"Fellow Daoist Xiao, are you alone?" Lei Yongtao asked.

Although he was not familiar with Lin Zheyu and could not judge his character in such a short time, Lin Zheyu had some connection with the Lei Family and had saved Lei Yunshu's life. Compared to others, Lei Yongtao trusted him more. Thus, he considered recruiting Lin Zheyu as a teammate, valuing his astonishing perception. Those with such perception often had an exceptional awareness of danger. With someone like that in a team, many risks could be avoided.

"I already have teammates," Lin Zheyu said after a brief pause, smiling.

Compared to Lei Yongtao, who appeared rough and reckless on the outside but was quite calculating within, Lin Zheyu felt Ji Zitong was more reliable. The Ji Family's reputation spoke for itself. There was no need for them to tarnish thousands of years of prestige for minor gains.

"What a pity. May I ask who your teammates are? Have they arrived? Perhaps I might know them," Lei Yongtao said with a smile.

Those who could reach the depths of the demon god barrier were mostly geniuses. Even if Lei Yongtao was not personally acquainted with them, he recognized most of the notable talents of the cultivation world.

"A few days ago, I accepted Fellow Daoist Ji Zitong's invitation and joined her team. Would you like to come along as well?" Lin Zheyu said with a smile.

He said it deliberately, suspecting that Lei Yongtao might already be part of Ji Zitong's team. Sure enough, the moment he heard her name, Lei Yongtao burst into laughter.

"Haha, Fellow Daoist Xiao, we truly are fated! Come, it’s about time. Many people should have arrived already. Let us head over and regroup," Lei Yongtao said cheerfully.

"Please wait a moment, Fellow Daoist Lei. I will send Miss Ji a message," Lin Zheyu said.

He took out the Green Bamboo Mirror from his storage pouch and activated it, sending Ji Zitong a message confirming his agreement to join her team. Soon, she replied with the meeting location. It was very close to the space-time rift, less than five kilometers away by his estimation.

Seeing Lin Zheyu take out the Green Bamboo Mirror, Lei Yongtao nodded slightly. The man had not lied. After obtaining the location, the two moved at once, heading swiftly toward the gathering point.

"Fellow Daoist Lei, how many companions are there on this trip?" Lin Zheyu asked curiously.

From what he knew, there were Ji Zitong, Tu Yuan, Ji Ziyang, Lei Yongtao before him, and himself. That already made five. Five peak Foundation Establishment realm geniuses formed a formidable force in the demon god barrier, where Golden Core realm experts were rarely seen.

"Including you and me, there are seven in total," Lei Yongtao said.

Suddenly, he saw Lin Zheyu's expression shift as he looked toward the left front. Lei Yongtao felt a trace of surprise as he thought, Is there something there?

He formed a hand seal with his right hand. Lightning flickered across his fingers as he brushed them over his eyes. Arcs of electricity crackled within his pupils.

"Hu Xuefei! Looks like that sly fox has set her sights on you. Be careful, Fellow Daoist Xiao," Lei Yongtao warned after spotting the fleeting figure.

At the same time, he felt a bit more astonished. The possibility that Xiao Yu had opened the spirit divine repository increased in his mind. Just now, if he had not used a secret art of the Lei Family to briefly activate his Lightning Eye, he would not have been able to detect Hu Xuefei's fleeting figure at all.

"But with your ability, that fox will not gain much advantage. Hu Xuefei cultivates a pure Yin body and follows the path of utmost emotion. If you can subdue her, it will greatly benefit your future cultivation," Lei Yongtao said with a grin.

This was one of the reasons he had made a move earlier, aside from testing Hu Xuefei's strength. Men, especially self-assured geniuses like Lei Yongtao, could hardly resist the urge to try their luck when encountering a Heart-Enchanting Fox Yao who cultivated a pure Yin body and followed the path of utmost emotion, wondering if they could subdue one.

"Oh?" Lin Zheyu's heart stirred slightly upon hearing this, but the thought passed in an instant, leaving no ripples behind.

