Li Rui still didn't understand.
"But Master Bo Yuan said that Fengdu was established by members sent by the Exorcism Institute, so how could the Divine Dao have existed long ago?"
Zuo Qiutian said, "There is a reason why the Exorcism Institute was located in Fengdu. However, when they descended to the Lower Realm, their perception gradually dulled. I suspect they might not have known the place's divine nature and merely settled there coincidentally, drawn by their duty."
"I forgot to mention, there's a furnace in the Thunder Division's Exorcism Institute that releases the true force contained within the souls of the Lower Realm."
Li Rui frowned silently, thinking for a while before asking again:
"So, what your Hidden Sect wants to do is connect the Upper and Lower Realm, preventing them from reaping the benefits?"
Zuo Qiutian hesitated, seemingly at a loss for words for a moment.
Li Rui refuted, "No, even without cultivation, won't the Lower Realm fight back? Even if you destroy the entire Upper Realm, ordinary people cultivating will still compete."
Zuo Qiutian chuckled lightly, "Who said all I want is to connect the two realms? I said the first time we met, the issue lies with the Heavenly Dao."
"The greatest rule is problematic; to quell all disputes in the world, the Heavenly Dao must be changed."
"Connecting to the Upper Realm is merely to infiltrate the Heavenly Dao from the Pillar of Heaven."
"....."
Li Rui squinted his eyes, "It's not that I'm looking down on anyone, but Brother Zuo, your strength struggles to dominate in the Lower Realm. Even if you were to go to the Upper Realm, who knows how long you'd survive, yet you talk about infiltrating the Heavenly Dao?"
"Pfft!"
Oudira couldn't hold back.
"Hahaha, that's hilarious, Mr. Zuo, this kid is indeed interesting."
He poked his head out of the mirror, "Don't forget about your parents."
Li Rui was momentarily stunned, not expecting to circle back to this issue.
He asked Zuo Qiutian, "Are they still alive? Would having them allow an infiltration of the Heavenly Dao?"
Zuo Qiutian shook his head, "I don't know. After they went to the Upper Realm, contact was lost."
Oudira squinted his eyes, peering from the mirror, saying nothing.
Li Rui stared into Zuo Qiutian's eyes, trying to discern whether he truly didn't know or was evading.
But he saw nothing.
"Then we're back to the beginning. You haven't said why the Heavenly Dao wants us to cross into your world."
Zuo Qiutian laughed, "I said the original rules of the Heavenly Dao are problematic. Lower Realm Spiritual Qi gathers in the Upper Realm, the power of Immortals and Gods expands ever more. What might they do to obtain even more?"
"...Covet the source of Heavenly Dao?"
"Indeed."
Zuo Qiutian said, "The Heavenly Pillar has issues, and the Heavenly Dao is in peril."
Li Rui suddenly furrowed his brow, "No, you haven't been to the Upper Realm, yet you said contact with my parents was lost after they went there. How do you know the Heavenly Pillar has a problem?!"
Crack, crack, crack.
At this moment, Oudira Gondor's mirror shattered, turning into a pile of ice chunks on the ground.
Zuo Qiutian stood up from the stone platform, leaning against the diagram drawn earlier.
"We'll take the time soon. If you want to understand the truth, you can wait until I connect the Upper Realm and see for yourself."
Bang!
Li Rui transformed into the true form of Thunder God, slapping him into a blood splatter. But soon, a new Zuo Qiutian emerged from the blood river behind.
He dispelled the black mist, trying to rush forward for a pursuit, but suddenly the array floating on the blood river burst into radiant light.
Rip!
The space above was torn open with a crack dozens of meters wide, its height unknown.
Next, thousands of troops surged forth, countless Ghost Spirits, giants, and people in various robes poured out.
Li Rui had seen similar scenes before and knew they were those missing in Fengdu.
The Nether Emperor led countless subordinates into the mortal world.
Soon, Li Rui realized, there were many Secret Realm World people among them, like Yuan Qing from Jingyang Academy.
He felt even heavier.
The previous speculation was all wrong; Zuo Qiutian collected this blood river not to nourish the World Tree, but merely to open this gate capable of passing millions of troops.
But if so, in order to penetrate the Heavenly Dao, Zuo Qiutian surely had other tricks that might cause unknown destruction.
A madman with ideals is scarier than a pure villain.
Facing the overwhelming army, Li Rui could no longer rely on his physical body for battle. He formed a seal with one hand, intending to cast the Nine Heavens Extinction Spell.
Yet even so, now the transformation time into Thunder God's true form only had half an hour left. He doubted whether he could resolve the issue before time ran out.
As he schemed in his mind, he suddenly saw the rear of the invading Fengdu army turn chaotic.
Swish, swish, swish.
Several golden lights rushed forward from behind.
Li Rui was overjoyed.
It was the Taoists from Shenxiao Palace.
Swish.
Master Bo Yuan appeared beside him.
"Young friend Li, we secretly sent men of ambition into the Fengdu ranks, discerned their movements, and joined the battle as a group. Today, we must not let the Hidden Sect succeed."
Aside from Shenxiao Palace, the righteous path of the Secret Realm World also emerged from the gate, catching them off guard.
Li Rui cupped his fists, "Master's plan indeed worked."
Simultaneously, more good news arrived.
Song Yao's group, imprisoned earlier, regained their strength, joining the battle from another direction.
Then a large number of Extraordinary from various countries also surrounded the Holy Judgment High Court, to be accurate, the terrifying giant tree.
This place, which had just been relatively calm, suddenly turned chaotic, filled with the sounds of burning, explosions, and fighting.
Li Rui looked around, attempting to see what Zuo Qiutian was doing now, but suddenly realized the person who brought this chaos had disappeared.
Of course, Zuo Qiutian was undoubtedly not fleeing out of fear.
Boom!
At this moment, Zhuo Feilong descended from the sky, landing beside Li Rui.
"You find Zuo Qiutian first. We'll hold off the intruders."
Li Rui nodded, "Then I'm off!"
Swish.
Li Rui immediately fled toward the Holy Mountain.
He realized Oudira Gondor had been protecting the Godly Calculation all along and hadn't emerged, so they were most likely in the same place now.
Li Rui moved swiftly, encountering occasional blind blockers whom he swiftly obliterated.
Proven is the fact that most people have an accurate sense of reality. Seeing renowned strong people being defeated one after another, others dared not intercept any longer.
Thus, Li Rui continued his pursuit, catching several guards from the Holy Judgment High Court for interrogation, finally acquiring the location of the Godly Calculation, and flew toward halfway up the Holy Mountain.
But this time, he didn't reach smoothly, as several mirrors blocked his way.
Oudira Gondor emerged once again to cause trouble.
He hid behind the mirror and said sinisterly, "Hey, boy, you're going to kill Zuo Qiutian, right? I also want to, but before the sky is opened, I can't let you do that. He is still useful to me."