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Chapter 643: Chapter 649: Thunder Tribulation
"Was it that Golden Core cultivator who failed to pass the message to the Devil Race, or did the Devil Race know but remain unmoved?" Li Zhirui’s brows knotted as he muttered to himself, his expression grave.
If it was the former, he could still make another move; after all, he had spotted several spies before. But if it was the latter, it would mean the Devil Race no longer had any trust in this matter.
No matter how hard he tried, he would ultimately be unable to influence the Devil Race!
"What should I do next?"
Li Zhirui rubbed his forehead, trying to find a way to break the impasse, but to no avail.
What he didn’t know was that after receiving the message, the Devil Race had urgently convened all the fourth-order Great Devils and gathered deep within Great Snow Mountain, where vast ice and snow and a multitude of Devil Beasts blocked any prying from cultivators.
"What are your opinions on this matter?" a giant of a man, standing five Zhang tall even in human form, with an intimidating presence, thundered.
His true form was a Wild Ancient Tusk Elephant, one of the largest Devil Beasts on land, with records of Wild Ancient Elephants exceeding a thousand Zhang!
Although within the Devil Race, a larger body didn’t necessarily equate to greater strength, the Wild Ancient Elephant was definitely an example to the contrary. Its strength was immense and utterly terrifying!
This particular Wild Ancient Elephant could easily crush a two or three hundred Zhang high hill with a casual stomp!
As the saying goes, brute force can overcome any skill, and so its strength was undoubtedly at the top tier within the Devil Race of Great Snow Mountain.
"Whether the source of the message is true or false is unknown, and the secrets of heaven cannot be probed. Perhaps this is a ploy to trap us in a jar," an old man with white hair and seemingly on the brink of death spoke with a withered voice.
This individual hailed from the Qingqiu Fox Clan, and as everyone knows, the Fox Clan has always been involved in plotting and strategizing within the Devil Race—and this one was no exception.
"Besides, due to the resentments from the last gathering, another summoning? I fear the response will not be favorable."
"Old Fox, you’re always so timid. If this message is true and we’re unprepared, we might not be able to break through the staunch defenses of Profound Ice Sect to sabotage their Tribulation Transcendence," a young-looking Great Devil taunted.
Compared to the older Devil Beasts that had lived longer, the younger generation of Great Devils appeared more energetic and aggressive, but also more radical.
After all, apart from a few well-born fourth-order Great Devils, the rest who had newly risen to the fourth order had fought their way up from the bottom, and their mindsets and concepts weren’t something that could change overnight.
The Old Fox acted as if he didn’t hear a thing, semblance of tranquility as he closed his eyes to feign sleep, seemingly unwilling to join the forthcoming discussions.
"What are your thoughts?" the Great Devil seated at the center slowly spoke up.
At his voice, all the other Great Devils immediately fell silent.
The fact that he could command such quietude showcased his formidable power. It was not to say his strength was first among the Devil Race, but among those present, he was undoubtedly the most fearsome; otherwise, such a scenario would not have occurred.
"Take action, find every possible way to disrupt the Profound Ice Sect cultivators’ Tribulation Transcendence!"
"Yes! We must teach those from the human race a harsh lesson!"
"This matter is crucial for the survival of the Devil Race of Great Snow Mountain. We must destroy this Tribulation Transcendence!"
Each voicing their own opinion, the vast majority among the twenty-some fourth-order Great Devils present were in favor of taking action.
"If that’s the case, then let’s begin convening the various clans to form a grand army," said the central Great Devil, his voice firm. "I will seek to invite more fourth-order Great Devils to join us, to better ensure our success."
"However, there are a few points to pay attention to!"
The old fox, seeing that the overall situation was set and that his opposition would be futile, began to view the matter from another angle. He soon had quite a few ideas and spoke:
"There are still several days until the one-year deadline; we must accelerate our preparations, and we also need to prepare plenty of food. We cannot have a repeat of last time, or new grudges on top of old ones may erupt, possibly leading to civil war."
"Furthermore, the Profound Ice Sect must have made thorough preparations and arranged for people to watch our every move. Therefore, the army we gather must not be detected by them."
The old fox said indifferently, "Since they want to take us by surprise, we can launch a sudden attack."
"This matter will trouble you, Dark Bat."
The Dark Bat possessed a somewhat lackluster Divine Power that could render things invisible over a wide area. Sounds impressive, doesn’t it? But the problem is that this Divine Power can only render invisible and does not conceal one’s own aura.
However, the cultivators sent by the Profound Ice Sect to surveil them would certainly not get too close, so the old fox was not worried about being discovered.
"Let’s all get to work then!" the Great Devil in the middle spoke up, ending the meeting.
All the Great Devils became busy. With so many of them, they left many traces, but alas, Great Snow Mountain was covered with heavy snow all year round, and in a short while, these traces were covered by the white snow.
And this was why Li Zhirui had not detected the Devil Race.
He was too far away and had suppressed his cultivation level to that of Foundation Establishment, naturally unable to notice anything amiss.
"Sigh!"
Li Zhirui heaved a heavy sigh. As the days passed, the Profound Ice Sect released another message, but let alone the Devil Race, not even their own disciples believed it anymore.
Many disciples were puzzled as to why the Sect repeatedly spread false information. Among the wild guesses, the most widely accepted one was that it was to lure the Devil Race into making a move.
But Li Zhirui knew that the Divine Transformation Thunder Tribulation was about to arrive!
The reason he still stayed in the Profound Ice State was that he hadn’t given up hope. He wanted to witness the birth of a Divine Transformation ancestor and to observe the Tribulation Transcendence, gaining some understanding of the Thunder Tribulation in advance.
Although he could only observe the Thunder Tribulation from a very, very far distance, it was better than not having the chance at all. Perhaps he would be incredibly lucky and gain some insight from it?
One night, the heavens and earth suddenly emitted a heavy oppressive force, which made Li Zhirui, who had been keeping an eye on the Profound Ice Sect, instantly perk up.
Even at night, those pitch-black clouds of Tribulation were extremely noticeable. One could see them the moment they looked up.
"The Thunder Tribulation is about to begin! Even if the Devil Race reacts now, it’s a bit too late!"
Li Zhirui muttered, "It seems I can only hope that the power of this Thunder Tribulation is terrifying enough to make his transcendence fail!"
There was no other option; he had already done everything he could, and at this point, all that remained was to pray to the heavens.
’Perhaps, I should consider moving away from Wanxian Island.’
This thought suddenly surfaced in Li Zhirui’s mind, weighing heavily on his mood.
The clouds of Tribulation gathered, stretching over ten miles, giving off a tremendous sense of oppression. Lightning flickered within, gathering power.
