"I don't know about that. Anyway, little guys like us just follow what the higher-ups told us." The black-armored guard shook his head.
Hearing what the other party said, although Lu Li was secretly disappointed, he did not dwell on this issue any longer.
He pondered for a moment, then suddenly changed the topic and said: "Brother, let me ask again, are these thirteen guardians ranked according to their strength? Who is the strongest and who is the weakest?"
"Ranking? Of course there is. The strongest one is Lord Ye Kongming, the first protector. It is said that his cultivation has reached the peak of the senior level.
As for the last one, it seems to be Master Shi Ming. It is said that he has only broken through the rank a few years ago, but he can ascend to the position of protector, so his combat power cannot be underestimated.
Senior, you should also be a king-level expert, right? I kindly remind you that you should be more respectful when meeting Master Shi Ming.
Although Lord Shi Ming is only the last protector, you cannot provoke him, and the main hall has strict rules, and status is not necessarily judged based on combat power..."
The black-armored guard looked up at Lu Li and reminded him kindly.
"That's natural." Lu Li smiled softly and expressed gratitude.
Then he made some insinuations and inquired about the location of the protector named Shi Ming, and then asked no more questions.
Since he couldn't fly in the air, the journey to the main hall was quite far. According to the black-armored guard, even a black-armored dragon and horse would have to travel three days.
Lu Li originally wanted to ask, what should I do if there is an emergency? But he took it back when he spoke. This kind of question is too sensitive. If this person is alerted, the gain will outweigh the loss.
The dark steel carriage was speeding along the path between the mountains.
When he was still one day away from the main hall, Lu Li suddenly stopped the guard: "Brother, let's stop here."
With that said, he took another storage bag and handed it to the black-armored guard.
The black-armored guard was stunned for a moment, then took the storage bag happily, and then asked doubtfully: "Senior, this place is still far from the main hall. If you walk there, will you be able to walk?"
Lu Li smiled and pointed to a branch on the right: "If I read correctly, the three-finger-shaped mountain over there is where Lord Shi Ming's cave is, right?"
"Oh——!" the black-armored guard said with a long tail, grinning: "I understand, senior, you want to find Master Shi Ming, right?"
"That's right. It's my first time here. I'd better find a protector to take a breath first. Otherwise, if I rush over and bump into the building owner, I'll lose more than I gain..." Lu Li also said with a smile.
"I understand. However, Master Shi Ming is not that easy to talk to. Senior, you should be more prepared..." the black-armored guard winked.
"Haha, thank you for reminding me!" Lu Li laughed and immediately understood what this person meant. It seems that this Lord Shi Ming is also a man who loves money as much as his life.
The two briefly exchanged a few words, and Lu Li got out of the carriage and headed towards the fork in the road alone.
The black-armored guard played with the storage bag in his hand with his left hand and his right hand, and with a smile on his face, he drove the carriage back the same way with satisfaction and disappeared on the main road.
At the end of the fork in the road is a small square. Behind the square are three connected peaks, high in the middle and low on both sides, like three fingers.
At the end of the square there is a forest path going up the mountain, which leads directly to the main peak in the middle.
However, as soon as Lu Li arrived at the square, he was stopped by a guard.
"Who is that?" This man's sharp chin was like an awl, which could probably stab someone to death.
"I am the envoy from the outer hall. I came here to pay a visit to the Lord Protector. I hope my brother will be accommodating." Lu Li said, taking out a storage bag very naturally and stuffing it into the other person's hand.
Lu Li was really going further and further on the road of bribery.
Facts have proved that this is also the best way to communicate. The guard who looked very sarcastic at first glance suddenly put on a smile after seeing Lu Li being so sensible:
"Haha, it turns out he is my cousin's brother. You should have told me earlier! Just wait, I will help you report it right now."
As he spoke, he stuffed the storage bag into his arms, took out a transmission note, and spoke respectfully.
After saying that, Lu Li, who was just doing business, started asking random questions to Lu Li. Of course, most of them were insignificant questions. It was more of a conversation than a question, because in his opinion, Lu Li could leave. At this point, it must have gone through several rounds of inspections, and there can be no problems.
Lu Li had already put away his cloak at this time, because being so secretive would arouse suspicion.
Regarding this person's questions, he naturally answered them accordingly. Regardless of whether they were true or false, at least his attitude was very good.
While the two were talking, the jade talisman in the guard's hand lit up again. After activating it, he put it to his ear and then laughed:
"Brother, you are lucky to have fulfilled your mission. You can go up. The Lord Protector is in the cave of the main peak. By the way, go up and don't fly, otherwise it will be bad to make the Lord unhappy."
"Thank you." Lu Li smiled, bowed his hands to this person, and walked quickly towards the path at the end of the square.
"It's interesting." The guard with a pointed chin gently tossed the storage bag in his hand, with an unstoppable smile on his face.
The mountain path was rugged and narrow. Lu Li hiked up the path and walked for a while before finally reaching the top of the mountain.
What he saw was a tall mangrove forest. Lu Li continued along the forest path and walked for about half a quarter of an hour before he came to the edge of a grassland.
There is a cliff behind the grassland, and a row of caves are built at the bottom of the cliff.
At this moment, outside the cave, there was an old man in black robe with a broad build, fat lips and big mouth, sitting at the table drinking alone.
When he saw Lu Li coming over, he just raised his eyes and looked away, then continued eating and drinking.
Lu Li shook his clothes, walked over quickly, clasped his fists and said, "Mu Binghai in the outer hall, pay my respects to Master Shi."
"Well, what do you want from me?" Shi Ming looked up at Lu Li and asked calmly.
"Well, I have a nice thing that I would like to ask you to take a look at. In addition, there is a little something..." Lu Li said with a flattering smile on his face and touched it in his arms.
Hearing this, Shi Ming's eyes suddenly lit up, "What kind of good thing?"
"That's it..." Lu Li said, a pink bead appeared in his hand.
But before the smile on Shi Ming's face disappeared, the Bead in Lu Li's hand suddenly flashed with inspiration and released a large piece of pink mist, instantly covering all the surrounding grass.
Shi Ming was caught off guard and was hit in an instant. When his expression changed and he attacked Lu Li, he suddenly felt that his demonic energy was stagnant. The power of his attack was greatly reduced, and Lu Li easily blocked it.
At the same time, Lu Li stepped back and used the space confinement technique to directly immobilize Shi Ming in the pink mist.
"Thief...!" Shi Ming's eyes widened and he tried his best to break the confinement of space, but found that the demonic energy in his body became increasingly unresponsive, and from time to time, various obscene words could be heard in his ears that made his body tingle, making his body tingle. His body reacted unconsciously, and then his eyes froze in place in confusion.
Outside the mist, Lu Li smiled sarcastically and grabbed the Bewitching Bead from the air.
Then he flashed over and stuffed a purple pill that had been prepared into Shi Ming's mouth.
Immediately, he made a magic seal with both hands, formed a soul seal and struck it towards Shi Ming's eyebrows.
However, just as the soul seal entered Shi Ming's mind, Lu Li's expression changed and he decisively took the soul seal back!
