Spirit Ruin, Sword Coffin, Blind Swordsman

Now, Gu Changsheng felt like he understood why Li Guanqi could draw his sword for the Daxia Sword Sect without hesitation. No matter the situation, he would always stand before the sect as its unsheathed blade.

Gu Changsheng’s lips curled slightly. So he also has a sect elder who protects him the same way.

He smiled freely. Flames erupted beneath his feet, tearing through the void as he laughed. “Don’t worry. I’ve even left my own son here as collateral. No matter what, I’ll bring him back.”

Sun Miao, just flying out from Pill Peak, caught sight of the scene and froze.

Cao Yan reacted the same way, his mouth wide open and his eyes almost popping out.

Sun Miao’s face flushed as he stared at the flames, goosebumps rising along his arms.

He stammered, “I-It’s the Profound Heavenly Divine Flame, ranked eleventh among the heavenly flames! And he’s that legendary, elusive tier-eight alchemist, the one no one’s ever even seen! A grandmaster of alchemy whose identity remains a mystery, and he just appeared right in front of me!”

Cao Yan stared at the scorching, heaven-scorching flames in silence for a long moment. Gu Changsheng’s identity didn’t shake him. What truly shook Cao Yan was the terrifying power of his heavenly flame.

But soon after, he grinned. He thought of his own heavenly flame, feeling no envy or jealousy at all. He looked at Li Guanqi’s back with pride. Who else could say a brother had given them a heavenly flame? Yet his big brother had done exactly that.

On the way, Gu Changsheng said with a smile, “Take Gu Li out more often from now on. That kid never leaves the house. He’s going to die of boredom.”Li Guanqi smiled. He still felt a bit guilty about Gu Li.

He nodded firmly. “Okay, but the things we do are usually a bit dangerous...”

Gu Changsheng waved his hand and laughed. “Going out to train means you might die. That’s just how it is.”

He added casually, “But don’t tell him I left backup measures at home. That kid’s reckless. If he knows, he won’t take things seriously.”

Li Guanqi’s mouth twitched. This was the first he’d heard of Gu Changsheng having anything of the sort.

Gu Changsheng let out a soft sigh. “Once we’re back, just tell them whatever you need to tell them. Whether the Zhao clan believes you isn’t your concern. Leave that to me and your Uncle Meng.”

Li Guanqi nodded.

It wasn’t long before he found out exactly what Gu Changsheng meant when he said to “leave it to them.”

***

Bang!

Gu Changsheng slammed the table and shot to his feet, cursing. “You damn old bastard, have you no shame? The projection stone clearly shows other experts were involved. On what grounds are you insisting that my son and Li Guanqi killed him? If you want compensation, just say so. Stop spouting nonsense.”

Meng Jiangchu rolled up his sleeves and jabbed a finger at the elder across from him, spitting as he spoke. “Is Zhao Bin an idiot? A fool? If Li Guanqi and Gu Li really killed him, would he have gone down that easily? Wouldn’t he have had time to send you a message? Do you think my son-in-law’s too strong, or your grandson’s just trash? Some powerful expert crushed him in an instant, obviously. Stop slandering people!”

Across from them, spirit qi surged violently around Zhao Zongcheng. Veins bulged on his forehead, his face flushed red.

The wrinkled Zhao Zongcheng shook, his beard quivering with rage as he shot to his feet and pointed at them. “You! You two! You are twisting the truth! You two—”

Before he could finish, Gu Changsheng stood up and cut him off, the words coming out in a rapid-fire stream. “What? I already told you someone else was behind this. Think about it. Why would our juniors bother killing your grandson? Hmm? Is he really that precious? Aside from causing us trouble, what use is he?”

Boom!

Zhao Zongcheng could no longer contain his anger. His spirit qi erupted violently. The whole auction house shuddered as if about to collapse.

The door opened suddenly, and Qin Wushang stepped in, dressed in a black brocade robe. He weathered Zhao Zongcheng’s pressure and advanced at an unhurried pace.

“Rein in your aura or get out,” Qin Wushang said coldly.

Zhao Zongcheng’s eyes were bloodshot. He glanced at Qin Wushang but didn’t dare act rashly.

Qin Wushang slowly crouched down, and a jade-colored toad leaped off his shoulder.

The others, all well-informed, were instantly shocked.

Gu Changsheng frowned and exclaimed, “An ancient exotic beast… the Dream Toad!”

Before Li Guanqi could make sense of what was happening, the toad’s appendage shot out and stuck ot the forehead of Zhao Bin’s corpse.

A radiant glow erupted from the toad’s mouth, and illusory scenes unfolded before them all.

The image showed an enraged Zhao Bin hurling curses when a mysterious man in black suddenly suppressed and sealed him. Then, using a bizarre sealing technique, the man pushed Zhao Bin’s soul to the brink of collapse.

In that state, Zhao Bin looked dead, yet his soul lamp still burned. However, the moment he sustained any further injury, his soul would shatter at once, rendering even soul-retrieval techniques useless.

After that came the ambush on Li Guanqi and Gu Li, only a few breaths apart from the first attack.

In other words... from the moment Li Guanqi left the Ethereal Immortal Territory, someone had been watching his every move.

The truth was finally revealed. Zhao Zongcheng slumped back into his chair, looking utterly lost.

Qin Wushang raised a hand and put the jade-colored toad away. “The Qin clan will deal with whoever is behind this. As for Young Master Zhao’s death, the truth is already clear. You may all leave.”

Zhao Zongcheng still wanted to say something, but a large hand slammed his neck against the wall and hauled him up.

A Qin clan expert, concealed by a black robe, stated coldly, “We’ve already gone easy on you. You should be grateful.”

Zhao Zongcheng’s eyes widened. He could feel the man’s icy killing intent.

Li Guanqi looked at Qin Wushang for a long moment. He didn’t understand why the man was helping him.

From the instant Gu Changsheng named the Dream Toad, Li Guanqi had understood it demanded a great price. The creature could rewind time only three times in its entire life.

Zhao Zongcheng shot Li Guanqi and Meng Jiangchu a hateful glare, then left the Ethereal Immortal Territory with Zhao Bin’s corpse.

Qin Wushang gave the group a slight nod. He left the room, but then suddenly stopped.

His eyes narrowed, cold sweat beading on his forehead. “She… actually used me. Heh. Interesting.”

At that moment, Li Guanqi’s voice suddenly echoed in his mind. “You mean the sense that something about Ye Bingxin doesn’t quite add up, as if she’s not entirely herself? Or... did she deliberately expose flaws in her emotional state, knowing you would go looking for her? Was it all to force your father and Ye Xuan to appear and ensure no one would ever suspect she was still herself?”

Qin Wushang’s mouth curved into a wild grin. He said softly, “So you’ve already guessed something?”

Inside the room, Li Guanqi took a sip of tea. His eyes half-lidded, he murmured, “It’s only a suspicion, not something I can confirm. Hatred always has a cause.”

That last line felt spoken more to himself than to anyone else.

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