Shut the Door, Kill!

Inside the grand hall. Li Guanqi said softly, "Wanshu, wait for me here in the hall. I'm going to Guanyun Pavilion!" *Swish!* Within the realm of Guanyun Pavilion. Tang Wei watched as Li Guanqi appeared before him in a flash, his expression grim and silent. Li Guanqi produced a Tianji Pavilion jade pendant and said in a heavy voice, "Elder Gu, you may issue the three-pavilion bounty!" "Very well!" *Hum! Hum! Hum!* Countless cultivators took out their jade pendants or jade slips. A single message transmitted within drove every cultivator into a frenzy! Tianji Pavilion, Treasure Pavilion, Guanyun Pavilion! The three pavilions offered a bounty of one billion spirit stones to locate the headquarters of Sha! This maddening bounty spread across the Six Domains in the blink of an eye! Treading on empty air, Li Guanqi looked toward the void and murmured softly, "Come on, then. Let chaos erupt." Once paid out, the spirit stones promised in this bounty would completely drain Guanyun Pavilion and the thousand-year foundation of the Tang family! Yet Tang Wei felt no regret. He knew well what mattered most. Tang Ru possessed exceptional business talent; after all, spirit stones could always be earned back. This time, Tianji Pavilion contributed a full four hundred million spirit stones on its own, surprising both Li Guanqi and Tang Wei. Li Guanqi's eyes flickered, and ripples suddenly spread through the void. Rune light flashed, and Ji Yuchuan, dressed in white robes, slowly stepped out from the emptiness. A wry smile showed on the man's face. He had not expected Li Guanqi to have even revoked his sect identity jade slip. Li Guanqi narrowed his eyes. "What did you come back for? Did you not receive the news?" Ji Yuchuan bowed. "I received it. But I still had to return to explain the circumstances to the Pavilion Master." Tang Wei's gaze darted between the two of them, and he said quietly, "I'll go prepare some materials for the Meng clan. You two talk." Seeing Ji Yuchuan return, the pavilion disciples felt an inexplicable sense of relief. Ever since Li Guanqi's return, his wrath had been terrifying, his overwhelming pressure leaving them breathless. Indeed, some people had already left the Great Xia Sword Sect because of Ji Yuchuan. This made Li Guanqi realize that because he rarely managed Guanyun Pavilion personally, his prestige was not even as high as Ji Yuchuan's. Perhaps in the hearts of these disciples, Ji Yuchuan was the true Pavilion Master of Guanyun Pavilion. Li Guanqi stepped forward and teleported away, arriving outside his study. He pushed the door open and walked in. The antique study was clearly well cared for and kept in good order. Though Li Guanqi rarely visited Guanyun Pavilion, the highest position here still belonged to him! *Swish!* Ji Yuchuan followed Li Guanqi to the study. A woman with slightly disheveled hair suddenly appeared at the doorway. She looked nervously at Li Guanqi, opening her mouth without speaking. For Qianqiusui had also noticed someone in the room who was no longer supposed to appear—Ji Yuchuan! Li Guanqi looked at Qianqiusui, glanced briefly at Ji Yuchuan, and said softly, "Come in." Qianqiusui cast a glance at the man standing motionless by the doorway and brushed past him. Offering a brief curtsy, she asked in haste, anxiety flickering in her eyes, "Pavilion Master, where is Tang Ru? What on earth happened?" Li Guanqi sat in the chair, eyes closed as he pinched the bridge of his nose. Hiding nothing from her, he replied softly, "To prevent Sha from achieving their goal, he stepped forward voluntarily and let himself be captured." Qianqiusui's mind fell into instant turmoil. Her eyes dulled, and she stood frozen where she was. She could not explain why hearing this news threw her thoughts into such utter disarray. She had never imagined that a man could evoke such violent emotional upheaval within her. She could not even explain why such feelings existed between her and Tang Ru. Memories flashed through her mind of Tang Ru standing beside her, teaching her the ways of business. Whenever she faced problems that had perplexed her for ages, Tang Ru would offer a smiling tip or two that brought sudden illumination. Seeing the dazed woman, Li Guanqi said gently, "Rest assured, I will bring him back! You may step outside for now. I need to speak with him." Only then did Qianqiusui snap back to her senses. "Ah... yes... Then... Pavilion Master, I will take my leave. Please call for me directly if you need anything." Li Guanqi waved his hand. As Qianqiusui passed Ji Yuchuan, she kept her head lowered the entire time, lost in thought. After Qianqiusui left, Li Guanqi kept his head down, toying with the black pagoda in his hands, and said softly, "Shut the door." Ji Yuchuan turned to close the door. Suddenly! A blood-red sword snapped across Ji Yuchuan's neck! The blade bit half an inch into his throat. Blood streamed down the steel, dripping rhythmically onto the floor. Li Guanqi crouched low, his white eyes brimming with chilling intent to kill. Gripping Red Lotus in a reverse hold, a mere flick of force would be enough to sever Ji Yuchuan's head! Ji Yuchuan's hands froze stiffly in midair, leaving the door a foot shy of closing. Farther away, Qianqiusui seemed to sense something and turned to look back. Ji Yuchuan slowly drew the door completely shut with both hands. Watching the closed door, Qianqiusui frowned slightly and flew off into the distance. The hiss and screech of thunder flooded the mind, turning the entire study into a purgatory of lightning. The screeching was piercing to the extreme as Li Guanqi's aura climbed to its absolute peak in that instant. Narrowing his eyes, Li Guanqi spoke slowly in an icy voice. "Who are you, really?" Ji Yuchuan's face turned slightly pale, yet he still maintained that sickly, languid demeanor. Standing motionless in place, he frowned and replied, "I am myself. Who else could I be?" With a slight shift of Li Guanqi's wrist, the longsword sank half a fingerbreadth deeper! Li Guanqi said coldly, "You are yourself, and of course you are Ji Yuchuan. But... are you truly only Ji Yuchuan?" The man smiled bitterly. "If I'm not Ji Yuchuan, who could I possibly be? What exactly do you suspect?" Li Guanqi did not hesitate in the slightest. Murderous intent flared in his eyes! "Strike!" *Hiss!* Wind and snow erupted between heaven and earth! Pressed against Ji Yuchuan's neck, the sword in Li Guanqi's hand detonated with terrifying sword radiance! *Boom!* The entire domain trembled violently! Meng Wanshu's figure appeared behind Ji Yuchuan in an instant, thrusting her sword straight toward the back of his heart! *Boom!* A tempest of frost tore through the surroundings, instantly blasting the entire study away. A hint of helplessness flashed across Ji Yuchuan's face. He shot backward at an unbelievable speed, dodging Li Guanqi's close-range strike. Flicking his finger against Meng Wanshu's sword blade, the monstrous force knocked her back dozens of yards! With his hands behind his back, the man flickered and reappeared a hundred yards away. Radiance tore through the air, shattering the high peaks beneath the pavilion. Thunderclouds gathered across the firmament, and countless spears of lightning pierced through the void and shredded the clouds, hurtling straight for Ji Yuchuan! Ji Yuchuan extended a finger and tapped against the void. Waves of earthen-yellow light surged forth, forming a ten-yard array barrier before him! The raging power poured onto the array barrier without penetrating it in the slightest. By this point, Ji Yuchuan's power level had climbed until it bordered on the peak of the Body Integration realm! Wielding such immense strength, he did not appear strained in the least as he fought against two opponents at once!