"Oh!!"
When the Pope was slapped into light and dissipated on the stage, an exclamatory sound erupted from the congregants below.
Li Rui knew the Pope had already run far away.
Indeed, this strongest extraordinary of the Polar Cathedral had some skills.
He approached using invisibility and directly unleashed the fastest Thunderbolt Palm, yet the opponent instantly reacted and escaped.
Judging from the mana fluctuations, the Pope wasn't using a clone like Oudira Gondor; he truly cast his escape skill the second before being hit.
Li Rui scanned the arena, only seeing bewildered congregants, unable to find those whom he wanted to rescue, the ones involved in the assassination mission of the divine calculator.
His primary goal was to prevent Zuo Qiutian from connecting the Upper Realm, but rescuing was also necessary.
"Your Pope is a coward, don't listen to him."
Li Rui said this briefly and then vanished into a green light.
Logically, it's hard to persuade fanatics, but the current situation was bizarre; a mysterious person slapped away the Pope they followed.
Or rather, that person's demeanor was too composed from start to finish, while the Pope's disappearance seemed too flustered, inciting a bit of doubt in their hearts.
Li Rui transformed into green light, circling the World Tree, which appeared more menacing than before.
Finally, on the opposite side of the arena, he found a large formation and those captured colleagues.
It was clear this was the main event, as the arena only had the Pope, while here were at least a dozen world NPC-level presences.
Li Rui clapped his hands, and a vast fog suddenly rose.
Seeing the sudden change, the world NPCs constructing the formation below were somewhat surprised.
"Who is so bold?"
"Of course, it's the person Mr. Zuo mentioned."
"Strange, allowing him to come here?"
"The divine calculator said he is the only variable."
"Stop rambling, who can disperse this fog?"
The fog was merely ordinary fog flow control, which was nothing to the world NPCs.
Soon, as a rotating air current erupted from the center, the fog was blown away by a gust of wind.
But the sudden turn of events was that when everything around cleared up, they found the captured prisoners were gone.
Not vanished, they merely escaped, and even the silhouette of some slower-moving individuals was still clearly visible.
The issue was, these people were clearly poisoned by Zuo Qiutian's concoction, their powers completely sealed, how could soaking in the fog detoxify them?
A Western Regions man, whose face was almost concealed by a bushy beard, pursued the slowest escapee, but before nearing, a sudden figure intercepted him.
Slap!
The crisp sound sent the bearded man directly flying back into the formation.
Everyone was shocked as Li Rui arrived so suddenly and displayed such formidable power.
World NPCs naturally vary in strength, but that bearded man wasn't a mediocre fighter; even a world-class peak force like the Pope couldn't casually send him flying.
More terrifying was all present were seasoned battle experts who could see the golden-flashing figure had acted after but reached first.
He chased down the bearded one from afar and slapped him flying.
No matter their thoughts, reality wouldn't change.
Li Rui seized the moment of their daze, directly entering the enemy formation; a grand melee commenced.
Again, it was a group versus one person, with one having the advantage.
Whoosh!
Boom!
The combat was intense, though brief in duration.
Li Rui's figure traversed a towering fire wall, and the Yin Yang Umbrella pierced another enemy.
The top-tier extraordinaries and world NPCs finally felt fear.
In just a few minutes, half of those present had consecutively perished.
Seeing no one dared to step forward, Li Rui chose not to pursue further, instead frowning at the World Tree.
Whenever someone died, it seemed a dim soul returned to the trunk, merging within.
Further perplexing was why Zuo Qiutian still hadn't appeared; should he set another fire to force him out?
As he pondered, multiple distinct presences descended nearby.
Li Rui glanced around, finally spotting the familiar figure.
Zuo Qiutian donned real-world attire, wearing a loose, casual outfit with his hair coiled at the back.
Nevertheless, he exuded a refined and serene aura.
Especially now, even though Li Rui reached the tree and released those captured, this person still appeared unhurried.
"Kill him."
This time, Zuo Qiutian didn't exchange pleasantries or attempt persuasion, but directly commanded the newly arrived individuals.
The ones appearing now were no longer ordinary world NPCs, there was the escaped Polar Cathedral Pope, Oudira Gondor's main body having been shattered, and other peer-level experts.
Some hailed from the Secret Realm World's Western Regions and Snowfield peaks, none of them weaker than the Pope.
Rivers of blood, icy winds, pure energy spells danced together, all surged towards Li Rui.
It seemed that although the Pope fled miserably, he didn't leave without achievements; at least he warned others, telling them Li Rui's melee combat was formidable, even he couldn't withstand.
However, risking oneself might not yield the correct conclusion.
For Li Rui employed melee combat simply to catch opponents off-guard in a sweeping victory.
Now, with the main antagonists before him, he could unleash freely.
By casting the All Heaven Thunder Fire Spell, Li Rui drowned out all attacking spells, revealing his ultimate form.
The Thunder God's true form, simultaneous activation of Reverse Yin and Yang.
Instantly, dark clouds obscured the sun, and a violent gale brewed.
Merely transforming his stance made even the sky change, illustrating the difference between Upper Realm and Lower Realm.
Li Rui remained expressionless, holding the umbrella in one hand, pinching a seal with the other, releasing the Nine Heavens Extinction Spell once used as a trump card.
"Crash!"
Pitch-black lightning fell from the clouds, swallowing an unprepared victim with a swipe.
"Boom!!!!"
More thunderbolts began to descend.
The opposing world NPCs mostly renowned for ages, hardly recalling such despairing feelings.
The figure seemed like a descending deity; whatever methods they employed were crushed by sheer high-order power, rendering all spells ineffective.
Zuo Qiutian didn't personally advance.
He was never adept at combat, yet he wasn't idle behind, manipulating the blood rivers with magical artifacts, making them delve and intertwine mid-air like painting.
Engaging dozens simultaneously, Li Rui observed his movements; once distracted, a concealed expert slashed off his arm with sword qi.
Top-level combat couldn't afford any negligence.
Yet it was insignificant; Li Rui mastered true divine power, reversing Yin and Yang state, could utilize pure Power of Earth Mine, which instantly regrew the injured body.
He unleashed a thunderbolt, killing the covert attacker on the spot; looking back, Zuo Qiutian still deftly maneuvered the blood rivers, as if indifferent to the surroundings' happenings.