Chapter 679: New Recruits Join

A new team of experts arriving at the frontline naturally needed to meet Li Yi, the veteran, and better understand the situation here, just as Su Mu had guided him when he first arrived.

Yet as Zhang Tianfan gazed at the silent Tianyi Hall, his brow furrowed with displeasure: "This hall is formed from a magic treasure—small in appearance, but internally vast, with torrents of celestial spiritual energy converging here. Clearly, this is artificial. Li Yi must be inside."

"It seems he doesn't want to respond—he's deliberately ignoring us to give us a warning."

"We're here to support him, to guard the frontline with him. He shouldn't treat us like this," said the woman beside him, her sword hanging at her waist. Her name was Lin Qi, and she seemed acquainted with Zhang Tianfan.

"I had the AI investigate Li Yi—he's no ordinary figure. The conflict between the Golden Academy and the Xian Immortal Continent began because of him. Even now, Xian Immortal Continent cultivators are still hunting him. Yet he's still alive, and this time he survived the Great Demon's cross-border battle in the Demon God Realm. His strength is undoubtedly terrifying."

"It's normal for someone like him to have some temper."

Said another man named Xu Zhangke, dressed in a long robe like an ancient swordsman, his edges softened, his bearing extraordinary, his strength no less formidable—he too was a Spirit God Realm cultivator, with traces of multiple cultivation paths.

"Let's not speculate. Maybe he's just cultivating, and our sudden arrival disturbed him."

Zhang said: "Wait a little longer. If Li Yi still refuses to show himself, we'll ignore him—we'll just take over the frontline directly, each managing our own section, saving us the trouble of dealing with each other."

"That works. We didn't come here to make friends—we came for the mission. If we don't interfere with each other, that's best." Many nodded in agreement with Zhang Tianfan's suggestion.

The group waited another moment.

But Li Yi did not emerge from the Tianyi Hall, for he was undergoing transformation. Unless it was someone or something critical, he refused to interrupt his cultivation.

Seeing Li Yi never appeared, the newcomers ceased pressing the matter. They began familiarizing themselves with the area and drafted a rough plan: rotating twenty-four-hour shifts to guard the frontline.

But soon—

They discovered another problem.

The frontline was too vast, too long. With only ten of them, they couldn't fortify the entire line. If they scattered, they'd be isolated and vulnerable—unable to reinforce each other if danger arose.

Most importantly, they had no place to settle.

Without a secure base, they'd have to remain constantly on edge—even while resting, they'd need to guard against attacks from the Demon God Realm.

It might be tolerable for a short time, but prolonged exposure would be unbearable."

"The hall where Li Yi is staying is an excellent base. And since it's formed from a magic treasure, staying inside must be safe." Zhang Tianfan's gaze returned to the Tianyi Hall.

"I just don't know if this treasure belongs to Li Yi or if it was already here on the frontline."

"Most likely it belongs to Li Yi. But since he hasn't responded to us, borrowing his treasure for a base will be difficult," said Xu Zhangke beside him.

Zhang said: "Since we're all here to guard the frontline, borrowing his space shouldn't be hard. This hall is large enough to accommodate us easily. I'll speak with him."

Saying this, Zhang Tianfan strode forward, his ancient battle-sword on his back.

"I'll go with you," said the woman named Lin Qi.

Zhang Tianfan nodded, accepting without refusal.

Soon, the two leapt into the Tianyi Hall.

They found the hall had no defenses—it seemed deliberately open to outsiders. Inside, it was spacious, with talismans glowing along the walls, sealing off all sides.

"Such dense cosmic energy," Zhang Tianfan exclaimed in surprise.

Lin Qi beside him said: "No cultivator could gather cosmic energy to this level alone. There must be a rare artifact inside—complete and intact. Only a complete artifact's energy field could produce this concentration."

"A complete artifact? Li Yi really is extravagant—using a complete artifact for cultivation."

Even he possessed only a few fragmented artifacts. Owning a complete one meant the door to cross-realm travel had already opened—especially now, with the Heaven's Tilt events frequent, a complete artifact was essential as an energy source for cross-realm machinery.

But admiration aside—

Zhang Tianfan called out: "Li Yi, are you there? We're the cultivators sent to reinforce the frontline. We're here to borrow this place as a base. If you don't object, we'll take it as your consent."

His voice echoed through the Tianyi Hall.

