Chapter 382

East wing of the courtyard.

Yellow true qi rose around Li Rui, becoming increasingly dense until it wrapped his entire body.

Hiss.

His whole body seemed to fall into a lake, suddenly descending and disappearing into the ground.

The next instant.

Li Rui arrived underground.

At this time, he was like a swimming fish, moving freely through the rock and soil.

This was the wonderful use of the Thick Earth Body.

After practicing for a long time, Li Rui gradually discovered that in terms of killing power, the Five Spirits Body Refining Immortal Method was not necessarily stronger than martial arts, but in terms of other functions, it was far more powerful than the martial path.

For example, this Thick Earth Body, after being practiced, actually had the effect of earth-escaping.

It saved him the trouble of digging.

Li Rui had already tried it several times and was already proficient.

Wandering all the way.

Searching for a suitable location for a secret room.

Just as he was searching—

Suddenly, he felt something in his heart.

"Hmm?"

A strange feeling rose in his heart, as if something underneath was attracting him.

Li Rui pondered.

Then he slowed down and swam cautiously in one direction.

Not long after.

The surrounding rock and soil suddenly disappeared, and with a thud, he fell, actually arriving in a secret passage.

Although there was no light at all, there were faint green lights in the secret passage, so he didn't feel it was dark at all.

"Is it a night-luminescent pearl?"

Li Rui was shocked.

He saw that on the walls of the secret passage, there was a night-luminescent pearl every ten feet.

Night-luminescent pearls were rare treasures, worth a lot of money; inlaying so many was truly a big deal.

Li Rui stood still.

Looking at the faint green tunnel, he didn't know where it led.

And the thing that attracted him seemed to be at the end of the secret passage.

Li Rui did not walk in that direction immediately, but first walked in the opposite direction.

In just a moment, he saw something piled up with stones, like an altar, which looked like it had been abandoned for a long time.

Seeing this, Li Rui's heart moved slightly.

"Immortal's mansion?"

He remembered the files in the Wenxian Tower.

The hidden sects in the world have been searching for immortals for millions of years, so of course, they have gained something.

Such as the Immortal's mansion.

After the ancient Immortal Court disappeared, many immortal relics remained on the Chixian Divine Continent, among which immortal mansions were the most numerous.

Those great immortal sects had already been destroyed millions of years ago, when the Dao was lost.

Most of what later generations can find are scattered cultivator caves.

The secret passage before him was almost identical to the cave recorded in the file.

Li Rui narrowed his eyes slightly.

This kind of cave has almost no danger; after all, it has existed for millions of years, and any means of protecting the house have dissipated in the long river of time.

Not to mention martial artists of his level, even mortals could enter.

There were rumors that mortals had accidentally broken into immortal relics and gained great fortune.

Li Rui's heart moved.

Only then did he walk in the other direction.

A quarter of an hour later.

He arrived in a secret room of no more than thirty feet in diameter, where almost everything had decayed, barely showing traces of a bed and wooden cabinets.

Li Rui searched through it.

Sure enough.

Nothing was gained.

Ancient cultivators were not all powerful beings; treasures that could last for ten thousand years without decaying were top-tier divine objects even in the era of the ancient Immortal Court.

Such immortal caves with no gains are actually the norm for hidden sect immortal seekers.

Otherwise, if it were really so easy to find immortal treasures, those hidden sect powerhouses wouldn't have to drill into the deep mountains for years like bitter cultivators.

And immortal traces wouldn't have almost become legends.

Li Rui was not discouraged by this.

Although there were no treasures here, it was perfect for a secret room to hide in.

It was dozens of feet away from the ground.

I'm afraid that even an Earthly Immortal might not be able to find him; it was very secure.

And it saved the trouble of digging.

Li Rui looked at the ready-made cave and nodded with satisfaction.

But just as he was about to tidy up the cave—

The three spiritual energies in his body suddenly became restless.

Li Rui frowned slightly, then closed his eyes to perceive.

About a stick of incense later.

