Chapter 402: Chapter 225 First Action! Another Divine General!_2

Mo Qingyan, clad in white, was sitting cross-legged on the central cushion, her entire being emanating an air of otherworldly detachment.

Lu Li stood quietly in the clearing, his expression respectful as he clasped his hands in greeting.

“May I know the reason for my summoning, Venerable Ancestor?”

“Do you still remember the matter I mentioned to you last time?” breathed Mo Qingyan, as light and ethereal as a trailing orchid.

“Could it be that a new minor world has emerged, where the younger generation is to compete for the World Core?” Lu Li’s eyes flickered with anticipation.

Ancestor Mo summoning him alone surely wasn’t just for a simple catch-up; it had to be about this matter.

He had been looking forward to it ever since his own inner world expanded; his cultivation had been progressing exceedingly slowly, making him quite uncomfortable.

He also longed to experience the wondrous uses of the World Core.

“Indeed, besides you, there will be another person joining you,” Mo Qingyan said with a faint smile.

“For your first foray into competition, you just need to protect yourself and familiarize yourself with the specifics. Don’t push yourself too hard.”

In her eyes, as Lu Li had only been cultivating for a short period, it would be difficult for him to match those prodigies who had thousands of years of experience.

In the previous ventures into minor worlds, she had not set high expectations for Lu Li either; survival was enough.

“I understand,” Lu Li replied with a smile, nodding without offering any further explanation.

That was not so bad; since she did not pin her hopes on him, he supposed the other person must be the core force.

This meant he would have more room to maneuver.

“Return here in ten days, and I will take you on your journey,” Mo Qingyan spoke again.

“As the Venerable commands,” Lu Li said, nodding solemnly, and then left the side hall.

……

In the blink of an eye, ten days passed.

When Lu Li stepped into the side hall again, he saw that a red-robed woman had joined Mo Qingyan’s side.

The woman was tall and slender, with a lovely face. Her aura was formidable, like the vast expanse of the ocean.

Sensing a hint of threat, Lu Li was taken aback.

This was the most powerful Golden Core cultivator he had encountered in over a hundred years.

There was also a trace of precious light emanating from the woman, clearly indicating that she, too, was cultivating a Divine Body and had reached an incredibly advanced stage.

“It seems this woman is another of Ancestor Mo’s Divine Generals,” he thought to himself.

Surely the mission would be led by her.

“You must be Junior Brother Lu Li. I am Zhao Sitong, and I’m pleased to meet you,” Zhao Sitong said with a smile, greeting him with a graceful bow.

There was no hint of arrogance about her, making one feel as if warmed by a spring breeze.

Decades ago, she was surprised to hear that Ancestor Mo had chosen another Divine General.

Ancestor Mo had exceedingly high standards, deeming only the most exceptional individuals worthy of her attention.

Upon meeting Lu Li, she could tell that Ancestor Mo had not been mistaken.

The aura of the Divine Body was exceptionally pure, and his strength was surely remarkable.

She had been quite worried that she would have to look after this junior brother in the minor world, but now those concerns had vanished.

“For this journey to the Hunyu Realm, Lu Li, you will follow Zhao Sitong. Under her care, your chances of returning alive will greatly increase,” stated Mo Qingyan indifferently.

“I’m used to acting alone. Even if I can’t match those top experts, I’m confident in my ability to escape,” Lu Li said with a slight smile, declining the offer.

He had his considerations for this trip, and moving together with Zhao Sitong might pose certain inconveniences.

Zhao Sitong, taken aback upon hearing his words, had not expected Lu Li to refuse her goodwill.

In her view, as it was Lu Li’s first mission, his chances of returning would be greatly improved with her assistance.

“Then take care and act cautiously,” said Mo Qingyan, her brow arching but without insistence.

She simply thought it was his pride getting in the way.

“Let’s go.”

With a grand wave of her hand, Mo Qingyan led Lu Li and the other out of the hall.

Upon leaving the grand hall, the three of them entered the Celestial Abyss, speeding like lightning through the dense mist, tunneling toward the northeast.

They flew for several days until they arrived over a strange expanse of sea, where a gigantic island lay ahead.

The Nascent Soul Ancestor’s tunneling technique was remarkably astonishing; within a few days, they had flown out of the Plummeting Dragon Seas and passed through several major bodies of water.

Only then did they arrive at this destination.

