A Record Of A Mortal's Journey To Immortality

by Srtyi

A poor and ordinary boy from a village joins a minor sect in Jiang Hu and becomes an Unofficial Disciple by chance. How will Han Li, a commoner by birth, establish a foothold for himself in his sect? With his mediocre aptitude, how will he successfully traverse the path of cultivation and become an immortal? This is a story of an ordinary mortal who, against all odds, clashes with

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Read A Record of a Mortal's Journey to Immortality - Chapter 1939: Forcing the Enemy Into Retreat online free - Novel Full

Golden light flashed, and the six golden blades instantly fused as one to create a giant sword that was several hundred feet in length.

A cold light flashed through the air, and a hint of incredulity appeared on the devilish giant's main head, following which it slowly tumbled down from the devilish giant's neck.

He had just been decapitated!

However, Han Li didn't display any elation upon seeing this. Instead, the giant swords in his hands split up into six golden blades again, and he slashed them rapidly through the air, unleashing countless golden threads that threatened to tear the devilish giant into countless pieces.

An incredible turn of events unfolded!

The decapitated devilish giant abruptly flapped its four wings and shot back several hundred feet in a flash. At the same time, the sea of blood down below churned violently, and countless arrows of blood shot up into the air to keep the oncoming golden threads at bay.

At the same time, a burst of black Qi emerged from his neck, and a head that was identical to his original one appeared. However, one of the eight azure ghostly heads on his shoulders had vanished.

Han Li's expression darkened upon seeing this, but he didn't falter in the slightest as the six golden blades in his hands transformed into six completely different types of weapons. He swept the six weapons through the air, and countless bursts of golden lightning and fire swept forth in a frenzy, hurtling directly toward the devilish giant in the distance.

Having just lost one of his heads, the devilish giant was also extremely enraged, and his remaining seven heads began to chant in unison as he made an extremely profound hand seal.

All of a sudden, the sea of blood down below began to rotate rapidly with the devilish giant at the center, forming a massive vortex that transformed into a gigantic pillar of blood. The pillar of blood erupted into the heavens, and the devilish giant withdrew his hand seal before grabbing toward it.

Light flashed erratically from the pillar of blood, and it transformed into a giant crimson staff that was several thousand feet in length with black runes engraved all over its surface.

The devilish giant grabbed onto the staff before immediately swinging it toward Han Li with devastating force.

Countless staff projections instantly swept forth as a crimson hurricane, carrying with it a repugnant odor of blood and gore.

The golden lightning and fire intertwined with the hurricane amid a string of resounding explosions, and Han Li raised all six of his weapons in unison before charging directly toward the devilish giant.

The devilish giant harrumphed coldly and also charged toward the massive ape. Thus, the two colossal beings clashed in a fierce battle that threatened to lay waste to heaven and earth.

Not long after their battle commenced, the 13 Purple-striped Gold Devouring Beetles and the giant grey python also joined in.

That naturally made the battle even more intense, and all of a sudden, a ball of vibrant colorful light suddenly emerged right at the center of the battlefield.

Immediately thereafter, a burst of astonishing fluctuations proliferated outward in all directions, collapsing the space in its wake.

Two figures stumbled out of the ball of light before flying backward, and only when a distance of 2,000 to 3,000 feet had been opened up between them did they just barely manage to stabilize themselves.

These two figures were naturally none other than Han Li and the devilish giant, and both of them were looking rather disheveled.

Not only were there large patches of golden fur on Han Li's body that had been charred black, only three of his six weapons remained, and even those three weapons had been severely damaged.

As for the devilish giant, his entire body was covered in blood, and two more of the ghostly heads on his shoulders had been destroyed. The massive crimson staff in his hand had also been snapped in half, and it seemed that the devilish giant had come off decidedly second best during that clash.

Just as both Han Li and the devilish giant were appraising each other from afar with wariness in their eyes, a burst of rumbling rang out from the center of the collapsed space, and the ball of vibrant light exploded.

A dozen or so balls of purple light shot forth out of the explosion, and they were none other than Han Li's Purple-striped Gold Devouring Beetles.

The giant grey python also sprang out of the explosion in another direction, but only half of its body made it out of the collapsed space before it was drawn back to its original spot by a burst of enormous suction force.

Thus, the explosion of light completely inundated the giant python, and the devilish giant threw up a mouthful of blood essence as his face paled by a noticeable degree.

The grey python was manifested from his devilish projection, and the two shared a spiritual connection. Now that it had been destroyed, he was suffering significant backlash.

The devilish giant's expression darkened even further, while Han Li waved his six arms through the air to conjure up six different weapons again amid a flash of golden light. Each and every one of these weapons was back to their original condition, and following another flash of golden light, the charred sections of Han Li's golden fur also instantly regenerated.

A ferocious look then appeared on his face as he prepared to charge toward the devilish giant again, yet right at this moment, a dull rumbling boom suddenly rang out from within the mist manifested by the Nine Palaces Heavenly Talisman. At the same time, a giant rainbow pagoda projection emerged in the air above the mist, and it rotated on the spot to release countless pillars of light.

The pillars of light eradicated all of the surrounding mist, and the palatial projections concealed within the mist were also pierced through before disintegrating into specks of spiritual light.

Thus, the Nine Palaces Heavenly Talisman was destroyed in the blink of an eye.

A long streak of rainbow light then shot forth out of the giant projection before the light faded to reveal a humanoid figure.

Han Li's pupils immediately contracted at the sight of this humanoid figure, while a look of elation appeared on the devilish giant's face.

This was none other than the clone that had been trapped by the Myriad Sword Artwork. At this crucial juncture, it had finally managed to break through the restriction using the incredible abilities of the Rainbow Light Pagoda.

However, after Han Li caught a clear glimpse of the clone, his heart was immediately put at ease.

The clone was still carrying the small rainbow pagoda in his hand, but his face was completely devoid of color, and his aura had also become extremely frail. Furthermore, the small pagoda in his hand had also become dull and lusterless, clearly indicating that it had lost some of its spiritual nature.

The devilish giant had also noticed this, and his elated expression immediately stiffened. "What happened? How did you become like this when you had the Rainbow Light Pagoda to protect you?"

"Hmph, this brat used an extremely troublesome treasure to attack me; it seems to be a treasure from somewhere outside the Spirit Realm. If I hadn't used that final trump card, you most likely wouldn't ever see me again!" The clone transmitted his voice to Sacred Ancestor Xue Guang in response.

A bewildered look appeared on the devilish giant's face, and he asked, "Something from outside the Spirit Realm? Setting that aside for now, will you be able to continue in this battle?"

"As long as you're fine, I'll naturally be able to continue, but the Rainbow Light Pagoda has lost some of its spiritual nature, so I won't be able to use its spatial powers for now," the clone replied.

"In that case, even the two of us combined won't have much of a chance of securing victory." The devilish giant's brows furrowed with indecision.

The clone glanced at the giant golden ape, then cast his gaze toward the final clone, who was battling the spirit body, but remained completely silent.

The spirit body was clearly inferior in power to its opponent, but it was easily able to ensure self-preservation by relying on its own incredible regenerative powers.

The clone that was battling it wanted to withdraw from the battle, but was simply unable to shake off the spirit body.

The devilish giant became even more hesitant upon seeing this. The situation seemed to have taken a dramatic turn for the worse for him, but he was still very reluctant to retreat.

After all, he had taken a huge risk to send three fragments of his spiritual sense into the Spirit Realm at once with the sole intention of recovering the Devil Sealing Lock. However, not only had he failed to achieve that objective, he had lost one of his other two incomplete Profound Heavenly Treasures, while the final one had had its spiritual nature damaged; this was naturally an extremely infuriating outcome for him.

Han Li could see the internal conflict on his opponent's face, and all three of his heads began to chant in unison as he made a grabbing motion with one of his six hands. A purple blade segment instantly appeared in his grasp, and as soon as it emerged, the nearby world's origin Qi began to surge violently. At the same time, countless specks of five-colored light appeared in the surrounding area before converging toward the blade segment in a frenzy, creating an incredible spectacle to behold.

"That's an incomplete Profound Heavenly Treasure!" the devilish giant exclaimed as he stared at the shimmering blade segment with astonishment in his eyes.

His other clone was also quite alarmed to see this.

"Retreat!" the devilish giant finally decided as his expression darkened significantly. He then flapped his four wings, and the sea of blood down below swept upward to form a vast expanse of crimson light, which swept up his massive body before fleeing the scene.

The clone also waved the rainbow pagoda through the air and transformed into a streak of rainbow light that flew away as well.

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As for the clone that was battling the spirit body in the distance, it seemed to have also received the instruction to retreat, and dazzling crimson light suddenly erupted from its body to force back the spirit body before it shot forth toward its two companions.

The three of them gathered together in the blink of an eye and fled toward the same direction.

"This isn't over, brat! Next time we meet, I'll be sure to extract your soul and torture it for all of eternity!" Sacred Ancestor Xue Guang's menacing voice rumbled in the distance, and he disappeared into the distance after just a few flashes.

After making the decision to retreat, he had done so in a very decisive manner and didn't stall in the slightest. He seemed to be very confident that Han Li wouldn't try to hunt him down, and sure enough, Han Li merely looked on expressionlessly as his opponent departed, displaying no intention of setting off in pursuit.

In the distance, the spirit body made a hand seal before abruptly vanishing on the spot. Spatial fluctuations then erupted beside Han Li, and the spirit body re-emerged.

Han Li harrumphed coldly as he withdrew his Provenance Golden Body amid a flash of golden light. His body then shrank down as his golden fur receded, and he reverted back to his human form.

As opposed to being elated by this victory, Han Li continued to look into the distance with a grim expression.

"Just his clones alone are already this troublesome to deal with; his true body will only be even more powerful. Grand Ascension Stage beings truly are as formidable as they're proclaimed to be!" Han Li murmured to himself before withdrawing his gaze and waving a hand toward the spirit body beside him.

The spirit body instantly flew toward him as a green shadow before vanishing into his body in a flash, and the 13 Purple-striped Gold Devouring Beetles also flew back to his side.

Han Li swept a sleeve through the air to release a burst of azure light that stowed away the beetles, then closed his eyes before making a hand seal while chanting an incantation.

A thumb-sized crimson rune surfaced on his glabella, and it was flashing with gentle light.

Moments later, Han Li opened his eyes, and a hint of elation appeared on his face. "It worked! The Purple Word Cauldron hasn't traveled all that far away!"

As soon as his voice trailed off, he switched to a series of complex hand seals, and the crimson rune on his glabella also began to fluctuate in brightness.

Not long after that, a streak of black light appeared in the distance, and within it was none other than the Purple Word Cauldron that had flown away during the battle.

However, the cauldron stopped several thousand feet away from Han Li, and purple light flashed erratically from its surface as it emitted a faint buzzing sound, seemingly expressing hesitation to approach Han Li.

However, after Han Li had activated that crimson rune, a connection had formed between them, and that made the cauldron unwilling to leave.

The smile on Han Li's face widened at the sight of the cauldron, and the crimson rune flew directly out of his glabella before revolving around him.

At the same time, he began to chant something while flicking his fingers through the air, and a series of vibrant colorful incantation seals shot forth before vanishing into the cauldron in a flash.

The small cauldron tremored before letting loose a clear cry akin to a dragon's roar, and it flew directly toward the crimson rune, which also vanished into the cauldron amid a flash of crimson light.

A layer of crimson light then appeared over the surface of the cauldron, and it emitted a cry of elation. Only then did Han Li wave a hand toward the small cauldron with a smile on his face.

On this occasion, the small purple cauldron was extremely obedient and voluntarily flew over to Han Li, shrinking down to several inches in size before landing on his palm.

Han Li was ecstatic to see this, and he began to inspect the miniature cauldron with blue flashing within his eyes.

On the surface of the cauldron were many unidentifiable runes, and it was also enveloped in a layer of faint black Qi.

Han Li's eyes narrowed slightly as spiritual light flashed from his hand, and several golden and silver runes emerged before vanishing into the small cauldron in a flash.

The cauldron only had a chance to let loose a low ringing sound before it suddenly fell completely still, seemingly having been deprived of its spiritual nature.

Immediately thereafter, countless arcs of golden lightning sprang forth from Han Li's fingertips amid a rumbling thunderclap, then formed a golden lightning net that encompassed the entire cauldron.

The lightning net then shrank and converged to form a small golden ball over his palm.

A relieved look appeared on Han Li's face upon seeing this, and he flipped his other hand over to produce a pristine white jade box, which he placed the golden ball into.

After that, he swept his sleeve over the box, and a dozen or so talismans of different colors emerged before instantly forming several miniature formations that embedded themselves onto the surface of the box.

After stowing the jade box away, Han Li heaved a sigh of relief, and only then did he dare to truly relax.

Using the secret technique that Che Qigong had bestowed upon him, he was able to easily take the Purple Word Cauldron from Sacred Ancestor Xue Guang. However, the fact of the matter was that the cauldron still contained a wisp of Che Qigong's spiritual sense. Prior to eradicating that wisp of spiritual sense and refining the treasure again, Han Li naturally didn't dare to use it.

Even so, he was still truly elated to have obtained such a precious treasure, but at the same time, he was lamenting the loss of his Myriad Sword Artwork.

He had only just completely refined the treasure, and he had planned for it to be one of his trump cards against the devilish army, so it was naturally quite unfortunate that the treasure was destroyed in just a single battle.

The parting threat that the devilish giant had issued prior to his departure then surfaced in Han Li's mind, and a grim look appeared on his face.

Just as the devilish giant had said, he had only been able to force these three clones into retreat as they were ill-prepared and overly confident as they had two incomplete Profound Heavenly Treasures up their sleeves.

Next time, the three clones were going to be better prepared and more well-versed with Han Li's abilities, so the outcome of that battle could easily go against Han Li's favor.

All of a sudden, Han Li shook his head as he chuckled to himself. He had realized that he was worried about a hypothetical situation that would never eventuate as there was no way he would give Sacred Ancestor Xue Guang another chance to trap him.

If the three clones were to return to the main devilish city, it would take them at least three to four months, which was more than enough time for Han Li to sneak back to Deep Heaven City.

As long as he didn't leave Deep Heaven City thereafter, he wouldn't have anything to fear. However, prior to that, he had to visit the place where Earthly Hellish Flames could be found. He had sworn a vow to Che Qigong, and he certainly didn't want to suffer backlash from inner demons.

On top of that, the Chaotic Yin Yang Qi really was very alluring to him as well. Sacred Ancestor Xue Guang's clones had just retreated, so there was no way that they would return in a short time. As such, this was the perfect opportunity for him to fulfill the promise that he had made.

However, that Che Qigong was a Sacred Ancestor as well, so he naturally wasn't going to believe everything that he said; he had to set up some defensive measures before he carried out the tasks that he had promised to complete.

As for Heavenlean City, all of the Body Integration cultivators had already fled, so there was no way that the city could've survived. As such, there was no point in returning to it.

With that in mind, Han Li immediately made a decision and flew away as a streak of azure light.

Meanwhile, the devilish giant was already tens of thousands of kilometers away, and he had reverted back to his normal humanoid form. On top of that, he had released his crimson canoe again, and the three clones were traveling toward Heavenlean City atop the flying treasure.

Along the way, all three clones remained completely silent.

Several days later, the three clones caught sight of the collapsed city wall of Heavenlean City. The air above the entire city had been enshrouded by inky-black devilish Qi, and when the crimson canoe approached the city, a group of armored warriors riding devilish steeds instantly emerged to greet the three clones in a respectful manner.

Once the All-encompassing Devilish Cavalier drew a little closer, Sacred Ancestor Xue Guang instructed in a cold voice, "Activate the teleportation formation closest to our sacred army right away!"

"Yes, Sacred Ancestor!"

All of the mid-grade and high-grade devilish beings present were already aware of Sacred Ancestor Xue Guang's arrival, so this All-encompassing Devilish Cavalier naturally recognized the three clones, and he immediately gave an affirmative reply with a respectful bow.

Half a month later, Han Li was flying through the air as a streak of barely visible azure light. His magic power fluctuations were also extremely subdued, and no one would be able to detect the streak of azure light unless they were an extremely powerful being or possessed a spirit eye ability.

Han Li was currently flying over a small human city, one that had been abandoned over 100 years ago in anticipation for the devilish tribulation. The city was currently nothing more than a conglomeration of ruins and overgrown weeds, but as Han Li was flying over it, he casually swept his spiritual sense through the abandoned city, upon which a hint of surprise appeared on his face.

He abruptly drew to a halt and looked down at the abandoned city with blue light flashing through his eyes.

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His brows suddenly furrowed slightly, and he flew down toward a certain direction as a streak of azure light. After just a few flashes, he appeared in the air above an ordinary-looking building.

There were currently five cultivators in different attire surrounding the building and discussing something in hushed tones, and Han Li's sudden arrival naturally gave all of them a massive fright.

They reflexively summoned treasures or made hand seals as they prepared to defend themselves, but Han Li didn't even bother to take a glance at them. "Piss off!"

"What did you say? How dare... Ah, our sincerest apologies, we'll be taking our leave right away!" These five cultivators were all at the Deity Transformation, and they were initially enraged by Han Li's words, but when he released his enormous Body Integration Stage aura, all five of them were completely petrified and immediately backtracked before fleeing the scene.

During their escape, they didn't even dare to turn around to look behind them, as if they were being pursued by a malicious ghost.

Han Li cast a cold glance toward these people and hesitated momentarily, but decided not to do anything in the end. Right at this moment, an elated female voice rang out from the first floor of the building that had been surrounded.

"Senior Han! I didn't expect to see you here; I'll come out to meet you right away!"

As soon as the voice trailed off, the front door was opened, and three women emerged from within the building. The first woman was tall and slender with fair snowy-white skin; it was none other than Xu Qianyu.

"Long time no see, Fellow Daoist Xu," Han Li greeted with a smile.

The last time they had met was when Han Li had visited the Xu Family, so it was quite a surprise for him to meet her again here.

"Thank you for stepping in, Senior. Otherwise, we would've been in deep trouble." Xu Qianyu hurriedly extended a respectful curtsey toward Han Li with an elated look on her face, and the two women accompanying her immediately followed suit.

Han Li merely waved a hand and replied in a nonchalant manner, "No need to thank me, I just so happened to be passing by. Who were those people? Are they enemies for your Xu Family?"

"They're just a group of scoundrels who tried to take advantage of us! You should've torn them from limb-to-limb, Senior!" a woman with an oval face behind Xu Qianyu said with an enraged pout.

"Shush, Xiao Qing! We're already immensely fortunate to have encountered Senior Han here; how could you be so rude? Please forgive her, Senior Han; Xiao Qing is a niece of mine, and she's always been cultivating in our Xu Family, so she's a little spoiled," Xu Qianyu scolded with a stern expression before turning to Han Li with an apologetic look in her eyes.

"Ah, please forgive me, Senior; I meant no offense." The woman by the name of Xiao Qing had also realized that her words had been rather inappropriate.

"That's alright, I'm not one to be bothered by minor things like this. If I had known that those people were such scummy individuals, perhaps I would've put an end to them," Han Li replied with a nonchalant smile.

Xu Qianyu heaved an internal sigh of relief before making an inviting hand gesture. "Thank you for your understanding, Senior; please come in and take a seat."

Han Li nodded in response before making his way into the room.

The devilish army was situated very far away, and he hadn't spotted any devilish beings nearby, so he wasn't concerned about any potential hazards arising.

The interior of the room wasn't very large, but all of the furniture and decor gave off a unique antiquated feel, seemingly indicating that they had been around for quite a long time.

However, what drew Han Li's attention the most was the barely detectable restriction fluctuations near the room. As soon as they strode into the room, those restrictions instantly vanished, and even with his spiritual sense, he was unable to detect their source. This made him rather curious.

Han Li sat down on the main seat in the room, then turned toward the three women who were standing respectfully beside him. "This doesn't seem to be a place inhabited by mortals; is it somehow connected to your Xu Family?"

"Indeed, Senior Han; this is a temporary lodging place that our Xu Family abandoned many years ago. We were chased here by that group of cultivators, and forced to make use of the restriction here to protect ourselves," Xu Qianyu replied in a respectful manner.

Han Li nodded in response before asking, "I see. This place is quite far away from your Xu Family, and I've heard your entire family has already moved to the holy city; why are the three of you here?"

The three women exchanged a hesitant glance upon hearing this question, and in the end, a wry smile appeared on Xu Qianyu's face as she replied, "Our Xu Family did indeed move to the Holy Sovereign City, but Mistress Blood Spirit had some important matters to attend to recently, so she left the city and took some members of our family with her. After we had taken care of those matters and were heading back to the city, we encountered a devilish army along the way, and after a fierce battle, we were defeated and forced to flee for our lives. My nieces and I were pursued by a group of devilish beings, and we had only just shaken them off when we encountered that group of cultivators."

"Fellow Daoist Blood Spirit left the holy city?" Han Li was rather surprised to hear this.

"Indeed. Initially, the elders of our family were opposed to her departure, but she insisted on leaving, so they could only let her go," Xu Qianyu replied.

Instead of prying into exactly what important matters they had attended to, Han Li asked, "Are you aware of Fellow Daoist Blood Spirit's current situation?"

"Rest assured, Senior Han; prior to our departure, we witnessed Mistress Blood Spirit make her escape. She was pursued by several high-grade devilish beings, but with her powers, self-preservation definitely wouldn't be an issue," Xu Qianyu assured.

"I see, that's good to hear. By the way, what's the situation in the Holy Sovereign City currently like? The communication between the major cities has been completely cut off by the devilish army, and even communication talismans are no longer effective," Han Li enquired.

"The situation is not very good. Our Holy Sovereign City is fine as the devilish army over there hasn't even attempted an attack on the city. However, they've targeted the human settlements around the city instead, and many of the nearby sects and major families have been wiped out. On top of that, this devilish tribulation seems to be different from all of the previous ones; the devilish army is beginning to attack mortal cities to enslave mortal humans on a wide scale," Xu Qianyu replied as a concerned look appeared on her face.

Han Li's expression also darkened upon hearing this, and he sighed in a grim voice, "So the rumors are true; the devilish beings are planning to permanently settle in the Spirit Realm."

Before Xu Qianyu had a chance to reply, the other voluptuous woman standing beside her exclaimed, "What? Are you saying that the Elder Devil Race is planning to conquer our human territory?"

"Not just our human race; the demon race and even the nearby foreign races are all most likely targets that the Elder Devil Race is planning to invade. I don't know much about the specific details, but these are the rumors that are circulating among the higher level cultivators. In any case, there's no need for you to be overly concerned; even if the sky falls down, there will be people in higher-up places to support it. I'm sure the holy island has already devised appropriate countermeasures," Han Li reassured with a faint smile.

"That's true. With the holy island and Master Mo Jianli to oppose them, I'm sure the Elder Devil Race won't be able to succeed," Xu Qianyu said in a relieved manner.

The other two women were also very relieved to hear this. It was quite clear that the resounding reputations of the holy island and Mo Jianli had instilled them with a lot of confidence.

After that, Han Li enquired about some details surrounding the devilish army near the Holy Sovereign City, and before he knew it, close to an hour had passed.

Finally, Han Li stood up and prepared to leave. "I still have some important matters to attend to, so I'll be taking my leave now. I hope to see you again someday. By the way, this is not a safe place to stay; I recommend you return to the Holy Sovereign City as soon as possible."

The three women naturally didn't dare to stop him, and they accompanied him out of the room.

Azure light flashed from Han Li's body, and he quickly flew away into the distance while Xu Qianyu looked on with a complex expression.

As soon as Han Li vanished into the distance, the woman with the oval face asked in an eager voice, "Aunt Xu, is that Senior Han the same senior who returned Mistress Blood Spirit to us? Is he really a Body Integration cultivator?"

An intrigued look also appeared in the other woman's eyes.

"Indeed. Back when he visited our Xu Family, he was already at the early-Body Integration stage, and I heard that he made another breakthrough to the mid-Body Integration Stage not long before the devilish tribulation," Xu Qianyu replied with a wry smile.

"What? He's a mid-Body Integration Stage cultivator? That's the first time I've seen someone with such a high cultivation base! I heard that you share quite a close bond and even worked with him in Deep Heaven City for some time; is that true, Aunt Xu?" the woman with the oval face asked in an excited manner.

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"What's the point in mentioning the past? My cultivation base has improved somewhat since that time, but it's nothing compared to the strides that Senior Han has made. He progressed from the Deity Transformation Stage to the mid-Body Integration Stage in less than 2,000 years; that's virtually completely unheard of in human history," Xu Qianyu replied with a dejected shake of her head.

After a brief silence, the other woman asked, "If that Senior Han really is that powerful, why didn't you try to keep him? With his assistance, we'll definitely be able to complete our task without a hitch."

"We've been separated from Mistress Blood Spirit, but she specifically told us that the tasks we've been assigned are the key to deciding whether Matriarch Ice Soul will be able to return to our Xu Family; there aren't even that many people in our Xu Family who are aware of what we're doing. Senior Han is a benefactor to our Xu Family, but it would still be best not to disclose something like this to him. In any case, he's already chased those cultivators away, so this place should be safe for now. If we work as quickly as we can, we should be able to secure that item soon, then reunite with Mistress Blood Spirit. At this stage, it would be best not to get other people involved," Xu Qianyu replied in a calm manner.

The other two women shared a glance upon hearing this before nodding in unison.

After a brief pause, Xu Qianyu strode into the room again, and said, "Alright, let's go down again."

The other two women naturally followed closely behind her.

Meanwhile, in an underground cave countless kilometers away, a crimson-armored beauty was pulling an ice blade that was flashing with crimson light out of a high-grade devilish being's body.

The devilish being's lifeless body thumped heavily down onto the ground, and there were two more inky-black devilish bodies lying completely still in the cave. Furthermore, all three bodies were covered in a layer of ice and frost.

The woman glanced at the bodies expressionlessly before flying deeper into the cave along a narrow passageway. After making a few turns, then descending deeper underground, she appeared in front of an ordinary-looking stone wall.

Her eyes immediately lit up, and she flipped a hand over to produce a ball of azure light, within which was contained a miniature azure cauldron. The cauldron rotated on the spot and instantly swelled to around 10 feet tall. It was shimmering with azure light, and had projections of flora and fauna surfacing around it; this was none other than the Heavenvoid Cauldron that Han Li once possessed.

This crimson-armored woman was naturally none other than the blood spirit clone of Fairy Ice Soul, and after being separated from the rest of the Xu Family entourage by the devilish army, she had flown all the way here before making short work of these three high-grade devilish beings.

It was quite clear that she had led her pursuers into this underground cave for a specific purpose, rather than just as a panicked snap decision.

After summoning the Heavenvoid Cauldron, Blood Spirit began to chant something while flicking her fingers toward the cauldron in quick succession.

Several azure incantation seals shot forth before vanishing into the cauldron one after another, and a loud buzzing sound instantly rang out from the treasure. The lid of the cauldron tremored slightly before flying up into the air and vanishing into space, following which several azure runes emerged from the cauldron amid a flash of azure light.

These runes quickly swelled in size before lining up next to one another, then flew directly toward the stone wall up ahead.

A dull rumbling boom rang out, and as soon as the azure runes came into contact with the stone wall, the latter crumbled away into dust to reveal an ancient copper gate, which had several shimmering silver restriction talismans plastered to its surface.

The cold look in Blood Spirit's eyes eased slightly upon seeing this, and she murmured to herself in an elated manner, "Thank heavens it's still intact! It seems that no one has discovered this place. My true body really made a wise decision by setting up this backup measure."

She then flicked a finger again, and a gust of fierce wind struck the cauldron from the side. The cauldron immediately let loose a clear ringing sound before expelling a burst of azure light that swept toward the copper gate.

In the face of the azure light, the silver runes on the gate were silently stripped away, and the gate slowly opened on its own.

Blood Spirit immediately flew in through the gate as a streak of crimson light, and in the instant she passed by the azure cauldron, it abruptly vanished amid a flash of azure light.

Beyond the gate was a slightly dim hall that was around several acres in area. The entire hall was empty aside from a square stone table, upon which sat another small cauldron.

This cauldron was also shimmering with azure light and had intricate patterns all over its surface; it bore a strong resemblance to the Heavenvoid Cauldron!

The crimson light receded, and Blood Spirit appeared in front of the stone table before making a grabbing motion toward the small cauldron, which rose up into the air and flew into her grasp as a ball of azure light.

A hint of elation appeared on Blood Spirit's face as she appraised the small cauldron.

"Heavenvoid Cauldron, Voidspirit Cauldron, and Void Emperor Cauldron! Hmph, I bet those bastards aren't aware that I just so happened to replicate another cauldron treasure before I set off back then. This Void Emperor Cauldron is far more powerful than even the other two cauldrons. Now that I've secured it, I have the key to access that place again. Once the devilish tribulation concludes, I'll be able to set off for the Thunder Continent!" Blood Spirit murmured to herself, and the small azure cauldron in her hand vanished amid a flash of spiritual light.

After that, she didn't remain in the hall any longer. She rubbed her hands together before raising them up into the air, and a loud thunderclap rang out as countless bolts of crimson lightning erupted out of her palms in a frenzy to strike walls of the hall around her.