He opened his eyes again, his eyes shining with excitement.

"The concentration of spiritual energy here is far higher than on the ground!"

This discovery surprised Li Rui greatly.

He couldn't help but think of the legend of the blessed land of the cave heaven.

"In ancient times, there were blessed lands of the cave heaven; practicing in them for one day was equivalent to one year in the outside world. Where there were blessed lands of the cave heaven, there were often immortal sects, and ordinary cultivators could only join an immortal sect to enjoy them."

Simply put.

It means that spiritual energy is unevenly distributed; some places have more, some have less.

Places with more are called blessed lands of the cave heaven.

Although this cave was far from being as exaggerated as the legendary blessed land of the cave heaven, practicing the Five Spirits Body Refining Technique here was more than three times as effective as on the ground.

Cultivators often talk about wealth, companions, law, and land.

The word "land" refers to places with rich spiritual energy.

This discovery made Li Rui overjoyed.

"Good place."

Half an hour later.

Li Rui appeared again in his room in Po Jun Fortress.

Walking out of the courtyard.

He saw Nie Siming and Yuan Xiong already waiting on the drill ground in the city.

Li Rui quickened his pace: "I've kept the two brothers waiting."

Nie Siming smiled and waved his hand: "This city is newly built, it really needs to be well-organized, after all, we have to live here for a long time."

Big figures like Zhou Dinghai and Xue Gui naturally only need to sit in the rear.

Although these lower-level military officers don't need to fight on the front line every day, they also need to be stationed in Po Jun Fortress often to prevent accidents.

"Let's go."

Li Rui said.

Afterwards, several riders left Po Jun Fortress and headed deep into the Ten Thousand Mountains.

Several months passed.

Large swaths of trees in the Ten Thousand Mountains were burned away, and several towering fortresses could be seen even from the Qinghe enclosure.

These fortresses almost surrounded the Purple Chai Jingong.

During this period, several major battles naturally broke out.

But in the end, the Annan Town relied on more troops and stronger martial artists to push back the counterattacks of the Purple Chai Jingong.

Although there was no all-out war, small conflicts never stopped.

"Big Brother, those bastards in the Purple Chai Jingong are truly cunning; last night they raided a fortress under Fu Tao's command again, and I heard many people died."

Ning Zhongtian came to Li Rui's small courtyard and said.

Li Rui chuckled:

"Fourth Brother, you should be more careful."

Unlike him.

Ning Zhongtian was a military advisor and could not avoid guarding the seventy-two fortresses.

Regarding this, Li Rui had no way.

Regional Commander Zhou could allow flexibility in unimportant places, but regarding matters related to the war, he had always been firm.

Otherwise, once this opening was made, who would be willing to risk their lives on the front line?

Ning Zhongtian: "Big Brother, rest assured."

Today was also the day for his rotation, so he was able to come to Po Jun Fortress to see Li Rui.

Afterwards, he told Li Rui about the situation on the front line.

It was truly heart-wrenching.

The experts of the Purple Chai Jingong often raided at night, not greedy for more, just killing a few people and running away.

They couldn't even sleep soundly.

Of course.

The soldiers of the Annan Town also did the same, with both sides constantly probing.

This was also within Li Rui's expectations.

One often hears of wars that last for months or even decades, which is similar to the situation of the Annan Town now.

In fact, most of the time is spent probing.

Even more absurdly, sometimes both sides will even stop fighting during certain seasons and start trading.

If they were fighting a major war every day.

Then in a few days, everyone would be dead.

This cost is something neither the Purple Chai Jingong nor the Yu Kingdom imperial court can actually afford.

A country looks powerful, but in fact, it is extremely fragile.

It is possible that one battle could destroy a seemingly solid national destiny.

So both countries have always been very cautious and restrained about major wars.

What they want is stability, not losing the throne in one battle.

Even so, the soldiers on the front line are not living comfortably.

Li Rui couldn't help but feel fortunate.

