Chapter 2187: Chapter 1563: The Ruins (Part 2)

They realized the uniqueness of the ruins, but only a handful of cultivators knew the true identity of the ruins.

Because inheritance-type ruins are extremely rare and uncommon! Cultivators from ordinary backgrounds might not have even heard of them, let alone know what they look like.

Thus, those cultivators who knew the truth about the ruins, amidst shock and ecstasy, immediately activated their communication talismans, hoping to inform their own forces and summon elders of higher realms and stronger power to seize the inheritance within the ruins.

Unfortunately, the great array of the ruins thwarted their attempts to send messages, leaving their plans in vain.

Meanwhile, other cultivators fought fiercely over the three spiritual objects, battling intensely.

Soon, casualties appeared.

Only a few cultivators avoided the crowd and began to explore the periphery, uncertain of what they were searching for.

At the same time, they were aware of their own strength and chose not to pass through the portal into the next trial.

Because they knew inheritance ruins didn’t guarantee safety; on the contrary, they were often even more dangerous.

Until the first Heavenly Immortal cultivator arrived!

"Master Liu!"

When certain cultivators in the ruins recognized the newcomer, their eyes lit up, and they hurriedly shouted, "Uncle-Master, don’t enter yet! Quickly inform the sect that this place is an inheritance ruin!"

Even though many cultivators heard this, they still looked bewildered.

Of course, just from the words, they could guess the meaning, but hearing it for the first time, it felt novel to them.

"Inheritance ruins?"

One must know that any force capable of setting up inheritance ruins must at least have a Profound Immortal in residence!

The eyes of the Heavenly Immortal suddenly filled with ecstatic emotions; this news was indeed a tremendous opportunity for their Heavenly Immortal Sect.

But quickly, he realized that for the sect, this was not only an opportunity but also a crisis!

Because now, the ruins were virtually known to everyone, making it impossible to blockade the information. Surely more and more cultivators would flock here, potentially bringing even more formidable forces.

If the inheritance had already been acquired by them, would those forces just let it go? Impossible!

But to ask him to abandon these ruins now, he was neither willing nor content.

"Forget it. I should pass the message to the sect and let them devise a plan."

With a sigh, a spirit light flew from his palm and quickly disappeared.

Afterward, the Heavenly Immortal formally entered the ruins.

For him, a formation that required hundreds of cultivators to break was shattered in moments in his hands.

Simultaneously, several puppet guardians appeared before him.

They too were easily defeated, and he acquired three Earth Immortal rank spiritual objects as a passage to the next level appeared.

"Uncle-Master, how can we leave the ruins? Will there be any danger?"

"Don’t worry, this ruin doesn’t seem to be set up by the Demonic Tao. Unless you die in the trials, there shouldn’t be any other danger, and after some time, if you haven’t entered the next trial, you’ll be directly expelled, so just wait patiently."

Having said that, he stepped over the portal without hesitation and instantly vanished from everyone’s sight.

...

Elsewhere.

When Li Zhirui entered the second level of the trial, there was no formation before him, only a dozen or so puppets with power rivalling that of early-stage Heavenly Immortal cultivators.

The layout of inheritance ruins was obviously not so rough, only that strength was crucial for the rise and expansion of a force, leading to frequent tests of power.

He swiftly dealt with the puppets, all in less than a quarter of an hour.

Then three Heavenly Immortal rank spiritual objects appeared in front of Li Zhirui. He merely glanced at them before putting them away.

He was no longer interested in these ’low-level’ spiritual objects and just wanted to leave the ruins as soon as possible.

Thus, he promptly entered the third trial.

This time, besides puppets testing personal strength, there was another test.

Moreover, the pattern had changed; instead of early-stage Profound Immortal puppets, there were late-stage Heavenly Immortal ones.

The additional test was a formation designed to assess one’s mental state.

The late-stage Heavenly Immortal puppets posed little pressure to Li Zhirui and were all defeated in half a quarter of an hour, slightly longer than before.

But regarding the formation for testing mental state, he hesitated.

He was unwilling to expose his spiritual soul and mental state to an unknown formation; after all, no one knew if there might be any issues.

If there were indeed problems, wouldn’t he be in trouble?

Li Zhirui could understand, but understanding was different from personally doing it; he was still unwilling.

Was there another way to pass the third trial?

He considered taking an alternative approach, and if that didn’t work, he would just leave the ruins, which suited him fine.

But could he really leave so easily?

After resolving the puppets, a long time passed, and Li Zhirui remained stuck at the issue of testing his mental state with the formation, unwilling to take the test.

Yet, despite the time elapsed, the secret realm hadn’t expelled him.

Just when Li Zhirui planned to keep waiting, a portal suddenly appeared, from which several Heavenly Immortal cultivators emerged.

"Hmm? Someone’s already here?"

They had thought their speed was already fast enough, but unexpectedly, someone had reached the third trial before them.

Luckily, it seemed like something was blocking him from passing the trial, giving them a chance to surpass him.

Yet soon, a problem arose!

Those Heavenly Immortal realm puppets, insignificant to the Profound Immortal-level Li Zhirui, were still somewhat troublesome for them.

Even cooperating, they couldn’t subdue all the puppets quickly.

Li Zhirui watched coldly as the last puppet fell, then those Heavenly Immortals approached the formation testing mental state, understanding the entirety of the trial.

Now, they understood why he was standing there alone.

The importance of the spiritual soul could not be overstated, and putting it into such an uncertain formation was a gamble!

If they lost, or something else was triggered, what if there was a problem with their spiritual soul?

Thus, the best plan was to avoid the trial altogether.

But not every cultivator, like Li Zhirui, wanted to leave quickly and not continue participating.

In the end, some attempted to enter their spiritual soul into the formation.

Outsiders didn’t know what they experienced, but so much time passed that people thought they had failed.

Ultimately, everyone’s spiritual soul returned safe to their bodies, as if their previous worries were imagined, with the reality being simple and safe.

Those Heavenly Immortal cultivators undoubtedly wouldn’t persuade Li Zhirui to take the trial. After all, if he succeeded, he would become a competitor.

Thus, without a word, they proceeded to the portal, heading for the next trial layer.

Li Zhirui remained unmoved, determined to wait for the ruins to expel him.

During his wait, many Heavenly Immortals came in succession, and each successfully completing their trial left safely, continuously proving the formation’s safety and lack of hidden dangers.

Yet he stayed put, with no intention of advancing to the next level.

Beyond distrust of the formation, there was another reason: advancing further would require revealing his true cultivation and strength, and Li Zhirui wanted to keep his identity concealed.

Eventually, a Mystic Immortal cultivator arrived!

This person paid him little mind, swiftly passing the trial and entering the fourth level of the ruins.

"It’s been so long, and I still can’t leave?"

Shortly after he raised the question, an expulsion force erupted, finally driving him out.