Chapter 851

“Friend Xueqing, if you have something to say, just say it outright?”

Li Rui replied.

Prince Xuan’s ascension to the throne was already all but certain; though he had not yet received official word, it was hardly news—at least not worth the trouble of Xueqing True Person crossing several provinces to deliver it personally.

He understood perfectly well that Xueqing True Person had another agenda, but he had no interest in guessing.

Some things are better said plainly.

Xueqing True Person said coolly: “Friend Changqing, do you know Zhu Yuanlong of ancient Dayu?”

Li Rui nodded.

How could he not know Zhu Yuanlong?

He would certainly not tell Xueqing True Person that Zhu Yuanlong now resided atop Taiheng Mountain in Dayu, even having shed his lingering soul state and reformed his physical body.

“Do you know Zhu Yuanlong nearly formed a Dao Fruit, but was betrayed by the Shenxu Immortal Dynasty, making him a tool for another’s gain?”

“Without that, how could that old devil Ganxin have ever qualified to attain Dao?”

Xueqing True Person spoke faster, not waiting for Li Rui to reply, continuing:

“In fact, not just Jinting Grotto Heaven, but over the past ten thousand years, many lesser grotto heavens’ prodigies have become sustenance for the Shenxu Immortal Dynasty—Changqing, you’ve surely already been marked.”

“For millennia, the lineage of Ganxin the Old Devil of the Shenxu Immortal Dynasty has secretly stolen Dao Fruits; even someone from Luofu Grotto Heaven fell victim.”

“Precisely because our grotto heaven cultivators receive greater favor from Heaven, they seek to usurp our place.”

Heaven’s favor

Li Rui thought to himself.

He had never known that cultivators from lesser grotto heavens enjoyed such benefits.

Too bad.

Not every lesser grotto heaven is as powerful as Luofu Grotto Heaven, so even if there were great treasures, they ultimately only served as someone else’s spoils.

Had Jinting Lesser Grotto Heaven not caught the eye of Baiyu Jing, it might already have become the sustenance of some immortal sect or dynasty.

Seeing Li Rui frown in silence,

Xueqing True Person finally revealed her purpose: “If Prince Xuan becomes Emperor, he will only grow more ruthless—you, Dayu, are in grave danger.”

“Why not—join forces with me?”

Upon hearing this,

Li Rui raised an eyebrow slightly.

Xueqing True Person said “you and I,” not “Luofu Grotto Heaven and Dayu”—the implication was entirely different.

He sighed lightly.

Xueqing True Person spoke plainly: “My Dao lies in Shuanghan Grotto Heaven. I need an ally—I wish to stand guard with you, Changqing.”

Li Rui’s expression turned to understanding.

Xueqing True Person’s words carried three layers of meaning.

First: the cultivation breakthrough of Luofu Grotto Heaven’s True Person must be tied to another lesser grotto heaven.

Second: Luofu Grotto Heaven is not as harmonious as it appears; otherwise, Xueqing True Person would not have sought out a stranger like him.

Third: if Xueqing True Person is linked to one grotto heaven, does that also mean someone in Luofu Grotto Heaven has a Dao tied to Jinting Grotto Heaven?

Having spoken,

Xueqing True Person fixed her gaze on Li Rui, waiting for his reply.

Li Rui remained silent for ten full breaths before speaking:

“Agreed.”

Just one word.

Yet upon hearing Li Rui’s acceptance, Xueqing True Person’s expression visibly relaxed.

Clearly,

she truly valued Li Rui as an ally.

The two then swore a Dao oath.

Only then did Xueqing True Person depart, satisfied, promising to proactively share intelligence from Luofu Grotto Heaven—without any return.

Li Rui watched her retreating figure, lost in thought.

He had certainly sensed the shift in Xueqing True Person’s state—that sigh of relief was not merely because she gained an ally, but because she lost an enemy.

Had Xueqing True Person not revealed it, he would never have known that a True Person’s breakthrough in Luofu Grotto Heaven required connection to a lesser grotto heaven.

Thus, this was also a secret within Luofu Grotto Heaven.

And Xueqing True Person had spoken of it.