He seemed to suddenly understand why Li Guanqi could draw his sword so resolutely and throw himself into danger without hesitation for the sake of the Great Xia Sword Sect, why he would stand before the sect at all times, serving as its peerlessly sharp blade.
The corners of Gu Changsheng's mouth turned up slightly as he murmured to himself, *So he has a sect elder who protects him just as fiercely.*
With an easy laugh, Gu Changsheng let boundless flames erupt beneath his feet, tearing through the void, and chuckled aloud. "Rest assured. I've left my own son with you as a hostage; no matter what happens, I'll bring him back."
Sun Miao, who happened to be flying out from Pill Peak, was utterly dumbfounded by the sight!
Cao Yan was the same, his mouth hanging wide open and his eyes nearly bulging from their sockets.
Flushed crimson, Sun Miao stared at those flames, goosebumps breaking out all over his body and the hair on his skin standing on end! He stammered in disbelief, "Ranked eleventh among the heavenly flames—the Xuantian Divine Flame!!"
"He... he is that legendary, elusive eighth-rank alchemist?!"
"Heavens... an alchemy grandmaster whose identity no one knew has appeared right before my eyes?!"
Cao Yan stared at those sky-scorching flames, speechless for a long while. He was not shocked by the man's status as an alchemist; rather, the flames were truly terrifying. But then, a grin spread across his face.
Thinking of the heavenly flame inside his own body, he felt not a shred of envy or jealousy. Instead, looking at Li Guanqi's back, he was filled with pride.
Who would give a heavenly flame to their brother? But Cao Yan had one—his big brother had given it to him!
On the way, Gu Changsheng said with an easy smile, "Spend more time with Gu Li in the future. That boy is nearly suffocating from boredom cooped up at home all the time."
Li Guanqi gave a faint smile. He still felt a bit guilty toward Gu Li. Nodding firmly, he answered, "Gladly. Though the things we do tend to get a bit dangerous..."
Gu Changsheng waved a hand and chuckled scoldingly, "Going out to temper oneself—if he dies, that's just his fate." With that, he couldn't resist adding, "Just don't tell him I left a safety net for him at home. Otherwise, wild as he is, he'll treat his life like a joke."
The corner of Li Guanqi's mouth twitched. It was the first time he had ever heard of a father preparing this kind of backup plan.
Gu Changsheng exhaled a long breath and said softly, "Once we get back, just say what needs to be said. As for whether Zhao Zongcheng believes it or not, don't worry about it. Leave it to me and your Uncle Meng."
Li Guanqi nodded.
It was not long before Li Guanqi witnessed firsthand what "leaving it to them" actually meant...
*Bang!*
Gu Changsheng slammed the table, jumped to his feet, and roared, "You old bastard, do you have any shame at all?! The images in the shadow-casting stone clearly show that another powerhouse was present! What right do you have to insist that my son and the others committed murder?! If you want compensation, just spit it out! Stop farting out of your mouth and babbling nonsense!"
Meng Jiangchu rolled up his sleeves even higher, pointing at the elder across from him with spit flying. "Is your Zhao Bin a fool? An idiot? If Li Guanqi and Gu Li truly killed him, was he so pathetic that he couldn't even find a moment to send you a message?! Do you think my son-in-law is too strong, or that your grandson is pure garbage?! Clearly an expert suppressed him in an instant! Don't you dare come in here spewing slander!"
Across from them, Zhao Zongcheng's primal energy surged violently, veins bulging on his forehead and his face flushed crimson. The wrinkled elder was so enraged by the pair that his beard trembled and his whole body strained with tension.
He rose in fury, his finger quivering as he pointed at them and bellowed, "You! You all! You are twisting black into white!! You two—"
Before he could finish, Gu Changsheng cut in at breakneck speed, "You what, 'you'?! We already told you someone is definitely pulling strings from the shadows! Otherwise, tell me yourself—why would the children of our two families kill your grandson? Huh? Is your grandson made of gold? What purpose would it serve other than bringing a pile of trouble down on us?!"
*Boom!*
Zhao Zongcheng could no longer endure their words. His primal energy erupted all at once!
The entire auction house shook violently, teetering on the verge of collapse.
Suddenly, the door swung open, and Qin Wushang walked in, dressed in a black brocade robe. Stepping forward steadily against Zhao Zongcheng's suffocating pressure, he looked at the old man and said coldly, "Rein in your pressure, or get out."
Zhao Zongcheng's eyes were bloodshot. He cast a glance at Qin Wushang, yet still did not dare act recklessly.
Then Qin Wushang slowly crouched down. A toad resembling green jade hopped down from his shoulder.
The experienced men in the room were all startled.
Gu Changsheng's brows furrowed slightly as he exclaimed, "An ancient exotic beast—a Netherdream Toad!"
Before Li Guanqi could even grasp what this creature was, the toad flicked out its proboscis, sticking firmly onto the glabella of Zhao Bin's corpse. The proboscis blazed with intense light, and a series of illusions materialized before everyone's eyes!
In the vision, a furious Zhao Bin was shouting curses when a mysterious figure in black clothes forcefully overpowered and sealed him! Moreover, with an exceptionally bizarre sealing technique, the attacker jarred Zhao Bin's origin spirit to the very brink of shattering!
By doing this, Zhao Bin was suspended between life and death, so his soul lamp would not go out! Yet the moment he suffered an injury, his origin spirit would instantly crumble to dust, rendering even the soul gathering method utterly useless.
After that came the mysterious figure ambushing Li Guanqi and Gu Li. And between the two events, barely a few breaths had passed!
In other words... someone had been watching Li Guanqi the moment he left the Ethereal Immortal Domain!
The truth was finally laid bare. Zhao Zongcheng slumped back into his chair, looking utterly lost.
Qin Wushang raised a hand to retrieve the green-jade toad and said quietly, "Our Qin family will take full responsibility for finding the culprit behind this matter. As for Young Master Zhao's death, the truth has been revealed. Let this end here."
Zhao Zongcheng started to speak, but a massive hand suddenly slammed his neck against the wall, hoisting him off his feet!
A Qin family expert concealed within black robes spoke chillingly, "When respect is offered, take it."
Zhao Zongcheng's pupils constricted to pinpricks; he felt genuine, bone-chilling killing intent.
Li Guanqi gave Qin Wushang a searching look. He didn't understand why the other man was helping him. When Gu Changsheng had named the Netherdream Toad, Li Guanqi had already realized how high a price had been paid. A Netherdream Toad could only use this ability to retrace the past three times in its entire life.
Zhao Zongcheng shot a venomous glare at Li Guanqi, Meng Jiangchu, and the others, then took Zhao Bin's corpse and departed the Ethereal Immortal Domain.
Qin Wushang gave the others a slight nod. But after leaving the room, he came to an abrupt halt!
His deep eyes narrowed slightly, and a fine sheen of cold sweat broke out across his forehead.
*She... she even used me!*
*Ha. Interesting!*
Just then, however, Li Guanqi's voice sounded in Qin Wushang's mind.
"Are you referring to how disconnected Ye Bingxin feels as a person? Or perhaps... that she intentionally exposed a flaw in her composure, knowing you would seek her out, using that to force your father and Ye Xuan into the open? All to ensure no one suspects whether she is still herself?"
The corners of Qin Wushang's mouth curled up wildly, and he murmured, "Have you figured something out?"
Inside the room, Li Guanqi sipped his tea, eyes slightly narrowed, and murmured under his breath, "I have a suspicion, but I can't be sure... Hatred never arises without reason."
The final words sounded as though Li Guanqi were speaking only to himself.
Chapter 840