Chapter 1242-1247

Chapter 1242 - Beginning of the Bug Tide

When Zhao Hai felt this imposing aura, his expression changed. He knew how formidable this aura was. Even if he used all of his strength, he wouldn't be able to match it.

Along with the aura was a silhouette of a person appearing in front of the wood-element Cultivator. This person was wearing a daoist robe. His hair as well as eyebrows were white. Also, his eyebrows were very long, just like his silvery beard. He held a wine bottle in his hand. His hair was tied up by a turquoise jade hairpin. He looked very sage-like, it was as though he was one with nature.

When this old daoist appeared, his electric eyes shot towards Zhao Hai as he called out, "Bold evildoer! You dare to hurt my disciple. Die!" Then he waved his hand as a golden palm pressed towards Zhao Hai.

Seeing this attack, Zhao Hai coldly snorted and said, "Just a Nascent Soul. You better give up." Then he made a fist with his hand and then hit the palm with a punch.

Zhao Hai's fist caused a huge hole to appear on the golden palm. An explosion was heard, and it actually caused the sturdy cave to shudder. The wood-element Cultivator was killed by the shock of the collision.

Zhao Hai snorted and then waved his hand to collect the bodies of the Cultivators. Then he released Undead to clean up the battlefield. Once the place was cleaned up, Zhao Hai and the others took their own share of bugs. Then they left the cave and flew away.

Not long after Zhao Hai and the others left, other Cultivators arrived at the scene. Upon entering the cave, the Cultivators' expressions changed. They felt the trace of battle in the cave, especially when Zhao Hai destroyed the Nascent Soul old man's attack. That clash caused huge fluctuations that it still lingered for the Cultivators to sense.

These Cultivators obviously knew each other but they weren't friends. One of the Cultivators in black clothing looked at the others and then said, "You guys sensed it too? It seems like a Nascent Soul Expert made a move here."

A Cultivator in green snorted and said, "Yi Shuihan, you rarely act stupid. We can clearly see that the situation isn't as crazy as that. Two people were fighting here and one of them used a jade talisman. I just didn't know what enemy they faced for them to be compelled to use a jade talisman."

The black clothed Yi Shuihan sneered, he turned his head and said, "Jiang Tian, are you dumb? Can't you sense other auras here other than that Nascent Soul Grandmaster?"

A person wearing white and has a sword at his back nodded respectfully and said, "It's just as brother Yi said. Besides that Nascent Soul aura, there seem to be six other fluctuations in this place. Five of them are from our Cultivation Realm. Two metal-element, two-earth element, and a wood element Cultivator. The last one has a very special aura. Forgive me for being unable to know what it is."

When Jiang Tian heard the polite apology of the white-robed Cultivator, he couldn't help but gawk. Then he said, "Even Ten Thousand Sword Sect's Suo Liancheng can't feel it. This is strange."

A person wearing red clothing said with a serious expression, "I can feel a weak aura of fire. It seems to be a fire spell. It's power should be formidable, I just don't know what kind of spell it is."

Suo Liancheng frowned slightly and said, "Brother Qin Zhang has already reached major perfection in his fire element art, but even you can't discern which spell it is? It seems like the enemy that the five met wasn't weak."

At this time, a person wearing Daoist Clothes commented, "From the death suffered by the bugs, it seems like the five used the five elements formation. Everyone should remember the five guys from the three mountains alliance."

Upon hearing this, Suo Liancheng's expression changed. Then he said, "Brother Yao Gan, do you mean Situ Nan's group? Those five are very powerful when they work together. Who would dare provoke them? Moreover, from what we can see, Situ Nan's group didn't hold back."

Yi Shuihan coldly said, "Not only did they go all out, it seems like they had been very unfortunate. They were even forced to use a jade talisman. And from the feeling of death that I can sense, if they weren't dead, then they wouldn't be able to live for long."

Upon hearing Yi Shuihan, everyone's expression changed. They knew that Yi Shuihan was a Ghost Dao Cultivator, so he was very sensitive when it came to death. His insight about this topic should be accurate.

However, this matter made those present wonder. How could a rookie defeat the group of five using the five element formation? They even forced the use of a jade talisman. Who had such strength?

Then at this time, Yao Gan opened his mouth and said, "I don't know if you have heard about this news. But before we arrived at Fabio Planet, Base Number 5 was attacked by the bugs. When the base was about to fall, a person managed to fight against a silverback gold-winged bug one on one. It was said that this person was also a participant of the competition. It's the Machine Field's top newcomer, Zhao Hai. Do you think it's him?"

Upon hearing Yao Gan, Jiang Tian couldn't help but laugh as he said, "That's impossible. I'm more likely to believe that the Machine Field retreated immediately when they saw the bugs."

…

While these Cultivators were chatting, Zhao Hai was leading Xiong Li and the others away. They were still avoiding as many bugs as possible. The bugs were presently agitated. If they were to come in contact with any bug now, then it's possible that they might trigger the bug tide ahead of time.

Xiong Li and the others looked at Zhao Hai's expression and knew that it wasn't time to tell jokes. Therefore, they just followed Zhao Hai silently as they navigated the labyrinth that was the bug underworld.

Although Xiong Li and the others couldn't remember their previous route, they could tell that Zhao Hai wasn't leading them in circles. How can Zhao Hai do this? They might try to guess, but they didn't say nor ask anything. They just blindly trusted Zhao Hai.

After flying non-stop for seven hours, Zhao Hai finally stopped to rest at a cave. Then he took out food and then shared it with everyone. While they were eating, Li Kuangren looked at Zhao Hai and said, "Little Hai, are we going back to the transmission formation? And why do I feel like the current situation isn't right?"

Although Li Kuangren was clueless about the current situation, the intuition that he sharpened over countless battles was telling him that something was wrong.

In fact, it wasn't only Li Kuangren who felt this, Xiong Li and the others as well. Hearing Li Kuangren, Xiong Li nodded and said, "I feel it as well. These caves around us seem to be filled with danger."

Zhao Hai smiled bitterly and said, "Your intuition is correct. The caves are currently filled with danger. In fact, we just avoided a massive bug tide. We should get to a transmission formation in five hours. We don't have much time left."

Chapter 1243 - The Tide Approaches

Li Kuangren didn't say anything more and just believed Zhao Hai's words. In any case, they had been safe all this time while traversing the cave system. If Zhao Hai left them behind, they still wouldn't be able to find the way out.

