Chapter 111: Heading Home!

Facing Yan Mingyao’s pleas for mercy, Li Guanxuan remained completely unmoved. If this man were left alive, the future trouble would be endless!

Thirty-three flying swords surged with the Qingxuan Sword Intent, their sword energy churning, the humming of the blades sounding like a funeral knell.

"Fellow Daoist Li, this is all my fault! Spare me, please spare me! You know that my father is Yan Shikui, the Sect Master of the Thunder Fire Sect. If I die, he will surely avenge me!" Yan Mingyao alternated between threats and pleas as he fled. He knew full well that his father could not save him now, and if he died, it would truly be the end. All his schemes, plans, and years of hard work would vanish into smoke in this very moment.

Li Guanxuan’s gaze was cold and silent. He had no penchant for torture; for many years, he had lived by the principle that "talkativeness leads to death."

*Swish! Swish! Swish!*

The thirty-three flying swords struck through the air. Yan Mingyao frantically unleashed talisman after talisman, even sacrificing all his magical artifacts. Clanging and thunderous explosions erupted incessantly. The remaining middle-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators of the Thunder Fire Sect dared not hold back, pouring out every hidden trump card they possessed.

The first wave of the assault was blocked, and the momentum of the thirty-three swords waned, their power no longer at its peak. After all, having fought for so long, Li Guanxuan’s spiritual power was depleted, and though his divine sense had not been overexerted, it was nearing a critical threshold. Maintaining thirty-three flying swords was no small drain.

But it didn't matter!

Li Guanxuan swallowed two pills—one to restore spiritual power and the other to replenish his divine sense. His presence surged once more!

Under the sweeping strikes of Chen Yinshan and Fang Xingzhi, the Thunder Fire Sect’s puppets were torn to pieces. Qin Jiyue arrived and unleashed a heaven-shaking strike, the blade’s edge carving a bloody, bone-deep wound into Yan Mingyao’s back.

"Fellow Daoist Li... we can negotiate, we can reach an agreement, believe me! I will never cause you any trouble again!" Yan Mingyao vomited blood mixed with bits of his own organs, his heart filled with terror and his expression twisted by the fear of death. Ignoring the agonizing pain in his back, he knelt before Li Guanxuan and began kowtowing, begging for his life.

*Swish!*

The flying sword struck, instantly decapitating Yan Mingyao. Qin Jiyue showed no hesitation, cutting down the surrounding middle-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators as if harvesting crops.

"Chen, Fang, our identities might be hidden for now, but you two absolutely cannot remain in this vicinity," Li Guanxuan said, sprinkling a Tier 2 Corpse-Dissolving Powder over Yan Mingyao’s remains. He did this to prevent any possibility of resurrection or the use of the body to create a puppet. The world was full of wonders; when walking the path, one had to be thorough.

"Understood." Fang Xingzhi did not try to act tough; he knew they had thoroughly offended the Thunder Fire Sect.

"I will have the Dragon Scale Fruit delivered to the Ten Thousand Mountains in a year or two. You should hide there for now." Li Guanxuan left two divine sense imprints on them so he could find them later, warning them solemnly: "I will also have the Tianyuan and Huangting pills prepared for you. Do not run around or stir up trouble during this time; staying alive is what matters most. Once we reach the Golden Core stage, the threat from the Thunder Fire Sect will vanish on its own."

Finally, Li Guanxuan looked at Chen Yinshan and said in a deep voice, "There are still twenty years before Gui Li is resurrected. Try to cultivate the *Seven Killings Demon Art* to a higher level during this time; it may help with your future reconstruction. I will also inquire about what rare treasures are needed to restore your foundation after you rebuild it. Don’t worry about that—just tell me what you need."

"Alright, no problem." Chen Yinshan agreed readily, deeply moved. He knew that if he were to be coy or refuse now, Li Guanxuan would be genuinely angry. Between brothers, it was simply a matter of mutual support. For Li Guanxuan, Chen Yinshan would willingly lay down his own life. Such camaraderie was rare in the world of cultivation.

"Roar!"

At this moment, the Flame Demon Bear came rushing over anxiously, its heavy footsteps resounding, dragging the peak Foundation Establishment puppet in its hand. Li Guanxuan was just about to destroy the remaining corpses when he saw the bear and understood its intent. He said, "If you want to eat, you’d better finish it all now. You may soon have to face a peak Foundation Establishment or a True Core master. I advise you to find a different territory to hole up in."

