Chapter 356 – Departure

Boom!

Terrifying lightning split the air, crackling across five hundred zhang of space and swallowing everyone nearby.

Li Guanqi licked his cracked lips. The tang of blood filled his mouth, sweet and metallic, stirring a wild exhilaration deep within him. His vast divine consciousness surged outward, sweeping through his sword domain.

Every single movement was crystal clear to him, as if magnified countless times.

A fierce fighting spirit burned within him. The lotuses on the Red Lotus Sword flared open, scattering scarlet light across the heavens.

In the next instant, the night sky blazed with chaotic sword lights. Vital energy of every hue burst forth, with special techniques and magical treasures flashing in all directions.

Yet amid that chaos, the blood-red sword light shone the brightest of all.

Each flash took a life, but there were too many enemies. Even with Li Guanqi’s strength, the wounds on his body multiplied. He panted heavily, and his blood seemed to boil.

His entire body became a weapon—fists, elbows, knees—all heading toward vital points.

Whoosh!

He swung his sword with his left hand multiple times, cleaving the beautiful woman before him into pieces.

Then his right fist slammed into an old man’s knee, bending it backward with a sharp crack.

He raised a shield of vital force, blocking the next barrage of attacks. Without even looking back, he swept his sword behind him, forcing several attackers back.

At the same time, he turned and slammed his knee into a scar-faced man’s chin.

The man’s head exploded.

Li Guanqi spun, ramming his right elbow into an old man’s skull, sending his head flying from his shoulders.

Straightening his fingers, he thrust his right hand through a black-robed man’s chest and crushed his heart.

Lightning crackled around him as he growled, “Spirit spell number two hundred and forty-six, Lightning Spear! Spirit spell number two hundred and thirty-two, Snake Bondage!”

Dark clouds gathered overhead, thunder rolling as heavy rain poured down. The surrounding lightning spirit power thickened, strengthening the spears brewing within the storm.

Li Guanqi even used his flying sword technique for added power, quickly forming holographic swords.

Thanks to his efforts, only three people could approach him at a time.

The remaining people fled, struggling to withstand the unending rain of lightning spears and the sweeping arcs of sword qi bursting in all directions.

When the lightning spear spell reached full force, lightning spears rained from the sky without pause.

Rumble! Crackle!

A dozen lightning snakes coiled out from beneath his feet, slithering toward his enemies.

Terror filled their eyes. They had seen the Snake Bondage spell before, but never with more than two snakes at once.

“Retreat!”

Li Guanqi smirked. His gaze shifted toward the mountain peak belonging to the Immortal Crane Alliance. There was nothing there, and he saw nothing out of the ordinary. Yet he murmured, “Think you can leave?”

Whoosh!

A lightning sword sheath appeared in Li Guanqi’s right hand, and he slid the Red Lotus Sword into it. He crouched low, his eyes flashing coldly.

Whoosh! Boom!

“Sword-Unsheathing Technique!”

Rumble!

A hundred-zhang-long lightning sword beam shot out in a ring shape, moving as quickly as a flash of lightning.

Every cultivator within that range was cut in half. Bodies tumbled from the sky like dumplings dropped into boiling water. With one stroke, Li Guanqi had killed thirteen people.

Only ten people remained within his Sword Prison.

They’d attempted to escape long ago, but no matter what they tried, the barrier wouldn’t budge.

Li Guanqi stood in midair, drawing in spirit qi from his spirit stones. The battle had drained a lot of his divine consciousness. His face was pale and his aura was faint, yet no one dared approach.

Despite the bounty, nobody wanted to try their luck anymore.

He had singlehandedly slaughtered over thirty Nascent Soul Realm cultivators.

Only then did they understand why the Mo Family had offered such an immense reward for his head. He was a monster.

They’d underestimated him time and again, figuring he was done for. But even when he was exhausted, he could still kill them.

A black-robed man, shaking uncontrollably, screamed, “No! I don’t want to die! I don’t want to die!”

The others broke down as well, kneeling in midair, kowtowing and begging for mercy.

“Don’t kill me! I’ll give you everything I have! I’m the ceremonial elder of the Giant Gates Sect! If you kill me, my sect will never forgive you!”

One woman even stripped off her robes, giving him a seductive look.

Li Guanqi’s vision blurred. His hand trembled as he gripped his sword. His nascent soul was dim, but he still stood tall.

He ignored them all.

Lightning surged beneath his feet, and he shot forward.

Seeing this, they exchanged glances and then unleashed their most ferocious attacks, aiming to finish off the weakened Li Guanqi.

Even weakened, Li Guanqi wasn’t defenseless enough for them to kill with ease.

Thirty breaths later, he slumped atop a hill, dozens of corpses strewn at his feet.

Blood blurred his sight as he wiped his eyes, looking toward the distant Immortal Crane Alliance mountain.

“Still not coming out?” he asked quietly.

No answer came.

Li Guanqi snorted and crushed the remaining spirit stones floating around him.

Dozens of lightning chains burst forth, binding the corpses together. He tore open a spatial rift and stepped through.

From that day on, the Immortal Crane Alliance ceased to exist.

Thick blood flowed from the mountain’s peak to its base. The entire mountain range lay shattered, the earth scorched and cratered, with even a hundred-zhang-deep trench.

As Li Guanqi entered the void, he turned to glance back at the mountain peak, his gaze lingering on the sky above the main pavilion.

He could sense a faint aura there. Whoever it was wasn’t weak, and that made him uneasy.

Drained of energy, he closed his eyes and whispered, “Nine Heavens... take me away.”

Nine Heavens instantly turned back into a dragon. With a sweep of its tail, it carried Li Guanqi into the void beyond.