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Chapter 1175: Chapter 1056: Terror_2
Obviously, these two didn’t take Li Zhirui seriously at all.
"Who gave you the confidence to come looking for trouble with me?" Li Zhirui curiously sized up the pair. Based on the faint pressure they exuded, they were hardly a threat.
Although the cultivation levels of the two were the same as his, both at the mid-stage of Integration, they seemed to have been through a battle before arriving. Their mana had been noticeably depleted, and they likely carried injuries.
Li Zhirui himself still retained over eighty percent of his mana. With his stash of Precious Pills at hand, he had no fear of these two.
"What kind of thing do you think you are? We brothers are giving you face here. If you have any sense, leave now. Otherwise, losing your life won’t be so pleasant." Black Mask remained arrogant.
"There are always people who don’t know their limits."
Li Zhirui didn’t waste words. He had already given them a warning, yet they insisted on courting death. He had no other choice but to fulfill their wishes.
Shaking his head in resignation, he first restrained the already injured Fierce Sha Beast. Once he dealt with the two cultivators before him, it would be easier to kill the spirit beast.
"Come, let me experience the strength of you two. Let’s see where your courage comes from, daring to face me in a weakened state after a battle." Li Zhirui sneered coldly. Did they truly believe their teamwork made them invincible here?
Before his words had even finished, several bolts of lightning appeared above the pair, striking down at them with incredible speed.
"Such pathetic tricks, and you dare to show them here!" Black Mask sneered, waving his hand. A streak of crimson fire soared into the air, clashing with the lightning bolts. The collision unleashed a massive impact, dispersing some of the dense black mist around them.
Crack!
But before Black Mask could continue his sneering, a faint sound caught his ears. It was then he noticed—they were trapped inside a half-formed cage.
As the two tried to destroy it, the cage sealed completely, enclosing them inside.
They immediately unleashed attacks aimed at the cage, hoping to break free.
But the seemingly fragile Spirit Vines withstood their strikes. Though sustaining some damage, the vines quickly regenerated.
"What kind of Spirit Vines are these, so resilient?" White Mask was left astonished. For the first time, a tinge of uneasiness crept into his heart.
He began to doubt whether they had chosen the wrong target. Someone who dared to traverse the battlefield solo surely possessed formidable strength, yet they had picked a fight with such a person.
But in their current situation, retreat was no longer an option!
The other side would certainly not spare them, leaving them no choice but to win this fight in order to survive.
In just an instant, White Mask’s thoughts raced, and he no longer allowed Black Mask to fight solo. They silently coordinated, launching a series of powerful joint attacks on Li Zhirui.
Li Zhirui’s brow raised slightly—no wonder these two always acted together. They must have mastered some secret technique to enhance their combined strength.
But against him, it was still far from enough!
"Let me show you the true scope of the gap between us."
Bam!
The aura within Li Zhirui surged violently, far surpassing what a mid-stage Integration cultivator should possess. His presence was akin to that of a higher-tier cultivator.
"How is this possible?"
Shock spread across their faces. While their secret techniques boosted combat strength, a method to elevate their cultivation level like this was unheard of.
Seizing the moment while they were stunned and their thoughts scattered, another quiet but lethal attack descended, unnoticed.
Smack!
The hit landed!
Even Li Zhirui was slightly surprised—it was unexpected that he managed to exploit this opening successfully.
Unfortunately, Li Zhirui’s attack broke through their defenses but only inflicted minor injuries. The extent of the damage was not severe.
"Damn it!"
After a round of fierce fighting, they finally calmed down, realizing they were likely no match for Li Zhirui. The outcome disheartened them, but the reality was undeniable; no amount of unwillingness could change their predicament.
"We should have recovered our mana first. This wouldn’t have happened otherwise." White Mask spoke with a hint of despair.
Black Mask remained silent before suggesting, "Do you think if we surrender now and hand over all our Spiritual Objects, we could save our lives?"
The two of them had come to terms with their colossal mistake. Their only hope now was to offer up their treasures in exchange for survival.
Would Li Zhirui spare them?
Staring at the glowing Spiritual Objects, he eventually nodded in agreement.
Killing the pair would take considerable effort, but acquiring their treasures this way was more efficient. After all, defeating an Integration cultivator could turn into a protracted battle, especially with Dharma manifestations involved.
Li Zhirui reasoned it would be a waste of time; he could use the same effort to slay several Fierce Sha Beasts instead.
However, Li Zhirui didn’t let them off so easily. He demanded, "You two must hail from a major sect, so I need you to spill everything you know about the Fierce Sha Beast and the Immortal Demon Battlefield!"
The chance to glean valuable insights about this realm was something Li Zhirui wouldn’t pass up.
The two exchanged glances before White Mask stepped forward to relay the information their sect had disclosed.
Among the details, some aligned with Li Zhirui’s own speculations and scattered clues, but many were revelations.
For instance, not only killing Fierce Sha Beasts but also defeating cultivators and Demon Cultivators could earn karmic merits—though not as much.
"Why does killing cultivators and Demon Cultivators also bring karmic merits?" Li Zhirui asked, intrigued.
"Because slaying a cultivator or Demon Cultivator releases Spiritual Energy back to the world, naturally accumulating merits." White Mask struggled to explain.
Li Zhirui shook his head slightly. "By that logic, during all these years, the cultivators and Demon Cultivators I’ve killed must number seven thousand if not ten thousand. Why haven’t I received any merits?"
"This..." White Mask was dumbfounded. His knowledge was pieced together from Jade Slips and teachings from mentors—he couldn’t clarify something even he struggled to understand.
Seeing White Mask’s confusion, Li Zhirui shook his head. Clearly, the pair’s standing in their sect wasn’t high, so their knowledge was limited.
"Fine, you may go." 𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑝𝘶𝘣.𝑐𝘰𝘮
After thoroughly extracting information from the two, Li Zhirui dispersed the cage, allowing the pair to leave.
’Killing cultivators and Demon Cultivators can earn karmic merits?’ Li Zhirui instinctively realized that if this news spread, the battlefield dynamics would drastically shift.
Originally, everyone focused their efforts on slaughtering Fierce Sha Beasts for karmic merits. But learning cultivators and Demon Cultivators provided the same benefit would irrevocably alter the atmosphere!
"No, this doesn’t add up!"
Suddenly struck by a thought, Li Zhirui was visibly shaken, his face darkening as he spoke. "The importance of Fierce Sha Beasts has circulated for years among major sects."
Bear in mind, every major battle brought countless Loose Cultivators—people like him from small sects. Why hadn’t this information leaked?"
Had the sects coerced them into swearing oaths not to reveal the truths?
Such measures were unreliable. Many cultivators couldn’t escape the limitations of their lifespan. Would they still care about such vows or Heart Demon consequences as they approached death?
Someone should have passed the information along.
Yet the reality remained—no trace of such knowledge existed in the outside world!
"In that case, only one possibility remains..."
Li Zhirui connected the dots based on the information provided and his face darkened further. "Before the battles were over, those cultivators were all killed!"
Even those with great strength or blessed by luck—Loose Cultivators and lesser sect members who survived—must have faced insurmountable challenges like the Mountain and River Great Wall!