At this moment, Zhao Hai's expression changed. He touched the ground and then immediately stood up as he said, "Leave this area quick!" Then the group quickly flew towards a nearby cave with no hesitation.

Although the others had no idea what was going on, they were still able to feel something from their surroundings. There were currently minute sounds of movement around them.

It sounded like a skitter, but it was a skitter that sounded extremely terrifying.

Zhao Hai looked at the caves and let out a long breath. Then he said, "The bug tide has begun. We need to be more careful. Otherwise, once we get entangled with those bugs, it would be very hard for us to return to the transmission formation."

Xiong Li's expression changed, then he said, "Little Hai, if we're heading back to the transmission formation, wouldn't it be quicker if you use Space magic?"

When Zhao Hai heard Xiong Li, he couldn't help but slap his own head. Then he laughed and said, "Boss Xiong, thanks for reminding me. I actually forgot about it. Alright, let's go."

Zhao Hai had honestly forgotten about using the Space for this situation. Although the situation was critical, it wasn't to the point where it was a threat to Zhao Hai's life. With how much Zhao Hai wanted to protect the secret of the Space, he actually forgot that he already had renown as a space mage. Therefore, he forgot that he could use the Space's transport to travel quickly.

Now that he had been reminded by Xiong Li, Zhao Hai remembered that he had used this ability before. In any case, Xiong Li and the others would just think that it was a space-attribute spell and wouldn't suspect anything. Moreover, this would save them some effort of flying along.

Xiong Li and the others looked at Zhao Hai in strange expressions. They haven't seen Zhao Hai make a mistake before. In their eyes, Zhao Hai was perfect. But a person like him actually made such a simple mistake. They didn't know how to react.

Zhao Hai looked at their expressions, then he asked, "What happened? Is there something wrong?"

Xiong Li forced a smile and said, "Little Hai, you look very clever all the time, how could you forget something like space magic? Don't you use it a lot?"

Zhao Hai smiled and said, "Actually, I was absorbed by the feeling of flying through caves. It's like flying through a mysterious labyrinth."

His explanation naturally invited the laughter and scolding of the others. But Zhao Hai didn't take it too seriously and just laughed with them. Then in the next moment he waved his hand and opened a passage towards the transmission formation.

After three days, the bug parts that were left here had started to rot. The smell was enough to make people faint. Naturally, Zhao Hai disliked this smell so he used wind magic to drive it away towards smaller caves. Then he used water magic to clean the cave and then fire magic to roast the place.

Then Zhao Hai used earth magic to close up those small caves. Only two caves were left open for ventilation. This would also reduce the amount of bugs that could detect the place. Zhao Hai knew that if the bugs found them, then they would certainly attack. Those earthen walls would do nothing to stop them.

After dealing with this, Zhao Hai and the others sat inside the transmission formation. The transmission formation was specially made so that it couldn't be erased. Moreover, Cultivators would perform maintenance on it from time to time. Therefore, there's nothing wrong about it.

Naturally, Zhao Hai discovered that this wasn't any special method. Actually, the formation's real structure was buried underground. It can be said that if that formation wasn't destroyed, then the formation aboveground would stay in place. Otherwise, this formation wouldn't have survived after multiple bug tides.

As they sat down, Xiong Li and the others began to relax. To be honest, they were quite tense. This was because they knew that without Zhao Hai, they couldn't survive the bug attack.

In fact, what Xiong Li and the others didn't know was that Zhao Hai can bring them above ground using the Space. They thought that Zhao Hai had no coordinates to Base Number 5 so he couldn't send them back. They weren't aware that Zhao Hai could just take them back at any time.

However, Zhao Hai didn't bother bringing it up. He didn't want his abilities to be known that much.

Once they had sat down, Xiong Li let out a long breath and then said, "I didn't expect that we'd meet a bug tide. Little Hai, how do you think the other realms did?"

Zhao Hai smiled faintly and said, "I don't know about the other realms. But I'm very sure that six participants from the Machine Field would get the top spots of the competition. Although the Cultivators are powerful, I'm afraid they would lose a lot this time. And there's the bug tide as well. It would be very hard for them to deal with it."

Li Kuangren was grinning as he said, "That's good. Those guys in the Cultivation Realm are annoying to look at. I'll be happy if more of them die. Once the competition ends, I'll definitely teach them a lesson."

When everyone heard Li Kuangren, everybody laughed. Then Zhao Hai smiled and said, "The Cultivation Realm's losses shouldn't be small, the same is true for the other realms. Even if we're the only ones left in the Machine Field, I can affirm that we'll have the best result in the World of Cultivation."

Xiong Li and the others laughed. They knew that they would be making history this time. This would be good for their future plans in the Machine Field. After all, they were preparing to go independent.

Although Zhao Hai was happily chatting with the others, he was also paying close attention to the situation using the silver needles. Liquid Silver's needles had been scattered all throughout the nearby cave system, waiting for any bugs to come in.

However, just like Zhao Hai thought, there were no eight-legged bugs in the surrounding area. This was because they had just destroyed the nearby nest. It would take some time before this region would be repopulated with bugs. Because of this, they were able to take a rare break.

In the next five days, no other bugs entered the region besides locust-like bugs. However, Zhao Hai didn't treat these locusts lightly. He immediately dispatched several undead in order to deal with them.

Zhao Hai knew that these locusts were scouts and the large army of bugs would come later. If this was any other time, the other bugs might not come over once these locusts were killed. However, since a bug tide was forming, it's almost certain that the bugs were heading over to kill the Undead.

Zhao Hai looked at Xiong Li and the others. They were currently stabilizing their breathing in order to maintain their optimum condition. Zhao Hai talked with a serious tone, "Brothers, there's some work to do."

Upon hearing Zhao Hai, Xiong Li and the others opened their eyes. They looked at Zhao Hai who nodded and said, "Bugs are coming, and they are coming in fast."

Everyone quickly stood up. Li Kuangren flexed his arms as he laughed and said, "Let them come. I'm even beginning to think that we'll wait here until the elimination round ends."

Zhao Hai smiled faintly, but his attention was still focused on the bug caves. He kept close attention to the areas that he blocked off before. So even if the bugs wanted to attack Zhao Hai and the others, they would have to spend a lot of time cleaning up those walls made by earth magic. And if they choose not to break through, then they would only have two entrances to go through. This would allow Zhao Hai and the others to defend their location quite easily.

