Rebuilding the Immortal Cultivator Clan

If it continues with such challenges, I fear it won't be as simple as before. Their cultivation and strength would certainly have increased, making them increasingly difficult to contend with.

Although he continued to participate in the trials, he did not rush to open the door and enter the fifth level of the Trial Maze. Instead, he began refining Immortal Pills to restore his Mana while also relaxing his tense mind.

After a long while, once Li Zhirui had almost recovered, he pushed open the door and entered the new level of the Trial Maze.

At first glance, he breathed a sigh of relief. It was no longer like before with a long road filled entirely with enemies.

Instead, it resembled the first two levels of the maze, requiring careful searching followed by undergoing a trial.

As for how to find the key, that depended on Li Zhirui's skills.

...

After searching for such a long time, many Spiritual Objects had already been taken, leaving many Cultivators bored and disappointed.

And this development led to another situation.

That is, killing to seize treasures!

Since the Spiritual Objects in the ruins were almost entirely scoured, much like locusts leaving few behind, it also meant the Cultivators' Storage Magical Treasures were filled up.

The means of killing to seize treasures naturally began to 'trend' and 'become popular', quickly spreading throughout the ruins.

The once relatively peaceful ruins had now become chaotic, filled with scenes of Cultivators slaughtering one another.

And no Cultivator was able to stop this.

Because those Heavenly Immortals had already entered the maze trials and were not in the same place as most Cultivators, others did not have the powerful strength needed to quell this chaos, and ultimately more Cultivators chose to join in.

The thick smell of blood spread throughout the ruins, making one feel extremely uncomfortable.

Just as the smell of blood further expanded, numerous projections suddenly appeared throughout the maze, performing gestures to summon, with many Purifying White Lotuses emerging to cleanse the blood scent.

And if Li Zhirui were here to witness this, he would be astonished to find that all those projections were actually him!

At the same time, he would feel extremely wary of the maze.

Because this was truly strange and odd; Li Zhirui was not trapped in the maze, unable to extricate himself. Why would so many projections appear? And they were appearing outside the maze within the ruins.

...

Outside the ruins.

"How is it those elders and ancestors went in so long ago, yet no one has emerged? Could it be the ruins are so full of Spiritual Objects that they are reluctant to leave?"

"No matter how many Spiritual Objects there are, what does it have to do with us? We are all just unfortunate souls, opportunities right before us, yet we don't even have the chance to reach out." Someone complained vehemently.

"Indeed, we work so hard guarding the ruins, preventing other Cultivators from entering, but aren't we just the same?"

...

More and more Cultivators joined, with complaints and spiteful words buzzing without end.

"What do you think? How about we head into the ruins as well?" A Cultivator suddenly spoke up, suggesting something shocking yet hard to outright refuse.

"No way, if we do, who will guard the ruins? There'll surely be an influx of Cultivators, Demon Cultivators, and Devil Beasts rushing into the ruins, and we will face severe punishment later."

"Yes, that's not a good idea."

"Hmph! You're timid and cowardly, tempted long ago but still stubbornly holding on."

A Cultivator snorted coldly and said, "If you don't dare to go, I'll go myself!"

With that said, he transformed into a streak of light and charged straight into the ruins.

Similar situations frequently occurred among the many Cultivators guarding the vast ruins!

Yet not a single Cultivator realized a thin layer of dark smoke was wafting during their exchanges!

It was precisely because of the dark smoke's presence that they were so emotional.

"What a pity."

In a concealed corner not far outside the ruins, a sigh suddenly sounded.

Light illuminated the dark domain, revealing several Demon Cultivators who had appeared there. Naturally, their goal was to enter the ruins and seek treasures.

Why did they come so late? It was intentional.

Initially, when rumors concerning the ruins arose in the outside world, the Demon Cultivators didn't take them seriously, as similar news circulated numerous times each year.

Thus, those who knew were among the later batches. By the time they were all prepared, and saw from afar the Devil Race and Sea Clan were driven away by several Heavenly Immortals joined together from the Immortal Tao.

With this done, those Demon Cultivators no longer harbored thoughts of entering the ruins.

However, they did not just give up and return home, but instead remained hidden, awaiting an opportunity.

Now, it was an opportune moment felt by these Demon Cultivators.

The ruins had been opened for many years, with large numbers of Spiritual Objects taken by Cultivators. After entering the ruins, they didn't need to waste time searching for treasures; they could directly rob them from the Cultivators.

Moreover, this way, they not only obtained Spiritual Objects but also the Cultivators' flesh and corpses - a double gain!

"The time has come, commence action!"

The leading Earth Immortal Demon Practitioner said in a deep voice, "One last reminder, don't think you're powerful, this is still the terrain of the Immortal Tao."

"So whether you can ultimately make it out alive depends on your skills and luck."

Why does it appear to be the Earth Immortal Demon Practitioner leading? Because those Heavenly Immortal Old Demons dare not come for fear that several Heavenly Immortals would join forces to eliminate him.

And those Demon Cultivators who chose to come here naturally would not be scared off by these words, remaining calm and proceeded to the ruins' border with the larger group.

"Demon Cultivators?! You have great courage, daring to trespass on my Immortal Tao's forbidden land! Leave at once or I will ensure you meet your end here." A Cultivator shouted loudly.

He seemed fearless before these thousand Demon Cultivators, yet his trembling body and terrified eyes betrayed him.

"Get lost!"

The leading Earth Immortal Demon Practitioner casually struck, blasting this person into a fine mess of flesh, which exploded in mid-air.

But more Cultivators gathered at the place, intending to stop the Demon Cultivators from entering the ruins.

However, when have Demon Cultivators ever been sitting ducks? They quickly rushed into the ruins, blending into the crowds, searching for suitable Cultivators to kill and seize treasures.

"Damn it!"

When a certain Earth Immortal arrived and heard the report from his subordinates, his face immediately became extremely unpleasant.

Living creatures not only trespassed into the ruins, but they were Demon Cultivators, and in substantial numbers!

He could imagine the kind of punishment he'd face when those Heavenly Immortals came out later.

To slightly reduce the punishment, he began to devise solutions, one of which was informing all Cultivators in the ruins that Demon Cultivators had broken in, so they must stay vigilant and avoid being killed by surprise attacks.

To complete this arduous task, he mobilized numerous disciples, carrying Amplifying Stones, to continuously broadcast near the ruins.

"Hopefully, this could slightly make amends."

But in reality, it indeed had some effect, though it was only slightly better than nothing.

Because once the Demon Cultivators entered the ruins, they didn't stop at all, immediately starting a killing spree.

The ruins that were finally purified were once again awash in bloodshed due to the Demon Cultivators' presence, with flesh and White Bone everywhere.

...

"Hmm?"

Having finally found the method to pass through the fifth level of the Trial Maze, Li Zhirui had just obtained a Spiritual Object and had not yet had a chance to rest when the scenery before him suddenly changed.

This fifth-level maze was actually a gigantic Illusionary Realm. If he hadn't accidentally observed 'space fluctuations' and found them very odd, he wouldn't have realized he was actually in an Illusionary Realm.

And should he have failed to detect the problem, Li Zhirui may very well have been completely driven to despair, lost within the ruins' maze.

Fortunately, he saw through the Illusionary Realm and narrowly passed the fifth level trial.

But no sooner had he caught his breath, when the next level of the trial spontaneously began?