Chapter 1664
Ambush
"That's it!"
"Mind your own business!"
In an instant, the demonic cultivators unleashed a barrage of undisguised mockery and ridicule, causing the cultivators' faces to darken.
It should be understood that the relationship between the immortals and demons is inherently strained, with frequent conflicts and countless grudges accumulated over the years.
If it weren't for their concern that the Myriad Realms might be invaded by other worlds, these cultivators wouldn't have come specifically to discuss matters with the demonic cultivators.
Now that they were being mocked like this, some cultivators couldn't hold back and launched an attack on the demonic cultivator.
"You dare, you brat!"
The demonic cultivators reacted extremely quickly, immediately launching a defensive attack and beginning a counterattack.
"Damn it! Who told you to make a move!" The cultivators were also furious at the person who made the move, but the demonic cultivators had already attacked, so it was not appropriate to teach the person a lesson now. They could only give a quick rebuke and then immediately organize an attack.
Originally, the two sides were only discussing extraterrestrial beings, but the situation suddenly changed, and a great battle broke out in the blink of an eye.
Perhaps neither side intended to have a proper discussion from the beginning. After all, if they were truly interested in discussing things, they wouldn't have organized so many high-level cultivators and demonic cultivators to come.
Therefore, it seems only natural that a major war breaks out at the slightest disagreement now.
Although the two sides fought fiercely, they both exercised restraint, so there were no major casualties.
The reason for this is the concern that if they suffer heavy casualties, it will give other factions and races an opportunity to take advantage, which could lead to even greater losses.
The result was a great battle between the immortals and demons, which did not last long and ended abruptly, with both sides retreating to their own territories.
As for the discussion and handling of extraterrestrial beings, no one cares anymore.
Meanwhile, the other factions and races in the Myriad Realms quickly learned the cause and effect of this conflict.
But their reactions were surprisingly consistent: they ignored it!
In their view, these two extraterrestrial beings were merely accidental intruders, not spies from some other world.
Otherwise, it would be impossible that only two extraterrestrial beings have invaded so far, because even if it's just for gathering intelligence and information, that number is far too small.
Even if such a thing were to happen, they would still have great confidence in the strength of the Myriad Profound Realm, believing that the Myriad Profound Realm, where they are located, might be the victor in the war between the two realms.
Before that, since that extraterrestrial being was currently in the territory of the Immortal Path, even if it caused any trouble, it would only harm the Immortal Path, and what did it have to do with them?
In the end, only the Immortal Path remained concerned about the whereabouts of that extraterrestrial being, while the other factions and races had long since forgotten about it.
……
On the other side...
Li Zhirui, hiding in the marketplace, was naturally unaware that his arrival had sparked a major battle between the immortals and demons of this realm.
He was unaware that other factions and races didn't care about his existence at all.
Even if he knew this information, he couldn't take any big action, because he was currently in the territory of the Immortal Path.
Moreover, if Li Zhirui were to reveal his identity directly, all sides would surely flock to him.
After all, they were unwilling to put in the effort to search for him, but if it saved them that trouble, they certainly wouldn't mind capturing him.
Putting aside everything else, the cultivation techniques, supernatural powers, and spiritual objects he possesses are all extremely precious treasures!
It was precisely because Li Zhirui was completely unaware of these circumstances that he remained in seclusion, meditating and cultivating supernatural powers.
……
Sun rises and sets, spring goes and autumn comes.
In the blink of an eye, decades have passed.
During his dedicated cultivation, Li Zhirui mastered a rather profound defensive technique called Sacrifice to the Spirit and Clear Light.
To perform this technique, one must consume a spiritual plant, and the stronger the spiritual plant's defense, the stronger the supernatural power's defense.
However, this is not the most special feature of this defensive divine power. When he chose this divine power from among many others, what he valued was that after casting the spell, the divine power would adhere to his skin in a special form!
However, whenever danger is encountered, the supernatural power will be activated instantly, faster than summoning one's natal magic weapon, and it doesn't even need to be actively activated.
In other words, as long as the defense is strong enough, it's equivalent to having an extra life!
Unfortunately, because he was in the Myriad Profound Realm, he couldn't experiment with it and therefore couldn't fully unleash the power of this divine ability. He could only try it again after he left.
