"Ahem. Well, how did you, um... is it a new skill?"

Cheng Mingyue’s face was blushing, but it wasn’t obvious in the dark.

After a brief kiss, both of them calmed down, as this place was still filled with danger.

"Yes."

Li Rui wanted to rub his nose a bit, but he didn’t have a free hand. "I leveled up 6 times in the Secret Realm, now I’m level 59."

"....."

Cheng Mingyue still couldn’t understand this person’s leveling speed. "How long can you hold on?"

"For quite a while," Li Rui said.

His complete form had only a 10-minute cooldown, plus a 10% cooldown reduction, making it 9 minutes. With Invisibility and the large-scale Mist Control, he could basically maintain it perfectly.

However, continuously using skills would gradually deplete stamina while Spiritual Power could recover. After a few rounds, he estimated he wouldn’t be able to hold on.

"If things become impossible later, don’t worry about me, you should leave!" Cheng Mingyue suddenly said.

Li Rui looked disgusted, "What kind of nonsense is that?"

"Huh? That’s how they do it in TV dramas, isn’t it touching?"

"Don’t dare to be touched, don’t dare."

Li Rui could only hold her tightly. If they weren’t wrapped in Invisibility, their presence would be exposed.

As for the idea of sacrificing oneself to buy time for the other, it was basically impossible if discovered, as no one could escape.

Outside in the thick fog, dozens of world NPCs were wandering, and any ordinary person would have surrendered at the start.

As they continued to wait quietly, a familiar voice came from outside.

"Brother Li, why hide and not meet face to face for an old acquaintance?"

The voice was grand and loud, using some form of sound transmission technique, spreading throughout the restricted zone beneath the Holy Mountain.

"Who is that?" Cheng Mingyue whispered.

"Zuo Qiutian."

"Oh, it’s really him. I’ve always wanted to see what he looks like, never seen him before."

With such a whimsical guy around, Li Rui felt that the tense atmosphere was somewhat relieved, allowing him to maintain the mist and invisibility more calmly.

"Brother Li, I have cast a barrier with the life souls and blood of ten thousand people; you won’t be able to escape—why delay?"

Hearing this, Li Rui became more relaxed.

Now the situation was clear—Zuo Qiutian was anxious; he didn’t want Li Rui to keep hiding.

After all, within the blood-colored barrier, even if Li Rui kept hiding, the Holy Judgment High Court’s search would sooner or later uncover them.

Yet Zuo Qiutian didn’t hesitate to call out, wanting him to reveal himself, indicating a bit of urgency.

"Just ignore him."

Li Rui felt, "Perhaps it’s because rescue is coming, and he’s no longer sure he can hold me."

His guess was correct; as Zuo Qiutian spoke, the situation outside the blood-colored barrier also changed. 𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮

"Minister Zhuo, that’s the barrier, a typical Blood Evil Sect style, near Fengdu’s outskirts. Zuo Qiutian has used a similar Spell before."

The nearest city outside the barrier was Bright City, where Li Rui previously arranged a snakehead for smuggling into the jurisdiction.

Now, those at the scene included not only Zhuo Feilong but also several advisors from the Superpower Division. They had originally been executing different secret missions throughout the chaotic land, most being long-term. Due to today’s events, they were temporarily summoned here.

None of these people had received the most explosive news, not even considering the possibility of world NPCs descending into reality.

"No contact from inside the restricted zone?"

Zhuo Feilong asked about Li Rui, but others didn’t know his identity and only knew there was no emergency communication from inside.

"Minister, given the unclear situation, it’s best to wait and see. Currently, both the Western Kingdom and the Polar Alliance are making moves, and the southern countries have sent people to observe at the border."

The southern small countries in the chaotic land were relatively stable, but they would band together to form an informal loose alliance whenever significant changes occurred, returning to their usual state once things settled down, which was their survival strategy.

Zhuo Feilong shook his head lightly but said nothing.

It was evident he was worried about the person uncontactable within the restricted zone, even though no one knew who it was.

"Minister."

Just then, someone spoke over the intercom, "The Western Anomaly Bureau requests a meeting with you; it’s Director Liam."

Finally, a change was about to happen. The various forces couldn’t just stand by and let the Holy Judgment High Court create chaos inside the barrier; they needed to break the stalemate.

"Minister, you shouldn’t risk yourself; let them come over."

"At times like this, safety must be ensured."

Zhuo Feilong was among the top Extraordinary Powers globally, but they shouldn’t underestimate the opponent.

Alte Riam was the pinnacle of martial strength for the entire Western Kingdom too.

"No need, let them meet me at the service area on the K11 highway—it’s safe," Zhuo Feilong said.

The service area was between Bright City and the Western Kingdom’s stationed location, where all who came had already familiarized themselves with the terrain.

He asked the reporter to pass the message, then laid out a series of arrangements before firmly stomping the ground with one foot, soaring into the sky, disappearing like a true dragon into the clouds.

Boom!

His figure reappeared at a service area dozens of kilometers away.

There was an automobile motel and fast food restaurant, but no trace of humans.

Since the blood-colored barrier rose, the news had been broadcasting globally, and everyone knew something significant was happening, steering clear of it.

Fortunately, the actions of the world NPCs within the Holy Mountain’s restricted area didn’t affect the periphery, giving nearby residents a chance to evacuate.

Currently, there was another person in this service area, with curly silver hair and a slightly high M-shaped hairline.

Wearing a neat suit, shirt, watch, and shoes looked sophisticated, like an elite lawyer or doctor.

However, this person was certainly not an average middle-class individual but the Director of the Western Anomaly Bureau, Alte Riam.

"Congratulations, you did well on the Secret Realm battlefield," Liam was the first to speak.

"Luck," Zhuo Feilong smiled without real joy.

"You Dragon Country people always are modest."

Liam continued, "Let’s discuss business, what’s your take on the current situation?"

"Do you have any news?"

Both were cunning, unwilling to reveal their information first.

After a few seconds of silence, Zhuo Feilong said, "Alright, I’ll show some sincerity first. From our reconnaissance, it’s confirmed an unknown strong person appeared in the Holy Judgment High Court; the blood-colored barrier is Secret Technique from the Eastern Continent’s Secret Realm World, essentially a Blood Evil Sect Spell, and you should have data on that."

Despite the two nations having been rivals, occasional small-scale conflicts occurring, international relations are never static.

After listening, Liam also showed sincerity.

"Correct, your news aligns with our intelligence. I can add that several Grand Priests of the Holy Judgment High Court were killed in the western line fighting, and we captured a Holy Blade from the Holy Judgment Institute."

Zhuo Feilong wasn’t surprised, as the Western Anomaly Bureau was strong, and the Holy Judgment High Court couldn’t resist, especially with the real challenge inside the blood-colored barrier.

The two exchanged information mainly to build trust, and after confirming they were inclined to cooperate temporarily, they shared similar views.

No matter what, displaying Extraordinary Powers on the global stage would lead to instability, needing to be resolved quickly.

"Then, shall we temporarily join forces to remove this barrier?" Liam suggested.

"That’s a good proposal, I agree."