Fortunately, his official position was high enough, otherwise, no matter how he hid, he couldn't have escaped the duty of guarding the fortress.

How could he be as leisurely as he is now?

Ning Zhongtian stayed in Po Jun Fortress for half a day, and after handing over to Cao Wei, he couldn't wait to return to Qinghe, not wanting to stay for even a moment longer.

At night.

Li Rui, who should have been in the house, had already disappeared.

Somewhere underground in the Ten Thousand Mountains.

Li Rui was sitting cross-legged in meditation.

Now the secret room had changed its appearance, not only cleaned up by Li Rui but even moved in furniture such as a bed and cabinets.

Although he was not a person who sought pleasure, he couldn't live too shabbily, could he?

With a thought.

Five-colored true qi radiated from Li Rui's body.

Not bad.

After nearly a year of cultivation, he finally practiced the last Sharp Metal Body of the Five Spirits Body Refining Technique.

"Heaven has five thieves, those who see them prosper. The five thieves are in the heart, acting on heaven; gather the five elements of energy to refine the body, become a five-spirit body, and all evils will not invade."

The next instant.

The five-colored true qi around Li Rui's body gradually began to entwine and merge under the traction of his mind.

"Metal generates water, water generates wood, wood generates fire, fire generates earth, earth generates metal."

The five elements generate and restrain each other.

The Sharp Metal Body, Green Wood Body, Profound Water Body, Fierce Fire Body, and Thick Earth Body influenced and entangled each other, faintly showing signs of rejection.

Li Rui frowned slightly.

Then the Immortal Profound Energy came out of the dantian, like a general commanding his subordinates, actually smoothing out the five-spirit true qi.

He saw the five types of true qi return to his body.

Lung metal, heart fire, liver wood, kidney water, spleen earth.

Metal resides in the lungs, fire in the heart, wood in the liver, water in the kidneys, earth in the spleen, and the Immortal Profound Energy harmonizes in the center of the dantian.

"The Immortal Profound Energy is upright and peaceful, and it is the best at merging."

Li Rui's heart was overjoyed.

Under the action of the Immortal Profound Energy, the five-spirit true qi gradually merged, and an intangible existence similar to a barrier formed around his body.

The power of the five elements circulates endlessly, never ending.

Only then did Li Rui open his eyes.

"Done!"

"Is this the Five Spirits Body?" Li Rui looked curiously at the intangible barrier covering his body.

"The Five Spirits Body is small-success, and can become a Five Spirits Shield, which can block ten thousand jin of force, and is impervious to water and fire."

With this Five Spirits Shield.

The ability to save one's life will surely be greatly improved!

Li Rui's heart was joyful.

Compared to killing techniques, he actually valued defense methods more.

He sought longevity, living long is very important, but to live long, the first thing is not to die easily.

Li Rui couldn't help but be curious.

How hard is this Five Spirits Shield?

Thinking of this, he pulled out the Immortal Blade Zhan Jiao placed on the side.

He opened up all his strength.

!

Ten percent strength!

Zhan Jiao slashed fiercely at the Five Spirits Shield.

Silent and soundless.

It was like falling into a mud pit; Zhan Jiao's speed became slower and slower, finally stopping in mid-air, unable to fall another inch.

Seeing this scene.

Li Rui's eyes lit up.

This Five Spirits Shield can block his full-strength strike!

"Very good."

Li Rui's mouth curled up slightly.

One must know, his current combat power is already among the top tier in the Primordial Realm, and there are not many who can take his full-strength slash.

"I just don't know if it can take a Third-Rank strike."

Soon.

Li Rui shook his head.

It's not that it definitely can't take it, but he won't do such an experiment, or rather, before he steps into the Top Three Ranks, he won't let such a thing happen.

He dislikes those dangerous cross-rank challenges the most.

It's better to have absolute crushing power after strength increases.

Moreover, the Top Three Ranks are far from comparable to the Primordial Realm.

Li Rui had seen He Qiannian take action, and it was truly domineering.

