Rebuilding the Immortal Cultivator Clan Chapter 2186 - 1563: The Ruins

However, before long, Li Zhirui found himself facing retribution from those four individuals.

This was not a moment to dwell on past grievances; he needed to seize the chance to acquire as many treasures from these ruins as possible before a throng of cultivators arrived, thereby making his perilous journey worthwhile.

Consequently, Li Zhirui promptly dismissed the thought of those cultivators and proceeded to unleash his full strength, intent on breaching the ruins with greater haste.

Yet, events unfolded entirely contrary to his expectations!

For upon overcoming those puppets and finally penetrating the interior of the ruins, he discovered it was no simple ruin at all. Instead, it was segmented into multiple spatial layers, with the formidable guardians of the ruins progressively increasing in strength from weak to powerful.

This revelation indicated that the formation and puppets Li Zhirui had just vanquished constituted merely the introductory trial of the Earth Immortal level.

After successfully navigating this initial test, he was rewarded with three treasures, all of which were mid-grade Earth Immortal Spiritual Objects. One was a Bright Moon Pearl, adept at absorbing Taiyin Moonlight for cultivation and Alchemy, while also serving as a competent defensive artifact.

The other two Spiritual Objects comprised an Earth Magnetic Pole Extreme Stone and a Cold Mysterious Fire Fruit, both exceptionally precious artifacts.

"This is quite the predicament!"

Sensing that something was amiss, Li Zhirui harbored a desire to immediately retreat, even if it meant abandoning the three treasures he had acquired.

Regrettably, a high-grade Great Array obstructed his intention to depart.

He cautiously probed the array with a few attacks, ascertaining that even with the full exertion of his power, it would require a significant duration to potentially dismantle the formation and achieve escape.

The primary reason Li Zhirui sought to withdraw rather than press forward stemmed from his realization that these ruins were not straightforward; a complex web of forces lay concealed behind them.

It was not a simple trap, for were it so, his current strength would not leave him overly concerned for his safety, nor would he experience such profound apprehension. Instead, this was a selection process.

A selection pertaining to a grand legacy...

The entities responsible for orchestrating such an expansive and intricate ruin must possess unfathomable power.

It must be understood that the trial of the first stage demands Earth Immortal Cultivation; without it, one lacks even the basic qualification to enter.

Furthermore, the formation that meticulously enshrouds the entirety of these ruins presents a formidable challenge even to Li Zhirui, a cultivator of the Mystic Immortal realm.

Such a powerful entity, at its most diminished, would command Mystic Immortal Cultivators and potentially even Golden Immortal Cultivators.

Despite possessing such formidable might, they have apparently perished, leaving behind only these ruins to preserve a fragment of their legacy. The extent of the entanglements and karmic repercussions behind this remains shrouded in mystery.

As a creature from an Outer Realm, he naturally wished to avoid any involvement.

However, due to the appearance of other cultivators, he failed to observe his surroundings with sufficient care and, in his haste to procure Spiritual Objects from the ruins, inadvertently trapped himself within.

With no other recourse, Li Zhirui resigned himself to accepting the Spiritual Objects and preparing to advance further.

Since withdrawal was no longer an option, he resolved to explore diligently and uncover the truth behind these mysterious ruins.

His objective was not to inherit this legacy, as accepting the legacy would inevitably entail accepting its associated karma. He steadfastly desired to remain uninvolved with such entanglements.

The current dilemma lies in the difficulty of breaking through the formation to exit the ruins. Thus, he could only adjust his mindset and proceed towards the second layer of the ruins, harboring the hope of discovering an alternative means of egress.

The moment Li Zhirui entered the subsequent layer of the ruins, a surge of power abruptly manifested in the first layer, akin to an unseen colossal hand, meticulously restoring all arrangements to their initial configuration.

Not long after his departure, another contingent of Human Immortal Cultivators arrived at the location, discovering the handful of cultivators who had preceded them.

They employed various methods of attack, yet managed to create only faint ripples upon the Defensive Array. At this rate, predicting when the array might be breached was anyone's guess.

"Esteemed sirs and madams."

Among the cultivators who arrived subsequently, an individual could not refrain from remarking with palpable mockery, "If you are incapable of breaching even this defensive array, I would humbly advise you to return whence you came. These ruins are clearly destined to remain beyond your grasp."

"Hmph!"

"By what measure are you superior to us? If we cannot breach it, do you truly believe you possess the capability?"

Fortunately, a sense of reason prevailed amongst everyone present, as they understood their limited time. A substantial number of cultivators were expected to arrive imminently.

Therefore, they engaged only in a brief exchange of chilly barbs, refraining from direct confrontation. Instead, they established a tacit cooperation, jointly striking at the formation, their collective aim being to first neutralize this obstacle before subsequently contending for the treasures housed within the ruins.

While the strategy was sound, their collective strength, alas, proved insufficient, rendering them incapable of breaching the formation within a short timeframe.