Sure enough, an hour after the locust was killed, massive amounts of flying bugs flew over. There were also eight-legged bugs as well as small beetle-like bugs. These new beetle bugs weren't high-level, but their number was enough to cause headaches.

When these bugs saw that the path in front of them was blocked, they didn't take a detour. Perhaps there was no such thing as the word 'detour' in their minds. These bugs immediately started to excavate the earth in front of them. Zhao Hai discovered how fast the bugs could excavate. It didn't take a long time for the bugs to go through a meter of earth.

The bugs were advancing at a very quick speed. Zhao Hai knew that it wouldn't take long for them to go through the blockade. Therefore, he waved his hand and released a large number of Undead into the cave where the bugs were in. This time, the first Undead that Zhao Hai released weren't all humanoid. Instead, most of them had beast shapes. Each body of these Undead were more than ten meters long. They had two eyes that lit up like torches as well as claws that could rip through bones.

Inside these beasts were humanoid Undead carrying cannons. These Undead were operating magic cannons. This made the Undead unit functionally similar to tanks.

Chapter 1244 - Formidable Beast Undead Unit

Xiong Li and the others stared at Zhao Hai's new Undead unit. After some time, Xiong Li turned his head towards Zhao Hai, eyes shining as he said, "Little Hai, how many secrets do you really have? Can't you just take them all out?"

Zhao Hai smiled faintly and said, "No rush, no rush. The place where I came from isn't a peaceful place. I've encountered wars between million-people armies several times. If you're not armed against those fellows, then you would die. But you can rest assured, we won't have any problems defending for the next few days."

Xiong Li didn't ask more. They just turned their heads towards the Undead beast units. The beasts looked very sturdy, giving Xiong Li and the others morale.

Most importantly, besides the beasts walking on the ground, there were also plenty of them flying in the air. These flying beasts were also armed to the teeth, looking incomparably fierce.

All beast Undead that Zhao Hai released had every offensive part armed with iron fittings. Their teeth were reinforced with metal, their tails were supplemented with hammers, and some of their claws were sharpened. These bodily weapons might not look menacing, but these weapons were also inscribed with magic formations, the weapon shattering formation.

These iron fittings were the latest additions. When Zhao Hai gave the Undead army new weapons, Laura was the one to propose this idea. She also proposed using these beasts more often compared to humanoid Undead.

Zhao Hai didn't know why this was the case, but Laura told him that it was for his reputation. No matter which place, releasing a large number of humanoid Undead would make people label you as an evildoer. This would be very disadvantageous to Zhao Hai's future development since this would provide his enemies with a proper reason to deal with him.

Also, these beast Undead were large and had bodies that were highly transformable. They were also stronger compared to humanoid Undead. Because of this, Laura hoped that Zhao Hai would use them more often in the future.

Zhao Hai happily accepted Laura's proposition. Then he made Laura install weapons on the beasts, and he also ensured that they all had weapon shattering. Naturally, the quality of their weapon shattering couldn't be compared to Xiong Li and the others. Xiong Li and the others had weapons made with special materials, and while Zhao Hai had a lot of good materials in the Space, their ore veins were still in their growth phases, completely unsuitable for large-scale mining. Therefore, Zhao Hai could only use the Space's stockpile of material to create weapons.

Nevertheless, the result was very extraordinary. After these weapons were installed, the beast Undead's fighting strength had increased by at least three points. And if the magic cannons were added, then these Beast Undead unit's fighting strength could seriously be considered as terrifying.

Because of this, Zhao Hai was able to make a death squad of beast undead. Moreover, these Undead had different weapons in their bodies, making them even more terrifying.

While the brothers were speaking, the flying mantis bugs had already flown into the cave. However, just as they appeared, they were suddenly met with a bone dragon and were immediately extinguished.

Although these flying mantis bugs weren't weak, the bone dragons couldn't be underestimated as well. After the Space leveled up several times, the bone dragons had also leveled up. Their strength had become formidable. Naturally, the bone dragons had no problems dealing with the flying mantis bugs.

However, these low-level bugs never won because of their strength, instead they depended on their numerical superiority. A seemingly inexhaustible amount of flying mantis bugs streamed into the cave. This opened the curtain for the beginning of the battle.

In the beginning, only the flying bugs were present so the Undead were able to easily deal with them. They haven't even used their weapons yet.

But soon after, other blocked passages were beginning to be broken through. More and more bugs came, adding more oil to the fires of battle. The Undead beasts had one advantage over these bugs, and that was their size, defense, and strength. Therefore, they still had an easy time. There were also the magic cannons that helped them deal with the incoming bugs.

Xiong Li and the others discovered that they were too preoccupied being the spectators of the battle. They can only stand there and watch the Undead fight the endless stream of bugs.

Li Kuangren looked discontentedly at Zhao Hai and said, "Little Hai, you're hogging all the glory. Look at how busy the battle has become, do you hate me that much?"

Zhao Hai laughed and said, "Isn't it fun to just watch? People from other realms would never find such an opportunity. I reckon those guys are getting desperate at this time. Hahaha. Think about it, while those guys are fighting for their lives, we're here drinking and watching a show."

As soon as they heard Zhao Hai, Xiong Li and the others laughed. Just like Zhao Hai said, while the others were going all out, they were here watching the battle as though it was entertainment.

Li Kuangren laughed as well, then he said, "That's right. When I think of those guys from the Cultivation Realm looking desperate, I couldn't help but be happy. Hahaha."

Time went by as more and more bugs appeared. Moreover, as time passed, the bugs coming over were getting stronger and stronger. Some bugs can even fight the Undead one-to-one. However, those bugs would still die to the magic cannons. With the combined power of the beast Undead and the magic cannons, the bugs were unable to do anything for a while.

The cave where Zhao Hai and the others were wasn't small, but it did appear like so. Undead and bugs filled the place up. From time to time, the Undead line would be breached by a couple of bugs, so Zhao Hai and the others would have to make a move themselves.

Although some gaps appeared in the Undead line, this didn't mean that they were getting killed. The Undead held their own defensive position but they were also being tied down by multiple bugs. Therefore, one or two would inevitably slip in. However, those who did were easily dealt with by Xiong Li and the others.

Time passed as more and more bug corpses filled up the cave. Zhao Hai had yet to lose an Undead. This also allowed Zhao Hai to see how powerful these beast undead were. If the army was composed of humanoid Undead, then a few would have already died to the bugs.