The entire hall was inundated by crimson lightning in the blink of an eye, and all of its walls were shattered. Seconds after Blood Spirit shot forth out of the hall as a streak of crimson light, the entire hall completely crumbled.

Not long after that, the crimson streak of light appeared in the air above an extremely bleak and barren plain, then set off toward a certain direction. In that direction lay the small city where Xu Qianyu's trio was situated.

A month later, Han Li hovered high up in the air and appraised the battle down below with a frosty expression.

Over 10,000 feet below him, there were over 100 purple-armored devilish beings with peculiar devilish patterns on their faces, and they launched ferocious attacks toward a group of a dozen or so human cultivators.

Even the devilish beings with the lowest cultivation base among them were at the Nascent Soul Stage, and they were led by a pair of mid-Deity Transformation Stage devilish beings; this was an elite devilish force!

As for the human cultivators who were being attacked, they all wore similar attire, but there was great diversity in their age and cultivation bases. There were a few little girls among them who were only at the Foundation Establishment Stage, while the most powerful being among their ranks was a late-Deity Transformation Stage elderly man.

This was clearly a sect or a cultivation family.

The majority of these human cultivators were at the Core Formation Stage, so even though the elderly man was doing everything in his power to set up everyone in a profound formation, they were still in an extremely perilous situation.

The elderly man was controlling a large seal treasure, but his eyes were filled with despair as he appraised the current situation. In the face of so many devilish elites, even if he could escape with his life, all of these juniors of his would undoubtedly be killed.

With that in mind, a hint of ferocity appeared in the elderly man's eyes, and he expelled a large mouthful of blood essence toward the seal before pointing a finger at it. The sound of howling wind and rumbling thunder instantly rang out from the seal, and a white wyrm emerged from it before pouncing directly toward the two mid-Deity Transformation Stage devilish beings.

The two high-grade devilish beings knew that the elderly man was making a final stand, and they cackled in a sinister manner as a giant devilish bird projection appeared behind each of their backs. The projections depicted a pair of devilish creatures with deer heads and bat bodies, presenting quite a harrowing sight to behold.

As soon as the two projections emerged, they immediately flapped their wings and shot forth to clash with the white wyrm projection. The two sides seemed to be evenly matched, and right at this moment, the formation formed by the human cultivators was finally beginning to crumble in the face of the devilish beings' torrential barrage of attacks.

All of the human cultivators' faces turned deathly pale upon seeing this, and the elderly man let loose a loud cry as he laid a hand onto his own head, preparing to release his Nascent Soul to truly make a final stand.

Right at this moment, a cold harrumph rang out in the air above. The voice wasn't very loud, but it struck the listener with a bone-chilling sensation. All of the human and devilish beings down below felt as if thunderclaps had erupted right within their minds, and they swayed unsteadily in response.

Immediately thereafter, a ball of azure light emerged, within which a humanoid figure could be seen.

The humanoid figure swept a sleeve downward, and over 100 streaks of azure light shot forth before transforming into several hundred streaks of sword Qi.

The sword Qi revolved through the air before hurtling downward, but in the next instant, all of them vanished into thin air as if they were nothing more than projections.

Spatial fluctuations then erupted in the air above the devilish beings, and a series of azure flying swords shot forth out of space before whizzing through the air. A string of anguished howls rang out as all of the devilish beings were completely inundated by azure light, and their bodies were sliced into countless pieces; even their Nascent Souls had been shredded into nothingness.

A vast expanse of blood mist permeated throughout the entire area alongside the overwhelming odor of blood and gore.

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After the blood mist dispersed, all of the devilish beings had been slain, and the human cultivators began to look around with shock and bewilderment in their eyes.

The late-Deity Transformation Stage elderly man was the first to return to his senses, and he hurriedly extended a respectful bow toward the azure figure up above. "Which senior has stepped in to assist us? I am Jian Feitian of the Pegasus Sect; thank you for your kindness!"

The other cultivators also quickly returned to their senses and extended deep bows toward Han Li as well.

"We're all humans, so I naturally couldn't just stand by idly and watch. Head toward the west; there are no devilish beings there, so it's safe for now; that's all the assistance I'll be able to give you," Han Li said as he swept a sleeve through the air, and all of the streaks of azure sword Qi flew back up his sleeve.

The elderly man was trying his best to see the appearance of the humanoid figure within the azure light, but to no avail. Thus, he immediately extended another respectful bow, and said, "May I ask your esteemed name, Senior? Our Pegasus Sect will be sure to pledge our allegiance to you as thanks for your kindness!"

"Hehe, my surname is Han. There's no need for you to go out of your way to repay me; I just so happened to be passing by. Alright, I have to go now; best of luck to all of you," Han Li chuckled and flew away as a streak of azure light before the elderly man could say anything further.

After just a few flashes, he vanished into the distance, traveling at an incredible speed.

The elderly man was quite startled by Han Li's speed, and he was rooted to the spot for a long while before gradually returning to his senses.

"Master, do you know which senior that was?" a Nascent Soul Stage male cultivator asked in a cautious manner.

"There's no way that a Spatial Tempering cultivator would be able to kill so many high-grade devilish beings at once; even the average Body Integration cultivator would struggle to do what he just did. According to my knowledge, there are only two Body Integration Stage seniors with the Han surname in our human race; one of them is Senior Han Qing, who recently pledged his allegiance to the Heavenly Yuan Holy Sovereign, while the other is Senior Han Li of Deep Heaven City. As for exactly which one it is, we'll have to verify that once we get to a safer place. He saved our lives, and that is something that we cannot simply forget," the elderly man replied.

"Yes, Master. Seeing as devilish beings have appeared here, this place is no longer safe. According to our original plan, we were going to travel to the sect hidden within the Black Water Mountain Range, but that Senior Han is telling us to go west. From what I know, the west is comprised of a vast expanse of bleak and barren plains where there won't be many places for us to hide," the middle-aged man said in a cautious voice.

"The Black Water Mountain Range isn't too far away from this place, so it's most likely no longer a safe place, either. As such, we should place our trust in Senior Han. So what if the west is filled with flat plains? Do you think we'll be able to escape the spiritual sense detection of the high-grade devilish beings if we hide in a mountain range? If we can find a secluded place, then burrow deep underground and set up a formation, there's a chance that we'll be able to survive this devilish tribulation. After all, the Elder Devil Race can't scour the entirety of our human territory," the elderly man said with a cold smile.

The middle-aged man thought about this for a moment before nodding in response. "We'll do as you say, Master."

"Oh, by the way, collect the storage treasures from these devilish beings. These are all devilish elites, so I'm sure they'll be carrying some valuable things. That Senior Han didn't bother to take them, but they could be of great assistance to our Pegasus Sect," the elderly man instructed.

The middle-aged man naturally gave an affirmative response before relaying the elderly man's instructions to everyone else.

Thus, not long after that, the group of human cultivators flew toward the west as Han Li had suggested. As for the devilish beings that had been slain, they most likely wouldn't be discovered by the Elder Devil Race for quite a while.

Along his journey, Han Li had encountered similar scenarios several times, and upon verifying that there weren't any devilish lords present, he had slain all of the devilish beings that he had encountered without any hesitation.

Unless he were to encounter a devilish army with several devilish lords among their ranks, he really didn't have much to fear.

Half a month later, a primitive forest appeared up ahead. The trees here were extremely tall and lush, and the dense canopy up above cast eerie shadows over the dense undergrowth.

Han Li stopped at the edge of the forest, then peered deep into it.

In the extremely far distance, there was a small mountain range comprised of seven mountains of different sizes.

Han Li withdrew his gaze before flying directly toward the mountain range again as a streak of azure light. He was traveling toward the second tallest of the seven mountains, and after just a few flashes, he reached its summit.

However, as he inspected his surroundings, a hint of surprise immediately appeared on his face.

There were two human cultivators on the same mountain summit, one of whom was a rotund monk in a purple kasaya who was sitting in front of what appeared to be a volcanic crater. As for his companion, this was an extremely thin and hideous elderly man with dark skin that resembled tree bark.

Both of them were also at the mid-Body Integration Stage, and they had used some type of aura concealment method that had led to Han Li failing to detect their presence in advance.

The two immediately turned toward Han Li in unison, and the rotund monk faltered initially before a hint of recognition flashed through his eyes. "Ah, greetings, Fellow Daoist Han."

This was none other than Buddhist Master Tian Chan, who was one of the Heavenly Yuan Holy Sovereign's subordinates, and had met Han Li once in the past.

"Greetings to you too, Buddhist Master Tian Chan." Han Li was quite surprised, but his expression remained unchanged as he clasped his fist in a salute from afar.

The hideous elderly man had also identified Han Li's mid-Body Integration Stage cultivation base, and his expression changed slightly as he asked in a coarse and raspy voice, "Do you recognize him, Tian Chan?"

"Hehe, it's no wonder that you don't recognize Fellow Daoist Han; he only reached the Body Integration Stage several centuries ago. You've constantly been in seclusion during this time, so there's naturally no way you two could've met," the Buddhist Master replied with a smile.

"Several centuries? If I'm not mistaken, Fellow Daoist Han is already at the mid-Body Integration Stage, is he not?" the elderly man asked as a hint of astonishment flashed through his eyes.

"I've only just reached the mid-Body Integration Stage not long. May I ask your name, Fellow Daoist?" Han Li asked as he returned the elderly man's salute.

"I am Yu Xiaotian; people call me Master Black Rain. Tsk tsk, it's extremely remarkable that you were able to make a Body Integration Stage breakthrough in just several centuries; even on the holy island, I haven't met anyone with aptitude that can match yours," the elderly man said with undisguised astonishment in his voice.

"Holy island? Are you a holy island envoy, Brother Yu?" Han Li was quite startled to hear this.

"I wouldn't dare to proclaim myself to be a holy island envoy, but I do indeed currently reside on the holy island," the elderly man replied in a modest manner.

"I've heard much about the holy island; it's a pity that I've never had a chance to visit it. Please do tell me about it when you get some spare time, Brother Yu," Han Li said with a smile as the shock on his face faded.

"Hehe, under normal circumstances, the holy island extends invitations to Body Integration Stage cultivators once every 1,000 years, and some are even able to remain on the island to cultivate. If it weren't for this devilish tribulation, perhaps you would've already been invited to the island, Brother Han," Master Black Rain chuckled.

"I see. This is the first time I've heard of this; please forgive me for my lack of knowledge on this matter," Han Li replied with a nod.

"Not at all, the holy island has always been a very secretive place, so it's no surprise that you haven't heard much about it," Master Black Rain chuckled.

"Benefactor Han, I heard that you moved to Deep Heaven City following the commencement of the devilish tribulation; what's the situation like in Deep Heaven City now?" Buddhist Master Tian Chan asked.

"I am indeed currently residing in Deep Heaven City, and I'm technically a guest elder in the city. Unfortunately, Deep Heaven City is currently in quite a precarious situation; all of the large human settlements around the city have been conquered," Han Li replied with a grim expression.

"Is the situation that bad already? I've heard that the large settlements around Deep Heaven City all have Body Integration cultivators among their ranks; how were they conquered so quickly?" Buddhist Master Tian Chan asked in a stunned manner.

"That's quite a long story that I'll tell you about later. For now, would you be able to disclose to me why you and Brother Yu have come here?" Han Li asked with a curious look in his eyes.

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"Well..." Buddhist Master Tian Chan turned to Master Black Rain with a rather hesitant expression.

Master Black Rain pondered the situation for a moment before making a decision. "Brother Han is one of the most powerful beings in our human race, so he'll be a great ally for us. I think the two of us may not have that great a chance of completing our objective, but if Fellow Daoist Han were to assist us, then we'll have a much greater chance."

Han Li was even more intrigued upon hearing this, but he merely waited in silence. Sure enough, after receiving Master Black Rain's approval, Buddhist Master Tian Chan nodded with a smile, and said, "I was thinking the same thing. In that case, allow me to explain the situation to you, Benefactor Han. I hope you'll be willing to lend us your assistance."

Han Li considered this for a moment before giving a conditional reply. "I'll be sure to do so if it benefits the state of our human race."

"We were actually instructed by the holy island to come here for the Earthly Hellish Flames," Buddhist Master Tian Chan revealed.

Han Li had already anticipated this to be the case, but his heart still sank slightly upon hearing this. However, what Master Black Rain said next immediately put his heart at ease.

He could see the peculiar look that had appeared in Han Li's eyes, and he immediately added, "To put it more accurately, we're here for a certain spirit item within the Earthly Hellish Flames."

"There are spirit items within the Earthly Hellish Flames? I've never heard of something like that before," Han Li said in a rather surprised manner.

"Indeed there is, and this spirit item takes 50,000 years to come into fruition. Have you heard of an item known as the Pipe Dream Stone, Benefactor Han?" Buddhist Master Tian Chan asked.

"Pipe Dream Stone? Is that the top-grade material used to set up large illusionary formations?" Han Li asked as his brows furrowed slightly.

"Indeed. However, what we're searching for is not an ordinary Pipe Dream Stone; it's a Pipe Dream Stone Spirit, which has already attained intelligence. Not only can this type of stone spirit only emerge among Pipe Dream Stones, a rigorous set of conditions must be met before they can come into existence. As such, not many people are aware of its existence, and the stone spirit here was something a senior of our race unintentionally discovered tens of thousands of years ago. Unfortunately, that senior was unable to capture it, and it was startled into fleeing into the Earthly Hellish Flames.

"Even Grand Ascension cultivators wouldn't dare to venture into the Earthly Hellish Flames lightly, so there was no way that anyone could pursue the stone spirit. However, the mighty figures of the holy island have recently conducted divination and predicted that the day of the Pipe Dream Stone Spirit's tribulation will arrive soon, so there's no way it can continue to hide in the Earthly Hellish Flames. As such, this will be the only chance we have to capture it," Buddhist Master Tian Chan explained.

"I see, so the Pipe Dream Stone Spirit has already been residing within the Earthly Hellish Flames for tens of thousands of years; no wonder I've never heard of it. However, even if it is a stone spirit that has attained intelligence, it shouldn't be all that powerful; wouldn't it be a simple task for you to capture it?" Han Li asked.

"This Pipe Dream Stone Spirit is far different from normal stone spirits. Not only does it possess the abilities common to all stone spirits, it also possesses the ability to instantly conjure up powerful illusions that one could fall into without even realizing it. The senior of our human race who first discovered the stone spirit was quite a renowned figure at the time, but not only was he unable to capture the stone spirit, he was trapped in its illusions for half a year before finally managing to escape.

"On top of that, it was said that the ordeal had heavily taxed his body and caused him to fall severely ill after he escaped. The task that we've been assigned with is to capture the stone spirit alive, so even though Buddhist Master Tian Chan and I have made extensive preparations, our chances of success still aren't very high," Master Black Rain explained.

"I see. The innate abilities of spirit items such as stone spirits are generally all extremely powerful, so it's no wonder that the two of you are proceeding with such caution. By the way, would you happen to know the reason why the holy island sent you two to capture this stone spirit?" Han Li asked.

"It seems that the demon core within this stone spirit is going to be quite an important asset against the Elder Devil Race, and this task was delegated to us by Master Mo Jianli through the holy island; that's all the details that I'm aware of," Master Black Rain replied without any hesitation.

"The instruction came from Senior Mo?" Han Li drew a sharp breath upon hearing this.

"Hehe, Fellow Daoist Tian Chan and I are relatively powerful figures in our human race; if it weren't for the fact that Senior Mo was the one who delegated this duty to us, we wouldn't have come to this place," Master Black Rain said with a smile.

"In that case, it's only right that I do my part as well. Please tell me what you need me to do," Han Li said in a serious manner.

Buddhist Master Tian Chan was ecstatic to hear this, and he replied, "Hehe, I knew that you wouldn't turn us down, Brother Han. We don't actually need you to take on any complex tasks; all we need is for you to assist us as the situation requires. If the stone spirit manages to slip past us, we'll be counting on you to stop it so that it doesn't manage to flee back into the Earthly Hellish Flames."

Master Black Rain also expressed his gratitude toward Han Li.

A thought then suddenly occurred to Buddhist Master Tian Chan, and he asked, "By the way, why are you here when Deep Heaven City is in such a perilous situation, Brother Han? Do you have something you need to do here as well?"

"Indeed. I need to use the Earthly Hellish Flames to refine a few treasures of mine, but that naturally pales in significance next to the task that you two have been assigned," Han Li replied.

"Thank you for prioritizing our objective above your own, Brother Han. I'll have to ask you to refrain from approaching the Earthly Hellish Flames for now. Otherwise, if the stone spirit detects the presence of outsiders, things could become rather troublesome," Buddhist Master Tian Chan said as an apologetic look appeared on his face.

Thus, after exchanging some more pleasantries, Han Li joined the two of them and sat down beside the crater as well. He cast his gaze toward the bottom of the crater, and his brows furrowed slightly. The crater was several acres in area, but it was clearly divided into two completely different parts.

The top half was comprised of ordinary grey stone, but the bottom half of the crater was as smooth as jade. On top of that, that section of the crater was of a sinister dark green color, and at the very bottom was a cloud of yellow mist that was surging incessantly. The occasional burst of rumbling could be heard coming from within the yellow mist, and it was flashing erratically with faint light, as if it were concealing some type of living creature.

Han Li's eyes narrowed slightly, and he abruptly flipped a hand over to produce a white formation plate.

He flicked his wrist, and the formation plate was instantly hurled toward the bottom of the crater as a streak of white light.

As the formation plate passed through the top half of the crater, nothing happened to it, but once it entered the bottom half, layers of ice suddenly began to appear over its surface. It was quickly completely sealed in ice, then thudded heavily into the mist before shattering amid a crisp crack.

"The Yin Qi here really is as powerful as the rumors proclaim!" Han Li murmured to himself, but his expression remained unchanged.

"Hehe, it's said that the Earthly Hellish Flames here arise directly from the depths of hell. Even though it's in the form of flames, it contains extraordinary glacial power. Unfortunately, this glacial power is completely different from normal glacial power and can't be refined by a living being. We humans can only use it to refine some special treasures, and that's quite a pity," Buddhist Master Tian Chan chuckled in a wistful manner.

"The powers of Yin, Yang, and the five elements stem directly from chaos; they're the foundation powers of the laws of heaven and earth. The Earthly Hellish Flames here are imbued with extremely astonishing glacial powers, so it only makes sense that its uses are very limited. Otherwise, if a person using a glacial cultivation art could absorb the Yin Qi here as they pleased, their cultivation base would progress at an unprecedentedly rapid rate; there's no way that such an outrageous cultivation shortcut could exist," Master Black Rain interjected in an indifferent manner.

"Indeed. However, I've heard that these Earthly Hellish Flames could be one of the entrances that lead directly into the infernal realm. If that's the case, then these flames really are very intriguing," Han Li said with a smile.

"That's a rumor that's been circulating since ancient times, but these Earthly Hellish Flames are incredibly lethal. Body Integration cultivators like us can only delve around 10,000 feet into it at most, and even Grand Ascension cultivators will be at risk of losing their lives once they reach any deeper than 100,000 feet. Hence, no one can verify that legend," Buddhist Master Tian Chan mused in a contemplative manner.

"Hehe, there's no need to entertain such a thought for too long. If these flames really do lead to the infernal realm, then what awaits us on the other side will only be a hellish landscape rife with malicious ghosts and vengeful spirits. The ultimate pursuit of cultivators like us is naturally to ascend to the True Immortal Realm, where we can truly attain eternal life," Master Black Rain chuckled.

Buddhist Master Tian Chan shook his head with a serious expression in response. "I beg to differ. Those of us who follow in Buddhist teachings believe in karma and causality. In order to pursue immortality, one must first..."

Thus, the two began to share their viewpoints on the matter, and an impromptu debate suddenly commenced, one that Han Li found to be rather amusing.

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One of them was a devout follower of Buddhist teachings, while the other subscribed to Daoist mantras, so they naturally had conflicting viewpoints. As for Han Li, he was leaning more toward Master Black Rain's perspective.[1]

All those who embarked on the journey of cultivation should focus entirely on attaining the ultimate objective of immortality. In comparison, everything else really did pale in insignificance.

After that, Han Li slowly closed his eyes and entered a meditative state. As for Buddhist Master Tian Chan and Master Black Rain, their debate naturally wasn't going to lead to any definitive outcome, so they eventually fell silent and began to meditate as well.

Time slowly passed by, and three days and three nights flew by in a flash, but the yellow mist within the giant crater still hadn't displayed any changes.

On this day, Han Li opened his eyes and casually swept his spiritual sense toward the bottom of the giant crater, upon which his brows furrowed slightly. "How long has it been since the two of you have arrived here? Could it be that the date of the Pipe Dream Stone Spirit's tribulation transcendence has been misjudged?"

"Rest assured, Fellow Daoist Han; the mighty figures on the holy island are renowned for their accurate divination. Buddhist Master Tian Chan and I only arrived around half a month before you, and according to the result of the divination, the stone spirit will be transcending its tribulation during this month, so the time will definitely come soon," Master Black Rain said in a calm manner.

"I see. It seems I was being too impatient. Hm?" All of a sudden, Han Li's expression changed slightly, and all three of them turned toward the giant crater down below in unison with serious expressions.

The yellow mist at the bottom of the crater had suddenly begun to churn violently, and a burst of glacial aura that was far more powerful than before began to emanate from it, creating a layer of yellow ice over the bottom half of the crater.

All of a sudden, a resounding boom rang out overhead, and Han Li hurriedly cast his gaze upward to discover that a series of inky-black clouds were quickly converging from all directions. At the same time, bursts of dull rumbling could be heard coming from within the clouds, and it seemed that countless bolts of lightning were taking shape.

"Haha, the stone spirit's heavenly tribulation has arrived! It won't be long before it emerges from the Earthly Hellish Flames now. Buddhist Master Tian Chan, let's begin," Master Black Rain said in an elated manner before rising up into the air as a ball of black light.

Buddhist Master Tian Chan was also ecstatic as he flew up into the air as well.

Immediately thereafter, the two of them began to chant in unison as they released one formation flag and formation plate after another. These formation treasures quickly filled the entire air above the giant crater, then vanished in a flash.

An extremely powerful formation had been set up by the two of them in the blink of an eye, and the power of the restriction had spread over every single inch of the mountain summit.

Right at this moment, Master Black Rain withdrew his hand seals and rotated on the spot, upon which countless black specks of light erupted from his body. These specks of light then self-detonated and vanished into countless black threads.

Meanwhile, Buddhist Master Tian Chan let loose a low cry, then flipped a hand over to produce a fiery red bowl, from within which emerged three balls of crimson flames amid a clear phoenix cry.

Each fireball was only around the size of a human head, but they instantly swelled to over 100 feet in size each at Buddhist Master Tian Chan's behest, then transformed into three giant crimson fiery birds.

Han Li drew a sharp breath upon seeing the three birds, and he exclaimed, "Fire Phoenixes!"

"Hehe, these are merely Flamebirds that possess faint traces of the Fire Phoenix bloodline; they can't even begin to compare with a true Fire Phoenix. The stone spirit had been residing in the Earthly Hellish Flames for tens of thousands of years, so it should've already attained an extreme Yin constitution. As such, the powers of these three Flamebirds should be very effective against it," Buddhist Master Tian Chan explained with a smile.

Even so, Han Li still found the three birds to be quite remarkable. "I see. The Flamebirds truly bear a startling resemblance to the Fire Phoenix. If it weren't for their slightly inferior auras, it would be quite difficult to distinguish one from the other."

After releasing the countless specks of black light, Master Black Rain suddenly opened his mouth to expel a miniature purple gourd. The gourd was only several inches in size, and its surface was flashing with specks of mysterious silver light.

A blue crystalline scorpion then sprang out of the gourd. The scorpion was only around a foot in size, but it was extremely intricate in appearance and had a pair of semi-transparent wings on its back.

After that, Buddhist Master Tian Chan and Master Tian Chan cast a series of incantation seals toward these spirit beasts to conceal their bodies and auras.

At this point, the dark clouds up above had already completely concealed the entire sky, and if it weren't for the occasional flash of silver lightning, one could be forgiven for thinking that night had suddenly arrived.

"Brother Han, we'll have to leave this mountain for now. Buddhist Master Tian Chan and I will use a treasure to erase the residual aura we've left behind here," Master Black Rain said in an apologetic manner.

"Of course. All spirit items possess astonishing senses; if we don't take the necessary precautions, there's no way we'll be able to fool it." Thus, Han Li rose to his feet and vanished on the spot as a plume of azure smoke.

In the next instant, spatial fluctuations erupted in the distance, and Han Li re-emerged before crossing his arms as he hovered in mid-air.

Buddhist Master Tian Chan and Master Black Rain exchanged a glance before one of them flipped a hand over to produce a translucent bead amid a flash of white light. The bead was giving off remarkable glacial power, and as soon as it emerged, Master Black Rain swept a sleeve through the air to release a ball of azure light, which then revealed itself to be an azure fan.

Buddhist Master Tian Chan gently waved the bead through the air, and a flurry of five-colored runes revolved within the bead as it released a burst of white glacial Qi.

Master Black Rain also pointed a finger toward the azure fan, and the treasure waved itself through the air several times at his behest.

Gusts of fierce azure winds swept out of the fan, then formed a fierce hurricane that intertwined with the glacial power. A snowstorm instantly swept over the mountain summit, and everything was covered under a blanket of ice and snow.

Buddhist Master Tian Chan and Master Black Rain then exchanged another glance, and they also departed from the mountain just as Han Li had a moment ago. The residual auras left behind by the trio were then instantly dispersed by the fierce snowstorm.

"Prepare that thing now! Judging from the overhead conditions, the Pipe Dream Stone Spirit is most likely going to emerge soon," Buddhist Master Tian Chan said as he looked up at the sky through narrowed eyes.

Master Black Rain chuckled in response before rubbing his hands over, and a silver net abruptly appeared amid a flash of silver light.

"Go!" Master Black Rain yelled as he released the silver net, and it transformed into a vast expanse of silver mist that instantly enshrouded the entire mountain down below.

After that, he made a hand seal, and the mist quickly began to fade before vanishing into thin air.

"Hehe, with this Silver Celestial Lightning Net, there's no way the stone spirit will be able to escape through an aerial route. What's even more remarkable about this net is that it won't have any impact on the lightning tribulation up above, so the Pipe Dream Stone Spirit definitely won't be able to sense it," Buddhist Master Tian Chan chuckled as he rubbed his hands together.

"Indeed. This net is ranked quite highly even on the Chaotic Myriad Spirit Roll. If it weren't for the fact that this is an extremely important mission, the holy island wouldn't have allowed me to take it out of the island. Now that we've sealed off all aerial routes of escape, we have to prevent the stone spirit from being able to escape back into the Earthly Hellish Flames as well. Once the stone spirit becomes feeble from transcending its tribulation, we'll immediately activate the restriction to cut it off. However, the formation alone may not be enough to stop it, so we'll be counting on you to prevent it from escaping, Brother Han. Oh, and don't forget to look out for the stone spirit's illusionary abilities," Master Black Rain said in a solemn manner.

"Rest assured, fellow Daoists; I'll do everything in my power to make sure it doesn't escape." Han Li's spiritual sense was no less powerful than that of a Grand Ascension Stage being, so he was naturally very confident.

Master Black Rain was still a little uneasy, but he couldn't say anything further after witnessing Han Li's confident display. "In that case, there shouldn't be any issues. Buddhist Master Tian Chan and I will take care of capturing the stone spirit."

Thus, after a brief discussion, all three of them unleashed concealment techniques and went into hiding.

The only sound that lingered over the mountain stemmed from the fierce snowstorm, and that also subsided after a short while.

An icy white blanket had draped over the entire mountain, and at the same time, the black clouds up above had begun to slowly revolve to form a massive black vortex.

There were countless arcs of silver lightning converging within the vortex, and they gradually combined to form an extremely thick bolt of lightning. At the same time, the rumbling thunderclaps up above suddenly subsided, and deathly silence ensued, but an astonishing sense of pressure had filled the entire surrounding space.

Meanwhile, the yellow mist within the giant crater had also formed a small vortex, and the center of the vortex was completely pitch-black. However, there were wisps of white Qi emerging from within it, and it was as if a ghost or spirit could spring out at any moment.

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Time passed by slowly, and around an hour later, the pressure in the air had mounted to such an extent that the layer of ice that had just taken shape on the mountain was beginning to crack and groan.

A resounding boom rang out from the vortex in the sky, and a bolt of lightning that was as thick as a water tank came crashing down out of its center. The bolt of lightning struck the other vortex within the giant crater in a flash, leaving a scorching trail in its wake.

The bolt of silver lightning vanished in a flash, and the mist around the vortex churned violently, following which a low roar of agony rang out from within. Immediately thereafter, a thunderous roar erupted from beneath the ground alongside a burst of astonishing energy fluctuations.

The entire mountain began to tremor, and countless cracks appeared on the surface of the layer of ice as it began to shatter.

Right at this moment, silver light flickered within the black vortex up above, and another thick pillar of silver lightning took shape before crashing down with devastating might.

Right as this bolt of lightning was about to strike the giant crater as well, an enraged roar rang out from down below, and a burst of yellow flames erupted from within the mist. The silver lightning and yellow flames intertwined, and the flames seemed to be burning ferociously, but they were giving off an astonishing bone-chilling sensation. At the same time, projections of ghostly faces were appearing around it, creating a very harrowing sight to behold.

