Spirit Ruin, Sword Coffin, Blind Swordsman

Meng Jiangchu stood to the side, his expression tense. Long Hou had begun cultivating thousands of years before him, and he was a towering figure he’d admired since first stepping onto the immortal path.

Long Hou looked at the woman next to Li Guanqi and smiled. ”Is that the girl who lived next door to you in Prosperity Village, Wanshu?”

Li Guanqi paused slightly and replied softly, “Uncle Long knows her?”

Long Hou accepted the title without comment. He smiled and nodded, his sharp features softening. “I visited a few times back then. She was just a tiny little girl. It seems like only yesterday, and now she’s grown into such an outstanding young woman.”

Meng Wanshu felt a little embarrassed. She bowed slightly and said softly, “Greetings, Senior Long.”

Long Hou smiled and flicked a finger. A point of golden light shot straight between Meng Wanshu’s brows.

Meng Jiangchu’s pupils contracted. He bowed hastily. “This junior thanks Senior on behalf of my daughter for the blessing!”

A brilliant glow burst from within Meng Wanshu. Her entire bearing shifted, becoming far more ethereal than before. Nothing short of heaven-defying—forcibly elevating her comprehension without the slightest harm to her foundation.

Long Hou waved a smile. “Consider it a meeting gift from an uncle to his niece.”

Li Guanqi’s eyes lit up. He hurried over and jabbed a thumb at his chest. “What about me? Uncle Long, give me one too!”Long Hou shot him a look. “You already have an Empty Spirit Physique. You still need me to raise your comprehension?”

Li Guanqi deflated. “But I have two brothers outside. Can you help them?”

Ye Feng and Xiao Chen had long sensed that something was amiss, but they dared not get any closer. They had no clue what was going on, and they couldn’t even sense Long Hou’s presence.

Long Hou glanced at them, disdain plain in his eyes.

“Xiao Chen is a good person,” Li Guanqi said. “He was badly injured saving Wanshu. As for Ye Feng, I don’t need to explain. He’s followed me through life and death for years. He even entered the Dungeon Abyss just to keep up with me.”

Li Guanqi’s expression grew solemn as he spoke. “I know Ye Feng’s cultivation talent is average. He knows it too. What takes me a moment takes him weeks to grind through…”

Long Hou raised a hand, cutting him off. Golden light flared in his eyes as he turned. After a moment’s consideration, he flicked his finger. Two streams of spirit light shot into the brows of both men.

Suddenly, a crimson-gold jade box materialized in Long Hou’s hand. The moment it appeared, terrifying metal power shredded the surrounding void into countless cracks.

He handed the box to Li Guanqi and said softly, “This was prepared by your grandfather for him. It’s very dangerous. If he swallows it, the chance of survival is one in ten.”

Li Guanqi took the jade box, and countless wounds instantly opened across his fingers. He flinched and wrapped it in vital force, then looked up. “What does it do?”

Long Hou smiled. “It can elevate Ye Feng to a Saint Spirit Root and allow his sword spirit void to advance. He’ll be able to touch upon the mysteries of the Heaven-Opening Tier.”

Even Meng Jiangchu couldn’t hide his envy. Li Guanqi grinned and tucked the box away.

“Uh… right, Uncle Long. Why hasn’t my grandfather come to see me? I could go with you to see him. It’s been so many years. I do miss him.”

Long Hou’s expression turned serious. “Guanqi, your grandfather’s identity is very special, and what he bears is even greater. It’s not that he does not want to see you. It’s that he cannot!”

As he spoke, his gaze drifted unintentionally toward Li Guanqi’s empty back.

Li Guanqi understood at once. He nodded. “Alright. One day, I’ll go find Grandpa myself.”

Long Hou nodded in satisfaction, then turned to Meng Jiangchu and handed him a jade pendant with an ancient aura.

Meng Jiangchu accepted it with both hands. When he saw the “Xuan” character engraved upon it, his heart lurched.

“This… Could it be?”

Long Hou nodded slightly. “Everything you want to know is inside. The premise is that you are already prepared.”

Meng Jiangchu took a deep breath and asked in a low voice, “Which number am I?”

“The second.”

“Then who was the first?”

“The Pavilion Master of the Heavenly Intelligence Pavilion, Gu Yong.”

Meng Jiangchu sucked in a sharp breath. “I understand. Once I finish handling everything here, I will go.”

Their conversation was cryptic. Li Guanqi only partially understood, though he had some vague guesses.

Outside, atop the mountain peak, Ye Feng and Xiao Chen had both fallen into a deep meditative state. Like Meng Wanshu, they had unconsciously entered cultivation, intense waves of vital force surging around them.

After giving the items to Meng Jiangchu, Long Hou inclined his head slightly to the group. “Since everything is done, I’ll take my leave.”

Meng Jiangchu clasped his hands. “Safe travels, Senior.”

Li Guanqi also bowed deeply, feeling an inexplicable admiration for the man. He was simply too powerful, exuding the bearing and presence of a true expert.

Before leaving, Long Hou turned to Li Guanqi, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly. “Not bad. Very good.”

Li Guanqi immediately looked up and grinned.

After Long Hou departed, Meng Jiangchu hurried off as well. Li Guanqi helped Li Guilan clear the dishes. She asked in a hushed voice, “Hey, that golden, shining person just now was very powerful, wasn’t he?”

Li Guanqi nodded. “Yes, very. At the very least, beating Uncle Meng wouldn’t be a problem.”

Li Guilan clicked her tongue in amazement. “Then he really must be formidable.”

Li Guanqi turned and swept his divine consciousness over the two figures on the mountain. The corners of his mouth lifted. All these years, Ye Feng had endured a lot of hardship to follow him, and today, he would finally reap a sweet reward.

On the peak where the two were cultivating, Meng Jiangchu casually tossed down two array plates, each over ten zhang across. They transformed into Spirit-Gathering Arrays, their spirit qi so dense it nearly condensed into mist.

Li Guanqi’s expression shifted. An additional golden jade slip had appeared inside his storage ring.

He raised a hand, creating a barrier to isolate the area. Infusing it with vital force, the jade slip emitted a faint glow, and Long Hou’s voice echoed.

—Cao Yan is in danger. Go and save him at once!

Boom!

Li Guanqi’s gaze turned sharp as a blade. “I want to see who dares touch him.”

He turned towards the mountain peak and shouted, “Speed it up. We found Big Head!”

On the peak, Ye Feng’s ear twitched. Terrifying pressure erupted from his body. The surrounding spirit mist began to spin violently. Ye Feng’s body became like a black hole, frantically devouring everything around him.

The spirit light at his brow blazed bright, then sank back into his forehead.

Xiao Chen was startled. He knew all too well how difficult it was to refine that sliver of spirit light. The constant clanging explosions around him made him think Ye Feng had gone mad. But dragged along by this momentum, Xiao Chen began to refine the spirit light at his brow with wild intensity.