The only thing that Li Zhirui regretted was that he could not use his supernatural power a second time before the first layer of defense was broken.
Otherwise, as long as one masters this supernatural power, one can gain a huge advantage in battle, because one can completely disregard defense and just attack relentlessly.
During his cultivation of supernatural powers, he naturally chose spiritual objects with strong defensive capabilities to create a layer of protection for himself.
……
"Decades have passed, so I suppose they've relaxed their efforts to capture me by now?"
Li Zhirui felt that the time was about right; it was impossible for those beings of this world to have been searching for his whereabouts for decades.
When he came out of the rented cave, the first thing he did was go to the notice board where he had posted his bounty, only to find that his bounty had been covered up by other news.
This clearly shows that the search for him has been greatly reduced, and may even have been abandoned.
After all these years, no clues about Li Zhirui have been found, so giving up is understandable.
Of course, this does not mean that he can travel openly and recklessly within the Myriad Profound Realms.
If they are discovered, they will attract a large number of pursuers.
But at least I don't have to hide anymore.
"Let's find a suitable place first and gain some experience."
The area around the market where Li Zhirui was currently hiding was too low in cultivation level to be suitable for his training. After searching the map, he decided to head to Beiyang Prefecture in the northeast.
The two places are tens of thousands of miles apart. If you fly at full speed, it won't take long, but since it's a trip, there's no need to rush.
But to his surprise, he encountered an ambush on the way!
With a loud boom, a crimson bolt of lightning roared out, heading straight for Li Zhirui's vital point, attempting to kill him in one fell swoop.
hum!
Suddenly, a burst of green spiritual light erupted from his body, blocking the attack and buying him enough time to cast a spell, thus preventing him from being injured.
"Who are you!" Li Zhirui demanded, his face grim and his eyes filled with murderous intent.
If he hadn't reacted quickly enough and hadn't been protected by a defensive array, that sudden killing blow would probably have taken his life or at least severely injured him!
Moreover, he asked himself, having entered the Myriad Profound Realms for so many years, he had not offended any living beings, so why was he ambushed for no reason?
"Dead people don't need to know so much!"
The three black-clad cultivators in front of him spoke coldly, then attacked again, this time with a powerful killing move.
"I hope you can be just as stubborn in a little while."
Li Zhirui unleashed a chilling, sky-piercing killing intent. Even with his strength suppressed, it wasn't enough to deter these three Celestial Immortal cultivators from attacking him! Rumble—
In order to end the battle as quickly as possible, he unleashed a powerful and deadly attack right from the start.
Tens of thousands of vines, like long snakes, danced wildly, surrounding the three of them and launching a relentless attack.
Each lash seemed to carry immense force, causing their defensive spiritual light to flicker and appear to shatter completely before long.
Even with their faces covered by veils, the three cultivators could not hide their shock and fear upon seeing this scene.
"Impossible! How could you be so powerful?" one of them shouted, as if unwilling to accept the fact.
"Humph!"
Li Zhirui naturally couldn't answer that question, so he increased his power, preparing to deal with them as quickly as possible.
After struggling for a while, the three, having no hope of escaping the attack, awaited their death with despair on their faces.
"Please spare our lives, senior! We had no choice! We absolutely did not intend to oppose you."
But faced with death, some people were still afraid and said, trembling, "If you spare my life, I will tell you who is behind this."
"Who is it? Tell me and I'll spare your life."
Li Zhirui was also very curious. He hadn't offended anyone yet, so why would someone hire someone to kill him?!
"This man is named Hu Tang. He is a manager in Xiaorong Market. He is a Celestial Immortal just like us. He asked us to spend tens of thousands of spirit crystals to help him."
Spirit crystals are not a currency unique to the Chaos Merchant Guild, but are used in high-level worlds throughout the universe.
But when Li Zhirui heard the name Hu Tang, he frowned, because he was certain that he had never met this person before.
Why would they attack me out of the blue?
"Describe what this person looks like."
Soon, a boy with a square face and a rather distinctive mustache appeared on his chin; otherwise, he was just a normal boy.
"It turned out to be him?!"
Li Zhirui quickly realized who this person was—the manager who had helped him rent the cave dwelling!
