Late Foundation Establishment, Slain All the Same!

A thin line of crimson abruptly surfaced across the neck of the man called Hu San. *Pfft!* Blood gushed forth like a fountain! The late Foundation Establishment cultivator whipped around, and the tree beneath his feet—thick as a man's embrace—exploded into splinters! Beneath the black hood, the only visible feature was a pair of eyes brimming with chilling intent to kill. Li Guanqi had no time to deliberate. The man hurtled forward, closing the distance to barely ten zhang. Tossing Lin Dong casually into the air, Li Guanqi hooked him safely onto a high branch. Sword in his left hand, he charged straight at his foe! From the very beginning, he had never intended to let this man leave alive. To brazenly wound a disciple of the Great Xia Sword Sect and then walk away unscathed—where would that leave the sect's dignity? In the blink of an eye, the two figures collided midair. Li Guanqi swung his sword even faster with his left hand than his right, and the clashing shriek of steel against steel instantly echoed across the woods! *Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!* The man shifted his forms with blinding speed, murderous intent flaring in his eyes! *Clang! Clang! Clang!* Within breaths, the two exchanged dozens of blows. Sword wounds bloomed across both of their bodies! *Bang!* A fist and a kick collided, knocking each of them back roughly a zhang. The skin between the black-robed man's thumb and forefinger had already split open, and blood dripped down his sword, spattering rhythmically against the dirt. His right hand trembled. The man was appalled by the blind swordsman's physical strength. Barely three zhang now separated them—a distance from which either could unleash a devastating strike. Even though Lin Dong hung in the branches right above Li Guanqi's head, the man dared not divide his attention or make a reckless move. He knew all too well that the moment he turned his blade toward Lin Dong, he would face Li Guanqi's thunderous retaliation! The youth's footwork and speed were even a notch faster than his own; he could not afford the gamble. Li Guanqi's blood surged with vigor. Feeling his opponent's formidable strength, his heart pounded wildly in his chest. A rush of boiling fervor climbed straight to his head, sharpening his perception of the outside world to an unprecedented clarity. A gentle breeze swept over the mountains, rustling the leaves in the pitch-black wilderness. From far in the distance, Li Guanqi had already sensed numerous senior brothers from the sect rushing toward their location. The man gritted his teeth. Several explosive spirit talismans suddenly materialized in his grip, and he hurled them straight at Li Guanqi! Li Guanqi, who had been watching the man's every move, flashed with lightning beneath his feet. He shifted three feet to the side in an instant, murmuring under his breath, "Spirit incantation! Number two hundred and eighty-two, Thunder Whip!!" *Sizzle!* The talismans blazed with blinding light and detonated in an instant! Yet just as the black-robed man turned, a purple-crackling whip of lightning lashed out from his flank, striking violently against his shoulder. *Bang!* The lash carried immense force, sending him flying several zhang through the air. Before he could even regain his footing, Li Guanqi gripped his sword in his left hand and pinched an incantation gesture with his right. He plummeted downward like a great roc spreading its wings! The black-robed man planted a single hand on the ground, using the momentum to spring fifteen zhang away and land atop a tall tree. Yet the moment his feet touched down, dark clouds had already gathered in the sky above. *Rumble!* The man's expression changed drastically. In terror, he hissed, "Damn it! How can his origin power and divine sense sustain two spirit incantations in such rapid succession?!" "Thunder Spear!!" A lightning spear over two feet long plummeted from the sky! There was nowhere to dodge! *Thud!* The spear drove straight through his left shoulder, its immense force dragging him from the treetop and pinning him ruthlessly to the earth! *Clang!