Chapter 323 – This Is What Wine Is For

Buzz!

As Xue Yan prepared to launch his strongest sword attack, a wave of dominating sword intent arose from Li Guanqi. Xue Yan looked at Li Guanqi with a smirk, which then turned into a burst of laughter.

“

Hahahaha!

Is that all you’ve got?!”

𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

But then, in Xue Yan’s mind, Li Guanqi suddenly grew taller and taller, becoming a giant who looked down on him with the gaze of a sovereign.

His whole body trembled, and his hair stood on end. Then, fighting spirit flared within him once more. He poured a surge of energy into his Dawn Cloud Sword.

Boom!

A blinding golden light burst from the blade. Xue Yan twisted his waist and slashed downward. “Heavenly Dawn Slash!”

Boom!

The instant his sword fell, the downpour halted, and a ray of golden sword light shot toward Li Guanqi.

Li Guanqi exhaled softly, shifting his stance.

In that moment, the world seemed to darken. An aura of terror swept out from him, and lightning flashed in his eyes as he whispered, “Heavenly Destruction.”

Boom!

The world shook. From the thick gray clouds, countless bolts of lightning rained down. Amid that sea of thunder, a single streak of purple sword light tore forth.

It was Li Guanqi’s strongest strike—he had held nothing back.

Xue Yan smiled. He swung his sword as hard as he could.

The two shining sword lights collided with a deafening explosion.

Sword qi rampaged across a hundred zhang, shredding the air and leaving a web of jagged spatial tears in its wake.

When the chaos subsided, Li Guanqi still stood where he had been. His robes were torn to shreds, and a deep gash stretched from his left shoulder to his right hip, so deep it nearly split him in two. Blood streamed down his body as he panted heavily, staring ahead.

“Why did you still choose death?” he murmured.

Xue Yan’s entire body was charred black, his life force fading fast. Most of his upper body’s skin had been burned away, and his mouth was filled with blood.

With the last of his strength, he transmitted, “Thank you... for your kindness. But a slave can’t serve two masters...”

The light slowly faded from his eyes. He exhaled softly and looked up at the setting sun.

Reaching out with the last of his strength, he tried to catch a strand of sunlight in his palm. When his fist closed, it was as if he had finally grasped the freedom he’d long dreamed of.

Crash!

His eyes drifted shut, and his body fell from the sky.

Li Guanqi caught him and sighed.

A tremor ran through his sword coffin, and Xue Yan’s sword flew into it.

The Sword Spirit’s gentle voice echoed in his mind.

“This sword coffin is the resting place of the swords once wielded by the strong.”

Li Guanqi didn’t respond. He could still feel Xue Yan’s emotions—helplessness, frustration, and that desperate yearning for freedom he had only dared to show at the edge of death. Perhaps, for him, dying in battle was the only freedom he ever had.

Li Guanqi had intended to help him fake his death and vanish, leveraging Tang Ru’s resources to create a new identity. But to his surprise, Xue Yan declined. Maybe dying at Li Guanqi’s hands was the ending he wanted.

Li Guanqi rose slowly and sighed in resignation. With a flick of his wrist, he dispelled the lightning cage.

The old man trapped inside trembled in mid-air, too terrified to move, his face pale as if awaiting execution.

“Why are you still here?” Li Guanqi said quietly.

The old man brightened, quickly swallowing a pill. A bloody mist erupted from him, and he shot away in a crimson streak.

He wished he could get away even faster, regretting that he had ever involved himself in such a mess.

Li Guanqi turned slowly. His task was done. What Tang Ru chose to do with that man no longer concerned him.

He turned, scanning the mountain peaks around him. With a step, he vanished and reappeared in a beautiful mountain valley. There, he buried Xue Yan and carved a tombstone from a boulder.

Tomb of the Sword Cultivator Xue Yan.

With a heart that yearned for freedom, he wished to become a carefree spirit who roamed the world.

Engraved by an old friend, Li Guanqi.

Li Guanqi had hesitated for a long time when carving the last line, but did it anyway. He was not someone who made friends easily, yet when he met Xue Yan, he felt a strange sense of familiarity, as if they had known each other for a long time.

Both had walked far along the path of the sword, where loneliness deepened with every step. Perhaps he had simply been glad to find someone who could walk beside him.

Conflicting feelings stirred in his chest. He sat down, took out two jars of fine wine, and drank in silence. Each time he took a swig, he poured some on the ground.

He remembered his grandfather’s words. On the day he left, he had given Li Guanqi wine for the first time. Back then, Li Guanqi had grimaced at its sharp taste and asked what was so good about it. His grandfather had only smiled and said he would understand one day.

Now I understand

.

Perhaps moments like this are what wine is for.

He smiled bitterly and brushed his hand across the tombstone. “If you reincarnate, come find me. You and I will be brothers.”

Then he rose and flew away.

Unbeknownst to him, all of Wuzi City had erupted in conversation the moment he killed Xue Yan. Two powerful Nascent Soul Realm cultivators took out their special white jade pendants, and when they glanced at them, their eyes widened.

“Li Guanqi of the Daxia Sword Sect... ranked thirteenth on the Nascent Soul Leaderboard! The only mid Nascent Soul Realm cultivator in the top twenty!

Gulp...

what kind of monster is he?!”

An old onlooker chuckled softly. “If that kid lives long enough, he’ll become someone truly extraordinary.”