A dull thump rang out, and the silver lightning and yellow flames disappeared in unison.

"Are those Earthly Hellish Flames? No, such a small amount of Earthly Hellish Flames shouldn't be this powerful," Han Li murmured to himself as his eyes narrowed slightly.

Meanwhile, Buddhist Master Tian Chan was clicking his tongue with wonder. "As expected of a spirit item that's been cultivating in the Earthly Hellish Flames for tens of thousands of years; the Pipe Dream Stone Spirit has integrated the Earthly Hellish Flames with its demonic Qi to form an extremely powerful ability. You'll have to watch out for these demonic flames, Benefactor Han."

Han Li's heart stirred upon hearing this, and he replied, "Thank you for the words of caution, Fellow Daoist; I'll be sure to be on my guard."

One bolt of lightning after another came crashing down from above, and the lightning strikes were increasing in frequency. However, the yellow demonic flames rising up from the bottom of the crater were able to keep up, and all of the bolts of lightning were kept at bay.

However, the resistance posed by the yellow flames had clearly enraged a certain omnipotent being, and the lightning strikes suddenly ceased.

In the next instant, a burst of rumbling rang out from within the vortex, and a series of head-sized balls of silver lightning emerged. The balls of lightning were crackling incessantly within the dark clouds, and there were too many of them to count.

In the face of such a threatening phenomenon, the stone spirit down below was naturally unable to continue hiding in the yellow mist any longer. A strange cry rang out, and the yellow mist surged, following which an object that was around a foot in size shot forth from the bottom of the crater. After just a single flash, it had reached an altitude of over 1,000 feet, and it hovered in mid-air while staring up at the balls of lightning with wariness in its eyes.

Han Li focused his gaze on the object to find that it had a remarkably large mouth, four thin and long limbs, and a short and stubby neck that was virtually indistinguishable from the rest of its body; it bore a strong resemblance to a toad.

However, there was a crimson eye at the center of its head, and its entire body was shimmering with golden light. On top of that, its four limbs were also tipped with sharp claws rather than flippers as one would expect of a toad.

"So that's the Pipe Dream Stone Spirit? It sure has a peculiar appearance." Han Li was very intrigued.

In the instant that the stone spirit emerged, all of the balls of lightning came crashing down in unison as if they had been provoked. The entire mountain was instantly illuminated by scintillating silver light, and the balls of lightning were raining down from above like hailstones.

In response, the Pipe Dream Stone Spirit immediately opened its mouth to expel a small yellow flower. The flower was shimmering with yellow light and was covered in five-colored runes, and it swelled drastically to around 10 feet in size to shield the stone spirit's body.

It was quite clear just from a single glance that this giant flower was no ordinary item.

In the instant that the giant flower was summoned, a dozen or so balls of lightning crashed down onto it in rapid succession. The flower rotated slowly on the spot, and the five-colored runes on its surface lit up, upon which all of the balls of lightning vanished silently into the flower like sandcastles in the rising tide.

What was even more astonishing was that with each wave of lightning orbs that the flower devoured, its flower petals would noticeably expand, and after over 10 waves, the flower had swelled to around twice its original size.

As a result, the rate at which the giant flower was absorbing balls of lightning also increased drastically, and not long after that, all of the balls of lightning had disappeared into the flower.

The Pipe Dream Stone Spirit beneath the giant flower remained completely unscathed, and it let loose a clear cry of elation at the sight of the giant flower's current state.

The stone spirit's belly deflated before it abruptly inhaled with all its might, and the giant flower was drawn back into its stomach as a ball of light.

Lightning flashed from the stone spirit's body, and a dozen or so thick bolts of silver lightning erupted forth, then formed a silver lightning net around it.

The stone spirit swelled drastically in size amid the lightning, and within the span of just a few breaths, it had expanded to the size of a cow-calf. At the same time, its aura had also become a lot more powerful, and its powers seemed to have been significantly enhanced!

A thunderclap rang out from within the black vortex up above again, and countless silver snakes were dancing erratically within it. There were also a dozen or so silver lightning wyrms that were visible from the outside, and seemed to be about to erupt out of the vortex at any moment.

"This is rather troublesome; this Pipe Dream Stone Spirit has the ability to convert heavenly lightning into power for itself. At this rate, it's only going to become more and more powerful, rather than be weakened by this lightning tribulation. In that case, now would be the best time to strike. Fellow Daoist Han, Buddhist Master Tian Chan, let's do it!" Master Black Rain suddenly transmitted his voice to his two companions, and his frustration was quite apparent.

Han Li naturally didn't offer any objections and transmitted his voice in an affirmative reply. Buddhist Master Tian Chan also nodded with a grim look on his face.

Right at this moment, the dozen or so lightning wyrms in the black clouds above finally came crashing down.

"Go!" Master Black Rain immediately sprang into action upon seeing this. He quickly made a hand seal and immediately disappeared on the spot as a plume of black smoke.

In the next instant, spatial fluctuations erupted in the air over 10,000 feet above the mountain summit, and Master Black Rain re-emerged, then abruptly raised a hand with a fierce look on his face.

A ball of silver light shot forth before transforming into a giant silver bell that was over 100 feet tall. The giant bell descended viciously toward the stone spirit, and at the same time, countless black threads erupted out of thin air around the small mountain before hurtling toward the stone spirit in unison.

A white lotus flower also appeared behind the Pipe Dream Stone Spirit, and white light flashed from the flower, upon which a faint humanoid figure emerged. It was none other than Buddhist Master Tian Chan.

Buddhist Master Tian Chan had his head lowered slightly, and his face was completely expressionless. A string of translucent Buddhist beads flew out of his sleeve, then transformed into several tens of five-colored balls of light that shot forth through the air.

Even before these balls of light had struck the stone spirit, the sound of howling wind and rumbling thunder could be heard erupting from them. At the same time, they swelled drastically and reached the size of human heads in the blink of an eye.

The Pipe Dream Stone Spirit was initially rather startled by this abrupt string of attacks, then let loose a sharp cry of fury. It opened its mouth to expel the giant yellow flower again, which positioned itself directly beneath the descending giant silver bell.

Immediately thereafter, its body blurred slightly as it began to revolve on the spot.

Golden light flashed, and countless streaks of golden light erupted from its body before hurtling through the surrounding air in all directions.

Golden light and black threads intertwined as a string of piercing explosions rang out, and countless balls of light emerged around the stone spirit to illuminate the entire mountain.

The black threads were unable to inch any closer to the stone spirit, nor were the five-colored balls of light and streaks of golden light.

Meanwhile, the silver bell clashed with the giant flower, and the former shuddered as a string of crisp bell chimes rang out.

Each chime was louder than the previous one, and the sound traveled deep into the listener's soul.

A peculiar turn of events then unfolded!

Following the passage of the third bell chime, the giant yellow flower suddenly shattered without any warning and vanished as countless specks of spiritual light.

The silver bell then blurred before expanding by severalfold in size again, then crashed down onto the Pipe Dream Stone Spirit like a small mountain, sealing the stone spirit securely within it.

Master Black Rain and Buddhist Master Tian Chan both faltered slightly upon seeing this before elated looks appeared on their faces, and they withdrew their hand seals.

At this moment, the dozen or so silver lightning wyrms had already crashed down from above, but as soon as they approached the mountain summit, a giant silver net that encompassed the entire mountain emerged.

All of the lightning wyrms that struck the net immediately exploded before being absorbed by the net as countless wisps of lightning.

As expected of a renowned spirit treasure on the Chaotic Myriad Spirit Roll, the Silver Celestial Lightning Net that Master Black Rain had set up in advance was able to keep even heavenly lightning at bay.

Master Black Rain began to chant something while flicking his fingers, and a dozen or so incantation seals vanished into the giant bell in a flash.

The silver bell tolled, and the spiritual light on its surface flashed erratically as Master Black Rain prepared to stow it away.

However, during this split-second delay, an earth-shattering boom suddenly erupted from within the silver bell, and it was blown up into the air by a burst of glacial fluctuations!

Immediately thereafter, violent yellow flames emerged, and a ball of golden light shot forth like a shooting star before immediately fleeing toward the giant crater down below.

The Pipe Dream Stone Spirit seemed to have realized how powerful its enemies were and was escaping from the battle!

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Master Black Rain and Buddhist Master Tian Chan naturally weren't going to allow the stone spirit to get away so easily. Master Black Rain immediately made a hand seal, and a burst of silver soundwaves erupted from the giant silver bell before sweeping downward in a violent manner.

Meanwhile, Buddhist Master Tian Chan flipped a hand over to produce a pristine white formation plate amid a flash of spiritual light. He pointed his finger rapidly at the formation plate a few times, and countless light formations suddenly emerged near the giant crater amid a rumbling boom. Bursts of restriction fluctuations immediately surged forth in a frenzy, instantly forming a huge net that barred the stone spirit from being able to make its retreat.

On top of that, the cry of a phoenix rang out in the air above the restrictions, and three balls of crimson flames flashed as three fiery birds emerged. The three crimson birds then immediately opened their beaks and blasted forth three pillars of crimson flames up into the air. The flames instantly formed a fiery cloud that swept toward the stone spirit from one side.

On the other side, that translucent flying scorpion had also appeared out of thin air. Its blue tail lashed out, a streak of poisonous blue light shot forth out of its stingers. Thus, the Pipe Dream Stone Spirit was plunged into a perilous situation again in the blink of an eye.

The stone spirit seemed to have been completely enraged by this, and golden light revolved around its body as it abruptly let loose a sharp cry. The third crimson eye on its forehead then immediately widened, and a burst of scintillating white light appeared within it. The light was so bright and piercing that even Master Black Rain and Buddhist Master Tian Chan were forced to close their eyes, and when they reopened their eyes, their expressions changed drastically.

They discovered that they were situated within a world of yellow flames. The flames appeared to be scorching hot, but gave off a bone-chilling sensation instead.

"Earthly Hellish Flames! No, this is an illusionary technique!"

Master Black Rain immediately identified this to be an illusion, but his expression didn't ease in the slightest.

Prior to setting off, he had heard that Pipe Dream Stone Spirit's innate illusionary techniques were extremely profound and could trap even Body Integration Stage beings. However, never did he think that it would be capable of unleashing such a powerful illusionary technique without any warning. On top of that, the illusion that was being manifested was of these extremely troublesome Earthly Hellish Flames!

This stone spirit had been residing in the Earthly Hellish Flames for countless years, and it had honed its illusionary techniques to an extraordinary level; it definitely wouldn't be an easy task to break out of this illusion. Time was of the essence here, so they had no choice but to break out through the use of brute force.

With that in mind, Master Black Rain immediately released several small black shields to protect himself.

Meanwhile, the Buddhist Master Tian Chan opened his eyes to find himself situated in a murky grey space. Master Black Rain and the other spirit beasts were nowhere to be seen; there was only a gigantic creature that was over 10,000 feet tall hovering several thousand feet away from him.

This was a shimmering golden creature that resembled a colossal toad, but it had a row of seven golden eyes that stretched from its head all the way down its back. The seven eyes were all appraising Buddhist Master Tian Chan in a completely expressionless manner, and the formidable aura that the gargantuan creature was giving off struck one with a sense of asphyxiation.

"Seven-eyed Gold Toad!"

Buddhist Master Tian Chan's expression changed drastically upon seeing this. However, he then uttered a Buddhist prayer, and a determined look reappeared on his face. He made a grabbing motion with both hands, and spiritual light flashed as a golden Buddhist staff and a silver bowl emerged at the same time.

Not only were Master Black Rain and Buddhist Master Tian Chan standing completely still in mid-air, the three fiery birds had also ceased expelling the crimson pillars of flames. They were currently flapping their wings violently on the spot with panicked looks on their faces, clearly having been trapped into illusions of their own.

Only the translucent flying scorpion was somehow able to remain completely unaffected by the stone spirit's illusionary technique, and it was still releasing a streak of blue light out of its stinger.

However, it was no match for the Pipe Dream Stone Spirit on its own, and the stone spirit expelled a burst of demonic flames to ward off these streaks of blue light with ease. It then aimed a vicious glare at the scorpion before crashing down toward the restrictions down below as a ball of golden light.

The stone spirit seemed to be quite intelligent and knew that its top priority was to escape into the giant crater, rather than waste time battling its assailants.

As it was flying down from above, it abruptly opened its mouth to release a series of head-sized balls of yellow light. The balls of yellow light struck a certain part of the restrictions in a flash, and a string of loud booms rang out.

The balls of yellow light exploded in rapid succession, and the restriction began to waver and display signs of collapsing.

The stone spirit was elated to see this, and it opened its mouth to expel another string of balls of light to land the final blow on the restrictions.

However, right at this moment, a humanoid figure suddenly emerged in the air above the restrictions, and an azure-robed young man appeared amid a flash of azure light.

The young man looked up at the Pipe Dream Stone Spirit with a faint smile, then swept a sleeve through the air to release a silver ruler. The ruler blurred before conjuring up countless ruler projections, which swept through all of the descending balls of light.

This young man was naturally none other than Han Li.

The Pipe Dream Stone Spirit had focused its illusionary technique primarily on Master Black Rain and Buddhist Master Tian Chan. As such, even though Han Li had also been affected somewhat from afar, he was able to easily break out of the illusion with his immense spiritual sense, then arrived above the restrictions just in the nick of time.

The stone spirit became even more furious at the sight of this new enemy. Yellow flames suddenly erupted from its body, and the flames were sent sweeping toward Han Li in a frenzy.

These flames were none other than the Glacial Yin Demonic Flames that it had only attained after cultivating underground for tens of thousands of years.

As opposed to being alarmed by these oncoming flames, he merely chuckled and flipped a hand over to produce a small black mountain. He laid a hand onto the mountain, and it instantly swelled to over 100 feet in size!

A row of silver runes appeared on the mountain at Han Li's behest, following which a vast expanse of grey light swept forth before forming a grey vortex in mid-air.

As soon as the yellow demonic flames came into contact with the grey vortex, a rumbling boom akin to a thunderclap erupted, and the flames were all drawn into the vortex.

As a result, the grey vortex expanded slightly, but didn't display any other reaction.

The Pipe Dream Stone Spirit let loose a sharp cry upon seeing this, and an earth-shattering boom abruptly erupted from within the grey vortex. The vortex tremored violently before shattering, and the yellow demonic flames with it sprang forth before transforming into a yellow fiery toad that pounced directly toward Han Li.

Even before the fiery toad had reached Han Li, he was struck by a burst of glacial power that threatened to freeze even his soul.

Han Li's brows furrowed slightly upon seeing this. The demonic flames were indeed rather troublesome to deal with, but he naturally wasn't going to be fearful of it. He reached out and made a grabbing motion toward the fiery toad, upon which a huge white hand with five-colored glacial flames burning around it emerged.

The giant hand then shot forth toward the fiery toad like lightning, and perhaps the fiery toad knew that it wouldn't be able to evade the hand or simply had no intention of taking evasive measures; in any case, it jumped straight into the massive hand, upon which the fingers of the hand closed tightly around it while five-colored glacial flames swelled drastically.

A dull thump rang out as the fiery toad instantly exploded, reverting back into a wave of fire that swept toward the huge hand.

However, the five-colored glacial flames were also a type of glacial flames, so it was able to hold its own against the yellow demonic flames.

Right at this moment, Han Li pointed a finger toward the black mountain before him, and it abruptly vanished into thin air.

In the next instant, spatial fluctuations erupted in the air above the Pipe Dream Stone Spirit, and the black mountain re-emerged before crashing down alongside a wave of grey light.

A burst of enormous invisible force immediately weighed down upon the stone spirit, making its body very slow and sluggish. It was naturally extremely enraged and alarmed by this, and after struggling a few times to no avail, it immediately opened its mouth to expel a yellow bead.

This completely mundane-looking yellow thumb-sized bead was none other than the stone spirit's demon core.

The demon core circled around above the stone spirit, and the burst of tremendous force weighing down upon it was forcibly repelled. At the same time, countless yellow fiery snakes erupted out of the demon core before quickly swelling to several tens of feet in length each.

The fiery yellow snakes swept upward to intertwine with the grey light, and the black mountain was forcibly kept at bay.

A cold light flashed through Han Li's eyes upon seeing this, and he immediately made a hand seal, upon which a pair of translucent wings appeared on his back amid a dull thunderclap. He flapped the wings and abruptly vanished on the spot as an arc of silver lightning.

Meanwhile, the stone spirit had just evaded a streak of blue light unleashed by the flying scorpion, and a fierce look appeared on its face as it prepared to unleash an attack in retaliation. However, lightning suddenly flashed behind it, following which Han Li abruptly re-emerged.

The Pipe Dream Stone Spirit was quite started by this, and its third demonic eye widened as it prepared to release that scintillating white light again. However, Han Li was already prepared for this. He harrumphed coldly as he closed his eyes, and his Law Destruction Eye appeared on his glabella amid a flash of black light.

A black thread shot forth out of the Law Destruction Eye and struck the stone spirit's third demonic eye in a flash, scattering the white light that had just begun to gather.

Furthermore, in the instant that the stone spirit heard Han Li's cold harrumph, it felt as if a thunderclap had erupted right inside its head, and a sudden burst of excruciating spiritual pain made it sway unsteadily in mid-air.

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Taking advantage of this opportunity, Han Li immediately rubbed his hands together before raising them up into the air.

A loud thunderclap rang out, and countless arcs of golden lightning sprang forth before forming a giant lightning net. The net descended over the stone spirit before abruptly contracting, and by the time the stone spirit recovered from the effects of Han Li's Spiritstun Thorn, it had already been trapped tightly within a net of golden lightning.

It was naturally unwilling to be captured, and yellow demonic flames erupted out of its body again as it let loose a sharp cry.

The Divine Devilbane Lightning began to melt away in the face of the yellow flames, and it seemed that the stone spirit was about to escape!

However, Han Li naturally wasn't going to allow it to get away. A cold smile appeared on his face, yet just as he was about to unleash another attack, Master Black Rain's urgent voice suddenly sounded beside his ears.

"Please wait, Fellow Daoist Han; my spirit insect will be enough to subdue the stone spirit."

Han Li faltered slightly upon hearing this, and Master Black Rain suddenly let loose a long cry.

Almost at the exact same moment, the flying scorpion blurred before conjuring up a dozen or so identical projections of itself. These flying scorpions flapped their wings and vanished on the spot as balls of blue light.

In the next instant, spatial fluctuations erupted, and the flying scorpions appeared above the stone spirit before blasting forth streaks of blue light out of their stingers.

On this occasion, the stone spirit was completely bound by the golden lightning net, so the blue streaks of light were able to vanish into its body in a flash.

A layer of blue mist instantly emerged around the stone spirit's body, and its yellow demonic flames instantly became completely dull and lusterless as if it had encountered the bane of its existence. Within the span of just a few breaths, all the yellow flames were completely snuffed out, and the Pipe Dream Stone Spirit became even more infuriated. It gritted its teeth before inhaling violently, and it quickly expanded like a balloon while an extremely fearsome aura erupted from its body.

As soon as Han Li sensed this aura, a thought immediately occurred to him, and his expression changed slightly as he instantly shot back to over 1,000 feet away.

At this point, the stone spirit resembled an overinflated ball and was straining against the crackling golden lightning net around it.

Master Black Rain harrumphed coldly upon seeing this. "You think I'd let you self-detonate?"

He then abruptly made a grabbing motion, and a thin net of silver lightning appeared in the air above the mountain summit before immediately descending toward the Pipe Dream Stone Spirit.

A rumbling boom rang out as the silver net wound itself tightly around the stone spirit's body, following which Master Black Rain immediately made a hand seal.

The lightning net became extremely bright and piercing, and it began to release countless silver runes that transformed the stone spirit into a dazzling ball of silver light.

An incredible turn of events then unfolded!

Within the silver net, the stone spirit's bulging body quickly began to shrink, and after just the span of a few breaths, it had reverted back to its original size. After that, it was unable to unleash any abilities no matter how hard it tried.

The stone spirit was naturally extremely enraged, but was powerless to do anything.

Master Black Rain was elated to see this, and he slowly descended from above with a smile on his face. "Hehe, no matter how much you struggle, your efforts will prove to be futile in this Silver Celestial Lightning Net, so just settle down and come to the holy island with me. Rest assured, we're only borrowing your body; we won't be taking your life."

In the instant that the stone spirit had been captured, the illusionary technique it had unleashed was dispelled, and only then did Buddhist Master Tian Chan manage to return to his senses.

"Hehe, looks like you managed to complete the mission, Brother Black Rain. I am truly embarrassed by my own lack of contribution. If Brother Han hadn't been present, that thing really would've gotten away," Buddhist Master Tian Chan said in a slightly apologetic manner.

"You're being far too modest, Buddhist Master Tian Chan. Without the pressure you were exerting on the stone spirit, it wouldn't have unleashed its illusionary technique so quickly, and Fellow Daoist Han wouldn't have been able to stop it so easily. However, it's indeed true that Fellow Daoist Han played a vital role in the completion of our mission," Master Black Rain chuckled.

"You're far too kind, Fellow Daoist Black Rain; I was only doing what was to be expected of me," Han Li said with a smile, then made a grabbing motion toward the stone spirit.

A dull thunderclap rang out, and countless arcs of golden lightning emerged from the silver net before returning to his body.

"That's Divine Devilbane Lightning, right? I've heard that it's an extremely potent weapon against devilish beings." Master Black Rain clicked his tongue with wonder upon seeing this. He then pointed a finger toward the silver net as well, and the net began to flash with lightning while tightening even further at his behest.

After a few flashes, the silver net shrank down to a fist-sized ball of silver threads with the stone spirit trapped within it before being drawn up Master Black Rain's sleeve.

"There are also some other cultivation arts aside from Divine Devilbane Lightning that are very effective against devilish beings. However, these cultivation arts are either very difficult to use or have been lost in history, so there aren't many people in our human race who possess such cultivation arts. Otherwise, it wouldn't be such a struggle for us to ward off the devilish tribulation," Buddhist Master Tian Chan mused as he descended from above while appraising Han Li with a meaningful expression.

"There's no point in speaking about something that's out of reach. We can only say that Fellow Daoist Han was very fortunate to have obtained this Divine Devilbane Lightning. I heard that when used with a true Lightningwield Technique, this lightning can pose a threat even to Body Integration Stage devilish lords; it's a pity that our holy island only has the second half of the Lightningwield Technique. If you ever get the opportunity to do so, I suggest you go and search for it in the primordial world, Brother Han; perhaps the complete Lightningwield Technique can be found in one of the foreign races," Master Black Rain suggested with a smile.

"The Lightningwield Technique is split up into halves?" Han Li's heart stirred slightly upon hearing this.

He had obtained a type of Lightningwield Technique from the four demon monarchs of the earth abyss, and it was quite a powerful technique, but required too much time to set up. Thus, it was impractical for real battles, so he hadn't used it much.

"Indeed. The first half of the Lightningwield Technique teaches one how to maximize the lightning's power, while the second half teaches one how to control the divine lightning; both halves are indispensable," Master Black Rain explained.

"I see. In that case, I really will have to venture into the primordial world to search for the technique if the opportunity arises." Han Li's expression remained unchanged, but internally, he was cursing the four demon monarchs.

No wonder the Lightningwield Technique was so impractical; the four demon monarchs had only bestowed upon him half of the technique! They had definitely done this on purpose, but then again, that was only to be expected. If Han Li had been in their shoes, he would've most likely done the same thing.

After chatting for a while longer, Buddhist Master Tian Chan decided to depart. "The situation in the Holy Sovereign City isn't all that optimistic, and I've spent a lot of time here already; I have to go back to help the holy sovereign guard the city, so I'll be taking my leave now, fellow daoists."

Master Black Rain cupped his fist in a salute, and said, "Hehe, the holy island is in urgent need of this stone spirit, so I'll be heading back as well. Fellow Daoist Han, Buddhist Master Tian Chan, I hope we'll have a chance to meet again following the devilish tribulation. You'll be staying here for a few more days, right, Fellow Daoist Han?"

"Indeed, I'll be staying here for a while longer to use the Earthly Hellish Flames. I wish both of you a safe and swift journey," Han Li said with a smile as he extended a farewell salute.

Moments later, a ball of black light and a streak of white light rose up into the air from the mountain summit, then flew away in different directions.

Han Li looked on as the two departed, and after they had disappeared into the distance, his smile gradually faded as he murmured to himself. "The second half of the Lightningwield Technique, eh? Looks like I really will have to pay the holy island a visit. That'll have to wait until a later date; for now, I have to secure the Chaotic Yin Yang Qi."

As soon as his voice trailed off, Han Li's body blurred, and he appeared beside the giant crater before casting his gaze toward the bottom.

The crater hadn't been affected much by the battle that had just taken place, and the yellow mist at the bottom was still making it impossible to see what lay in the depths of the crater.

Han Li peered into the mist through narrowed eyes for a long while before casting his gaze through the surrounding area, upon which his brows furrowed slightly.

All of a sudden, he flipped a hand over to produce a thick stack of formation flags, then flicked his wrist to send the flags scattering in all directions as streaks of light.

The formation flags vanished into thin air amid flashes of spiritual light, and in the next instant, a layer of white mist permeated over the mountain, completely concealing Han Li along with the giant crater.

Han Li stood still on the spot and swept both sleeves through the air to release 13 balls of buzzing purple light, all of which quickly disappeared into the mist.

Immediately thereafter, green light flashed from his body, and a green figure detached itself from him before vanishing into the ground.

After doing all that, Han Li sat down with his legs crossed beside the crater. He wore a solemn expression as he made a hand seal, then abruptly laid a hand onto his own head.

A ball of golden light flashed, and a Nascent Soul that was around half a foot tall emerged above his head.

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The Nascent Soul bore a striking resemblance to Han Li, and as soon as it emerged, it waved a hand toward Han Li's physical body down below.

A loud thunderclap rang out, and a ball that was bound by countless golden threads flew out of Han Li's body before hovering in mid-air.

The Nascent Soul extended a finger toward the golden ball, and all of the golden threads quickly fell away to reveal a white wooden box.

A faint smile appeared on the Nascent Soul's face, and it began to chant something. As it did so, spatial fluctuations erupted nearby, and a dozen or so five-colored beads silently emerged. These beads then transformed into eyeballs amid flashes of spiritual light, and bright five-colored light radiated from their surfaces.

Around 10 minutes later, a wisp of Han Li's spiritual sense formed a clone that appeared over a boundless grassland.

He swept his gaze over his surroundings, yet failed to discover the presence of Che Qigong. His expression changed slightly as he cast his gaze upward, and discovered that there was a scorching white sun around 100,000 feet above him.

After that, Han Li merely stared at the sun in a completely expressionless and unblinking manner.

After a while, an unfamiliar male voice suddenly rang out in the air above. "Haha, you really are no ordinary Body Integration Stage being; I didn't think that a mere spiritual sense clone of yours would be able to detect my presence. I can see why Old Man Che is placing his hope in you now."

As soon as the voice faded, a black shadow flashed within the scintillating sun. Immediately thereafter, a ball of black light shot forth before stopping just over 100 feet away from Han Li.

This was a burly black-armored heavily-bearded man, and he was appraising Han Li with an intrigued smile.

Han Li's heart stirred slightly at the sight of this man, but he maintained a calm expression as he asked, "Who are you and where is Senior Che?"

"Old Man Che is currently doing something else right now; it'll most likely be quite some time before he can get here, so why don't you have a chat with me for now?" the man suggested with a stroke of his beard.

Han Li's eyes narrowed slightly as he said, "I don't seem to recognize you, and I've never heard Senior Che mention the presence of someone else in this Devil Sealing Lock."

"Of course Old Man Che wouldn't mention me to you. However, what I can tell you is that I can give you what he promised you, and I won't ask for as much in return," the man replied in a confident manner.

"Oh? What do you propose, fellow daoist?" Han Li asked as his expression changed slightly.

"It's quite simple; Old Man Che promised to give you the extraction and refinement methods for Chaotic Yin Yang Qi, right? I'm also familiar with these methods, and I only ask for a third of the Chaotic Yin Yang Qi that you manage to extract," the man immediately proposed.

Han Li fell into a contemplative silence upon hearing this before shaking his head in the end. "That does indeed sound quite appealing, but I've already sworn a vow on my inner demons to Senior Che, so I'm afraid I can't accept this offer."

The man seemed to have already anticipated this answer from Han Li, and he chuckled, "Hehe, you still haven't obtained the extraction and refinement methods from Old Man Che, so you're not going breaking your vow."

"That's true, but I've never even met you before; don't you think it's a little naive to simply expect me to trust you right away?" Han Li asked in an indifferent voice.

"Of course I'm aware that I'll have to earn your trust, and I'm prepared to do so. Setting aside everything else, I'll give you the extraction method for the Chaotic Yin Yang Qi within this Devil Sealing Lock right away, and I'll give you some other benefits after the event as well," the man said with a mysterious smile.

"Other benefits?" Han Li's heart stirred slightly upon hearing this, and a hesitant look appeared on his face.

However, right at this moment, bursts of rumbling suddenly rang out in the surrounding space, and the grassland down below blurred before transforming into a barren desert. On top of that, dark clouds had appeared over the entire sky, and countless silver lightning snakes were dancing within the clouds.

