Spirit Ruin, Sword Coffin, Blind Swordsman

A crimson line appeared across Hu San’s neck.

Pfft! Blood spurted from the gash.

The late Foundation Building Realm cultivator twisted mid-air, kicking off an incredibly thick tree trunk. Despite its size, the trunk exploded beneath his feet.

A pair of ice-cold eyes gleamed from beneath the man’s hood, radiating murderous intent. Li Guanqi had no time to think. The man was leaping from tree to tree, merely ten zhang away and closing in.

Li Guanqi tossed Lin Dong upward, leaving him on a branch. Li Guanqi charged forward with his sword in his left hand. From the beginning, he did not intend to allow the enemy to escape. If they let someone brazenly injure a Daxia Sword Sect disciple and escape unscathed, what would happen to the sect’s reputation?

The two met in mid-air. Li Guanqi’s left hand moved faster than his right. The clash of steel rang out in all directions.

Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!

The enemy’s sword techniques were swift and vicious. His eyes burned with killing intent.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

They exchanged dozens of strikes in the span of a few breaths. Both men were cut in several places.Boom!

A foot and a fist collided. The force of the impact threw both parties back several zhang.

Blood trickled from the torn skin between the enemy’s thumb and forefinger, running down his sword and dripping to the ground. His right hand trembled. He was stunned by Li Guanqi’s raw strength.

Now three zhang apart, either could launch a lethal strike in an instant. Lin Dong lay just overhead, but the man didn’t dare shift his focus away from Li Guanqi. He knew that if he made a move against Lin Dong, Li Guanqi would strike with his lightning attack.

Li Guanqi’s sprint technique was faster than his own, so he couldn’t take the risk. Blood and qi surged through Li Guanqi’s body. Sensing his opponent’s strength, he couldn’t stop his heart from beating wildly. All he could feel was his blood racing to his head, sharpening his senses even further.

A breeze swept through the mountains. Leaves rustled in the dark.

Li Guanqi could sense that many sect seniors were fast approaching.

The man gritted his teeth. Several Explosive Spirit Talismans appeared in his hand, and he hurled them at Li Guanqi.

Li Guanqi’s eyes narrowed. A flash of lightning sparked beneath his feet as he sidestepped three chi. Under his breath, he muttered, “Spell number two hundred eighty-two: Thunder Whip.”

Crackle!

The talismans exploded with a blinding light. The moment the man turned around, the Thunder Whip covered in purple lightning cracked across the man’s shoulder.

Thud!

The force of the blow sent him flying several zhang. Before he could land, Li Guanqi steadied his sword in his left hand, formed a seal with his right, and sprang into the air like a great bird with outstretched wings.

The man used one hand to push back against the ground, using the momentum to land on a large tree fifteen zhang away. That was when he noticed the gray clouds looming in the sky above.

Rumble!

His face paled. “Damn it! How does he have enough vital force to cast two major spells in a row?!”

“Lightning Spear!”

A two-chi-long Lightning Spear plummeted from the sky. There was nowhere to dodge—it pierced through the man’s left shoulder, knocking him off the tree and pinning him to the ground.

Clang!

His sword flared with a glint of icy blue as he slashed sideways, shattering the Lightning Spear into countless arcs of electricity.

Cold, icy mist swirled from beneath the man’s cloth mask. He bent his knees and launched himself at Li Guanqi, who was still mid-air. His sword flashed with ice blue light again, forming a beautiful arc of light as he swung for Li Guanqi’s throat.

He slashed three times in total, his eyes wide with madness. “Die!”

Lightning flashed beneath Li Guanqi’s feet. He shifted three inches to the side in a flash. Calm as still water, he lowered his stance and muttered, “Thunderbolt.”

A ray of purple sword light flashed in the sky like a bolt of lightning.

Li Guanqi landed on the ground..

Behind him, a headless body dropped to its knees.

Thud!

The severed head hit the ground moments later. Even in death, the man’s eyes showed disbelief. He had never figured out how Li Guanqi moved so fast.

Li Guanqi collapsed. Pale-faced, he gasped for air, his chest heaving. His sect robes were soaked with blood from over a dozen wounds. Casting major spells had nearly drained his divine consciousness. Though the enemy was stronger, he had deep reserves of vital force and ample combat experience, allowing him to fight back despite being weaker.

Because of exhaustion, Li Guanqi could not even maintain vision from his heart’s eye. Suddenly, he heard a rustling sound from behind. Instinct took over—he snatched Lin Dong from the branch and ran with him under one arm.

Two Foundation Building Realm disciples from the Daxia Sword Sect emerged from the darkness. “Junior Brother Li didn’t kill them alone, did he?”

“That’s terrifying!”

They were even more surprised when they surveyed the battleground, seeing many cut marks on the trees within a ten-zhang radius. Explosions had gouged deep craters into the earth, and black scorch marks marked spots where lightning had struck.

The older disciple snapped out of his shock and shouted, “What are you waiting for? Get him back as soon as we can!”

Whoosh!

They saw a purple light fly past them. A voice transmission rang out, “Guanqi! It’s alright now. There are no more enemies!”

When Li Guanqi heard his master’s voice, fatigue washed over him. His knees buckled, and he tumbled from a tree.

Whoosh!

Li Nanting caught him mid-fall, then handed Lin Dong to the two disciples. With Li Guanqi in his arms, he soared toward Heavenly Lightning Peak. The disciples followed with the corpses of the three intruders.

That night, the sect remained brightly lit. The attack had thrown its upper echelons into chaos. But to Sect Master Lu Kangnian’s fury, no clues were found on the corpses of the intruders. They would have to dig deeper.

By morning, the number of patrol disciples along the sect’s borders had tripled. Li Guanqi remained unconscious, unaware of any of it.

The sect master and disciplinarian had both visited him once.

Lu Kangnian sighed. “The little brat is extraordinarily talented. Perhaps... the sect’s future lies on his shoulders.”

Li Nanting’s expression darkened. Worried, he said, “We must investigate this matter thoroughly. And... we can’t let him risk his life like this in the future. That guy was at the late Foundation Building Realm!”

Lu Kangnian smiled faintly. “With his abilities, it’s unsurprising he was able to take down someone who’d only just reached that stage. Some of our disciples have taken down opponents out of their leagues before, including Golden Core Realm cultivators. Don’t be too shocked.”

Once Lu Kangnian and Qin Xian confirmed Li Guanqi’s life wasn’t in danger, they left. The secret realms were opening for training in just a few days, and there was much to prepare.