***

"Gah?" The Flame Demon Bear was stunned. These human cultivators had such powerful backing? But thinking of the many spirit beasts and mountain ranges within the Scarlet Refining Mountains, it realized that if it just moved elsewhere, the enemy would never find it. Moreover, the so-called "peak" Foundation Establishment was merely the pinnacle of the late stage—the state before forming a core—not a separate realm entirely. Therefore, as long as it wasn't a True Core master, there was nothing to fear.

At this time, the Red Gold Rats that had been tunneling underground popped their large heads out, their mouths stained with meat scraps. They looked at Li Guanxuan with wide, watery eyes and tossed out several storage artifacts. Li Guanxuan was taken aback; he had forgotten to loot the spoils, and he hadn't expected these rats to be so sensible!

Li Guanxuan wiped away the divine sense imprints on the artifacts and applied a purification talisman to cleanse them of any lingering traces.

"Old Chen, you two go first. Take some pills, talismans, and artifacts; leave the rest for the Flame Demon Bear and its kin," Li Guanxuan said, opening all the storage bags.

The Flame Demon Bear and the Red Gold Rats seized the time to feast, occasionally grabbing a handful of mid-grade spirit stones and inhaling the spiritual energy to convert it into their own strength. Chen Yinshan and Fang Xingzhi did not stand on ceremony and selected some items. Li Guanxuan also took some materials and artifacts, leaving the majority of the pills, spiritual herbs, and spirit stones for the beasts.

"Awoo!" The Flame Demon Bear was delighted; with these resources, reaching the third tier was within reach!

"I hope we have the chance to cooperate again," Li Guanxuan said with a smile. He hadn't expected to make friends with spirit beasts on this trip to the Scarlet Refining Mountains.

The Flame Demon Bear nodded its large head happily, waved goodbye to Li Guanxuan, and bolted back toward its own territory. It, too, was leaving.

"Keep these concealment talismans. I will entrust an acquaintance to go to the Ten Thousand Mountains and bring you disguise and communication artifacts. Be careful." Li Guanxuan looked at Chen Yinshan with a trace of reluctance. The brothers had only just reunited, and now they had to part again.

"I won't say the cliché stuff. Once we successfully form our Golden Cores, we’ll slaughter our way through the entire Thunder Fire Sect together!" Chen Yinshan laughed heartily.

"Agreed. When that day comes, we’ll sit down and have a proper drink," Li Guanxuan smiled.

"Hahaha..." Chen Yinshan laughed out loud.

Soon after, he and Fang Xingzhi departed. Li Guanxuan and Qin Jiyue left the Scarlet Refining Mountains from a different direction. He needed to return and accelerate the growth of the Dragon Scale Fruit to five hundred years of age before sending it to Chen Yinshan.

...

After leaving the mountains, Li Guanxuan and Qin Jiyue used several purification talismans on themselves. After confirming everything was clean, they lingered outside for two months to recover their true appearances before returning to Silver Maple City.

During this time, they heard news of the situation in the Scarlet Refining Mountains. The Golden Sun Spirit Herb was ultimately obtained by Cao Feng. The Thunder Fire Sect Master took the core of the Green-Eyed Fire Lion, while the hide was split between the Star Luo Valley and the Phantom Extremity Sect. The Black Rain Sect obtained two-thirds of the beast bones, with the remaining third taken by the Bright Moon Sword Sect. Other factions obtained various four-hundred-year-old spiritual herbs.

Of course, the Inkstone Pavilion and the Thunder Fire Sect suffered the heaviest losses, with their middle-stage Foundation Establishment ranks nearly depleted. The Great Elder of the Inkstone Pavilion, who led the expedition, would surely face severe punishment upon returning. Yan Shikui, the Thunder Fire Sect Master, had sworn an oath to kill the man who murdered his son.

The mysterious sword cultivator named Li became a subject of intense discussion. After all, it was he who had decimated the middle-stage Foundation Establishment ranks of both the Inkstone Pavilion and the Thunder Fire Sect. Even Ling Jiansheng of the Bright Moon Sword Sect had been suppressed; had Fairy Yun Li not intervened in time with gifts of wealth to save them, the Bright Moon Sword Sect might not have escaped unscathed either.

...

When Li Guanxuan returned to Ping'an Court in the inner city, Wen Rongxin and Song Zhiqiao were both home. Even his master, Liu Xiaoxian, was there!

The house was filled with the fragrance of tea. Little Green Tea was massaging Liu Xiaoxian’s shoulders, glancing down at her master's proud figure, then looking at her own... and sighing deeply.

"Husband and Sister Jiyue are back!" Seeing them, Wen Rongxin’s face lit up with joy; the weight on her heart finally lifted.

