My Misfortune Crushed Instances-Chapter 178: Max Difficulty Is Nothing—Double It for Me!

Li Rui frowned. To put it bluntly, he was rather relieved.

This Peach Blossom Lady had become a spirit a few hundred years ago and was surely endowed with great powers. If she were indeed affected by Evil Qi and lost her sanity, she would probably become a formidable foe akin to Pang Manjun or Wei Xun.

At least her inability to awaken now means there won't be an additional world NPC-level enemy.

However, unlike him, the elders were flustered and rushed to surround him.

"Daoist, you must save the Lady."

"Daoist, you are a high adept of Shenxiao Palace; surely you have a way?"

Their anxiety wasn't just emotional attachment to their matriarch, but also fear that if anything happened to Peach Blossom Lady, their Forest Spirit tribe would eventually perish.

Li Rui gestured to the spirits to calm down a bit, pondering for a moment before suddenly remembering that mysterious hint which might still be a quarter incomplete.

Could it be here?

He examined the surroundings closely and found nothing unusual, then suddenly had a stroke of inspiration, recalling he had a certain skill.

Buzz.

As soon as his Blood Eye opened, the surrounding tree spirit elders were startled by his fierce and ominous appearance, making him look even more sinister.

Li Rui wasn't bothered by them because as soon as his Blood Eye opened, he realized there was something unusual. Faint traces of Evil Qi were drifting among the peach blossom petals, intermittently appearing and disappearing, lingering without dispersing.

At the same time, he saw a spherical shadow squirming not far from under the tree, periodically emitting strands of Evil Qi that drifted to the treetop.

Li Rui refreshed his perception of Zuo Qiutian once again.

This person was incredibly formidable and his methods were erratic and unpredictable. This illusion had been maintained for a year, blatantly placed in the Forest Spirit's residence, without ever being discovered.

More importantly, despite previously tricking Zuo Qiutian in the Silent Forest, the latter wasn't foolish. His techniques were not only low-key but also ingenious.

The Spiritual Qi abundance at Peach Blossom Lady's location effectively masked the chilling Evil Qi, appearing casually set but perfectly timed.

Even if the Evil Spirits of North Mountain were more menacing or if the Forest Spirits were less hostile towards outsiders, slight differences could alter the outcome.

Of course, no matter the setup, it couldn't withstand the intervention of others beyond this world.

Perhaps, this is the Heavenly Dao that even Zuo Qiutian himself feared.

Li Rui said, "Step back, all of you."

He approached the black mass alone, with his Blood Eye opened.

Ton ton ton.

After drinking a potion to add buffs, the Shenxiao Thunderbolt Heart Scripture initiated, Big Black Umbrella in hand, gear equipped and ready. Even if a boss battle suddenly emerged, he would be in peak condition.

Once everything was prepared, he launched a Thunderbolt Palm.

Crackle!

Divine Thunder collided with the black Evil Qi, creating intense gusts of air.

A ferocious wind swirled around, making the fallen peach petals dance in the air.

The tree spirit elders were both worried and fearful, unsure whether to retreat or advance, and Hea Yang held his war hammer, ready to assist at any moment.

Crash!

The black mass exploded under the scorching Divine Thunder, then reassembled, gradually forming a humanoid shadow.

The shadow squirmed again, revealing eyes, nose, mouth, hands, torso, legs, and clothing.

Li Rui instantly recognized this figure.

Zuo Qiutian.

After setting everything up, he hadn't left but stayed in this place.

Even though he was prepared, Li Rui couldn't help but feel a cold sweat run down his back.

[Clue collection 4/4, unlocks world quest: The Conspiracy of Peach Blossom Land.]

[Quest Objective: Defeat Zuo Qiutian's Shadow, stop Peach Blossom Lady from being controlled by Evil Qi.]

[Quest Reward: EXP +700000, Free Attribute Points +10, Epic Level Equipment x1, Epic Level Enhancement Materials x5, Epic Level Consumable Items x3.]

[Warning: High-risk boss battle is about to trigger, the outcome will change the plot direction of the world.]

