Li Rui repeatedly executed Gu Suixun, and the latter was resurrected in blood again and again, only to die once more.
It wasn't until the seventh time he was smashed to bits with a punch that it finally ended.
During this time, the Mola Sect leader, who dominated the Secret Realm World, tried countless methods, ultimately leaving only a few wounds on Li Rui that healed almost instantly.
After the strongest enemies had died or escaped, Li Rui immediately ended the Thunder God transformation, reverting to his normal state, and then approached Song Yao.
"Elder Song, what's your situation right now? Why are you imprisoned?"
What he meant was, why hadn't they escaped?
So, Song Yao explained the monitoring measures here.
"The toxin is incredible; it seals away eighty to ninety percent of our power, and we don't know when it will fade."
Simon spoke bitterly, "It's not going to stay like this forever, right?"
"Let me try."
Li Rui said, transforming once more into the Thunder God, then released the Reviving Peach Mist to envelop everyone.
He wasn't sure if it would be effective, as this healing skill was originally designed for external injuries, but he thought that using it in this genuine Immortal God state might have a different effect.
As it turned out, the attempt was indeed meaningful; amid rising exclamations, the toxin that sealed the Extraordinary Power was lifted, not fully healed yet, but at least the power was visibly recovering.
Once all the toxins were cleared from their bodies, Li Rui deactivated the transformation ability once more.
"You should try to regain your strength on your own; I need to go to the Holy Judgment High Court to stop Zuo Qiutian."
Li Rui nodded to Song Yao and then utilized the Escape Technique to fly towards that giant tree in the distance.
On the highway below, large numbers of people on foot and in cars were moving forward, surging towards the same destination like pilgrims.
Li Rui did not stop them, he didn't have the time.
These people were all lured by the Polar Cathedral, voluntarily going to sacrifice themselves, seeking to ascend to the Divine Country and reach the eternal bliss.
Li Rui felt some sympathy.
They didn't know that even if they were killed under the tree, their souls and blood would become nourishment for the World Tree, and they wouldn't go to that dream Divine Country.
Because Zhou Si had already said that those who ascend to the Upper Realm do so by ascending, not by being summoned by the Divine Spirit through sacrifice.
Li Rui had roughly grasped the Hidden Sect's plan.
First, they needed a vast number of lives to nourish the tree, but to open the heavens, they needed some more powerful souls.
So they declared war on the world, then demonstrated a blind obsession with items related to the Upper Realm, leading the Prophet in the real world to believe they found a way to predict a blind spot, subsequently sending Li Rui and a group on assassination missions.
In this way, they could easily capture powerful figures connected to the Upper Realm.
In reality, those connected to the Upper Realm might actually be the key to opening the portal.
If they had expressed their true intentions from the start, the real world would have surely hidden anyone with Upper Realm items, making it even more troublesome.
However, for Li Rui, none of this mattered.
No matter what they were attempting to do, it had to be stopped today.
He needed to act quickly, because the Thunder God transformation had a time limit of only an hour.
Once the time ends, there will be a very severe consequence.
And that is ascension.
The rumor wasn't wrong; gathering five thunders allows one to ascend. The Thunder God transformation is merely the final transition before ascension. Overuse will prevent him from staying in the Lower Realm.
Originally, this notion should only pertain to the Secret Realm World, but Zuo Qiutian and his group connected the Secret Realm to reality, causing him to now be half a member of the Secret Realm World, unable to resist the call of the Heavenly Dao.
Now, Li Rui must make good use of the remaining minutes to resolve the situation.
Swoosh—
A green glow swiftly passed by, heading straight for the World Tree.
Here, everything had changed completely, a river of blood submerged the former streets, nourishing the towering tree, many buildings were burnt black, transformed into scorched earth.
Facing such a scene, which clearly didn't align with justice, the cathedral claimed that to ascend to the Divine Country, one must cleanse their sins; these blood and fire were the mortal filth being shed.
Li Rui found it most absurd that people could indeed be convinced.
Of course, not all followers of the Polar Cathedral blindly sacrificed themselves.
Many weren't so fanatical, and those who could escape had already done so.
Li Rui landed on the rooftop of an abandoned skyscraper, opposite him, on a slightly shorter building, stood a girl holding a blade.
This was the first NPC from the World to block his path.
"The Prophet says Song Yuanhua and Zhao Yang were killed by you." The girl asked.
"If Zhao Yang was the tall one with a big halberd, then yes." Li Rui replied.
"Die!"
The girl slashed down from the front with a swift attack.
Li Rui wasn't looking at her because he sensed the murderous intent from behind.
Bang!
Li Rui swung Thunder Shocking Earth, blocking the sneak attack.
"It's hard to tell if you're angry over your friends' death or using them as a distraction."
The girl said, "The dead can't be resurrected, but I'm still angry, and I must make the most use."
"Oh, that statement sounds like something Zuo Qiutian would say, what's your relationship?"
Li Rui teleported to evade the girl's attack once more.
"It's none of your business!"
Swoosh swoosh swoosh!
A gleam of a killing intent-filled blade burst forth, stronger than the previous two attacks.
This girl was stronger than Song Yuanhua and the halberd-wielding man.
So Li Rui had to transform into the Thunder God, smashing the incoming attack with one slap.
The girl was stunned by his sudden surge in momentum; she wasn't as knowledgeable as Xue Can, so she didn't immediately understand what happened.
Insight is also part of strength, like Zuo Qiutian; he isn't obsessed with assault yet remains one of the most challenging figures in the Secret Realm World.
The girl's shortcomings left her clueless when she was slapped away, not knowing what had happened.
Of course, the defeat had nothing to do with insight; Li Rui activated the Thunder God transformation for a dimension-reducing strike.
He didn't check whether the girl was severely injured or killed, but instead turned into a stream of light, continuing to fly towards the World Tree.
A grand ceremony was being held here.
The Polar Cathedral's Pope onstage chanted the sacred doctrines recorded in the scripture with a holy voice.
He believed himself to be a compassionate person.
It was his mission to have believers sacrifice their blood for the ideal Divine Country, but before they truly sacrificed themselves, they had to at least experience spiritual fulfillment.
To such behavior, Li Rui only felt like vomiting; he abruptly flashed onto the altar beneath the tree, and with the Divine Thunder, slapped the Pope in the face.