Paralyzed, Li Guanqi lay rigidly atop the altar, his forehead bulging with veins and drenched in cold sweat, his fingers contorting wildly.
The pain, as if his innards were being sliced by knives, twisted his face grotesquely.
Enduring the agony, Li Guanqi began to circulate the Nine Revolutions Thunder Scripture.
Gradually, the faint thunder within his body was absorbed into his pubic region.
The intense stabbing pain was unbearable.
Gritting his teeth, Li Guanqi bellowed, "Mere thunder, refine for me!"
Boom!
As the thunder entered his body, the tiny arcs of electricity were refined into strands of rich and dense vital energy.
Boom!
With a soft burst, Li Guanqi's body went limp.
He cracked a smile and murmured, "Twelfth level!"
His pubic region had expanded by three whole levels, now as vast as a lake.
After a long while, Li Guanqi got up and looked down to see the once radiant magical shield now riddled with holes and devoid of spirit light.
It was then he remembered to check the contents of his storage ring.
"What is this thing?"
Inside the storage ring, a purple egg the size of a human head floated silently, wrapped in pine nut-like purple scales.
Li Guanqi frowned and asked softly, "Sword Spirit, what is this thing?"
The Sword Spirit replied gravely, "A Thunder Dragon Egg! I have no idea how such a thing could appear in the human spirit realm…"
Li Guanqi exclaimed, "Dragon? Egg!"
His hands trembled with excitement, the joy of breaking through to the twelfth level of Qi Refining paled in comparison to this moment.
He fantasized about standing atop a mighty dragon, commanding the eight directions…
But then the Sword Spirit's words poured over him like a bucket of cold water.
"First think about how to hatch it. Its aura is very weak; it will need a long period of nurturing."
"However, if you're lucky enough to hatch it and form a master-servant contract, it could become a great asset to you."
Without a second thought, Li Guanqi, disregarding his injuries, packed the entire altar into his storage ring.
After placing the dragon egg on top, the altar was once again engulfed in the power of thunder.
But the Sword Spirit warned, "This thing is a huge burden. The top-grade Spirit Stones on this formation can last at most a year and a half."
"After that, you'll need at least three thousand low-grade Spirit Stones per month."
"Prepare yourself mentally."
Li Guanqi's face soured as he inwardly wailed, "Three thousand a month?"
"Good heavens… I don't even use that much for cultivation!"
After ensuring there was nothing left in the secret chamber, Li Guanqi used the teleportation array to leave.
He didn't forget to pry off the Spirit Stones from the array platform.
After all, they were money!
"Forget it! Even if it's a Spirit Stone-eating creature, I'll hatch it!"
"Wow, a Dragon Swordsman! How imposing!"
Suddenly!!
The jade slip at his waist began to flash wildly!
Li Guanqi's expression changed as he quickly picked up the jade slip and infused it with vital energy.
"Old Li, come save us!!"
"We've found two Xuan-level techniques, Ke Qin is injured, and the Wanxian Sword Faction and several other teams are hunting us!"
Li Guanqi immediately replied, "Run! Wait for me!"
Thud!
The floor tiles under Li Guanqi's feet exploded as he ran towards his comrades.
Moments later.
On a spacious platform, the Wanxian Sword Faction, the Zixiao Pavilion, and the Orient Loong Island had six figures surrounded in the middle.
The sword light was fierce, and the besieged were gradually losing strength.
"Do you three factions really want to annihilate us completely?!"
"Aren't you afraid of the retaliation from Zhenyue Mountain and the Great Xia Sword Sect?!"
Shen Qi's left hand was broken, and he could only fight with his sword in his right hand.
At that moment, Shen Qi was covered in sword wounds, his eyes bloodshot and filled with rage.
They had found a secret chamber with a magical formation sail, but then the Zixiao Pavilion and Orient Loong Island ambushed them!
Two severely wounded disciples died instantly.
The remaining three managed to escape with the help of the Great Xia Sword Sect.
But the Wanxian Sword Faction seemed to have anticipated this and trapped them here.
Luo Hu, in a green robe, slashed out with his sword, his face twisted with a mocking sneer.
"As long as you all die here, who will know it was us?"
"Just like… those two wastes from the Qi Xian Sect!"
Ye Feng fought against three, his body soaked in blood, his expression icy.
Ke Qin died at the hands of Luo Hu!!
An arrow through the heart, and there was no time to help!
Zhong Lin and Lin Dong were silent, their backs against each other in a defensive stance.
In the Wanxian Sword Faction, Zhao Yuanlin threw out a magical artifact ribbon!
The ribbon extended wildly, instantly enveloping Shen Qi and Ye Feng!
