My Misfortune Crushed Instances

Li Rui’s contributions were enough to take all the spoils, but it wasn’t necessary, as he didn’t need most of them.

He first pocketed the few crystals available, gaining four skill points and leveling up to 48, along with some attributes.

However, the number of crystals wasn’t large, as everyone could use them, and few chose to hand them over unless they urgently needed something in exchange for a large contribution.

Once the consumables were gone, he turned his gaze to the materials; two Legendary Level materials could be used for enhancing the administrator’s coat, along with some other consumables.

He selected a few specific items that matched his skill attributes and didn’t take everything.

As for the equipment, there was not much to say. Right now, he was covered in Epic Level gear, so unless it was for better attributes or skills, there was no point in changing it.

Li Rui glanced over and didn’t find anything worthwhile.

It’s not that the Dragon Country’s haul was lacking; it’s just that they were still in the midst of the three major countries competing for territories, so most large and hidden spoils hadn’t been pocketed yet.

Of course, the Ghost City that Li Rui and Cheng Mingyue quickly cleared didn’t count, as not everyone possessed their level of skill.

After leaving the cellar, he allocated all the skill points to Iron Cavalry, quickly advancing that skill from lv1 to lv5.

He didn’t rush to upgrade the skill level but checked the effects incrementally.

After reaching lv5, the skill’s effectiveness increased, allowing him to easily boost his damage enhancement to 100% just by activating the Shenxiao Thunderbolt Heart Scripture, without even having to run at full speed.

From now on, it, along with Battle Wounds, became his primary combat method, and as long as he controlled his Spiritual Power reserves, he could even achieve a 200% boost at any time.

If he faced a strong opponent, he would use the Blood Soul Ring, and if that wasn’t enough, he had some Epic Level damage-boosting items he had just acquired to use.

With these things, combined with assistance from Cheng Mingyue, executing the All Heaven Thunder Fire Spell would be immensely powerful, even more than he could imagine.

Li Rui went out to find Cheng Wen and asked, "How long will it take for Brother Chen’s prophecy to recover?"

"Soon."

Cheng Wen replied, "What do you plan to do?"

"I want to find that big king from the Wind Slave Royal Court, what’s his name...."

"Che Yu Tuo."

"Right, I’m looking for him."

"No need to calculate that, Che Yu Tuo is leading the Demon Race from the Royal Court westwards out of Bone Mountain, looks like they’re planning to march south."

Li Rui was silent for a moment, then said, "Is he crazy?"

"I don’t know."

Cheng Wen smiled wryly, "That Demon King is very ambitious, wanting to conquer the entire great island, but I don’t know why Ulysses from the Western Country doesn’t stop him."

Li Rui shrugged, "I guess they can’t be stopped; those demons on the highlands are pretty fierce."

Cheng Wen asked, "Why are you looking for him?"

Li Rui then recounted his encounter with the Ghost Knights and their demands.

Cheng Wen understood the reason but disagreed, "There’s no need for this; you’ve already come back, so why risk it?"

Li Rui sat on a desk with his arms crossed, "Those ghosts are pretty strong. If I help them get revenge, my likability will surely reach worship, and by then, they’ll be deeply loyal."

Cheng Wen glanced at the Chief of Staff beside him, who pretended not to hear the conversation.

"Regarding this issue, I think we should take a longer-term view."

"Then plan things out," Li Rui said with a smile.

Despite having accomplished great deeds, he remained humble, knowing that he was still technically a subordinate. Even though he understood that the other side didn’t want him to get into danger, he still intended to discuss things properly.

Cheng Wen said helplessly, "That Demon King is, after all, the ruler of the highlands and plays a crucial role in the alliance with the Western Kingdom. He himself is very strong and is heavily guarded, making it difficult for you to kill him."

"Besides, killing him doesn’t provide any benefits, and he doesn’t drop spoils."

Li Rui said, "I know, but I’ve promised those ghosts, so I have to finish it. Without them, would I have been able to break through? I can’t just pull up my pants and say it was okay."

Pu—

The Chief of Staff who heard the conversation spat water onto the table.

Cheng Wen was at a loss for words; the request was too sudden, and he had never considered that someone would want to go into the midst of ten thousand troops to assassinate the Demon King of the Highland Royal Court.

He looked at the Chief of Staff with a scowl, "Old Deng, you speak."

The Chief of Staff initially wanted to deny involvement; he didn’t want to offend either Cheng Wen or Li Rui. The former was his current superior, and the latter was likely to become a superior in the real world sooner or later.

However, as an Extraordinary individual, he was too embarrassed to say he hadn’t heard anything, so he said, "Brother Xiaoli, think about it, the army has just come down from the mountains, and they haven’t engaged in combat yet. All parties are intact. How do you plan to charge in?"

"Yes, you did break through with those Ghost Knights from the west, but that was because the Western Country and the Polar Alliance had too little intelligence on you, leading to misjudgment. If you charge them head-on, something is bound to go wrong."

Li Rui said, "I can observe nearby and wait for an opportunity to act."

"Then just wait."

The Chief of Staff named Deng said, "We have intelligence personnel observing, and if there’s an opportunity, we’ll notify you."

Li Rui thought this through and found some sense in it, but just as he was about to respond, Kong Ji walked in from outside.

"The item you wanted has been found."

Li Rui was momentarily stunned, then remembered it was the Inch of Glowing Stone, using which he could unlock a derivative skill of the Shenxiao Thunderbolt Heart Scripture, gaining a teleportation ability.

Upon hearing this, he became excited, "Where is it?"

"Just north of the Mire Marsh, not far from Nuanyang State."

Kong Ji walked over and handed him a handful of refined money, "Also, from what I know, Simon and the Divine Son from the other two countries are also collecting this item."

It seemed that the three major countries were prepared to give the hidden treasures in the Secret Realm battlefield to the most promising newcomers.

Li Rui stored the item away and looked to see that the number of refined money in his inventory had reached 63, only 18 short of the 81 required to open the door.

He said, "Then I’ll consult with those ghosts before making a decision."

After saying this, he dashed out.

Kong Ji puzzlingly asked, "Consult about what?"

Cheng Wen explained Li Rui’s goal, making the fat on Kong Ji’s cheeks twitch, "Crazy, this kid."

.....

Li Rui found Ju Ye, explained the situation, and said, "My thought is for you to wait a few days. Let me retrieve that very useful treasure, by then my strength will significantly increase, and the false king should have engaged, allowing us to act."

Ju Ye shook his head and said, "Benefactor, you don’t need to venture into danger with us."

Li Rui replied, "If you go by yourselves, it’s as good as sending yourselves to death."

Ju Ye hesitated, as their sole obsession in becoming ghosts was to assassinate Che Yu Tuo. Now that there was news, they naturally were unwilling to wait.

Yet Li Rui paid no mind and continued, "I saved your lives, so you should repay me, right? First, help me retrieve the Inch of Glowing Stone, then we’ll go deal with the false king. It’s settled."

He inherently possessed a negotiation talent, in addition to Ju Ye’s already profound trust, so the decision was made.

Li Rui didn’t truly need help; he merely wanted to delay them and wait for an opportune moment to increase the likelihood of a successful assassination.

For now, the larger environment was temporarily stable, and he led the Ghost Knights and the Giants north again to Mire Marsh to seek the Inch of Glowing Stone.