Chapter 400: Setting the Trap

Changqing Peak, inside the room.

Li Rui slowly opened his eyes.

"They came for me."

Correct.

The one who went down the mountain was actually a clone created with a Clone Talisman.

Unlike the beautiful woman in the room, this clone carried a trace of his primordial spirit and was fully controlled by him; during this time, his true body fell into complete unconsciousness.

It was nearly indistinguishable from the original.

If not for this, how could he have deceived heaven and earth?

Even if the chaos in the Purple Gold Palace had eased, how could Li Rui risk his own life?

He had long been studying the Clone Talisman.

This method was devised by him through his extraordinary insight.

Indeed, it had saved him from disaster.

Li Rui pondered in his heart.

Blood Shadow Ancestor's appearance was no accident—he must have had ulterior motives.

But what could a mere Foundation Establishment cultivator possibly possess that Blood Shadow Ancestor knew of and coveted?

His eyes quickly flashed with sudden understanding.

"Thousand Souls Banner!"

That heretic had once been an exiled immortal of the Purple Gold Palace; it was no surprise Blood Shadow Ancestor knew of the Thousand Souls Banner.

As he had spent more time cultivating,

Li Rui had come to realize the Thousand Souls Banner's rank was even higher than he'd imagined.

It was even highly useful to those at the Celestial Phenomenon realm.

"Fortunately."

Li Rui was grateful for his own caution.

Otherwise, with Blood Shadow Ancestor's power, the threat to him would have been considerable.

This narrow escape revealed the advantage of cultivating Talisman Dao.

Though Immortal techniques may not match Body Cultivators in direct combat, their ability to ensure survival was far superior.

Li Rui was a pragmatist.

He used whatever worked best.

Roughly half an hour passed.

Then he heard Sang Kong's voice outside the courtyard: "Brother Li, are you inside?"

"Brother Sang."

Li Rui opened the door to find Sang Kong standing there, eyes wide.

Sang Kong stared at Li Rui as if he were a monster:

"Brother Li, impressive! Your Talisman arts are truly mastered."

He had studied the Six Arts of Immortality himself.

Though not proficient, he could recognize that Li Rui had just escaped using a Talisman.

With that display alone, calling him a Master was not excessive.

He was a Profound Mystery realm cultivator.

A Talisman that could deceive him was truly remarkable—he couldn't help but marvel.

And even more astonishing: Li Rui had only practiced Talisman arts for two or three years, yet already achieved such mastery.

"Merely trivial skills."

Li Rui smiled faintly.

Sang Kong clucked his tongue, circling Li Rui several times.

"I've heard Jiang Lin often praise your talent, Brother Li—I never realized your true strength lay in Immortal arts. I was truly blind."

He had practiced, so he understood.

For Li Rui to master Talisman arts so quickly—and deceive a powerhouse like Blood Shadow Ancestor—his skill could not be low.

Sang Kong couldn't help but feel a pang of envy.

Look at this.

They both came to steal Immortal techniques—he hadn't even entered the door, while the other was already using them in battle.

No comparison at all.

He couldn't help but feel depressed.

Seeing Li Rui unharmed, Sang Kong waved his hand: "Alright, I'll be off. I've already explained to Chunxu Zi—you don't need to go again. Don't worry, I didn't mention anything about the Talismans."

"Thank you, Brother Sang."

Li Rui beamed, bowing his fists.

Since Sang Kong had already explained for him, there was no need for further words.

After seeing Sang Kong off, he returned to his room.

The smile faded from his lips.

His gaze turned grave.

Being watched by a powerhouse like Blood Shadow Ancestor was no good thing.

It must be eliminated!

The Thousand Souls Banner flew from Li Rui's sleeve, swelling before his eyes until it became a white banner wreathed in black mist.

He gazed at the Thousand Souls Banner.

He fell into thought.

In the Ten Thousand Mountains,

Blood Shadow Ancestor's face was dark with gloom.

He never imagined Li Rui had used a Talisman to create an illusion—and that it had fooled him.

Being tricked by a Foundation Establishment cultivator.

It was an unforgivable humiliation.

This only confirmed his suspicion: Li Rui was hiding something, or why would he be so cautious?

He summoned his subordinates and spoke coldly: "Go find the Earth Demon for me. Send more minor demons to watch Qingwei Sect. If Li Rui leaves the mountain, capture him at once!"

"Yes!"

A black-robed disciple of the Purple Gold Palace replied solemnly.

Blood Shadow Ancestor silently vowed vengeance.

If Li Rui liked to hide, he would wait.

He refused to believe Li Rui would never leave the mountain.

Before he knew it, a year had passed.

One day,

A short, stout man hurried to Blood Shadow Ancestor.

"Old Ancestor, I found it!"

Saying this,

He handed the white banner to Blood Shadow Ancestor.

