Touching the Fifth Rank

After Old Ma passed away, Li Qi once again devoted all his energy to the formation.

Shen Shuibi quickly returned to the battlefield.

The Executioner Squad and Shen Shuibi played a significant role on the battlefield. Especially in the current situation, the Executioner Squad could easily unite and attack the city with so many fifth-rank soldiers. Each attack would put immense pressure on the Human Path and cause significant damage to Human Path manpower.

In this kind of relentless pressure, Human Path are forced to continue to shrink their defenses.

Shrinking the defensive line requires fewer troops, allowing for more rotations and Human Path more people time to rest.

But the price is that, gradually, the Shaman Path has moved closer to the interior of the War Fortress, leaving insufficient strategic depth for Human Path.

Strategic depth is very important, representing the high mobility and maneuverability of Human Path. In the initial stages of war, Human Path used this tactic to suppress Shaman Path and prevent it from gaining a foothold.

As strategic depth decreases, opportunities for Human Path also dwindle. Once the Shaman Path can see the Nexus of All Realms or a large Golden Platform, it Human Path is about to give up.

Surprisingly, the morale of the Human Path remained high. Although they began to shrink drastically, their fighting spirit showed no signs of waning.

This isn't the kind of 'will in dire straits,' but rather the kind of desperate, fighting spirit of a cornered beast.

At this moment, the Human Path response is more like, "I can still turn things around."

Yes, they seem to still have Trump Card up their sleeves. All the concessions and withdrawals they are making now are in order to better preserve their manpower and strength, and wait for a counterattack.

To be honest, Li Qi couldn't figure out what else, besides Liu Junyi, could allow them to turn the tide.

So, what they are waiting for and delaying is Liu Junyi's promotion to the fifth rank?

Well then, I need to hurry too.

Li Qi could clearly sense that after comprehending the Thread of Cause and Effect, his cultivation level was seriously lagging behind his progress on the Dao Path cultivation. Under normal circumstances, he should be in seclusion at this moment, accumulating cultivation points and preparing for advancement.

However, since we are on the battlefield, there are many things that he still needs to handle personally, so it is really not appropriate for him to go into seclusion.

However, just after this thought popped into his head—

He suddenly received a message from the 'Alliance'.

Moreover, the person who sent the message was Zhu Fengdan.

Li Qi was shocked.

Keep in mind, this was the first message his boss had sent him since the start of the war.

Li Qi's feats of being beaten to the point of vomiting blood on the battlefield and learning to manipulate the threads of cause and effect did not disturb the old man.

Why would Teacher Zhu come looking for me when nothing's wrong at this time?

So Li Qi quickly responded.

He drew a wisp of his consciousness and brought it to the area of the 'Alliance'.

Here, a wisp of Zhu Fengdan's consciousness was already waiting.

Li Qi quickly stepped forward, cupped his hands in greeting, and said, "Greetings, Junior Scribe."

"Hmm, almost at the fifth rank?" Zhu Fengdan glanced at Li Qi with a distracted look.

"Yes, it will be soon." Li Qi nodded.

"That's good, but the other side is close to joining us too. Are you prepared to deal with it? After Liu Junyi advances to the fifth rank, your current situation will be reversed immediately, and you might lose directly. Is there a way to win quickly?" Zhu Fengdan asked again.

"No." Li Qi shook his head decisively.

There really isn't any.

Human Path humane defenses, which had been tightened, were impenetrable. Even with his daily micromanagement, he was helpless. The entire War Fortress, along with Gansong City, was like an iron tortoise.

Li Qi could only keep scraping, scraping, trying to create an opening for the time bomb inside this steel turtle before it exploded.

But this is the only way to slowly chip away at the enemy's strength; there are no weaknesses to exploit, and it's unrealistic to expect to achieve a decisive victory in one go.

"Then it's probably too late," Zhu Fengdan said.

This made Li Qi's expression somewhat unpleasant.

After all this hard-fought battle, are we really going to lose?

"But have you considered exchanging pieces with Liu Junyi yourself? You could take this opportunity to advance to the fifth rank, then fight him, and finally settle the winner in a duel. Wouldn't that be interesting?" Zhu Fengdan said with a smile.

Although she was smiling, Li Qi could still vaguely sense that Zhu Fengdan was emanating a demonic and murderous aura, but it was dissipated before it could manifest.

Even a mere sliver of his attention sent chills down Li Qi's spine.

Clearly, he was fighting, and engaging in a fierce battle with someone using some means that Li Qi could not comprehend.

