Gu Li Steps In: Today, I Protect Li Song!

Boom! Three golden inscribed talismans, each a zhang high, stood across in front of Li Congxin as Gu Li teleported into position. With a solemn face and tightly knit brows, he looked toward Meng Wanshu and said in a heavy voice, "Sister-in-law, what is the meaning of this?" Meng Wanshu kept one hand pressed against the ice to suppress the primal energy rampaging within Li Guanqi. Slowly turning to Gu Li, her beautiful eyes glinted with freezing chill. Looking at Gu Li, she asked softly, "Do you know why it took me more than several months just to break through into a mere Body Integration Realm?" Ye Feng stood beside Meng Wanshu, fingers resting on the scabbard at his waist, ready to draw at any moment. Cao Yan stood next to Ye Feng as well, an expression of utter solemnity on his face. In an instant, the atmosphere grew tense and volatile, a suffocating pressure spreading across the area. Standing off to the side, Lu Kangnian narrowed his eyes, at a loss for words. Perhaps in this matter, only Meng Wanshu had the right to make the call. Shielded behind the inscribed talismans, Li Congxin's eyes were dull and lifeless. He had never imagined that his very existence would bring such great harm to Li Guanqi. Or rather... Li Guanqi had known of such consequences from the very beginning. White hair fell across his forehead, obscuring his gaze. It seemed to have lost all its luster, looking dull and withered—as though this time, it had truly aged into white. Gu Li cared for none of that, stating bluntly, "I know. I heard Ye Feng and the others mention that your breakthrough was delayed precisely because your Void Spirit was damaged. I was at the auction in the Ethereal Immortal Domain as well." Ice blossoms slowly condensed behind Meng Wanshu, and an ancient, pure azure sword appeared in her hand. Her voice grew progressively colder as she said unhurriedly, "Since you know, then there is no need for me to say more. He cannot be allowed to live! Even if he blames me in the future, I will not regret it. Are you certain you want to stop me?" Gu Li felt immensely conflicted. On one side was Li Guanqi, whose primal energy was raging out of control; on the other was his own sworn brother. Through a gap between the inscribed talismans, a hand reached out and rested on Gu Li's shoulder. Li Congxin's bitter voice slowly sounded. "Brother, that's enough..." The talismans parted, and Li Congxin walked out, clad in red robes. Lowering his head, the youth shook it with a bitter smile. He looked up, revealed a brilliant smile, and said softly, "I will die." The moment the words left his mouth, before anyone could react, he slammed a palm toward his own forehead! Tightening his lips, Gu Li struck without hesitation, punching him across the face. Bang! Li Congxin's frail body was instantly sent flying dozens of zhang. Gu Li's aura erupted violently! Ye Feng shoved his sword out of its sheath, instantly assuming his demonic form as he barred the way before Meng Wanshu, saying coldly, "Gu Li! Are you... sure you want to fight?!" Gu Li glanced back at Cao Yan, who was wearing his gauntlets with a fierce look in his eyes, and suddenly said in a low voice, "Li Song... today, I am protecting him. If you all wish to fight, go ahead. I understand what all of you are thinking; none of you want Li Guanqi to suffer from this hidden flaw and lose all hope of reaching the Mahayana Realm." Here, Gu Li's voice paused slightly, and he abruptly looked up at Li Guanqi encased in ice upon the bed. "But have you ever thought about why Li Song has been able to live until now?! Have you ever thought about it?! I don't know what Li Guanqi went through! All I know is that from beginning to end, Li Guanqi wanted Li Song to live! From the bottom of his heart, he wanted Li Song to live!" Gu Li roared this almost at the top of his lungs. Veins bulged on his neck, his face turned bright red, and inscribed talismans swirled all around him. Yet immediately after, Gu Li's voice turned much lower. Turning his head slightly toward Li Congxin behind him, he said softly, "If not for that, Li Guanqi could have killed him thousands of times. He had countless opportunities! Even under the heavenly tribulation, even in the medicinal pool. He never wavered in what he truly wanted. The fact that Li Song is still alive right now is the best proof. You all know Li Guanqi possesses a mind as monstrous as a demon's—how could he not know the consequences himself?" The inscribed talismans flickering with spiritual light behind Gu Li wrapped around Li Congxin. His sharp gaze swept across the crowd. The corner of his mouth curled into a cold sneer. "None of you have ever treated Li Song as a person! You all think he's just an avatar! A... dispensable avatar..." Ye Feng fell silent. Regarding Li Congxin, he, Meng Wanshu, and the others were the same. From the very beginning, they had never treated him as a real person. Lost in his own emotions, Gu Li only wanted to protect Li Song at this moment! He believed that one day, Li Song could rely on his own abilities to stand at the summit of the mountain and share drinks with him in hearty laughter once more! At that time... he would no longer be Li Guanqi's Void Spirit, but a true powerhouse of the sword dao. A complex look flickered in Meng Wanshu's eyes, but when she looked down at Li Guanqi, whose internal power was spinning further out of control, a cold glint flashed in her gaze. Boom! "Frost Absolute Domain." Boom! The world turned, and in an instant, everything transformed into a silver-white expanse of towering glaciers! At this moment, Meng Wanshu was enveloped in an icy blue light, nine massive ice blossoms floating behind her. Ye Feng and Cao Yan exchanged a glance, and Ye Feng gritted his teeth, unsheathing his sword! Half-human and half-demon, Ye Feng shot forward in an instant! Without the slightest hesitation, Cao Yan's gauntlets erupted with radiant light; the Gu Yang gauntlets flared violently, wreathed in purple thunderous flames! In an instant, his fist momentum rose sharply, his berserk fist intent surging as if to split the heavens! Facing the three of them, Gu Li took a deep breath. A cold smile curled on his lips as he took a deep look at Li Guanqi. Inside, he thought, *Wake up soon!* Gu Li flew backward in retreat, raising a hand to draw Li Congxin into his domain. Forming hand seals, ten whole storage rings blazed with brilliant light! Within a single storage ring lay one hundred thousand inscribed talismans... A full million inscribed talismans hovered in midair, like an ocean of gold. In an instant, explosions echoed without pause. The violent shockwaves of battle sent the spiritual qi across the Great Xia Sword Sect churning as if running amok. The space above the icebound Tianlei Peak twisted continuously; occasionally, stray sword qi and fist glints could still be felt. The frost power leaking from the spatial tears was even more chilling to the bone. Lu Kangnian was burning with anxiety; the moment the fight broke out, they had shifted him out. Without time to think, Lu Kangnian quickly brought out a jade slip to contact Meng Jiangchu and Gu Changsheng. In the void, a speeding figure's face instantly darkened, and his speed exploded once again. Half an incense stick later, a travel-worn Gu Changsheng stepped into the territory of the Great Xia Sword Sect! Teleporting above Tianlei Peak, he took a deep breath, clapped his hands together, and made a tearing motion. "Enough!!" Boom! A terrifying power instantly suppressed all four people on the field! The power of the Mahayana realm locked down space, and the wounded figures in midair halted one after another. Gu Changsheng flashed in front of Li Guanqi, shattering the cracked layer of ice with a wave of his hand and tapping rapidly across his body dozens of times. With a face grave beyond measure, Gu Changsheng pulled his fingers away from Li Guanqi's body, formed hand seals, and slammed a palm fiercely against Li Guanqi's glabella!