Chapter 100 – The Artifact Soul’s Gift

Zhou Zhi suddenly looked up and shouted, “I’ll take the place of the second stone statue!”

Stunned, the other disciples of the Daxia Sword Sect rushed to stop him.

“Senior Brother, don’t!”

“No way! You could die, Senior Brother!”

Clack clack clack!

The mechanisms clicked into motion all around them. Zhou Zhi was dragged away, and when he reappeared, his four limbs had been pierced through and pinned down. He had become Li Guanqi’s second stone statue.

Despite his pierced limbs, he merely clenched his jaw without uttering a sound. He lifted his head toward Li Guanqi, who was still dodging Wei Kun’s strikes, and roared, “Don’t hold back, just fight! I’m your second life!”

When Li Guanqi turned around, he was completely shaken. He could hardly believe someone he’d barely interacted with would do such a thing. Li Guanqi sighed and closed his eyes. "Eldest Senior Brother, since you trust me this much... How! Could! I! Lose!"

Boom!

With a roar, Li Guanqi launched a fierce kick that sent Wei Kun flying a dozen zhang. He pulled out his pills, chewed them, and swallowed. Almost instantly, a burning sensation surged through his dantian, with waves of heat flooding his entire body.

Buzz!

The blood-red sword in Li Guanqi’s spirit platform shone with a supernatural red light. The red light flowed down Li Guanqi’s left hand and into the Emerald Wolf Sword.

Boom!

An invisible shockwave rippled through the field. Li Guanqi stood motionless as his white robes billowed violently in the wind.

The ink-green Emerald Wolf Sword began to change. Wave-like patterns surfaced across the blade, like scales of a swimming fish. Even the surrounding light screens started to shimmer and ripple.

“Typhoon.”

That was the name that echoed in his mind.

Typhoon... A technique? A gift from the artifact soul?

Next to him, a zhang-tall wolf hologram materialized and released a haunting howl toward the skies. Blood surged through Li Guanqi’s veins as an overwhelming aura emanated from him, one that equaled cultivators at the tenth level of the Foundation Building Realm.

Wei Kun looked on from a distance, saliva trickling from the corner of his mouth. His face contorted as he asked icily, “Is this all you’ve got?”

Li Guanqi’s eyes were clear and steady. In a low voice, he answered, “It’s more than enough to kill you.”

Boom!

The ground of the Thousand-Mechanism Array exploded.

Li Guanqi shot forward with incredible speed. Wei Kun barely had time to react before Li Guanqi was nearly upon him.

He’s so fast!

Pfft!

Wei Kun instinctively raised an arm, but all he saw was a flash of ink-green. Then, he felt a searing cold across his chest and neck.

Pfft!

The two black-robed men who were serving as his stone statues died instantly.

The panicked Wei Kun quickly retreated and shouted, “Refill! Refill now!”

He had a bad feeling. He turned his head, only to see a pair of bloodshot white eyes.

Boom!

An arc of sword light cut from his neck to his ribs in a single flash.

The Emerald Wolf Sword glinted coldly. Receiving Typhoon from the artifact soul allowed Li Guanqi to surpass his usual limits. Now, he could strike nine times in a single breath with his left hand.

Just two more than before, but enough to outpace even the sword cultivator in the Hundred Prides Illusory Realm. It was no small feat.

Within moments, Li Guanqi seized the upper hand. But even now, Wei Kun was not to be underestimated, especially since he swallowed three Red Cloud Pills. Each time Li Guanqi parried one of his strikes, the flesh between his thumb and index finger throbbed from the force of the impact.

Slam!

Wei Kun’s foot crashed into Li Guanqi’s chest.

Crack!

It felt like being rammed by a charging bull. Three ribs broke from the impact, and Li Guanqi tumbled several times mid-air. He forced his bones back into place, then charged at Wei Kun again despite the intense pain.

Zhou Zhi watched anxiously as the number of black-robed people in the light screen decreased one by one, subconsciously holding his breath.

After a while, he shouted excitedly, “Junior Brother! He’s down to his final statue!”

The others looked up. The other side was empty.

Only one stone statue remained at the bottom of Wei Kun’s platform.

Li Guanqi bled profusely, covered in his own blood. He had a dozen sword cuts all over his body.

He froze briefly, then grinned. “Wei Kun, are you afraid of death?”

Wei Kun’s throat quivered slightly, his chest rising and falling with his heavy breathing. However, his gaze was oddly calm.

“Of course I’m afraid,” he said evenly. “I, Wei Kun, fear death more than anything.

“However, I would rather die here than live a mediocre life forever!”

Boom!

Wei Kun's left sleeve hung empty, his body a canvas of torn skin and shredded flesh. Multiple wounds gaped across his chest, carved by Li Guanqi after Wei Kun ran out of people to replace his stone statues.

The two of them locked eyes. They both knew this would be the final clash.

A drop of blood slid from the tip of Li Guanqi’s sword. They charged simultaneously.

Boom! Boom!

Wei Kun roared, eyes feral. “Die!”

“Thunderbolt!” Li Guanqi muttered.

Whoosh!

Mid-swing, Li Guanqi’s expression suddenly changed. His face turned pale, and he looked to his side.

Aware that he was done for, Wei Kun flung his sword at Zhou Zhi with all his might. At the same time, he drew a short blade hidden in the hilt of his sword and thrust it toward Li Guanqi’s chest.

Wei Kun fixed his red eyes on Li Guanqi as he smirked, as if asking what his choice was.

The sword whistled through the air, headed straight for Zhou Zhi.

“Careful!”

“Eldest Senior Brother!”

“Cheating bastard!”

Everyone cursed in unison.

Li Guanqi didn’t stop. He continued the arc of his swing and used his right hand to block the knife. The knife pierced through his palm while the Emerald Wolf Sword quickly cut through the air.

Blood poured out of Wei Kun’s neck. He looked at Li Guanqi mockingly. “You’re... no... different... from... me...”

Behind the screen, every spectator’s heart leaped into their throat.

“No!”

The black puppet on the platform pressed the teleportation token onto the box where Zhou Zhi was.

Whoosh!

Li Guanqi instantly switched places with Zhou Zhi, then flicked his sword to meet the flying blade’s tip.

Boom!

Wei Kun’s sword shattered into countless pieces.

Before Li Guanqi could sigh in relief, all the boxes on the gigantic Thousand-Mechanism Array started to move up and down.

Rumble! Click!

A palm-sized platform appeared in front of Li Guanqi. A red, diamond-shaped screen covered something that looked like a purple glowing caterpillar, which sat silently at the center.

Suddenly, the tiny electricity arcs on the object erupted to life, shooting lightning across a hundred-zhang radius. Without hesitation, Li Guanqi shoved the object into his mouth.

The whole secret realm started to shake, and everyone realized the training session was ending.

Li Guanqi ignored the injuries on his body and sat down cross-legged, covering his mouth with his hand.