CHAPTER 156 – THE SWORD BOX’S FIRST SWORD

The sword light flashed like lightning, making no sound. There was no time to think.

Li Guanqi had no choice but to give up on Li Hua. He swung his sword behind him.

Clang!

Li Guanqi leaped, his left hand slashing in a horizontal arc and deflecting the ambushing sword. The fully golden sword flew back several hundred zhang.

Li Hua’s face was pale, and he had wet himself. His pant leg was stained yellow, and urine still dripped as he stumbled through the air in retreat, trembling with fear.

If he hadn’t kicked Yang Dinghai earlier, he would’ve been the one lying dead.

Until now, he’d never seen Li Guanqi in action. Even after witnessing Lin Quan’s brutal demise, he’d only assumed Li Guanqi fought with excessive violence. But now, standing face to face with him, he realized that it wasn’t just brutality. It was Li Guanqi’s eyes and expression when he killed. The look he wore while killing... it was enough to freeze the soul.

Suddenly, just as they were about to disperse, the lightning clouds in the sky meant for the heavenly tribulation shot out a lightning spear.

Amid the chaotic lightning bolts, Zhao Beichen gave Li Hua a hard shove.

Pfft!

The lightning spear pierced through Li Hua’s right shoulder and scapula, sending him crashing to the ground.

Bang!

The spear, a full zhang in length, had blown off half his shoulder. Now, it pinned him to the mountain wall.

Li Hua cried out, “Ahh! Ahh! Zhao Beichen! Save me! It hurts! It hurts!”

Floating high in the air, Zhao Beichen didn’t even look at Li Hua. He raised his hand, and his sword flew back into his grip.

Then, he looked at Li Guanqi with disdain and said, “I’ll give you this. While I am impressed by your guts, I am also in awe of your stupidity. Even if you withdraw from your sect, the Purple Sun Pavilion will not let this matter rest.”

Zhao Beichen smiled. ‘“Hehe. Thankfully, you didn’t kill him, so the Heavenly Heights Sect won’t trouble the Daxia Sword Sect. At most, they’ll request compensation. But what I don’t understand is... why not wait until after our duel at the finals tomorrow to kill them?”

With a calm gaze, Li Guanqi replied, “If I had waited, I wouldn’t have been able to kill them all.”

“In that case, let’s fight now. We’ll call this the finals.”

Buzz!

An unprecedentedly powerful aura erupted from Li Guanqi’s body.

He’s half a step into the Golden Core Realm! Zhao Beichen thought, his pupils dilating in shock. His aura also rose sharply.

Boom!

A gleam of madness flashed through Zhao Beichen’s eyes. With his arrogance, there was no way he would back down. He drew a deep breath and pushed his energy to its peak. He, too, was on the brink of reaching the Golden Core Realm.

“Enough talk. One of us dies today.”

Boom!

They charged, becoming two streaks of light that clashed midair. Zhao Beichen no longer held back, fighting with all his strength. He’d once believed he could toy with Li Guanqi, but now, he didn’t dare take the risk.

Rumble!

A light flared between Zhao Beichen’s brows. His sword, his soul artifact, shone with brilliant golden light. He’d long noticed that Li Guanqi’s sword was also a soul artifact.

“Blade Breaker!”

Ding ding! Clang clang clang clang clang!

They moved too fast to follow, reduced to blurs of flashing steel. At their level, even basic sword techniques could be executed in endless variations.

Li Guanqi was shocked that Zhao Beichen could match his speed.

Each collision of their swords made sparks fly. Lightning twisted around his Emerald Wolf Sword, and Zhao Beichen felt his arm go numb every time they collided.

Li Guanqi’s eyelids lowered slightly, and the blood-red sword in his spirit void started to glow with red light. He took a deep breath and shouted, “Typhoon!”

Whoosh whoosh whoosh!

Li Guanqi’s left hand moved even faster, reaching ten sword slashes in a single breath. The terrifying flurry began to push Zhao Beichen back.

They darted between the mountains, swords flashing with every step. Soon after, Zhao Beichen was covered in over a dozen cuts. While he avoided sustaining severe injuries, his sect robes were tattered and soaked in blood.

And yet, Zhao Beichen’s eyes never showed any emotion. He remained unnervingly calm.

Zhao Beichen's sword technique suddenly shifted, and he subtly built up energy as if preparing for a powerful strike. He unleashed a flurry of unpredictable attacks.

“Nine Suns Strike!”

Sensing something was wrong, Li Guanqi flicked his sword with his wrist, bracing for impact.

Zhao Beichen’s blade gleamed, its arc leaving behind what seemed like six blooming lotuses, each wreathed in lightning.

Boom boom boom!

Boom!

Li Guanqi’s chest tightened. The blinding sword light completely engulfed him for a moment. He slashed out quickly, forming a barrier to shield himself. Even his left hand trembled from the effort.

Ding ding! Clang clang clang clang!

The clash of steel continuously echoed in his ears. Suddenly, he realized that a chip had appeared in the blade of his Emerald Wolf Sword.

At that moment, he met Zhao Beichen’s mocking gaze.

Boom!

The Emerald Wolf Sword shattered into countless pieces. The moment it broke, Zhao Beichen thrust his sword directly at Li Guanqi.

Boom!

Li Guanqi was blasted back a dozen zhang. As he tumbled in the air, Zhao Beichen realized that Li Guanqi was wearing a pitch-black set of armor.

Zhao Beichen stood still, panting heavily. He had not expected Li Guanqi to have such a powerful magical tool on hand.

It’s a soldier orb!

Zhao Beichen’s eyes narrowed, and then it hit him. Vital force surged through his body as he cried, “The Mo family’s soldier orb! You found it in the secret realm!”

Li Guanqi looked down at the cracked chestplate and frowned. He had underestimated Zhao Beichen. Even the soldier orb hadn’t completely absorbed the blow. He looked back up and said, “So it really was the Purple Sun Pavilion behind the chaos in the secret realm.”

“And what if it was? What can your Daxia Sword Sect do? You killed one elder, but so what? That means nothing to the Purple Sun Pavilion.” Zhao Beichen sneered. “Besides, look at you now. Your soul artifact shattered. How are you gonna fight me?”

Li Guanqi coldly watched Zhao Beichen, who was turning pale from the blood loss. Then, he slowly unstrapped the massive sword box on his back.

Zhao Beichen’s eyes narrowed. He was inwardly startled. His sword box isn’t just for show? Why haven’t I seen him use it before? Didn’t everyone from his sect say he had never opened it?!

Li Guanqi slammed a palm onto the box, and his powerful lightning vital force flooded into it. Countless mysterious blood-red engravings flared to life across the pitch-black surface of the sword box.

Crack!

A crack appeared on the left side of the sword box, then a completely red sword shot out.

A booming voice echoed in Li Guanqi’s mind.

“This sword is called the Red Lotus.”