Over the next few months, Nie Li continued nurturing the loyal disciples of his Demon League, as well as the experts whom heâd recruited from the Sky Origin Divine Clan.
During this time, Nie Li and his group didnât stop expanding their forces. With such a large supply of divine medicine, and all kinds of other treasures, the Demon, Heavenly Path, and Profound Note Leagues expanded their strengths at extremely frightening paces.
Nie Liâs strength also continued to rise; heâd now reached the pinnacle of the Heavenly Axis Realm.
Even though Nie Li only had the cultivation of a pinnacle Heavenly Axis Realm, his true strength was on par with any 5-stage Dao of Dragon Realm.
The Heavenly God cultivation technique. The closer you were to its end, the harder it was to cultivate. But with every step your cultivation successfully made, your strength would be amplified ten or even dozens of times above that of any ordinary genius.
Gu Bei looked at Nie Li and said, âNie Li, I will soon become the Skyway Hallâs Deacon. Even though Gu Heng that bratwas sentenced to meditation, his forces havenât shown the slightest sign of backing off. Heâs already taken in a lot of the people whoâve betrayed the Demon League!â
âDeacon of the Skyway Hall? What kind of position is that?â Nie Li couldnât help asking.
âItâs like this. The successors of the Gu Clan donât actually possess any authority. But the first-in-line successor qualifies to become the Skyway Hallâs Deacon. Itâs not that big, with only a few hundred people, but it has a hand in all matters dealing with the clan. Once I gain a firm foothold in the Skyway Hall, Iâll be able to take over the clan!â Gu Bei lightly smiled.
âSo? Is there any trouble with that?â Nie Li asked with a faint smile.
âYes, Iâd have some difficulty all by myself. However, I also have my sister.â Gu Bei replied with a smile.
The image of a stubborn, yet intelligent lady projected itself into Nie Liâs mind.
Nie Li couldnât help asking, âHowâs your sister?â
âWith your divine medicine, my sisterâs cultivation has soared by leaps and bounds. Right now, sheâs already at the 2-stage Dao of Dragon Realm. Aside from guiding me in resolving family matters, she uses the rest of her time to cultivate. Sheâs trying to reach the Martial Ancestor Realm in a few years by relying on the power of your divine medicine!â Gu Bei said. He could only sigh at the speed of his sisterâs cultivation.
âYour sisterâs talent is shocking, indeed!â Nie Li couldnât help sighing either.
âMy sister often speaks of you. She says that youâre someone with a divine destiny, with the power to reverse fate! She asked me to assist you properly!â Gu Bei said with a smile.
Someone who possessed a divine destiny? Reversing fate?
Nie Li pondered those words. Gu Lanâs words were truly fitting; he was someone whoâd come to reverse fate.
Nie Li turned his sights to the skyline and remembered the mighty Sage Emperor. A sense of intense urgency welled up in his heart.
Suddenly, Nie Li felt as though his mind was about to explode.
âAh?â Nie Li bitterly howled. The terrible pain was something that even he couldnât endure.
âNie Li, whatâs wrong?â Gu Bei immediately asked. He immediately panicked when he saw Nie Li holding his head and howling in pain.
Just whatâs going on? Why is Nie Li suddenly in this state?
Long Yuyin, Gu Bei, Li Xingyun and the others heard Nie Liâs howls and quickly ran over.
âWhatâs wrong with Nie Li?
âQuick, help him up!â
Everyone helped to support Nie Li as they moved to lay him down on a bed.
Nie Li rolled and struggled.
Long Yuyinâs tears flowed at Nie Liâs pained expression. âWhatâs wrong with him?â
âWhatâs going on? Did his cultivation run amok?â Li Xingyun hadnât seen anything like this before, either. The best he could do to help was restrain Nie Li as he struggled, then help take his pulse. Even though Li Xingyun wasnât a famed doctor, or anything of the sort, he still had some limited medical knowledge.
Before, everyone had listened and taken instructions from Nie Li. Something like this had never happened before. This sudden turn of events left them panicked and at a loss.
âThereâs nothing wrong with his pulse.â
âSomething must have gone wrong with his soul realm!â
âIf something went wrong with his soul realm, we canât meddle recklessly!â
âSet up a barrier around here and get some Calm Inducing Incense for him!â
âQuick, fetch some good doctors too!â
Soon, one doctor after another hurried into Nie Liâs residence, the finest from each of the three major families. But after inspecting Nie Liâs condition, they all left while helplessly shaking their heads. They were powerless to help Nie Li.
A frightening energy kept exploding within Nie Liâs mind. The only thing he was aware of was the overwhelming pain. It felt like his entire soul realm was about to shatter.
A vague figure appeared in his mind. A pretty lady, and oh-so-familiar. Nie Li couldnât help trying to catch up to it.
âMaster!â Nie Li mumbled.
Long Yuyin, Li Xingyun and the rest had all been keeping a vigil at Nie Liâs side. They were extremely worried, since there hadnât been any changes in Nie Liâs condition. They didnât know why he was in such a condition, either.
Lu Piao was already in tears. âNie Li, you better not die!â
The two of them had left Glory City and reached this Draconic Ruins Realm together. Nie Li was his best friend. He wanted them to return together as well!
Long Yuyinâs eyes also flickered with tears. In her heart, Nie Li wasnât just a master. He was much more than that. Sheâd irrevocably fallen for him, since long ago. And Nie Liâs sudden turn really scared her. She clutched tightly to his hand.
The same went for Gu Bei and Li Xingyun. The two were restless, their eyes never straying away from Nie Li for long. Nie Li was a friend close to their hearts, and their greatest guide and leader. He was the one whoâd guided them out from their terrifying quagmires! If anything happened to him, theyâd blame themselves to the grave!
Nie Li painfully struggled while howling for over half an hour, before his voice slowly began to weaken. His struggles grew more feeble and his breathing calmed. He seemed to have fallen asleep.
Only after they saw that Nie Li had settled down, did everyone slowly let their guards down.
Gu Bei let out a sigh of relief. âI knew it! Thereâs nothing wrong. He probably just encountered a bottleneck in his cultivation. Who knows? When he wakes up, he might be a Dao of Dragon Realm! I knew Nie Li wasnât so frail!â
Li Xingyun pondered for a bit, then said, âThat wasnât the reaction of someone whoâs ascending in cultivation. If that was the case, then his pulse should be one beat strong, one beat weak. But either way, he should be fine!â
âReally?â Long Yuyin wiped the tears off her face as she asked Li Xingyun and the others. However, her heart still worried for Nie Li.
âSince heâs asleep, weâll let him sleep for a while!â Li Xingyun replied with a smile.