Chapter 171: Chapter 171

In that moment, all Li Guanqi felt was his blood ignite. A single thought crystallized in his mind, and the sword in his hand responded with a joyful cry.

The sword coffin on his back began to tremble uncontrollably.

Zhao Beichen’s golden sword, still falling mid-air, was abruptly seized by a mysterious force and pulled toward the sword coffin.

Li Guanqi stared in astonishment—that sword was Zhao Beichen’s soul artifact, and yet, it seemed to have lost all sentience, drawn helplessly into his sword coffin. As it disappeared inside, intricate, complex patterns lit up across the coffin’s surface. Then, a sudden realization surged in Li Guanqi’s mind.

He had seized the Blade Breaker ability from Zhao Beichen’s spirit void. Heavy breaths escaped him as he stared at the Red Lotus Sword in his grip, its blade radiating endless sharp intent.

Such a mysterious occurrence made his heart race, and even his breathing quickened. He quickly asked, “Sword Spirit! What’s going on?! Did the sword coffin really seize Zhao Beichen’s Blade Breaker ability? Can I use it now?”

Sword Spirit replied with both pride and contempt, saying, “Why ask me when you already felt it yourself? Yes, it seized the ability by force. Why else do you think your grandfather called this sword box a ‘sword coffin’? It’s a coffin for burying swords.”

Li Guanqi’s heart skipped a beat. He drew in a sharp breath. I didn’t expect the sword coffin to have such an ability... I see now!

Sword Spirit continued, “The sword coffin traps the weapons of powerful cultivators, robbing them of their spirit void abilities. But with your current level, you can only wield three abilities at most.”

Suddenly, there was a sharp whoosh behind him. A streak of purple light flashed under his feet, and he darted several zhang away just in time to evade the strike. Turning around, he locked eyes with a Golden Core Realm cultivator of the Purple Sun Pavilion. The man glared at him icily, and emerald spirit light flared around the sword in his hand.

Li Guanqi narrowed his eyes, then a bright light burst from his Red Lotus Sword. He charged at the man, turning into a streak of light.

Purple-red sword light burst forth with every strike. He unleashed a torrential barrage of blows, swift and relentless.

Nevertheless, his opponent was no pushover. Li Guanqi could sense that the man had a stable, powerful aura, unlike those who had only recently stepped into the Golden Core Realm. He was at least at the peak of the mid Golden Core Realm.

The man wasn’t as fast as Li Guanqi, but his wood spirit force allowed him to block two attacks with a single counter, always at the most critical moment. His movements were swift and elusive, like a serpent in the grass.

Then, Li Guanqi abruptly changed the rhythm of his sword. Purple lightning crackled in the air. An eerie violet light flashed on the Red Lotus Sword’s edge, and he used his left hand to strike at maximum speed.

In the span of a single blink, the man opened his eyes to find himself facing a wall of sword light. Emerald vital force surged across his body, and his own blade erupted with an inch of sword light as he started to quickly slash at Li Guanqi.

Clang clang clang clang!

Li Guanqi did not hesitate. He continued striking.

Sparks flew between both of them as the heavy Red Lotus Sword collided with the man’s sword. Then, the man’s sword shattered into countless pieces.

A cold gleam flashed across the man’s neck. A talisman slipped from his sleeve, never used. Blood sprayed from his throat as he clutched the wound, eyes wide with disbelief.

Even in death, he could not fathom how Li Guanqi had destroyed his sword so effortlessly.

Li Guanqi had sustained two gruesome cuts, one on his neck and arm. The searing pain made him tremble, yet a thrill surged through him. He hadn't anticipated Blade Breaker to be so powerful.

The heavens thundered with war cries. The Daxia Sword Sect was finally showing signs of weakness. Their Golden Core Realm disciples were few, and most had already been wounded in the day’s earlier battles. Meanwhile, the Purple Sun Pavilion now fielded over two hundred Golden Core Realm cultivators.

Li Guanqi took a deep breath and circulated his vital force through his body. Using his sprint technique, he charged into the battle between the Golden Core Realm cultivators. He avoided late-stage opponents. At his current strength, such battles would drag on too long. He could kill them, but only with significant effort, so he targeted those who had just broken into the Golden Core Realm.

Many of the Purple Sun Pavilion’s disciples still had unstable auras—they’d been forced onto the battlefield before fully stabilizing their breakthroughs. It looked like the Purple Sun Pavilion had poured significant resources to help their disciples achieve breakthroughs after that day’s earlier battle.

Li Guanqi felt like his blood was boiling. He charged forward like the God of Slaughter. Activating his divine consciousness, the world around him slowed to a crawl. He was no longer human but a blade given human form. He rushed into the crowd of Purple Sun Pavilion disciples, his terrifying strength almost completely overpowering them.

Every swing of his sword came with a splatter of blood. His white robes were dyed red, and blood started to flow from his jaw. His eyes had turned red, and he radiated with a terrifying, soul-trembling aura.

The rumbling from the sky above grew even louder. That was the battlefield of the Nascent Soul Realm cultivators. The elders of the Daxia Sword Sect were at a disadvantage because the Purple Sun Pavilion had too many Nascent Soul Realm cultivators. Almost every Daxia Sword Sect elder had to face two opponents at the same time.

Some of the stronger elders, such as Qin Xian, were fighting three Nascent Soul Realm cultivators at the same time! Four vital force domains, each spanning one hundred zhang, shone brightly in the sky. The mountain-splitting energy emitted from the Divine Transformation Realm cultivators sustained these domains.

A blazing ray of sword light shot from Ling Daoyan's blade, restricting Han Tiange’s movements. Ling Daoyan’s superiority was evident in every way. His cultivation level, his techniques, and his mastery of spells all surpassed Han Tiange’s.

Despite struggling slightly, Han Tiange managed to strike back, his magical treasure robes providing strong protection.

Elsewhere in the sky, Lu Kangnian—newly ascended to the Divine Transformation Realm—was locked in combat with Guan Youzi, a veteran powerhouse. Lu Kangnian was already covered in wounds. Tʜe sourcᴇ of thɪs content ɪs Novᴇl_Fire(.)net

Guan Youzi met every strike with ease. Not even Lu Kangnian’s earth-element vital force domain could slow him down.

He snickered. “Lu Kangnian, your domain is still too weak. Why torment yourself ?”