Li Guanqi stood with his hands clasped behind his back, his face expressionless. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝙚𝔀𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝒐𝒎

Gu Huai tried to reprimand the elder, but Tu Sisheng kept enumerating the consequences of Li Guanqi’s actions in painstaking detail.

Li Guanqi’s gaze settled on Tu Sisheng, icy killing intent flashing through his eyes. “Let’s make a wager, old man.”

Tu Sisheng sneered. “Thinking about gambling? Death is at your doorstep, and you don’t even realize it. Do you know how powerful the ancient clans are? Gamble? Heh, gamble on what?”

A red light flashed in Li Guanqi’s palm. Before anyone could react, an icy sword light streaked through the air and vanished. Spatial force locked Tu Sisheng in place, crushing him.

“Heavenly Destruction, Crouching Demon.”

Whoosh!

Another sword light swept through the void, slicing Tu Sisheng’s head and cleaving through the mountain behind him. The elder’s head flew skyward, blood spraying like a fountain.

The scene stunned the crowd. After the Sun clan, they didn’t think Li Guanqi would strike down a Six Gates Holy Sect elder as well.

“Hiss... His temperament is too unpredictable!”

“He’s evil! He does whatever he wants!”

Li Guanqi’s voice rang out slowly. “Gambling on whether I would kill you? Clearly, you bet I wouldn’t.”

Clang!

The Red Lotus Sword flew back into the sword coffin. The moment the crowd took in the enormous black coffin, recognition flickered across more than a few faces. By now, some cultivators had pieced together Li Guanqi’s identity.

The name of the Yanluo Sword Sovereign had spread through the Six Territories long ago. After all, every single one of his exploits was the kind that made jaws drop.

The elders flanking Li Guanqi wore a variety of expressions, yet none uttered a word. Gu Huai raised a hand, retrieved the headless corpse, and let out a quiet sigh.

Li Guanqi looked at him with an amused expression and said softly, “Do you not resent me, Elder Gu?”

Gu Huai smiled bitterly and shook his head. “Why would I resent you... When Shiyu came up the mountain, I tried to intervene, knowing full well the worst-case outcome. If I’d been willing to swallow my pride, I simply wouldn’t have stepped up at all.”

Li Guanqi nodded approvingly. “People like that are exactly why a sect’s backbone goes soft.”

A sharp glint cut through Gu Huai’s clouded eyes, and his voice turned cold. “Indeed... Sometimes, once you kneel, you may never stand again. Hmph! Let’s go. Leave the rest to those below. We should head inside.”

Swish swish swish!

Gu Huai gently used spatial force to move Zhou Shiyu away.

The cultivators who had been waiting to enter the Dao Comprehension Platform let out a collective breath. By now, though, plenty of others had had second thoughts. Afraid the Sun clan would come to settle scores and not wanting to be implicated, they left early.

Even so, word had spread that the Six Gates Holy Sect was honoring the original price rather than the triple price imposed by the Sun clan. The bolder cultivators paid and flew toward the Dao Comprehension Platform.

***

In the grand hall of the Six Gates Holy Sect, only a handful of people held the right to a seat. Including Li Guanqi, there were seven in total. Li Guanqi sat beside Gu Huai.

Li Guanqi could see that the robes of the other five elders carried subtle differences in their patterning. Gu Huai briefly introduced them, and as Li Guanqi had guessed, all five had a special rank. The sect’s hierarchy mirrored that of the Daxia Sword Sect, with the six gate masters holding a status equivalent to the peak masters.

Gu Huai’s voice turned solemn. “Rise!”

Li Guanqi was puzzled, but the others had already risen.

Gu Huai turned to Li Guanqi, his expression grave. “Today, everyone in the Six Gates Holy Sect is immensely grateful for the Yanluo Sword Sovereign’s aid. Please, allow us to bow to you.”

Li Guanqi rose from his chair, accepted the bow, and returned the courtesy with a cupped-fist salute. “There’s no need to take it to heart. It was just a coincidence.”

The group smiled and took their seats. Li Guanqi asked, “Going forward... what are the Six Gates Holy Sect’s plans?”

Gu Huai sat with his hands tucked in his sleeves, a sharp glint in his eyes. He murmured, “After this, the Sun clan will send people. Our current strength can’t compare with theirs. I plan to take the Six Gates Holy Sect into temporary seclusion. For one thing, to avoid the Sun clan and prevent their retaliation. For another, to push our disciples’ strength up as fast as we can. Chaos is approaching... Only by becoming strong ourselves can we face whatever comes.”

Gu Huai’s voice became wistful as he looked at Li Guanqi. “I envy your sect master for having such an outstanding disciple.”

Li Guanqi smiled and glanced toward the well-protected realm space behind them, his tone teasing. “With Zhou Shiyu here, the Six Gates Holy Sect is already doing very well.”

Gu Huai looked at Zhou Shiyu with heartfelt eyes and said softly, “We were fortunate that you intervened, Sword Sovereign. If it weren’t for you... I truly wouldn’t have known what to do.”

Gu Huai rose slowly and presented a green jade pendant carved in the shape of a stone gate, holding it out with both hands. “This is the key to the Six Gates Holy Sect’s highest-level Dao Comprehension Platform. From this day on, you are a friend of our sect, Sword Sovereign. Come whenever you wish, and stay as long as you like!”

Li Guanqi was a little surprised. He hadn’t expected the old man to be so generous. He smiled. Then again, if Gu Huai hadn’t been the kind of person willing to protect Zhou Shiyu, he would have been very disappointed.

After a moment’s thought, Li Guanqi stood up and accepted the jade pendant with both hands. He drew out a purple jade slip and said softly, “If possible, I’ll have my father-in-law help construct a cross-territory teleportation array between our sects. That way, we can form an alliance and share resources freely.”

A sharp gleam flashed in Gu Huai’s eyes, but immediately after, he spoke with some concern. “Isn’t Young Master Li’s sect... in the Daxia Territory? A cross-territory teleportation array between two sects... isn’t that a bit unrealistic?”

The corner of Li Guanqi’s mouth lifted, and he cupped his fists with a smile. “Ahem, apologies for the confusion. My father-in-law happens to be the Divine Treasure Territory Lord.”

Gu Huai’s expression turned somewhat strange. “Then it’s... very realistic indeed...”

With just a few words, Li Guanqi had secured an immensely powerful ally for the Daxia Sword Sect.

Li Guanqi gazed intently at Zhou Shiyu, a sharp glint in his eyes. Soon after, an elder led Li Guanqi to the highest-level Dao Comprehension Platform, the one known only to the six gate masters. The three Dao Comprehension Platforms known to the world were merely formed from the divine essence radiating off this one.

Once Li Guanqi had left, an elder turned to Gu Huai with a frown. “Sect Master, as far as I know, the Daxia Sword Sect isn’t very strong. Their sect master, Lu Kangnian, has only just broken through to the Illusory Refinement Realm. If we ally with such a sect, no matter how you look at it, we’re losing out!”

Gu Huai looked deeply at the elder, then turned to look in the direction Li Guanqi had gone. He said softly, “With the Yanluo Sword Sovereign alone, the Daxia Sword Sect can be reborn. You think we’re losing out? Hehe, just wait and see. It may seem that way for now, but as long as Li Guanqi remains with the Daxia Sword Sect, their rise is inevitable. And the Five Yang Ghost Emperor stands on his side. Once word spreads, even the Sun clan will think twice before provoking us!”