Secured!

Boom! Under this crushing pressure, Li Guanqi's frame sank slightly lower. His pupils trembled—he had not expected the qilin's all-out burst of strength to be this terrifying! If compared to human cultivators, the beast's power was unquestionably on par with the peak of the Body Integration Realm! Li Guanqi sensed the flame seal between his brows. If he could defeat the qilin while keeping at least half of the seal intact, there shouldn't be any major problems. In the span of a single thought, he made his decision! If he could only unleash seventy percent of his power, he was bound to lose against this qilin. Now that the Seven-Colored Glazed Flower was already in hand, the matter of repairing his damaged divine soul hinged entirely on the Qilin Soul before him. Without the slightest hesitation, the flame seal between Li Guanqi's brows ignited instantly! Meng Wanshu's brow furrowed tightly. "This is far too reckless," she murmured gravely. Boom! The ground within several dozen zhang of Li Guanqi instantly shattered to dust! Whoosh! Both Li Guanqi and the qilin phantom vanished from where they stood. Their speeds had escalated to a degree invisible to the naked eye. Li Guanqi's command over this power grew ever more practiced, his speed quickening by the second. The formidable might granted by his spirit comprehension became increasingly pronounced. At this moment, Li Guanqi felt as though he had transformed into lightning itself, shuttling through every corner of the void like a crackling thunderbolt. Achieving extreme speed demanded an equally formidable physical body to endure it; otherwise, a fragile frame could never withstand the spatial shearing forces born of such velocity. Watching this, Pengluo couldn't help gulping hard, its eyes wide as it muttered: "Tsk, tsk, as expected of Master." "Even in the Immortal Realm, such comprehension would be considered monstrous!" Beside them, Jiuxiao tilted its head, watching the abilities displayed by the Thunder Qilin. It looked down at its own dragon claws. Lightning flickered incessantly across the talons, its aura subtly beginning to shift. Noticing this, Pengluo quickly scrambled down from Jiuxiao's head and scurried over to Meng Wanshu's side, whispering: "Heavens, is Brother Nine about to achieve spirit comprehension?" Meng Wanshu's eyes flickered. She swiftly cast a barrier around Jiuxiao, then brought out spirit stones to lay down a spirit-gathering array. If Jiuxiao could attain spirit comprehension, its might would certainly match that of a qilin! In that case, the power at Li Guanqi's side would grow even greater—a welcome boon. Meanwhile, within the domain atop the stone pillar: Li Guanqi's physical body cultivation had broken through slightly once more, now rivaling that of a peak seventh-rank martial artist. The power packed into every punch and kick far exceeded that of ordinary cultivators. Coupled with the fact that Li Guanqi held nothing back, brandishing Red Lotus like a god of slaughter, he unleashed sword strike after sword strike in relentless succession. In an instant, the qilin phantom was forced into retreat, step by step. Red Lotus, possessing divine nature, was inherently far more lethal against spirit bodies of this kind. At this moment, Li Guanqi had all three abilities of his Sword Ruins fully unleashed. Under the Apocalypse state, Red Lotus's blade gleamed with a cold, crimson luster. Boom! Boom! Boom! The thunderous roar of explosions echoed continuously as shattered stone from the collapsing ground flew in every direction. Li Guanqi's power and lethal might thoroughly suppressed the qilin. Yet he understood in his heart: This was merely an embodiment of the qilin's power, not a true member of the qilin clan. If it were a genuine qilin, its physical strength would certainly be vastly more terrifying. Furthermore, the qilin clan possessed many unknown racial talents; varied, specialized abilities would only make them even more troublesome. Li Guanqi's sword momentum surged abruptly, making his entire presence intensely sharp. A violent sword intent soared into the sky, and an icy aura of global slaughter swept outward. In an instant, the entire domain space seemed tinged with a faint crimson hue, like endless blood-mist drifting through midair. The primal energy inside Li Guanqi roared outward, tyrannical lightning condensing upon the Red Lotus Sword with the screech of ten thousand birds. Scales shattered across the qilin phantom's body, slashed open by long, deep wounds. Its dull, lifeless eyes showed little change, yet the qilin phantom responded nonetheless. An even more colossal Thunder Qilin materialized in midair. Treading upon lightning with all four paws, it lowered its massive head slightly, opening its jaws to violently blast forth a thick torrent of thunderous breath! The void cracked and shattered everywhere it passed, and the nearby ground splintered apart. Li Guanqi crouched low, faint arcs of lightning flickering at the corner of his lips. Circulating his primal energy and bolstered by his movement technique, Li Guanqi launched forward with explosive power from his legs, shooting out like a bolt of lightning! "Apocalypse: Red Lotus Dark Moon!" Boom! Holding the Red Lotus Sword, Li Guanqi appeared behind the qilin in the blink of an eye. A flash of crimson lightning sword light flickered and was gone. The unimaginably thick lightning breath had somehow been split cleanly in two! And in that very instant, the qilin's body detonated with a resounding crash! Li Guanqi slowly sheathed his blade into its lightning scabbard, his torn white robes flapping wildly in the wind. He stood motionless for a long time until the primal energy surging within him gradually grew docile. Meng Wanshu looked at Li Guanqi with deep concern, only breathing a sigh of relief once his aura stabilized and subdued. This meant the flame seal could still suppress the restless power inside him; had it failed, things would have become rather troublesome. Li Guanqi's face was slightly pale, a trace of blood leaking from the corner of his mouth. Soon, color returned to his cheeks, and his furrowed brows smoothed out, clearly feeling much better. The flame seal between his brows, now reduced to half its original glow, slowly faded from view. Li Guanqi opened his eyes. Looking at the orb of qiyin spiritual light floating before him, a smile finally appeared on his face. After expending so much effort, he had finally obtained the Qilin Soul! He could sense other qiyin residing within this stone pillar, but he could only claim one. As for Meng Wanshu... she had not passed the trial of the Spirit Mist River and could not step onto this stone pillar. Looking at the head-sized phantom of a purple qilin before him, Li Guanqi finally let go of the tension in his heart. With a flick of his wrist, he stored away the qiyin spiritual light and flashed over to Meng Wanshu's side. Seeing Jiuxiao deep in contemplation, he pressed a finger to his lips. Seeing that Pengluo looked somewhat better, he couldn't help reaching out to rub its head. Pengluo looked up at Li Guanqi's pale face and subconsciously moved to snap off a section of its arm. Li Guanqi caught its hand to stop it, smiling. "Just minor wounds. There's no need." Pengluo knew what Li Guanqi was thinking and refrained from snapping it off. Leaping onto Li Guanqi's shoulder, it wrapped its arms around his neck, scratched its head, and let out a silly giggle. This trip to the qilin ruins had taught Li Guanqi a great deal. Looking at Meng Wanshu, Li Guanqi said softly, "Once Jiuxiao wakes up, we'll head home." Meng Wanshu pressed her lips together and nodded gently, her eyes shimmering with faint light, her thoughts concealed. "Or how about you take the items back to find Senior Gu and the others first?" "It doesn't matter when we return. After all, the matter of the True Self Trial's illusion won't happen for several centuries yet." "As for you, releasing the seal this time despite the risk to yourself—can you still keep it suppressed?" Looking at the deep concern in the woman's eyes, Li Guanqi replied gently, "Don't worry, I know my limits." "Let's visit home first before heading to the Gu clan." "Otherwise, wouldn't all the chickens, ducks, and livestock I brought for Mother-in-law go to waste?" Meng Wanshu blinked in surprise. "When did you buy livestock?" Li Guanqi shrugged and answered bluntly, "There were so many back in Qixia City, so I just grabbed some on the fly."