Chapter 1033: Heavy Casualties

Meng Jiangchu’s expression changed at Gu Changsheng’s words. His eyes narrowed, and he murmured coldly, “I’m afraid Lu Tian’s influence will only grow after this. Cultivators demonized by Abyssal Demons have shown remarkable powers of recovery before, but resurrection? No one would have dared imagine that. Yet Lu Tian has now done exactly that before countless witnesses.”

Seeing was believing. Once word got out, some of the old monsters nearing the end of their lives might seek Lu Tian out themselves. The Heavenly Demon Pavilion could expand at a terrifying pace.

Meng Jiangchu frowned. “That’s enough. We don’t need to worry about it now. We’ll talk when the brat wakes up.”

Li Guanqi recovered quickly, waking up after only a few hours. He opened his eyes and sprang to his feet. For a moment, he stared at the familiar bed and room in confusion. Then waves of pain surged through his body, bringing him back to his senses.

Seeing Meng Jiangchu sitting by the bedside, Li Guanqi asked hoarsely, “Father-in-law, have Sha... No, have Lu Tian and the others left?”

Meng Jiangchu handed him a pill and nodded. “Mm. His senses are sharp. He left before I could make a move.”

Li Guanqi sat on the edge of the bed and pulled on his boots. “Were those cultivators really brought back to life? The Daxia Sword Sect’s cultivators aren’t fools. They must have destroyed their enemies’ nascent souls and divine souls!”

Meng Jiangchu’s expression grew grave. While Li Guanqi was unconscious, he and Gu Changsheng had discussed the question at length and arrived at a theory they thought came close to the truth.

“They were dead. But… the Abyssal Demon spirits had already fused with their bodies! Once the cultivators’ divine souls were destroyed, those spirits somehow took their place! What neither Old Gu nor I can understand is how the cultivators still retained all their memories. The methods Lu Tian used this time were unfathomable. Even we can’t make sense of them…”

Li Guanqi nodded grimly. Repairing the damage to his own divine soul had taken tremendous effort, yet Lu Tian had apparently used weak demonic spirits within those cultivators to replace their destroyed divine souls. The thought was almost impossible to believe. Such a “resurrection” had to come at a hidden cost.

A thought struck Li Guanqi. Looking up at Meng Jiangchu, he asked solemnly, “What happened to the woman who arrived with them?”

Meng Jiangchu replied softly, “The one who betrayed them? I believe she’s still trapped in the array barrier above the Daxia Sword Sect. Xi Yunhuai is keeping watch.”

A cold glint flashed in Li Guanqi’s eyes. He stood up, but swayed and nearly fell. Meng Jiangchu caught him and scolded, “Take it easy! Taking Spirit-Boosting Pills so often in such a short time causes severe side effects. Do it again, and your cultivation realm might drop.”

Li Guanqi gave a silent nod, though he inwardly murmured, If it happens again, I’ll do the same thing without hesitation.

Meng Jiangchu helped him into the courtyard. “I’m going back to the Meng family residence. I plan to build a faster cross-territory transport array between the residence and the Daxia Sword Sect.”

Li Guanqi cupped his fists and bowed. “Thank you, Father-in-law.”

Meng Jiangchu waved a hand. “Just give me fewer things to worry about, brat. I’m probably going to get another earful when I go back.”

As Meng Jiangchu departed, a flicker of killing intent crossed Li Guanqi’s eyes. Lu Tian had arrived with Ye Feng and Song Zhi’ang to provoke him.

“Haa…”

Li Guanqi breathed out, forcibly suppressing his anger. He circulated a little vital force and rose into the air.

The Daxia Sword Sect was brightly lit. Disciples flew back and forth above it, stopping to bow whenever they encountered Li Guanqi. Seeing so many of them wounded, he asked, “What were our casualties?”

A young disciple clutched his shoulder and bowed, then answered solemnly, “Ninety-seven disciples from the seven peaks were killed. More than a hundred were seriously wounded, and over six hundred suffered minor injuries.”

Li Guanqi frowned. The disciple hesitated, as if he wanted to say more, so Li Guanqi asked gravely, “Is there anything else?”

The disciple gritted his teeth and answered honestly. “The Spiritfish Clan and the Fire-Eyed Demon Fox Clan suffered the heaviest losses. Twenty-six of their people were killed in total!”

Surprised, Li Guanqi frowned again. His expression grew complicated. “All right. I understand.”

Instead of going straight to Yu Hua, he headed to the sect’s main pavilion. The battle’s shockwaves had left it open to the wind.

Li Guanqi strode inside. Wu Bing began to stand up, but Li Guanqi motioned for him to remain in the seat of honor. He cupped his fists and bowed. “Greetings, Acting Sect Master.”

Wu Bing hurriedly eased him upright with a gentle stream of spatial force. “Junior Brother Li, there’s no need for such formalities.”

Li Guanqi smiled. No matter how much he changed or how powerful he became, Wu Bing still called him Junior Brother Li rather than Elder Li. After everything that had happened, Li Guanqi genuinely felt that Wu Bing was better suited to lead the Daxia Sword Sect than he was.

Wu Bing had the same steady disposition and broad perspective as Lu Kangnian, qualities Li Guanqi lacked in comparison. More importantly, his willingness to post a mission through the Guanyun Pavilion to assassinate Kong Yan showed that he did not place blind trust in others.

He understood the bigger picture and didn’t let personal ties keep him from acting when necessary. He was resolute, decisive, and able to make his own judgments. Given enough time to improve his cultivation, he would be more than capable of leading the Daxia Sword Sect.

Li Guanqi sat beside Wu Bing, one seat below him. He had always taken this seat, even when Lu Kangnian had been around. No one else sat there when Li Guanqi was absent. No one was allowed.

He turned to Wu Bing. “I heard the Spiritfish Clan and the Fire-Eyed Demon Fox Clan suffered heavy casualties?”

Wu Bing sighed. “They did. Most of their casualties came during the sudden counterattack after those demonic cultivators were resurrected. If the experts from both clans hadn’t sensed the danger and stepped in, the Daxia Sword Sect would have lost at least twice as many disciples.”

Li Guanqi nodded silently. He pondered for a moment, then asked softly, “Over all these years, how many disciples of the Daxia Sword Sect have benefited from the Spiritfish Clan’s bone swords?”

Wu Bing considered the question before replying, “Eighteen. Myself included.”

Li Guanqi pursed his lips, then said softly, “Senior Brother Wu, could we let those two clans recover in the Purple Spirit Paradise Realm? The sect would retain control of the realm, of course. The spirit qi there is much denser. And… I suggest we also let the members of both clans join the various peaks to cultivate alongside our disciples. They should have the same standing and be able to exchange contribution points for resources.”