Li Guanqi’s exasperated cry froze everyone in the pavilion.

Jiang Yi’s pupils trembled, his empty eyes sweeping the void. He murmured, “The old pavilion master... survived the heavenly tribulation?”

An elderly laugh echoed through the void from every direction. “Hehe, he’s just a mid Combined Body Realm cultivator. You won’t die for a while yet.”

Immediately after, a thin, withered old man emerged from the void, passing through the heavy azure barrier as if it weren’t there. One light tap was all it took, and the barrier shattered and collapsed. Array fragments scattered around the old man, who stood with his hands behind his back. A tremendous pressure erupted from him, and the entire Heavenly Intelligence Realm trembled violently, on the verge of collapse.

The stooped old man’s eyelids twitched, his narrowed, emotionless eyes sweeping across everyone present. The four of them slammed face-down into the ground as if struck by an unseen force.

Bang bang! Bang! Bang!

Four towering pillars materialized from the void, slamming down on the four people below. The four pillars flickered with flowing light, nearly crushing the four into a paste.

Gu Yong’s soft chant reached Li Guanqi’s ears. “Spirit Spell Seventy-Eight, Four Heavenly Pillars.”

Li Guanqi was inwardly shocked, raising a brow. All he could sense from Gu Yong was a mountain-heavy pressure. No aura, nothing, as if a thin mist barred his divine consciousness. The old man stood right beside him, yet seemed to dissolve into his surroundings, or rather, to become one with heaven and earth. Gu Yong hadn’t merely cast a top-hundred spirit spell with ease. He’d done it without the slightest effort. Li Guanqi suspected he hadn’t even needed to speak the incantation aloud.

Gu Yong turned to Li Guanqi with a smile, then to Ji Yuchuan.

“You’ve worked hard,” he said softly.

Ji Yuchuan bowed respectfully with a smile. “Congratulations, Pavilion Master, on your breakthrough into the Mahayana Stage!”

A faint smile appeared on Gu Yong’s calm face, his cold eyes drifting down to the figures below. His fingers stirred behind his back, and the ground shook. Another Heavenly Pillar shot up from beneath the White Tower’s foundation, punching clean through the floor. The two pillars collided, and the Combined Body Realm expert Yuan Hongyi had invited at a great cost was crushed into paste. His illusory primordial soul couldn’t escape either. Gu Yong closed his withered palm, and the soul burst apart.

The others were shocked, and the fear of death engulfed them. Several tried to beg for mercy, only to find they couldn’t even open their mouths.

Gu Yong slowly moved to the center of the three traitors, tilting his head up toward the ceiling. He sighed, his voice low. “Wouldn’t it have been better to just do your jobs properly? Why did it have to come to this...”

His words trailed off. The ground shook again, more violently than before.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Gu Yong didn’t even give the three a chance to explain themselves. Three Heavenly Pillars punched clean through the entire White Tower. Through it all, Gu Yong’s expression remained calm and indifferent.

Looking at Ji Yuchuan, he said softly, “Have the Dark Pavilion Guards conduct a purge. It’s time to root out the cancer in the Heavenly Intelligence Pavilion.”

Ji Yuchuan bowed solemnly. “Yes, Pavilion Master!”

Swish! Swish! Swish!

The Dark Pavilion Guards vanished. Only Gu Yong and Li Guanqi remained.

The old man smiled. “Well done.”

Li Guanqi looked at the Red Lotus Sword with a pained expression, then shrugged. “You really gave me a fine assignment, Old Sir. But... your granddaughter lost a hand. That’s on me.”

Gu Yong waved it off. “Just a hand. It can be reattached, and she kept her life. You did more than enough.”

He stood with his hands clasped behind his back, his pressure fading until he appeared to be just an average, kindly old man. “Let’s go, come sit at my place.”

Li Guanqi nodded. With that, the two vanished from the White Tower as if the mess behind them was no concern of theirs.

***

In Gu Yong’s villa, the old man looked at the familiar house, feeling as if transported through time. No one knew what kind of life-or-death crisis he had endured. Such things weren’t worth sharing with outsiders.

The two sat cross-legged across from each other as Gu Yong lit a fine spirit incense. Light smoke curled up from it, its fragrance calming the mind and sharpening focus. The old man personally brewed a pot of spirit tea.

Li Guanqi removed the jade pendant from his waist and set it before Gu Yong, joking, “This thing really burns.”[1]

Gu Yong smiled as he poured some tea. “You little rascal. If you don’t want to return it... that’s fine too.”

Li Guanqi pursed his lips. “Forget it, better to give it back. That ‘Great Wilderness Dragon Technique’ movement technique is plenty for me.”

Gu Yong reached out and took back the jade pendant that symbolized the Pavilion Master’s authority. “Honestly, if you wanted it, I’d give it to you.”

Li Guanqi took a sip of tea. Rich spirit qi flowed through him, sweeping away the day’s fatigue.

His eyes brightened. He rubbed his hands together. “Could you spare me some of these tea leaves later?”

Gu Yong laughed heartily, then produced an emerald embroidered pouch and passed it over. “Take this. I don’t have much left. Next time, I’ll gather more for you.”

Li Guanqi took it with a beaming smile and tucked the spirit tea away carefully. I can save this for Father-in-law. I’m sure he’ll like it.

After putting it away, Li Guanqi’s face turned serious as he said, “Old Gu, I want to ask you for two people.”

Gu Yong’s slightly cloudy eyes seemed to see straight through to Li Guanqi’s thoughts. He smiled as he poured another cup. “You want Ji Yuchuan?”

Li Guanqi scratched his head, a little embarrassed, but nodded all the same. “I’ve set up an organization called Guanyun Pavilion on the side, and I want Ji Yuchuan to help me run it. I’m also thinking of bringing in Su You from the Yellow Tower; he’d be excellent as a mid-level manager.”

The corners of Gu Yong’s mouth twitched. He hadn’t expected the brat’s appetite to be so big, asking for two people in one go. “You know I was planning to bring Su You into the Dark Pavilion Guard, don’t you?”

Li Guanqi closed his eyes, looking completely unbothered. “Just give me a straight answer, Old Gu. Will you give them or not? I walked into this tiger’s den of a Heavenly Intelligence Realm all by myself. Everyone back at the sect was panicking. My fourth brother’s family went into seclusion. I slaved back and forth for over a month. People set traps for me, and I just had to swallow it. I couldn’t even give orders from the top, so I had to secretly tamper with the Heavenly Intelligence Map. I couldn’t eat or sleep properly for days...”

Gu Yong quickly raised a hand to cut him off. “Alright, alright, alright, enough...”

Li Guanqi looked up. “So you’re releasing them! Tsk, truly a gesture worthy of a Mahayana Stage senior! Such magnanimity, such vision.” 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶

Gu Yong’s face twitched. Why not just hand him the whole Heavenly Intelligence Pavilion while I’m at it? Maybe I should abdicate and run off to the Seventh Territory to live a carefree life...

1. He’s implying the jade pendant burns like a hot potato. ☜