It didn't take long before Zhao Hai understood what was going on. Compared to humanoids, the beasts had stronger bodies. Because the humanoids had traded their body strength for wisdom, they became inferior to the beasts in terms of physiology. And after being turned into Undead, even if the two had the same level, the beasts would still have much sturdier bodies compared to humanoids. Especially the Undead that Zhao Hai had. Their bodies were formidable, strong, and had astonishing defensive strength. Although they couldn't easily sweep through a human army, they were enough to deal with the bugs.

Upon thinking about this point, Zhao Hai couldn't help but feel regret. If he had known this before, then he would've used beast Undead sooner. The firepower provided by these beast Undead made sure that each of them were their own war machines.

Xiong Li and the others were also able to see how powerful the beast Undead were. This made them excited, so they flew over and took out a few bugs to practice their moves.

When the group wiped out a batch of bugs, they returned to where Zhao Hai was. Xiong Li looked at the Undead as he looked at Zhao Hai and said, "Those guys are full of energy. Little Hai, you should have taken them out sooner."

Zhao Hai smiled and didn't say anything. At this time, Sun Fei looked at Zhao Hai and said, "Brother Hai, how long has it been? Why do I feel like time is moving too quickly?" Zhao Hai chuckled and said, "It'll end soon. We should be able to return in eight hours. Rest assured, nothing wrong will happen."

Sun Fei nodded and said, "I'm not worried about not being able to go back. But I just feel like time passed by quickly. In just a blink of an eye, seven days went by just like that."

Zhao Hai laughed and said, "Time passes quite fast for us. But for the others, I reckon they feel the opposite. Those guys should be very anxious to return." Sun Fei and the others heard this and laughed. They completely agreed to Zhao Hai's answer. To be honest, even if they were from the lower realms and hadn't ascended for a long time, they were still aware that Zhao Hai's Undead were insanely strong. They had never seen creatures as terrifying as them, whether it be in the lower realms or in the Machine Field.

However, they didn't ask anything. Although they had become sworn brothers, they knew that they still had secrets that they kept from each other. If Zhao Hai doesn't want to say it, then they won't ask.

At this time, Zhao Hai turned his head to Lu Dingtian and said, "Second Brother, I think it would be better for you if you had a mount. Am I correct?"

Lu Dingtian nodded and said, "Yes"

Zhao Hai nodded and said, "Then if we have free time, I'll give you a beast as a mount. I believe it will make you even stronger. What do you think?"

With shining eyes, Lu Dingtian nodded and said, "Good."

Li Kuangren couldn't help but interject, "Second Brother, would it kill you if you say a second word? You talk so little."

Lu Dingtian nodded and said, "Yes." His response caused everyone to laugh out loud.

Then at this moment, the transmission formation behind them suddenly emitted white light.

Chapter 1245 - The Anxious Ma Rulong

Zhao Hai and the others stared, then they all cheered. Zhao Hai said, "Good, now that the transmission formation can be used, we can head back. But if we head back now, I'm afraid they wouldn't calculate our scores. Let's wait for a couple of hours before returning." Xiong Li and the others nodded. They weren't worried about returning. In any case, they weren't in immediate danger. It would be no problem if they took a few hours before heading back.

Zhao Hai looked at everyone, then he smiled and said, "Alright, let's go eat something. Let's just leave everything else to the Undead." Then he waved his hand and released some humanoid Undead. These Undead took on the task of cleaning up the bugs that were able to pass through the defense line. Meanwhile, Xiong Li and the others sat in the transmission formation and ate crabs while pouring each other drinks.

Now that the transmission formation has been activated, people from Base Number 5 could use it to enter the cave system and vice versa. But this was given that nobody was in the transmission formation. Since Zhao Hai and the others were sitting inside the transmission formation, then this was akin to the formation becoming useless.

But what Zhao Hai and the others didn't think was that the transmission formation activated because Base Number 5 intentionally opened it. Zhao Hai and the others thought that they would be mocked by the Cultivators if they came out early. Therefore, they decided to wait a couple of hours before returning. However, this decision caused Ma Rulong to turn anxious.

Actually, the transmission formation has been activated ahead of time. This wasn't only because they wanted the participants to head back, they also wanted to send reinforcements in.

The bases had already known about the bug tide that was happening. To ensure the safety of the competition's participants, they decided to end the elimination round ahead of time then send support to get rid of the bugs. In fact, the moment the transmission formations were activated, the elimination round was over.

Zhao Hai and his brothers were completely oblivious to this. At the same time, since Laura and the others were monitoring the cave system, they didn't have the time to care about what happened in the base. Therefore, nobody from their group knew that the elimination round was over, and that they were waiting for nothing.

On the other hand, Ma Rulong was too anxious that he looked like ants in a heated pan. The moment he discovered that a bug tide was ravaging through the cave systems, Ma Rulong knew that things weren't doing so well. People would die from each realm, and the Machine Field might as well be annihilated, but it wouldn't be a big deal since they were rookies. However, Ma Rulong was very worried about Zhao Hai.

Zhao Hai blocked Li Chuchen's three swords, killed Gongsun Zheng, and even managed to demonstrate his strength against the silverback gold-winged bug. This caused Ma Rulong to expect Zhao Hai to bring great results. If Zhao Hai perished because of this bug tide, then the Machine Field would certainly make Ma Rulong answer for it.

Because of this, the moment the transmission formation was activated, he immediately thought of going through it to aid Zhao Hai. However, even if the formation has been activated, it couldn't be used.

The transmission formation designed by the Cultivation Realm was very clever. It had a function where if someone was standing on either side of the formation, then neither side could be used. Naturally, it wasn't just people, any living thing standing on it could trigger this function.

Of course, when the people from the Cultivation Realm set up this transmission formation, they also thought about the possibility that other living beings would render it useless. Therefore, when they were making the formation, a special material was added. The name of this material was repellent incense. This material was a kind of wood that emits an odor that was disliked by the bugs and other beasts. In this way, the Cultivators were able to make sure that bugs and other beasts won't occupy the formation.

It was also because of this setup that when Zhao Hai and the others were entering the caves for the first time, the formation wasn't blocked by the bugs and was just surrounded.

Originally, Ma Rulong thought that when the formation has been activated, they could immediately head in and use it. However, it seems like the formation cannot be used. This caused Ma Rulong to be confused. Could it be that someone was standing in the formation? Moreover, this person was alive. It should be said that if a deceased person was on top of the formation, the formation would still work.

