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Chapter 1217: Chapter 1077: Interception_2
A terrifying blade light shot out, clashing against the seawater, attempting to tear through it. However, whenever a small opening appeared, the surrounding seawater surged in, rapidly sealing the tear, forcing the blade light to retreat constantly, its energy dissipating bit by bit.
"How is this possible!"
"How could Big Brother’s Extreme Flame Blade be blocked by this seawater?"
The cultivator in the green robe, responsible for defense, turned pale, staring at the scene before him in disbelief.
The two brothers had taken the lives of several Mahayana cultivators using this exact weapon. Those Mahayana cultivators had exhausted every possible means to fend off the blade before being slain.
Yet the mysterious Mahayana cultivator standing in the distance not only blocked their attack but seemed to have the upper hand. If this continued, the blade light would inevitably be completely worn away!
"Who are you?! Why did you attack us?!"
Having witnessed the formidable power of the distant cultivator, the brothers immediately abandoned any thought of fighting Li Zhirui head-on. They were here only to seize resources and saw no reason to risk their lives against a stranger.
They assumed Li Zhirui had come for the Seventh-Order Secret Realm, just like them.
"I presume Fellow Daoist is also interested in this Secret Realm. Why not join forces with us? Together, we can share the spoils. The resources here are plentiful and can last us for a considerable time. With your strength, Fellow Daoist, achieving a breakthrough might even be possible." The red-robed cultivator said with a smile, showing no trace of the murderous intent he exhibited moments ago.
"Heh!"
Li Zhirui was surprised by their reaction and couldn’t help but let out a cold laugh.
To the brothers, his laugh was no less than mockery of their abilities, and they shouted immediately, "Fellow Daoist, what is the meaning of this?!"
"When you two sought to seize the resources of the Secret Realm, did you bother to learn anything about the Li family?"
"A mere bunch of worthless fools; there’s no need to waste time..."
Mid-sentence, the green-robed cultivator suddenly froze, his expression turning cold as he growled, "You are the Mahayana cultivator from the Li family, aren’t you?!"
The power of the Divine Technique Li Zhirui had just wielded was far superior to anything the brothers possessed. It was hard to believe that Li Zhirui could be the Mahayana cultivator who had broken through only a few years back.
Besides, they had arrived in haste, having only overheard fragments of information in an inn. They hadn’t had time to gather intel or confirm other details, including Li Zhirui’s identity.
In their eyes, someone who had recently broken through to the Mahayana realm couldn’t possibly be a formidable adversary.
Ultimately, they underestimated the Li family and even more so, Li Zhirui!
"Not entirely brainless, though close enough."
With a scornful smile, Li Zhirui said, "Since you two dared to come here, don’t even think about leaving. Stay and perish here!"
BOOM—
The seawater, held back by the blade light all along, suddenly surged outward, breaking free in an instant. It descended like a catastrophic torrent from the skies, roaring as it came crashing down on the brothers.
"Big Brother, watch out!"
Seeing the red-robed cultivator rush forward to intercept the ocean’s assault, the green-robed cultivator, uneasy, shouted at him in warning.
"Don’t worry!"
Both were robbing cultivators, veterans of countless life-or-death battles. It was unthinkable that they would fall here.
"Ignorant fools."
Li Zhirui sneered. This was his most powerful Divine Technique—Boundless Ocean—enhanced with considerable Cave Heaven Power, making its offensive strength potentially surpass that of a mid-Mahayana-level cultivator.
The red-robed cultivator tried to counter, striving to halt the ocean’s advance, but hadn’t anticipated the surge in intensity. A moment later, he was swallowed by the seawater, barely escaping in a battered state after a tremendous struggle.
"This..."
Shocked to their core, the brothers stared in disbelief. A Mahayana cultivator who had only recently broken through possessed such terrifying strength, even defeating them with apparent ease.
"Big Brother! We must flee immediately!"
Still perplexed by Li Zhirui’s extraordinary power, they finally realized that lingering would lead to nothing but doom. Choosing to retreat seemed wiser.