"Impossible! How did he manage to get out so quickly?" the man exclaimed as his expression changed drastically.

Han Li was naturally also quite startled by this turn of events.

An enraged rumbling voice then suddenly rang out from within the dark clouds. "How dare you plot against me like this, Feng Xie? Did you really think you'd be able to get away with this?"

The voice belonged to none other than Che Qigong, and the entire heavens were trembling from his fury.

The dark clouds up above converged violently to form a massive inky-black hand that was around 1,000 feet in size, and it descended toward the burly man with devastating force.

Before it had even reached the burly man, a burst of enormous force came crashing down from above, and Han Li's spiritual sense clone was instantly completely immobilized.

In the face of this tremendous force, the surrounding acre of desert sank down several tens of feet, creating a gargantuan crater in the sand.

The burly man was situated at the center of the crater, and a vast expanse of black light was suddenly released from his suit of armor.

In the instant that the burst of tremendous force came into contact with the black light, most of its power was diverted away, and the burly armored man merely swayed slightly but remained completely unscathed.

Che Qigong faltered slightly upon seeing this before becoming even more enraged. "You've mastered the Great Diversion Technique? No wonder you dared to do something like this. Let me see if you have what it takes to oppose me!"

As soon as his voice trailed off, the dark clouds up above surged before forming a massive devilish projection with three heads and six arms. Just as the projection was about to descend from above, the burly man's expression darkened, and he raised a hand as he yelled, "Stop! Do you not want the Chaotic Yin Yang Qi anymore?"

"Once I take care of you, the Chaotic Yin Yang Qi will be all mine!" Che Qigong replied in a vicious voice, and the six arms of the devilish projection swept through the air as balls of black Qi emerged over its hands. The balls of black Qi then transformed into massive balls of light that it prepared to hurl toward the burly man.

"Hmph, do you really think you can extract Chaotic Yin Yang Qi out of the Devil Sealing Lock using your method?" the burly man asked as a peculiar look appeared on his face.

"What do you mean by that? Didn't we devise the method to extract Chaotic Yin Yang Qi from the Devil Sealing Lock many years ago? Are you trying to make me doubt myself so you can stall?" Che Qigong roared in response, but the devilish projection up above stopped what it was doing nonetheless.

"Why would I need to stall for time? Do you think I still fear you after mastering this Great Diversion Technique? I simply don't want both of us to be harmed in an unnecessary battle. As for whether what I say is true or not, if you weren't concerned to begin with, why did you stop?" the burly man chuckled nonchalantly.

The giant devilish projection up above fell completely still upon hearing this.

Moments later, the devilish projection dissipated into black Qi again, and Che Qigong emerged with a dark expression.

Han Li quickly assessed the situation before deciding to remain silent and simply watch as everything unfolded.

"Hmph, you hid the fact that you'd already mastered the Great Diversion Technique from me for so long, so you must've been plotting this for a very long time. Setting aside whether the technique really is as powerful as it's said to be, you seem to be implying that you've found another method to extract Chaotic Yin Yang Qi. How do I know if you're telling the truth? All of us joined forces to create the original extraction method, yet you expect me to place my trust in something that you devised on your own?" Che Qigong scoffed in a cold voice.

"I only managed to discover a fatal flaw with the original method by chance. As for whether this new method is authentic or not, I'll tell you about it, and you can make the decision for yourself. If you think my method isn't viable, then we can just battle it out here. That bastard Xue Guang will be the only beneficiary to our conflict, but if you insist, I'm certainly not going to back down," the burly man chuckled coldly.

"Alright, I'll listen to what you have to say, but if it turns out to be nonsense, hmph!" Che Qigong didn't finish his sentence, but the threat being made was already very apparent.

"You've made a wise decision. However, if the extraction method that I propose is indeed a viable one, then it would only be right for me to get a third of the Chaotic Yin Yang Qi that's extracted, right?" the burly man chuckled while reiterating his condition in an implacable voice.

"We'll discuss that after I verify the feasibility of your extraction method," Che Qigong replied in a cold manner.

Thus, Feng Xie's lips tremored as he transmitted his voice to Che Qigong while Han Li looked on in silence.

A day later, a ball of black light was flying through the air over a murky grey mountain range at an incredible speed.

Within the black light was a thin elderly man; it was none other than Master Black Rain, who had just separated from Han Li not long ago.

He was currently flying at full speed en route back to the holy island.

Two massive mountains, both of which were around 100,000 feet tall, loomed in the distance right in his path.

Thus, Master Black Rain diverted slightly off his original path to fly through the gap between the two mountains.

After just a few flashes, the ball of black light had reached the area between the two mountains, yet just as it was about to pass through, two earth-shattering booms suddenly erupted without any warning.

The two mountains tremored violently, then crashed down viciously toward Master Black Rain in unison. Even before the mountains had struck the ball of black light, countless rocks and stones were already raining down from above.

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Master Black Rain was naturally greatly alarmed by this, but he remained calm and quickly made a hand seal before expelling a small silver bell out of his mouth.

A bell chime rang out, and the small bell instantly manifested a silver projection that was over 1,000 tall, which completely encompassed Master Black Rain.

At the same time, a series of silver soundwaves swept forth in all directions, pulverizing all of the falling rocks and stones they came into contact with.

Grey light flashed between the mountains, and two massive hands constructed from countless rocks and stones suddenly extended out of the mountains. Each hand was several thousand feet in size and imbued with boundless power.

Two earth-shattering booms rang out as the gargantuan hands struck the bell projection from two sides. The bell was quite a powerful treasure, but in the face of such a devastating blow, the projection was still instantly destroyed.

A hint of panic finally began to appear on Master Black Rain's face upon seeing this, and he immediately swept a sleeve through the air to release a ball of silver light.

A loud thunderclap rang out, and a net that was constructed from countless arcs of silver lightning was unfurled. This was none other than the Silver Celestial Lightning Net!

With this net's profound abilities, he would be safe from any assailant.

Feeling a lot more reassured, Master Black Rain began to chant something while making a grabbing motion with one hand, and several balls of spiritual light appeared over his palm in unison.

However, just as he was about to summon other treasures to retaliate against his assailant, an incredible turn of events suddenly unfolded.

Spatial fluctuations erupted nearby, and a slender hand that was as fair as jade suddenly emerged. The hand made a casual grabbing motion and caught the lightning net in its grasp.

As the five fingers of the hand clenched around the net, Master Black Rain was struck by a burst of excruciating pain in his soul. At the same time, he lost his spiritual sense connection with the Silver Celestial Lightning Net, and he involuntarily yelled as he began to sway unsteadily in mid-air.

During this split-second delay, the two massive stone hands converged viciously like a pair of small mountains. In response, Master Black Rain could only hurriedly summon a suit of green armor that appeared over his body.

However, the two gigantic stone palms were simply far too powerful. An earth-shattering boom rang out, and Master Black Rain's physical body was crushed into a cloud of blood mist, while his protective spiritual light and suit of green armor were both also instantly destroyed.

A ball of black light shot out of the blood mist, then vanished into thin air in a flash.

A peal of pleasant laughter then rang out as the hand that was holding the silver lightning net extended a finger, flicking it toward the direction that the ball of black light had just disappeared in.

A ball of silver light shot forth and also instantly disappeared.

In the next instant, a dull thump rang out, and the ball of black light stumbled out of thin air over 1,000 feet away. As soon as it re-emerged, it immediately continued to flee into the distance like a speeding arrow.

Within the black light was a purple Nascent Soul that was several inches tall. The Nascent Soul was completely identical to Master Black Rain in appearance, but its face was completely pale, and it wore a horrified expression.

"It's too late to try and get away now!" the female voice chuckled coldly.

The slender hand then waved through the air, and the lightning net it was holding abruptly vanished, only to be replaced by an antiquated mirror, which was swept toward Master Black Rain's Nascent Soul from afar.

A pillar of black light shot forth from the mirror and encompassed the Nascent Soul in a flash.

The Nascent Soul immediately felt the air around it tighten, following which a burst of enormous suction force stopped it cold in its tracks before forcibly dragging it backward.

Master Black Rain was truly petrified now. In his desperation, his Nascent Soul let loose a low roar as it expelled a triangular badge, then released several balls of blood essence, all of which vanished into the badge as blood mist.

As the item that Master Black Rain had assigned to protect his Nascent Soul, this triangular badge was naturally quite a powerful treasure, and it transformed into a ball of azure light that encompassed the entire Nascent Soul.

Immediately thereafter, the Nascent Soul's backward momentum was arrested, and it was able to continue fleeing from the scene.

"Hmm? That's an Infernal Azure Badge of the human race. I was a little too careless." The pleasant female voice rang out again, but on this occasion, it was tinged with a hint of surprise.

Spatial fluctuations erupted, and the owner of the slender hand silently emerged, revealing herself to be a woman in a blue palatial dress.

The woman had a set of gorgeous facial features that were as fair as jade, and her figure was also very alluring, but her eyes gave off an azure light that was rather unsettling to behold.

In the instant that she emerged, she cast her gaze toward the Nascent Soul in the distance, then made an extremely profound hand seal.

Immediately thereafter, a devilish projection with three heads and six arms appeared behind her, and it transformed into a fearsome black-armored devilish being amid a flash of black light.

The suit of armor being worn by the devilish being was extremely intricate in design, with layers upon layers of complex runes inscribed on its surface. The devilish being's three faces were completely concealed by black visors, and as soon as it appeared, it raised its three heads to the heavens and let loose a long cry.

Its six eyes flashed like six balls of azure flames, and it made a grabbing motion toward the Nascent Soul with all six of its hands in unison.

A peculiar scene then ensued!

An earsplitting boom rang out as six black vortexes appeared at the same time, then exploded in unison, causing a massive commotion in the process.

The entire space collapsed as an even larger vortex appeared in front of the woman, and the vortex released countless black runes that vanished into thin air as countless specks of black light.

All of a sudden, the Nascent Soul that was fleeing in the distance was struck by a bone-chilling sensation, yet before it had a chance to react, an identical black vortex abruptly appeared in the air above it. A black devilish claw that was enshrouded in devilish flames shot out of the vortex like lightning, and the Nascent Soul only had a chance to cry out in alarm before it was caught by the devilish claw and pulled back into the vortex.

The vortex then rapidly shrank before vanishing into nothingness, and it was as if it had never appeared there in the first place.

In contrast, the vortex in front of the woman still remained, and was slowly rotating on the spot.

A faint smile appeared on the woman's face as she raised a hand and made a grabbing motion toward the vortex, upon which a ball of black light emerged from within; it was none other than Master Black Rain's Nascent Soul.

The Nascent Soul's eyes were tightly shut, and its face was deathly pale. Its entire body had been bound tightly by black threads, and it had been captured alive.

The woman aimed an expressionless glance at the Nascent Soul, then swept a sleeve downward. A burst of black light instantly swept forth, picking up an item from the ground before delivering it into her hand.

The item was a storage bracelet that was glowing with faint yellow light, and the woman pointed a finger at it while closing her eyes at the same time.

Moments later, the woman reopened her eyes and murmured to herself, "Oh? A Pipe Dream Stone Spirit, eh? That's quite interesting; that man must've been sent here with the sole purpose of capturing this stone spirit. No wonder Liu Ji asked me to make this trip in person. It looks like the humans are plotting something; we'll have to keep a closer eye on them from now on. If I want to investigate this matter, I'll have to search that man's soul, but all high-grade human cultivators have special secret techniques that they use to lock their own spiritual sense. I can break through with my devilish arts and through brute force, but I'll still only be able to search a very small portion of his soul; I wonder if that portion will just so happen to contain the information I need."

With that in mind, the woman didn't hesitate any longer. She swept a hand toward the vortex, and it disappeared along with the devilish being behind her, leaving only Master Black Rain's Nascent Soul hovering on the spot.

She flipped a hand over to produce that antiquated black mirror again before waving it toward the Nascent Soul, and a burst of black light surged forth to draw the Nascent Soul directly into the mirror.

"Find a secluded place where I won't be disturbed; I'm going to search this human cultivator's soul. With my current powers, it'll most likely take quite a few days before an outcome can be reached," the woman said in a nonchalant manner as she stowed the antiquated mirror away, as if she were issuing an instruction to someone.

"Yes, Mistress Yuan Cha!"[1]

Two rumbling voices rang out from the two giant mountains nearby, following which the two gargantuan stone palms were slowly withdrawn. A flash of grey light then appeared, and following the span of just a few breaths, the two mountains had transformed into a pair of giants, each of which was over 10,000 feet tall.

The two giants were covered in grey rocks and stones, and each of them had four arms, creating a terrifying sight to behold.

"Thank you for helping me destroy that man's physical body, elders. Otherwise, it would've been a lot more troublesome for me to capture him." The woman was speaking to the two giants in a very polite manner.

"It's our honor to be able to lend you our assistance, Mistress Yuan Cha," one of the giants said as a barely discernible smile appeared on its rocky face.

1. Immortal Galaxy Tree: AW SHIT! She's finally here!

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The woman nodded in response before sweeping her sleeves through the air, releasing two bursts of white light that vanished into the bodies of the two giants.

A string of cracks and pops rang out from the giants' bodies, and they quickly shrank down to a pair of first-sized grey stone balls, both of which then instantly disappeared up the woman's sleeve.

After that, a black cloud emerged beneath the woman's feet, then encompassed her body as she flew away toward a certain direction.

Han Li's eyelids fluttered slightly as he sat beside the giant crater. He slowly opened his eyes, and a peculiar look appeared on his face. He had just withdrawn his spiritual sense clone from within the Devil Sealing Lock, and he murmured to himself, "From the looks of it, that Chaotic Yin Yang Qi must be extremely important to both of the devils. Otherwise, they wouldn't have gotten into such a heated altercation. Will the two of them be able to escape from the Devil Sealing Lock right away after obtaining the Chaotic Yin Yang Qi? No, surely not. The Devil Sealing Lock is an incomplete Profound Heavenly Treasure; no matter how incredible that Chaotic Yin Yang Qi is, there's no way it could have such a miraculous effect. Those two are most likely plotting something else."

After contemplating the issue for a while, Han Li seemed to have suddenly arrived at a decision. "Hehe, there's no need for me to overthink this. After I split the Chaotic Yin Yang Qi with those two devils, I'll find a way to toss the Devil Sealing Lock back into the Elder Devil Realm. I have to make a trip there anyway; I'll just drop off the Devil Sealing Lock then. Those two are nothing more than spiritual sense entities without physical bodies anyway; who cares what'll become of them once they escape from the Devil Sealing Lock in the Elder Devil Realm?"

With that in mind, Han Li pointed a finger toward the Devil Sealing Lock before him, and it shot forth directly toward the giant crater before hovering right over its center.

Immediately thereafter, Han Li took a deep breath before making a hand seal while chanting something, and a projection with three heads and six arms appeared behind him.

The projection made hand seals with all six of its arms, and a vast expanse of golden light swept forth from its body before vanishing into the Devil Sealing Lock.

As a result, the surface of the white wooden box instantly took on a shimmering golden color, as if a coat of molten gold had been applied to it.

Right at this moment, a layer of azure light appeared on Han Li's face, and he let loose a low cry before pointing a finger at the wooden box again. A burst of silver flames emerged from his fingertip before enveloping the wooden box, and at the same time, the golden projection behind Han Li opened all six of its eyes in unison.

It then strode directly toward the burning wooden box, covering a distance of over 100 feet in just a few flashes before reaching out to grab onto the box.

After that, the projection carried the box and descended slowly toward the bottom of the giant crater.

Even though it wasn't descending very quickly, it still disappeared into the yellow mist down below after the span of just a few breaths.

Han Li continued to chant his incantation while making different hand seals, and a burst of indescribable glacial Qi soon began to emanate from his body.

A layer of faint yellow frost spread over the ground around him, and moments later, the azure light on Han Li's face faded while his entire body was enveloped by a layer of yellow light.

At the same time, a layer of yellow frost also began to appear over his body, and at this point, the yellow mist within the crater was already churning violently.

An occasional rumbling boom would ring out from underground, as if there were something constantly exploding within the depths of the crater.

Han Li's expression remained unchanged, and he seemed to be paying no heed to the changes taking place on his body; he merely continued to do what he was doing without pause.

Time slowly passed by, and seven days and seven nights had flown past. Han Li was still seated beside the giant crater. If a normal cultivator with inferior magic power, spiritual sense, and physical constitution had been in his place, they would've most likely already collapsed. Even for Han Li, this was quite a taxing endeavor, and he was beginning to feel rather weary.

At this point, the rumbling booms echoing deep within the giant crater had already receded. The churning of the yellow mist had also become a lot less violent, and it was clear that the secret technique that he was unleashing was in its closing stages.

All of a sudden, a loud boom that was akin to a rumbling thunderclap erupted from the bottom of the crater, and countless rays of golden light erupted upward, piercing through the layers of mist and completely illuminating the entire giant crater.

"Success!" Han Li couldn't help but exclaim in an excited manner as his eyes lit up.

If he could obtain this Chaotic Yin Yang Qi, then he would definitely be able to progress to the late-Body Integration Stage in a short time.

If he could reach that level, then both his magic power and abilities would be enhanced significantly, and he would be far better equipped to protect himself during the devilish tribulation, as well as the trip into the Elder Devil Realm.

With that in mind, he immediately sprang into action. A layer of five-colored flames appeared over his body, and all of the yellow frost was melted away.

He then raised a hand and made a grabbing motion toward the bottom of the crater, upon which the mist within surged violently, and the golden projection slowly re-emerged.

It was still holding the wooden box, but there was now an azure ball of light contained within its body. The ball of light was around the size of an egg and completely mundane in appearance, but it contained two pea-sized specks of light, one of which was black while the other was white.

A faint smile appeared on Han Li's face upon seeing this, but in the next instant, his smile abruptly stiffened, and he cast his gaze upward with an alarmed look in his eyes.

Almost at the exact same moment, an earth-shattering boom erupted up above, following which a burst of devastating force struck the restrictions in the air.

In the face of this ferocious attack, the restriction was instantly shattered, and the mist enshrouding the mountain summit was completely swept away by a gust of fierce wind.

A slender female figure then appeared up above before casting her gaze toward Han Li in a cold manner. Her gaze was as frosty as ice, and Han Li's face was struck by a pang of sharp pain under her cold gaze.

"Looks like the information I obtained from searching that human cultivator's soul was accurate," the woman mused in a cold voice, and Han Li's heart jolted upon hearing this.

He didn't know who this woman was, but judging from her aura, she was clearly a high-grade devilish being.

Han Li was naturally very perplexed and alarmed, but there was no time for him to ponder the situation. He abruptly reached out with one hand before making a grabbing motion, and the golden projection transformed into a ball of golden light that hurtled directly toward Han Li with the wooden box and that ball of azure light contained within it.

The woman faltered slightly upon seeing this, but after she caught sight of the wooden box and the ball of azure light, her expression instantly changed drastically.

"That's the Devil Sealing Lock and Chaotic Yin Yang Qi! I see, so you were extracting Chaotic Yin Yang Qi using the Earthly Hellish Flames here!"

The woman immediately swept a sleeve through the air as she spoke, and a white piece of fabric instantly shot forth. After just a single flash, it covered a distance of several thousand feet, appearing directly above the golden projection before descending like lightning.

This was a massive white silk handkerchief that was around 10 feet in size. Its surface was riddled with shimmering silver runes, and it was clearly a powerful treasure!

The woman was attempting to use this treasure to intercept the Devil Sealing Lock and Chaotic Yin Yang Qi.

Almost at the exact same moment, violent tremors ran through the ground on either side of the giant crater, and countless rocks and stones were sent flying in all directions as two massive grey stone hands erupted out of the ground. The two huge hands clamped viciously toward Han Li, and before they had even struck him, two bursts of immense invisible force had crashed down upon him.

Han Li was naturally quite alarmed and enraged by this, but he didn't panic in the slightest.

He harrumphed coldly while making a hand seal, then uttered the word "explode"!

The golden light that enveloped the wooden box and the Chaotic Yin Yang Qi flashed violently before exploding into a golden halo. The space in the wake of this golden halo warped and twisted, and the white silk handkerchief was forced to a momentary standstill.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, a huge green hand suddenly appeared out of thin air before instantly catching the wooden box and azure ball of light.

Immediately thereafter, the massive hand transformed into a green humanoid figure; it was none other than Han Li's spirit body.

As soon as the spirit body appeared, it made a hand seal and vanished on the spot as a ball of green light.

At the same time, golden light flashed from Han Li's body, and he began to swell drastically in size while sprouting thick golden fur. In the blink of an eye, he had transformed into a giant golden ape that was over 100 feet tall, and the tremendous force weighing down upon him was instantly completely nullified.

As soon as Han Li completed his transformation, he let loose a thunderous roar and launched his fists viciously toward the oncoming giant stone palms.

Two earth-shattering booms erupted, and Han Li gave a muffled groan as he was forced back several steps, while large sections of the two massive stone hands were reduced to rubble and shrapnel.

Right at this moment, spatial fluctuations erupted behind Han Li, and the spirit body emerged while holding the wooden box and the ball of azure light before vanishing into Han Li's body.

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At the same time, Han Li let loose an enraged roar as he opened his mouth to expel a thick pillar of golden light directly toward the woman up above.

As for Han Li himself, he transformed into a giant silver four-winged bird with silver arcs of lightning flashing all over its body.

He spread his four wings and vanished into thin air as an azure and white thread of light. In the next instant, spatial fluctuations erupted several thousand feet away, and the thread of light re-emerged before instantly disappearing again.

This woman clearly possessed unfathomable powers, and Han Li currently wasn't in his best condition, so he immediately chose to flee.

In this four-winged Kun Peng form, he was too fast even for the three Xue Guang clones to catch, so he was very confident in his ability to escape.

The woman waved a hand through the air to release a streak of inky-black sword Qi, which vanquished the oncoming golden pillar of light with ease.

However, during that brief delay, Han Li had already traveled so far into the distance that he was nothing more than a barely visible black dot on the horizon.

"You think you can get away from me? How delusional!" A cold light flashed through the woman's eyes as she cast her gaze toward the fleeing black dot in the distance.

She waved a hand downward, and the two stone giants completely emerged from the ground down below. As they flew up into the air, they converged to form a giant dazzling ball of grey light at the woman's behest.

The woman then transformed into a ball of black Qi before vanishing into the massive ball of light, and moments later, the dazzling light receded to reveal a stone hall that was several hundred feet tall.

The hall was entirely grey in color with a dozen or so crude stone pillars, giving off a rather primitive sense of beauty and artistry.

The woman stood at the center of the hall, then gently tapped a foot down onto it before commanding it to give chase.

A layer of white spiritual light instantly appeared over the surface of the stone hall, and it shot forth like a shooting star in pursuit of Han Li.

The stone hall appeared to be quite bulky and maladroit, but it covered a distance of around 1,000 feet after just a single flash, and it wasn't much slower than the four-winged Kun Peng that Han Li had transformed into.

Han Li had also naturally discovered this, and he became even more reluctant to engage his pursuer in battle.

The woman clearly wasn't an ordinary devilish lord, and he certainly wasn't willing to face her in his current lackluster condition.

Furthermore, not only did the woman's aura strike him with a sense of extreme peril, it was also rather familiar to him. It would be very unwise for Han Li to engage her in battle before ascertaining her identity.

Even though he was only slightly faster than his pursuer in his Kun Peng form, the gap between them would still constantly be widening, so he would eventually be able to completely shake her off.

The woman had to be aware of this as well, so Han Li was rather perplexed about what her intentions were. However, he had no time to consider such matters at the moment; he was focused solely on fleeing the scene as quickly as he could.

At their astonishing speeds, a distance of hundreds of thousands of kilometers had been covered after just a single hour. At this point, Han Li had already opened up a gap of several tens of kilometers between himself and the stone hall.

This was naturally an extremely far distance for the average person, but for beings of Han Li's caliber, it was a distance that could be covered in mere moments.

Even so, the gap was still steadily widening, and Han Li's heart finally eased slightly as he began to ponder exactly who this woman was.

Meanwhile, the woman was seated on a stone chair at the center of the hall, casting her cold gaze straight ahead in an unblinking manner.

"Hmph, this human brat was nothing more than an ant in a lower realm the last time I encountered him, but since then, he's progressed to the mid-Body Integration Stage in less than 2,000 years and attained such a powerful transformation technique; it appears that he's not to be underestimated. However, he's dreaming if he thinks he can get away from me with these trifling abilities alone! Shi Gan, initiate instantaneous teleportation right away! I'm sure you've had enough time to lock onto him," the woman commanded with a cold expression.

In response, a giant rough face took shape on the ceiling of the stone hall, and it replied, "Yes, Mistress Yuan Cha! The two of us will initiate teleportation right away, but there's still a potential margin for error of around 500 meters that you'll need to account for."

"500 meters is nothing; I'll be able to stop him for sure," the woman said in a nonchalant manner.

"Yes!"

The giant face immediately gave an affirmative reply, and in the next instant, the stone hall suddenly stopped in mid-air.

Immediately thereafter, two different strange voices began to chant an incantation, and countless five-colored runes emerged over the surface of the stone hall amid a flash of spiritual light.

These runes were extremely profound, and they flashed violently before detaching themselves from the stone hall, dispersing through the air to form a massive five-colored formation.

The stone hall was situated right at the center of the formation, and it vanished on the spot after a flash of dazzling light.

In the next instant, Han Li suddenly felt a burst of spatial fluctuations appear around 500 meters behind him, and his heart jolted as he turned around, just in time to see a giant formation appear out of thin air.

Five-colored light flashed, and a massive object began to emerge from the formation.

"Crap!"

Han Li was adept in formations and instantaneous teleportation techniques himself, so he was naturally immediately able to identify this as a teleportation formation. As such, he immediately stopped in his flight while a vertical black demonic eye appeared on his glabella.

This was none other than Han Li's Law Destruction Eye, and he was forcibly using it in his Kun Peng form; this was something that would've been completely beyond his capabilities back before he reached the Body Integration Stage.

As soon as the Law Destruction Eye appeared, it expelled a black thread that was as thin as a strand of hair. The black thread then instantly transformed into a thick inky-black pillar of light that vanished into thin air in a flash.

A resounding boom rang out, and the black pillar of light appeared right in front of the teleportation formation before striking it with devastating force.

Black and five-colored light immediately intertwined to inundate the entire formation, and after unleashing the attack, the Law Destruction Eye on Han Li's glabella instantly vanished. Immediately thereafter, he flapped his wings and continued to flee, choosing to unleash no further attacks.

Han Li was clearly aware that the attack from his Law Destruction Eye wouldn't actually be able to harm his pursuer, which was why he had made such a quick decision to continue flying away.

As it turned out, he was right. After the explosion of black and five-colored light receded, the space at the center of the giant formation warped and blurred, following which the giant stone hall emerged in a slightly unsteady manner.

Under the influence of the chaotic spatial powers in the nearby area, the stone hall was unable to immediately continue pursuing Han Li. Instead, a white light barrier had appeared around it, and it was swaying incessantly amid the violent spatial fluctuations.

"He has a Law Destruction Eye!" The woman's expression darkened upon making this realization.

After just a few flashes, Han Li was nothing more than a black spot on the horizon again.

"Chase him down!" the woman commanded in an enraged voice.

The giant stone face appeared once again on the ceiling of the hall, and it said in an apologetic manner, "I'm afraid we won't be able to give chase right away, Mistress. Due to the disruption from spatial powers, we'll only be able to continue after making some adjustments."

"Hmph, by the time you're done, that human brat will be completely gone! Let me lend you a hand!" the woman harrumphed coldly before gripping onto the smooth armrests of her stone chair, then injected a burst of inky-black devilish Qi into it.

"Thank you for your assistance, Mistress Yuan Cha; we'll be able to continue right away now," the stone face said in an elated manner.

Thus, not long after that, the stone hall shot forth through the air again.

Even though the stone hall had failed to stop Han Li, the distance between the two had been closed down significantly, and the woman continued to give chase with renewed determination.

Thus, whenever Han Li managed to widen the gap between himself and the stone hall, the woman would make use of its teleportation ability to close the gap.

Having learned her lesson from the first teleportation, she made sure not to get too close to Han Li during her subsequent teleportations. Thus, even with his Law Destruction Eye, Han Li was unable to thwart her teleportation any further.

This was naturally quite worrying for Han Li. He also had his lightning formation that he could use for teleportation, but he was unable to control the destination at all.[1]

If he were to only teleport over a short distance, there was a possibility that he could end up right next to his pursuer. If he wanted to teleport over a longer distance, then he would require more time to set up the formation, so that wasn't a viable option, either.

Furthermore, even if he could teleport himself thousands of kilometers away, he still wouldn't be able to escape the woman's spiritual sense detection, and she'd simply catch up again eventually.

It seemed that she was even more difficult to shake off than the three clones of Sacred Ancestor Xue Guang. Thus, the two continued to fly through the air for over half a day.

Due to the fact that Han Li had intentionally chosen a very sparsely populated path, he didn't encounter any devilish beings that could impede him along the way. However, the woman clearly wasn't going to let him off the hook, so he had to think of a way to shake her off.

Unbeknownst to him, the woman was currently communicating with another devilish being through her antiquated black mirror.

