Li Rui fought his way to Zuo Qiutian.
He fought until those steadfast believers in the Hidden Sect were trembling with fear, finally allowing him to get close.
At this moment, the array drawn with a river of blood floated in the air, seemingly more than half completed.
Li Rui held the Vajra Umbrella, and blood pearls dripped down along the umbrella ribs, seemingly drawn by some force, merging into one of the many streams beneath the World Tree.
He locked his gaze on Zuo Qiutian, ready to strike if the man dared to move.
The situation had changed; Li Rui no longer needed to risk his life to eliminate a doppelganger, or rely on the terrain to barely survive.
He could kill Zuo Qiutian at any time, at least once.
As for how many other survival tactics this cunning scholar had, that would just have to be handled one step at a time.
At any rate, Li Rui now controlled the field and was the strongest. He had the right to act this way.
Zuo Qiutian, with his back to him, continued to outline the array while saying, "Why don't you attack?"
"I have something to ask you."
Li Rui waved his hand, and a wall of mist rose, isolating the two from the others outside.
This wasn't ordinary mist, but black fog reversed by the spells of the Exorcism Institute, just like the darkness on Ghost Cry Ridge that blocked the sky.
"You want to ask my purpose?"
Zuo Qiutian finally turned around, "You're running out of time, aren't you?"
"...."
Li Rui didn't answer; he saw a layer of ice forming in the air, eventually becoming a mirror.
"Hehehe, you two chat, I'm just listening." Oudira Gondor's figure appeared in the mirror, looking as if he were indoors somewhere.
He hadn't participated deeply in the previous battle either, seemingly just there for the spectacle, and Li Rui hadn't noticed when he'd left the battlefield.
Zuo Qiutian glanced at him and said, "Why are you here? Weren't you supposed to protect the Diviner?"
"Some things you just have to see for yourself." Oudira, a Western Regions man, clearly didn't consider Zuo Qiutian as one of the leaders like others did.
Li Rui ignored him and simply said to Zuo Qiutian, "You seem very confident about the current situation."
"You don't need to test me; you're running out of time, right?" Zuo Qiutian said lightly.
He still showed a flaw.
After Li Rui summoned the black fog, he ended the transformation of the Thunder God's true form, and now the countdown had stopped.
But Zuo Qiutian clearly didn't know that, indicating he only roughly knew that collecting the Five Thunders would lead to ascension.
Li Rui smiled slightly, "Alright, before your purpose, I want to ask one question: do you have two friends who once went to the Upper Realm?"
Zuo Qiutian murmured, "You're one of their... Indeed, I didn't know before, but since you've even gotten the Celestial Thunder, not realizing it would make me a fool."
Li Rui said solemnly, "What's your relationship with them? Are you together?"
Zuo Qiutian sighed softly, "Logically, I don't need to answer you."
He stomped the ground, and two stone platforms ten meters apart rose.
"Let's sit and talk, since you're not in a hurry."
Li Rui complied and sat down.
Although he now wielded invincible power, he vaguely felt something was amiss.
From what he knew, Zuo Qiutian was a dangerous man once he gained the upper hand.
But now Li Rui had a weakness, and he found it hard not to learn what his parents did years ago, and what this man before him intended to do.
He even began to suspect that this man named Zuo was stalling for time, but this open scheme had to be taken.
"Haha, when we first met in that grove, I never imagined this day would come." Zuo Qiutian laughed.
"You seem very pleased?" Li Rui's tone was sharp.
"Naturally,"
Zuo Qiutian said, "But let's get to the point. Your parents were people of great destiny, so they could become the most powerful beings in this world. As for us, we can't rely solely on destiny.
"That is to say, the power of people from outside the heavens is not obtained through cultivation. This is the biggest difference between the two realms."
"Do you know the reason for our upgrading?" Li Rui asked.
Zuo Qiutian said, "Of course, what system do you think it is? I've killed at least eighty, if not a hundred, of those otherworldly beings. Do you think I know nothing? But have you ever thought about what that so-called Secret Realm system is?"
Li Rui shook his head.
"That is the Heavenly Dao."
Zuo Qiutian said, "Since you've met Doumu Primordial Monarch, you should know that the Upper Realm and the Heavenly Dao are not the same."
Li Rui nodded, indicating for him to continue.
"The Heavenly Dao is the root of all things. People like me must toil, suffer, and endure countless hardships and spend endless effort to cultivate and comprehend the Dao. This is the rule of the Heavenly Dao."
"While you merely need to spend a few days or even hours to achieve enhancement. How could this be possible if the Heavenly Dao did not permit it?"
Li Rui said, "Is our Heavenly Dao the same Heavenly Dao?"
"Naturally,"
Zuo Qiutian said, "Surely, by now, you don't still think that the so-called Secret Realm World is a fake world?"
"Of course not."
Zuo Qiutian said, "That's good. Whether it's this realm, the realm I came from, or the Upper Realm of Immortal Gods, essentially, there's not much difference."
"But why does the Heavenly Dao set it this way?"
Li Rui asked, "Why does it let us go to your world and then enhance us?"
Zuo Qiutian gestured for him to calm down and continued, "This so-called Secret Realm game of yours is an abnormal rule because the normal rule has been tampered with."
"In ancient times, mortals cultivated by refining the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi for their use. This was the same in the eras when divine beasts, auspicious beasts, and fierce beasts still existed."
"But later, those who attained the Dao believed that their lives were long and mana boundless, disdainfully leaving mortals to reside in the Upper Realm."
"Thereafter, anyone who cultivated to the peak of the mortal world could ascend to the Upper Realm, essentially being accepted by those who had attained the Dao."
Li Rui sighed, "I see, the Upper Realm and Lower Realm were originally united, merely separated artificially."
"Later,"
Zuo Qiutian said, "those so-called Immortal Gods of the Upper Realm continued to let people of the Lower Realm cultivate and then compete with each other."
"They built a passageway where the souls of the deceased could return to the Upper Realm, bringing their cultivated power with the soul to the Upper Realm."
"Thus, the Spiritual Power in the Upper Realm became abundant, and people of the Upper Realm could easily cultivate Divine Power, extending their lifespans."
"Wait."
Li Rui interrupted, "The Divine Dao you mentioned, wouldn't that be Fengdu?"
"Indeed, it is the Divine Dao of the middle gate of Fengdu. If not someone from the Upper Realm, no one can see what is different about it."