Chapter 754

Li Yi casually destroyed one of the Profound Heaven Continent's outposts on Earth, but he showed no sign of satisfaction; to him, such an act changed nothing—it merely offered a way to vent his inner frustration against a hostile force, while also testing his own strength.

And the proof was clear: Li Yi's current strength had already reached the level of a top-tier powerhouse; even a Mahayana-level cultivator could not survive a single strike against him, instantly obliterated.

"The power of a Dao artifact forged from crimson gold is truly astonishing. Given my strength, eliminating a Mahayana cultivator should not be so easy—I'd normally need to fight for a long time before I could kill one."

Li Yi was still recalling the previous battle.

The Crimson Gold Shattered Star Spear had destroyed the opponent's two top-tier magic treasures with a single strike.

In other words, unless a Mahayana cultivator possessed a celestial artifact, they were no match for him; to defeat him, one would need at least a Celestial Realm cultivator.

The Crimson Gold Dao artifact granted Li Yi immense combat enhancement—utterly unstoppable.

Carrying these thoughts.

Li Yi soared through the skies above Earth, and along the way he spotted numerous Profound Heaven Continent outposts and sensed the presence of many great demons; yet many once-intact cities had suffered catastrophic destruction.

Clearly.

During the time Li Yi had trained in the Wildlands, Earth had suffered a brutal invasion—so severe it could be called total collapse.

Otherwise, how would anyone dare openly establish bases on Earth?

"After two years of investigation, has the Profound Heaven Continent definitively confirmed that Earth is a hollow giant? Or has the deterrent effect of Yang Jian's cross-world strike during the Heaven's Collapse incident merely worn off?"

Li Yi pondered these questions relentlessly.

But he had already sensed that Earth had become a staging ground—or battlefield—for all factions.

Whether one was from the Demon God Realm heading to the Profound Heaven Continent or the Wildlands, one had to pass through Earth first; similarly, Profound Heaven Continent cultivators seeking to invade other worlds must also transit through Earth.

Whether beings from the Demon God Realm wished to reach the Xuan Immortal Continent or the Wild Lands, they all had to pass through Earth first; likewise, cultivators from the Xuan Immortal Continent seeking to invade other worlds must also transit through Earth.

Earth had become a transit hub, where ghosts, spirits, and all manner of beings paused briefly.

Earth became a transit hub, where gods, ghosts, and spirits all had to pause briefly.

Li Yi's expression shifted—he sensed something, and halted abruptly.

A blue-bladed flying sword shot forth from a great mountain, covering dozens of kilometers in an instant, hurtling straight toward Li Yi's head, as if intent on severing it.

It was a sudden ambush—swift and devastating.

Yet the next moment,

Li Yi's face remained expressionless; he simply raised his arm to block.

The astonishing defensive power of the Crimson Gold Feather Armor manifested: the blue flying sword shattered instantly upon striking his forearm, its residual force spreading outward without inflicting even a single scratch on Li Yi.

"How is this possible?" A cry of shock rang out from one corner of the mountain.

Immediately, several streaks of light leapt from within the mountain, fleeing without hesitation at astonishing speed.

"Another group of Profound Heaven Continent cultivators," Li Yi's gaze darkened.

These men appeared to be rogue cultivators from the Profound Heaven Continent, banding together to hunt passing cultivators; they were cunning—striking once and fleeing instantly, without the slightest hesitation.

Judging from that single strike, their strength was not weak—they likely possessed Tribulation Crossing-level cultivation, and the shattered flying sword was a high-grade magic treasure.

But unfortunately, they had chosen the wrong target.

Li Yi, being a dual cultivator, could not be judged by conventional standards; they had misjudged him, mistaking him for a mere Spiritual Power-level evolver.

Had he truly been only at the Spiritual Power level, that sword strike would have killed him instantly—he would have had no chance to react.

"You strike and then try to flee? You're asking for death." Li Yi's killing intent surged; he extended a finger, and a brilliant light coalesced at its tip.

Divide the River to Form Land!

A divine light shot forth, capable of severing all things—even oceans could be cleaved effortlessly.

The attack was too swift; in an instant, it caught up with the three cultivators attempting to escape.

"Elder, spare me!" One of them sensed the danger, turned back, and his soul nearly fled his body; the plea for mercy burst from his lips instinctively.

The strike was too swift—it caught up with the three cultivators attempting to flee in an instant.

The Dao-light flashed past; the cultivator was instantly split in two, while his companion beside him, even more unfortunate, had half his skull sheared off before he could react.

The Dao-art's strike did not merely wound the flesh—it severely damaged the Primordial Spirit as well.

The light of the Dao law flashed past; the cultivator was instantly split in two, while his companion beside him was even more unfortunate, deprived of half his skull without even time to react.

The third, lucky enough not to be targeted, barely survived.

But he was already terrified beyond reason, too frightened to even attempt escape.

As a cultivator, he knew well: before a cultivator of such power, escape was impossible—if the opponent wished to hunt you, death was inevitable.

"Elder, spare my life! I'll serve you as your slave!"

The old tradition of the Profound Heaven Continent was perfectly demonstrated by this cultivator: upon defeat, he immediately knelt and begged for mercy, offering himself as servant or bondsman—but this was merely a temporary ploy; once certain of survival, he would plot betrayal and escape.

Yet Li Yi said nothing; what met him was another instant strike of Divide the River to Form Land.