"I see."
Once he recognized who was behind it all, he knew what was going on.
Hu Tang learned from the time Li Zhirui rented the cave dwelling that he was quite wealthy, but because he came from outside the region, his aura was weak all year round, which made him underestimate Li Zhirui's strength.
He thought that by hiring three celestial cultivators to ambush him, he could ensure that everything would go smoothly. After killing him, all the spiritual items and crystals on his body would be his. However, reality turned out to be quite the opposite.
Those three celestial beings were no match for Li Zhirui and were easily defeated by him.
He then acted decisively, killing all three cultivators and looting all their spiritual items before leaving the area as quickly as possible.
The monk who begged for mercy had eyes full of anger, resentment, and unwillingness.
But Li Zhirui didn't care at all; he hadn't promised to really spare his life.
Meanwhile, Hu Tang, the manager of Xiao Rong Fang Market, was very anxious because the three Celestial Immortal cultivators he had invited had not yet returned.
But what he didn't know was that those three people would never appear again!
……
Beiyang Prefecture, Qingyang Immortal City.
"Have you heard? A Taiyi Golden Immortal has been born in the Qingjing Sect of Lichou Prefecture, and they are preparing to open a Xuanxian-level secret realm that they control!" a cultivator suddenly said.
Upon hearing this, the previously noisy restaurant lobby instantly fell silent, with everyone straining their ears, eager to learn more from this person.
Li Zhirui, who was mixed in with the crowd, also stopped what he was doing and focused on listening to what he was going to say next.
But he also felt a little strange. Were all the powers in the Myriad Profound Realms so generous? They were even willing to open up Profound Immortal-level secret realms.
He vaguely sensed that something was amiss, but he couldn't quite put his finger on what the problem was.
"All cultivators are allowed to enter the secret realm, without any conditions?"
"Yes! There are conditions, namely, 40% of the spiritual items must be handed over."
The cultivator then said, "Therefore, I plan to set off for Lichou Prefecture today, so as not to miss the opportunity."
"real or fake?"
"Why has the Pure Land School suddenly become so generous?"
"All you have to do is hand over 40% of the spiritual items?"
The scene erupted in uproar, with voices of doubt and skepticism filling the entire lobby.
Most monks did not believe it.
Even though the Qingjing Sect is the most powerful and top-tier force in the Immortal Alliance, it wouldn't be so generous as to open up the Xuanxian-level secret realm for all cultivators to enter.
It is important to understand that the more powerful a force is, the more spiritual objects and resources it needs.
The resources that a Xuanxian-level secret realm can provide are extremely abundant!
Why would such a precious secret realm be opened up for no reason, and without any particularly strict restrictions? This makes one suspicious.
For example, the requirement to hand over only 40% of the spiritual items seems unrealistic.
Because in all similar incidents before, those forces demanded to hand over 60% or even more of the spiritual items!
It's impossible that the Pure Land School is planning to do charity and give back to these junior practitioners, is it?
"This Xuanxian-level secret realm you mentioned, could it be the Firestone Secret Realm that the Qingjing Sect just discovered not long ago and is extremely dangerous?" Suddenly, a cultivator spoke up.
The cultivators in the hall all looked bewildered. They had never heard of this secret realm before, but from what this person said, it seemed that there was something about it that they did not know.
Li Zhirui suddenly realized what was wrong and understood what had been going on.
Only the cultivator who started the conversation had a momentary darkening in his face, but he quickly recovered and laughed, "I only heard about it secondhand, and I don't know the specifics very well. That's why I wanted to go and find out more information beforehand."
"Ah!"
The cultivator sneered and said, "You're concealing crucial information just to lure many fellow cultivators there, then use them all as cannon fodder to clean up the secret realm for the Qingjing Sect, aren't you?"
"As far as I know, when the Qingjing Sect first explored the Firestone Secret Realm, as many as 80% of the cultivators they sent there died or were injured! Even the two Xuanxian who led the team were seriously injured and almost perished!"
"It is precisely because the Firestone Secret Realm is too dangerous that the Pure Pure Sect does not want to sacrifice its own disciples any further and plans to recruit cultivators from outside to reduce the obstacles for the Pure Pure Sect." (End of this chapter)