Hearing that it might be from the Ruins, Zhao Li was a bit moved. If it was some old man or something, maybe he could get some knowledge for free.
Zhao Li wanted to investigate thoroughly and asked about it.
After getting Li Zhenxuan's consent, Zhao Li released his Soul Power and began to investigate carefully.
Li Lei and Son became nervous again when they heard Zhao Li and Li Zhenxuan talking. Only then did they realize that Li Zhenxuan hadn't fully recovered, and they felt a surge of fear.
But seeing Zhao Li about to take action, they relaxed again. Now they had a blind trust in Zhao Li. They felt that nothing could stump him.
"It's indeed strange."
Zhao Li's expression became serious after this investigation.
This Black Mist was indeed as Li Zhenxuan said, extremely strange. As soon as his Soul Power touched it, it was swallowed by the Black Mist.
Zhao Li frowned, just about to withdraw, but the Black Mist seemed to be attracted by the deliciousness of his soul and rushed into Zhao Li's soul, sticking to him like maggots on a corpse, completely impossible to shake off.
Zhao Li saw that the Black Mist had attached itself to his Primordial Spirit and was very quiet. It didn't absorb his Dou Qi like Li Zhenxuan said; it just steadily devoured his Soul Power.
Looking at the Black Mist within his Primordial Spirit, Zhao Li had a strange feeling, as if it were a living creature.
"Is it something like a parasitic worm?"
Pondering inwardly, Zhao Li looked at Li Zhenxuan and asked in a deep voice:
"Grandpa Li, how did you run into this thing?"
Li Zhenxuan saw the Black Mist transfer from himself to Zhao Li and was a bit touched. He thought Zhao Li had a way to solve it and transferred it. He then told Zhao Li about his previous trip to the Ruins.
"Earlier, a friend and I went to explore the Ruins together, but I didn't expect him to ambush me in the end. I was seriously injured and couldn't defeat him. I broke into a Tomb Chamber, hid inside a Stone Coffin, and when I came out, I found this ball of Black Mist. Oh, right, I heard a lot of noise inside the Stone Coffin, and it disappeared after a while. When I came out, the Tomb Chamber was the same as before, clean and unchanged."
Zhao Li nodded. The Black Mist was strange, and he had the same idea as Li Zhenxuan before. To solve it, he would probably have to explore that Ruins.
"Grandpa Li, do you still remember where the Ruins are located? Can you tell me? I want to go there."
Li Zhenxuan heard this, nodded, and then advised:
"Yes, I remember, but there's nothing left inside the Ruins. Before us, it had already been looted. If you go now, I'm afraid you won't find anything."
Zhao Li shook his head and smiled:
"Haha, I just want to see it for myself. It doesn't matter if there are treasures or not. Besides, isn't the Ruins itself a treasure? Maybe there are some secrets recorded inside."
Li Zhenxuan nodded, not doubting him.
He closed his eyes and recalled for a moment, then drew a simple map based on his memory, even marking the Tomb Chamber and the Stone Coffin where he had hastily hidden.
"Thank you, Grandpa Li."
Taking the map, which was simple and easy to understand, Zhao Li looked at it, had a rough idea, and then thanked him.
Li Zhenxuan waved his hand. Compared to what Zhao Li had done, this was nothing. He looked at the sky and got up to leave.
"That's too polite. If it weren't for you, my Li Family would probably only meet again down below. Xiao Ming, remember to tidy up later. I'm leaving now. You young people chat."
After sending off Li Zhenxuan, Li Lei also left, leaving only Li Ming and Zhao Li there. Li Ming looked at Zhao Li and asked in a low voice:
"Brother Zhao Li, are you really going to that Ruins?"
Zhao Li nodded. Although the Black Mist wasn't doing anything else for now, letting it continue like this wasn't a solution. In the novels he read in his previous life, plotlines involving possession and puppets were not uncommon. Without getting rid of the Black Mist, he felt uneasy.
"Yes, I'm very interested in ancient matters. There might be clues inside the Ruins. I really want to go and see and explore."
Zhao Li didn't tell Li Ming about the Black Mist; that would just add to his worries.