1. Immortal Galaxy Tree: Wonder if the author meant a hastily set up formation? Since Han Li did use the lightning formation to kill that armored giant right at the start of the Deep Heaven City battle, albeit that was an extremely short distance that he was able to see with his own eyes.

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The image in the mirror depicted a crimson-robed young man, and he had a rather dark expression on his face. "Yuan Cha? When did you send a clone into the Spirit Realm? If I recall correctly, you're not on the list of the Sacred Ancestors designated to descend into this realm."

"Xue Guang, I only sent a clone of mine into this realm to assist Liu Ji. I'm not ruling over any army, and I don't have any intention of getting my true body to descend into this realm, so I'm not breaking my agreement with everyone. As such, you have no right to accuse me of anything," the woman replied in an expressionless manner.

Xue Guang was furious, but he was clearly also rather wary of the woman, and he harrumphed coldly, "Hmph, no matter how you try to explain it, you're just twisting the narrative. Setting that aside for now, if you're assisting Liu Ji, then why have you appeared in this area that I'm overseeing? Don't you owe me an explanation for that? Don't tell me that the detection treasure in my battle canoe is yielding a false result!"

"I am indeed currently in the area that you're overseeing, and I'm pursuing a human cultivator. This is an order from Liu Ji as well, so what I'm doing is definitely beneficial to the army of our holy race," the woman replied as her expression eased slightly.

"You're pursuing a human cultivator? With those two giant stone devils up your sleeve, surely no human under the Grand Ascension Stage can escape from you. However, seeing as this is a matter that concerns the entire army of our holy race, it would be unbefitting of me to not lend you my assistance. I'll send out a clone of mine to meet up with you right away," Xue Guang said in a meaningful voice.

"It sounds like you still doubt me. By the way, I've heard that you sent your three clones into the Spirit Realm; aren't you afraid that something will happen to your true body in our holy realm? Besides, don't you think it's too late for you to send out a clone now? By the time your clone gets here, I'll have already taken care of the human cultivator here," the woman said as a cold smile appeared on her face.

"I have no need to explain myself to you. My clone isn't far away from where you are right now; it should be able to meet up with you in about half a day. I just so happened to have borrowed the All-encompassing Plate from Du Long; I'm sure it'll be of assistance to you," Xue Guang replied.

"What? How did you get Du Long to lend you his All-encompassing Plate? He values that treasure as much as his own life!" A stunned look appeared on the woman's face upon hearing this.

"Hehe, anything can be borrowed as long as the price is right. Who's this human cultivator that you're currently pursuing? They must be an extremely important figure in the human race to get away from you. I'll contact my clones right away so they can ambush him from the front, and we'll trap him from both sides," Xue Guang proposed.

The woman was silent for a moment before replying in a serious manner, "You can help me hunt him down, but I've had a run-in with him in a lower realm in the past, so after we capture him, you have to leave him to me. Otherwise, I'd rather take care of him on my own, even if it means I'll have to expend a bit more time."

"Oh? He's crossed you in a lower realm? That's quite interesting! I heard that a spiritual sense clone of yours was killed in a lower realm; could the perpetrator be the human cultivator that you're currently pursuing? Haha, what a coincidence!" Xue Guang chuckled as a mocking look appeared on his face.

"If you contacted me just to mock me, then there's no need for us to communicate any further." The woman's expression darkened as she raised a hand to cut off the communication.

However, Xue Guang suddenly raised a hand to stop her. "Hold on! I agree to your condition. However, after this, you have to help me do something as well, and after that's done, you have to leave the area that I'm overseeing."

"What do you need help with?" The woman was rather surprised to hear this.

"It's quite simple; I also need you to help me take care of a human cultivator," Xue Guang immediately replied.

"Didn't your three clones descend into this realm already? Why do you still need my assistance? You're not trying to recruit this clone of mine to attack a Grand Ascension Stage human cultivator, are you?" the woman asked with furrowed brows.

"Hehe, rest assured, I wouldn't be willing to sacrifice these clones of mine to attack a Grand Ascension Stage being. The human I'm targeting is a Body Integration cultivator, but he possesses many powerful treasures and abilities. I did indeed send my three clones into this realm, but they're not carrying my most powerful treasures, which is why I was unable to take that human down. With your assistance, I'm sure the outcome will be different," Xue Guang replied with a smile.

The woman's expression eased upon hearing this, and she said, "If it's a Body Integration Stage human cultivator, then I have no objections; you have yourself a deal. Tell me how to contact those clones of yours."

Xue Guang naturally gave an affirmative reply before pointing a finger forward to release a string of silver runes out of the mirror.

Meanwhile, Han Li was still hurtling through the air up ahead, completely oblivious to the fact that his two almighty devilish enemies had unknowingly joined forces to hunt him down.

He was racking his brains for a way out of this situation as he flew, but was unable to think of anything right away.

Not long ago, he had just faced Sacred Ancestor Xue Guang's clones, and he had expended most of his temporary formation treasures, so he was lacking the resources to keep his pursuer at bay.

Furthermore, he had no idea what type of abilities the devilish woman possessed, and that made it very difficult for him to formulate a plan against her.

After thinking for a long while, he decided that he had to ascertain the woman's powers and abilities first before he could think about anything else. After all, only by knowing one's enemy could one assure victory.

With that in mind, countless feathers suddenly shot forth from his Kun Peng body before transforming into talismans and formation tools. He set up a dozen or so traps of different sizes, then continued on his way.

A short while later, a string of loud explosions erupted behind him, and the spiritual sense connection he had with those traps was instantly severed.

His heart immediately sank upon seeing this.

Judging from the speed at which the woman had broken through all of the traps he had set, he could ascertain that she was even more powerful than he had anticipated. Her powers were definitely far superior to those of the average devilish lord, and she was comparable to the three Xue Guang clones.

Furthermore, the familiar aura that she was giving off reminded him of a fearsome enemy, and the mere thought of her sent chills running down his spine.

Could it be that this woman was a clone of that Sacred Ancestor Yuan Cha? In that case, it wasn't all that strange that she was so determined to hunt him down.

Indeed, after some careful consideration, Han Li finally realized that the aura of this woman was rather similar to that of the soul fragment of Sacred Ancestor Yuan Cha that he had encountered, and that was quite an uneasy thought for him.

After arriving at this realization, he was even more determined to refrain from engaging the woman in battle, and continued to flee as quickly as he could.

He had already formulated a plan; the stone hall could teleport, but that would undoubtedly expend far more magic power than normal flight. As such, there was a very good chance that he would be able to outlast her in a contest of endurance.

Thus, he had made up his mind to keep fleeing, even though flying at such a rapid speed was also quite taxing to him.

After that, he no longer tried to set up any traps or formations; he merely summoned some pills and top-grade spirit stones that he used to replenish his lost magic power.

The stone hall continued to give chase behind him, and half a day flew by in the blink of an eye.

They had flown over a desert in the primordial world and arrived in the air above a swamp. The sky was very clear, and there was nothing obstructing Han Li's field of view aside from a few lazy white clouds.

Han Li could sense that the frequency of the stone hall's teleportation was gradually beginning to drop off, and a hint of elation welled up in his heart.

Right at this moment, a slightly feeble voice suddenly sounded in his spiritual sense. "Look out, Master; I can sense the aura of an enemy up ahead."

The voice was very tender and seemed to belong to a child. Han Li was very startled by this voice, he immediately stopped in mid-air before hurriedly asking, "Who's there?"

"Do you not recognize me, Master? I'm the Leopard Kirin Beast! I only just awakened and will need to go into hibernation again soon; but I can clearly sense that there are enemies up ahead who bear ill will toward you," the owner of the childish voice said in an urgent manner, then fell silent after a tender yawn.

Han Li was quite bewildered to hear this. The Leopard Kirin Beast had been hibernating for several centuries, yet it had suddenly woken up at a time like this to issue those words of caution to him. Furthermore, the fact that it was now able to speak also came as quite a surprise to him.

What was the enemy that the beast had just mentioned? Why hadn't he been able to sense anything?

As these thoughts rapidly flashed through Han Li's mind, he quickly cast his gaze through the surrounding area while releasing his enormous spiritual sense in all directions.

However, he couldn't sense anything suspicious nearby, and a hesitant look appeared on his face.

Meanwhile, there were three crimson-robed figures standing side by side within a mysterious treasure, appraising a giant hovering crystalline screen together.

On the surface of the massive screen was the image of a giant bird with silver arcs of lightning revolving all around its body.

The massive bird had two pairs of wings, and was appraising its surroundings with a suspicious and bewildered look in its eyes.

"Who would've thought that this would be the human cultivator that Yuan Cha is pursuing? Hehe, that makes things a lot easier for me!" the crimson figure standing in the middle chuckled coldly with barely repressed rage in his voice.

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The crimson figure was none other than one of the Sacred Ancestor Xue Guang's clones!

"Don't celebrate too early! Don't forget the condition that we initially proposed to Yuan Cha," another identical clone reminded in a calm voice.

"Hmph, seeing as Yuan Cha is pursuing the same target as us, the condition we raised will naturally have to be changed. We can hand that man over to her, but we didn't promise to hand over his treasures to her as well," Sacred Ancestor Xue Guang harrumphed coldly in response.

"I'm not sure Yuan Cha would be willing to accept such an arrangement. We can split her some of the treasures, but we have to recover the Devil Sealing Lock and Purple Word Cauldron," the clone said with a shake of his head.

"Split her some of the treasures? That human brat clearly possesses many powerful treasures; are you willing to pass them up?" Sacred Ancestor Xue Guang asked with pursed lips.

"We have no choice. Don't forget that she has the backing of Liu Ji; now would not be a good time to mess with her," the clone replied in a solemn manner.

"Indeed, that Liu Ji is quite a big problem." A hint of wariness appeared on Sacred Ancestor Xue Guang's face.

"Alright, stop getting ahead of yourselves! We might not even be able to capture that human brat. He seems to have sensed our presence, so it most likely won't be possible to ambush him," the final clone said.

"He's sensed our presence? Surely not! We've already concealed everything with the All-encompassing Plate; there's no way that he'll be able to sense us unless he's a Grand Ascension cultivator. At the very most, he's only become suspicious that there's someone nearby. With Yuan Cha hot on his heels, he won't be able to remain here for long," Sacred Ancestor Xue Guang said in an unconvinced manner.

"Is that so? I don't think that's... Hold on, what is he doing?" The final clone faltered mid-sentence before letting loose a cry of alarm.

The expressions on the faces of the other two clones also changed drastically upon seeing what Han Li was doing in the image.

Han Li suddenly opened his massive beak to expel a shimmering golden ball of lightning, which swelled to around 10 feet in size in a flash.

The ball of lightning then shot forth directly toward the three clones as a dazzling bolt of lightning.

A loud thunderclap rang out, and the crystalline screen was pulverized into powder amid a crisp crack by the golden lightning.

"He really did discover the All-encompassing Plate! If we can't ambush him, then we'll just have to forcibly stop him!" Sacred Ancestor Xue Guang said in a cold voice.

The other two clones naturally offered no objections, and both of them began to make hand seals while uttering incantations.

At the same time, the ball of lightning transformed into a giant net that swept forward, and a white object appeared out of thin air.

This was a circular object that was over 1,000 feet in size, and it resembled a massive jade plate. Under the illumination of the white light emanating from the jade plate, a formation that was around 500 meters in size also emerged.

If Han Li hadn't stopped right as he did, he would've plunged headfirst into that restriction, and that was naturally quite an alarming realization for him.

The giant jade plate revolved on the spot, then released a dense white light barrier. After just a few flashes, the light barrier transformed into a wall of light with no end in sight to completely cut off Han Li.

However, a burst of exuberant light suddenly flashed from Han Li's body, and he transformed into another giant bird form that resembled the legendary true spirit heavenly phoenix!

This was none other than the Heavenly Phoenix Transformation of Han Li's 12 Awakening Transformations.

As soon as this bird emerged, it let loose a clear cry before flapping its wings, and spatial fluctuations erupted up ahead, following which a white spatial rift emerged.

Han Li's giant bird body flashed forward, and he instantly vanished into the rift.

In the next instant, an identical rift appeared beyond the white light barrier, and Han Li re-emerged in a wraith-like manner before immediately adopting his Kun Peng form again.

He flapped his four wings, and a resounding thunderclap rang out as he disappeared on the spot.

Several thousand feet away, another thunderclap rang out, and Han Li reappeared before continuing to fly away as an azure and white thread of light.

This process sounded like quite a lengthy and convoluted one, but it had actually only taken an instant, and before the three clones knew it, Han Li was fleeing into the distance again.

The three clones were naturally completely flabbergasted upon seeing this.

"That's impossible! How was he able to teleport away so easily in the face of the restriction from the All-encompassing Plate? Could it be that he's carrying some type of treasure that can counter the All-encompassing Plate?" one of the clones roared in a furious manner.

"No, it was because of his transformation. Don't forget that the All-encompassing Plate is unable to restrict spirit birds with innate spatial abilities such as phoenixes. What that brat just unleashed was clearly some type of heavenly phoenix transformation technique," Sacred Ancestor Xue Guang analyzed in a calm voice.

"Just how many transformations does this brat have? Even with Yuan Cha's assistance, it won't be an easy task to capture him," the final clone said with a dark expression.

Right at this moment, white light flashed from the distance, and a majestic stone hall appeared before hurtling directly toward the three clones.

"Let's set all that aside and give chase first!" Sacred Ancestor Xue Guang said without any hesitation.

"Indeed, we can't let him get away again. Otherwise, we may not get a chance to capture him again." The other two clones also nodded in agreement.

Thus, crimson light flashed from their bodies, and they instantly combined as one before injecting their power into the giant jade plate in a frenzy.

A faint buzzing sound rang out from the jade plate, and runes swirled over its surface before it shot forth as a ball of white light.

Close to 10 kilometers away, Yuan Cha was appraising everything that was unfolding while seated in her stone chair with a dark expression.

"What useless idiots! I can't believe those three clones couldn't stop that Han brat even after setting up an ambush! It appears I'll have to do everything myself," Yuan Chua grumbled to herself.

Meanwhile, Han Li was also internally lamenting his current situation.

Even though the enemies within the jade plate hadn't revealed themselves, he was able to identify who they were from the faint crimson light that had appeared when the treasure had been activated.

Now that he was being pursued by two Sacred Ancestors at once, Han Li had naturally completely cast aside all thoughts of turning around and facing his pursuers in battle, and was focused wholeheartedly on fleeing.

Two days later, Han Li found himself surrounded by several tens of mid-grade devilish beings.

These devilish beings were expelling devilish Qi out of their mouths and swinging their weapons through the air, unleashing barrages of attacks toward Han Li with all their might.

However, Han Li merely released a layer of golden lightning arcs out of his body, and all of the devilish beings were reduced to dust amid a resounding thunderclap.

After that, he immediately continued on his way, not daring to delay even for an instant.

A short while later, the jade plate and stone hall also rapidly passed through this place.

Five days later, over 100 devilish beings and over 1,000 low-grade devilish beasts appeared before Han Li.

On this occasion, Han Li plunged headfirst into the horde of beasts, and streaks of azure sword Qi erupted out of his body in a frenzy.

All of the low-grade devilish beasts and devilish beings were instantly destroyed while Han Li continued to flee rapidly into the distance.

At this point, the jade plate and stone hall were already close to 1,000 kilometers away.

10 days later, in the air above a murky grey mountain range, a giant golden ape that was over 1,000 feet tall rushed into an army comprised of hundreds of elite devilish beings and a dozen or so giant devilish beasts.

The giant ape swung its massive arms violently through the air, and none of the devilish beings or giant devilish beasts were able to withstand even a single attack.

However, they seemed to have received some kind of strict order; even though their numbers were quickly dwindling, they were still throwing themselves at the giant ape with no regard for their own lives.

A buzzing sound rang out from another direction, and two balls of white light emerged almost in unison before hurtling toward the battlefield.

The giant golden ape let loose a roar of fury before unleashing a burst of golden soundwaves that made the nearby space twist and warp violently.

In the blink of an eye, all of the devilish beings swept up by the golden soundwaves self-detonated on the spot, following which the giant ape transformed into a four-winged Kun Peng again before flying away.

Half a month later, Han Li had reverted back to his human form, and he was situated on the lakebed of an unknown lake, appraising the two devilish lords before him with a grim expression.

One of the devilish lords had an inky-black head, webbed hands, and several thick tentacles beneath its armpits that were waving incessantly. As for the other devilish lord, it had a pair of eyes that were as bright as lamps and a layer of shimmering azure scales all over its body.

Han Li took a deep breath before making a grabbing motion with both hands, summoning an azure and a black mountain before sending both of them hurtling directly toward the two devilish lords.

In the air above the lake close to 10,000 kilometers away, the jade plate and stone hall were hurtling toward Han Li's location one after the other.

Two months later, the four-winged Kun Peng was being harassed by a dozen or so shimmering crimson devilish beings above a peculiar steaming swamp.

Regardless of whether the giant Kun Peng unleashed bolts of silver lightning or lashed out with its talons, the crimson devilish beings were able to instantly regenerate before pouncing toward the giant bird again.

High up in the air around 1,000 kilometers away, the jade plate and stone hall reappeared.

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Han Li could naturally sense that his pursuers were closing in once again, and he immediately released countless golden flowers from his giant bird body.

Each flower was around the size of a bowl, and they each contained a shimmering golden beetle.

These were none other than the mature Gold Devouring Beetles that Han Li had kept in reserve, and he had released several thousand of them at once.

Even with their instantaneous regenerative abilities, the crimson devilish beings were still completely devoured by the Gold Devouring Beetles within the span of just a few breaths, leaving behind no trace of their existence.

Han Li let loose a long cry, and all of the beetles flew back toward him.

Immediately thereafter, he flapped his four wings and vanished on the spot as a silver arc of lightning.

After a few more rumbling thunderclaps, the silver arc of lightning flashed a few times before completely vanishing into the distance.

Around 10 minutes later, the jade plate and stone hall both arrived on the scene before stopping in mid-air.

A humanoid figure then emerged above each treasure. One of them was a slender and elegant woman, while the other was a crimson-robed young man.

They were none other than the clones of Yuan Cha and Xue Guang.

Yuan Cha was completely expressionless, but the fury in her eyes was plain to see, while Xue Guang wore an expression of unbridled rage.

"I didn't think that even my Bloodlight Crystal Guards wouldn't be able to stall him at all; it looks like he's intent on dragging out this chase," Xue Guang spat through gritted teeth.

"Hmph, aren't those guards of yours supposed to be indestructible? How were they killed by those mere spirit insects?" Yuan Cha harrumphed coldly in response.

"Don't tell me you didn't identify what those spirit insects were! My guards have indeed cultivated the Bloodbody Devilish Art, but there's no way they could withstand the power of those spirit insects," Xue Guang snapped.

"Of course I was able to identify those spirit insects. Perhaps I would be wary of them if there were over a hundred thousand of those Gold Devouring Beetles, but such a trifling number won't be anywhere near enough to pose a threat to you and me; we can just trap them using a wood or stone-attribute treasure," Yuan Cha said in an indifferent manner.

"I do indeed have a pair of treasures of those attributes, but can you be certain that he only has that many of those spirit insects? What if he has more than 100,000 of them up his sleeve? On top of that, we still don't know how many trump cards he's yet to reveal; what if we back him into a corner and he lashes out to deal us severe damage before we take him down?" Xue Guang speculated.

"You think he has over 100,00 Gold Devouring Beetles? You sure have a vivid imagination! Alright, let's say that he does indeed have that many Gold Devouring Beetles up his sleeve; do you think his spiritual sense will be powerful enough to control them? Even if our true bodies were present, controlling over 100,000 Gold Devouring Beetles would instantly exhaust our spiritual sense. Rest assured, controlling several thousand of those beetles at once is most likely already his limit. If he really could control so many of those beetles at once, he would've used them against us already. He does indeed possess some powerful abilities that we need to be wary of, but don't tell me that you're planning to give up now. If so, then I'll just have to continue on my own; you just have to deploy your subordinates to cut off all of the potential routes he can take to return to any major human settlements," Yuan Cha chuckled coldly.

Sacred Ancestor Xue Guang's expression changed slightly before he replied, "I was only considering the worst-case scenario. Seeing as you're so confident, I'll naturally be willing to continue as well."

Han Li had taken two extremely important treasures from him, so he naturally wasn't willing to give up on this chase.

"As you know, I'm the leader of our holy race army in this area, but I can't deploy all of the troops here to hunt down that human brat. Otherwise, if something were to go wrong, I would be held accountable," Xue Guang suddenly said.

"So? What are you trying to say? Spit it out," Yuan Cha urged in an impatient manner.

"Hehe, what I'm saying is that seeing as we're unable to capture this human cultivator in a short time, you and I have to make some long-term plans. Why don't you request some reinforcements from Liu Ji? If she can deploy some of her elite subordinates to assist us, there's no way that human brat will be able to get away. With your relationship with Liu Ji, I'm sure this won't be too difficult," Xue Guang chuckled.

Yuan Cha considered this proposal for a moment before nodding in agreement. "Request reinforcements from Liu Ji? That's not a bad idea. Alright, I can do that, but during this time, you and your subordinates have to keep up the pressure on that Han brat. Don't allow him any respite, and certainly don't let him get away."

"Rest assured, Fellow Daoist Yuan Cha, I'll be sure to cut off all of the potential routes leading to Deep Heaven City and the other major human settlements. I'll ensure that he'll have no one to turn to," Xue Guang assured in an ecstatic manner.

"That would be best. Prior to the arrival of Liu Ji's reinforcements, we should continue to follow him from a distance. Once we completely exhaust him, we'll be able to capture him with ease," Yuan Cha said in a cold voice.

"Of course. In reality, with our powers, if we were prepared to incur some costs, we would've most likely already chased him down," Xue Guang said with a smile.

"Alright, let's continue, then. I have to admit that his speed truly is quite remarkable; if we delay here any longer, he'll escape out of our sensory range," Yuan Cha said as she cast her gaze into the distance.

"Of course. I've already set up seven more groups of my subordinates up ahead, and they should be able to exhaust him even further," Xue Guang replied with a cold smile.

Yuan Cha offered no response to this and merely returned to her stone hall as a ball of white light.

As for Xue Guang, he made a hand seal and vanished into the jade plate as a cloud of black Qi.

In the next instant, both of the giant treasures set off in pursuit of Han Li once again.

Meanwhile, Han Li was around 10,000 kilometers away, flying through the air with a dark expression. Having been fleeing for the past two months, the plans of the two Sacred Ancestors had naturally been made very apparent to him.

During this period of time, he had encountered at least 30 to 40 groups of enemies.

Some of these groups were comprised only of low-grade devilish beings, while others included the most elite forces the devilish army had to offer, and there were even two groups that had devilish lords among their ranks.

Under normal circumstances, this naturally wouldn't be of any concern to him, but with the two Sacred Ancestors hot on his heels, he didn't dare to engage in prolonged battles. As such, he was forced to unleash powerful abilities to eradicate his enemies as quickly as possible, but doing so was naturally very taxing on his magic power and spiritual sense.

If it weren't for the fact that he had many regenerative pills up his sleeve, he would've already collapsed. Even so, he was still in terrible condition.

Following the intense battles that he had endured, his magic power reserves had been whittled down to less than half, and after being forced to release all those mature Gold Devouring Beetles, his spiritual sense had also been severely depleted.

The only silver lining on this situation was that the two Sacred Ancestors seemed to have been intimidated by the powers he had displayed, and they only dared to deploy their troops to try and stall him.

As such, he didn't have to worry about being attacked by the two Sacred Ancestors for now, but he clearly couldn't keep this up for much longer. If they were to discover that he was virtually a spent force or if they were to deploy a large number of devilish beings to surround him, then he would be as good as dead.

Han Li naturally wasn't going to wait for something like this to happen. He had employed all types of methods to try and shake off his pursuers, but the two Sacred Ancestors were just as if not more adept then he was in tracking and concealment abilities.

He had tried a wide variety of tactics, but at the very most, he had only been able to shake off the two Sacred Ancestors for less than half a day before they caught up again.

Thus, Han Li was in a very dire situation.

If there were only a single Sacred Ancestor pursuing him, then perhaps he could slip away by taking advantage of a moment of complacency or a lapse in concentration from his pursuer. However, with two of them complementing one another, there was no way he would be able to depend on something like that.

As he approached Deep Heaven City, the number of enemies that he encountered was clearly beginning to increase.

He couldn't allow this to continue any longer! His pursuers were clearly taking advantage of his intention to return to Deep Heaven City, and had most likely set up a vast devilish army to stop him along the way. If he were to forge ahead blindly, then he'd run out of magic power and be killed before he could reach Deep Heaven City. He had to escape toward another direction! There were definitely going to be devilish beings attempting to impede him in other directions as well, but the resistance he encountered would most likely be significantly diminished.

However, he couldn't make his intentions too obvious. He had to somehow shake off his pursuers for now and give himself an opening for some respite.

Having made up his mind, Han Li immediately began to think of a plan.

Perhaps the dire nature of the situation bestowed upon Han Li a greater sense of urgency, but he was quickly able to think of a plan.

Within the jade plate, the three Xue Guang clones were standing in front of a new crystalline wall in a stationary manner.

Two of the clones had already closed their eyes, seemingly to rest, while the third was staring intently at the image on the wall.

All of a sudden, a faint cry of surprise escaped from the third clone's mouth, and the other two clones immediately opened their eyes.

The image on the crystalline wall depicted Han Li in his Kun Peng form, and he suddenly reverted back into human form, then stopped before making a hand seal. His body blurred slightly, and he manifested eight identical figures to himself.

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The Han Lis then all fled toward different directions at once.

"Hmph, does he think that such a pitiful little trick will work on me?" one of the clones harrumphed coldly before making a hand seal, and a giant devilish projection appeared behind him amid a flash of grey light.

The devilish projection had a pair of horns on its head and several massive tentacles on its back. It let loose a menacing snarl before a giant vertical eye suddenly appeared on its chest amid a flash of crimson light.

The eye took up close to half of the entire area of its chest, and it was glowing with green light, presenting a harrowing sight to behold.

The clone let loose a loud cry, and a burst of green light erupted from the giant eye before vanishing into the crystalline wall in a flash.

In the next instant, the clone closed his eyes, and azure light began to flash incessantly over his face.

After a short while, he said in a confident voice, "There are two actual bodies and six projections. One of them must be a clone, and it's traveling in a different direction from his true body."

"Looks like he's realized our intentions and is trying to shake us off again. Speed up! Don't let him get away!" another clone said in a cold voice.

"Of course. However..."

Just as the other clone was about to say something further, spiritual light suddenly flashed from the crystalline screen, and the image changed into one of Yuan Cha sitting on her stone chair.

"There are two actual bodies; we'll take one each. If either of us find his true body, then notify the other right away," Yuan Cha instructed as soon as her image appeared.

"Alright, we'll do as you say," one of the Xue Guang clones immediately agreed.

Yuan Cha nodded before sweeping a sleeve through the air, and the image on the crystalline wall instantly faded.

Almost at the exact same moment, countless runes surged out of the stone hall in a frenzy before forming a giant teleportation formation down below.

The stone hall rotated at the center of the formation before disappearing in a flash.

"Let's go," one of the Xue Guang clones said.

The three clones then made hand seals in unison, and bright crimson light radiated from their bodies.

In the next instant, the giant jade plate released a burst of dazzling white light, and its speed increased by more than twofold.

Meanwhile, the Han Lis all fled in different directions, vanishing into the distance in a flash.

Several hundred thousand kilometers away, there was an army of over 1,000 elite devilish beings hiding in preparation for an ambush. Moments later, the army received an order, and they immediately split up into the two before rushing away in two different directions.

As for the place that Han Li was situated at mere moments ago, none of the devilish beings took any further interest in it.

Around 10 minutes later, a ball of purple light suddenly flashed from behind a mundane-looking azure rock on the ground below, and a silver humanoid figure abruptly emerged.

It was another Han Li!

This Han Li was giving off no aura whatsoever, and as soon as he appeared, he closed his eyes before releasing his spiritual sense. After verifying that there weren't any devilish lords in a radius of several thousand kilometers, a hint of elation appeared on his face.

He immediately flipped a hand over to produce a thin skin-like object, which he tossed onto his own body. In the blink of an eye, he had transformed into a nondescript giant grey wolf, and he shot forth directly toward Deep Heaven City again as a streak of faint grey light.

Meanwhile, another Han Li was flying through the air over a lush forest as a streak of azure light.

A stone hall was hot on his heels in pursuit only around several kilometers away.

A massive mountain that was over 100,000 feet tall suddenly appeared in Han Li's field of view. The mountain was extremely lush and scenic, and Han Li's eyes immediately lit up as he flew directly toward the mountain.

After just a few flashes, he abruptly vanished at a certain point halfway up the mountain.

Not long thereafter, the stone hall appeared above the mountain summit, then released countless runes of different colors to instantly manifest a giant five-colored light formation.

The formation expelled a faint buzzing sound as soon as it appeared, and a giant ball of five-colored light with a diameter of several hundred feet appeared at its center.

A cold harrumph rang out from within the stone palace, and the giant ball of light immediately detached itself from the light formation before descending toward the highest point on the mountain peak.

Five-colored spiritual light flashed violently, and in the instant the ball of light came into contact with the mountain summit, it disappeared into the mountain without a sound, leaving only a gigantic black hole on the ground.

