My Misfortune Crushed Instances

Li Rui had anticipated this situation beforehand, but after it was confirmed, his mind became even clearer.

The so-called heroes gathered here haven’t started fighting yet because they haven’t figured out a way to obtain the treasure; starting a fight prematurely wouldn’t be worthwhile.

Upon hearing this, he was completely relieved, and after determining the direction where the palace appeared, he immediately rushed over.

The Shatuo Race members thanked them once again as they watched them depart.

Following the description, they traveled several miles and crossed a yellow earth hill, finally reaching the former canyon.

It was merely two massive parallel mountain bodies with a wide area in between; in a normal place, it wouldn’t be called a canyon, but perhaps it was due to the vastness of the desert that it was named so.

At this moment, the group looked into the distance and indeed saw a brilliant palace standing between two barren yellow earth mountains.

The structure’s walls were pristine white, while the tiles gleamed golden; just a glance was enough to know that place was extraordinary.

"This palace doesn’t look that big,"

Cheng Mingyue muttered, "doesn’t seem like there would be anything of great value."

Li Rui waved his hand and said, "Not necessarily, people have said it’s already challenging to even approach."

He called out, instructing the strong man to carry Zhu Wen and Yuan Erliang, while he and Cheng Mingyue led the way, moving closer to the palace.

As they got closer, Li Rui found it increasingly strange, realizing this structure’s size and style felt familiar, like the buildings he saw at Thunder City on Celestial Street when he advanced.

Regardless of size or the rooftop carvings, there was a resemblance, the main difference being the absence of complex inscription plaques at the entrance.

Between the palace and the spot where the Demon Race stayed, there were still a few miles, with undulating sand in the middle looking calm, not appearing dangerous.

At this point, Zhu Wen suddenly exclaimed, "Look there."

Others followed his finger and saw six members of the Demon Race forming an array, seemingly attempting to cross the sand towards the palace.

Li Rui asked, "Who are those?"

Zhu Wen shook his head, knowing little of the desert, barely recognizing the Shatuo Race due to almost being robbed by them, let alone other demon race sand thieves.

Then, a sharp-fanged Snake Demon sneered, "Which backwater are you from, not even recognizing the Six Old Immortals?"

Li Rui wasn’t bothered and smiled, asking, "I humbly ask for your guidance."

The Snake Demon, being a lackey of a band of desert thieves, was unranked in such a "gathering of heroes," and seeing someone treating him politely, he toned down the aggressive demeanor and explained:

"They are the highest cultivators among the twenty-eight heroes, known as the Six Old Immortals. Even in the prosperous times of Nuanyang State in the past, they were among the top talents."

Li Rui asked, "Are they together?"

The Snake Demon scoffed, "Impossible, they fought fiercely a few days ago. If the sand wasn’t extremely perilous, they wouldn’t act so amicably."

His tone was highly playful, yet his voice was low, paying attention to the surroundings as he spoke.

Li Rui thanked him, and the Snake Demon nodded, feeling that this person knew courtesy: "Just watch, if even the Six Old Immortals can’t get close to that palace, no one else can."

Though there’s talk of needing eighty-one refined gold coins to unlock the secret treasure, with the palace so near, the demon race thought they should at least try; catching a lucky break could mean acquiring the long-fabled treasure and ruling Nuanyang State.

If they found the door couldn’t be opened once past, they could simply tear down the roof and walls to get inside.

Regardless, the so-called Six Old Immortals had now begun traversing the sand.

Not just Li Rui and his companions were watching; other members of the Demon Race also quieted down, wanting to see how these six strongest demons would fare.

"What do we do?"

Cheng Mingyue quietly asked, wondering if they should block or rush first, knowing there was only one secret treasure, and being taken by others would mean losing it.

Li Rui slightly shook his head: "No rush, let’s observe their performance first."

He wasn’t in a hurry, considering those demon race members certainly didn’t have enough refined gold coins, and even if they managed to enter the palace and seize the treasure, escaping from Li Rui was impossible.

More importantly, he could vaguely sense this palace’s remarkable origin, and forcing entry was likely not feasible.

In the meantime, the Six Old Immortals had charged into the sand dunes.

Upon entering the sand in front of the palace, the demons started sprinting as if the sand was burning their feet.

Li Rui carefully watched and realized it wasn’t due to temperature, but lingering for just a few breaths on the sand would cause them to start sinking immediately.

This quicksand was abnormal, devouring living things with astonishing speed.

However, for demons with cultivation, such means wouldn’t suffice, with very few swallowed at the onset.

The Six Old Immortals weren’t so either; they crossed the sand to a point where dust began to stir.

The Snake Demon muttered, "Oh, these sands are deadly."

The sand began to rise with his words, gathering like living beings, whipping down like lashes.

Boom!!!

Each stroke sent sand flying.

The Six Old Immortals showcased their Divine Powers; some evaded with ghostly Body Techniques, while others used their own powers to resist head-on.

Li Rui previously found it odd that six adversarial demon race members cooperated with little harmony, but it appeared they didn’t need it; they likely invited other elites to share the brunt.

Seeing the Six Old Immortals pass through the lashes, the Snake Demon resumed, "Impressive, this move of flying sand is truly masterful, no wonder it’s well-reputed. If the Shatuo Race leader knew this move, perhaps he wouldn’t have suffered such a defeat."

Li Rui couldn’t help but ask, "Did the Shatuo Race leader fail here?"

The Six Old Immortals were only halfway through the sand, not even halfway.

The Snake Demon impatiently said, "That Tuo Jiu at least lasted over ten breaths before faltering. Don’t mistake the Six Old Immortals’ ease for it being easy; if you think you can, go try yourself."

Li Rui scratched his head: "Got it, got it, I’ll wait and try later."

The Snake Demon assumed he was bluffing, turning back to continue watching intently.

They saw the Six Old Immortals, after passing the sandy lashes, landing on another sandy area, where lingering was equally prohibitive; suddenly, countless Vengeful Spirits emerged, creating a Ghost Soul Array.

"As expected."

Zhu Wen said, "Countless Vengeful Spirits buried in quicksand became a barrier instead."

As they spoke, other demon races cheered.

So did the Snake Demon: "Passed! Passed!!"

Six Old Immortals advanced, using spells and Divine Powers to push back numerous fierce ghosts, forcibly crossing beyond that zone, only about a mile away from the hall.

The Snake Demon, excited, said, "Truly, only they had a chance; before, no one managed to breach that Ghost Soul Array."

Li Rui nodded, thinking these demon races had some skill; the situation probably required using the original All Heaven Thunder Fire Spell to resolve, but the Blood Soul Ring wasn’t necessary.

Just as the demons believed success was near, an anomaly suddenly occurred.

The sandy ground ahead writhed again, forming a three-headed, six-armed sand giant.