"Attack! Kill them!!"
In an instant, numerous swords thrust towards the two wrapped up!
Suddenly!!
A figure appeared atop a boulder twenty zhang away with a furious roar!
"You dare!!"
Hearing this voice, the disciples of the three powers trembled in their hearts!
"Quick, attack! He's here!!"
The Great Xia Sword Sect's Li Guanqi!
The scene of him fighting against seven without falling behind was still vivid in their minds.
Moreover, anyone present could feel that his aura was even more formidable than before!
In an instant, several swords thrust towards the ribbon!
Li Guanqi's foothold crumbled, and the air burst with the sound of thunder!
The people behind tried to cut the ribbon to no avail, only managing to fend off the attackers.
Still, four swords thrust into the ribbon.
Shen Qi twisted his body to shield Ye Feng with his back.
Three swords pierced through him, and the last one aimed at the heart was caught by his shoulder blade.
Swoosh!
Li Guanqi's cold, murderous voice echoed in Luo Hu's ear.
"I told you, I would settle the score with you!"
Luo Hu's eyes widened, his body trembling, hair standing on end.
Thud!!
A large head flew up, blood spraying more than three feet!
What followed was a near one-sided slaughter.
Li Guanqi's figure constantly shifted across the battlefield, each sword strike claiming a life.
The swift, chilling flashes never ceased.
After ten breaths.
Li Guanqi held Zhao Yuanlin by the neck, pinning him against the stone wall!
Zhao Yuanlin's vital energy burst forth, his hands desperately pushing against the other's palm, but to no avail.
The hand was like an iron vice, immovable.
Zhao Yuanlin's face turned a purplish hue, his eyes filled with terror.
Looking down, he saw Li Guanqi's pure white eyes.
Though the other was blind, he could clearly see boundless anger in those eyes.
Li Guanqi's bloodied face twisted with ferocity.
"Zhao Yuanlin! What's wrong? Seeing me not as the beggar from eight years ago, does it upset you?"
"Did it feel good announcing to everyone at the sect's initiation that I was once a beggar?"
"When you realized your talent was inferior to mine, did it hurt more than death?"
As he spoke, Li Guanqi pressed his sword against Zhao Yuanlin's chest.
The sword slowly penetrated, piercing his skin in the blink of an eye!
The extreme pain and fear of death caused Zhao Yuanlin's eyes to bulge, his pupils trembling.
His flushed face opened its mouth, tongue lolling out, saliva uncontrollably dripping onto Li Guanqi's hand.
His eyes were full of pleading, but he couldn't utter a word.
Li Guanqi murmured to himself like a demon.
"Do you know… on that snowy night, I wanted to chew and crush every one of you from the Zhao Residence!"
"Why couldn't you live well?"
"Damn mongrel… you had to provoke me!"
"You had to kill disciples of the Great Xia Sword Sect!"
"You… really deserve to die!"
The sword scraped against the rib, making a grating sound, and then slowly pierced through Zhao Yuanlin's heart in his terrified gaze.
With a forceful thrust, the sword pierced through his body, nailing him to the stone wall!
After doing all this, Li Guanqi stood there, gasping for breath.
Then he hurried over to his comrades, seeing Shen Qi severely wounded.
Blood gushed from Shen Qi's mouth as he murmured intermittently, "This… block, consider it… repaying your… favor."
Li Guanqi scolded with furrowed brows, "What nonsense are you talking? You're not dead yet!"
"Who has healing pills? Bring them out!"
Ye Feng didn't hesitate to pull out a golden bottle from his storage bag, took out a pill, and stuffed it into Shen Qi's mouth.
Shen Qi's complexion visibly improved, the bleeding from his wounds stopped, and his breathing stabilized.
Ye Feng collapsed on the ground, pale, and said, "Manly! I owe you my life!"
Li Guanqi's voice was hoarse as he asked, "Ke Qin…"
Zhong Lin said solemnly, "Dead… to save… me."
Hearing this, Li Guanqi fell silent.
Buzz!
The world trembled, a rift opened.
Li Guanqi said softly, "Let's go!"
"Remember, we don't know how they all died!"
"Apart from our own, we never encountered each other in the secret realm!"
The disciples of Zhenyue Mountain understood Li Guanqi's words and nodded solemnly.
Their lives were saved by the people of the Great Xia Sword Sect, and Li Guanqi had saved them twice.
Apart from the two groups, everyone else was dead. The matter was too significant; of course, no one could speak of it!
"You guys take Shen Qi and leave first, his injuries can't wait. We'll follow after."
Proofreader & Editor: Lotas