"Now you want to escape? Did you think it’d be that easy?" Li Zhirui sneered as countless vines shot out from the seawater, aiming to entangle and immobilize the brothers.
"Damn the Li family!" 𝓃ℴ𝓋𝓹𝓊𝓫.𝒸𝓸𝓂
Constantly cursing, the green-robed cultivator watched helplessly as the vines and seawater closed in. Left with no alternative, he unleashed his trump card—a detailed and intricate Wooden Castle—to block their pursuers.
BANG, BANG, BANG—
The seawater crashed repeatedly against the castle walls, quickly reducing them to fragments.
This brief respite, however, was enough for the brothers to make their escape.
PUFF—
While hiding elsewhere and recovering strength, the green-robed cultivator suddenly spat out a mouthful of fresh blood.
The castle had been constructed from mana and contained a Magical Treasure. With the destruction of the castle, the treasure emerged, falling into Li Zhirui’s hands.
Without hesitation, Li Zhirui refined the treasure on the spot, erasing its embedded Divine Sense, unwilling to use it to locate the green-robed cultivator.
Despite dominating the brothers from the beginning, Li Zhirui’s advantage owed much to his initial ambush and unrelenting offensive pressure.
The effort had drained Li Zhirui substantially. His remaining mana was insufficient to maintain the upper hand, much less eliminate the brothers entirely.
Setting up a formation, Li Zhirui began restoring his mana to guard against potential dangers.
Fortunately, events unfolded smoothly afterward. A thickly misted door suddenly materialized in mid-air, and cultivators began to emerge one after another.
"Greetings to Ancestor Rui!"
"Father!"
"Jiu!"
The first batch of departing clan members froze momentarily upon seeing Li Zhirui before gleefully shouting in acknowledgment.
Li Chengshuo was initially ecstatic but soon felt uneasy, quickly asking, "Father, did something happen to the family?!"
"Rest assured, the family is fine. I’m here because two Mahayana loose cultivators coveted the Secret Realm. Upon learning of this, I came to oversee matters and ensure the spiritual objects you’ve worked so hard to collect aren’t stolen."
More importantly, I wanted to ensure no lives were lost.
"Those loose cultivators dared too much!"
Li Chengshuo’s eyes filled instantly with killing aura as he declared, "Once I ascend to Mahayana, I’ll kill them without fail!"
Li Zhirui frowned slightly at this display of wrath, scanning the clan members with Divine Sense. His expression hardened as he scolded, "How many devil beasts did you kill in the Secret Realm? To the point it affected your mental state!"
While his tone was reproachful, Li Zhirui’s hands didn’t pause as he unleashed the Purification Principle, forcing out the lingering evil qi within their bodies.
Before his breakthrough, Li Zhirui couldn’t have achieved this purification. But after attaining Mahayana, his comprehension of the Purification Principle had deepened significantly, enabling him to extend purification even to the Spiritual Soul!
If this ability were further honed and strengthened in the future, he’d never need to fear failing the Heart Demon Tribulation again, as the power of purification could harm heart demons directly.
"Thank you, Ancestor Rui!"
The clan members instantly felt refreshed, their bodies lighter, and they expressed their gratitude in unison.
As more clan members exited the Secret Realm, cultivators from other factions began to emerge as well. Spotting Li Zhirui, their hearts filled with dread, fearing the Li family sought not only their spiritual objects but also their lives.
Not wanting to draw unnecessary attention, Li Zhirui withdrew his Divine Techniques.
First, he didn’t wish to reveal his ability to purify Spiritual Souls, as such a skill was extremely rare. Second, his clan members needed to collect spiritual objects from the other cultivators exiting the Secret Realm.
Thus, Li Zhirui chose to hide himself, shadowing the clan members to guard against the return of the two Mahayana loose cultivators.
Had Li Zhirui known more about the brothers’ infamous cowardice, he’d be sure they’d never return. They lacked any semblance of Mahayana cultivators’ pride or dignity, caring only for survival and willing to compromise on anything to achieve it.
With the clan members working efficiently, they quickly claimed all the spiritual objects carried by the other cultivators and boarded the Cloud Boat to return to Mount Wanxian.
