The
Nie Li sensed a terrifying aura emanating from the man. He realized that if it came to a real fight, he might not necessarily be the Demon Lord's match.
Upon seeing the Demon Lord,
"I didn't expect your cultivation to have risen so much in this time," Nie Li said coldly. The enmity with the Ye Sect was irreconcilable.
"The Dragon Ruins Realm truly lives up to its reputation as a gathering place for the powerful," the Demon Lord said with a faint smile. "There are countless cultivation techniques here. Becoming a supreme expert isn't all that difficult. It's a completely different domain from the Small Exquisite World."
"What you cultivate is the Spirit-Devouring Divine Art," Nie Li said, narrowing his eyes slightly as he fixed the Demon Lord with his stare.
"I'm impressed you saw through that." The teacup in the Demon Lord's hand paused ever so briefly before he resumed his easy demeanor. "Indeed."
"The Spirit-Devouring Divine Art may be able to absorb the souls of Demon Beasts to rapidly boost your cultivation to astonishing levels, but the technique is dangerous. The slightest misstep and the backlash will tear you apart—your whole body will explode and you'll die," Nie Li said with a cold laugh. "The higher your cultivation climbs, the more perilous it becomes. I'm actually rather curious to see just how far you can push the Spirit-Devouring Divine Art."
"I didn't expect you to know so much. What a pity," the Demon Lord sighed.
"What's a pity?" A cold glint flashed through Nie Li's eyes.
"It's a pity that we're enemies instead of allies. If you were willing to lend me your aid, with the combined strength of us two, seizing control of the Dragon Ruins Realm would be no trouble at all," the Demon Lord said, laughing heartily.
Hearing the Demon Lord's words, everyone in the great hall showed expressions of displeasure.
"Who is he?"
"To say something like that—he's utterly arrogant."
The crowd appeared quite irritated.
Nie Li smiled faintly. "Those who walk different paths cannot make plans together. Besides, between you and me, there is an irreconcilable enmity."
"You mean the Ye Sect?" the Demon Lord chuckled. "Someone from the Small Exquisite World—is he really worth that much concern to you?"
"He was my dearest kin," Nie Li said coldly.
"What a shame. I don't wish to be your enemy—at least not right now. In fact, we share a common enemy. Perhaps we could work together," the Demon Lord said, a mysterious light glimmering in his eyes.
"A common enemy? Do tell," Nie Li scoffed.
The Demon Lord stared at Nie Li for a long while before finally speaking in a measured tone: "The Sacred Emperor."
At those words, Nie Li's body tensed almost imperceptibly. He, too, stared at the Demon Lord—for a long time. A flicker of confusion passed through Nie Li's mind. How did the Demon Lord know about the Sacred Emperor? Although the Sacred Emperor was in the process of refining the entire Dragon Ruins Realm, none of the people within it had the faintest inkling.
Because at their level, they simply had no way of knowing.
For tens of thousands of years, anyone whose cultivation surpassed the Martial Ancestor realm and broke into that higher stage had mysteriously perished. No one knew how those powerhouses had died—but only Nie Li knew the truth. They had all been killed by the Sacred Emperor's Divine Servants.
Back then, after Nie Li himself had broken through the Martial Ancestor realm, he had hidden inside the Book of Time-Space Demon Spirit for several hundred years just to escape that fate.
But eventually, he still had no choice but to face the Sacred Emperor and fight him to the death.