Spirit Ruin, Sword Coffin, Blind Swordsman

Meng Jiangchu’s expression darkened as he nodded slightly. “Exactly. Otherwise, with Wanshu’s talent, she would have broken through long ago.”

Li Guanqi’s heart tightened. “Then… where are we going?”

Meng Jiangchu waved his hand, carrying Li Guanqi as they traversed the void, his voice deep and steady. “I’m taking you to see what the world of truly top-tier experts looks like.”

Li Guanqi frowned, caught off guard. Then Meng Jiangchu continued, “Have you not noticed that there aren’t actually that many top experts across the Six Territories?”

Li Guanqi nodded solemnly. Of course he had. Even back in the Illusory Refinement Realm, he had realized that Combined Body Realm experts were rarely seen within the Six Territories.

Meng Jiangchu spoke calmly. “Once one reaches the Combined Body Realm, even a casual move can shatter mountains and split the earth. The destruction such cultivators can cause is immense. Eventually, people discovered an independent domain where space itself is incredibly stable. Even Combined Body Realm cultivators cannot easily tear through it. The strongest factions and clans from the Six Territories have all chosen to reside there, living in isolation. You could say… it’s a different kind of seclusion.”

Li Guanqi frowned. He had never heard of such a place.

Meng Jiangchu smiled faintly. “Those two in your Guanyun Pavilion, Ji Yuchuan and Xi Yunhuai, have both been there. They just never got the chance to tell you, because the ‘entry ticket’ to that place... is reaching the Combined Body Realm.”

Li Guanqi scratched his head. “Then… wouldn’t that place be filled with Combined Body Realm cultivators?”

Meng Jiangchu shook his head patiently. “It’s not that only Combined Body Realm cultivators can stay there. It’s that… only at that level do you truly qualify to know about it. That place is also known as the Little Seventh Territory. Its true name is the Ethereal Immortal Territory.” Li Guanqi replied, “Little Seventh Territory? Then what about my grandfather’s side?”

Meng Jiangchu gave a bitter smile at the question. “Too many people have searched for the true Seventh Territory without ever finding it, so the name simply stuck.”

Along the way, Meng Jiangchu told Li Guanqi a great deal about the Ethereal Immortal Territory. It was not a domain parallel to the Six Territories, but a vast, ownerless spatial realm existing within the void itself, larger than three of the external territories combined. That alone left Li Guanqi stunned, his mouth slightly agape. It was incredible that he’d known nothing about such a place.

Meng Jiangchu chuckled. “Don’t be surprised. This world is far more complicated than you imagine. Alright. This time, we’re attending an auction.”

Li Guanqi nodded, silently digesting everything. After a moment, he asked, “Father-in-law, which auction house are we going to? The Heavenly Intelligence Pavilion or Hundred Treasures Pavilion? What are we buying?”

Meng Jiangchu smiled faintly. “In the Ethereal Immortal Territory, the Heavenly Intelligence Pavilion and the Hundred Treasures Pavilion... are nothing more than roadside shops.”

Li Guanqi’s heart jolted. “Roadside shops? They don’t even have auction houses there?”

If that was true, then the Ethereal Immortal Territory’s strength was terrifying. Organizations that spanned all six territories were reduced to nothing more than roadside shops.

Meng Jiangchu patted Li Guanqi’s shoulder. “Brat, from today on, you’ve officially stepped into the highest tier of cultivators. You need to broaden your horizons. The Heavenly Intelligence Pavilion and the Hundred Treasures Pavilion are powerful within the Six Territories, yes. But you’ve seen it yourself. Gu Yong only just broke into the Mahayana Realm, yet the Lu clan and Zhu clan could casually produce someone like him. And they aren’t even the strongest among the ancient clans. Above them are peak Tribulation Realm experts and the factions they command. At that level… a single existence can make heaven and earth tremble.”

As Li Guanqi wondered where this mysterious place might be, Meng Jiangchu came to a sudden stop. Li Guanqi frowned. At first glance, nothing seemed unusual. If anything was different, it was that within a hundred zhang, there wasn’t a single trace of chaotic void currents. But such empty pockets existed everywhere.

When he spread his divine consciousness, however, he quickly noticed something. The space felt strangely isolated. It seemed to exist within the void, yet the moment Meng Jiangchu brought him over, it had become an independent space.

Li Guanqi smiled faintly. He brushed his hand across the void and murmured softly, “Interesting…”

Meng Jiangchu looked at him in surprise. “You noticed?”

Seeing Li Guanqi nod, Meng Jiangchu could only curse inwardly. That damned talent…

Buzz!

Meng Jiangchu produced a purple storage ring and slipped it onto his finger. With a flash of light, a radiant gate appeared before them.

The fractured gate shimmered with flowing colors, the space within slightly distorted and hard to make out.

“Let’s go. We’ll head inside, and I’ll get you an identity ring while we’re at it,” Meng Jiangchu said.

Li Guanqi smiled faintly, his curiosity about the Ethereal Immortal Territory only growing.

Buzz!

The light gate vanished.

Above a vast, immeasurable spatial domain, two figures suddenly appeared.

Li Guanqi felt a wave of dizziness wash over him. But when he opened his heart’s eye, the sight before him left him completely shaken.

Towering structures stretched endlessly into the distance, partially veiled by a thin layer of mist. And the density of that faint spiritual mist was more than double that of the already enriched spirit qi within the Daxia Sword Sect.

His blood surged. He clenched his hand, gripping the space itself. The void merely rippled, and nothing more.

Li Guanqi raised an eyebrow. That grip alone was enough to shatter mountains. In the outside world, dozens of zhang of space would have collapsed. Yet here, it barely stirred a ripple.

Li Guanqi muttered, “What a resilient space. Even at my full strength, I might only be able to tear it slightly.”

Meng Jiangchu smiled. “No need to be surprised. Rumor has it that this place was created through the combined efforts of Ascension Realm cultivators. But it’s been too long, and there’s no way to verify it now. Come, I’ll take you to Qinhuang City.”

***

Li Guanqi glanced down at the vast mountains below. They were home to countless beasts and spirits with ancient bloodlines, while the dense spirit qi nurtured innumerable heavenly treasures. “A place like this, yet no one harvests the resources or hunts these beasts?”

Meng Jiangchu’s gaze turned meaningful. “In the Ethereal Immortal Territory, six imperial cities and three holy sects stand at the top. Nine Tribulation Realm experts oversee everything, and there are clear territorial divisions. Do you think anyone would dare act recklessly?”

He paused. “I’ve heard the Yu clan recently ran into some trouble, but… Enough of that. Let’s go.”

With that, the two moved toward the distant city.

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