Li Qiang was bothered because Lu Li had been cultivating in the castle. The only time he ever left his room was when he went to turn in the Spring Gold at the end of the month.

Afterward, he would return to the castle and never step out again.

Li Qiang could secretly mobilize many slaves in the Valley of Vicissitudes. However, he could not have someone just charge into the castle and kill Lu Li since he never went to the mines anymore. If he did such things, not only would the slaves he sent be killed, but he himself would be executed as well.

“Ha, how many did you kill? How many pieces of Spring Gold did you get?”

In the third month, when Lu Li went to hand in the share of Spring Gold for the month, Su Zixi followed Lu Li into his room and posed the question with curiosity.

Lu Li could finish the target every month even though he never stepped out for the past two months. He must have obtained a large number of Spring Gold. The only way to come across so much Spring Gold was to kill others and take their pieces.

Lu Li did not provide an answer but posed another question, “What? Do you need some Spring Gold? I can give you several pieces.”

“It’s okay. Ha, ha!”

Su Zixi grinned a wicked grin. A glow shone around his hand as many pieces of Spring Gold appeared. “Some idiots tried to hit me. I killed them and got hundreds of pieces of Spring Gold, enough for me to finish my job.”

“Really?”

Lu Li was a bit surprised. This Su Zixi appeared to be thin and weak. Was he quite powerful in fact? On second thought, Lu Li found it understandable that Su Zixi was a capable warrior since his great-grandpa was a township patriarch at a prefecture. Su Zixi must have learned many skills from this great-grandpa.

Lu Li nodded. “I killed some fools myself and got enough Spring Gold for a year. I thought I just might as well cultivate in the castle.”

“Impressive!”

Su Zixi gave Lu Li a thumbs up. “My great-grandpa has already sent someone here. I will leave in a month or two. I don’t know when we can meet again after we bid farewell.”

“We will meet again!” Lu Li smiled. “Maybe, in the future, there will come a time when we can fight together and defeat enemies together. Next time, when we meet, let us take up the wine cup and chat merrily.”

“Sure. It’s a deal, then!”

Su Zixi shook Lu Li’s hands and then said goodbye.

Lu Li resumed cultivation. For the time being, he had been learning the third level of the Method of Stone Golems. He had seen initial success. In a month or two, he would master the third level.

At the third level, he could forge many Stone Golems as powerful as immortals. Though those Stone Golems wouldn’t be particularly strong, the sheer number could offer him some help.

Two months passed in peace. Lu Li had thought he could continue to enjoy such uneventful months. Unexpectedly, something huge happened.

The Inhibition Formation in his room began to glare. Lu Li opened the door to see Su Zixi outside. Frowning, Lu Li asked, “Are you leaving?”

“No…”

With a forced smile, Su Zixi said, “Vicissitude House is in chaos. Demons have infiltrated the Divinity and many warriors have been infected. The people sent by my great-grandpa were killed on their way. I don’t think… I can leave any time soon.

“Demons?”

Lu Li remembered the image of the Slayer killing demons. Surprised, Lu Li asked, “Demons can come to the Divinity? Or, are there already demons lurking in the Divinity?”

“There are no demons hiding in the Divinity. Once some of them appear, powerful warriors will take actions to eliminate them.”

Su Zixi explained, “This time, something happened, and several demons have found their way to the Divinity. Soon, they were killed. Powerful warriors in the Divinity will not let demons run about.”

“Okay, it’s fine then!”

Hearing that demons were killed, Lu Li stopped worrying. This had nothing to do with him.

Su Zixi waved his hand. “Let’s go. Commander Ye is gathering us at the plaza. A nearby force has been completely infected by demons. Commander Ye is gathering us all to eliminate the demonists.”

“We?”

Lu Li was puzzled. “There are so many warriors in the Vicissitude House. Why do we have to go? We do not belong to the Vicissitude House.”

In principle, we don’t have to go indeed!”

Su Zixi was bewildered as well. “The Vicissitude House does have many prefecture warriors and nearby forces have a large number of warriors as well. I don’t know why. Anyways, Commander Ye has given the orders. We have to go. Let’s move.”

“Conspiracy!”

Out of instinct, Lu Li became alerted. They were only serving their terms here, which was to help the Vicissitude House. But they were free. The Vicissitude House did not have the right to order them to do anything.

What was more, many of them were not powerful. Though there were over ten thousand serving there, together, they were weaker than hundreds of prefecture warriors. Why would the Vicissitude House send them to eliminate demonists? Lu Li smelled something fishy.

“Can it be… a plot devised by the bird-eyed prefecture warrior?”

Lu Li’s eyes flickered. He followed Su Zixi out. Thousands were gathered at the plaza and many more were flying over.

Hundreds of prefecture warriors of the Vicissitude House had arrived. Commander Ye was here as well. He waited as people gathered around.

Lu Li and Su Zixi walked into the crowds. Lu Li glanced through the prefecture warriors and when he saw the bird-eyed one, his mind was burdened.

That bird-eyed prefecture warrior happened to see Lu Li as well. Thought the former’s glance seemed to be casual, Lu Li could still feel the coldness in his eyes!

Lu Li believed that demons coming to the Divinity should have nothing to do with the bird-eyed prefecture warrior because he would not have such resources. However, he must be behind the fact that Commander Ye was sending slaves to fights!

The bird-eyed prefecture warrior wanted Lu Li to leave the Valley of Vicissitude to capture him or kill him!

“What is it? Li Lu?” Su Zixi asked with concern, seeing that Lu Li looked awful.

“Nothing!”

Lu Li waved his hand, pretending to be relaxed. He wondered… if Yan Tiangang was waiting outside. Would he pretend to be “passing by” and take Lu Li’s life?

Time moved on. More and more were coming. Commander Ye waved to several prefecture warriors. Their hands glowed as several Beasts of the Void emerged and hovered around in the sky.

“Listen up!”

Commander Ye said coldly, “Several days ago, some demons came. Vicissitude House has dispatched powerful warriors to kill the demons. That being said, over a dozen smaller sects nearby were infected. As a member of the Vicissitude House, naturally, you have to share our chief’s problems and responsibilities. Therefore, we call upon you to eliminate the demonists. Of course… I will not send you on a wild goose chase. The ones that go with us can be exempted from one year’s service. We will be the main forces fighting and you only have to stay on the outside to stop any demonists from running away. But if you don’t go… well.”

Commander Ye’s threat could not be clearer. Nobody could enjoy the fruit of offending Commander Ye. Nobody proposed any objections.

“Spread out and enter the Beasts of the Void!”

Prefecture warriors began to guide the crowd. The bird-eyed warrior happened to step to Lu Li’s. Pointing the blue spear at the crowd, the bird-eyed warrior shouted, “Hurry up or else the demonists will escape. It will be more troublesome for us to deal with them.”

Lu Li intended to say that he wouldn’t go. As the bird-eyed prefecture warrior pointed the blue spear his way, Lu Li’s heart was burdened.

If he said he wouldn’t go, the bird-eyed prefecture warrior would kill him, taking the chance. Commander Ye might not be happy but he wouldn’t say anything.