Hearing this, Song Zhiqiao quickly stopped what she was doing and rushed to Li Guanxuan, throwing herself into his arms along with her sister. Having been apart for nearly two years, they were filled with both worry and longing. Now that they saw them return safely, their hearts were overflowing with happiness.

Liu Xiaoxian opened her eyes, shot an annoyed look at Song Zhiqiao, then looked at Li Guanxuan and said lazily, "Cao Feng obtained the five-hundred-year Golden Sun Spirit Herb. He will surely begin collecting materials for the Golden Origin Pill next. If you can't refine a high-quality one, he might just lose his mind."

She had heard about the events in the Scarlet Refining Mountains. When she learned that a sword cultivator named Li had slaughtered the middle-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators of the Inkstone and Thunder Fire sects, she had been delighted. Look at that—that was her precious disciple! Peerless among his peers!

"There are still forty years left, no need to rush." Li Guanxuan walked in with his arms around Wen Rongxin and Song Zhiqiao, not avoiding Liu Xiaoxian at all. She was long since used to it. After all, when the great battle erupted at Ping'an Court before, she had sat in the hall for two hours listening to it; what was this compared to that?

Liu Xiaoxian nodded slightly and warned, "As long as the Thunder Fire Sect’s ancestor arrives in person, they will be able to detect that the sword intent left in the mountains is the Qingxuan Sword Intent. During this time, do not make any moves until you have sufficient strength. Focus your efforts on proper cultivation."

Qin Jiyue giggled, "Don't worry, Master. When it comes to cultivation, Husband is even more diligent and hardworking than us."

Liu Xiaoxian rolled her eyes.

Li Guanxuan diverted the topic of "cultivation" and asked, "Since Cao Feng obtained the five-hundred-year Golden Sun Spirit Herb, will it attract the greed of the Thunder Fire Sect?" After all, Cao Feng was only at the peak of Foundation Establishment; he was no match for a True Core master.

"The Thunder Fire Sect wouldn't dare come to Demon territory to snatch things," Liu Xiaoxian explained. "Besides, Cao Feng has many friends and has cultivated ties with quite a few Golden Core masters. Furthermore, he obtained that herb through his own ability. If Yan Shikui came to contest it, that would be one thing, but if Lei Gongwang dared to bully the weak, the other Golden Core masters of the Demon race would surely trample the Thunder Fire Sect immediately."

"That’s good then..." Hearing this, Li Guanxuan felt much more at ease. As long as Silver Maple City remained peaceful, he could settle down and cultivate to the sixth layer of Foundation Establishment.

Liu Xiaoxian only cared about Li Guanxuan; she made no mention of Chen Yinshan or Fang Xingzhi. After asking about the Scarlet Refining Mountains and learning that Li Guanxuan had formed a bond with the Flame Demon Bear, she nodded slightly and said, "If the Flame Demon Bear truly has a chance to reach the third tier, you should be able to collect the materials for the Golden Origin Pill easily."

Li Guanxuan smiled sensibly, "Don't worry, Master. I will certainly gather all the materials for you and strive to refine a high-quality Golden Origin Pill for you."

Liu Xiaoxian nodded with satisfaction, her eyes crinkling with smiles. "I don't want you taking such risks. I can handle the collection of materials myself. For now, you should focus on your cultivation and improve your alchemy to prepare for forming your core."

"Disciple understands."

...

Liu Xiaoxian had dinner at Ping'an Court and then departed. During the time Li Guanxuan and Qin Jiyue were away, Wen Rongxin had reached the ninth layer of Body Tempering, and Song Zhiqiao had cultivated to the eighth layer of Qi Refining. Both women had made breakthroughs, which gladdened Li Guanxuan’s heart.

After dinner, in the main chamber, the three-way battle was imminent. It began with the sharp-tongued Little Green Tea taking the lead, followed by the White-Haired Demoness, and finally the Gentle Body Cultivator.

In the end, all three spoke in unison, their voices intertwining as they became "rap goddesses." The sword cultivator, standing tall, found it indescribably wonderful. Since Little Green Tea was the most inexperienced, Wen Rongxin and Qin Jiyue let her take the first wave. Watching her be handled so willfully, they couldn't help but step in to steady her. The sword cultivator’s free hands employed the professional techniques of a master masseur, leaving the others gasping for breath.

The White-Haired Demoness had been nourished for nearly two years and had to force herself to hold back, letting her gentle sister face the sword cultivator first. With a gasp, the battle was joined. Sweat drenched the quilts. The sword cultivator, at the peak of his vigor, could only be described in one way...

Terrifyingly powerful!