Chapter 823 - Trust
With his eyes closed in cultivation, Li Guanqi steadily consolidated his realm, finally feeling he could relax.
When the Red Lotus Sword had shattered, his heart had clenched. Now, that lingering tension had finally eased.
Sword Spirit’s cool voice echoed in his ears. “If Red Lotus is to grow stronger, it may still need additional materials.”
Li Guanqi nodded. If it meant restoring Red Lotus to its former state, then materials were nothing. Even if it required the blood essence of a tier-seven great demon, he would not hesitate to get it.
As his cultivation stabilized, Sword Spirit sat cross-legged within the sword coffin space and began to cultivate too.
Bestowing divinity upon the Red Lotus Sword meant that, from this moment on, Red Lotus would follow Li Guanqi for the rest of its existence. And that divinity meant Red Lotus now had the qualifications to step into the Immortal World. That was why it had been so exhilarated.
As his cultivation gradually stabilized, Li Guanqi became aware of the flaw in his soul. Just as Nangong Xuandu had warned, his strength appeared unaffected, but a flawed soul would make it nearly impossible to reach the Tribulation Realm in the future.
Li Guanqi smiled faintly. He did not regret his choice. He had promised Coward Li that he would let him live, and Coward Li, to help him break through, had cultivated with everything he had. In the final moment of fusion, Coward Li had opened himself completely, without the slightest reservation.
What weighed on Li Guanqi’s mind now were Nine Heavens and Peng Luo. Their injuries were far too severe. The medicinal pool could restore some of their strength, but it did little to heal their wounds.
Li Guanqi’s own injuries were light, so after three days, he slowly awakened. By then, his cultivation had stabilized, and his injuries had mostly healed.
Splash!
He rose, looked at the others still deep in cultivation, and smiled. The fight with Lu Wuhen had really put them through hell.
Buzz!
Suddenly, a powerful, mysterious aura spread outward. Ye Feng’s eyes snapped open, two streaks of golden light shooting from his gaze.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
The beams struck the ground, blasting two deep craters. Ye Feng looked at Li Guanqi, grinned, and let out a long breath as he stood up. “Boss.”
Seeing his foolish grin, Li Guanqi punched him lightly on the shoulder. “All good now?”
Ye Feng raised his arm and laughed. “Pretty much. I’m seventy or eighty percent recovered.”
He glanced at Cao Yan and Xiao Chen, who were still unconscious, and his eyes narrowed. “Hmph. That damned Lu clan really pulled out all the stops just to win.”
Li Guanqi glanced at Ye Feng, then briefly told him about Lu Wuhen’s schemes.
A chill ran down Ye Feng’s spine. He had never imagined Lu Wuhen’s mind could be so terrifying.
Li Guanqi smiled. “You’re not even going to ask if I won?”
Ye Feng shrugged as if it were obvious. “Of course you won.”
He clicked his tongue and continued casually, “When I stepped onto the stage, I only had one thought.”
Li Guanqi chuckled. “And what was that?”
Ye Feng scratched his head and grinned. “I couldn’t lose. As long as I won, the Daxia Sword Sect would win. Because I knew you wouldn’t lose. No matter who the opponent was, no matter how strong they were.”
Li Guanqi was, for a moment, at a loss for words. Ye Feng had always been like this. Believing in Li Guanqi came more naturally to him than believing in himself. Even if he trusted himself eight parts out of ten, he trusted Li Guanqi ten out of ten.
Li Guanqi patted his shoulder. “Keep working hard on your cultivation. Want to head out with me and let your family know you’re safe?”
Ye Feng shrugged. “Not yet. Third Brother and Fourth Brother haven’t woken up yet, so I’m still a little worried. But that guy... honestly, he impressed me.”
He jerked his chin slightly, clearly referring to Zhou Shiyu.
Li Guanqi glanced at Zhou Shiyu, who was still recovering, and smiled faintly. “Zhou Shiyu doesn’t make promises lightly, but when he does, he’ll pour everything into fulfilling them.”
Ye Feng nodded, though his attitude toward Zhou Shiyu remained somewhat indifferent. He still kept his distance from him, unlike with Xiao Chen. The others felt the same, even if Zhou Shiyu’s performance had improved their opinion of him.
Ye Feng said, “Boss, you go ahead and handle things. I’ll stay here and keep an eye out. Just let my family know I’m okay. I’ll head back once the others wake up.”
Li Guanqi nodded. Without another word, he stepped forward and vanished.
Ye Feng sat by the edge of the pool, his gaze growing distant as he looked at Coward Li lying within it. He wasn’t surprised to see him there. He knew Li Guanqi well enough. Even if it had meant giving up his breakthrough to the Combined Body Realm, Li Guanqi still would have let Coward Li live.
A faint smile touched Ye Feng’s lips. This was the Li Guanqi he knew. Had Li Guanqi chosen otherwise, he wouldn’t be Li Guanqi.
The Red Lotus Sword would need time to fully recover after its rebirth, but Li Guanqi was in no hurry.
Inside the sword coffin, the Yanluo Sword practically trembled with anxiety, yet it could only lie prostrate on the ground, not daring to move. Its fear of Sword Spirit was instinctive. Seeing how pitiful it looked, Sword Spirit smiled faintly. After a moment’s thought, she tossed the Yanluo Sword into the heavenly flames as well. She used a portion of the molten metal to repair the sword but granted it no divinity.
When Li Guanqi stepped out of the Purple Spirit Paradise Realm, the sight before him left him stunned.
The entire Daxia Sword Sect was shrouded in dense mist. The air was so saturated with spirit qi that it dampened one’s sleeves at a touch, nearly thick enough to liquefy. Visibility ran to less than ten zhang. Everywhere, heavenly materials and earthly treasures were piled like mountains.
More than a dozen massive teleportation arrays glowed without pause as countless cultivators rushed in and out, hauling goods. Disciples stood beside the arrays, recording everything meticulously, smiles on their faces.
Qin Xian, standing near one of the arrays, sensed Li Guanqi’s presence. He paused, turned toward the sky, and bowed deeply, laughing loudly. “Greetings, Elder Li!”
With Qin Xian taking the lead, many others noticed the white-robed figure overhead. The disciples bowed at once, their faces bright with excitement. Li Guanqi’s prestige within the Daxia Sword Sect had reached its peak. He was the only Combined Body Realm expert in the sect.
Not long ago, even a mere Divine Transformation Realm cultivator from the Purple Sun Pavilion had forced them into a corner. Now, the sect held nearly ten Illusory Refinement Realm experts. It was flourishing like never before. Across the Azure Cloud Continent, the Daxia Sword Sect stood among the very top forces, virtually unmatched.
Li Guanqi smiled and returned their greetings, then quickly descended to help Qin Xian up. “You’re too kind, Senior Qin. This is too much.”
Qin Xian laughed heartily, seeing nothing improper in it. If Li Guanqi were to declare himself the sect master right now, Lu Kangnian would hand over the position gladly, without hesitation. But everyone knew Li Guanqi’s ambitions lay far beyond that.
“Carry on, Elder Qin. I’ll go find Sect Master Lu.”
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