Li Guanqi could tell Qian Qiusui understood his intentions. She would adjust her attitude on her own. He sighed inwardly. Mature women really are different.

Gazing at the mountain ranges a hundred li away, he teleported away from the Yunding Auction House.

Unbeknownst to him, after he left, Qian Qiusui sat alone, smoking and drinking. A faint trace of self-mockery appeared in her eyes as her lips curved slightly upward. She murmured, “If it’s impossible, I’ll just stand behind him quietly and do my part. It’s better than being alone with no one to rely on. Besides... following him means I won’t have to worry about betrayal.”

She understood that if she wanted to survive in the ruthless cultivation world, aligning herself with Li Guanqi was the wisest choice.

Buzz!

A ripple stirred in the void, and Li Guanqi emerged from a hidden spatial layer, careful not to tear space open directly and draw attention.

He took out the Pavilion Master jade token and infused it with a thread of vital force. A mysterious fluctuation spread outward. A six-pointed star formation took shape before him, its light circulating as a spatial passage opened at its center.

Li Guanqi was impressed. “Just who created these jade tokens?”

He stepped through and paused, mildly surprised. The realm stretched roughly eighty li across, layered with mountains and shrouded in dense spiritual mist. Atop the peaks stood a vast purple pavilion complex linked by floating corridors. The architecture was ancient and elegant, lit by warm yellow lanterns hanging from the eaves. The main pavilion stood at the center, nine stories tall and sixty-six zhang in length. Above it hung a gilded plaque emblazoned with bold lettering: Guanyun Pavilion.

Ji Yuchuan stood at the head of the group with Su You at his side. Behind them, over a hundred cultivators and disciples were arranged in two neat lines, all in white robes embroidered with a pavilion atop a mountain.

Seeing Li Guanqi outside the domain, Ji Yuchuan smiled faintly, stepped forward, and dropped to one knee. In an instant, everyone followed suit.

“Greetings, Pavilion Master!”

“Greetings, Pavilion Master!”

The voices thundered in unison, loud enough to overturn the heavens.

As Li Guanqi stepped into the domain, dense spirit qi flowed into him. He swept his gaze over the cultivators kneeling before him, his chest tightening with emotion.

This... was his power.

What surprised Li Guanqi even more was that everyone looked at him with fervent reverence, despite Guanyun Pavilion having been founded by Ji Yuchuan. He’d have to inquire about that later.

Li Guanqi took a deep breath and said calmly, “Rise.”

Once everyone stood, Li Guanqi noticed a short, unassuming old man behind Ji Yuchuan. The man’s aura was as deep as an abyss.

Li Guanqi’s eyes narrowed slightly. “Combined Body Realm?”

Ji Yuchuan smiled. “Pavilion Master, this is my old friend Xi Yunhuai. Elder Xi is a grandmaster of formations from the Falling Sunset Territory. He keeps a low profile, but his skills are extraordinary.”

The goat-bearded old man looked kind enough, but Li Guanqi caught the scrutiny in his gaze.

Li Guanqi cupped his hands politely. “It is my honor to have Senior Xi join Guanyun Pavilion.”

Xi Yunhuai returned the gesture with a smile. “I’m merely helping an old friend in my spare time. Sword Sovereign, no need to be so courteous.”

Li Guanqi laughed coldly to himself. The old man spoke modestly, but his tone was laced with pride.

Ji Yuchuan stood awkwardly to the side, unsure how to smooth things over. Xi Yunhuai narrowed his eyes. For some reason, Li Guanqi gave him a faint sense of danger, putting him on edge.

Li Guanqi smiled. “So you’re a formation master. I was just wondering who designed the domain arrays and the embedded formations within the jade tokens. My respect.”

Xi Yunhuai stroked his beard, clearly pleased. “It’s nothing worth mentioning. Just minor tricks.”

But the pride on his face was unmistakable.

Ji Yuchuan sighed inwardly. He knew Li Guanqi’s temperament all too well. This won’t end smoothly.

Li Guanqi said, “By the way, Senior Xi, I came across an interesting formation on my way back. Would you like to take a look?”

Xi Yunhuai waved his hand confidently. “Go ahead and show me. Few things in the Dao of formations can truly impress me.”

A faint, almost eerie smile pulled at the corner of Li Guanqi’s lips. He raised a hand and inscribed formation runes in mid-air. “I didn’t bring a projection stone, so I’ll just re-create what I remember.”

Blood-red runes erupted from his fingertips. Hundreds, then thousands in a single breath. His fingers blurred into afterimages. When even that proved too slow, he conjured dozens of lightning-formed brushes to carve in parallel.

The scene left everyone stunned.

“Is the Pavilion Master... also a grand formation master?”

“I’ve never heard of that. Wasn’t he a sword cultivator?”

“No way he’s not! Look at how skilled he is!”

“Didn’t he say he memorized it? You think someone who doesn’t understand formations could recreate tens of thousands of runes with spiritual resonance?”

The disciples buzzed with excitement, their admiration for Li Guanqi deepening even further.

But Ji Yuchuan’s expression shifted again and again. Only he and Xi Yunhuai knew that Li Guanqi was imitating the formation. And yet, with terrifying divine consciousness and monstrous comprehension, he was reconstructing it perfectly. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝙚𝔀𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝒐𝒎

Within moments, one-tenth of the Blood Oath God-Locking Array stood complete. The blood-red array pulsed with an eerie, terrifying aura.

Xi Yunhuai paled as he stared, his expression turning extremely grave. Li Guanqi smiled faintly. This alone was enough to shake the old man.

Even Meng Jiangchu couldn’t identify the origin of this formation. There was no way Xi Yunhuai could.

Li Guanqi turned slightly to Ji Yuchuan, his tone casual yet probing. “Have you found out whether the Sha organization has ranks beyond Heaven, Earth, Black, and Yellow?”

Ji Yuchuan blanched. “Pavilion Master... are you referring to the four higher ranks: Chi, Mei, Wang, and Liang?”

Li Guanqi said nothing. With a flick of his hand, he tossed out three shattered masks and a corpse.

As he walked past Ji Yuchuan, his voice turned cold. “You have three days. Find out who this woman is.”