Spirit Ruin, Sword Coffin, Blind Swordsman

As soon as the ripples from the jade pendant spread out, Cao Zhennan’s confidence soared. He severed his own arm and wrenched free from Xiao Chen. He retreated hundreds of zhang, swallowed some pills, and reattached his arm.

Xiao Chen gave him a mocking smirk, gently shaking the flesh bits off his spear before strolling over to stand behind Li Guanqi.

“I am your nephew Cao Yan’s Big Brother,” Li Guanqi said calmly.

Boom!

Cao Weiyi’s arms, reduced to mere bones, were crushed inch by inch. The extreme pain caused him to writhe inside the coffin. He tried to scream, but one punch was enough to crush his throat.

Cao Zhennan’s eyes widened. His gaze darted around, as if making calculations.

Li Guanqi didn’t care. “Second Brother, break the realm’s boundary!”

Ye Feng took a step forward, crushing the void beneath his feet. The wails and cries of ghosts rang in everyone’s ears.

A black-and-gold sword light burst forth, slicing off the mountain peaks along its path. The sword intent mixed within reached half a step into the Sword Heart Realm. However, there were many esteemed guests in the realm, so Cao Zhennan couldn’t let the sword light land.

Boom! Ice-blue flames erupted around him. A strange ripple of energy passed through his sword, turning it ice blue. His sword force shifted, and a beam of ice-and-fire sword light erupted to meet Ye Feng’s attack.

Everyone expected his sword light to swallow Ye Feng’s, but then the girl beside Li Guanqi vanished, reappearing in front of Ye Feng. Meng Wanshu’s gaze had remained emotionless throughout. Though she was looking at the Southern Heavenly King, Cao Zhennan, her eyes held only contempt.

She didn’t even use her sword. She reached out slowly and opened her right hand.

“What’s that girl doing?! Has she gone mad?!”

“Such arrogance! Is she going to face a mid Illusory Refinement Realm cultivator’s most powerful attack with just one hand?”

“That girl is beautiful, but what a waste. This is suicide!”

They imagined the sword light would pierce ‌her hand, but it didn’t. The moment it touched her palm, a terrifying ice power sealed it, transforming the attack into a hundred-zhang-long blade of ice. Meng Wanshu squeezed her fingers. The sword light shattered into ice powder that fluttered through the air.

“Dungeon Abyss Technique, Abyssal Ghost!”

A sword light burst forth, and the furious wails of ghosts echoed. A hologram of a vicious ghost latched onto the sword light, slicing through the air like lightning. Only a flash could be seen.

Boom!

The world trembled. Even the falling rain paused for a moment. Then the space behind Cao Zhennan shattered.

Boom! Rumble!

As thunder crashed, the Realm of the Southern Heavenly King was torn apart by brute force.

The Southern Heavenly King’s Realm was violently ripped apart by a thunderous crash. The mountain within, teeming with people, was shattered by the sword light, sending countless guests scattering in panic. Ghost qi spread in all directions, and the bystanders desperately tried to get away from it.

“Gulp… He ripped apart the realm in one move! Who is that golden-haired youth? Do you guys know him?”

“I don’t! He probably isn’t from the Black Sect Territory, or he’d be famous. Since when did the other territories get so many prodigies?”

“What grudge could they possibly have to crash Cao Zhennan’s birthday party like this?” someone asked, voicing the question on everyone’s mind.

Whoosh‌! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Four figures with powerful auras appeared—likely allies of Cao Zhennan. One of them scanned the area. Her gaze fell on Li Guanqi. She gulped, and to everyone’s confusion, bowed in Li Guanqi’s direction. “Kid, by any chance, is your surname Li?”

Li Guanqi narrowed his eyes at her. “Yes. And if you don’t want to get dragged into this, you’d better leave.”

She gasped, then turned and fled. Having frequented the Hell Rivers before, she knew Li Guanqi had vanished the very same day the region disappeared.

The remaining three exchanged puzzled looks, but when they saw Cao Weiyi’s state, their eyes widened. He was entirely naked. The attackers clearly intended to utterly humiliate Cao Zhennan. If they didn’t die today, this matter would never rest.

The other heavenly kings were surely hiding somewhere, enjoying the show. The trio hesitated. Their relationships with Cao Zhennan were built on profit, not genuine friendship. Given how fierce these attackers were, getting involved seemed unwise. They looked at each other, concern plain in their eyes.

Just as they were about to excuse themselves, Cao Zhennan gritted his teeth and said something only they could hear. Their expressions shifted from disbelief to greed.

Boom boom boom!

The three of them flared with powerful auras, prepared for battle.

“Since you’ve decided to stay...” Li Guanqi said calmly. “Prepare to die.”

But then, three more spatial tears opened behind Cao Zhennan.

“Did Cao Zhennan call for reinforcements? I wonder at what cost!”

“Seven Illusory Refinement Realm cultivators! What a trump card!”

“Tsk, tsk. Still, look at how calm these youths still are. They must be stronger than we expect.”

Li Guanqi smirked. “Is that all?”

Cao Zhennan sneered. “Seven Illusory Refinement Realm cultivators will be enough to kill you!”

Li Guanqi flicked his wrists. The Red Lotus Sword and the Yanluo Sword let out bright cries. Sharp sword qi cut through the air. His aura erupted as he growled, “You asked me why I came here? I’m here for payback!”

Boom!

Cao Zhennan burst into laughter. He raised his hand and grabbed a person out of thin air.

A youth hung suspended, hands tied. His breath was incredibly shallow, and he was drenched in blood. Someone had flayed off his skin. His clothes were tattered. All his limbs were broken, white bone jutting from his flesh.

At his dantian, a bloody hole gaped. His eyelids had been torn off, and his eyeballs were covered in blood clots. Cao Yan’s spirit root had been extracted using an extremely vicious method.

Cao Zhennan glared at Li Guanqi and roared like a maniac. “Are we competing to see who can be more vicious? You’ll never beat me! Touch my father again, and I’ll kill him!”

Boom!

Ghost qi erupted from Ye Feng’s arm.

“Big Head!”

Cao Yan, barely alive, used all his strength to lift his head at the sound of Ye Feng’s voice. His vision was blurry—he could only make out two shadows. The pent-up resentment in his heart finally erupted as he croaked, “Big... Brother... Second... Brother...”

Li Guanqi’s eyes turned bloodshot the moment he saw Cao Yan’s tortured state.

He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and then snarled through gritted teeth, “Kill them all!”

Boom!