A Blind Swordsman's Sword Coffin

Crowds surrounded the three peaks. Few people lingered near the central peak. Anyone who could reach the area could see that the three smaller peaks formed a seal around it. The seals had to be broken before the central peak could be accessed.

Li Guanqi’s eyes flashed. The items on each peak were surely no ordinary objects. Aside from the lightning-filled peak, the one radiating powerful sword intent made his own sword intent surge in response. And the peak wreathed in multi-colored flames stirred the two heavenly fires within him.

Li Guanqi licked his lips. The Heavenly Intelligence Map was likely on the central peak.

Which one should I choose?

He did not want to make a choice. Perhaps... he wanted the treasures on all three peaks.

Buzz!

Lightning crackled across the first peak. Lightning bolts struck its surface without pause, each one as strong as heavenly tribulation lightning. Most of the cultivators kept their distance, wary of being struck.

Nearly a hundred Divine Transformation Realm cultivators had gathered in the sky around the peak, tightly packed together.

Li Guanqi pursed his lips. He hadn’t expected to see so many Divine Transformation Realm cultivators in a place like the Hell Rivers.

By then, most Nascent Soul Realm cultivators should have died. To the Divine Transformation Realm cultivators, they were like ants that could be crushed on sight.

Few Divine Transformation Realm cultivators had fallen. There hadn’t been anything worth killing each other over.

Li Guanqi squinted. At least a dozen of them had Lightning Spirit Roots. All of them stared greedily at the eye of the lightning whirlpool atop the mountain.

Suddenly, a man in navy blue robes and a white mask stepped forward. He vanished in a flash of lightning, leaving only an afterimage.

“Attack!” someone yelled, and the sky erupted into chaos.

Boom! Whoosh! Clang! Rumble!

A storm of vital force exploded overhead. Countless knife and sword lights shot through the air, all aimed at the same target.

Anyone trying to enter the eye of that storm would become a target.

Pfft!

“Ahhh!”

The man lasted barely a second before vanishing beneath a wave of attacks. His body and soul alike were destroyed. The thick stench of blood filled the air.

Then the crowd noticed Li Guanqi. It was impossible to miss him—he strode toward the lightning-filled peak with his head bowed, utterly unaffected by the lightning crackling around him.

Li Guanqi became the new target. The cultivators halted their attacks. Someone roared, “Kill him!”

They moved as one, and the air filled with whooshing sounds.

Peng Luo, sitting on Li Guanqi’s shoulder, raised his hand and released a milky-white barrier.

Li Guanqi smirked and murmured, “Yin Hell... Soul Cremation!”

Boom!

A strange ripple of energy radiated outward. Everyone charging at Li Guanqi suddenly burst into black flames.

Poof! Poof‌!

With each step they took, another cultivator was engulfed. In a single breath, more than twenty of them dissolved into ash. Even mid Divine Transformation Realm cultivators lasted only a moment longer.

The ghost cultivators were even more terrified, fleeing for their lives.

“Ahhh! Damn it! What kind of fire is that?!”

“Ahhh! I can’t stop it!”

“Heavenly fire! It’s Yin Hellfire!”

“Ahhh! Save me! I don’t want to die!”

Screams of agony filled the sky. Li Guanqi strode forward with his arms crossed beneath his sleeves, showing no emotion. Those still untouched by the flames scrambled back in fear.

Only late Divine Transformation Realm cultivators could resist the heavenly fire, and even then, only briefly.

Many powerful cultivators lurked in that crowd. Li Guanqi narrowed his eyes slightly.

He sensed three particularly powerful auras. Each of them carried a treasure capable of blocking the Yin Hellfire from entering their bodies.

However, it wouldn’t last. The fire would eventually eat through their protection.

The three exchanged glances. All of them had Lightning Spirit Roots and strong resistance to lightning. They stood five hundred zhang from the peak, closer than most cultivators could manage.

One of them, an old man in Daoist robes, squinted at Li Guanqi. Electricity crackled around him as he turned to the other two, a thin man and a muscular man. “If we don’t work together, we’ll watch this bastard take the treasure right from under our noses. We should kill him, then fight over the prize among ourselves.”

Li Guanqi had displayed terrifying strength. None of them were confident they could kill him on their own.

The other two nodded without hesitation.

“Good.” The old man smiled. “Heh. If either of you holds back, don’t blame me for what comes next.”

Li Guanqi watched the fragile alliance form with quiet amusement. “Finished talking? Hmm, let’s do it this way. Whoever attacks first dies first. Who will it be?”

The thin man in white snorted and flicked his sword. “Bold words. Whoever attacks first dies first? Attack him!”

Li Guanqi pursed his lips. The man clearly intended to let the other two strike first.

The muscular man observed closely, choosing to strike only after the other two had engaged, waiting a beat before acting.

Three late Divine Transformation Realm cultivators had launched their attacks at roughly the same time. The skies darkened, and the surrounding space trembled.

Even the whirlpool on the mountain peak paused for a moment.

That moment was enough. All four of them sensed what lay at its center.

“It’s the Heavenly Lightning Orb!” Peng Luo blurted.

Li Guanqi raised his eyebrows. The trio exchanged glances, their killing intent sharpening.

The other cultivators were watching intently, each hoping to snatch the treasure once Li Guanqi and the trio were worn down.

Boom!

The cloth wrapping Li Guanqi’s sword box exploded. The black box snapped open, and a red sword flew into his hand.