Chapter 587: Disgust, Grievance, Embarrassment, and a Shocking Revelation |
"Miss, you are..."
"My name is Li Longyu, stop droning on and hurry up, follow me!"
From Li Longyu's tone, Li Baobao sensed a hint of impatience, which left her utterly baffled. However, since the other party had just saved her, and the situation was critical, she didn't dwell on it. She quickly hid behind Li Longyu.
Whoosh....
The flames unleashed by the Demon General Crimson Flame were overwhelmingly powerful, yet Li Longyu didn't even glance at them. With just a light flick of her hand, she sent out a streak of cyan light, completely blocking the attack.
After blocking it, she wasted no time on words. She shot a look at Crimson Flame, grabbed Li Baobao's hand, and swiftly flew towards the core area of White Bone Mountain.
"Stronger than Father Uncle, and so young..."
That move of Li Longyu's to block the flames seemed effortless, but the brief appearance of a hundred-zhang golden body phantom behind her, along with the explosive surge of aura around her, still indicated that blocking that attack wasn't exactly easy for her either.
However, the one with the strongest reaction at this moment was Li Baobao!
That's right. Wei Bo had long collected a great deal of intelligence on Great Xia. Among it, information about the Lord of Great Xia, Xia Hong, and his wife Li Xuanling's talent had caused quite a stir within the Wei Bo Mufu.
Cross-referencing information sent back by multiple spies from the Southern Foothills led to the conclusion: Xia Hong, at most, is only 34 years old this year. His wife, Li Xuanling, is just a few months younger than him.
From multiple sources, although Xia Hong can control Beast Emperor-level puppets and his displayed peak strength is comparable to a Second Transformation of the Tribulation Body Realm expert, his actual cultivation is only at the middle stage of Sun Manifestation.
A 34-year-old at the middle stage of Sun Manifestation is undoubtedly top-tier within the Four Feudatories. Considering that Xia Hong's peak strength rivals the Second Transformation of the Tribulation Body Realm, this talent can absolutely be called once-in-a-century.
But in Li Baobao's view, this at most proves that Xia Hong's talent is likely on the same level as hers. After all, she, at 39, has cultivation at the peak stage of Sun Manifestation and also boasts the impressive feat of defeating a Tribulation Body Realm expert while being at a lower realm.
As is well known, the cultivation cycles for Sun Manifestation and even the subsequent Tribulation Body Realm are extremely long. Whether Xia Hong can maintain his subsequent cultivation speed is still a question. Furthermore, his method of controlling the Beast Emperor and whether his Second Transformation of the Tribulation Body Realm strength is inflated are also uncertain.
Therefore, when Li Baobao first heard of Xia Hong's talent, she at most felt a slight interest and didn't take it too seriously.
But now, looking at this young woman before her who calls herself Li Longyu, thinking of the hundred-zhang golden body she briefly revealed earlier and that aura no weaker than her Father Uncle Li Gangfeng, a truly monstrous wave of shock surged within her heart.
Father Uncle Li Gangfeng is at the peak of the Fourth Transformation of the Tribulation Body Realm, just one step away from breaking through to the Fifth Transformation. Li Longyu's aura is even stronger than his. What does this mean?
This white-clothed young girl before her, who looks about the same age as herself, is actually a Fifth Transformation of the Tribulation Body Realm expert!
Of course, for humans in the Ice Abyss, especially those with powerful cultivation, age can no longer be judged by appearance. But a rough estimate is still possible.
The lifespan limit for the Tribulation Body Realm is five hundred years. That Li Longyu can maintain this youthful physique and appearance means her true age, at maximum, would not exceed one hundred and fifty, possibly even younger.
Even if she truly is one hundred and fifty years old, a one-hundred-and-fifty-year-old Fifth Transformation of the Tribulation Body Realm expert would be enough to shake the entire Four Feudatories.
The Lords of the Four Feudatories are all at the Seventh Transformation of the Tribulation Body Realm, and their average age is approaching seven hundred.
Father Uncle Li Gangfeng himself is 48 this year, with cultivation at the Fourth Transformation of the Tribulation Body Realm. It seems like there's only a two-level gap from the Seventh Transformation, but that chasm is something many Tribulation Body Realm cultivators may never cross in their entire lives.
In the Tribulation Body Realm, each transformation is a world apart. The difficulty of breaking through each transformation is dozens, even hundreds, of times greater than the previous one.
Among the Lords of the Four Feudatories, the one universally acknowledged to have the best talent is Father Uncle Li Gangfeng. Yet, even Li Gangfeng remained stuck at the Third Transformation of the Tribulation Body Realm for nearly a hundred years and only managed to break through after gaining some opportunities.
Not to mention, Li Gangfeng has now been stuck at the peak of the Fourth Transformation of the Tribulation Body Realm for over a hundred years, still a step away from the Fifth Transformation.
A one-hundred-and-something-year-old Fourth Transformation of the Tribulation Body Realm...
Countless thoughts swirled in Li Baobao's mind as she began to constantly ponder the origins of this white-clothed young girl and the other party's motive for risking herself to save her.