***

Hu Xuefei's graceful figure flickered in the silent darkness. "Has he opened the three great divine repositories? When did such a monster appear in the martial cultivation world of Great Wei?"

At this moment, there was not a trace of seductive aura about her. Her expression was calm, her temperament carrying a cold edge. Yet when she smiled inadvertently, it revealed endless charm.

Hu Xuefei smiled faintly and muttered, "A genius who has opened the three great divine repositories...? If he steps into the Shackles realm... He would truly make excellent material as a furnace."

Her pink tongue slid across her lips. The coldness vanished, replaced by boundless allure and temptation.

"Hehe..." A soft laugh echoed from the void as Hu Xuefei's figure flickered and vanished abruptly into the emptiness.

Lin Zheyu paid little mind to the possibility of being targeted by Hu Xuefei. Her divine ability was strange, but as long as she could not break through the golden energy defense within his sea of consciousness, she would not be able to charm him. Moreover, in the previous fight, he had revealed less than half of his true strength.

As of now, Lin Zheyu's most powerful state was his golden body transformation. He had yet to fully experience just how strong it was. He had only just finished enhancing it with Origin Force when he was caught in the aftermath of Lei Yongtao and Hu Xuefei's battle and buried underground, leaving him no chance to test it.

Lin Zheyu and Lei Yongtao soon arrived at the depths of the demon god barrier. He looked up at the Buddha's palm towering like a mountain and felt a powerful shock in his heart. Even from a distance of around five kilometers, he could still sense the terrifying aura emanating from the space-time rift suppressed beneath it. 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

It was like an abyss, like a demon, as if endless evil and terror churned behind the space-time rift suppressed by the Buddha's palm. A roaring sound like a waterfall crashing down echoed through the air. An extremely pure, viscous liquid surged from the rift, striking the ground and gathering into a sinister river infused with pure demonic qi. The river flowed outward toward the edge of the demon god barrier, its escaping demonic qi continuously corrupting the surrounding space.

The energy within this demonic river is incredibly pure! Lin Zheyu exclaimed inwardly upon sensing the refined energy within it.

The moment the viscous liquid first flowed out from the other side of the space-time rift, the energy it contained must have been unimaginably terrifying. Lin Zheyu could not help but consider collecting some to take away. But it was only a passing thought. Ordinary storage pouches simply could not withstand the corrosive nature of demonic qi energy.

The storage pouches Lin Zheyu had previously used to hold the demonic river were now mostly corroded beyond use. Not only had their restrictions been eroded by the pure demonic qi energy, but even the material of the pouches themselves had also begun to show signs of demonization.

When the space-time node had just opened and the demonic realm had first invaded, the viscous liquid that flowed out was the most unusual. The demonic qi energy within it was extremely yin and wicked, terrifying beyond measure.

"Haha, Fellow Daoist Lei is back. What about that sly fox? Did you catch her?"

Before long, hearty laughter echoed from afar. Several powerful auras appeared within Lin Zheyu's perception. Facing these formidable geniuses, he did not dare to probe them freely with his Perception Domain, as such behavior would be quite rude. Ordinary people might not notice, but these individuals were all geniuses with sharp spiritual awareness.

"She got away. That Heart-Enchanting Fox Yao really does have some skill," Lei Yongtao said with a curl of his lip.

No matter how unwilling he was, he had to admit Hu Xuefei's strength. Still, while she was powerful, Lei Yongtao was no weakling either. He could not do much to her, but neither did he believe she posed a fatal threat to him.

"This fellow Daoist looks unfamiliar. Is he an expert you recruited, Fellow Daoist Lei?" A clear and melodious voice rang out. Among the group stood a tall woman dressed in light blue, her demeanor refined as she spoke.

"Haha, let me introduce him. This is Fellow Daoist Xiao Yu. He was not invited by me, but by Miss Ji. That said, I acknowledge his strength. In just two moves, he drove back that sly fox Hu Xuefei," said Lei Yongtao, laughing. His words made the others take Lin Zheyu more seriously.

"I am Xiao Yu, a martial artist. Greetings, fellow Daoists," Lin Zheyu introduced himself.