Li Rui's first reaction was to shout at Hea Yang, "Submit the main quest immediately."

The latter had not triggered the clue collection event before, nor would he receive the world quest.

Judging by the rewards, this battle was extremely dangerous, not to mention it affected the world's plot direction.

The key thing is, standing before him was Zuo Qiutian.

Although Li Rui could tell that this wasn't the real body at a glance, even a fragment or replica of him was a terrifying existence. For Hea Yang, it could even be lethal.

Being killed by this guy might cause him to not wake up in reality.

So at the last moment, he upheld his principle to ensure the client's safety first.

Hea Yang had long been completely convinced by him. Without a second word, he told the Banyan Tree Spirit elder the command to exit and submit the task, then hurriedly ran out the main door.

Seeing Hea Yang leave, Li Rui relaxed a little. If a fight broke out later, having to protect others would be a burden. Anyway, given Hea Yang's abilities, he couldn't possibly meddle in a battle of this level.

At this moment, Zuo Qiutian glanced at the peach tree, then surveyed everyone present and instantly realized his plan had been exposed.

He remained as always, elegant and gentle, walking forward leisurely.

The tree spirit elders, knowing this person's details, were so terrified that their legs weakened. If it weren't for their matriarch being present, they might have already run for it.

Li Rui dared not be careless or make the first move, only standing there, umbrella in hand, staring at his opponent.

Zuo Qiutian noticed the tree spirits' fear and chuckled softly.

"It seems I don't need to say much. What happens next can only go to the bitter end."

He didn't hurriedly strike but instead fixed his gaze on Li Rui, holding eye contact, "But before that, may I ask who you are?"

Hmm?

He doesn't recognize me?

Li Rui immediately understood.

The timeline hadn't advanced another year from the Liangting border. This shadow of Zuo Qiutian had no memory of him.

In other words, this wasn't the real body, and it didn't know that he had once ruined his grand plan in the Silent Forest.

His thoughts raced, yet he hesitated not a second, quickly putting on a smile.

"Brother Zuo? Finally awoken you, it was quite a trouble finding you!"

If I tricked you once, I can trick you twice!

...

The Hea family's housekeeper followed the boss's instructions to check the awakening room at intervals.

Though she didn't understand what these people were doing, she knew it was confidential and had signed an agreement. The agreement alone had increased her monthly salary by ten thousand yuan, so she kept her lips sealed, and the Hea family was very satisfied with her work.

She pushed open the wooden door of the awakening room, walked to Hea Yang, looked at his raised sleeve, and started counting the stars.

"One, two, three, four, five, black."

She remembered this in her heart and sent a text to He Pengxi. The latter wouldn't reply, but this procedure was necessary.

As the housekeeper was about to leave, she suddenly saw that next to those black stars, black ink appeared, quickly forming another star.

"One more? Mr. Hea never mentioned this could happen."

An ordinary person might be startled to see a "tattoo" move, but she'd grown accustomed to it and hesitated over whether to report it, as she had never seen a star appear out of nowhere.

Ultimately, she edited a text and sent it, expecting no reply. Instead, a call came in directly.

"You said it turned from five to six black stars?" He Pengxi got straight to the point.

"Yes, Mr. Hea."

"Count them again, now, confirm that there are six black stars?"

"One, two... Yes, it's six stars."

"I see. That's all."

He Pengxi's voice was as calm as ever, but the housekeeper who knew him well could sense his unrest.

He couldn't remain calm; how could there be six black stars in a Secret Realm with five white stars? Something must have happened inside, something very unusual.

As the call was about to end, she instinctively looked down and suddenly exclaimed, "Oh, sir, there's another one!"

"What?"

This time, even He Pengxi couldn't remain calm, "You, you check if it keeps increasing, don't hang up the phone."

"Sir, it's really increasing, there are now eight stars."

"Nine stars!"

"Oh, ten stars!"

Even the housekeeper became excited, though she didn't know why; she just felt like she was witnessing something incredible.

Finally, with a moan, Hea Yang slowly woke up.

"Sir, he's awake!"

"...Tell him not to move; I'll be back within ten minutes."