Lu Li looked up to see thick, ancient trees covering the entire island ahead, with the continuous sounds of birds, beasts, and insects filling his ears.

A large number of cultivators stood on a square in the center of the island, where their auras intertwined, stirring up layers of mist.

There were even some Nascent Soul cultivators among them, and other races were not in short supply.

Presumably, they were all like Mo Qingyan, escorting their disciples into the mystic realm.

Mo Qingyan, leading Lu Li and another, flew to the northwest side of the square and landed.

The three began to wait quietly.

Every so often, more Nascent Soul experts would arrive with a few Golden Core cultivators.

By several days later, the number of cultivators on the square had multiplied several times.

Innumerable powerful auras shot straight into the sky, scattering the clouds above.

Lu Li scanned the surroundings, feeling a strong threat from many Golden Core cultivators.

The most intense were the ten people in the center of the square.

Among these ten, there were eight men and two women, some bearing marks of Alien Races.

The strongest aura belonged to a man in green clothes who seemed unfathomable, even stronger than Zhao Sitong.

“Junior Brother Lu, you must be very careful of the ten in the center, especially He Yunsong,” Zhao Sitong said with a look of wariness.

These ten were acknowledged by the entire Linghuan realm as the strongest group among Golden Core cultivators, with a few notable absences.

Some even embarked on the path to Nascent Soul hundreds of years ago and were incredibly fearsome.

Lu Li simply nodded.

Their bodies radiated a dense treasure light, all of them formidable in battle, and even he had to be cautious in dealing with them.

If they were to attack in a group, he would likely have no choice but to flee for his life.

At that moment, Lu Li suddenly felt two cold gazes upon him, making him tense.

He turned to look.

Two men in black stood not far to the northeast.

One of them was Qin Xuwen, with a young man standing beside him.

This person had a forbidding face and long arms, emanating an aura that was quite extraordinary.

Upon meeting Lu Li’s gaze, the man gave a cold smile, a flash of murderous intent in his eyes.

“Did Junior Brother Lu offend this man?” Zhao Sitong asked, puzzled.

She obviously sensed something was amiss.

Next, Lu Li shared some of the past events with her.

On hearing this, Zhao Sitong’s face revealed a trace of strangeness.

She hadn’t expected Lu Li to have such a “profound connection” with Nascent Soul cultivators.

“This person is known as Zhang Dingren, only slightly less powerful than myself. He seems to have set his sights on you, junior brother. If you have any regrets, I would choose to accompany you…”

Her voice was very gentle.

“Thank you for your kindness, Senior Sister, but I will avoid this person,” Lu Li said with a faint smile, declining directly.

Although the man’s aura was strong, it paled in comparison to the strongest ten, not giving him a sense of threat.

With his strength, dealing with this man would not be difficult.

He had already made up his mind that once inside the mystic realm, he would find a secluded spot to eliminate this man.

Hearing this, Zhao Sitong just smiled and said no more.

Cultivators avoid deep involvement over shallow acquaintances, so naturally, she would not advise further, seeing as they were not particularly close.

Afterward, Lu Li began to size up the numerous Golden Core cultivators in the area.

These Golden Core venerables were broadly divided into four tiers.

With the ten centrals being the strongest tier, Zhao Sitong was in the second tier, comprising only dozens of people.

Zhang Dingren belonged to the third tier, with a substantial number, reaching several hundred.

As for the most numerous fourth tier, there were thousands.

The weakest among them were probably only slightly stronger than an ordinary Emperor.

Comparable to the Central Emperor of the Da Yu Immortal Dynasty, whom Lu Li had slain.

These people were probably part of the cream of the Linghuan realm’s Golden Core venerables.

At least about one-fifth of them.

With his strength, he too was definitely of the absolute first tier.

As long as he was careful, it would be quite easy to leave unscathed.

While Lu Li pondered, an old man in white approached with two young men and soon arrived near Mo Qingyan.

Upon seeing the newcomers, a flash of disgust crossed Mo Qingyan’s face.

“Lei the old ghost, you’re still alive, I see.”

“Ha ha… As long as you are alive and well, naturally I wouldn’t go ahead of you,” Lei Kaiyun said mockingly.

“You haven’t gained much these last few times; clearly, your vision is not that great,” he added after glancing at Zhao Sitong, outright ignoring Lu Li.