Chapter 384: Deputy Commander Li, A Man of High Integrity! [Requesting Monthly Tickets!]

On the official road.

A large group of soldiers from Annan Town fled for their lives, even leaving their mounts behind; some hadn't even properly donned their armor.

A complete rout.

Suddenly!

Fu Tao, leading the front, shouted: "Stop!"

Not just him—the other several primordial cultivators also turned their heads, gazing toward Pojun Fortress.

Another deputy commander muttered:

"The Marquis has acted."

In Yunzhou, the title "Marquis" needs no surname, for there is only one.

The Saint of All Armies, Marquis Yuan Dingting.

At this moment.

From the south came a terrifying battle pressure, followed by a colossal silver spear, a hundred zhang tall, shooting skyward.

Two divine beams shot toward Ten Thousand Mountains.

"It's the Marquis! We're saved!"

One soldier cried out in ecstatic relief.

The feeling of barely escaping death nearly made him collapse to the ground, tears of joy streaming down his face.

Only those who had faced it knew how terrifying that heretic was.

Fu Tao and the others conferred briefly.

Finally, they made a resolute decision: return to Pojun City.

If the Marquis has already acted, and we still hesitate, paralyzed by fear, how can we ever hope for advancement?

We cannot let the Marquis see Pojun Fortress abandoned.

Immediately,

Fu Tao led his men back to Pojun Fortress.

As they stepped through the open city gate, they saw Liu Qing standing on the training ground with Nie Siming, Yuan Xiong, and others.

"Mr. Liu."

Fu Tao and the others, seeing Liu Qing, felt a flicker of shame.

This time, they had lost face badly.

Even if given another chance, they would still have done the same.

Before life and death, who cares about honor?

Liu Qing glanced at them coolly: "Tell me—what exactly happened?"

As he spoke, he also gazed toward Ten Thousand Mountains.

It had drawn the attention of Yuan Dingting, a true titan.

Fu Tao immediately recounted everything that had just occurred.

Liu Qing listened, his expression growing increasingly grave.

As he had suspected, the one who had acted was a fallen immortal.

"You mean he was lured away by something, and thus left Pojun Fortress?"

"Yes."

Fu Tao nodded.

At that moment, a soldier couldn't help but say: "That heretic must have been lured away by Lord Li—he risked his life alone to draw the heretic off, allowing us to hold out until the Marquis arrived."

Fu Tao glanced at the soldier, wanting to say something, but ultimately stayed silent.

Nie Siming was startled: "Where is Lord Li?"

Fu Tao sighed lightly: "We don't know. He was supposed to be in the city, but for some reason, he's been nowhere to be seen."

"Old Brother Li."

Nie Siming's eyes widened.

If Li Rui truly lured away the heretic alone, as the soldier said, he is likely already dead.

Just as Nie Siming and Yuan Xiong prepared to leave the city to search for Li Rui,

they saw Li Rui emerge from beneath the massive city gate, pale-faced and disheveled.

"Mr. Liu, Brother Nie, Brother Yuan—you're back?"

Seeing Li Rui appear,

everyone rushed over.

Fu Tao couldn't help but ask: "Lord Li, just now—"

Li Rui: "I was being chased by that heretic. Fortunately, I'm still a guest of the Questioning Tower—Lord Gu gave me some means of survival, which allowed me to hold out until the Marquis arrived."

Hearing this,

everyone understood at once.

So it was the famed Lord Gu's methods.

No wonder he had held off the heretic.

Li Rui's explanation was perfectly reasonable—how could a primordial cultivator survive an encounter with a top-tier powerhouse and not be instantly crushed? There would be no chance to struggle.

What they didn't know was that Li Rui had genuinely blocked a strike from Sheng Dao Ren.

Of course,

he would never mention that.

Fu Tao and the other primordial cultivators exchanged glances, then bowed in unison to Li Rui:

"Thank you, Lord Li, for saving our lives."

Li Rui smiled faintly: "We're all from the same city—no need for such formality."

Though he said so,

Fu Tao and the others did not believe it.

Given the situation then, if Li Rui hadn't lured away the heretic, Pojun Fortress would already be a dead city.

Seeing their stubbornness,

Li Rui could only accept their gratitude.

'Narrow escape.'

Only because he had enough trump cards—if anyone else had been in his place, they would have died a thousand times over.

How could one possibly withstand a fallen immortal?

He had long known that Gu Changsheng had hidden true qi within him—Gu Changsheng himself had said there were five strands.

Even a Garrison Commander had only two.

That was the advantage of having a powerful patron.

Besides that, he had already, several days ago, summoned a secret guard guest through his tongue-blood ritual.

That guest had remained nearby, never straying far.

He had expected the guest to be strong.

But he never imagined it would be Yuan Dingting himself who came.

Truly unexpected. 'Yuan Dingting is a secret guard guest!'

