Zhu Hui'an's power coalesced and exploded from a single point. Although he didn't use the Observation Bow, he still tore open a fissure, showcasing the lethality of his arrow.

Wherever the crack went, both tangible and intangible things ripped apart. Advancing forward, nothing could withstand it. In the blink of an eye, it had pierced through Jiang Li's chest.

Jiang Li did not dodge or evade, and a very real hole was left straight through his chest.

Even the strongest body could not withstand an arrow that tore through space.

But—

"No blood!" Zhu Hui'an stiffened his spirits and was on alert for an attack from Jiang Li's side.

Although he had not personally witnessed the fight between Jiang Li and Tianpeng, his experience as an old Jianghu had prompted him to instantly think of various ways to momentarily avoid the brunt of the attack, which included the technique of Illusion Body.

However, this time, Jiang Li did not deceive his enemy with an Illusion Body but instead showed himself as True Body throughout.

Suddenly, his seated figure turned into strands of white mist, which swiftly became clouds. Within them, complex runes appeared faintly. The gap that Zhu Hui'an's arrow had made was quickly filled by the cloudy vapor.

"Form Tomb" • Rain Form Cloud.

His body completely transformed into vapor, a great wind began to stir, and as clouds and wind came together, they swiftly formed into a fast-moving Innate Qi tornado, enveloping the skies above.

Zhu Hui'an had exhausted his full power in that single arrow and was currently in the process of recovering. As the tornado descended, the limitless Innate Qi was as vast as an extensive ocean, causing Zhu Hui'an's expression to change dramatically.

Jiang Li's power surged, with the Three Elements progressing in unison. At that moment, he had transformed his shape into Qi, and his Innate Qi also soared. Qi covered everything above and below, encircling in all directions, almost as if he had reversed the surroundings back to before the End of Dharma.

"You were too confident!"

Zhu Hui'an now wanted to take up the Observation Bow again, but it was too late, and at this moment, it was impossible to shoot another arrow.

At that instant, facing this mighty strike, Divine Light shone brilliantly around Zhu Hui'an. Pure Vast Qi was overlaid with the glow of stars, and behind him, a tall, crowned phantom emerged.

"Observating Objects to Obtain Knowledge."

With new vigorous strength, Zhu Hui'an received the aid of Divine Light, his power suddenly returned. The stone stool beneath him shattered instantly, and he rose tall, his mind discerning the principles of objects as he lifted his palms toward the sky, with Vast Qi sweeping clear the heavens.

"Boom!"

The valley shook violently, powerful Qi Mechanism swept in all directions, and the collision of two unparalleled forces cracked open the earth.

A large mass of rocks collapsed and slid down, joining the waterfall and plummeting downwards, creating a tremendous noise.

Above, as the Innate Qi storm pressed down, Zhu Hui'an's feet were driven into the rocky ground, rocks shattered and flew, and were ground into dust.

The storm seemed truly infinite, wave after wave surged like a tide. Even though Zhu Hui'an had revealed his trump card, he was still at a disadvantage, his clothes a bit disheveled.

However, at that moment, the Innate Qi storm suddenly withdrew, converging and pulling back. Jiang Li's voice emerged within it, "So, you've turned to cultivate the Divine Dao and advanced to the status of the Wen Chang Emperor."

The surging Innate Qi returned to its original place and transformed back into the figure of Jiang Li. He sat back down on the stone stool, picked up the teapot, and slowly poured tea.

The intense confrontation came to an abrupt stop. The rocks crumbled into dust, which became a cloud of debris, yet the stone table and teaware were undamaged. Clearly, Jiang Li had had extra energy to protect them during the clash.

The earlier fight started off fine, with both sides able to control their strength. But later on, Zhu Hui'an was already struggling to be mindful of his surroundings, whereas Jiang Li still had energy to spare...

Zhu Hui'an took a deep look at the stone table, and his expression finally lost its calm.

He had been too confident, not using the Observation Bow. But even if he had used it, it might not necessarily have given him an advantage over Jiang Li.

After "Qi Tomb," Jiang Li had cultivated "Form Tomb"; and looking at his display, "Form Tomb" clearly had achieved a small success. He had truly separated himself from the younger generation and was now ranked among the strong of this world.

Given a few more years, reaching the Third Grade wouldn't be impossible.

"In today's world, among the younger generation, you should be held in the highest regard," Zhu Hui'an said, adjusting his clothes.

"Oh? And what about the older generation?" Jiang Li asked, pouring the tea.

"Among the fourth-rank, your master is the most venerable, possessing the Third Grade Power with a fourth-rank body, unparalleled in our times. Below your master, it's hard to distinguish their levels, but at the forefront are the Taiping Sect's Primordial Lord Rain Master, The Immortal of Colossal Spirit. One is known for profound cultivation and reaching Perfection, while the other is renowned as a Daoist Soldier of the Taiping Sect Leader."

"Buddha Country's Guangli Bodhisattva, Weituo Bodhisattva; Devil God Sect's Heavenly Charm Demon God, Bi Fang Demon God; Daode Sect's Daoist Wen Xu, Yuxu Temple's Dragon Slayer Daoist. The aforenamed individuals have frequently made moves in recent years, and in terms of strength, they are comparable to the Primordial Lord Rain Master, but the specifics are only known after a confrontation. Furthermore, among the fourth-rank there are also reclusive cultivators, equal to these few. It's not that they do not exist."