Moments later, a steady, powerful footstep sounded from deep within.

That area was sealed by talismans—no one else could enter unless they had the strength to break through the defenses of this Dao artifact.

"You're too noisy—chattering like women. You've disturbed my cultivation. Do you know that?" A voice followed the footsteps.

Then a young man in crimson-feathered purple-gold armor emerged, wreathed in lightning, radiating the aura of Dragon and Tiger, flanked by five-colored light, striding forward.

Before he even neared, a suffocating pressure surged toward them.

This aura made Zhang Tianfan's pupils contract sharply, his whole body trembling involuntarily.

"This man is Li Yi—but why is his strength so immense?"

Only now, seeing Li Yi in person, did Zhang Tianfan realize the true gap between them. Merely the aura alone triggered a frantic warning in his soul.

He himself was a Spirit God Realm expert, skilled in multiple paths, capable of standing against Heavenly Demons.

"We… we didn't mean to," said Lin Qi beside him, instantly becoming tense and apologizing.

"You didn't mean to? Then you came deliberately to interrupt me?" Li Yi glanced at them coolly. "Also, this hall is my personal property. To enter, you should have asked first—not barged in like this."

"Such ignorance of etiquette—if the person here had a worse temper, he'd have already thrown you out."

"You're right. We were reckless. Please forgive us," Zhang Tianfan immediately apologized.

Lin Qi stared at Zhang Tianfan in surprise.

Zhang Tianfan was never this kind of person. Yet here, before Li Yi, he had no temper at all—immediately bowed his head, afraid of provoking this man.

"Your attitude is acceptable. Come. Let me see who exactly has been sent to reinforce this frontline."

Zhang Tianfan said nothing, simply following behind.

Soon—

Li Yi stepped out of the Tianyi Hall.

He saw that many cultivators had indeed gathered nearby—exactly ten in total, each with formidable strength. They couldn't guarantee killing a Heavenly Demon, but at least they could survive against one.

After all, without such strength, they'd be useless on the frontline.

To assemble such a group of cultivators on Earth and assign them to Li Yi's section of the frontline was no small feat.

But Li Yi's appearance drew the attention of the others.

They all studied the unfamiliar man.

"Is this Li Yi? His aura is truly terrifying—he's on a completely different level. Even from this distance, my soul is warning me. He looks young, hasn't cultivated long—why is the gap so vast?" Xu Zhangke's heart tightened, his expression grave.

He was a gifted cultivator, yet before Li Yi, he felt overwhelming pressure.

"No wonder he can slay Heavenly Demons. With this strength, killing one is normal. I just wonder what cultivation method he's mastered to achieve this."

"This is Li Yi—the one who challenged the Xian Immortal Continent cultivators?"

As they saw Li Yi appear, each had different thoughts.

Yet all were stunned by the overwhelming aura he displayed, and secretly felt relieved that someone this powerful stood beside them on the same frontline.

"You're the cultivators sent to guard this section of the frontline?" Li Yi scanned them. "On Earth, your strength is impressive—you're experts. But here, you're still inadequate."

"Before you came, did you learn anything about the Demon God Realm? With your strength, what level of demon beasts could you handle on the battlefield? Earth Demons? Or Heavenly Demons?"

"Li Yi, though I've never fought a Heavenly Demon, I believe I can hold my own against one without losing," said Lin Qi, gripping the hilt of her sword.

Li Yi glanced at her: "Without those words, I'd believe you could hold your own. But because of what you just said—if you face a Heavenly Demon, they'll kill you within three strikes."

Lin Qi's eyes flickered, then her brow furrowed—she clearly didn't believe it.

She was a Spirit God Realm expert skilled in multiple paths, wielding a treasure-grade flying sword—crossing realms to fight was as easy as eating and drinking.

"Don't believe me?"

Li Yi said calmly: "In the Demon God Realm, every Heavenly Demon has been forged through countless battles. When strengths are roughly equal, Heavenly Demons almost always win. And you're the weaker side. Overconfidence is your death sentence—I can't see how you'd survive against a Heavenly Demon."

When he first arrived, he too thought he could match a Heavenly Demon. But his first battle taught him their true power—any opening, no matter how slight, and they'd instantly kill you.

And when facing strong foes, Heavenly Demons never grew careless—they'd coordinate with others to surround and slaughter you, leaving no chance for counterattack.

(End of Chapter)