Li Rui had once comprehended a sliver of the Saint of Armies' true intent, so even a hundred li away, he could sense Yuan Dingting's presence.

It seemed perilous—but every step had been carefully calculated.

At that moment—

A tremendous commotion erupted from the direction of Ten Thousand Mountains.

A colossal celestial sword clashed with Yuan Dingting's spear; the shockwave was so powerful, even Pojun City a hundred li away could feel it.

The people in the city marveled at the Marquis's strength.

They were also stunned—how could the Purple Gold Palace harbor such a powerful figure?

After about a quarter-hour,

Yuan Dingting appeared in Pojun City, hands behind his back.

Everyone hurried forward:

!

"Marquis."

Yuan Dingting glanced at them coolly, lingering a moment longer on Li Rui, then said simply: "The heretic is dead."

Hearing this,

everyone in the city exhaled a long, relieved breath.

Only those who had faced it knew how terrifying that heretic was.

They never wanted to face him again.

Fortunately, the Marquis had acted, slaying the strange Daoist.

No one dared ask why Yuan Dingting had appeared at Pojun Fortress.

After speaking,

Yuan Dingting turned and left, without lingering in Pojun Fortress.

Liu Qing, Nie Siming, and Yuan Xiong silently followed after him.

At that moment.

Yuan Dingting turned his head and spoke slowly: "Li Rui, come here too."

Upon hearing this, every soldier in the city felt intense envy.

Yuan Dingting was the Divine General of Yu State, the god in every Yu soldier's heart; to earn his favor, how could they not be envious?

Li Rui did not freeze in place.

He immediately took two quick steps and joined the three beside Nie Siming.

They walked all the way out of the city.

Only then did Yuan Dingting wave his hand toward Liu Qing and the others: "I have words to speak with Li Rui."

The three stepped aside.

Li Rui silently followed Yuan Dingting for about a hundred zhang before stopping.

Yuan Dingting turned around and looked at Li Rui with a half-smile: "You held your ground against that demonic Daoist's strike—well done."

Li Rui opened his mouth to speak.

Yuan Dingting waved his hand: "Even if you've cultivated immortal arts, it's no matter—that's your own ability."

Saying this,

a yellowed cultivation manual slipped from his sleeve.

"This was taken from that demonic Daoist. After examining it, I found it might actually be useful to you."

"Some things will become clear to you once you reach Tongxuan."

With a swift rustle,

the manual landed in Li Rui's hands.

Then Yuan Dingting walked straight to Nie Siming and the others, gave them a few instructions, and flew into the sky—vanishing in the blink of an eye.

The next day.

Li Rui bravely defended the city, sustaining severe injuries; Provincial Military Commander Zhou Dinghai specially approved his return to Qinghe to recuperate and hold the rear.

Regarding this,

not a single person objected.

Had it not been for Li Rui,

Pojun Fortress would have become an empty city.

Li Rui was not injured; according to Nie Siming, this was Marquis Hou's decision.

Likely, having killed a banished immortal from Zi Jin Palace, Zi Jin Palace dared not challenge Yuan Dingting, so they might turn their anger toward Li Rui.

Staying at Pojun Fortress was no longer safe.

Li Rui turned misfortune into fortune, becoming unexpectedly idle.

At this time, the southern camp of Qinghe's An Nan Town was eerily quiet, most troops deployed at the front.

Few were like Li Rui, lounging in the sun.

"The city is far more comfortable."

Qinghe City teemed with experts, with Provincial Military Commander Zhou Dinghai himself stationed there.

There was no fear of a surprise attack from Zi Jin Palace.

Far safer than remaining at Pojun Fortress.

He was about to rise and cultivate,

when a line of small characters suddenly appeared before his eyes.

【Congratulations, Host—completed the initial storyline achievement: Evading the Immortal Tribulation.】

【Immortals contend with Heaven; claiming to seek no conflict with the world is but empty words—encountering enemies is inevitable. Congratulations, Host, you have successfully evaded pursuit by a high-tier immortal and preserved your life. Keep striving.】

【Achievement "Evading the Immortal Tribulation" completed. Reward calculation in progress.】

【Achievement rating: A.】

【Obtained 40 Achievement Points!】

【Achievement Points reached 100. Reward being granted.】

【Your celestial affinity is abundant; after evading one tribulation, you accidentally entered an immortal's cave dwelling and received a legacy.】

【Talent "Great Dream Immortal Wander" enhanced.】

【Young Hero, begin your perfect immortal journey!】

【Name: Li Rui】

【Age: 15】

【Talents: Martial Bone, Extraordinary Comprehension, Insightful Eyes, Great Dream Immortal Wanderer, Demon-Slaying Advantage, Dao Seed】

【Manuals: Changchun Technique, Dragon Soaring Through Nine Heavens, Dragon-Elephant True Qi Power, Five-Spirit Body Refinement Scripture】

【Item: Spirit-Boosting Book】

【Achievements: 30/100】

(End of Chapter)