How many Primordial experts are not enough for one punch from He Qiannian.

With one more life-saving means.

Li Rui was in a great mood.

Immediately, he used the Five Spirits Body and returned to his room.

It was already the second half of the night.

He crawled into the quilt and fell into a deep sleep.

The next morning.

When Li Rui walked out of the courtyard, he saw Nie Siming about to lead a team out of the city, looking anxious, with faint killing intent.

Quickening his pace.

"Brother Nie, going out of the city?"

Nie Siming nodded, his face gloomy.

"Yes."

"One of our fortresses in the west was slaughtered."

Hearing this, Li Rui was shocked: "Slaughtered, was it a surprise attack by the Purple Chai Jingong's army?"

Nie Siming shook his head: "No, according to the intelligence, it should be that an expert suddenly broke in."

"One person?"

Li Rui frowned.

Slaughtering a fortress by one person, their strength is not simple.

I'm afraid that even Nie Siming might not be able to do it; perhaps it is a Third-Rank Tongxuan-level expert.

"Brother Nie, the situation is unknown, it's safer to wait for reinforcements."

Nie Siming hummed:

"I have already sent a letter to Mr. Liu, and he will come in a few days. I am just going with Eighth Brother to investigate the situation first, and will not fight with anyone."

Hearing this.

Li Rui stopped dissuading him.

Nie Siming and Yuan Xiong are both Primordial peak experts, and going together also means they can look out for each other.

And both have the trump cards left by Marquis Yuan, so even if they encounter a Third-Rank expert, they have the confidence to protect themselves.

After saying this.

Nie Siming led the people out of the city.

Watching Nie Siming leave, Li Rui was thoughtful.

"It's still too dangerous outside."

Purple Chai Jingong.

In the main hall echoed Si Feng's somewhat angry voice: "I have told you, do not take action again before recovering."

Sheng Daoren stood in front of Si Feng, digging his ears.

Not caring at all:

"Daoist Si, are you making a mountain out of a molehill?"

"What can these crude martial artists do to us?"

"Except for those few, why fear so much?"

"They are just ants of the lower world."

Si Feng narrowed his eyes slightly: "Daoist Sheng, this world is not as simple as we think. You had better restrain yourself and don't ruin the big event."

After saying this.

He flicked his big sleeves and turned to leave.

Watching Si Feng's departing back, Sheng Daoren curled his lips.

Afterwards.

His right palm flashed with a scarlet light.

He chuckled.

"Can't refine the Ten Thousand Soul Banner, but refining a Hundred Soul Banner is enough."

The Wan Fadian does not discriminate in teaching, and there are both righteous and evil people in the hall.

And he is an evil Daoist.

This Ten Thousand Soul Banner is an evil weapon refined from the living souls of people, with great power.

Sheng Daoren did have a Ten Thousand Soul Banner, but it couldn't be brought to this world, so he had been thinking about refining one.

The living souls needed for this Ten Thousand Soul Banner are not ordinary people; at least they must be rank-entering martial artists.

Isn't that the fastest way in those fortresses?

The light in his hand converged.

The smile on Sheng Daoren's mouth became playful.

"My lord, there is a letter for you."

A young soldier knocked on Li Rui's door.

Li Rui opened the door and smiled kindly: "It's Little Ma."

Fighting is a long-term thing; most of the time, people in Po Jun Fortress need to live well and maintain morale.

So besides sufficient supplies, communication with the outside world cannot be less.

There is a special half-battalion responsible for delivering letters, not just military intelligence, but also family letters.

The young soldier respectfully handed the letter to Li Rui.

"Thank you."

Li Rui took the letter and thanked him.

Suddenly.

The young soldier looked flattered and waved his hand: "My lord, this is what the subordinate should do."

Just now Li Rui called his name.

He never expected that a big official like Li Rui would actually know him.

How could he not be flattered?

Li Rui chuckled: "Alright, go get busy."

The young soldier then respectfully said goodbye and left.

Li Rui took the letter and walked back to the room.