Ma Rulong doesn't know what was going on. Bugs don't like being around the transmission formation. Dead people cannot block the formation. Therefore, there shouldn't be any problems in using it. Since this is the case, then there's only one reason. Living people are standing in the formation. But if living people were in the formation, then they should know that it has been activated. If so, then why didn't they head back immediately when they saw the light?

Ma Rulong was burning with impatience. He was completely clueless about the state of Fabio Planet's underworld. He was afraid that Zhao Hai and the others had been annihilated. Although he already had that idea before, Zhao Hai had given him hope. If people don't expect anything, then they won't be disappointed. However, if they were given hope, and that hope was broken, then their disappointment would be doubled. Ma Rulong was in this state.

While Ma Rulong was impatiently circling around the transmission formation, Zheng Li's face was stuck on the formation. Zheng Li hasn't been in Base Number 5 for a day or two, he had been here for several years. The battle with the silverback gold-winged bug was actually the most dangerous time he experienced here. If it weren't for Zhao Hai, then even Zheng Li couldn't guarantee the salvation of the base. Zheng Li wasn't a person with no conscience, so he was also hoping for Zhao Hai's good outcome.

However, he was left not knowing what to do at this time. The transmission formation wouldn't function. He can only contact people from other places to see Base Number 5's transmission formation underground. But Zheng Li knew that the success of this request was very unlikely. Now that a bug tide was happening underground, people already had their hands full. Fighting through the caves in order to reach Base Number 5's formation was almost impossible.

Time passed by, and in a blink of an eye eight hours went past. Ma Rulong didn't leave the transmission formation and continued to wait. And as time passed, the more and more convinced he was that the formation was faulty.

Then at this time, the transmission formation suddenly flashed. Ma Rulong and Zheng Li who had been waiting for a long time were stunned. Then they stared at the formation without blinking. This was a large formation that allowed the transfer of 300 people at a time. They wanted to see how many people would go through this formation.

When the light vanished, only a handful of people appeared on the platform. But upon seeing these people, Ma Rulong couldn't help but laugh. And at the same time, Zheng Li relaxed. It was Zhao Hai's group who appeared on the formation.

However, it didn't take long before Ma Rulong gasped. This was because Zhao Hai and the others had flushed faces. It was as though they had been drinking. Ma Rulong quickly approached Zhao Hai and the others, followed by Zheng Li. When Zhao Hai and the others saw Ma Rulong, they immediately gave a salute.

Ma Rulong waved his hand, then he looked at Zhao Hai and said, "How come you're only back now? Did the formation experience some problems?"

Zhao Hai couldn't help but stare, then he said, "There's nothing wrong about the formation. We saw the formation activate, but since the elimination round has a seven-day duration, we decided to wait the time out."

Ma Rulong was shocked by this response, his head couldn't help but turn dizzy. Then after some time he said, "You mean to say, you waited even though you saw the formation activate?"

Zhao Hai nodded and said, "If we returned before the proper time, then our points might not be calculated. Therefore, we waited in the formation before heading back."

Ma Rulong looked at Zhao Hai blankly. But at this moment, Zheng Li opened his mouth and said, "Zhao Hai, did you meet the bug tide below?'

Zhao Hai nodded and said, "We did. We're fighting them as we waited."

As soon as he heard Zheng Li's question, Zhao Hai knew that the people aboveground were already aware of the bug tide. This also explains why the transmission formation was activated in advance.

Hearing Zhao Hai's reply, Ma Rulong sighed and said, "So the others weren't able to hold on for long because they waited?"

Zhao Hai knew what Ma Rulong was talking about. He didn't plan to hide anything so he shook his head and said, "That's not it. The moment we arrived underground, we were suddenly assaulted by a horde of bugs. I fought my way out and then turned around to help them. However, who knew that Streep would claim that I had snatched their loot. He even allied with everyone and Li Chuchen to kill me. In the end, I had no choice but to kill them all. Team Leader, am I guilty of a crime?"

Ma Rulong and Zheng Li stared at Zhao Hai, then they looked at each other. Ma Rulong said, "You mean to tell me that besides your group, everyone else was killed by you? And Li Chuchen? Where's Li Chuchen?"

Zhao Hai replied, "I killed him. Ever since I blocked his three swords, he has been holding a grudge against me. Before the elimination round began, he gave a piece of jade to Streep. So Streep delayed for time in order for Li Chuchen to arrive. Then they would kill me together. Unfortunately for them, they're weaker than me. So I killed them."

Zhao Hai's tone made the event seem superficial, but Ma Rulong and Zheng Li were shocked by what he said. Li Chuchen was a pinnacle rookie of the Cultivation Realm. And now, Zhao Hai claimed to have killed him, and that he was weak.

Ma Rulong turned his head towards Xiong Li and the others. Then his gaze stopped at Lu Dingtian as he asked, "Lu Dingtian, is Zhao Hai telling the truth? Did he really kill Li Chuchen?"

Ma Rulong knew certain information about the participants, so he was very clear that even if Lu Dingtian was a man of few words, he was very honest and disliked lying. Therefore, Ma Rulong decided to ask Lu Dingtian.

Lu Dingtian just gave a nod and said, "Yes." Nothing else. However, Ma Rulong knew from this response that Zhao Hai was indeed telling the truth.

Not only was Ma Rulong not angry, but instead he laughed and said, "That's good. But Zhao Hai, how well did you do?"

This was what Ma Rulong cared the most. He already knew that the people from the other realms were receiving aid from their respective bases. However, this still meant that they had lost a lot due to the bug tide. Their results shouldn't be that great. Even if you kill bugs, it still doesn't guarantee that you would get their parts.

From Ma Rulong's calculations, he reckons that the survivors this time only numbered about 300, probably less than that. This was the biggest loss that the World of Cultivation experienced in one instance.

Although the losses from this elimination round were large, Ma Rulong was still worried. From these 300 people, only 100 could proceed to the next segment of the competition. If Zhao Hai's score was unsatisfactory, then his chance of entering the ranking tournament would be gone. Therefore, Ma Rulong was intent on knowing Zhao Hai's result. He was afraid of Zhao Hai having less than the enough score needed.

Zhao Hai looked at Ma Rulong's expression as he smiled and said, "Team Leader, rest assured. Entering the top 100 shouldn't be an issue." Hearing Zhao Hai, Ma Rulong let out a breath of relief. Then he turned to Xiong Li and the others and said, "How about the rest of you? It doesn't matter if you don't have great results, entering the top 300 of the competition is already a good achievement for the Machine Field."

