Spirit Ruin, Sword Coffin, Blind Swordsman

Li Guanqi’s heart skipped a beat. The faint glow of the fire mark on his forehead flickered wildly. Red veins crept across his white eyes as his nails dug deep into his palms, and a vein throbbed at his temple.

Stray bolts of lightning crackled outward from his body, startling the watching alchemists into scattering in every direction. Meng Jiangchu, Xiang Huaizhi, and Gu Changsheng each slammed a hand down on Li Guanqi at the same time, forcing the restless energy inside him back under control.

Li Guanqi shut his eyes and took several deep breaths. He slapped more than a dozen talismans onto himself before finally bringing his turbulent emotions under control.

“Are you all right?”

“What happened?”

“Even with the three of us here, you need to be careful!”

The three of them each shared a word of concern. Meng Jiangchu noticed that something was off with Li Guanqi’s mood. He glanced down at the cracked life jade slip in Li Guanqi’s hand and immediately understood.

Meng Jiangchu reached out and touched the slip with one finger, then closed his eyes and said softly, “At least his life isn’t in danger. He seems to have endured some kind of inhuman pain that nearly shattered his life force. Fortunately, that strange force has already receded.”

Li Guanqi forced himself to calm down. What Meng Jiangchu said matched what he could sense.

The crack on the jade slip was already fading. He gritted his teeth, his eyes full of killing intent. “Seniors, I’m leaving the matter of my divine soul to you. I need to head out.”Gu Changsheng said nothing more. He simply handed Li Guanqi a token that would let him freely enter and exit the domain.

Li Guanqi left the Gu clan’s domain in an instant with Meng Wanshu following him. The moment they were outside, he pulled out his pavilion master jade slip and spoke in an icy voice. “You still haven’t located Ye Feng?! Spare nothing! Use every connection and every resource to find him!”

Li Guanqi’s shoulders trembled as he lowered the jade slip. Meng Wanshu’s hand remained frozen in midair, her heart aching at the sight. She knew how much Ye Feng’s capture pained him and how much pressure he was under. He was the eldest of the sworn brothers, yet he had been powerless to prevent one of them from being taken. Now, Ye Feng’s life was in danger, and all Li Guanqi could do was rage helplessly.

Li Guanqi hurled over a hundred punches into the void.

Boom! Crash! Boom boom!

“Ahhhhhh! Ahhhh!”

His anguished roar echoed across the heavens. It was the only way he could vent the frustration churning inside him.

Somewhere in a pitch-black great hall adrift in the void, a man whose body flickered between real and illusory stood with his foot pinning a gray-haired young man to the floor.

Ye Feng’s entire right arm now radiated a terrifying power, nearly rivaling the peak Combined Body Realm.

The price was unimaginable suffering. He lay facedown on the ground, drool and snot streaming down his face. His hair hung in disarray, his face was covered in blood, and his forehead was battered and bleeding.

His limbs were twisted at grotesque angles. Around him, the black pool that had covered the ground only moments earlier was already receding. He was drenched from head to toe, though there was no telling whether it was black water or cold sweat.

Blood-red blotches filled both of Ye Feng’s eyes. He lay on the ground, greatly weakened.

Demonic qi seethed from his right arm, and the demonic spirit’s power had grown even stronger. His entire right eye had turned pitch black, its pupil an eerie crimson.

Sha stood before Ye Feng, his right foot resting on his head. He sneered, sounding surprised. “You have more willpower than I thought. After everything you’ve been through, the demonic spirit has only taken thirty percent of your divine soul. It hasn’t even reached half. What keeps you going? I really want to know. Brotherhood? Family?”

Ye Feng’s gaze was vacant, as though he hadn’t heard a word. Beneath Sha’s foot, half of Ye Feng’s face was being ground to a bloody pulp. As his cheekbone crumbled, the side of his face caved in.

Sha slowly lifted his foot and crouched down, grabbing Ye Feng by the head. “Peak Combined Body Realm. That should be enough. I still need something else to complete the demon soul conversion. You’ve got your first assignment.”

Thud!

With a flick of his wrist, he tossed Ye Feng aside. Ye Feng slammed into a stone pillar, shattering it and sending debris flying.

A woman in a black dress silently kneeled nearby. Sha threw a jade slip onto the ground in front of her and spoke softly. “Recorded here are the names of five prodigies from the Ethereal Immortal Territory and the ancient clans. Your task is to capture all five of them within a year, by any means necessary. Hmm, and from now on, we’ll call this place the Heavenly Demon Pavilion! Hehe!”

Ye Feng’s Ghost Arm demonic spirit moved like viscous liquid and snatched up the jade slip. It shifted into the form of an ingratiating old man and bowed obsequiously, then forced Ye Feng’s body into a half-kneel.

Ye Feng strained his neck, refusing to lower his head. The demonic spirit’s power bore down on him, and the sound of bones snapping rang out from his neck until he was finally forced to bow. Its brute strength had broken his neck outright.

As if thinking something amusing, Sha smiled brightly.

He clasped his hands behind his back and strolled toward the hall’s doors, then glanced back at Song Zhi’ang. His voice was frigid. “You’ll be going with them. You know what I mean.”

Song Zhi’ang’s expression didn’t change. She answered in a steady voice, “Understood, Pavilion Master.”

Sha nodded approvingly. Then he frowned. “Hmm, now that we’re calling it the Heavenly Demon Pavilion, maybe I should change my name too. What should it be… How about Lu Tian? Hehe, hahahaha! Good name![1] From now on, you will all address me as Pavilion Master Lu Tian! Understood?”

Song Zhi’ang’s face went pale under the pressure of the divine soul energy rippling through the air. She lowered her voice. “Understood.”

Sha seemed delighted after choosing his new name. His gaze sharpened with icy light as he looked down at the woman kneeling beside him. He leaned in slowly, his lips near her ear, and spoke without a trace of warmth.

“You’d better behave and complete the task I’ve given you. After all, I’ve spent a great deal to elevate you to your current realm. Never forget that everything you have came from me. I can raise you to the Combined Body Realm, and I can just as easily reduce you to a mere mortal.”

Song Zhi’ang’s shoulders trembled. She didn’t dare meet his eyes. What Ye Feng had endured was nothing compared to the agony she had suffered through the Myriad Demon Soul Devourer. She couldn’t even bring herself to remember it.

“Yes…”

After Sha left, the only sounds left were the demonic spirit’s mocking laughter and Ye Feng’s ragged breathing. Song Zhi’ang rose to her feet and looked at Ye Feng for a long moment, then turned and left without a word.

1. Lu Tian (戮天) literally means “Slaughter Heaven,” a name that suggests slaughtering even the heavens themselves.