Not only was the hole extremely massive with a radius of over 1,000 feet, its edge was completely black and remarkably smooth, and a scorching aura was emanating from within it.

After the span of just a few breaths, an earth-shattering boom erupted from deep within the belly of the mountain, and the earth tremored violently.

Countless thick pillars of light then suddenly erupted from the surface of the mountain, punching countless holes into it in an instant.

The mountain swayed violently for a moment before completely collapsing, crumbling into a massive pile of rubble with countless rocks and stones flying in all directions.

At the center of the wreckage was a gargantuan crater that was several hundred feet deep with an area of over 10 acres.

The center of the crater was completely devoid of all matter, as if everything within it had been vaporized on the spot.

Immediately thereafter, over 100 thick pillars of light erupted from the light formation up above, then pierced into the wreckage down below. A string of resounding booms rang out from underground, but there was nothing amiss.

Only then did the stone hall gradually descend from above, only stopping once it was only several thousand feet above the rubble.

White light flashed in the air above the stone hall, and Yuan Cha emerged with a slightly bewildered expression as she swept her gaze over the wreckage.

"That Han brat just escaped into this mountain, so there's no way he should've been able to escape the scope of my attack. However, it looks like that was only a clone of his, seeing as I was able to kill him so easily, but even if it's just a clone it should've left behind some remains. Could it be that it just so happened to be at the epicenter of the attack, and its body was completely destroyed?" Yuan Cha murmured to herself with furrowed brows.

After a brief pause for contemplation, she closed her eyes while pointing a finger at her own glabella.

A burst of enormous spiritual sense immediately erupted forth before spreading in all directions before scouring meticulously through every single inch of rubble, but all to no avail.

"Looks like I was overthinking things." Yuan Cha's expression eased slightly as she reopened her eyes.

Right at this moment, a peculiar type of fluctuations emanated from her body, and her expression changed slightly as she swept a sleeve through the air to release an antiquated mirror.

The mirror circled around in the air above her head before hovering in front of her, and moments later, the image of Xue Guang appeared on its surface.

"Fellow Daoist Yuan Cha, there's no need for you to continue in your pursuit; you're most likely chasing after a clone. The one that I'm chasing has killed most of the troops I sent to impede him, and he's displaying immense power; I'm confident that this is his true body! I've managed to trap him in a certain place with my All-encompassing Plate, but he's unleashed some type of concealment technique, and I'm unable to find him for now. The three of us need to focus on controlling the All-encompassing Plate to seal off the surrounding area, so you'll have to assist us with tracking him down," the Xue Guang clone said in a serious manner.

The remnants of Yuan Cha's suspicions were erased upon hearing this, and she replied, "I see, that confirms it, then; I've already taken care of the one that I'm chasing after, and it did indeed seem far too weak to be the true body. I'll come to you right away; make sure you don't allow him to escape!"

She then immediately stowed her mirror away before flying upward as a streak of white light.

After just a few flashes, she returned to her stone hall and departed from the scene. Thus, peace and quiet returned to the area.

Four hours later, a layer of green light suddenly flashed over a mundane-looking dead log situated in a certain corner of the rubble. The log suddenly transformed into a green-skinned young man who was identical to Han Li in appearance; it was none other than Han Li's spirit body!

As soon the spirit body emerged, it immediately laid a hand onto the top of its own head, and a ball of green light emerged, within which was an adorable little girl. The little girl's face was slightly pale, and she took a seat with her legs crossed in the air above the spirit body. After a long while, a hint of color had finally returned to her cheeks.

She cast her gaze toward the massive crater nearby with a hint of lingering fear in her eyes, and murmured to herself, "Master was right; the spirit body really is able to conceal itself flawlessly within a natural setting. I've completed my mission; now, it's time to hide somewhere, then find a way to reunite with Master later. I hope Master can survive this ordeal."

After that, she disappeared into the spirit body again as a ball of green light.

In the next instant, the spirit body reopened its eyes, then decided on a certain direction before flying away.

Elsewhere, there were over 100 devilish elites hovering in the air around a giant jade plate. They were situated above a valley, and were looking down below with solemn looks in their eyes.

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At this point, the giant jade plate had already transformed into a scintillating red sun, and the red spiritual light radiating from it had encompassed the entire valley down below.

Within this red light, there were countless silver runes flashing incessantly, and they seemed to contain some type of mysterious power.

Within the jade plate, the three Xue Guang clones were standing next to one another. They were all making hand seals with crimson light shimmering around their bodies, staring at the crystalline wall up ahead with intense unblinking eyes.

Within the image on the crystalline wall, a series of crimson balls of light were scouring through the valley in search for something, and nothing was able to impede these balls of light.

As the balls of light roamed over the landscape, the image on the crystalline wall was constantly changing. However, there was nothing to be seen aside from rocks, trees, and spirit beasts that possessed no intelligence.

The three clones' expressions naturally darkened even further upon seeing this, and they continued to control the balls of light to search through the area.

Not long after that, a ball of white light shot forth from the distance, and it was none other than Yuan Cha's stone hall.

The stone hall reached the jade plate in a flash before stopping on the spot, and almost at the exact same moment, Yuan Cha emerged from the stone hall amid a flash of white light.

"You've finally arrived, Fellow Daoist Yuan Cha," the Xue Guang clone at the center said with a smile.

"Cut the chit-chat; are you sure that Han brat has been trapped in the valley?" Yuan Cha asked.

"Of course, I wouldn't dare to lie to you about something like this. After I caught up to him, he tried to use an earth movement technique to get away, so I sealed off this entire area with my All-encompassing Plate, There's no way he can escape from here, but he's used some type of concealment technique that's managed to escape my detection, so I'll have to trouble you, Fellow Daoist," another Xue Guang clone replied.

"Alright, I'll unleash my Great Origin Devil Technique right away to force him out into the open," Yuan Cha said with a nod.

"Please allow one of us to enter the valley with you to protect you against potential sneak attacks while you unleash your ability," the final Xue Guang clone said in a cold voice.

"Protect me? Hmph, it sounds like you just want to keep an eye on me." Yuan Cha's expression darkened upon hearing this.

"Hehe, you're misconstruing my intentions, Fellow Daoist Yuan Cha. That human brat is full of tricks, and he's carrying several powerful treasures that could potentially be very dangerous," the Xue Guang clone in the middle chuckled in response.

"Do whatever you want, then. I won't stop you from sending someone to accompany me, but you'd better not try anything. Otherwise, if something goes wrong, don't blame me for turning on you," Yuan Cha said in an expressionless manner.

Immediately thereafter, she returned to her stone hall without waiting for a response from Xue Guang.

The smile on the face of the middle Xue Guang clone immediately faded, and he said to another clone, "Alright, just as we planned earlier, you go and keep an eye on her. If she tracks down that brat, notify us right away; we can't allow her to get her hands on him first."

"Rest assured, I'll be sure to keep a close eye on her. That brat is most likely a spent force by now, but Yuan Cha still definitely won't be able to capture him easily. Before he appears, make sure to maintain the All-encompassing Plate restriction so he doesn't get away again," the clone replied.

The other two clones naturally gave an affirmative response.

Meanwhile, a rumbling boom suddenly rang out from the stone hall, and countless runes flashed from its surface as it split up into the two stone giants.

Yuan Cha was standing atop the head of one of the giants, and she made a hand seal, upon which the two stone giants descended toward the center of the valley.

At the same time, a ball of crimson light emerged from the jade plate before also flying downward.

Moments later, both Yuan Cha and one of the Xue Guang clones had landed on a patch of flat ground within the valley.

Yuan Chu inspected her surroundings before issuing an instruction to the two stone giants. "Elders, begin your transformation."

"Yes, Mistress Yuan Cha!" the two stone giants immediately replied.

Bright grey light erupted from their bodies, and they instantly transformed into a pair of stone pillars, each of which was over 1,000 feet tall. There was a series of strange patterns and runes engraved on the surfaces of the two pillars, creating quite a mysterious sight to behold.

"Shilun Totems! I'm very impressed that these two subordinates of yours managed to cultivate such an ability," the Xue Guang clone said in an intrigued voice.

"These two are definitely among the top 10, if not the top three most powerful beings in the Stone Devil Race. If they can't even do something like this, then why would I have protected them in our holy realm for so many years?" Yuan Cha replied in a cold voice.

"Hehe, if the Stone Devils under my command were this powerful, I'd also do everything in my power to protect them. Alright, setting that aside for now, have you summoned these totems to enhance the power of your Great Origin Devil Technique?" the Xue Guang clone asked.

"Even your All-encompassing Plate was unable to track down that Han brat, so just using the Great Origin Devil Technique may not be enough, either. However, with the Shilun Totems to assist me, I'll be able to find him for sure," Yuan Cha confirmed.

The Xue Guang clone nodded in response before falling silent.

Yuan Cha also had no intention of speaking any further, and her body swayed before she appeared in between the two stone pillars.

White light flashed, and an antiquated stone platform rose up from the ground, carrying her over 100 feet up into the air.

She took a deep breath before making a hand seal, then swept her other sleeve through the air to release a dozen or so small black flags, all of which took root firmly on the ground near the stone platform.

She then let loose a delicate cry, and a streak of black light emerged from her back before transforming into a giant devilish projection with three heads and six arms. The projection wore a suit of glossy black armor, and its entire body was giving off an overwhelming baleful aura. Its six eyes were bright red and completely devoid of emotion.

Yuan Cha began to chant in a low voice before casting around a dozen incantation seals into her surroundings, all of which vanished into thin air in a flash.

The small black flags immediately released a buzzing sound in response, and they quickly swelled to over 100 feet tall amid a flash of black light.

Right at this moment, the giant devilish projection behind Yuan Cha suddenly raised its heads before making a grabbing motion upward with all six of its hands.

Six black balls of light emerged over its palms, then transformed into six plumes of black smoke that converged high up in the air.

A devilish cloud instantly took shape up above, then began to take on the forms of different living creatures, as if it possessed spiritual nature.

Yuan Cha's chanting ceased upon seeing this, and she pointed a finger up toward the huge flags.

Black light swirled over the surfaces of the flags, then transformed into around a dozen bursts of black Qi that rose up into the devilish cloud.

As a result, the cloud swelled drastically in size, and soon, it had encompassed virtually half of the entire valley.

A cold light flashed through Yuan Cha's eyes, and she abruptly opened her mouth before expelling several balls of blood essence toward the devilish cloud up above.

The blood essence transformed into droplets of blood rain that vanished into the cloud in a flash, and at the same time, the two stone pillars were also releasing halos of five-colored light.

With each halo that passed through the devilish cloud, the cloud would swell slightly in size, and not long after that, countless crimson threads emerged within it amid a flash of crimson light.

They intertwined with the black cloud and manifested countless fist-sized balls of black Qi, all of which then transformed into palm-sized black crows.

There were over 10,000 of these crows in total, creating a harrowing sight to behold.

"Go!" Yuan Cha instructed as she swept a sleeve through the air.

The crows circled around before flying toward a certain direction in the valley, while Yuan Cha closed her eyes before pressing a finger against her own glabella, seemingly sensing something in silence.

The Xue Guang clone's expression changed slightly at the sight of the massive murder of crows, but he didn't do anything.

The crows seemed to possess insubstantial bodies as they were able to pass through all physical obstacles in their way, and mere moments later, they had scoured through close to half of the entire valley, but still hadn't been able to discover anything.

Just as the crows were summoned back by Yuan Cha before being sent toward a different direction, a sharp ringing sound suddenly erupted, and the Xue Guang clone faltered slightly before hurriedly laying a hand onto his own waist.

An egg-sized crystal ball instantly shot forth before transforming into a translucent light screen, within which the other two Xue Guang clones could be seen.

"We've got bad news! Come back with Fellow Daoist Yuan Cha right away! Another Han Li has suddenly been sighted elsewhere, and he broke through several of our defensive lines, killing two devilish lords en route to Deep Heaven City! That Han Li used an incomplete Profound Heavenly Treasure and released a swarm of Gold Devouring Beetles, so he's almost definitely the true body. We've all been had; we're currently pursuing just another clone of his! I've already issued an order to stall him at all costs. If we hurry over now, we should still be able to catch him!" one of the two Xue Guang clones said in an urgent manner.

The Xue Guang clone's expression darkened significantly upon hearing this, and he hurriedly turned to Yuan Cha. "Did you hear that, Fellow Daoist Yuan Cha? Forget about this clone; we have to leave this place right away!"

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Yuan Cha's eyelids fluttered, and she suddenly reopened her eyes, revealing them to be flashing with green light.

"Hmph, how can you be sure that you haven't gotten the wrong target again? I've already gone through this much hassle and I'm on the brink of success. Even if this isn't his true body, it'll still be useful for me to capture it. If you can't wait, then you can go on ahead. After I capture this clone, I'll meet up with you," she said in a cold voice.

The Xue Guang clone was rather taken aback to hear this, and after a brief moment of contemplation, he said, "In that case, I'll be going on ahead. With your powers, I'm sure you'll have no issues capturing a mere clone. However, his true body is very troublesome to deal with, and you and I will have to join forces to take him down, so don't get any other ideas."

"Rest assured, I won't intentionally ruin something that's mutually beneficial to us. I'm pursuing this clone for my own purpose. As for what that is, perhaps you'll learn of it soon," Yuan Cha replied in a nonchalant manner.

The Xue Guang clone was still rather befuddled, but it wasn't appropriate for him to pry any further, so he could only set the matter aside for now. "I'll be leaving behind half of my subordinates for you to use as you see fit. There aren't that many of them, but I'm sure they'll be of some help to you."

"Thank you for that," Yuan Cha replied with a nod as her expression eased slightly.

Immediately thereafter, the Xue Guang clone rose up into the air as a streak of crimson light, then disappeared into the jade plate after just a few flashes.

Moments later, a film of crimson light appeared over the surface of the jade plate, and it abruptly vanished on the spot.

Half of the elite devilish beings gathered around the jade plate also disappeared, leaving over 100 devilish beings behind.

They were led by a late-Spatial Tempering Stage devilish being, and they all descended toward Yuan Cha.

The leader of the devilish beings strode forward before extending a deep bow. "Mistress Yuan Cha, Master Xue Guang has already departed; do you have any orders for us?"

Even though he was a subordinate to Xue Guang, this devilish being was acting in an extremely respectful manner toward Yuan Cha.

"No, just stand by for now," Yuan Cha instructed in an indifferent manner.

"Yes, Mistress!" The devilish being naturally accepted the order without any objections.

Thus, the devilish beings all scattered around the stone platform to await further instructions.

As for Yuan Cha, she slowly closed her eyes again, and not long after that, the murder of crows scoured completed their search through another corner of the valley, then continued on toward another area.

Not long after that, they finally discovered something. Just as the crows were flying over a short shrub, over 100 of them suddenly began to circle around the plant while squawking loudly.

Yuan Cha abruptly reopened her eyes, and an elated look appeared on her face as she shot forth toward the shrub as a streak of white light.

At her speed, it would only take a few flashes for her to reach her destination, and right at this moment, the space around the shrub warped slightly.

Immediately thereafter, a burst of faint black Qi emerged before flying away, but it was clearly already too late.

Yuan Cha pointed a finger toward the black shadow, and all of the nearby crows immediately began to squawk in an extremely unpleasant manner while flying toward the black shadow like moths to a flame.

Perhaps one or two of these crows wouldn't be of any concern, but with over 1,000 of them swooping down at once, the black shadow was forced to stop and reveal its original form.

This was an inky-black Nascent Soul with an identical appearance to Han Li, and its entire body was radiating dense devilish Qi.

This was none other than Han Li's second Nascent Soul.

This second Nascent Soul wasn't as powerful as Han Li's main Nascent Soul, but following that ordeal in the Vast Glacial Realm, it had reached the peak of the Spatial Tempering Stage, and it possessed immensely powerful Devil Dao cultivation arts.

Even though it had been forced to stop by the oncoming murder of crows, it didn't panic in the slightest as it rubbed its hand together before raising both of them in unison.

Fierce black winds were swept up, and two bursts of inky-black devilish Qi erupted from within, transforming into a pair of black pythons that pounced straight into the murder of crows.

The two pythons surged through the air, and all of the crows in their path were instantly destroyed.

Even though the pair of pythons had gained the upper hand, the second Nascent Soul showed no signs of stopping as it quickly made a few more hand seals.

Right at this moment, spiritual light flashed up above, and Yuan Cha emerged before immediately reaching down with one of her slender hands before making a grabbing motion.

A resounding boom rang out as a giant white hand appeared out of thin air, then spread its fingers before pressing downward.

With her enormous powers, if the hand were allowed to descend, there was no way that the second Nascent Soul would be able to escape.

Thankfully, it was already prepared for this scenario and had a life-saving ability up its sleeve. All of a sudden, the Nascent Soul exploded, and a dozen or so inky-black fireballs shot forth.

Each fireball was around the size of an egg, and they instantly transformed into an inky-black Nascent Soul each before appearing several hundred feet away.

"You still think you can get away?"

Yuan Cha raised her eyebrows and let loose a delicate cry before uttering a peculiar incantation.

All of a sudden, a layer of translucent light appeared over the giant white hand, and it instantly exploded into a massive ball of white light.

Countless streaks of crystalline light shot forth from the ball of light, encompassing an area over 1,000 feet in size, as well as all of the black Nascent Souls.

Just as the Nascent Souls were about to unleash movement techniques to flee the scene, the streaks of crystalline light pierced through their bodies, and all of them exploded into balls of black flames aside from a single Nascent Soul, which twisted around to evade the oncoming attacks.

The only remaining Nascent Soul was the real one, and it's expression changed slightly upon seeing its illusionary technique being broken. Immediately thereafter, it expelled several balls of blood essence out of its mouth, then made a hand seal before chanting something.

The blood essence dispersed into a cloud of blood mist, which completely inundated its body.

"Hmph, what trick are you trying now?" Yuan Cha harrumphed coldly as she swept a sleeve toward the cloud of blood mist.

A piece of black fabric shot forth out of her sleeve in a flash, then instantly sliced through the blood mist like a projection.

However, almost at the exact same moment, a streak of crimson light also emerged from the blood mist before flying away into the distance.

In the next instant, crimson light flashed in the distant sky as a crimson thread appeared, then blurred before vanishing again.

Yuan Cha faltered slightly upon seeing this before a frosty look reappeared on her face. "That's the Bloodshadow Evasion Technique! That is indeed rather troublesome to deal with, but that won't be enough for you to escape from me!"

She waved a hand toward the distance, and the two giant stone pillars tremored slightly before rising up into the air. They then combined as one to form the stone hall again before hurtling directly toward Yuan Cha.

Yuan Cha flew into the stone hall before issuing an instruction to the devilish beings down below, then flew away as a ball of white light.

The devilish beings down below naturally hurriedly followed along, and thus, the area was vacated in the blink of an eye.

Meanwhile, in the air above a lake that was countless kilometers away from the second Nascent Soul, Han Li had unleashed his sword art to create a giant azure dragon comprised of countless streaks of sword Qi. The azure dragon was pouncing toward a high-grade devilish being with an insect-like body, and the devilish being was instantly torn apart. Even its Nascent Soul was instantly destroyed before it could escape.

Han Li swept a sleeve through the air, and the azure dragon disintegrated into countless streaks of azure sword Qi again. The sword Qi revolved around in mid-air before hurtling back toward Han Li, then vanished into his body amid a flash of azure light.

Beside the body of the high-grade devilish being that had just been slain, there were also a dozen or so other bodies of high-grade devilish beings hovering nearby.

After stowing away all of the sword Qi back into his own body, Han Li's face paled significantly, and only after circulating his magic power through his meridians a few times did his complexion improve slightly.

"It looks like they've already figured it out, so I can't keep going in this direction. What a pity; if they had reacted any slower than this, then there really was a chance that I could've made it back to Deep Heaven City. I can't allow myself to become predictable, so I'll have to try my luck by going in another direction. It's a good thing that my pursuers have already been shaken off, so there's a good chance that I'll be able to escape," Han Li mused to himself.

Back when Han Li had unleashed that secret technique to conjure up projections of himself, Qu'er and his second Nascent Soul had been among the projections, and they had lured away the two Sacred Ancestors. Meanwhile, he had concealed himself using his High Zenith Invisibility Talisman and remained at the same location.

With his drastic increase in cultivation base, it was impossible for the High Zenith Invisibility Talisman to maintain its concealment effect for too long. If Yuan Cha and Xue Guang had merely remained on the spot for a while, he would've been forced to reveal himself, and that was why he hadn't used his talisman earlier during his escape.

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He had already taken a huge risk to send out his spirit body and second Nascent Soul in a last-ditch effort, so he had naturally decided to use this talisman as well. As expected, Xue Guang wasn't able to see through his deception in time, and he was able to shake off his pursuers.

Not only was he taking a risk by doing this, his spirit body and second Nascent Soul were in even more peril than he was.

Thankfully, the spirit body was formed by the immortal zoysia, and Qu'er was also a spirit being of heaven and earth, so as long as they had enough time to conceal themselves, they should be able to remain hidden.

As for his second Nascent Soul, he had given it his other High Zenith Invisibility Talisman. On top of that, the second Nascent Soul had cultivated a Devil Dao secret technique that allowed it to manifest wings with its devilish Qi, and it had also cultivated the Bloodshadow Evasion Technique.

With those two techniques up its sleeve, it wasn't completely implausible that the second Nascent Soul could escape. After all, once the two Sacred Ancestors realized the second Nascent Soul wasn't his true body, they'd most likely just abandon it.

This was why he had immediately exposed himself and began slaying devilish beings when he felt the timing to be about right.

News of his exploits had most likely already reached Xue Guang and Yuan Cha, and he didn't want to be pursued by them again, so he had no choice but to truly abandon Deep Heaven City and go elsewhere.

With that in mind, Han Li no longer hesitated and fled in another direction.

During the next two months, Han Li began to dart around all over the place in an extremely unpredictable manner.

Initially, the Xue Guang clones were unable to track him down, and could only react to reports from other devilish beings that had sighted Han Li.

As such, they were always a step too late, and by the time they arrived, Han Li would already be gone.

Strangely enough, Yuan Cha wasn't with them, and Han Li had no idea where she was.

He was naturally more than happy to see this, and if it weren't for the fact that he was sorely lacking in magic power, he would've been very tempted to turn around and retaliate against the Xue Guang clones.

Unfortunately, under these current circumstances, he could only continue to run for his life.

The three Xue Guang clones were becoming more and more frustrated from this fruitless chase, and they dedicated even more devilish troops to hunting Han Li down, spreading them far and wide to try and intercept Han Li.

On top of that, they were able to make use of the teleportation formations that the devilish army had already seized control of to aid in their pursuit of Han Li, and as a result, he was constantly kept on his toes.

It was often the case that he would immediately depart from a place after recovering around 30% to 40% of his magic power, not daring to stay any longer than that. Even so, he was still almost cut off by the three Xue Guang clones on several occasions.

Thankfully, his intuition as a Body Integration cultivator saved on him those occasions, alerting him and allowing him to get away just in the nick of time.

As such, Han Li was naturally becoming more and more cautious, and he was forced to abandon his plans of traveling to other major human settlements, including the Holy Sovereign City and the four true spirit families, choosing to flee elsewhere instead.

In the other directions, the number of devilish troops was drastically diminished, and the time it took for the three Xue Guang clones to get to him began to increase.

This gave Han Li a lot more respite, and he was able to meditate for longer periods of time, thereby allowing him to gradually recover his magic power.

Unfortunately, this didn't last long. Three months later, Yuan Cha suddenly reappeared alongside the three Xue Guang clones, and they immediately set off after him in hot pursuit, not affording him any opportunity for respite.

It was often the case that they would get to him when he had only been cultivating at a certain place for around four to six hours, and he would be forced to flee again.

Thankfully, there weren't many other devilish beings nearby, so he was always able to make his escape relatively easily.

However, during the next month, the four Sacred Ancestor clones were always hot on his heels now matter where he went, and he finally realized that something was wrong.

The four Sacred Ancestor clones seemed to have a method of determining his approximate location. It clearly wasn't very accurate, but it was enough to render him unable to shake them off.

Yuan Cha was clearly the one who held the key to this tracking method, and she had only just recently obtained it. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to get away so easily in the past.

Han Li employed a few more methods to try and shake off his pursuers, all to no avail, and his heart sank further and further. As such, he became even more cautious and began to take routes that would take him further and further away from the devilish beings in the area.

Thus, time passed by one day after another, and they began to approach the border of the human territory.

This area was very close to the primordial world, and ancient beasts were often able to force their way through the restrictions here, so no human cities had been established in the area. As such, this was also the most barren and desolate part of the human territory.

Without any human settlements here, there obviously wouldn't be any devilish armies situated here, either.

With Han Li's incredible speed, there were very few high-grade devilish beasts that had been able to keep up with him and the four Sacred Ancestor clones, and the only ones that had been able to keep up were only able to do so as they had been drawn into Xue Guang's giant jade plate.

Han Li continued to hurtle through the air as a streak of light with a dark expression.

With his current level of magic power, it was unwise to continue to maintain his Kun Peng form, so he could only revert back to his human form.

At this point, he had already been fleeing for over half a year, and his constant changes in direction made the four Sacred Ancestor clones unable to chase him down, but even with his resolute will, having to flee for his life for so long was taking a heavy mental toll on him.

However, he was now even more determined to continue fleeing and engage his pursuers in a battle of attrition.

There was no way that the four Sacred Ancestor clones could keep this up forever. They had to be expending just as much magic power as he was, and they also wouldn't have had much time to recover their magic power.

High up in the air millions of kilometers away from Han Li, a stone hall and a giant plate were hurtling through the air.

Within the jade plate, the three Xue Guang clones were standing before the crystalline wall, discussing something with Yuan Cha, whose image was being depicted on the wall.

"So you're still unwilling to enter our All-encompassing Plate, Fellow Daoist Yuan Cha? You should be just as aware as I am how much magic power we're expending by separately controlling flying treasures like this. I descended into this realm in quite a hurry, so I'm not carrying many magic power regeneration pills. I managed to get some from my subordinates, but after flying for this long, those pills have almost all been used up as well. At this rate, there's no guarantee that we'll be able to outlast that human brat. "We don't know how many regenerative pills he's carrying; even now, he's still displaying no signs of magic power exhaustion. I'm sure you're not carrying many regenerative pills, either, right, Fellow Daoist? In that case, it would be wise of us to fly in one treasure together so we can take turns resting," one of the Xue Guang clones urged.

"I naturally have no objections to this, but why can't you three come to my stone hall? Why do you insist on making me enter your All-encompassing Plate?" Yuan Cha asked.

"Hmph, why ask a question you already know the answer to? The cultivation arts we're using contradict with the protective stone Qi cultivated by the Stone Devil Race. If we try to meditate and recover our magic power in your Stone Devil Hall, the effect will be minimal. Hence, it's much better for you to come into our All-encompassing Plate," Xue Guang insisted.

"Is that so? I'm more concerned that you'll unleash the power of your All-encompassing Plate on me if I were to enter it. You're renowned in our sacred realm for devouring the blood essence and magic power of others, so don't tell me that something like this is beneath you," Yuan Cha chuckled coldly, completely doing away with all semblance of pleasantries.

"You're overthinking things, Fellow Daoist. Both of us only have our clones here; if I were to do that, your true body definitely wouldn't let me get away with it," Xue Guang sighed in a resigned manner.

"Hehe, I wouldn't be so sure about that. What you're saying makes some sense, but I'm still not willing to take the risk. Perhaps this clone of mine doesn't possess enough blood essence and magic power to tempt you, but if we take into consideration the Chaotic Yin Yang Qi and Devil Sealing Lock that's currently in the Han brat's possession, even I would be tempted to do something radical," Yuan Cha said as a mocking sneer appeared on her face.

The three Xue Guang clones' expressions changed slightly upon hearing this, and they glanced at another before one of them asked, "Chaotic Yin Yang Qi and Devil Sealing Lock? What are you talking about?"

"Why play these childish little games, Xue Guang? I saw that Han brat extracting Chaotic Yin Yang Qi from the Devil Sealing Lock using the Earthly Hellish Flames. I heard that there was a very good chance that the Devil Sealing Lock had fallen into your hands; it seems that the rumors were true. I don't know how you managed to lose the treasure to a human, but you sent your three clones into this realm for the Chaotic Yin Yang Qi, right?" Yuan Cha chuckled coldly in response.

"Seeing as you've already figured everything else, then I won't keep this from you any longer. What are you going to do? Are you going to inform Liu Ji and the others of this?" Xue Guang asked in a cold voice.

"Chaotic Yin Yang Qi is extremely important to Sacred Ancestors like us; I'm not going to let even more people know about it! My condition is very simple: I can give you the Devil Sealing Lock and half of the Chaotic Yin Yang Qi, but you have to give me the remaining Chaotic Yin Yang Qi, as well as all of the treasures that are being carried by that Han brat," Yuan Cha replied.

"You sure are asking for a lot! Setting aside everything else, that brat took my Purple Word Cauldron as well; I have to recover that no matter what," Xue Guang harrumphed coldly.

Yuan Cha was rather taken aback to hear this. "The Purple Word Cauldron was taken by him as well? That's rather surprising to hear. In that case, you can have the cauldron as well."

