian. Lu Wuhen clearly had not expected Li Guanqi to unleash such horrifying power at this critical juncture. Shocked, he reached out and clamped his hand over the Void Spirit's skull, shattering its flesh and blood in an instant, then seized its origin spirit and violently merged it into himself! Boom! His rampaging aura surged wildly, breaking through the limits of half-step Body Integration in the blink of an eye. Two berserk golden arcs of sword qi soared abruptly into the sky! As the sword lights collided, the terrifying blast wave hurled Li Guanqi backward more than a thousand zhang. His body crashed heavily against the barrier formation screen, coughing up a mouthful of blood. Spurt! Shockwaves from the explosion slammed into him wave after wave, shattering dozens of layers of his primal energy barrier in a single breath. He could only endure as the devastating aftershocks battered his body repeatedly. The blast lasted for several breaths before the Dao platform, now severed into three parts, crashed down into the void! Amidst the swirling dust stood a sword-wielding figure, standing tall and proud. With disheveled long hair draped over his shoulders, Lu Wuhen cast a disdainful, sweeping glance toward Li Guanqi. Above everyone's heads, an enormous thundercloud of heavenly tribulation gathered instantly, spanning ten thousand zhang in radius! Witnessing this, Nangong Xuandu could not help but frown. The barrier he had laid down was not enough to conceal the aura of these two men. "Everyone, withdraw beyond the range of the heavenly tribulation." There was no choice. At their level of cultivation, the sheer momentum of a heavenly tribulation was virtually impossible to evade or mask. A sneer tugged at the corner of Lu Wuhen's mouth. Li Guanqi's two strikes had left two deep gashes across his chest. Those two strikes had nearly cut him in two. If he hadn't merged with his Void Spirit in the nick of time, he might not have survived at all. Sensing the heavenly tribulation lightning gathering to strike, Lu Wuhen looked at Li Guanqi and frowned. "What are you waiting for?" Blood seeped from the corner of Li Guanqi's mouth. Slowly raising his head, he let out a soft sigh. To think it would still come to this in the end... "Li Congxin... are you... ready?" The words fell, met only by the silence of the void. Lu Wuhen burst into raucous laughter. "Hahahahaha! Are you negotiating with your Void Spirit?!" "Li Guanqi, are you trying to make me die of laughter?!" "Hahahahaha! Don't tell me you actually intend to let your Void Spirit become an independent 'person'?!" At that point, Lu Wuhen's eyes narrowed slightly, and he stared at Li Guanqi, his voice turning cold. "You should know very well the consequences of failing to completely absorb your Void Spirit!" "Are you so certain you can break through those invisible shackles and preserve him?" "With your three souls and seven corporeal spirits incomplete, aren't you afraid of dying under the heavenly tribulation?!" Li Guanqi smiled, his gaze calm as he spoke. "That is why you are not me, and he is not me either. His name... is Li Congxin!" "And one day, he will become a genius swordsman renowned across the Six Domains."