Chapter 1039: Fifth Level of the Spirit Comprehension Stage

Lu Tian had left with Ye Feng and Song Zhi’ang as soon as he sensed Meng Jiangchu approaching. Li Guanqi could tell that Lu Tian had yet to regain his full strength. At his peak, he had been powerful enough to overwhelm even members of the Eight Generals. If Lu Tian had fully recovered, he would’ve tried to abduct Li Guanqi, so his current strength was probably no higher than the peak of the early Mahayana Realm.

Slightly reassured, Li Guanqi tilted his head back and took a long gulp of strong liquor. Calming his restless thoughts, he began to cultivate. Lately, he had felt close to grasping the second level of the Divine Punishment Technique. Once achieved, his spiritual comprehension would progress much faster.

For three days, the Guanyun Pavilion remained silent. It had closed its shops across the six states and withdrawn from direct confrontation. Rumors spread that something had happened to it, fueling speculation among cultivators, but the pavilion did not respond.

In the void of the Daochan Territory, Gu Yong listened to Shen Feng’s report. Shen Feng looked grim. “An unknown force has countered all our efforts against the Guanyun Pavilion’s middle and upper ranks. They’ve also dealt with the agents we planted among them. Our usual tactics of coercion are no longer working.”

Gu Yong gradually regained his composure. He knew such petty tactics could never shake the Guanyun Pavilion’s foundations on their own. But if Li Guanqi had simply killed the people they had coerced, Gu Yong would have achieved his goal all the same.

Sitting with his hands tucked into his sleeves, Gu Yong murmured, “Li Guanqi is more composed than I thought. I expected him to lose control and start killing. It seems I underestimated him.”

Everyone present understood what Gu Yong meant. They had not expected Li Guanqi, a man renowned for his ruthlessness, to resolve the matter without killing anyone. He had opted for a more conciliatory solution, even though he would pay dearly for it.

Gu Yong stood up with a smile. “Get ready. The Guanyun Pavilion will make its move tomorrow. Have you prepared everything I asked for?”

A cold-faced man gave a sinister chuckle. “It’s been ready for some time. But… shouldn’t we act sooner?”

Gu Yong turned to him with a sneer. “The Guanyun Pavilion has already pulled back its forces. What do you expect to accomplish by acting now? How can you be so dense?”

The man laughed awkwardly. In the end, all four tower masters took their leave.

Gu Yong shut the door and took out the Heavenly Intelligence Map, tightly bound with crimson threads. Just looking at it gave him a headache. He had tried everything he could think of, but he still could not break the seal Li Guanqi had placed on it.

His only remaining option was the Guanyun Pavilion. Once he controlled the intelligence network across the Six Territories, that person would surely find a way to unseal the map. Since that person valued the Heavenly Intelligence Pavilion’s intelligence gathering so highly, Gu Yong had to seize this chance.

However, he could not afford to be as reckless as the person who had invaded the Daxia Sword Sect. Gu Yong did not know why none of the Eight Generals had intervened during that attack, but he dared not gamble on their absence again. He had only one life, so he would take the safer course.

A sharp glint appeared in Gu Yong’s eyes as his shadow flickered in the candlelight. It seemed everyone carried burdens that compelled them to act against their nature. Everyone wanted something, and everyone was held captive by circumstances beyond their control.

In those three days, Yu Hua earned the respect of many in the intelligence division through her formidable strength and iron-fisted methods. She spent the first day familiarizing herself with the intelligence network. On the second day, she moved swiftly and decisively to address its problems. By the third day, she had begun pairing firm leadership with rewards.

Her commanding presence and meticulous attention to detail helped Li Guanqi uncover gaps in their operations that even Xi Yunhuai had missed. She had barely slept, and the work had kept her on her feet the entire time.

Late on the third night, Yu Hua sat in her study and sent a voice transmission. “Pavilion Master, I’ve finished reorganizing the intelligence division. At the very least, orders can now be carried out properly at every level.”

The intelligence division’s cultivators had initially resisted Yu Hua. They inevitably compared her with Ji Yuchuan, who had set a high standard. But she had risen to every challenge from the division’s most unruly members. Once she returned with the sword of Zhao Xianglu, the Azure Cloud Territory Lord, no one voiced any further doubts. These cultivators worked in the shadows, gathering intelligence and concealing their presence. Her display of strength had won their respect.

Yu Hua also taught the first level of the Great Void Shadow Concealment Divine Technique to the few cultivators who had made the greatest contributions. She even revealed the technique’s tier to everyone, boosting morale even further.

Boom!

The forces of heaven and earth within the Guanyun Domain shifted. For a hundred li around, dark clouds covered the sky. Torrential rain began to fall. Outside the windows, the wind howled through the mountain valleys and rustled the towering ancient trees. Amid flashes of lightning and peals of thunder, thick bolts of purple lightning struck repeatedly from the clouds. Each impact left a crater dozens of zhang wide, shattering the ground and charring trees.

The surrounding spirit qi surged toward Guanyun Pavilion’s headquarters. Many cultivators fled through the air until they were several thousand zhang away. Yu Hua and the others evacuated everyone who remained. Then Yu Hua, Xi Yunhuai, and the rest watched the slowly rotating vortex with grave expressions.

Qian Qiusui could not help but ask, “Is the Pavilion Master about to break through to the peak of the Combined Body Realm?”

Yu Hua shook her head. “No. His spirit comprehension has advanced, stirring the forces of heaven and earth.”

Her eyes glimmered as she murmured with respect, “As for what tier he’s reached… that’s beyond what people like us can judge.”

Yu Hua had always been clever. Even after being coerced, she realized that remaining in the Heavenly Demon Pavilion would eventually cost her life. No power comes without a price; the greater the strength, the higher the cost. She had feared the forces behind Li Guanqi from the very beginning, so she ultimately risked everything for the slightest chance of earning his trust.

Rumble!

The dark thunderclouds swirled into a funnel, pouring directly into Li Guanqi’s study.

Boom!

A tremendous explosion rang out, and Li Guanqi appeared in midair. His overwhelming aura made everyone instinctively lower their heads and bow. “Greetings, Pavilion Master!”

Li Guanqi glanced at the sky, then looked sharply from one person to the next. “Everyone, stay alert! Relay the order. We’re going to war with the Heavenly Intelligence Pavilion!”