He really took a break from his busy schedule to come here. Isn't he afraid of getting beaten to death? Getting distracted at a time like this is just asking for trouble.

But those weren't things Li Qi should be thinking about; he was just habitually overthinking.

He immediately focused his attention on what Zhu Fengdan had said.

Should he exchange pieces with Liu Junyi?

Is this even allowed?

Hmm... maybe that's feasible. If I can break through to the fifth rank, I might not be able to defeat Liu Junyi, but if I join forces with Shen Shuibi and some other powerful figures... we might be able to stop them.

If they can hold out for a while, then Human Path will have absolutely no chance of turning the tide.

The thought had barely crossed Li Qi's mind when Zhu Fengdan raised an eyebrow.

Clearly, he could see exactly what Li Qi was thinking.

"You might not be able to beat me? You seem so insecure. You've done something I never expected, so why are you belittling yourself?" Zhu Fengdan said.

"The Divine Ability of cause and effect, though powerful, consumes too much energy and has a strong backlash. It's not a fifth-rank technique. Understanding it is one thing, but using it still requires experience. Even if I advance to the fifth rank, I think it would be difficult to apply it directly in battle," Li Qi shook his head and said frankly.

He genuinely felt it wouldn't work.

Because when he was at the eighth rank, he had fought Liu Junyi. Liu Junyi fought against three opponents single-handedly, and the three young masters of Wushen Mountain were unable to raise their heads.

Having reached the fifth rank, the gap will only widen, not diminish.

However, Zhu Fengdan smiled and said, "That's true. But you can decide these things yourself. However, it's definitely time for you to advance to the fifth rank. I came here specifically to do this. Your chance of success lies in this. I sent someone to deliver some materials to you, which are great for replenishing your cultivation. Eat them all, and it will shorten the time it takes for you to accumulate cultivation."

"Uh... I'm accumulating cultivation power now, it's a purely gradual process, can treasures shorten that time?" Li Qi asked in surprise.

"Ordinary treasures won't do, but those things are treasures to me too." Zhu Fengdan said casually, "Alright, you understand. I'm leaving now, otherwise I'll lose. If I lose, you'll be doomed. I'm running away!"

Before Li Qi could speak, Zhu Fengdan vanished in a flash, just as suddenly as she had arrived.

Li Qi was directly ejected, his distraction forcibly returning to his main body.

Well...

Oh well, I'm used to it.

As for whether we lose or not, it doesn't matter. Anyway, Zhu Fengdan lost, so we can just wait to die.

If he wins, Zhu Fengdan will gain a slight advantage.

That's right. Although there are so many high-end combatants, it seems that all it takes is for the strong to determine the winner and loser to directly decide the battle. But in reality, what Li Qi and the others did was not in vain.

Li Qi's victory on the battlefield was accumulating momentum and providing an advantage for Zhu Fengdan and her team.

Zhu Fengdan's victory is also accumulating advantages for those higher up.

By accumulating layer by layer, we can lay the foundation for final victory.

Just like the battlefields of Li Qi and his subordinates in those Seventh Rank World, the wins and losses of one or two Seventh Rank World may seem insignificant, but the entire battlefield is built up from the wins and losses of these small places.

The concept of boundaries also exists on the battlefield.

Therefore, we must not slack off.

As Li Qi was thinking this, a shooting star suddenly appeared in the world he was in.

The meteor pierced through the barrier between worlds and flew rapidly toward Li Qi.

"So fast?" This surprised Li Qi.

Zhu Fengdan said she was going to deliver something, but it arrived in just a few seconds?

Was it a pedestrian who specifically intervened?

I think so?

As Li Qi was thinking this, he reached out his hand, only to see a hand appear out of thin air in the sky thousands of miles away, catching the shooting star.

Then, the hand clenched into a fist, swiftly moved to Li Qi's side, and then opened its palm.

Dispersing his Technique Method, Li Qi stared at the shooting star that had been sent towards him.

Uh... what is this?

At first glance, this thing looks like a Jade Bead, of good quality, but at first glance it is just good, nothing special.

Jade does possess some mystical properties, but that's about it.

However, Zhu Fengdan clearly told Li Qi that this thing was a treasure to Zhu Fengdan, so it must be extraordinary.

But... why doesn't this old thing explain how to use it? There's no instruction manual either, leaving me completely clueless.

Looking at the Jade Bead in front of him, Li Qi fell into deep thought.

Let's try the normal activation method for the Law Treasure first.

