CHAPTER 157 – RED LOTUS SWORD

The Red Lotus Sword measured three chi and one cun long. It was almost identical to the broken sword in his spirit void, had it remained whole.

The moment he gripped the hilt, a deep, profound energy spread through his entire being. In his spirit void, the broken sword began to flicker with a strange crimson light.

Li Guanqi was privately shocked. He poured vital force into the Red Lotus Sword and cried out in his mind, Soul Dissolution! Red Lotus!

The blade turned a demonic shade of red, while the spine darkened to an ominous black, as though it had been soaked in fresh blood. A demonic aura radiated from it. It was not just a powerful weapon but a heavy one. Without his formidable physique, Li Guanqi would’ve struggled to even swing it.

The sword’s circular guard shimmered with red light, transforming into a blooming red lotus whose glowing petals unfurled around the blade’s base like writhing tentacles.

Boom!

Li Guanqi charged at Zhao Beichen, turning into a blur. Purple lightning flashed, and Li Guanqi’s aura transformed. He released an unstoppable, peerless sword aura as he charged with the Red Lotus Sword in hand. He relied purely on physical strength, with no extra techniques.

Boom!

Clang!

Thud!

Li Guanqi swung once. A burst of blood mist exploded from his entire left arm. Zhao Beichen blocked the strike, but the impact hurled him dozens of zhang into the air. He tumbled wildly, barely managing to stabilize himself mid-air.

He glanced down to see torn skin between his thumb and index finger, his thumb twisted at an unnatural angle. Meeting Li Guanqi’s bloodshot gaze, Zhao Beichen’s heart hammered against his chest.

“What sword is that?!”

Though he faced but one man, in the moment of impact, he was struck by a vision: a mountain of corpses engulfed by a sea of blood. It was as if an entire army had trampled him. The cold, murderous intent pouring off Li Guanqi was like solid ice. It shook the very core of his spirit platform[1].

Had he not used the force of the blow to widen the gap between them, his mind might’ve been affected by Li Guanqi’s bloodthirsty madness.

Nonetheless, Li Guanqi was faring no better. As someone half a step into the Golden Core Realm, he hadn’t expected the backlash from using the sword box to be so severe. A single swing had drained a terrifying amount of his vital force. Worse, he couldn’t bear the weapon’s strength. One strike had already made his entire arm erupt into a mist of blood.

The two locked eyes and made the same decision—break through to the Golden Core Realm.

Li Guanqi had no choice. Without breaking through, he would never be able to wield the Red Lotus Sword. Zhao Beichen, on the other hand, wanted to live. He felt that if Li Guanqi wielded that sword properly, he probably wouldn’t last a hundred exchanges.

Boom!

Boom!

In mere breaths, their auras peaked. The snow around them slowed its descent. The pressure in the air intensified.

A tornado a hundred zhang wide began to form around them. Both men pulled out every spirit stone in their possession.

Zhao Beichen’s face fell suddenly. As he absorbed the Spirit Qi of Heaven and the Earth in their surroundings to break through to the Golden Core Realm, he realized that he was losing out to Li Guanqi despite his King Spirit Root.[2]

How strong is his spirit root?! Could it be... a... a... Saint Spirit Root?!

A flicker of envy flashed through his eyes as he absorbed the spirit qi from the spirit stones. The two of them sat cross-legged in mid-air, drawing in energy as fast as their bodies could manage.

Li Guanqi had a Saint Spirit Root and had reached the thirteenth level of the Qi Refinement Realm before breaking through to the Foundation Building Realm. At the time, he had cleared an extra thirty-six meridian veins. His capacity to absorb spirit qi was nearly unrivaled.

Vital force surged through his body, converging on the platform in the center of his dantian, flowing like rivers toward a single point.

Li Guanqi focused without a hint of hesitation. Break through!

Boom!

The holographic platform in his dantian shattered, and his aura skyrocketed. The river of vital force began to condense.

The green vein on his forehead bulged.

A hundred zhang away, Zhao Beichen refused to be outdone. He also shattered the platform in his dantian, beginning the condensation of his vital force.

Elsewhere, the elders from the Daxia Sword Sect were rushing to Heavenly Tiger Mountain when they received a transmission from Qin Xian.

A terrifying energy surged from Lu Kangnian. Enraged, he squeezed the jade slip in his hand so hard it cracked.

Boom!

Next to him, Shen Lan frowned, knowing something was wrong. “Sect Master, what’s wrong?”

Lu Kangnian’s face darkened. “Hmmph! The Purple Sun Pavilion’s disciples beat up Sui’an. She’s now critically injured!”

The other peak elders furrowed their brows. Xu Zhengjie’s face darkened as he asked coldly, “It looks like the Purple Sun Pavilion isn’t happy about facing the Daxia Sword Sect in the finals. Even so... venting their anger on that child?”

The others did not speak. They knew that the two elders from Heavenly Lightning Peak treated Yu Sui’an like their own granddaughter. All of them wondered how Li Nanting reacted to such terrible news.

Lu Kangnian had the same thought, so he picked up the jade slip to send Li Nanting a voice message. But the purple jade slip suddenly began flashing urgently. Lu Kangnian's face went pale as he quickly channeled a wisp of vital force into it.

Buzz!

—Sect Master! Li Guanqi broke into the Purple Sun Pavilion’s quarters at midnight and killed two of their disciples in a rage! Then he and the remaining eight Purple Sun Pavilion disciples entered the Ethereal Darkness Mountain Range!

—Zhao Beichen and Li Hua are the only two surviving Purple Sun Pavilion disciples. I heard that Li Hua is the son of the Heavenly Heights Sect’s third elder, Li Wenqi! The Purple Sun Pavilion’s elder is currently rushing over. Sect Master, please hurry!”

After putting down the jade slip, Lu Kangnian was silent for a long time. Then, he sent a calm command. “Attention! All elders and disciples of Daxia Sword Sect! Come to the Heavenly Tiger Mountain now!”

Those who heard the command turned solemn. This was a declaration of war.

Lu Kangnian turned and said, “Make all necessary preparations. Let’s go.”

Rumble!

Lu Kangnian ripped the space before them and stepped inside, rushing to meet Tu Kui and Qin Xian.

Qin Xian, having received the same command, had gone pale. He handed Yu Sui’an to Tu Kui, leaving him to meet Lu Kangnian alone.

Then he split the air and vanished into the crack, heading straight for Heavenly Tiger Mountain.

Li Guanqi... you’ve gone too far.

I hope those Purple Sun Pavilion bastards haven’t arrived. I need to make it in time—I have to.

1. The spirit platform (灵台) usually refers to a meridian point at the center of the chest ☜

2. Possible minor error on the author’s end: It was previously mentioned that Zhao Beichen had a Saint Spirit Root. ☜