"Alright, then it's settled. We've forged an alliance; isn't it about time you showed me the tracking method you're using to pursue that brat?" Xue Guang asked.

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"Even if you learn the method, you wouldn't be able to replicate it," Yuan Cha said in an indifferent voice.

"Hehe, how will I know whether I can replicate it if you don't tell me?" Xue Guang chuckled.

"If you really want to know, then I'll tell you. Remember how I remained behind to deal with the clone of that human brat?" Yuan Cah asked.

"Of course. You remained there for a few months and didn't mention it at all after meeting up with me. Could it be that this tracking method has something to do with that clone of his?" Xue Guang asked.

"Indeed. That clone is actually one of his Nascent Souls. Even though it's only at the late-Spatial Tempering Stage, it's cultivated several powerful life-saving abilities. Even after chasing it for so long, I was still unable to stop it from self-detonating and escaping as countless wisps of soul fragments. In the end, I was only able to capture one of the soul fragments," Yuan Cha said with a grim expression.

"What? A Spatial Tempering Stage Nascent Soul managed to escape from you?" Xue Guang was quite stunned to hear this, and all three clones exchanged astonished glances.

"Hmph, like I said, the Nascent Soul had cultivated several powerful life-saving abilities and was also carrying a few profound talismans. I was too complacent and allowed it to get away. With that Nascent Soul's powers, as long as most of it manages to gather together again, it should be able to recover back to its original form. If I hadn't been in a hurry to meet back up with you, I would've definitely spent some more time and destroyed all of those soul fragments. However, even with this single soul fragment, I'm able to use my Great Origin Devil Technique to track his location. I've already refined that soul fragment into my own body, so I'm able to sense his approximate location from afar. Unfortunately, I don't have a second soul fragment for you to replicate this tracking method. In any case, this tracking method has a huge margin for error and only points out an approximate direction, which is why that human brat is able to continue to evade us," Yuan Cha explained.

"A soul fragment is required? I have a similar secret technique, but it looks like I won't be able to replicate the tracking method, after all. If I had known this in advance, I would've stayed with you for a few more days to help you capture that Nascent Soul." A regretful look appeared on Xue Guang's face as he spoke.

"If you had done that, then perhaps that human brat would've gotten away. Even a second Nascent Soul of his is so difficult to capture; I can only imagine how slippery he's going to be," Yuan Cha said with a shake of her head.

"Hmph, no matter how tricky he is, he must be close to completely exhausting his magic power and spiritual sense after being pursued by us for so long. Without any power at his disposal, he won't be able to use any of his tricks," Xue Guang harrumphed coldly.

"I recall you said the exact same thing two months ago, but he's still as lively as ever. In contrast, we're the ones who are struggling to keep up," Yuan Cha said as a slightly self-derogatory look appeared on her face.

A slightly awkward look appeared on Xue Guang's face upon hearing this. "That's only because neither of us expected him to be carrying so many magic power regeneration pills. We're unable to track down his exact location, so we can only keep chasing him like this. As soon as he exhausts all of his magic power, we'll be able to capture him with ease."

"Indeed. He's still traveling quite quickly now, but he's far slower than he was in the beginning. It looks like he truly is close to exhausting his magic power," Yuan Cha replied with a nod.

"This is why I'm inviting you into my All-encompassing Plate. If we control this treasure together, we'll be able to maintain our current speed while significantly decreasing our magic power expenditure," Xue Guang said in a hopeful manner.

"Don't mention that again; I won't take such an unnecessary risk. This Stone Devil Hall is formed by the two elders of the Stone Devil Race; I conserve much more magic power using it than anyone else could," Yuan Cha rejected in a cold voice.

"In that case, I won't mention this again. I have some subordinates with me; they should be able to help me control the All-encompassing Plate for brief periods of time," Xue Guang said with a wry smile.

"Then it's settled. It seems like that human brat won't be able to last much longer, but I still think that you and I will need to make some preparations in advance. If he really does manage to last longer than we do or plans to engage us in a last-ditch battle before his magic power runs out, we have to be prepared," Yuan Cha said as she nodded with a cold look in her eyes.

"Rest assured, Fellow Daoist Yuan Cha; I've naturally prepared some other measures. There's no way that human brat will be able to turn the tables on us," Xue Guang said in a confident manner.

"I'm glad to hear that. In order to conserve magic power, I won't be contacting you unless the necessity arises." After that, Yuan Cha swept a sleeve through the air, and her image vanished from the crystalline wall amid a flash of white light.

Thus, peace and quiet abruptly returned to the space within the All-encompassing Plate.

The smile on the face of the center Xue Guang clone instantly disappeared, and he pondered the situation for a moment before asking, "What do you two think of what Yuan Cha just said?"

He was naturally raising the question to the other two clones.

Even though the three clones stemmed from the same being, their personalities vastly differed as a result of the special soul-splitting secret technique, and they were more like three completely different people.

"There's not much to it; Yuan Cha definitely didn't tell the truth. Most devilish cultivation arts include abilities that allow one to track someone's main Nascent Soul through the use of a soul fragment. However, this method is only viable when the person being tracked possesses far inferior magic power to the one doing the tracking. Otherwise, if the target senses that something is amiss, they can use certain special methods to seal off their main Nascent Soul, and the tracking method would be rendered useless," one of the clones said with furrowed brows.

"On top of that, she agreed to return the Devil Sealing Lock and Purple Word Cauldron to you so easily; I suspect that she has some type of ulterior motive. Those two treasures aren't true Profound Heavenly Treasures, but they're still incomplete Profound Heavenly Treasures; why is she willing to give them up so easily? If she had tried to argue with us over ownership rights of one or both of the treasures, perhaps I'd have been convinced that she was being genuine," the other clone also chuckled coldly in response.

"Alright, I think we can conclude that she's definitely hiding something and harboring some kind of ulterior motive, but our top priority for now is to capture that human brat. Also, from today onward, let's begin taking turns absorbing the true devilish crystals that we brought with us. Hehe, I bet Yuan Cha would've never anticipated that we would bring so many true devilish crystals into this realm. With those crystals as a source of devilish Qi replenishment, we can keep this up even for another year. When Yuan Cha is unable to keep up, we'll be able to adopt the dominant position and dictate how that Han brat's treasures are split among us," the center Xue Guang clone said with a dark expression.

The other two clones were also quite elated to hear this.

Meanwhile, Yuan Cha was also seated on her stone chair in deep thought within her massive stone hall.

After a while, a faint sigh suddenly rang out within the stone hall. The voice was very delightful to the ears, but it was also completely unfamiliar; it was the sigh of another woman.

Yuan Cha faltered slightly upon hearing this before an ecstatic look appeared in her eyes. "Liu Ji! You're finally awake!"

"I am. It's all thanks to your willingness to lend me your physical body that I was able to descend into the Spirit Realm without being noticed by anyone else," the unfamiliar female voice chuckled.

"You fell into a deep slumber just as I was breaking into this realm, and you didn't wake up for several years; I was quite concerned," Yuan Cha said.

"This clone of yours possesses quite a powerful physical body, but it's still unable to contain two powerful souls at once; I could only temporarily seal away my consciousness to ensure that no harm came to your physical body. By the way, where is this place, and why have you expended so much of your magic power? Have you encountered some type of trouble?" the unfamiliar woman asked.

"I'll tell you about everything later. For now, please return this soul fragment of yours to your physical body first, Sister. This is the least powerful of your six clones, but it's still far more powerful than this clone of mine."

Yuan Cha flicked her wrist as she spoke, and a ball of black light shot out of her sleeve before landing on the ground. The ball of black light then transformed into an inky-black jade coffin that was around 10 feet in size, and there were wisps of black devilish Qi emanating from the coffin, as well as layers of mysterious patterns engraved over its surface.

There were also a dozen or so golden and silver restriction talismans plastered to the surface of the coffin to seal it tightly shut.

"Sure. Seeing as I've already awakened, it wouldn't be appropriate for me to continue to stay in your body," the unfamiliar female voice replied.

Immediately thereafter, a layer of black light appeared over Yuan Cha's face, following which a ball of green spiritual light emerged from her glabella. After just a single flash, the ball of light transformed into a miniature green humanoid figure that was only several inches tall.

The miniature green figure's body was concealed within a layer of green light, making it impossible to glean its facial features.

Right at this moment, Yuan Cha began to chant something before pointing a finger at the black coffin.

All of the golden and silver talismans on the coffin were ignited at her behest, and were quickly incinerated into nothingness.

Immediately thereafter, the lid of the coffin rose up into the air, and dense devilish Qi erupted forth, quickly filling the entire hall.

The miniature green figure instantly vanished into the coffin as a ball of green light upon seeing this.

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A resounding boom rang out, and all of the devilish Qi that had poured out of the coffin instantly swept back into it. Thus, all of the black Qi permeating throughout the entire hall vanished in the blink of an eye.

As a result, the patterns on the surface of the coffin began to radiate dazzling white light, creating an unsettling contrast with the inky-black body of the coffin.

However, the white light only flashed for the span of a few breaths before it immediately dimmed.

Right at this moment, bursts of buzzing rang out from within the coffin, and hundreds of ancient silver runes shot forth before forming six massive shimmering silver projections up above.

These were all projections of humanoid devilish beings of different physical descriptions.

These silver projections only appeared for an instant before they also disintegrated into specks of silver light.

In the next instant, a faint moan rang out from within the coffin, and an arm that was encased in black armor emerged. Immediately thereafter, a slender black-armored warrior slowly rose to her feet from within the coffin.

Not only was this armored warrior wearing a suit of antiquated black armor, she was also wearing a menacing visor that concealed everything aside from her clear blue eyes.

"Sister Liu Ji, how much of your power can you channel through this clone?" Yuan Cha asked with a concerned look in her eyes as soon as the armored warrior emerged.

"It'll still be somewhat restricted in this realm, but I'll be able to channel around 20% of my power through it, which will be enough to handle all enemies below the Grand Ascension Stage," the armored warrior replied.

"I see, 20% of your power will indeed be enough to dominate the human race. You awakened at just the right time, Sister; I've encountered a problem that I'll require your assistance with," Yuan Cha said as the concern in her eyes gave way to elation.

"Oh? What's the issue? Hold on, you don't seem to be alone here; who's in that All-encompassing Plate? Could it be that Du Long descended into the Spirit Realm as well?" the armored warrior asked in a slightly surprised manner as she caught sight of the giant jade plate beside the stone hall.

"No, it's Xue Guang's clones who are currently using the treasure. We're currently pursuing a human cultivator who possesses the Devil Sealing Lock, Purple Word Cauldron, and Chaotic Yin Yang Qi!" Yuan Cha revealed.

A hint of surprise appeared in the armored warrior's eyes upon hearing this, but her voice remained quite calm as she said, "Devil Sealing Lock and Chaotic Yin Yang Qi? That's rather interesting. Give me a detailed recount of what happened."

Yuan Cha nodded before explaining the situation. "So this is what happened; I originally descended into this realm at your behest to prevent a plot hatched by the humans that'll be of detriment to our holy race. However, during that process..."

It took Yuan Cha around 10 minutes to finally tell the full story, following which a wry smile appeared on her face as she sighed, "Thus, we can only keep chasing that human brat like this. That Xue Guang clearly isn't to be trusted; it's most likely the case that he'll turn on me once we chase down that human cultivator."

"It sounds like Xue Guang has some other measures prepared. Otherwise, he wouldn't dare to plot against you like this, considering how this clone of yours is far more powerful than those three clones of his. However, there's no need to be concerned. Now that I've awakened, I'm naturally not going to just stand by idly and watch. Chaotic Yin Yang Qi is extremely useful for us Sacred Ancestors; it would be a pity if it were to fall into the hands of Xue Guang. This clone of mine is carrying many devilish crystals, and they should be enough for you to replenish your magic power," the armored warrior said.

"That would be great! With your assistance, I'll have nothing to worry about," Yuan Cha replied in an elated manner.

A month later, a giant mountain range that was enshrouded in a vast expanse of murky grey mist appeared ahead of Han Li.

Not only was this mist extremely dense, it seemed to stretch indefinitely up into the heavens with no end in sight.

Han Li was currently seated in a triangular azure flying carriage with his eyes closed, meditating while holding a top-grade spirit stone in each hand.

As the flying carriage was approaching the mountain range, Han Li seemed to have sensed something, and he slowly opened his eyes.

"I'm finally here; this should be the legendary End of the Southern Sky. As expected of a super formation that has protected the human race for so many years; if it weren't for the fact that the restriction's been severely weakened by the merging of the two realms, it would most likely be very difficult to pass through this place," Han Li murmured to himself before closing his eyes again.

All the while, his flying carriage continued onward, plunging into the mist without any hesitation.

Half a day later, the stone hall and giant jade plate also arrived at this place.

Yuan Cha and Xue Guang held a brief discussion before also entering the mist.

Han Li had already been forced to such an extent that he was venturing into the perilous primordial world, so there was naturally no reason to give up on this chase.

Three months later, Han Li appeared in the air above a swamp. He swept a sleeve through the air to release countless streaks of azure sword Qi, slicing a giant purple lion that had been trapped in a golden lightning net into countless pieces.

He made a grabbing motion, and a ball of purple light flew out from the lion's dismembered corpse. The ball of light flew into his hand in a flash, revealing itself to be a translucent egg-sized demon core.

Han Li's face was rather pale, but a faint smile appeared on his face as he murmured to himself, "With the demon core of this late-Spatial Tempering Stage Bright Purple Lion, I should be able to refine a batch of Spirit Conservation Pills, which will replenish my magic power for some time to come."

He was carrying a large supply of magic power regeneration pills, but he had been constantly consuming them during the past year, so his supply was naturally beginning to wear thin. The supply of spirit stones that he had also wouldn't be sufficient to recover his magic power, so he took a risk and sought out several high-grade ancient beasts, quickly slaying them using powerful techniques to obtain their demon cores.

Using the demon cores and some other ingredients, he would be able to refine a batch of magic power regeneration pills in a short time.

With the limited time that he had, he wouldn't be able to maximize the efficacy of these pills, but he couldn't afford to worry about these minor details at a time like this.

This came as quite a relief to Han Li. As long as he could continue to hunt down ancient beasts and secure pill refinement ingredients, he should be able to outlast his pursuers.

A day later, Xue Guang and Yuan Cha also arrived at the swamp, and all four of them were appraising the remains of the Bright Purple Lion with dark expressions. They had clearly already guessed Han Li's intentions.

They couldn't think of a good way to counter this course of action, but they had come too far to turn back now, so they could only continue.

Thankfully, both of them were carrying large supplies of devilish crystals, so they weren't concerned about running out of magic power for now.

Thus, Han Li continued to flee while slaying ancient beasts to refine pills, and he led his pursuers deeper and deeper into the primordial world.

During the periods of time that Han Li failed to encounter ancient beasts that he could slay for pill refinement ingredients, he would consume some of the spirit plants he obtained from the Vast Glacial Realm.

These spirit medicines each had different effects, but they all contained extremely pure spiritual Qi. Direct consumption was quite a waste, but they still served to replenish some of his magic power.

However, doing this resulted in a myriad of different medicinal effects accumulating within his body, which was quite harmful. Under normal circumstances, he could just spend some time to use his magic power to expel or refine these medicinal effects, but in this situation, he didn't have any time or magic power to spare. As such, he could only temporarily repress these medicinal effects and address them later.

With Han Li's current level of powers, there naturally wouldn't be any issues in the short term, but if he had to continue to consume spirit medicines directly without properly addressing their medicinal effects, then he would land himself in hot water sooner or later.

Han Li was well aware of this, but he had no choice but to continue in this fashion.

Thus, another half a year passed by.

On this day, Han Li was meditating on his flying carriage with his eyes closed, while a woman in a white dress was controlling the flying treasure in his stead.

The woman was none other than his sentient puppet, Doll.

Doll's magic power was far inferior to Han Li's, so the flying carriage was traveling at a far slower speed, but it was still better than having to stop whenever Han Li needed some time to rest and recuperate.

This afforded Han Li some breathing room from time to time. Otherwise, even with his supply of pills and spirit stones, he wouldn't have been able to last this long.

Even so, his complexion had clearly paled significantly compared to half a year ago, and his aura had also become extremely feeble.

All of a sudden, his expression changed slightly, and he abruptly opened his eyes.

Almost at the exact same moment, a loud thunderclap rang out several kilometers away, and a giant silver lightning formation emerged out of thin air.

A burly figured then stumbled out of the center of the formation amid a resounding boom.

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The burly humanoid figure had silver lightning revolving all around his body, and after steadying himself, he raised his head, revealing himself to be a middle-aged man with a head of red hair and a heavy beard.

The man had a square face and a huge hook nose that resembled a falcon's beak. There was a pair of crimson wings on his back that were crackling with arcs of lightning, and he resembled the incarnation of the Lightning God.

However, at this moment, his face was quite pale, and there were many charred sections on the silver robe that he was wearing. One of his sleeves had been completely torn off to reveal a bare arm.

This man was an early-Body Integration cultivator, and he seemed to be in an even sorrier state than Han Li. As soon as he appeared, he immediately turned to look behind himself with a panicked expression.

As soon as Han Li caught sight of the man, his heart jolted with shock, and he couldn't help but exclaim, "It's you!"

The man immediately turned to Han Li upon hearing his voice, and a shocked look also appeared on his face at the sight of Han Li.

Right at this moment, a thought seemed to have occurred to Han Li, and a hint of excitement appeared on his face.

In the next instant, he rose to his feet on his flying carriage, then appeared behind Doll in a wraith-like manner.

Han Li laid a hand onto Doll's shoulder, and she was instantly drawn up his sleeve as a ball of white light.

Immediately thereafter, spiritual light flashed from beneath Han Li's feet, and the speed of his flying carriage instantly doubled as he hurtled over to just over 1,000 feet away from the burly man.

The burly man swept his spiritual sense toward Han Li before asking with furrowed brows, "Han Li? Why are you here? And why are you in such a bad condition?"

The burly man clearly recognized him.

"Shouldn't I be the one asking you that, Brother Lei? You look to be in an even worse situation than I am; are you being hunted by someone as well?" Han Li asked with a wry smile.

"Hmph, I have indeed encountered some trouble, but my situation is still better than yours. I can see that you've reached the mid-Body Integration Stage since we last met; how did you exhaust your magic power to such a degree? You're not being hunted by Grand Ascension Stage beings, are you?" the burly man replied.

"I am indeed being hunted by Grand Ascension Stage beings. You seem to be really panicked despite your ability to create lightning formations; could it be that you're also being hunted by Grand Ascension Stage beings?" Han Li asked as he raised an eyebrow.

"Hehe, looks like we're both in the same boat. Who are you being pursued by? Why are there suddenly so many Grand Ascension Stage beings around?" the burly man asked.

A peculiar look appeared on Han Li's face. "Why ask a question you already know the answer to, Brother Lei? Our human race and the nearby few races are currently in the midst of a devilish tribulation, so I'm obviously being hunted by beings from the Elder Devil Race. Are you unaware of all this?"

The burly man immediately drew a sharp breath upon hearing this. "Devilish tribulation? Could it be that you're being pursued by a Sacred Ancestor? I just came out of seclusion several months ago; how am I supposed to know about this?"

"I see, it's no wonder that you haven't heard about the devilish tribulation, then. I'm being pursued by several Sacred Ancestor clones, all of which possess late-Body Integration Stage powers, so I naturally had no choice but to flee. Are you being pursued by a Sacred Ancestor clone as well, Brother Lei?" Han Li asked.

"I don't know if they're Sacred Ancestors, but they are indeed able to control extremely pure true devil Qi. One of them uses a cultivation art that can suppress my Five Lightning Physique, and as for the other one, I still haven't been able to ascertain her level of power; perhaps she's also a Sacred Ancestor clone," the burly man replied in an ambiguous manner.

Han Li's brows furrowed slightly upon hearing this. It was quite clear that Lei Yunzi was hiding something, but he couldn't be bothered to pry any further now. Instead, he quickly changed the subject. "We're quite fortunate to have bumped into one another. Do you still recall the lightning formation that you introduced to me when we last met? If we join forces..."

Lei Yunzi's eyes immediately lit up with elation upon hearing this. "Ah, you're talking about the dual lightning formation, right? How could I have forgotten something like that? Haha, there's a good chance we'll be able to escape from our pursuers now."

"In that case, let's not waste any more time. We... Hmm? Where's this fragrance coming from?" Han Li faltered mid-sentence as he suddenly caught a whiff of a special scent in the air.

Lei Yunzi's face paled even further as he hurriedly yelled, "Crap, those two have tracked me down again! Come to me, Fellow Daoist Han; I'll get you out of here first!"

Han Li was also quite startled to hear this, and his flying carriage immediately shot forth toward Lei Yuanzi as a streak of azure light.

After just two flashes, Han Li appeared beside Lei Yunzi, then stowed the flying carriage away with a wave of his hand.

Meanwhile, Lei Yunzi made a hand seal with an urgent look on his face, and countless arcs of silver lightning erupted out of his body and crimson wings to instantly form a brand new lightning formation.

A resounding thunderclap rang out, and lightning flashed like countless silver snakes to inundate both Han Li and Lei Yunzi. However, right at this moment, spatial fluctuations suddenly erupted in the air above the lightning formation, and a pink floral tree emerged out of thin air.

The tree was around 1,000 feet tall, and it was releasing an indescribably fragrant scent.

The tree rustled up above, and countless pink flowers descended from it, then transformed into a burst of pink light that swept downward.

Strangely enough, the pink light appeared to be moving very slowly, but it instantly covered a distance of several thousand feet and reached the lightning formation down below.

"There's not enough time! Dodge!"

The pink light was extremely alluring and beautiful, but Lei Yunzi was appraising it as if it were a ghastly apparition. He immediately abandoned his lightning formation and flapped his wings vigorously, vanishing into thin air as an arc of lightning.

This was the first time that Han Li had seen this pink tree, but his heart jolted at the sight of the evasive measures that Lei Yunzi had taken, and he also shot forth out of the lightning formation as a thread of azure and white light.

The thread of light covered a distance of over 2,000 feet in a single flash while the giant lightning formation was instantly snuffed out by the pink light.

This pink light seemed to possess the ability to repress the power of lightning.

The azure and white light faded, and Han Li reappeared before drawing a sharp breath as he cast his gaze back to where the lightning formation had been just a moment ago.

He turned to Lei Yunzi with a stunned look in his eyes. "Brother Lei, are these..."

"That's right, these two are my pursuers. They're tracking me down faster and faster now," Lei Yunzi replied as he forced a smile onto his own face.

Han Li's heart sank upon hearing this, but he could only steel himself and focus his attention on the floral tree projection.

However, aside from the projection, nothing else appeared in the nearby space. Of course, neither Lei Yunzi nor Han Li were going to be fooled by such measly tricks; they merely remained on the spot and refrained from doing anything rash.

"Hehe, why aren't you running away this time? Could it be that you've given up and are willing to hand that thing over?"

As soon as this voice trailed off, a hideous black-robed man appeared beside the floral tree before instantly turning toward Han Li and Lei Yunzi.

"Oh? And who might you be?" the hideous man interrogated as he appraised Han Li with a vicious look in his eyes.

"You're telling me this man is making you run for your life?" Han Li asked as he raised an eyebrow.

"Of course not. Aside from him, there's also..."

"There's also me!"

An indifferent female voice suddenly rang out from above the floral tree projection.

Immediately thereafter, pink light flashed erratically from the surface of the projection, and it crumbled away into specks of spiritual light, revealing a barefoot woman in a white dress in its place.

The woman had a set of peerlessly beautiful facial features, and she was standing atop a giant pink flower.

Han Li was instantly struck by a sense of asphyxiation at the sight of the woman, and his expression darkened significantly.

He was immediately able to ascertain that this woman was either a Grand Ascension Stage being or a clone of such a being. Otherwise, there was no way that he would be struck by such a strong sense of foreboding.

The woman glanced at Han Li and Lei Yunzi, and a mysterious smile appeared on her face.

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"Have you changed your mind, Fellow Daoist? You've led me on this chase for over a month just over a mere spirit flower. That Celestial Cloud Flower is useless to you; how about you hand it over to me, and I'll spare your life?" the woman proposed, much to Lei Yunzi's rage and chagrin.

"Hmph, the Celestial Cloud Flower is an extremely precious spirit item. I may have no use for it now, but there will definitely come a day when it'll be useful to me. If you want me to hand it over to you, then you're going to be disappointed!" Lei Yunzi harrumphed coldly in response.

As opposed to being enraged by this, the woman remained calm, and remarked, "It seems that you're very confident in your lightning formations."

"Hehe, why wouldn't I be confident? If you have the ability to catch me, then how have I managed to escape from you for over a month?" Lei Yunzi chuckled coldly, seemingly having cast aside all of his wariness toward the woman.

The hideous black-robed man's immediately flared up with rage. "Insolence! How dare you speak to Mistress Bao Hua like that?"

"Shut up, you noisy lapdog! If you didn't have that woman to protect you, I could kill you with ease!" Lei Yunzi said in a cold derisive voice.

The hideous man was enraged even further upon hearing this, and he let loose a ferocious snarl as he prepared to pounce toward Lei Yunzi, only for the woman to stop him. "Stand down, Hei'e! You are indeed no match for this fellow daoist."

The man did as he was told, but an indignant look appeared on his face. "But, Mistress Bao Hua, he..."

"Are you opposing my orders?" the woman asked as she raised an eyebrow.

"I wouldn't dare! Forgive me for my mindless transgression," Hei'e hurriedly replied in a panicked manner.

Bao Hua's gaze lingered on him for a moment longer before she warned in an indifferent voice, "Don't let it happen again."

Hei'e hurriedly gave an affirmative response.

Han Li was appraising everything from the side, and a hint of bewilderment flashed through his eyes at the sight of the black-robed man.

This was clearly the first time he had ever seen this man, but for some reason, his aura was rather familiar. Han Li felt as if he had sensed this aura from afar in the past, and that naturally made him rather perplexed.

However, this clearly wasn't the right time to be pondering something like this; his top priority now was to escape from this place with Lei Yunzi.

With his understanding of Lei Yunzi's abilities, he wasn't overly concerned.

As long as Lei Yunzi had made preparations in advance, he could teleport both of them away in an instant; even if the woman were a Grand Ascension Stage being, she wouldn't be able to stop them. Otherwise, Lei Yunzi wouldn't be facing such an unfathomably powerful enemy with so much confidence.

Just as these thoughts were racing through Han Li's mind, the woman spoke again.

"You invented that lightning formation technique yourself, right, Fellow Daoist Lei? The technique is very profound, and only someone with a Five Lightning Physique like you will be able to maximize its power. I'm assuming the technique is also the source of your confidence."

"So what if it is?" Lei Yunzi asked, wondering what the woman was trying to say.

"Your lightning teleportation formations incorporate the powers of space and lightning to allow you to teleport tens of thousands of kilometers at a time, but it's not that easy to combine those two types of powers; you only managed to invent the technique by chance while referencing a certain secret technique, right?" Bao Hua continued.

Lei Yunzi's expression changed slightly upon hearing this, but he remained silent and continued to appraise the woman with a cold expression.

The woman chuckled before continuing, "Coincidentally, the abilities I've cultivated also incorporate the powers of lightning and space, so I'm very well-versed in these two types of powers as well."

Lei Yunzi finally couldn't help but ask, "What are you trying to say?"

"I'm sure you've already noticed that it's taking me less and less time to track you down. Perhaps after a few more times, I'll have your lightning formation completely figured out, and it'll be completely ineffective against me. I've already planted a tracking mark in your body, so unless you can teleport to millions of kilometers away at once, it'll only be a matter of time before I hunt you down. I'm telling you all this now as I don't want to waste time, so I'm giving you one last chance. Otherwise, I have a treasure that just so happens to be missing a few Body Integration Stage souls; I wouldn't mind taking yours to power the treasure," the woman said in a calm voice.

Lei Yunzi's face paled even further upon hearing this, and a hesitant look appeared on his face.

Bao Hua had no intention of hurrying him into a decision, choosing instead to turn her attention toward Han Li.

The woman's eyes were as clear as water, but Han Li was suddenly struck by a bone-chilling sensation, as if he had been laid entirely bare before her. This was clearly a sign that the woman's spiritual sense was far more powerful than his.

Han Li immediately activated his Great Development Technique and Spirit Refinement Technique at once, circulating his spiritual sense all throughout his own body, and only then was he able to just barely ward off this unsettling feeling.

However, just that brief moment of scrutiny was enough for Han Li's back to be drenched in cold sweat.

His spiritual sense was already close to that of the average Grand Ascension cultivator, which meant that this woman was most likely an extremely powerful being, even among Grand Ascension Stage beings.

However, what happened next made Han Li even more astonished.

A peculiar look suddenly appeared on the woman's face as she said, "So you were the one who killed my subordinates in the Golden Devil Mountain Ranges and took my Profound Heavenly Fortune Blade fragment. You've been using my treasure for quite a few years now; isn't it about time you returned it to me?"

Han Li's heart jolted with shock, and a thought immediately occurred to him, but he forced a smile onto his own face, and replied, "What are you talking about, Senior? I believe this is the first time we've ever met."

"Looks like you're unwilling to return it to me. So be it, I'll take it back from you myself, then," the woman said in an emotionless manner before waving a hand toward Han Li.

