Chapter 172

Chapter 172: The Li Family Cultivator

Five days quickly passed, and Li Hui, Qian Qiu Yue, and Hongmo Zhengfang worked together, advancing at the fastest pace possible.

The island was filled with so many restrictions and formations. While those in plain sight weren’t too troubling, they feared the hidden formations and concealed restrictions. Even though the three were extra cautious, they couldn’t always avoid danger.

Each day, they faced threats at least twice and up to six times. As they delved deeper, the formations became more formidable, requiring them to focus completely; one misstep could cost them their lives.

However, Li Hui held back a bit, not because he intended to, but because he had never tested the limit of his Ideal Body.

Chef Zhao and Huo Qiniang truly lived up to their title of drag along, but for Li Hui and Qian Qiu Yue who stood by them, they would risk their lives at a critical moment to repay their kindness.

On the sixth day, they spotted some red fortresses in the distance.

Hongmo Zhengfang said irritably, “You two need to help me. Other fortresses are fine, but that purple fortress hidden in the formations must be taken down.”

“What’s in it for us?” Qian Qiu Yue looked towards Meat and Egg.

“What’s in it for you? Naturally, it’s so I can smoothly enter the Hongmo Sect with my connections. From now on, you two will be my subordinates, working honestly without questioning orders. Understand?”

“Hahaha!” Li Hui laughed heartily, “Then you should stay behind to crack that secret fortress yourself! We really have no intention of joining the Hongmo Sect. You want to invite the Jade Symbol Sect’s beauty and the charming Senior Sister Yue, and you expect to trick us into following just by exchanging pretty words? It feels like someone is insulting their own intelligence, and I genuinely feel sorry for that intellect.”

“Stinky brat, you’d better think this over; I’m only giving you one chance.”

“Even a thousand chances wouldn’t change my mind. Since I have a heart directed towards the Dao, I will steadfastly pursue it. What is a demon compared to that? How could it dare obstruct my path?” Li Hui spoke resolutely, his words ringing like iron.

Hongmo Zhengfang felt an uneasiness rising within him. What was happening? This little rascal was suddenly showing a master’s demeanor, igniting a desire in him to pursue the Dao. Scenes from his childhood flickered before his eyes, and he vaguely remembered his great-grandfather’s hand pressing down, concealing some of his innate traits…

Qian Qiu Yue was also shocked, feeling that each time they hadn’t seen each other for a while, this little brother she had always had in mind would surprise her greatly once again. She truly wanted to applaud him for his statement on the demon’s role.

“Fine, you have guts…” Hongmo Zhengfang felt both helpless and frustrated, forced to be diligent in his role as a demon cultivator once more.

Through days of breaking restrictions and penetrating formations, he discovered that Li Hui was quite skilled at overcoming obstacles. What moved him most was that this kid had no idea how many talismans he had accumulated, and when coupled with the Yin-Yang Nine Heads, they often yielded remarkable results. He was the kind of talent that could thrive without relying on cultivation.

Talent! Talents are hard to find, especially in the situation of Wan Nest Island.

The Yin-Yang Nine Heads formed a formation that reversed Yin and Yang, a brilliant attack reversal. Although they still had a long way to go before reaching the Nine-Yin Nine-Yang Flying Heads Ground Burial Great Array, they had at least risen from the Four Yin Four Yang Flying Head Burial Array to the Six Yin Six Yang Fiend Reverse Array, where the usual formations would self-destruct before it. Truly one-of-a-kind!

With no other options, Hongmo Zhengfang had no choice but to solemnly swear a Demonic Oath, revealing the secrets of the purple fortress: “My old man went inside once when he was young and gained a tremendous fortune! There is a type of purple stalactite that produces Purple Essence Divine Water over time, which greatly helps cultivators at the Late Condense Essence stage break through to the Bosa stage. I plan to make a push and force my way into the purple fortress to reach the Bosa stage during the weakening of the formations caused by the Demon Walls. These Magical Storm Statues are precisely for this advancement.”