Zhu Hui'an named several renowned fourth-rank figures in the current world. His tone shed a bit of condescension, imparting an atmosphere of candid report.

This was the significance of having a fight.

Without fighting like this, even if Zhu Hui'an were to cooperate with Jiang Li, he would be reserved and not entirely forthcoming, perhaps even waiting to drive a hard bargain. Unlike now, even if he did not directly bow down, he no longer had to skirt around the subject.

Their standing was equal, with Jiang Li even holding the advantage.

In comparison to such candor, the brevity of the information shared seemed less significant.

In this world where the third grade is the new norm, it's understandable for fourth-rank individuals to hide their true capabilities. If one only starts hiding when they reach the third grade, then it's already too late.

Didn't everyone think before clashing with the Emperor that Tianxuan was just a fourth-rank? Who could have guessed she had a hidden third grade Dao Fruit?

"Then what about the teacher?" Jiang Li looked at Zhu Hui'an.

"If I am fifty miles away, I can take on any fourth-rank opponent. Within ten miles, I can do battle with these few. But within thirty feet, it's hard to say," Zhu Hui'an stroked his beard, saying.

Understood, at ten miles, the bow is faster, but within thirty feet, the fist is faster.

Even though archers can also throw punches, and definitely not weakly, they can't unleash their greatest strength, unlike some of the leading fourth-rank practitioners.

At the same time, the old man subtly explained why he had been at a disadvantage in front of Jiang Li.

Based on this, Jiang Li estimated that if he used all his tricks, he could fight those individuals; he wasn't weak among the fourth-rank.

Such a simple exchange was enough to establish a basic collaborative relationship.

Nonetheless, one mustn't trust too deeply.

As for Zhu Hui'an, Jiang Li saw him as a chess piece to be used primarily. As for Zhu Hui'an's goal, such as reaching the Purple Extreme, Jiang Li had no such thoughts for the moment.

The Emperor Dao Fruit is indeed powerful, but its drawbacks are significant. Also, Heaven is currently the target of two supreme powerhouses. If one becomes the Emperor, they would immediately become enemies with these two supreme beings and might be eliminated just like the current Emperor.

On reflection, the current Emperor's abandonment and betrayal could very well be influenced by the Sect Leaders, or perhaps the Sect Leaders even assisted the Emperor in regaining his self.

Thus, it's better not to take the throne if possible. The risk of sitting on the Dragon Throne is even greater than being the Sect Hierarch of the Devil God Sect; at least being the Sect Hierarch means only carrying the blame, not losing oneself.

Of course, there's no need to share all this with Zhu Hui'an.

Jiang Li pondered, then asked, "Did the Yin Law Department's King You invite the teacher here to Dinghu this time?"

If that was the case, then King You was also a supporter behind the Taiping Sect.

"Yes, King You," Zhu Hui'an nodded and then sneered, "But the real mastermind should be Earth Uncle. Earth Uncle is a Nine Netherworld God. The more souls of the dead, the quicker his injuries heal. The Yin Law Department is a major force in inciting the Taiping Sect's upheaval. They claim it's to establish the Yellow Heaven era, but in reality, they're seeking benefits for themselves first. Even if they succeed, they would only make the world worse."

"Although I am in collusion with them, I am ashamed to associate with them. Once the Taiping Sect's uprising succeeds, that will be the time for me to part ways with those lowly beings."

'It seems the alliance behind the Taiping Sect is also on the brink of falling apart.' Jiang Li analyzed internally.

First Upper Pure Sect, now Zhu Hui'an. Various forces were united in promoting the Taiping Sect's uprising, but that unity might not last beyond that.

This gave Jiang Li an opportunity to profit from the situation.

Zhu Hui'an's choice to invest in Jiang Li was because his former allies couldn't help him achieve his long-standing desires. Otherwise, he wouldn't have chosen Jiang Li.

"My peers? It seems the teacher has fellow comrades," Jiang Li said with a smile.

"Indeed, there are comrades, but this knowledge of identities is only shared among ourselves."

Zhu Hui'an looked at Jiang Li and raised his cup in a gesture, "I previously intercepted you and offended your sect. I deeply regret this and wish to personally visit your sect tomorrow to apologize. What does Elder Yaoguang think?"

The change in topic was quite abrupt, but upon hearing it, Jiang Li immediately guessed Zhu Hui'an's intention.

He wanted to bolster Jiang Li's strength.

Elder Yaoguang's role was to lead external campaigns. People like Zhu Hui'an, who offended Dinghu Sect, were precisely the targets of Elder Yaoguang's campaigns.

As the saying goes, a new official takes charge with a strong stance to establish authority.

If Zhu Hui'an willingly went to Dinghu Sect to apologize, Jiang Li's authority would immediately be established, without the need for a display of force.

However, this move wasn't without cost.

With Zhu Hui'an paving the way with his reputation for Jiang Li, if he later claimed that Jiang Li was colluding with him, today's price could become tomorrow's basis.

And Zhu Hui'an's colluders naturally tried to subvert the nation, simply put, rebels.

Accepting this would be akin to making a different kind of pledge.

Only with this pledge would one be considered a comrade of Zhu Hui'an, eligible to further learn of others' identities.

So, the question arises, would Jiang Li be afraid?

'He certainly doesn't know that I'm the man who's going to be the Gongsun Family Master.'

Jiang Li smiled faintly and raised his tea cup, "Please."

They clinked their tea cups in place of wine glasses.

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