A burly young man standing nearby looked Lin Zheyu over and asked suspiciously, clearly doubting his identity, "Oh? You are also a martial artist? Why have I never seen you before? Have you not joined the Martial Alliance?"

"I have not joined the Martial Alliance. Since childhood, I have been under my master’s wings and traveled the Martial World. It is only natural that you have not seen me before," Lin Zheyu explained with a smile.

"Oh?" Interest flickered across the burly man's face. He cupped his hands toward Lin Zheyu and said, "I am Bai Lin, from the Martial Alliance. Would Fellow Daoist Xiao be willing to exchange a few moves?"

Lin Zheyu glanced around. The others all stepped back, clearly intending to watch the show. Ji Zitong and Ji Ziyang were not present, and aside from Lei Yongtao, everyone else was focused on him. It was obvious they wanted Bai Lin to test his strength and see whether he was qualified to join them.

They were all proud geniuses. Without sufficient strength, even someone invited by Ji Zitong would not gain their recognition. Among them, however, one person did not seem to mind. Tu Yuan stood calmly in the distance, smiling as he cupped his hands toward Lin Zheyu in greeting.

"Alright." Lin Zheyu nodded and stepped forward.

Lin Zheyu had long expected someone would test his strength, so it did not surprise him. Moreover, this was his first time encountering martial artists who walked the path of Immortal Martial Cultivation, and he wanted to take this opportunity to gauge their strength through sparring.

"Who do you think is stronger?" Lei Yongtao asked with a grin, standing with the others.

"I think Fellow Daoist Xiao is stronger," Tu Yuan said calmly before anyone else could respond.

Hearing him speak, the others could not help but turn to look, surprise in their eyes. They were all familiar with Tu Yuan's strength. He was not only skilled in earth escape techniques but also formidable in combat. Otherwise, with his reckless temperament, he would have died long ago. How else would he have earned the title Earth Demon Rat?

"Oh? That reminds me. I heard that not long ago, Fellow Daoist Tu Yuan was defeated by an unknown expert. Could it be this Fellow Daoist Xiao?" the woman in light blue asked curiously.

"That would be him," Tu Yuan said with a bitter smile, nodding. "I slipped up badly. His perception is absurdly strong. I suspect he has opened the third divine repository, the spirit divine repository!"

Recalling that battle, Tu Yuan had pondered it for a long time before reaching this conclusion. His ability to conceal himself and suppress his aura ranked among the best of his peers. Even Ji Ziyang could not quickly locate him once he hid within demon-tainted soil.

Yet this fellow Daoist named Xiao Yu had managed to do it. Not only that, he had used overwhelming perception and terrifying force to forcibly drag him out of his earth escape state. Furthermore, Tu Yuan had another suspicion. There was a high chance that Xiao Yu was the owner of that special treasure.

"That's right. I also think he has opened the spirit divine repository," said Lei Yongtao, nodding in agreement.

The battle between Lin Zheyu and Bai Lin had already begun. As they observed the fight, they also listened to Lei Yongtao's account, hoping to learn more about this unfamiliar teammate.

"You have all seen the Heart-Enchanting Fox Yao's charm divine ability. It not only bewilders the mind but can even alter perception. It is truly extraordinary. But in front of Fellow Daoist Xiao, Hu Xuefei's ability could not deceive him at all. He did not even need to probe. Every attack he made was a single strike that found her true position.

"It was truly remarkable. Damn it, they say onlookers see clearly, but even as a bystander, I strained my eyes and still could not find her true body," Lei Yongtao said with a wry shake of his head.

Shi Mulan, dressed in light blue, speculated thoughtfully. "I have heard that martial artists who open the spirit divine repository have a chance of gaining a special spiritual divine ability. Could Fellow Daoist Xiao have awakened such an ability?"

"That would have to be asked of him directly." Tu Yuan shrugged, narrowing his eyes as he fixed his gaze on the battle between Bai Lin and Lin Zheyu.

At first, the two were merely testing each other, but now the fight was gradually heating up.