Then, he tried various ways to activate the Law Treasure, such as using his soul, blood, Technique Method, or a switch.

But nothing happened; the Jade Bead remained completely unmoved.

In that case, we'll have to find the source.

Li Qi carefully examined the pearl, trying to find clues. He wanted to find a possible source by observing the Jade Bead's surface features and aura fluctuations, and by combining this with the books he had read.

However, after looking for a long time, almost delaying the important task of command, I still couldn't find any corresponding records.

Li Qi had read so many ancient books, but there wasn't a single record that matched this thing.

That leaves only one last method.

Use True Knowledge Dao Charm.

This is actually very dangerous, because Zhu Fengdan clearly stated that this thing is also a treasure to him, which means that this thing may be a third-grade item.

If you rashly use your True Knowledge Dao Charm to scan this thing, you may easily touch upon the Daoist essence of grade three or higher, and may even directly encounter some terrifying Divine Ability.

Just one glance at him would probably be enough to make Li Qi collapse.

But after thinking about it, Li Qi felt that Teacher Zhu would definitely not harm him.

Let's scan it then.

True Knowledge Dao Charm, and then tentatively glanced at the Jade Bead.

By True Knowledge Dao Charm of the Jade Bead, Li Qi quickly discovered its internal structure and inherent properties.

But at that moment, he suddenly felt a fragrant breeze coming from behind him.

It smells very, very good.

And this taste... feels somewhat familiar.

White Chen Fox King Bodhisattva?

This is the third-rank Bodhisattva whom Li Qi encountered during his journey to the West. She simultaneously possessed four identities: Demon Race, Human Path empress, a demonic Yaksa, and a Buddhist Bodhisattva.

It was precisely because of the complexity of the other party's identity that Li Qi went to the Buddhist sect to seek their help and reached an agreement with the White Chen Fox King Bodhisattva.

White Chen Fox King Bodhisattva, can be said to hate Human Path to the bone. Her descent into demonic possession was entirely due to Human Path.

Because of the fragrance, the face of White Chen Fox King Bodhisattva immediately popped into Li Qi's mind.

That face was indescribably beautiful, truly unparalleled in the world.

This alarmed Li Qi.

Because, unless you see it with your own eyes, you can't imagine the face of the White Chen Fox King Bodhisattva.

Even if you've seen what the other person looks like, once you close your eyes, no matter how hard you try to recall, you'll only have a blurry outline and won't be able to recreate their appearance.

Because the other person's 'beauty' has reached the level of 'Tao', it is the objective reality of 'beauty' and the end point of all aesthetic appreciation. Unless you can perfectly understand and master all forms of 'beauty', you will not be able to recreate her appearance in your memory.

Therefore, just by seeing the other party's face, Li Qi knew that this precious pearl was probably the 'help' that the White Chen Fox King Bodhisattva had promised to him.

That alone is not enough to cause alarm.

The reason for Li Qi's fear was that he suddenly felt... his heart was wavering.

There was nothing else to it, except that White Chen Fox King Bodhisattva smiled at him.

That smile was so breathtaking that it completely captivated Li Qi, leaving him in a daze, as if that was all he could see.

In that moment of distraction, Li Qi suddenly saw—

He saw... his past self.

And, my future self.

The past self is the past self who fell into a coma due to the causal connection during the Blood Sacrifice.

My future self is already at the fifth rank, and I don't know what I'm doing, but I'm in seclusion.

He didn't know what was happening, but these thoughts just kept popping into his head. He saw his past and future selves before his eyes, and he even knew what time it was.

He could vaguely see himself at other times, in the earlier past, or in the more distant future.

But during those times, the 'self' was shielded by some force, and could only be vaguely seen, with no choice to be made.

For now, he can only choose between these two time periods.

Why choose this option?

Have no idea.

It's like... being captivated by that smile.

Li Qi, as if possessed, reached out and touched his past and future self.

Thus, the past body, the present body, and the future body become one.

Li Qi suddenly realized that his past self was the one who had been unconscious during the Blood Sacrifice, and whose cultivation had been drained.

And in the future, while in seclusion, a portion of his cultivation was also withdrawn.

These lost cultivation levels entered Li Qi's body!

The power of Blood Sacrifice, along with the power of Li Qi, a fifth-rank official, erupted within him!

He realized it immediately!

What I lack to reach the fifth rank is the cultivation level accumulated through painstaking effort, which normally requires a thousand years of accumulation.

Now, he no longer needs to go through the painstaking process.