At this time, Zhao Hai chuckled and said, "Team Leader, you're misunderstanding. I meant that all of us can reach top 100 no problem. Not just me."

Ma Rulong stared, then his eyes widened as his gaze was frozen on Zhao Hai. It was only after Zheng Li coughed that Ma Rulong recovered. He looked at Zhao Hai and said, "Are you sure? All of you are really entering the top 100?"

Zhao Hai smiled faintly and said, "We should. We had a great harvest. We even managed to destroy an entire population of eight-legged bugs. Although we cannot take their nest back, all of its bugs have been killed by us. After dividing the spoils, it should be enough."

Ma Rulong immediately asked, "How many eight-legged bugs are there inside one nest?"

Zhao Hai thought about it and said, "It should be in the tens of thousands. I can only remember that there were a lot."

Ma Rulong let out a long breath as he nodded and said, "Alright. Then that's good. Head back and take a rest first. Someone will come here in order to record your scores. Captain Zheng Li, I wonder if you can let us see the results of the other realms? This way, we can see an exact number for the bottom line."

Actually, Ma Rulong already had a faint idea of the exact number. After all, the Machine Field had its own information network. But just to be sure, he wanted to see the figure that Zheng Li got. However, Ma Rulong already knew that as long as Zhao Hai and the others could present 10 thousand bugs each, then it's certain that they would enter the top 100.

Naturally, Zheng Li wouldn't decline. It was impossible for this matter to be hidden, so he nodded and said, "Alright, then everyone, please come with me."

Chapter 1246 - The Current First: Suo Liancheng

Zheng Li led the group to his office and then he took out a piece of paper which showed the current ranking. The first place named Suo Liancheng had a score equivalent to turning in 13,000 eight-legged bugs.

This meant that Suo Liancheng handed over not only eight-legged bugs, but advanced-level bugs as well. Bugs at a higher level would be converted to its value comparable to the eight-legged bugs. For example, a flying bug was equivalent to three eight-legged bugs. This conversion rate has been decided by statistics.

When Zhao Hai saw the name Suo Liancheng, Laura and the others immediately pulled out relevant information about him. Suo Liancheng, the Cultivation Realm's rank one. He's a sword cultivator with the Cultivation Realm's most famous sword sect as his background, the Ten Thousand Swords Sect!

It has been four years since he ascended in the Cultivation Realm. And in just four years, he was able to become a Foundation Establishment Cultivator from Qi Condensation. It can be said that his progress was impressively quick, making him the Ten Thousand Sword Sect's favored newcomer.

At the same time, Cai'er pulled out Suo Liancheng's battle records in the bug cave. Zhao Hai and the others had been flying in the caves, so the Space had recorded where they went. Also, Cai'er had been monitoring the bug tide, so she wasn't able to look much into the records. But now that Zhao Hai was safe, Suo Liancheng's records can be looked into.

Upon seeing Suo Liancheng's performance in the cave system, Zhao Hai was somewhat surprised. He discovered that he was still underestimating the Cultivation Realm's talents. They were worthy to be called geniuses. Being able to go on top amidst the innumerable numbers of Ascenders was a testament to their strength.

Suo Liancheng alone couldn't kill more than 10 thousand eight-legged bugs, unless he had the help of the Undead. A single person couldn't kill ten thousand eight-legged bugs in just seven days.

Suo Liancheng's 13,000 eight-legged bugs score wasn't gained from killing eight-legged bugs. Instead, this number was gained from converting his achievements in killing higher-level bugs.

Seeing the quantity, Zhao Hai couldn't help but nod. He was only able to kill so many bugs because of the Undead. Suo Liancheng only had his sword yet he was able to achieve something comparable. This wasn't easy to do. This caused Zhao Hai to be more careful regarding Suo Liancheng.

They also looked at the other ranking. The people in this lineup were as expected, all of them were from the Cultivation Realm. There was also Yi Shuihan, Jiang Tian, Qin Zhang, Yao Gan. Cai'er took their records and then sent it to Zhao Hai. All of these people were in the Cultivation Realm's top ten rookies.

But after looking at the 9th place, Zhao Hai couldn't help but gawk. This was because this person wasn't from the Cultivation Realm. This person was called Tu Mietan from the Demon Realm. He became the Demon Realm's top participant using his Blood Demon Art. His strength was said to be extraordinary.

At this point, Zhao Hai already had some understanding about the World of Cultivation. The World of Cultivation's Demon Realm was different than Zhao Hai imagined. He expected it to be the same as the lower realm's Demon Realm. However, the World of Cultivation's Demon Realm was actually a part of the Cultivation Realm, but its inhabitants practice Demonic Arts. Because of how many people used Demonic Arts there, it was called the Demon Realm.

The Cultivation Realm was mostly made up of orthodox cultivators. Although there were some evil cultivators here and there, these people wouldn't wantonly exhibit their moves. This was because they knew that they would be hunted down if they were ever spotted.

But things were different in the Demon Realm. Almost all sects in the Demon Realm were Demonic Sects. What they cultivated there were true demonic arts. While the Cultivation Realm considers human materials as taboo, it was a normal ingredient in the Demon Realm. Take the Blood Demon Art that Tu Mietan practice, for example, it required a large amount of human blood to practice. In the place where Tu Mietan was cultivating, a large number of blood slaves were bred in captivity. These blood slaves would provide a constant supply of flesh and blood. It can be said that the Demonic Sects regard humans as draft animals, and once they were needed, they would be slaughtered. It was a cruel world.

Originally, the Demon Realm and the Cultivation Realm were one. During that time, the Cultivation Realm was divided into Orthodox Cultivators, Demon Cultivators, Beast Cultivators, Spirit cultivators, Elven cultivators, and others. However, a war occured that made the Elven Cultivators, Orthodox Cultivators, and Spirit Cultivators to regard Demon and Beast Cultivators as evil. Naturally, the Demon and Beast Cultivators retaliated, causing a war that changed the color of the heavens and the earth. The planets that had been destroyed by this war numbered several thousands. In the end, the Demon and Beast Cultivators couldn't resist the attack of the other three, so they cooped up inside the Demon Realm and Beast Realm.

But at the same time, the alliance between the Spirit Cultivators, Orthodox Cultivators, and Elven Cultivators couldn't last for long. Orthodox Cultivators were innately greedy. After expelling the Demon Cultivators and the Beast Cultivators, they wanted to monopolize the Cultivation Realm. Therefore, another war occurred between them and the Spirit and Elven Cultivators. Finally, the Elven Cultivators and Spirit Cultivators separated themselves from the Cultivation Realm. This left the Orthodox Cultivators with the richest lands in the entire World of Cultivation.