Unfortunately, no matter how much she thought about it, it was destined to be futile.
"Stop spacing out, the pursuers are almost here!"
For some reason, Li Baobao felt a surge of grievance. From her appearance until now, Li Longyu had only spoken to her three times. The first sentence when saving her was relatively normal. But the second sentence afterward began to sound a bit impatient. She initially thought she might have misread it, until this third sentence now. The girl's tone when speaking wasn't just impatient; even her expression carried a thick sense of disgust, making Li Baobao truly certain.
This Li Longyu seems to really dislike her!
If she dislikes her, why take such a huge risk to save her?
The key is, the two of them have never met before. What reason is there to dislike her?
These two confusions were secondary. What Li Baobao felt most frustrated about at this moment was that she actually felt a strong surge of grievance because of the disgust this girl showed towards her.
She, Li Baobao, the proud daughter of Wei Bo, a descendant of the Lord's lineage, the designated next Lord of the Feudal Town, actually felt grievance because of this girl's dislike?
"Maybe my golden body injuries are too severe, and my mind is muddled..."
Li Baobao silently cursed herself. Watching the girl skillfully lead her forward, she suppressed the emotions in her heart and continued to follow.
She wasn't some stubborn, pedantic person. Although she didn't know why Li Longyu disliked her so much, the other party had, after all, saved her, and right now, her survival depended on the other. Naturally, she wouldn't go and provoke trouble.
A pursuing army of thousands of wandering spirits, plus the Demon General Crimson Flame, chased them relentlessly. Even though both possessed Tribulation Body Realm strength, they were chased into a sorry state, forced to flee blindly like headless flies within White Bone Mountain.
"Miss Li, why aren't we running west out of the White Bone Mountain area? We've been circling around the mountain peak the whole time. Didn't you just mention there's also a Madam Jade and six other Demon Generals?"
After running for several hours, finally able to stop and catch their breath, Li Baobao could no longer suppress the confusion in her heart and took the initiative to ask Li Longyu.
During the escape, Li Longyu had been leading the way. She noticed that every time they were about to run out of the White Bone Mountain area, Li Longyu would suddenly change direction, effectively causing them to always circle around the mountain peak. She could tell Li Longyu was doing this deliberately, so she wanted to ask for the reason.
Li Longyu's attitude of disgust towards her hadn't changed; she even seemed somewhat unwilling to acknowledge her. After more than ten breaths, she finally turned her head to look at her and answered with a cold laugh, "West of White Bone Mountain is the Sea of Ten Thousand Bloods; that's the true body of the Blood Pool Patriarch. South is Soul-Severing Cliff; below lives an Ancient Demon named Qing Yazi, who is even more formidable than the Blood Pool Patriarch. North is the Sea of Sinful Dragons; the Blood River Dragon King, father of Crimson Abyss, is waiting there. If you want to seek death, then run out of White Bone Mountain towards those three directions..."
At this point, Li Longyu paused, then added, "By the way, Crimson Abyss is the blood-colored fiend dragon you saw sleeping in the Panlong Palace at Red Dragon Lake. Celestial Phenomenon Realm strength, a Venerable-level ferocious beast."
That fiend dragon is called Crimson...
Li Baobao had already ignored the unfriendly tone in Li Longyu's voice. The general situation of the fiend dragon in Red Dragon Lake was already known to Wei Bo. The Mufu had also deduced that the fiend dragon's strength was likely at the Celestial Phenomenon Realm, so she wasn't surprised now.
But hearing Li Longyu describe the situation of the areas surrounding White Bone Mountain in such detail, her mind immediately stirred, and she continued to ask, "Miss, you seem very familiar with this world? Could you enlighten me?"
Li Longyu stiffened slightly, turned to look at Li Baobao, as if some emotion was about to erupt. But for some reason, she held it back. In the end, she still patiently explained matters of the Dark Realm.
The Dark Realm, soul-body lifeforms, the three realms with the highest beings... As Li Longyu continuously described, Li Baobao finally realized she had arrived in another world. While having a sudden realization, a slight panic also arose in her heart.
"It's also a matter of fate. With your talent, if you hadn't come here, relying on the spirit forms of those Abominations in the Ice Abyss, even if you lived to the end of your lifespan, at most you'd reach the Fifth Transformation of the Tribulation Body Realm. But as long as you stay here for a while, letting your golden body absorb enough spirit forms, the Revered Form Realm..."
Li Baobao's mind was currently in a daze. Hearing these words, she couldn't muster any happy emotions at all. Only after Li Longyu finished speaking did she suddenly remember: since the other party was so familiar with the Dark Realm, she must surely know how to return to the Ice Abyss. So she hurriedly inquired, "May I ask, Miss Li, how can one leave this place and return to the Ice Abyss?"
Li Longyu frowned, looked back at the approaching army of wandering spirits, and shook her head, "I have my own method to leave, but I can't bring you along. Moreover, saving you was just incidental. I didn't come here for you. Let's keep running!"
Her Thirteen Capital Heavenly Fiend Beads have a dimension-breaking function. As long as they absorb enough spirit-form soul bodies, they can be used. The problem is, they can only be used by herself alone. Bringing her birth mother... Li Baobao along wouldn't work.
