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Chapter 1143: Chapter 1040: Accident_2
The Secret Realm indeed has a time limit; he can’t spend all his time searching for Earth Essence, as he still lacks several types of Essence of the Five Elements.
"Hurry, hurry, don’t let that Mud Spit Worm get away."
That day, Li Zhirui was as usual searching for clues in the mountains and marshes and seeking help from others, when he suddenly heard a series of urgent shouts nearby.
Initially, he had no intention of intervening, as after all, this had nothing to do with Li Zhirui, but upon hearing the words ’Mud Spit Worm’, he immediately changed his mind.
Because where the Mud Spit Worm resides, Earth Essence is more likely to appear!
The Mud Spit Worm, as its name suggests, eats a large amount of Spiritual Soil and then spits out mud. However, it’s not ordinary mud, but a higher-grade mud rich in Spiritual Energy and special nutrients.
Many major forces cultivate a significant number of Mud Spit Worms to obtain better Spiritual Soil.
And the mud spat out by the Mud Spit Worm is the favorite food of Earth Essence!
They would take advantage of the Mud Spit Worms foraging outside, sneaking into their Cave Mansions to steal high-grade Spiritual Soil.
After so many days of searching, finally having a clue, how could Li Zhirui miss it?
With a thought, strands of Water Ropes appeared out of thin air, binding the plump, yet surprisingly agile Mud Spit Worm.
"Thank you, Fellow Daoist, for helping us catch the Mud Spit Worm."
The group consisted of three cultivators from the same sect, one of whom was at Integration, while the other two were at Late Stage Refinement Void.
The first thing they said upon appearing before Li Zhirui was to stress the ownership of the Mud Spit Worm.
Actually, Li Zhirui also quite wanted the Mud Spit Worm, since having this Demonic Insect would definitely improve his family’s Spirit Field.
However, in front of Earth Essence, all these could be set aside.
"Of course, I will not compete with you for your possession."
Li Zhirui smiled and made a request, "But I hope you can tell me where you found the Mud Spit Worm."
"No problem!" The Integrating cultivator pulled out a map, marking the location where they discovered the Mud Spit Worm.
"Thank you!"
Before the words were even finished, Li Zhirui vanished like lightning, disappearing instantly.
"What a fast Escape Skill!"
"Martial Uncle, can you achieve such speed?"
"I cannot." The Integrating cultivator shook his head, storing the still struggling Mud Spit Worm into the Spirit Beast Bag, and swiftly left.
While both were at the early stage of Integration, the gap in strength is not necessarily small when said to be in the same realm.
At least, Li Zhirui gave him a strong sense of pressure.
...
In order to find the lair of the Mud Spit Worm, Li Zhirui very meticulously searched the area nearby, sparing no corner, and finally confirmed it.
"As expected of a Mud Spit Worm, the nest is full of Grade Six Spirit Soil."
And a thick layer of it! Just this Spirit Soil alone is worth a lot.
"It’s also uncertain whether I can encounter Earth Essence."
Li Zhirui concealed himself, not letting out the slightest breath, quietly waiting for the emergence of Earth Essence.
Perhaps it was truly a streak of impeccable luck, but Earth Essence appeared the next day!
Traps had already been set in place; as soon as Earth Essence stepped into one, it would activate the trap, ensnaring them, preventing them from touching the ground and thus preventing the Earth Essence from using an Earth Tunneling escape.
Li Zhirui patiently waited, knowing he only had one chance. If he failed to capture it this time, there’s no guarantee that the Earth Essence would come here again.
After all, in the vast expanse of the mountain marsh, countless Mud Spit Worms exist that can freely traverse through the earth, coupled with their special sensitivity to high-grade Spiritual Soil, making it very easy to find a safe feeding spot.
Click!
An Earth Essence just stepped into the trap, and a wooden cage immediately hoisted it up.
The other Earth Essences, hearing the noise, dived into the ground without hesitation, uncaring about their companion’s fate.
"Earth Essence is also successfully captured!"