Although the position of the letter-delivering person in the army is not high, and there is almost no power, in Li Rui's eyes, it is an important position.

Sometimes it can even save a life.

So he secretly remembered the situation of all the letter-delivering soldiers, which is why he could say it in one word.

He sat by the wooden table.

Only then did he tear open the envelope.

The letter was written by He Qiannian, all written in the secret code of the Secret Guard, and he naturally had long memorized the method of decryption.

Li Rui looked at it seriously.

The letter mentioned two things.

First, the imperial court has ordered major sects to gather manpower to reinforce, and those experts will arrive at the front line in at most another month.

Second, one of the seven major guest ministers of the Secret Guard is already in Yunzhou.

Li Rui was not interested in the first thing.

Because it was a matter of time anyway.

Those great sects are powerful, but they ultimately make a living on the territory of the Great Yu imperial court; the reason the imperial court is lenient to these sects is precisely because it counts on them to contribute at critical moments.

The Northwest Border Army is like this, and the Annan Town now is also like this.

What he was really interested in was the second piece of news.

The seven major guest ministers of the Secret Guard are all mysterious.

But since they are existences capable of dealing with Fallen Immortals, their strength naturally cannot be bad.

No matter in which world, temporary workers are the most terrifying existences.

Although those guest ministers are no longer on the Secret Guard's list and belong to non-staff personnel, their strength is unquestionable.

Li Rui couldn't help but be curious about the identity of the guest minister who came to Yunzhou.

After reading the letter.

He casually threw the letter into the fire basin on the side, and only withdrew his gaze after it was completely burned to ashes.

"The world is chaotic, I must improve my strength as soon as possible."

A Primordial martial artist is quite impressive in any state.

But on a battlefield where Top Three Rankers appear, it feels very insecure.

The Northwest Border Army has had barbarian experts rush into the camp to kill officers.

Li Rui immediately sat cross-legged.

Continued to practice the Five Spirits Body Refining Technique.

Deep in the Ten Thousand Mountains.

In the empty fortress, the gate was wide open, and a team of cavalry walked in slowly.

Nie Siming looked at the corpses all over the city.

Frowning, he gritted his teeth and said: "Truly hateful."

Yuan Xiong on the side sighed, such scenes he and Nie Siming had seen too many, he turned his head to the adjutant on the side and said: "Call people, take away the corpses of these brothers in the city, our Yu Kingdom soldiers cannot die on the land of other countries."

"Yes!"

The Yu Kingdom values filial piety, and values the return of fallen leaves to their roots even more.

So as long as the war allows, both generals and soldiers will take away the corpses of their comrades after the war and send them back to their hometowns.

Being wrapped in horse leather is ultimately the worst choice.

After giving the order.

Yuan Xiong then looked at Liu Qing, who was squatting not far away, looking full of interest.

"Mr. Liu, can you see who took the action?"

Liu Qing was looking at a corpse, Yuan Xiong saw at a glance that it was the garrison guarding the city.

"Interesting."

Don't know why.

Yuan Xiong actually saw excitement in Liu Qing's eyes.

Liu Qing muttered: "This method of killing is truly brilliant, not destroying the flesh at all, directly hitting the soul, wonderful..."

But as he spoke, Liu Qing narrowed his eyes:

"No, that person created killing karma, perhaps not to kill the enemy..."

At this moment.

Nie Siming and Yuan Xiong were both attracted by Liu Qing's words.

Liu Qing said: "It should be to seize living souls, yes, it is for living souls."

"And it must be the living souls of martial artists, the higher the realm, the better."

"How come it looks more and more like the methods of evil cultivators in ancient times?"

Hearing this.

Nie Siming and Yuan Xiong's pupils shrank slightly.

If that mysterious expert needs the living souls of high-realm martial artists, where is there a more suitable place than Po Jun Fortress near the Ten Thousand Mountains?

Yuan Xiong exclaimed: "Not good, Po Jun Fortress!"

(End of chapter)