Blood Shadow Ancestor froze.

He stared at the white banner in the Earth Demon's hand, eyes gleaming.

It was identical to the Thousand Souls Banner described in dark arts texts.

He had searched desperately for it—and now it appeared right in the Earth Demon's hands.

Watching the Earth Demon's smug expression,

He sneered: "Speak. How did you acquire this banner?"

The man before him was called the Earth Demon.

Though called a demon, he was human.

He had cultivated a powerful Earth-element true qi and specialized in Earth Submersion, hence his nickname; his own strength was formidable, reaching the peak of Foundation Establishment.

The Earth Demon grinned: "Old Ancestor ordered me to watch Li Rui—I dared not slack off for a moment."

"For the past year, I've been lying in wait outside Qingwei Sect."

"Heaven did not forsake the diligent: that Li fellow, guilty as a thief, sneaked out last night trying to leave Qingwei Sect. I spotted him—and he was carrying a white banner."

"I recognized it at once—it was exactly what Old Ancestor sought."

"I attacked immediately."

"That Li fellow is indeed skilled—I couldn't match him—but I'm expert in Earth Submersion. I seized the banner when he least expected it."

"I've brought it here to present to Old Ancestor."

Blood Shadow Ancestor narrowed his eyes and glanced at the Thousand Souls Banner beside him.

The Thousand Souls Banner requires special Immortal methods to forge.

If Li Rui lacked the technique, possessing the banner would be useless.

It must be because my last move made Li Rui suspicious, so he wanted to move the Thousand Souls Banner away.

"Quite cautious."

Li Rui did not act immediately.

Instead, he waited with great patience for nearly a year.

But how could one man stand against an entire palace?

Even if the Purple Gold Palace fell, its remaining powerful individuals were still numerous.

For this, the Blood Shadow Ancestor had exerted tremendous effort.

He dared not get too close to Qingwei Sect.

So he scattered vast numbers of demonic beasts, forming a circle to lie in wait dozens of li beyond Qingwei Sect.

For the entire year, all his subordinates did nothing but this one task.

In truth, Li Rui had already been cautious enough.

He simply underestimated the Blood Shadow Ancestor's determination to seize the Thousand Souls Banner.

"It seems Li Rui still doesn't know this is the Thousand Souls Banner."

After all, if he knew, he would fight the Earth Traveler Demon to the death.

The Blood Shadow Ancestor's lips curled slightly.

"Not knowing is better—it saves me a lot of trouble."

But then he turned to the Earth Traveler Demon and said: "Go keep watching Li Rui. If he steps out, send someone to kill him."

The Earth Traveler Demon's face fell at once upon hearing he had to keep watch again.

But the Blood Shadow Ancestor's terrifying aura was too strong—he could only obey.

Yes.

Although Li Rui likely didn't know, the Blood Shadow Ancestor still had no intention of letting him go.

But unlike the earlier net of traps, now only the Earth Traveler Demon remained to continue watching.

After giving the order,

the Blood Shadow Ancestor left without delay.

For him, the most important thing now was to subdue the Thousand Souls Banner.

At the other end,

on Changqing Peak of Qingwei Sect,

"Master, you're back."

Liu Tiezhu, seeing Li Rui return, grinned and rushed forward.

Li Rui smiled faintly: "Took a walk."

Of course, that wasn't true.

He had gone to deliver the Thousand Souls Banner to the Purple Gold Palace.

The Thousand Souls Banner was valuable, but compared to his life, it was trivial.

That day, he had patrolled with Thick Earth Qi, and only then did he realize the Purple Gold Palace had laid a vast net to capture him.

It was clearly a fight to the death.

Li Rui had no desire to be watched constantly.

That was why he decided to get rid of the Thousand Souls Banner—the hot potato.

But to completely shed suspicion, he had just performed that little act.

Moreover, in his view, the only real threat was the Blood Shadow Ancestor.

By discarding the Thousand Souls Banner, the Blood Shadow Ancestor would be busy subduing it and have no time to trouble him.

Li Rui's lips curled slightly.

Besides, he had added some small ingredients to the Thousand Souls Banner.

The Blood Shadow Ancestor would find it far from easy to subdue it.

In realm, he was certainly inferior to the Blood Shadow Ancestor, but in his study of the Thousand Souls Banner's crafting methods, he surpassed him.

The Blood Shadow Ancestor could not take the Thousand Souls Banner, yet would be tied down by a Celestial Phase powerhouse.

This was far better than holding the banner and fighting directly.

Moreover, he could use the Thousand Souls Banner to track the Blood Shadow Ancestor's location and ensure his own safety.

What he needed now was not a domineering magic treasure, but a stable environment.

As long as he cultivated in peace, there would come a day when he reclaimed the Thousand Souls Banner.

(End of Chapter)