Li Zhirui happily secured it, gathering some high-grade Spiritual Soil before leaving the Mud Spit Worm’s cave.
"The Secret Realm is open for a total of four months; now less than half the time remains, I must hurry."
If Li Zhirui wants to collect all the Essences of the Five Elements, the time is indeed not sufficient, and with bad luck, he might not even be able to obtain the Metal Essence he desires next.
Boom—
Whether it’s Li Zhirui’s bad luck or not, upon his arrival in the Gold Realm, he saw numerous cultivators, all vying for a fist-sized Fine Gold!
For this piece of Fine Gold, countless cultivators were attracted, causing ’battles’ to occur in most parts of the Gold Realm.
Under such circumstances, the timid Fine Gold probably would not dare to show itself!
"Sigh!"
After understanding the situation in the Gold Realm, Li Zhirui sighed, and then without hesitation, flew towards the Water Realm.
Since he couldn’t get the Metal Essence, there was no need to waste time here.
Bang!
But sometimes, even if you want to avoid trouble, trouble will actively seek you out.
In this massive melee within the Gold Realm, perhaps many initially were fighting for Fine Gold, but things had already turned sour.
Many cultivators used this as an excuse to rob and plunder other cultivators.
For instance, right now, Li Zhirui was blocked by a mid-stage Integration cultivator.
The adversary appeared not only eager for wealth but also intent on putting him to death, with every move aiming to kill.
Li Zhirui found this person’s hostility towards him quite strange, as he couldn’t recall ever offending such an Integration cultivator.
"Die!"
That person seemed to be filled with hatred towards Li Zhirui, each attack being incredibly powerful, paying no heed to the consumption of Mana.
However, Li Zhirui had no time to entangle himself with him now; finding the Essence of the Five Elements was more important, as the Secret Realm would soon close.
Other than the Five-colored Secret Realm, finding the Essence of the Five Elements in other places truly depends on luck.
So, Li Zhirui didn’t confront this person head-on, but instead tried to find a way to leave.
"Don’t think about escaping!"
The cultivator, acting like a madman, persisted in entangling Li Zhirui, using various Divine Powers to block his path.
"It looks like I can’t leave without dealing with you today."
If there was no way to avoid it, then a fight it was!
Li Zhirui did not hide his strength, and struck with a thunderous blow, using not only a great amount of Mana but also the power of Cave Heaven.
Hundreds of Spiritual Lightnings descended from the sky, even shaking the space, and directly struck the opponent, whose protective Spirit Light continually flickered, barely blocking the attack under the opponent’s heavy expenditure of Mana.
"Who are you?! Why do you want to kill me?" Li Zhirui curiously asked.
Because he had no memory of such a person in his past.
"Kill you! Kill you!"
Li Zhirui now understood that this person must have lost his Spiritual Intelligence to bloodlust, filled entirely with thoughts of murder, not because Li Zhirui had offended him or his friends and family.
Realizing this situation, Li Zhirui felt utterly speechless, wondering how such a ridiculous issue had found its way to him.
He indeed had bad luck to have bumped into this madman.
Now knowing the reason, Li Zhirui didn’t want to waste time on this madman, and without hesitation, he merged into the vegetation.
He was actually quite curious about how this person went mad.
It surely must be due to the Secret Realm—it couldn’t possibly be external factors, or else how could a madman enter the Secret Realm?
Alas, with time pressing, otherwise Li Zhirui would definitely investigate further.
After traveling for several days on the road, Li Zhirui finally entered the Water Realm and headed straight for a lake thousands of feet deep without hesitation.
He was so certain because someone had once encountered Water Essence here, so Li Zhirui came directly.
Moreover, this place was very suitable for him, with no need for ambush or waiting, but instead direct action!
Jumping into the lake, Li Zhirui felt like a fish in water, as if he was born of the Water Clan, unaffected by anything, continuously diving deeper in search of the existence of Water Essence.
He hadn’t found the Water Essence yet, but he did find a surprise.
That is, deep in the lake there was another Cave Heaven!
