Rebuilding the Immortal Cultivator Clan

Chapter 386 - 392: The Problem

Perhaps it was the act of divulging his past that lightened Wang Daozhiʼs mood considerably, at least it wasnʼt as oppressive as before.

As for Li Zhirui, once he had heard it, he cast it to the back of his mind, not placing any importance on it, as he was yet unable to empathize truly.

”How much farther to the stone tower?” Li Zhirui spoke up, breaking the silence between them.

Wang Daozhi performed a simple divination and came up with an approximate distance, ”Over two hundred li.”

A hint of joy appeared in Li Zhiruiʼs eyes, for such a distance was only a matter of moments for them, and if nothing unexpected occurred, they could enter the stone tower and begin their trial immediately!

”Fellow Daoist, be careful, the last stretch is the most dangerous!” Wang Daozhi cautioned, ”I once read records about The Secret Realm of Wanxian in the Great Profound Sectʼs Scripture Pavilion, stating that the closer one gets to the stone tower, the more cultivators lie in ambush.”

Certainly, within three li of the stone tower, influenced by the Immortal Artifact, none could linger for long, thus that stretch was relatively safe.

”Mmm, I understand,” Li Zhirui acknowledged with a nod, his internal vigilance sharpening.

As the distance closed between them and the tower, Wang Daozhiʼs mentioned dangers had yet to materialize.

Far from relaxing their guard, this only made Li Zhirui and Wang Daozhi all the more wary and cautious, their mana at the ready, poised for immediate action.

Whoosh—

Suddenly, a sharp sound of tearing through the air assaulted Li Zhirui from his left, a sense of danger rapidly climbing atop his mind, prompting him to retreat explosively without hesitation.

Wang Daozhi, at his side, was just as swift, if not a fraction quicker than Li Zhirui.

”Fellow Daoist, be cautious! You need not worry about me!” Wang Daozhi called out loudly.

Li Zhirui remained silent, offering no words in response. Or rather, there was no need for Wang Daozhi to say anything, for if it came down to choosing one over the other, Li Zhirui would not hesitate to make the choice that best served his own interest!

But naturally, Wang Daozhi was unaware of Li Zhiruiʼs thoughts and remained careful, guarding his surroundings to prevent an opportunity for others to capitalize on, and to avoid distracting Li Zhirui.

”Show yourself!”

After withstanding several waves of sneak attacks, Li Zhirui could no longer tolerate it; taking hits was not in his nature. His hands moved with speed, as dozens of vines shot up to the sky in an instant, wildly thrashing around, pounding the ground for miles down several inches.

A cultivator at Golden Core Perfection was forced by these grand movements to reveal himself, and because he was slow to extract himself, his body was still covered in dust, making him look quite disheveled.

Upon seeing his enemy emerge, Li Zhiruiʼs expression grew much more solemn. A Golden Core cultivator of the same realm was not an easy adversary to deal with!

”Iʼll remember you!” The moment the person revealed himself, he stared deeply at Li Zhirui, dropped a harsh remark, and then flew away, unwilling to continue a fight with Li Zhirui that would result in a life-or-death struggle.

Li Zhirui was taken aback but quickly understood the reason; that person evidently did not want to engage in a fierce battle with an opponent of equal strength. For regardless of winning or losing, he could end up in danger!

Winning, yet draining his mana excessively or even sustaining severe injuries, would not only give others coveting his treasures a chance to strike but also mean facing the trials within the stone tower in less than ideal shape, potentially leading to disappointing results!

Defeated, there was no need to elaborate on what the outcome would be.

”Letʼs go, the noise just now was not small, I fear cultivators are already rushing this way,” Li Zhirui said as he hurriedly left with Wang Daozhi.

But in just a short while, several waves of cultivators arrived at the battlefield, one after another, only to find that nobody gained anything of value, so it quickly fell silent again.

Meanwhile, Li Zhirui and his companion, after a fully-fledged flight, quickly arrived in front of the stone tower.

Indeed, on the way there, they encountered several groups of cultivatorsʼ attacks, but when Li Zhirui and Wang Daozhi easily parried those strikes and fully unleashed their own aura, no more cultivators showed up.

After all, within the secret realm were thousands upon thousands of cultivators; there was no need to desperately struggle against a powerful Golden Core Perfection, as it was very likely that little benefit would be obtained, and one might even risk oneʼs life in vain.

”Is this the Trial Stone Tower? Worthy of the name of an Immortal Artifact!” Li Zhirui looked up at the not-so-tall stone tower, the ancient aura enveloping it so primal that one couldnʼt help but be immersed.

”On this journey, I thank you, fellow Daoist!” Wang Daozhi suddenly bowed seriously to Li Zhirui.

Li Zhirui quickly dodged, saying, ”Fellow Daoist, what do you mean by this? Youʼre making me feel undeserving!”

”I am well aware of my own strength. If it hadnʼt been for your help, fellow Daoist, Iʼm afraid I would not have arrived here so smoothly. After this journey, who knows when we will meet again, so I wish to express my gratitude now, and I hope you wonʼt refuse,” Wang Daozhi then took out a jade box.

”Inside the jade box is a third-grade spiritual object, I hope it can aid you in your cultivation!”

Pushing the jade box into Li Zhiruiʼs arms, he then rushed into the stone tower and disappeared without a trace in the blink of an eye.

”This...” Wang Daozhiʼs actions were too hasty; by the time the others reacted, he was already gone.

Li Zhirui shook his head, the person was no longer there, and he had to accept the gift. Using his divine sense to probe into it, he found a spirit fruit within the small jade box that looked like jade and shone with circulating light.

”Is this the Bright Jade Fruit?” Li Zhirui wasnʼt entirely sure, browsing through the information in his Sea of Consciousness about the fruit for a while before he got an answer.

”This gift from Wang Daozhi is surely too precious!”

The Bright Jade Fruit, a third-grade spirit fruit resembling jade. If consumed at ordinary times, it had no effect, but if consumed during a breakthrough, especially when advancing to a Nascent Soul, then the spirit fruit would take effect, accelerating the transformation from Golden Core to Nascent Soul!

Just because of this, the Bright Jade Fruit was worth a million!

And Wang Daozhi had actually given such a precious spirit fruit to him!

But if Li Zhirui really had to give it back, he would be somewhat reluctant; after all, it was a treasure that could hasten the process of forming a Nascent Soul!

Li Zhirui closed his eyes to calm his agitated heart before placing the spirit fruit into his storage space to be used when needed.

”Itʼs a pity, the seed of the spirit fruit has already been dissolved by the Fusion Spirit Skill, or I could have obtained a Bright Jade Spirit Tree,” Li Zhirui said, feeling a bit greedy, before shaking his head repeatedly and dispelling these stray thoughts.

This irregular occurrence raised caution and vigilance in Li Zhiruiʼs heart. Since he began cultivating, he had paid great attention to his own temperament. He wouldnʼt claim to be unbreakable, but at least it should not be so easy to be agitated as he was this time!