The cultivator's pupils shrank sharply—his entire body was cleaved in two, his body and Dao both extinguished.

"Not only are there large sect outposts, but also these opportunistic rogues. No wonder Hu Fei said Earth's situation was complicated—he wanted to flee to the Wildlands."

Li Yi frowned, then continued onward.

He had expected Earth to be chaotic, but not this chaotic.

Soon after,

He arrived at his hometown, Tianchang City.

Fortunately, Tianchang City still existed—not vanished—but it had been damaged; several districts bore signs of battle, many buildings reduced to ruins.

Yet most structures remained intact.

It seemed Li Yi's arrangement of three Flower Realm cultivators in Tianchang City had indeed helped—at least the city had not been erased from Earth.

He did not hesitate; he immediately went to his home.

It seemed Li Yi's placement of several Three Flower Realm cultivators in Tianchang City had indeed made a difference—at least this city had not vanished from Earth.

The tower had also suffered damage—many exterior windows shattered, several floors visibly warped; as a high-rise, it was vulnerable to any nearby conflict.

"Lan Ji."

The building had also suffered damage; many of its exterior windows were shattered, and some floors showed signs of warping—being a high-rise, it was easily affected whenever danger struck.

But the entire tower was powered down; Lan Ji gave no response.

This situation darkened his expression slightly.

If the three Flower Realm cultivators were still alive, they would never have abandoned the tower—only under direst circumstances would they neglect their post.

"Did they flee?" Li Yi stepped into the dim tower.

The interior's structure and decor remained largely intact, no chaos on the floors; valuable items like cultivation pods and nutrient fluids had vanished—clearly, they had prepared for departure.

If the three Three Flower Realm cultivators were still present, the building could never have been abandoned; only in the direst circumstances would one neglect to guard one's home.

Li Yi searched thoroughly but found nothing; he reached his room.

It had been kept clean and orderly—someone had clearly maintained the tower even after everyone had left; here, nothing had been damaged.

"If they truly faced danger they couldn't overcome, and were forced to flee, then there's only one path they could have taken."

Li Yi stood before the floor-to-ceiling window, gazing across the city, his eyes instinctively turning toward Tianchang City's danger zone.

The place was kept clean and tidy, clearly someone had been maintaining the building all along—even now that it stood empty, it had suffered no destruction.

There was a cross-world portal in the danger zone—accessible from Ghost Street.

Though the Four Seas, Eight Provinces had scarce spiritual energy, it was better than staying on Earth to die.

It was the only escape route left.

As for opening a cross-world gate, it was unrealistic: while the cross-world machines weren't expensive, the three rare artifacts required were not easily gathered—especially now, during this critical period, when their value was extremely high.

"I hope they truly retreated to the Four Seas, Eight Provinces."

Li Yi decided to confirm this at Ghost Street.

After all, during the Heaven's Collapse incident, he had relocated most of his relatives and friends to the Four Seas, Eight Provinces—if Ghost Street had fallen and a powerful enemy had crossed over into the Four Seas, Eight Provinces, that would be truly disastrous.

Yet as he passed once more over Tianchang City, a doubt arose.

If even those cultivation experts had been forced to flee, why was Tianchang City still standing?

Who was protecting this city?

He did not believe the enemy would spare it.

Yet when he flew again over Tianchang City, a flicker of doubt arose in him.

Li Yi had no time to investigate now; he swiftly reached the former danger zone and located Ghost Street.

It lay between several abandoned towers.

A silent, eerie street appeared before him.

"My Shan Yi is gone too," Li Yi's gaze flickered.

He remembered that the entrance to Ghost Street had always been guarded by Shan Yi; though Shan Yi's strength was modest, it was enough to deter supernatural beings and malicious intruders.

It was in the midst of several abandoned skyscrapers.

The surrounding danger zone was utterly silent, empty.

The entrance to Ghost Street stood wide open before him.

After observing briefly, Li Yi leapt directly into Ghost Street.

At first, the surroundings were still Earth's buildings and terrain; but as he walked, the street transformed—becoming structures resembling ancient times.

Yet there were no traces of ghosts or malevolent spirits; even the ghost soldiers were gone.

The entrances and exits of Ghost Street lay openly before him.

After observing for a moment, Li Yi leapt directly into Ghost Street.

At first, the surroundings were buildings and terrain from Earth, but as he walked, the streets ahead transformed into structures resembling those of ancient times.

Yet there were no traces of yin souls or malevolent ghosts, not even a single yin soldier to be seen.

Li Yi walked alone down the empty street, a sense of foreboding rising within him.

He remembered having ordered Meng Fanxing, a yin spirit of the Meng family, to guard Ghost Street and keep strangers from entering the Four Seas and Eight Zhou.

To protect the Four Seas and Eight Zhou from intrusion, Li Yi had put in double safeguards.

But now, they seemed to have failed.

"Demon energy…" No sooner had Li Yi entered Ghost Street than he sensed a powerful demonic aura.

That aura came from an underground imperial tomb ahead.

At that moment, he also saw figures appearing on Ghost Street.

These figures were tall and burly, humanoid yet bearing beastly traits—some had human bodies with tiger heads, others resembled werewolves… Undoubtedly, they were creatures from the Demon God Realm.

Only creatures from the Demon God Realm take such half-human, half-beast forms; it is a distinctive trait easily recognizable.

Li Yi's appearance drew the attention of the demons on Ghost Street.

Instantly, pairs of emerald eyes turned toward him.