After the Cultivation Realm was divided, there was a long time where no communication was made. These groups had been badly hurt and they would need to recuperate. But since the Cultivation Realm had the best location and access to information, they were able to recover quickly. This advantage allowed them to suppress the other realms.

Since the Cultivation Realm had the upper hand, it's natural that they wouldn't allow the other realms to progress. Therefore, they would periodically suppress these realms. And since the other realms cannot unite for various reasons, they had always been on the defensive.

Meanwhile, the Machine Field wasn't in this scene at all. Whether it was the Cultivation Realm or the other realms, none of them put any attention towards the Machine Field. From what they can see, the Machine Field was just a collection of unorthodox Cultivators. They simply didn't pose much of a threat.

Now that Zhao Hai saw someone from the Demon Realm, he couldn't help but gawk. He immediately asked Cai'er about Tu Mietan. Unfortunately, Cai'er didn't know much about him. The information the Machine Field had was lacking in this region.

Upon looking at the limited amount of information, Zhao Hai gave up and looked further down the list. Then as he looked, Zhao Hai saw that experts from other realms were beginning to show in the top 20 spots. There were a couple people from the Demon Realm, Beast Realm, Spirit Realm, and there was even an Elf.

The number of bugs these people collected wasn't small. Although their scores didn't reach more than 10 thousand, several thousand was still an astonishing amount. Zhao Hai couldn't help but nod his head. It seems like this beginner competition didn't only host the Machine Field's strongest rookies in many years, the other realms were also blessed with a talented generation. The top 100 ranking tournament should be very fun to see.

As Zhao Hai was looking down the list, Xiong Li and the others were doing the same. Everyone was talking in hushed tones. It seems like they were also surprised by the results.

At this time, footsteps were heard from a distance. Then a group of Cultivators walked in. These people wore badges that weren't from Sects. However, this badge still gave them status. They were the tabulation committee of the Six Realm Beginner Competition. They are here to record Zhao Hai and the others' results.

Seeing these people walk in, Ma Rulong immediately went forward to greet them. He gave a salute and said, "Ma Rulong has seen everyone. Are you here to record our scores?"

The group also returned Ma Rulong's salute. Then their leader smiled and said, "We heard that Zhao Hai and the others had returned. So we immediately came to tally their score."

Ma Rulong nodded and said, "Alright, then please." Then he invited the committee. But since they had to inspect a large volume, they would perform the counting outside. This way, they won't run out of space.

Everyone walked outside. Naturally, Zhao Hai and the others were among these people. When they reached a large field, they stopped. Then two people took out a book and a pen as they prepared to record the results.

Of course, there were better ways of recording such as computers or jade. However, people were always afraid of tampering. Therefore, they could only use this primitive method of recording. Once this session of recording ends, this book would be sealed. Moreover, what's written in this book will be transmitted to different areas in real time. This would make sure that several copies would exist for reference.

Seeing that everything was prepared, Ma Rulong turned to Zhao Hai and the others and said, "Alright Little Hai, just take a step forward and take out your harvest."

Zhao Hai nodded. However, he didn't walk forward. Instead, he had Sun Fei go first. Sun Fei nodded and then took a step forward before taking out a huge pile of bugs. The tabulation committee looked at the mountain of bugs and couldn't help but stare. They didn't expect the Machine Field to be able to take out this many bugs.

The tabulation committee had inspected a lot of loot. Therefore, they could estimate the points just by looking at how big the pile was. Seeing the pile that Sun Fei took out, the committee members reckoned that it shouldn't score less than 20 thousand points.

The committee members looked at each other and saw the surprise in their eyes. One must know that the current first place, Suo Liancheng, only had a score of 13 thousand. But now, Sun Fei actually took out a pile that valued more than 20 thousand. This far surpassed Suo Liancheng! How was this possible? Moreover, Sun Fei was from the Machine Field!

Chapter 1247 - Taking The Top Six

Everyone in the World of Cultivation was aware of the Machine Field's strength. Therefore, upon seeing someone from that realm taking out so many bugs, people from the tabulation committee couldn't help but doubt what they were seeing.

One of the committee members looked at Sun Fei, then he said, "Do you own all of these bugs?"

Sun Fei smiled faintly and said, "Of course, everything is mine." The person nodded. Then a group of people proceeded to count. They didn't use their hands to sort through the pile but instead used their spiritual force. After some time, several people shouted out numbers. The numbers they shouted out were different. From what Zhao Hai can see, it seems like they divided their tasks. Someone was in charge of counting eight-legged bugs, then one was tasked with the flying mantis bugs, and so on. After adding all of their counts, then Sun Fei's result would be seen.

The group was well-organized. After everyone had shouted their count, Sun Fei's score was then declared to be 23 thousand.

Sun Fei crushed Suo Liancheng's score by a whole 10 thousand points, securing his place in the top 100. However, Zhao Hai knew that Sun Fei didn't take out every bug they managed to loot. After all, he was the one who told Sun Fei to do so. This was because these bug parts had great uses.

The most valuable part of the bugs was actually their skeleton. Although they were a type of bone, this exoskeleton had a lot of useful applications. These exoskeletons can be added to other medicinal ingredients in order to make pills. They could also be added to weapons in order to help with refining. In the Cultivation Realm, the bugs had now become an indispensable ingredient in various weapons and pills.

But since Fabio Planet was too far from the Machine Field, the realm wasn't able to get their hands on any of these bug parts. Instead, they could only buy them from the Cultivation Realm at a high mark-up price. Because of this, Zhao Hai told Sun Fei to leave some bugs behind and only release enough to secure a top 100 spot.

Now, Sun Fei released enough bugs to make him top one. However, Zhao Hai didn't care. To him, these bug parts weren't very precious.

After the tabulation committee recorded Sun Fei's result, they stored the bug parts and then waited for Li Kuangren to step forward. In the end, the bugs that he took out were a bit more than Sun Fei. He scored 24 thousand points.

Next was Dongfang Yu, gaining 25 thousand points. Lu Dingtian came next, scoring 26 thousand. And then Xiong Li scored 27 thousand. When Zhao Hai's turn arrived, his score amounted to 30 thousand.