“I want half of the Purple Essence Divine Water.” Qian Qiu Yue gave her reply directly, “The other things belong to my Junior Brother; you will not take even a tiny bit.”

“Are you also looking to take that step?” Hongmo Zhengfang assessed Qian Qiu Yue and shook his head in wonder. “If I’m not mistaken, you’re one of the female cultivators from the Heart Refining Branch of the Great Xia Jin Tian Sect. If you were from the main sect, you would’ve blown me to scraps already. As far as I know, that step is most difficult for the female cultivators of the Heart Refining Branch. Do you follow the heartless path or the emotional path? The heartless path can be divided into forgetting love and cherishing one. The emotional path can be divided into deep love and great love. Forgetting love is like an ice lump, while cherishing means one’s heart is tied to another; deep love is like a jealous woman. You wouldn’t practice great love, would you? That would just make you a lovesick fool!”

With a ringing sound, Qian Qiu Yue drew her knife.

Hongmo Zhengfang shouted, “Hey, hey, hey, I was joking! Can’t I make a joke? She’s injured; it’s not appropriate to fight.”

Li Hui felt embarrassed. What was this? Qian Qiu Yue wanting to lure him into the Jin Tian Sect’s branch sounded terrifying; the branch was filled with ice lumps, jealous women, and lovesick fools?

“Don’t listen to his nonsense; isn’t the heartless path and emotional path difficult to cultivate? I have my ways to bypass the challenges and break into the Bosa.”

This was said to Li Hui. Qian Qiu Yue then focused on Hongmo Zhengfang, asking, “We’re in the Inner Ring area; are you sure that after your promotion, you won’t be wiped out by Wan Nest Island? Moreover, entering the Bosa stage from Condensing Essence carries a certain risk of attracting Earth Calamities. With my profound skills, I could attract either the C fire divine thunder or the D fire profound calamity. You, on the other hand, face a much more treacherous inner demon trial; maybe what appears to be you isn’t actually you.”

Li Hui felt awkward. What did it mean to appear to be you but not actually be you? How malevolent was that inner demon trial? Could Hongmo Zhengfang protect him?

“It’s just an inner demon trial, right? Hahaha, family education! If it dares to come, I’ll cut off its head and use it as a stool; I have that much confidence. As for being wiped out by Wan Nest Island, that’s not something to worry about. The purple fortress isn’t in the Inner Ring area; it needs to be accessed by teleportation through the front red fortress, which serves as a shortcut to the core area.”

Suddenly, Qian Qiu Yue and Hongmo Zhengfang both took a step back, conjuring layer upon layer of protective light shields, and released magical artifacts to guard their sides, their eyes keenly focused on the west.

“Boom, boom, boom…”

The earth rumbled, and the arrays that spread across the ground and sky suddenly shattered as dozens of figures stepped forward, scanning Qian Qiu Yue and Hongmo Zhengfang from over a hundred zhang away with disdain, striding toward the forward red fortress.

“It’s the Li Family from Linggui City.” Chef Zhao recognized the clothing worn by the cultivators.

After the group passed, the ground began to shake heavily, followed by the sound of cracking whips and clanking chains.

The next scene shocked everyone: thousands of gigantic dragon-horned turtles, their limbs and bodies wrapped in chains, were dragging a small black fortress forward, which was filled with various strange creatures and beasts, alongside numerous eagles soaring high above. Seeing this, Hongmo Zhengfang couldn’t help but salivate.

Suddenly, a voice came from within the fortress: “Oh, isn’t that Junior Brother Zhengfang? Why haven’t you gone to the Inner Ring area yet? Are you delaying time like I did to create some momentum?”

Hearing the voice, Hongmo Zhengfang felt as if he had eaten dog poop, his face flushing red as he forced a laugh, “So it’s Senior Brother Zhenglin! Are we from the Zheng family going to prosper? Even Zhenglun has a whole bunch of cultivators following him. I recently faced tribulations and still haven’t recovered!”