Li Ming was tidying up the table. They hadn't slept last night and ordered some late-night snacks, so the table was a mess.
Zhao Li smiled, not expecting them to actually stay up for most of the night. He continued:
"I'll leave at dawn. I was supposed to leave anyway. Don't worry, on this continent, I'm considered a master no matter what. Oh, right, if the Soul Hall attacks, just tell them where I went and mention Xu Changqing's name."
Zhao Li said, looking at Li Ming, as if he remembered something, and reminded him.
With the strength of the Li Family, encountering the Soul Hall would be like hitting a rock with an egg.
Li Ming smiled. When Zhao Li said that, he actually didn't know who was the alias, Zhao Li or Xu Changqing, or if both were. But he didn't delve into it; he was just Brother Zhao Li.
He sighed inwardly, knowing that Zhao Li would definitely leave, but he didn't expect it to be so soon.
It seemed as if Zhao Li's sudden appearance was specifically to solve the predicament of their Li Family.
He came suddenly, left in a hurry, and left after the matter was done, hiding his achievements and fame deeply.
Li Ming suddenly gave Zhao Li a bear hug and said in a muffled voice:
"Brother Zhao Li, my Li Family will always remember your great kindness. When you come to Tianxuan City in the future, remember that there's a place to stay here."
Zhao Li nodded, patted Li Ming, and took out another Pill, which was the Breakthrough Pill, and instructed Li Ming a few things:
"Give this Breakthrough Pill to Uncle, and be sure to remember, if the Soul Hall comes looking, just tell them. Don't let me come back and find you all gone."
Compared to the mysterious green cauldron the Li Family obtained, a Breakthrough Pill was nothing.
Li Ming cursed with a smile, then stopped talking and solemnly accepted the Pill.
At dawn, Zhao Li left the Li Family. This time, he didn't go towards the city center but headed south from Tianxuan, traveling quickly all the way.
All fear of something stems from the unknown. Although neither Dou Qi nor soul could do anything about the Black Mist, Zhao Li still didn't give up on trying to solve it.
But he hadn't found any leads.
"Hope I can find some clues in the Ruins."
Zhao Li sighed. In truth, ever since he got the map from Big Xiong a few years ago, Zhao Li had become curious about the history of the Dou Qi Continent.
He wanted to know why the Dou Qi Continent's Origin Qi had dried up, why Dou Di had disappeared without a trace, and why cultivators on the continent could naturally master certain abilities at every Realm...
It was just that he was weak at the time, and Lin Lan and Xiong Ba had searched for two years without finding anything.
Now that he had a real lead to a Ruin, Zhao Li naturally couldn't let it go.
His goals for this trip were twofold: first, to figure out what the Black Mist was and deal with it, as keeping it around made him uneasy; and second, of course, to explore. The Ruins themselves would reveal a lot of information.
Thinking about the Ruins, Zhao Li remembered Big Xiong. The way he obtained the map was already unbelievable, and Zhao Li suspected it might be due to Bloodline inheritance. He was also very interested in the location of the map.
"Wonder how that simpleton is doing. With his talent and strength, the Myriad Beast Mountain Range is probably his domain by now, huh?"
Thinking of Big Xiong's simple-mindedness, Zhao Li smiled.
He didn't know that with Big Xiong's homebody nature, he hadn't left his Cave Dwelling more than a few times, and had even been quite frightened not long ago.
Zhao Li shook his head and looked at the endless mountain range:
"Hope this trip doesn't disappoint me..."
The void lightly trembled, and sunlight passed through Zhao Li's body. His figure then faded until it disappeared; Zhao Li was already several miles away.
Time flowed by as he traveled, and night quietly descended.
At night, Zhao Li sat cross-legged on a tree, closing his eyes and concentrating, 'watching' the Flame and Black Mist inside him, which were in a standoff.
Zhao Li suddenly had a thought: since the Black Mist might be a living thing, why not try burning it? But Zhao Li ultimately underestimated the Black Mist.
An orange-gold Flame suddenly appeared around the Black Mist. The Black Mist seemed startled, then rapidly condensed.
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