The committee members were stunned silly. When they saw Sun Fei's large pile of harvest, they thought that Zhao Hai and the others pooled their loot so that Sun Fei could top the elimination round. However, when Li Kuangren took out bugs that scored more than Sun Fei, these committee members were visibly shaken. They began to ask what kind of elimination round this was. Why does the Machine Field hold such an overwhelming advantage? Then more and more bugs were released from Dongfang Yu and the others.

Also, these committee members could see that Zhao Hai and the others were carefully releasing their bugs to be just right next to each other. This made Zhao Hai the first placer of the elimination round. This caused the tabulation committee members to sigh at the sight of the Machine Field's unity.

When Ma Rulong saw Zhao Hai and the others releasing so many bugs, his eyes couldn't help but water in happiness. This was the most beautiful scene he had seen. The top six of the elimination round was fully taken over by the Machine Field. Others wouldn't be able to believe it if he told them.

After the tabulation committee recorded the scores, the head turned to Zhao Hai and the others and said, "Congratulations for becoming the top six of the elimination round. After a period of time, your prize will be delivered. Please have a good rest and prepare for the tournament in five days."

Then after giving everyone a salute, the committee left.

When the committee completely left, Ma Rulong immediately laughed. Then he went towards Zhao Hai and then grasped his shoulder as he said, "Little Hai, great, great. Hahaha. Too satisfying, too satisfying. This old man finally saw the Machine Field winning. Good good, let's drink. We need to get drunk!"

Zhao Hai and the others smiled faintly. They had already expected this outcome, so they didn't think that it was strange. Ma Rulong led them back to the courtyard. Now that most of the people who stayed here had died, the courtyard appeared more spacious.

Zhao Hai and the others sat down as Zhao Hai took out food and wine. He also took out a couple of crabs since they also invited Zheng Li.

As soon as Zheng Li entered the courtyard, he immediately saw the crabs. There were huge red crabs there, still smoking after being cooked. They also emitted a very good aroma that stimulated everyone's appetite.

There were also several side dishes on the table as well as several bottles of liquor. Since these were taken out by Zhao Hai, they were naturally very good.

Seeing this situation, Zheng Li couldn't help but stare. This was because you basically can't see these things in the base. People from the Cultivation Realm rarely ate meals, they were used to using fasting pills to satiate their hunger.

Fasting pills were pills deliberately invented by the Cultivators. This pill could allow one to survive a few days without eating.

Most importantly, there's a belief in the Cultivation Realm that eating ordinary food would leave behind toxins in the body and affect one's cultivation. Although eating fasting pills would still leave toxins behind, it was much less compared to eating a full meal. Because of this, even if there were armor shops, weapon shops, beast skin shops, and even robot shops in the Cultivation Realm, it was very rare to see a restaurant. Almost all Cultivators take fasting pills, nobody would eat a meal.

Therefore, upon seeing the amount of food prepared, Zheng Li couldn't help but stare. Then he smiled faintly and remembered that the Machine Field's people would always eat meals. Seeing that Zhao Hai and the others were inviting him over, this meant that he was being considered as a friend. Although this meant that he would have to eat a meal, Zheng Li still felt happy.

While Zhao Hai and the others were busily celebrating, Ma Rulong was busy himself. Zhao Hai and the others thought that this get-together was just among them. However, they didn't expect Ma Rulong to bring everyone to have a feast.

After knowing the results, the other team leaders were also jubilant. Although Streep and the others had died, this didn't mean much to them. Compared to annihilating his fellow participants, Zhao Hai's accomplishment was much more historic.

Zhao Hai and the others had taken the top six positions, this meant that they were now at the top 100 of the elimination round and would progress to the next stage. Even if they didn't win and were knocked out in the first round, it didn't matter. Just being able to snatch a place in the top 100 was enough for the Machine Field to celebrate. This was something that never happened before. This was a breakthrough for the realm.

Zhao Hai knew that they weren't the only ones celebrating. The entire Machine Field was also in a festive mood. Even Margaret has been called over to celebrate with the family. The better Zhao Hai's achievement was, the greater it would be for the family. At this point, the rise of the Ashley Family was inevitable.

Zhao Hai didn't care much about these things. He knew that the higher the position of the Ashley Family, the better it would be for his future plans.

Since Ma Rulong called everyone over, Zhao Hai needed to take out a couple more crabs. He also took out liquor before asking Zheng Li and the others to sit at their table.

In this table was Ma Rulong, Zheng Li, and Zhao Hai's group of six. Once everyone has sat down, Ma Rulong poured some liquor into his cup and then loudly cheered, "This is a historic day for the Machine Field. What a great day! Little Hai and the others have made history. They're heroes of the realm. For the Machine Field's heroes, cheer!"

Everyone cheered, "For the Machine Field's heroes!" Zhao Hai can see the sincerity in everyone's eyes. They were genuinely happy, even much happier than Zhao Hai and the others.

Zhao Hai didn't understand much about the grievance between the Machine Field and the Cultivation Realm. After all, the time he ascended was short. And only a few people had firsthand experience with regards to the Cultivation Realm's suppression of the Machine Field. But he knew that in the previous competitions, the Machine Field had always been at the bottom. Now that the situation has been turned over, it was no wonder why they were very happy.

People continued to drink liquor, largely because Ma Rulong kept offering toasts. The team leader was too happy. Seeing the liquor being consumed quickly, Zhao Hai didn't say anything. Instead, he just took out more liquor to drink.

Zhao Hai took out liquor and people kept drinking it. Seeing that Zhao Hai had a large supply of drinks, everyone laughed with satisfaction.

What Zhao Hai took out was rice wine. It wasn't too strong and could be drunk in huge gulps. If Zhao Hai took out his stronger liquor, then a few people would have already blacked out.

But while Zhao Hai was busily taking out liquor to drink, he failed to notice Zheng Li's change of expression after taking a sip. This wasn't because the taste was bad, it was actually the opposite. Zheng Li had a very thick concentration of qi in his body. Nevertheless, Zhao Hai's liquor still made him drunk. This made him very interested in Zhao Hai's liquor.

Zheng Li was used to drinking in the past. Although he was a Cultivation Realm native, his background was poor. His parents were commoners and he started his cultivation by being a Rogue Cultivator. The Cultivation Realm's commoners would still eat and drink. And back when Zheng Li was a Rogue Cultivator, he also drank liquor. This was because Rogue Cultivators were too poor to buy fasting pills. In order to survive, they would have to eat meals and drink liquor from time to time.