Chapter 1044 Array Flags Seal the Sect, Meng Jiangchu Appears

Li Guanqi didn’t yet realize that the greatest clash between the two pavilions had just begun.

The instant Li Guanqi departed, Tu Kui noticed the faint light representing Li Guanqi vanish from the sect’s jade slip. He discreetly took out another jade slip and sent word.

Buzz!

A spatial ripple silently merged into the void.

Boom!

Four blazing crimson array flags, each a zhang tall, appeared in the sky around the Daxia Sword Sect, one in each cardinal direction.

Swoosh!

Several streaks of sword light burst overhead. The patrolling disciples were signaling an emergency. Wu Bing and the others shot into the air. The four array flags erupted in flames, forming a terrifying barrier that spanned thirty li in every direction. A thin curtain of fire plunged like a waterfall, slicing through mountains and rivers like a guillotine blade. Everyone stared up in shock as the square barrier fell into place.

Wu Bing charged upward, sword in hand. Torrents of sword qi exploded outward.

Boom!

The sword light struck the curtain of fire without causing so much as a ripple. Wu Bing’s expression darkened. Gong Ze and the others were away, leaving the Daxia Sword Sect with scarcely anyone to defend it. Of those who remained, Wu Bing was the strongest.

Wu Bing crushed a jade slip, but its spatial ripples couldn’t escape the barrier.

The six peak masters flew toward Wu Bing with grim expressions. Several of them attempted to contact the outside world, but to no avail. “We can’t reach anyone! This barrier has completely sealed off the Guanyun Domain! Xi Yunhuai and that woman surnamed Yu won’t be able to come to our aid!”

Inside the Guanyun Domain, Yu Hua and the others looked alarmed. Even she couldn’t breach the seal formed by the four array flags. Resorting to the Great Void Shadow Concealment Divine Technique, she slipped into a void interlayer.

Swoosh!

Hiss!

Yu Hua emerged from the void, her expression grim. A large patch of skin on her shoulder was badly burned. “This is no ordinary sealing barrier. Can we contact Pavilion Master Li?”

Xi Yunhuai’s expression was ice-cold. He reached out to touch the flames seeping through the void and said grimly, “These barrier flags are definitely relics from the Ancient Era! Only someone at least half a step into the Mahayana Realm can break this seal. It locks down heaven and earth… even the Guanyun jade pendant won’t work!”

Yu Hua knew that Xi Yunhuai was an exceptionally skilled array master. Hearing his verdict, she cursed under her breath. “Heavenly Intelligence Pavilion… What vicious methods! They’re using us to threaten Li Guanqi!”

Above the Heavenly Sword Peak at the Daxia Sword Sect, Shen Lan gave the others a piercing look. “If my senses are right, these four array flags appeared the moment Guanqi left. The three disciples patrolling the perimeter are already dead, too. Isn’t the timing a little too convenient?”

Everyone grew uneasy. They understood what Shen Lan was implying. Tu Kui was alarmed, but he kept his expression calm and looked around at the others, feigning the same suspicion. No one spoke, and he had no intention of breaking the silence.

Wu Bing frowned. “I doubt it. Everyone still here has been with the sect for years. Perhaps a powerful cultivator has been secretly watching our movements.”

The others nodded. They were all old comrades who had stood by each other for at least a century.

Shen Lan scoffed. “This can’t be a coincidence. If it were, the array flags wouldn’t have appeared before the patrolling disciples were killed! There’s only one explanation. The enemy made sure Guanqi was gone before attacking them!”

Several people gasped before she finished speaking. Even Wu Bing realized she had a point. Shen Lan glanced at Tu Kui as she spoke. Since emerging from closed-door cultivation, his strength had been increasing suspiciously quickly.

Tu Kui caught her look and bristled. “Shen Lan, what’s that look supposed to mean?”

Shen Lan smiled coldly. “Nothing. I just thought you’d gained quite a lot from this round of closed-door cultivation, Peak Master Tu. Such a leap in strength.”

“Shen Lan! What are you implying?” Tu Kui demanded. “You suspect me? Then investigate me! Show me the evidence!”

Shen Lan turned away with a cold laugh. “Touchy, aren’t you? Why the big reaction?”

The words hit their mark. Only then did Tu Kui notice that everyone was looking at him strangely. He froze, his heart lurching as he realized he’d overreacted.

“I’m sorry,” he said soberly. “Too much has happened lately. I’ve been jumping at shadows. If you suspect me, I’ll submit to an investigation. Whatever you need, I’ll cooperate.”

His words eased many of their doubts. Wu Bing stepped in to smooth things over. “All right, all right. Let’s not argue. We have to work out how to break this seal.”

Wind howled through the void as a bolt of lightning flashed past. Li Guanqi slowed, a faintly amused smile on his lips. He soon received an unexpected transmission through his Daxia Sword Sect jade slip.

“Li Guanqi, the lives of everyone in the Daxia Sword Sect are in my hands! Disband the Guanyun Pavilion, and I’ll spare them!”

Gu Yong’s voice resonated with absolute confidence, as if he had everything firmly under his control.

Li Guanqi smirked in amusement. “Oh, really? You certainly didn’t go yourself. Who did you send? And… do you really think my father-in-law is already back with the Meng family?”

Crack!

Inside the Meng family’s domain, fine cracks suddenly spread across Meng Jiangchu’s body. Golden light burst through them, and his form shattered.

At the same time, in the pavilion master’s study in the Guanyun Domain, the clone Li Guanqi had created smiled faintly and took out an array tray.

Buzz!

Dense, dark green heavenly flames formed snarling, vengeful ghosts that surged out of the void with piercing howls.

Boom boom boom!

Explosions ripped through the air as four monstrous wraiths tore the array flags to shreds.

A black-robed man crushed a scroll and shot backward. A massive hand seized his skull, and dozens of nails made from ghostly green flames pierced his body.

“Ahhhh! Five-Yang Ghost Emperor, Meng Jiangchu! How are you here?! You were supposed to have gone back to the Divine Treasure Territory after setting up the transport array!”