Li Longyu turned her head again, looking at this mother before her who only gave her biological life but not a single day of upbringing or companionship. She truly couldn't muster a shred of fondness. Thinking of how, in the end, because of Wei Bo's destruction, the other party didn't hesitate to sacrifice herself, leaving her own mother with a tarnished reputation and making her father feel guilty, filled her with even more disgust.
It's just a pity, the future could no longer be changed. She had already understood this the moment she saw Xiahou Xuan. So now, she also had no thoughts of changing the future.
"First, use the Xia King Cauldron to find Father. I remember there's a spatial rift in White Bone Cave that can allow him and Li Baobao to return to the Ice Abyss together. However, we need to deal with these pursuers behind us first..."
Li Longyu took a slight breath, looked at the pursuing Demon General Crimson Flame and the vast army of wandering spirits behind, her eyes slightly focused. Her left hand held empty, and tribulation qi within her body suddenly erupted.
Five-colored spiritual light abruptly began to rapidly spin in her palm until it twisted, bursting out with extremely intense radiance. As the light dissipated, a small, exquisite, and ancient-looking bronze-colored four-legged cauldron was seen hovering within.
"Five-Element tribulation qi, so it really is Fifth Transformation of the Tribulation Body cultivation. What treasure is this small cauldron? Is she going to use it to deal with these wandering spirit soldiers..."
Beside her, Li Baobao looked at the Five-Element tribulation qi in Li Longyu's palm and couldn't help but sigh again. Then her gaze was immediately drawn to the small cauldron.
Boom........
The small cauldron originally had a small flame burning inside. The moment it appeared in her palm, as if sensing the army of wandering spirits rapidly approaching from the east, the small flame inside violently surged upward.
"Command!"
Li Longyu shouted sharply, raised her left hand, and the small flame inside the cauldron instantly shot skyward, coalescing into a fiery dragon that bared its fangs and fiercely pounced towards the army of wandering spirits charging from the east.
....
The fiery dragon rushed head-on, devastating the front rows, incinerating the first hundred or so wandering spirit soldiers in a single encounter.
"Ah......."
The armor on those wandering spirit soldiers melted away instantly upon contact with the flames. The flesh beneath the armor fared even worse, instantly burning with thick smoke, turning into streaks of spiritual light that first hovered in mid-air before rapidly rushing into the small cauldron in Li Longyu's hand, clearly being absorbed.
Screams immediately erupted from within the army of wandering spirits. The previously arrogant soldiers were also scared stiff, standing frozen in place. Even the Demon General Crimson Flame chasing from above had a flicker of fear rise in his pupils, and his movements noticeably slowed.
"Father is in Misty Marsh Forest."
But Li Longyu paid no attention to this. The moment she summoned the Xia King Cauldron, she sensed something and looked towards Misty Marsh Forest to the east.
"I was foolish. The blood pool in Panlong Palace was tampered with by the Blood Pool Patriarch. Father came over following Li Baobao; they must have arrived at the same place. I actually didn't search in Misty Marsh Forest and came directly to White Bone Mountain!"
Li Longyu suddenly realized, knowing Xia Hong's location. She wasted no more time, turned her head, grabbed Li Baobao, and swiftly sped towards the east.
"Let's go!"
"Miss, you definitely know how to leave the Dark Realm. I have important matters in Wei Bo and can't stay here too long. I beg you, Miss, to show me a clear path..."
Li Baobao was still anxious to return. Li Longyu's strength aside, the power displayed by the small cauldron in her hand was even more extraordinary. The key was, the other party hadn't shown any sign of worry from start to finish. She was also at her wit's end, asking while running about the method to leave the Dark Realm.
Since the other party could save her, surely she wouldn't just stand by and watch her trapped here.
Li Baobao was like a patient desperately seeking any cure. Her prolonged absence would definitely cause chaos for Father Uncle and the Wei Bo Mufu. So, in her urgency, she spoke up to ask.
She just forgot that Li Longyu had never had a good attitude towards her. Right now was a critical moment of escape. Moreover, Li Longyu was single-mindedly anxious to go save her father, Xia Hong. Hearing Li Baobao still chattering on, she directly snapped angrily:
"Wei Bo, Wei Bo, all you know is worrying about Wei Bo! 'Can't stay too long'? The time flow rate in the Dark Realm is different from the Ice Abyss. One day here equals one year in the Ice Abyss. Calculate how long you've been here; nearly eight or nine months have already passed in the Ice Abyss..."
Upon hearing this, Li Baobao's expression froze abruptly. The shock in her heart was so great she almost forgot she was currently fleeing for her life.
One day in the Dark Realm equals one year in the Ice Abyss?
One hour here is one month there. Her golden body wasn't damaged like Xia Hong's, and she hadn't been affected by those spirit entities in Misty Marsh Forest earlier, so her mind had remained clear the whole time. Therefore, she had always kept track of time.
She had indeed been here for almost eight hours. So, if what Li Longyu said was true, then nearly eight or nine months would have already passed in the Ice Abyss.
"This... how is this possible?"