Meng Jiangchu smiled and said softly, "Yes, it has been a long time since I last visited."
"By the way, help register an identity token for him as well."
The man nodded. He clearly possessed an easy familiarity with Meng Jiangchu. Casting an inscrutable glance at Li Guanqi, he chuckled and said, "This must be Li Guanqi, whose name has been echoing far and wide lately? Not bad. Truly, the student surpasses the master."
"Wait a moment. Several members of the Ancient Clans have reentered the mortal realm recently and need identity registration too. We'll head over together shortly."
Meng Jiangchu nodded with a smile and led Li Guanqi to a pavilion in the rear.
"Wait inside for a while. I need to step out, but I'll be right back."
The moment he reached the doorway, Li Guanqi sensed several exceptionally powerful auras!
Li Guanqi's arrival also drew the gazes of everyone inside the room toward him.
Four young people were seated in the exquisitely and elegantly decorated room—though calling them young was strictly based on their appearances.
Three of them sat on one side: two men and a woman.
None of their auras were weak; all four appeared to be in the early Body Integration Realm, though their auras were considerably more settled and steady than his own.
Across from them sat a young man with knitted brows, holding a dark gold writing brush and inscribing talismans across a stack of talisman paper laid out on the table.
With one foot propped on his chair, the youth picked up a jade flask, squinting inside with an expression of deep displeasure.
Sensing someone's arrival, he turned to look at Li Guanqi, his eyes suddenly lighting up.
Dressed in a yellow robe, the youth had delicate, handsome features—fair enough to rival even that pretty boy, Xiao Chen.
Yet what drew Li Guanqi's attention the most was that stack of talisman paper. With his discerning eye, he could naturally tell that the entire pile was no ordinary material.
*Beast hides from rank-seven great demons? Interesting...*
Meanwhile, the others' gazes were also fixed on Li Guanqi. One of the young men frowned.
Leaning back in his chair with an amused gleam in his eyes, he sneered, "Well, well. Isn't this the Yanluo Sword Venerable, Li Guanqi, renowned across the Six Domains?"
The man wore a black brocade robe and sat with his arms crossed against his chair. His expression was cold, yet his words dripped with mockery.
Beside him, a slightly plump young man dressed in a golden robe lifted a teacup and took a sip.
His small eyes curved with smiling disdain as he shot a sidelong glance at Li Guanqi, muttering as if to himself, "Heh. That kid from the Lu clan died a pathetic death, didn't he? To think he couldn't even handle a cultivator from the Six Domains.
"Now the Lu clan is displaced, handing over their ten-thousand-year foundation on a silver platter. Truly ridiculous."
At that, the youth turned his head toward Li Guanqi, looking him up and down before scoffing, "Doesn't seem like much, either."
At those words, the alluring woman covered her mouth with a soft giggle. A disdainful look flickered in her eyes as she glanced at Li Guanqi, clearly holding no regard for him whatsoever.
Speaking softly to the black-robed man, she murmured, "And here I thought he was someone remarkable. Aside from a decent-looking skin, there's nothing special about him.
"He can't hold a candle to our Brother Zhao."
The youth sitting opposite them suddenly began dry-heaving. Mimicking the woman's delicate posture with upturned orchid fingers, he drawled in an exaggerated, flirtatious tone, "He can't~ hold a candle~ to our Brother Zhao-zhao~ Blech..."
The moment those words left his mouth, both the man and the woman changed countenance. The black-robed youth narrowed his eyes and snapped coldly, "Gu Li, what is that supposed to mean?"
The yellow-robed youth leaned back in his chair and sneered, "Doesn't mean a thing. I just can't stand looking at you dumbfucks.
"Zhao Bin, and you, Zheng Qingyan—all you do is brag.
"If either of you had run into Lu Wuhen when you were in the Void Refining Realm, he'd have beaten the shit right out of you."
The fat youth stood up in a fury, glaring at Gu Li as he snarled, "Gu Li, cut your fucking sarcasm! You really think I'm afraid of you?"
Even while speaking, Gu Li's hand never ceased drawing talismans. The sight stirred genuine marvel in Li Guanqi.
One had to realize that the talismans Gu Li was dashing off so casually were all rank seven. To draw them so nonchalantly...
Li Guanqi could hardly fathom just how immense a reserve of mental power was required to sustain that.
To pull this off with such ease, the fellow's mental power had to be at least twice his own!
Furthermore, Li Guanqi was curious. These people were plainly all disciples of the Ancient Clans, so why was Gu Li taking his side?
Leaning against the doorway, Li Guanqi remained silent, watching them with a faint smile.
Gu Li curled his lip and bluntly cursed at the fat youth, "Look at you, what a pathetic clown—like a pig standing on its hind legs.
"Acting all cocky. Come on, then! Wu Yong, I'll give you a chance: let's fight. If you can even get within a hundred zhang of me, I'll call it your win. How about that?"
At his words, the fat youth trembled with rage, yet Li Guanqi noticed that neither the black-robed Zhao Bin nor the purple-gowned Zheng Qingyan uttered a single word.
*Interesting...* Li Guanqi thought to himself. *Could it be that this Gu clan holds immense power?*
Seeing the fat youth remain silent, Gu Li rolled his eyes and jeered, "Too cowardly to fight, aren't you? What a spineless wimp—can't even match up to a brother of mine."
As he spoke, Gu Li walked straight up to Wu Yong, holding his hand open and curling his fingers in a beckoning gesture.
Looking at the open palm before him, Wu Yong frowned. "What do you mean by this?"
*Slap!!!*
Gu Li stepped forward and delivered a resounding slap with immense force.
Within breaths, the fat youth's cheek swelled red at a visible rate. The youth said in annoyance, "What do I mean? Nothing. If you can't even grasp what I mean, you've got some nerve asking what I mean.
"I called you a pig, and you really do have the brain of one, don't you?"
Gu Li turned his flask upside down and barked, "Can't you see this young master is out of demon beast essence blood? Hand some over."
Wu Yong's shoulders trembled slightly as the primal energy around him surged violently, an inexplicable pressure slowly spreading outward.
Sensing the pressure, Li Guanqi narrowed his eyes and pushed himself upright from the doorframe.
*Slap!!!*
Another crisp slap cracked across the room, completely shattering the pressure radiating from Wu Yong.
Gu Li cursed loudly, "Can't you understand plain speech?"
Wu Yong shut his eyes and took several deep breaths. His jaw clenched so tight his cheeks bulged, veins throbbing violently across his forehead.
Just as Gu Li raised his hand again, Zhao Bin grabbed his wrist.
Gu Li frowned. With his other hand, he struck Zhao Bin across the face with lightning speed.
*Slap!!!*
"What? Are you itching for a beating too?"
Zhao Bin froze momentarily, took a few deep breaths, and said, "Fine! I'll get it for you!"
A sudden smile blossomed across Gu Li's face as he withdrew his hands. "Such a pair of gluttons for punishment."
Zhao Bin's facial muscles twitched. Without a word, he turned his hand over, produced a violet crystal jade flask, and handed it to Gu Li.
Looking up, he suddenly caught sight of Li Guanqi. The faint, subtle smile on Li Guanqi's face caused a burning, humiliating rage to flare within him.
"What are you looking at?! You worthless lowlife scum!"
Li Guanqi narrowed his eyes and took a slow step forward.
Chapter 827