* An icy blue sheen flashed across the man's sword. With a sweeping slash, the lightning spear shattered into countless arcs of electricity. Beneath the black-robed man's veil, a chilling frost escaped with his breath. Bending his knees, he kicked off the ground with explosive power, soaring straight toward Li Guanqi in midair! A faint icy-blue hue surfaced on his blade as it traced an exquisite arc of sword light aimed straight at Li Guanqi's throat. The sword shifted through three variations in midair as it bore down upon him. Madness filled the man's eyes, and he roared, "Die!" Li Guanqi, dropping from above, flared with lightning beneath his feet, his body shifting sideways by three inches in the blink of an eye! His mind as tranquil as still water, Li Guanqi lowered his stance slightly and whispered, "Rushing Thunder!" *Boom!!* A beam of purple sword light flashed through the pitch-black night sky like a bolt of lightning! *Tap, tap.* Li Guanqi landed on the ground. Behind him, a headless corpse collapsed powerlessly to its knees. *Thud!* A severed head tumbled down right behind Li Guanqi. To his dying breath, the man could not comprehend how the youth's sword could be so fast... Li Guanqi's face went deathly pale as he collapsed to the ground, gasping violently for breath. No fewer than a dozen sword wounds marked his body, and blood stained his sect robes red. Unleashing two spirit incantations in succession had nearly drained the divine sense in his entire sea of consciousness. His opponent's origin power had been remarkably deep, and his combat experience exceedingly rich! Even while on the defensive during their clash, the man had consistently counterattacked from exceptionally vicious and cunning angles. At this moment, Li Guanqi could not even maintain his mind's eye. Suddenly, the whistle of breaking air came from behind! Acting on pure instinct, Li Guanqi spun around, bounded into the canopy, tucked Lin Dong under his arm, and darted madly into the forest. Relying on his sharpened senses, Li Guanqi tore through the woods as if the darkness did not hinder him at all. Yet as the rustling drew near, the figures emerged as two Foundation Establishment disciples from the Great Xia Sword Sect. The two stared at the three corpses lying on the ground, swallowing hard with difficulty. "Could... could Junior Brother Li really have killed all three of them by himself?" "This strength is downright terrifying!" Their gaze lingered on the battlefield, where trees within dozens of zhang were scarred with sword gashes. Deep craters were blasted into the earth, and the soil was charred black where lightning had ravaged it. The elder disciple said grimly, "What are you staring at? Hurry up and call him back!" *Whoosh!* A streak of purple light flashed past the pair, and a deep voice carried via sound transmission: "Guanqi! That's enough. There are no more enemies!" Still sprinting below, Li Guanqi felt his entire body go limp the moment he recognized his master's voice. Losing his footing, he tumbled straight from the tree branch. *Swish!* Li Nanting caught him gently, handed Lin Dong over to the two disciples behind him, and immediately carried Li Guanqi into the sky, streaking toward Tianlei Peak. The corpses of the three black-robed men were brought back to the Great Xia Sword Sect by the other disciples. That night, the Great Xia Sword Sect blazed with lantern light, and nearly every high-ranking elder was alerted. When no clues could be recovered from the bodies, Lu Kangnian was furious, vowing to uncover the truth behind the incident. By early the next morning, the number of disciples patrolling the Great Xia Sword Sect's territory had tripled compared to normal. Unconscious, Li Guanqi knew nothing of what had transpired. The sect master and the hall master of discipline had both come to check on him once during his slumber. Lu Kangnian remarked with a sigh, "This little fellow's talent is truly monstrous. Perhaps... the sect's future hopes rest entirely on his shoulders." Li Nanting wore a look of concern, murmuring, "This matter must be thoroughly investigated! What's more... we cannot let him put himself in such peril again. That was a late Foundation Establishment cultivator." Lu Kangnian smiled faintly. "With his strength, slaying a cultivator who has only just entered late Foundation Establishment is truly not out of reach. Even among the sacred sects, disciples slaying Core Formation cultivators across realms is not without precedent. There is no need to make such a fuss." Only after confirming that Li Guanqi was out of danger did Lu Kangnian and Qin Xian take their leave. After all, in just a few days, the sect's trial grounds would open, and they needed to be there to oversee the event.