All of a sudden, a streak of purple light shot out of Han Li's sleeve; it was none other than that purple blade fragment!

With nothing more than a casual wave of her hand, the woman had instantly severed Han Li's spiritual sense connection with the blade segment before drawing it back toward herself.

Han Li's expression changed drastically upon seeing this, and he reflexively made a grabbing motion, conjuring up a massive azure hand to catch the blade fragment. However, the blade fragment merely vanished into thin air in a flash, leaving the huge azure hand to grab onto nothing.

Immediately thereafter, purple light flashed between two of the woman's fingers, and the purple blade segment silently emerged.

Han Li's expression darkened even further, and by now, he had recalled where he had last encountered that black-robed man.

He was one of the powerful devilish beasts that had been present in the Golden Devil Mountain Ranges. At the time, Han Li had only detected the devilish beast with his spiritual sense on a fleeting basis, which was why his recollection of the beast had been so vague.

He had indeed obtained that blade fragment from inside the Golden Devil Mountain Ranges, so this woman was most likely the Sacred Ancestor lurking within those mountain ranges.

Han Li was very reluctant to part with that powerful treasure, but this wasn't the time to be dwelling on something like that.

"It really is the Profound Heavenly Fortune Blade fragment. I've had this treasure for so long that even I've forgotten how long it's been with me. Even if you disguise its aura, there's no way you can fool me. Hei'e, you don't have a good life-saving treasure yet; you can have this blade fragment." Much to everyone's surprise, the woman tossed the blade fragment toward the black-robed man.

The black-robed man reflexively caught the treasure and faltered momentarily before immediately extending an elated bow toward the woman. "Thank you for your kindness, Mistress Bao Hua!"

Han Li was naturally quite frustrated to see this, but he couldn't do anything about it.

To his surprise, the woman didn't pry any further into this matter. Instead, she turned back toward Lei Yunzi, and asked, "Have you made a decision? Are you prepared to suffer for all of eternity over a useless spirit medicine?"

Lei Yunzi shuddered slightly upon hearing this, and the hesitant look faded from his face as he sighed, "If you had said this to me any earlier than this, then I would've had no choice but to hand over the flower. However..."

Lei Yunzi suddenly flapped his wings and made a hand seal as he spoke.

A resounding thunderclap rang out as countless arcs of silver lightning erupted from within his body.

In the next instant, he vanished on the spot before reappearing beside Han Li within a huge lightning formation that was several tens of feet in size.

"Go!" he yelled, and Han Li flew into the formation without any hesitation as soon as it appeared.

The black-robed man let loose an enraged roar upon seeing this, and he made a grabbing motion to summon a giant black ax before bringing it down viciously toward the lightning formation.

A huge ax projection erupted forth, threatening to tear through the space in its path as it hurtled through the air!

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However, it was already too late.

The black ax projection was indeed very powerful, but Lei Yunzi had already seized the initiative.

A cold harrumph rang out, and spatial fluctuations erupted from within the lightning formation, following which he and Han Li abruptly vanished amid a flash of silver lightning.

The black ax projection tore the lightning formation apart, but Han Li and Lei Yunzi were already nowhere to be seen at that point.

Bao Hua didn't stop the black-robed man from attacking, but she showed no intention of stepping in, either. She merely heaved a faint sigh before closing her eyes, as if she were sensing something.

An indignant look appeared on Hei'e's face at the sight of his failed attack, but he didn't dare to say anything in fear of disrupting Bao Hua.

After a long while, Bao Hua reopened her eyes, and said, "I'll have his lightning formation completely figured after five or six more times at most. I've already narrowed down a few possible teleportation destinations; let's go to them one by one."

"Yes, Mistress Bao Hua! Forgive me for prying, but how did your treasure fall into the hands of that man?" Hei'e asked in a curious manner.

"One of my Profound Heavenly Fortune Blade fragments was stolen by that devilish ape in the Golden Devil Mountain Ranges. When I awakened and tracked down the ape's hiding place, it had already been slain, so the blade fragment was naturally taken by the one who had killed the ape. During that period of time, many Heavenly Cloud beings had ventured into the mountain ranges, so it had to be one of them that killed it. At the time, I had an agreement with the grand elders of the 13 Heavenly Cloud Races, so I couldn't scour through their territory to recover the treasure; never did I think that it would've fallen into the hands of a human. I don't know how he managed to get into the Golden Devil Mountain Ranges back then, but there's certainly no reason not to take the treasure back from him," Bao Hua explained in a calm manner.

"I see. I faced some of those Heavenly Cloud beings in the past, but I didn't think that there was someone among them capable of killing that Body Integration Stage devilish ape," Hei'e said as a hint of lingering fear flashed through his eyes.

"Alright, that's enough talk about that matter; let's focus on securing the Celestial Cloud Flower now. Setting aside everything else, that flower alone would be able to repress some of my injuries, so we can't let it slip away. Also, the results of my divination indicated that the spirit medicine I'm searching for seems to be in this area as well. Make sure to keep an eye out, Hei'e. If you can help me find the spirit medicine I need so I can recover all of my powers, I'll be sure to reward you handsomely," Bao Hua promised.

"Rest assured, Mistress, I'll do everything in my power to help you track down that spirit medicine. It's a pity that you weren't able to determine exactly what this medicine is through your divination. Otherwise, things would be a lot easier," Hei'e replied.

"I've dabbled in some divination techniques, but I'm not exactly well-versed in this area. Unfortunately, both of my most trusted subordinates, Yun and Long, have perished in battle long ago. Otherwise, they'd be able to do all of this in my stead," Bao Hua said as a hint of dejection flashed through her eyes.

A solemn look appeared on Hei'e's face upon hearing this. "I've heard of Master Yun and Master Long as well. They're not Sacred Ancestors, but the abilities they possess make them a threat even to the average Sacred Ancestor. In particular, Master Yun is renowned as the second-best divination master in our holy realm; only Master Xuan Guang, who specializes in divination techniques, is superior in this area by a sliver."

"Hehe, so even you know of them. That's not all that surprising; they truly were once just as renowned as the average Sacred Ancestor," Bao Hua said as a reminiscent look appeared in her eyes.

Hei'e offered a respectful smile, but didn't dare to speak any further on the matter.

Not long after that, Bao Hua set her sights on the task at hand again. "Let's go. If we don't set off now, we might have some trouble tracking down that human."

Hei'e naturally had no objections to this. He gave an affirmative response while extending a respectful bow, then instantly flew onto the giant flower as well, standing around 10 feet behind Bao Hua.

Bao Hua swept a sleeve through the air, and the giant flower beneath her feet rotated on the spot, releasing countless bursts of pink light, as well as a peculiar fragrance.

The pink light then faded, and the giant flower was nowhere to be seen.

After that, the giant flower appeared in a few more places, only to disappear immediately thereafter each time.

When the giant pink flower appeared in the air above a dense forest around four hours later, Bao Hua suddenly let loose a faint cry of surprise.

Immediately thereafter, Hei'e and Bao Hua re-emerged from within the flower.

"Have you tracked down those two, Mistress?" Hei'e asked in an elated manner.

"No, but we seem to have bumped into a few unexpected guests," Bao Hua replied as she cast her gaze into the distance.

"Guests?" Hei'e was naturally quite perplexed, and he also hurriedly cast his gaze toward the same direction, but saw nothing for his efforts.

However, in the next instant, spiritual light flashed in that direction, and two balls of white light appeared without any warning before arriving in the nearby space, traveling at an incredible speed.

"Those are the All-encompassing Plate and Stone Devil Hall!" Hei'e immediately exclaimed upon catching sight of the two massive objects within the balls of white light, and a peculiar look appeared on his face.

Bao Hua was also appraising the two treasures with a complex expression, but there was a distinctly cold look in her eyes.

The people within the two treasures had naturally also noticed Bao Hua, and their expressions changed drastically as they hurriedly brought their treasures to a halt. Immediately thereafter, spatial fluctuations erupted, and four humanoid figures emerged.

They were none other than the clones of Yuan Cha and Xue Guang, and they were all appraising Bao Hua with strained expressions.

"Sister Bao Hua, I didn't expect to meet you here!" Yuan Cha said in a rather stiff and uncomfortable voice.

"Yuan Cha? I didn't think I'd see you again, either, especially in this Spirit Realm; looks like the sacred sacrifice has already begun. However, I don't think it's appropriate for you to refer to me as sister," Bao Hua said in a calm voice.

Yuan Cha's face immediately turned deathly pale upon hearing this.

The three Xue Guang clones were already cursing their bad luck as soon as they identified Bao Hua, and as Bao Hua cast her frosty gaze toward them, they could only force smiles onto their faces while of them said in a respectful manner, "Xue Guang pays his respects to Mistress Bao Hua!"

"Hmph, you seem to have become more powerful; it's quite impressive that you were able to cultivate so many clones. I just so happen to be missing a few servants; you three will suffice," Bao Hua said in a cold voice.

The three Xue Guang clones' faces also turned deathly pale upon hearing this.

They glanced at one another and seemed to have instantly arrived at a decision, immediately hurtling back into the jade plate as three bursts of black Qi.

A clear ringing sound erupted from the All-encompassing Plate, and black and white Qi erupted from the treasure in a frenzy, forming a giant taichi diagram that vanished in a flash.

"The All-encompassing Plate is indeed a very powerful treasure, but unfortunately, your true body isn't here, and you're not the owner of this treasure; don't you think it's too naive of you to harbor hopes of getting away right under my nose?" Bao Hua's expression darkened as she made a grabbing motion with one hand.

All of a sudden, one of the seven scorching suns in the sky abruptly began to expand at a rapid rate. The sun warped and blurred slightly, following which a white sun with a diameter in excess of 10,000 feet emerged out of thin air.

The white sun radiated scintillating light, as well as scorching heat that instantly raised the surrounding temperature by more than tenfold; it was as if she had truly drawn a sun to her from afar.

"Great Illusionary Sun Technique!" Yuan Cha exclaimed as her expression changed drastically.

Bao Hua cast a cold glance toward her, but remained silent as she pointed a finger at the giant sun in the air.

A resounding boom rang out as the sun slowly rotated, releasing countless white threads of light that pierced through space and encompassed the entire area in sight.

Yuan Cha raised a hand to summon an antiquated black mirror, which transformed into a translucent light barrier that shielded her within. The light barrier managed to keep the threads of light at bay, but judging from the strained expression on Yuan Cha's face, it was clear that she wouldn't be able to keep this up for long.

Over 10,000 feet away, the threads of light pierced through space in a certain area, and a resounding boom rang out, following which a giant jade plate tumbled out of thin air.

The surrounding threads of light all changed directions and converged toward the jade plate in a torrential downpour; it was as if they had a mind of their own.

The entire jade plate was instantly surrounded by countless threads of light, and it was on the verge of being inundated.

A roar of fury from Xue Guang rang out, and the jade plate rotated on the spot as it released black and white Qi in a frenzy, forming a giant taichi diagram again that managed to temporarily keep the oncoming attacks at bay.

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Bao Hua remained completely expressionless upon seeing this, but she immediately made a grabbing motion toward the jade plate, and white light flashed, following which a giant hand that was over 1,000 feet in size emerged out of thin air.

The hand spread its five fingers, and scorching white flames were ignited all over its surface as it grabbed toward the jade plate down below.

Another roar of fury rang out from within the jade plate as the taichi diagram detached itself from the jade plate, then expanded to around twice its original size as it hurtled toward the massive hand. A loud buzzing sound then rang out from the jade plate itself, and the nearby space twisted and blurred as it prepared to teleport away again.

As soon as the giant taichi diagram came into contact with the giant hand, the former immediately began to tremor violently before being crushed into pieces as the massive hand's fingers closed around it.

The scorching white flames instantly incinerated the fragments of the taichi diagram into nothingness, then swept downward to encompass the jade plate as well.

The three Xue Guang clones were naturally very alarmed by this, and three different voices rang out in unison, begging for mercy and cursing Bao Hua at the same time. However, the white flames didn't falter in the slightest, and the pristine white jade plate was almost instantly turned into a scorching crimson color in the face of the fierce flames.

Once the giant hand grabbed firmly onto the jade plate, five white fiery dragons flew out of its fingertips before revolving around the treasure, and the jade plate began to melt away layer by layer.

"No!" A cry of fury and alarm rang out from within the jade plate, following which a miniature pagoda that was only around several inches in size flew out. The pagoda then transformed into a rainbow projection that was over 1,000 feet tall in a flash, and the five fiery dragons were forcibly kept at bay.

The dragons were still thrashing violently and blasting flames out of their mouths, but the rainbow pagoda projection remained firm and resolute.

On top of that, rainbow light flashed from the surface of the projection, and it absorbed a lot of the white flames to bolster itself. However, right at this moment, the giant sun up above began to crash down like a massive mountain at Bao Hua's behest.

The rainbow pagoda projection was indeed extremely profound, but there was no way that the three Xue Guang clones could unleash the treasure's full power. Thus, in the face of the massive sun, it only lasted several seconds before crumbling away into pieces.

The shattered specks of rainbow light converged to form a miniature pagoda again, but on this occasion, it had completely lost its luster.

The massive white sun continued to descend, and the giant plate had no time to react before it was also inundated.

Within the scintillating white light, the jade plate began to melt again, and just before it was completely melted into nothingness, three streaks of crimson light shot forth out of the jade plate, only to be swept up by the scorching white flames and completely incinerated amid three howls of anguish.

These three clones were each as powerful as a late-Body Integration Stage being, but they were completely powerless in the face of Bao Hua.

This was due to the fact that they were merely clones while Bao Hua's true body was present, and the fact that her Great Illusionary Sun Technique repressed most devilish cultivation arts also contributed to this.

Otherwise, even though Bao Hua was once vastly renowned in the Elder Devil Realm, there was no way she'd be able to kill the three Xue Guang clones so easily in her severely weakened state.

Almost at the exact same moment as the deaths of the three Xue Guang clones, another Xue Guang clone was seated on a stone chair at the center of a giant devilish pagoda near Deep Heaven City. He was currently listening to a few Body Integration Stage devilish lords report the latest exploits of the devilish army.

Not only had the devilish army wiped out all of the large human settlements outside of Deep Heaven City, even some of the smaller major families and sects had been eradicated. Now, it was time to begin planning how they were going to completely surround Deep Heaven City.

Just as Xue Guang was listening intently to the ideas being offered by his subordinates, his expression suddenly changed drastically, and he abruptly rose to his feet as he let loose an enraged roar.

"Impossible! How could the three of them have been killed all at once?"

The other devilish lords were naturally given quite a fright by his abrupt furious outburst, and they all glanced at one another with bewildered expressions.

"May I ask what happened, Master Xue Guang?" one of the more prominent devilish lords asked in a careful manner following a brief hesitation.

A series of thoughts flashed rapidly through Xue Guang's mind, and the rage on his face quickly faded as he adopted his usual calm expression. "I sent out three of my guards to do something for me and planted some of my spiritual sense within them, but they screwed up. It's alright, though; I'll just send some others to get the job done."

This ambiguous response left a lot more to be desired, but the other devilish lords naturally didn't dare to pry any further. As such, they could only change the subject and begin discussing their plans to surround Deep Heaven City again.

As for Xue Guang, he sat back down onto his chair with a calm expression, as if that enraged outburst really had been nothing more than a momentary loss of composure.

Deep within a crimson river in the Elder Devil Realm, a roar of fury also rang out without any warning.

The thunderous roar caused the water in the lake to ripple violently, but all of a sudden, the voice abruptly cut off, and no further sounds could be heard.

In the Spirit Realm, the light barrier formed by Yuan Cha's black mirror also immediately shattered as soon as the giant sun descended upon it.

The scorching white flames being released by the sun swept downward without any mercy, and Yuan Cha's face paled even further as she cried for help in a panicked voice.

Black light suddenly flashed from the stone hall down below, and a humanoid figure appeared behind Yuan Cha in a wraith-like manner before raising a pair of slender hands up into the air.

A fist-sized golden bead flew forth, then vanished into the giant sun in a flash.

An earth-shattering boom rang out, and a burst of golden light suddenly exploded within the giant sun. As it did so, a massive hole with a diameter of around 100 feet was blasted into the sun.

In contrast with the white sun's mountainous size, such a hole was naturally rather insignificant, but the black humanoid figure suddenly transformed into a ball of black light. The ball of light then swept up Yuan Cha as well before flying into the hole in the sun at an incredible speed.

"Liu Ji?" Bao Hua's pupils contracted slightly at the sight of the black humanoid figure, and her calm expression was replaced by one of cold fury as she made a grabbing motion downward with both hands at once.

Two flower petals detached themselves from the giant flower beneath her feet, then shot forth toward her hands.

Azure light flashed from her hands, and one of the flower petals transformed into a giant green bow, while the other took on the form of a long white arrow.

Bao Hua's movements appeared to be rather slow and languid as she drew the bow, but she didn't bother to aim before letting the arrow loose.

As soon as the arrow left the bow, it transformed into a streak of white light that instantly vanished on the spot.

Only then did the Liu Ji emerge on the other side of the giant white sun with Yuan Cha, and a sharp screeching sound immediately rang out beside her. Her heart jolted upon hearing this, and she immediately released eight small crystalline shields amid a flash of blue light.

All of the shields were of a translucent blue color, as if they had been forged from glacial ice, and they instantly appeared before Liu Ji stacked one behind another.

The sharp screeching sound abruptly cut off as the streak of white light appeared in front of the eight shields, then vanished again in a flash.

In the next instant, a string of crisp cracks rang out in rapid succession, and the eight small shields exploded in unison.

Liu Ji stumbled backward, and it could be seen that a hole as thick as a thumb had been punched through her chest. A ball of white flames then erupted from the wound before enveloping her entire body.

Despite this, Liu Ji remained completely unflustered. She abruptly opened her mouth to expel a ball of blood essence, which transformed into a cloud of blood mist that quickly permeated through the air.

An astonishing scene then ensued!

As the blood mist came into contact with the ferocious white flames, the latter was instantly snuffed out with ease.

However, Liu Ji had no time to pay any heed to her own injury as she quickly made a hand seal. Black light erupted from her body again, sweeping up Yuan Cha before hurtling away into the distance.

The ball of black light quickly vanished into the distance after just a couple of flashes, leaving Bao Hua to look on with a dark expression.

Right at this moment, five-colored light suddenly began to revolve around the stone hall that had been left behind by Liu Ji and Bao Hua, and countless runes surged forth in a frenzy to form a giant formation down below.

The stone hall was situated at the center of the formation, and it was about to teleport away.

A cold light flashed through Bao Hua's eyes upon seeing this. "Hmph, they may have gotten away, but you two aren't going to be so lucky!"

As soon as her voice trailed off, the bow in her hand vanished, and she pointed a finger at the stone hall from afar.

The giant sun in the air instantly transformed into a white fiery barrier that concealed the entire sky, and at the same time, another giant pink flower emerged beneath the stone hall.

A streak of pink sword Qi shot forth out of the flower before striking the giant formation with unerring accuracy, and the formation instantly crumbled, thereby thwarting the stone hall's attempt to teleport away.

Two low roars rang out from within the stone hall, and it split up into two before transforming into a pair of grey stone giants. The giants thumped their chests in a menacing display, but they were clearly extremely wary of Bao Hua and didn't dare to actually attack her.

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Bao Hua merely made a peculiar hand seal in a nonchalant manner upon seeing this, and a dull thump rang out as two pillars of translucent light erupted out of the massive flower beneath the pair of stone giants.

The two pillars of light were as fast as lightning, and reached the two giants in a flash. The pair of giants were naturally greatly alarmed by this, and they tried to take evasive measures, but it was already too late.

The two pillars of light completely disregarded the protective spiritual light around them before vanishing into their bodies in a flash.

The two of them only had a chance to cry out in shock and fury before a series of crystalline flowers appeared over every single inch of their bodies.

The two stone giants had been instantly sealed within a layer of a mysterious crystalline substance and were completely immobilized.

Bao Hua raised a hand in silence as she appraised the two stone giants, and white light flashed from the crystalline substance over the bodies of the giants.

Immediately thereafter, the pair of giants began to rapidly shrink, and in the blink of an eye, they had been reduced to a pair of fist-sized objects that were stowed away up her sleeve.

"Congratulations on vanquishing those powerful enemies, Mistress!" Hei'e hurriedly rushed over to offer his congratulations.

"They were merely three clones of Xue Guang's; they can hardly be considered as powerful enemies. In contrast, Liu Ji's six clones are all very important allies to her. After being struck by that Sunset Arrow of mine, it'll take at least 100 years for her to recover to her former level of power," Bao Hua said in an indifferent voice.

"Then should we give chase and kill them all? This is a very rare opportunity!" Hei'e suggested in a careful manner.

Bao Hua contemplated this suggestion momentarily before replying, "There's no need for that. Liu Ji definitely has some type of life-saving movement technique up her sleeve; even if I were to pursue her with all my power, the chances of being able to catch her are still rather slim. My top priority now is the Celestial Cloud Flower. If I allow the flower to slip away, then it'll be very difficult to find it again in the future. Let's go."

"Yes, Mistress!" Hei'e replied in a respectful manner.

Immediately thereafter, the giant flower beneath Bao Hua rotated on the spot, releasing a burst of pink light that swept up both of them before teleporting them away.

Thus, peace and quiet returned to the area, and it was as if nothing had ever happened there.

In a secluded valley countless kilometers away, two shimmering silver lightning formations of different sizes appeared in mid-air amid a rumbling thunderclap.

The smaller of the two lightning formations was contained within the larger one, and at the center of both formations stood a pair of humanoid figures.

One of them was an azure-robed young man, while the other was a burly man with a pair of crimson wings, holding a silver formation plate in each hand.

These were none other than Han Li and Lei Yunzi!

"Are you ready, Fellow Daoist Han? Theoretically, I should have this dual lightning formation all figured out, but I've never actually tested it, so if something goes wrong, there's your disclaimer," Lei Yunzi chortled in an excited manner as arcs of lightning revolved around his body.

"Hehe, if something really does go wrong, then so be it; I'll just have to accept my fate. However, seeing as this is theoretically sound, I have nothing to fear. On top of that, I've already briefly studied this dual lightning formation just now, and to me, there doesn't seem to be anything wrong with it," Han Li replied with a smile.

"Hmph, you make it sound like you have a lot of trust in me, but you're just as meticulous and calculating as you were several hundred years ago. Alright, those two are probably close to tracking us down again; let's go." Lei Yunzi rolled his eyes before hurling his two formation plates through the air, and they disappeared in a flash into the two lightning formations.

Immediately thereafter, he made a hand seal and began to chant something. The two lightning formations were activated amid a rumbling thunderclap, and countless arcs of lightning sprang up within the formations.

Lei Yunzi let loose a loud cry, and several bolts of lightning that were as thick as water tanks erupted out of the center of the lightning formation to inundate both himself and Han Li at once.

The two of them then vanished from within the lightning formation, and around 15 minutes later, spatial fluctuations erupted nearby, following which the giant pink flower emerged out of thin air again.

The petals of the flower slowly spread open to reveal Bao Hua and Hei'e, and the former's expression changed slightly as she cast her gaze toward the spot where the dual lightning formation had once been situated.

"Why are the fluctuations completely different from those of his past teleportations? Even I can't sense their potential teleportation destination anymore!" Bao Hua murmured to herself in a surprised manner.

"That's impossible! Aren't you already close to figuring out that man's lightning formation? How did this happen?" Hei'e exclaimed.

"Not only that, but I'm also no longer able to sense the tracking mark I planted in him, which means that he's either dead, or really managed to teleport to millions of kilometers away," Bao Hua mused.

Hei'e's eyes widened drastically upon hearing this, and he didn't know what to say in response.

"Judging from the remnant spatial fluctuations lingering here, it's most likely the latter. Looks like I underestimated them; they really did have a way to teleport such a vast distance at once. So be it, the Celestial Cloud Flower is indeed quite useful to me, but it's not worth the energy required to conduct divination to track it down again. Let's go to the human territory; the spirit medicine that can completely heal me should be there. I'll only be able to obtain more detailed information once I get there and conduct divination again." Much to Hei'e's surprise, Bao Hua didn't seem to be bothered in the slightest by this and remained as calm as ever.

Hei'e naturally didn't dare to offer any objections and immediately gave an affirmative response.

Just as Bao Hu was about to depart, a peculiar feeling suddenly welled up in her heart, and her brows furrowed slightly as she cast her gaze toward a certain direction. However, after peering into the distance for a long while, she shook her head to forcibly rid herself of the uneasiness in her heart before departing from the scene atop her giant flower.

Millions of kilometers away, countless silver arcs of lightning suddenly erupted out of thin air amid a loud thunderclap above a boundless lake. The arcs of lightning instantly formed a giant lightning formation, and following a flash of blinding silver light, Han Li and Lei Yunzi emerged.

The two of them inspected their surroundings, and elated looks appeared on both of their faces.

"It worked! This dual lightning formation really was able to teleport us to millions of kilometers away! That feeling of constantly being watched has finally disappeared. Let's part ways here, Fellow Daoist Han." The elation on Lei Yunzi's face faded, and he immediately took his leave without bothering to engage in any unnecessary pleasantries.

Han Li nodded in response before a slightly forlorn look appeared on his face. "It's a pity that this dual lightning formation requires two people with mastery in lightning formations to be used. Otherwise, it would be an exceptional life-saving ability."

"Hehe, nothing is perfect in this world. We're already very fortunate to have run into one another and managed to escape from our pursuers. As the saying goes, those who have survived the severest crisis can expect blessings in the days to come; perhaps there's good fortune waiting for us right around the corner," Lei Yunzi chuckled.

"You've already been blessed with immense fortune to have obtained that Celestial Cloud Flower, Fellow Daoist," Han Li also chuckled in response.

"Oh? Are you interested in the Celestial Cloud Flower as well, Brother Han?" Lei Yunzi asked with a hint of a smile on his face.

"You've misunderstood me there, Brother Lei. The Celestial Cloud Flower is indeed an extremely precious spirit item, but it contradicts with the cultivation arts that I'm using, so I have no interest in it. Alright, I'll be taking my leave now; I hope to see you again someday," Han Li said as he cupped his fist in a parting salute.

Lei Yunzi's expression eased slightly upon hearing this, and he also returned Han Li's salute. "I wish you a safe and smooth journey, Fellow Daoist."

Han Li didn't say anything further and gave Lei Yunzi one final nod before flying away as a streak of azure light.

After Han Li had vanished into the distance, Lei Yunzi flew away in the opposite direction as a streak of silver light.

Han Li flew in the opposite direction from human territory for three days and three nights without stopping before finally arriving at a bleak and barren mountain.

The chances of being discovered by devilish beings were very slim in such a secluded area, so he stopped and descended halfway up the mountain.

He made a hand seal while chanting something, and a layer of yellow light enveloped his body before he vanished into the mountain in a flash.

Moments later, Han Li reappeared within a certain cave inside the belly of the mountain, and he swept both sleeves through the air to release several tens of formation flags. The flags then all transformed into specks of spiritual light that disappeared into the surrounding space in a flash.

In the next instant, a layer of faint white light appeared around the cave, and only then did Han Li heave a faint sigh of relief as he took a seat on a giant rock at the center of the cave.

He flipped a hand over, and several jade vials of different sizes appeared one after another before being tossed up into the air. He tipped the jade around a dozen pills of different colors out of these vials before consuming them all at once, then closed his eyes and began to meditate.

Not only did he have to recover his severely depleted magic power, he also had to refine the fierce medicinal effects of the spirit medicines he had directly consumed. It would be impossible to complete both of these objectives without spending at least two to three months.

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Han Li meditated for over two months, and when he reopened his eyes, not only had all of the potentially harmful medicinal effects been completely refined, his magic power and spiritual sense had both recovered to their peaks.

Only now was Han Li truly feeling relaxed.

In his current state, even if Yuan Cha were to track him down again, he would be confident in his own ability to face her in battle.

After awakening from his meditation, Han Li paused momentarily before flipping a hand over to produce a white wooden box and a blue jade vial.

Golden light flashed from his hand, and the white wooden box was immediately enveloped in a layer of golden light, then rose up into the air on its own.

Han Li then cast his gaze toward the blue jade vial, and a hint of excitement appeared in his eyes.

"I've heard many extraordinary things about this Chaotic Yin Yang Qi, but I didn't think I'd be able to obtain it someday. If I can refine it, my breakthrough to the late-Body Integration Stage will virtually be guaranteed," Han Li murmured to himself before flicking a finger toward the lid of the jade vial.

The lid of the vial flew off on its own, and a ball of light emerged from within the vial before rising up into the air.

Han Li's expression darkened slightly as his hand immediately shot forth before making a grabbing motion, releasing a burst of enormous invisible force that encompassed the entire cave.

He pulled his hand back toward himself, and the ball of azure light tremored before being forcibly drawn into his grasp.

Han Li cast his gaze down toward the ball of azure light and began to carefully appraise it through narrowed eyes.

Within the azure light were two pea-sized specks of light, one black and one white.

Blue light flashed through Han Li's eyes, and the two specks of light that were originally slightly blurry immediately became clearer to him.

However, in the instant that he got a clear look at the two specks of light, he immediately shuddered as a blank look appeared on his face, and he was completely rooted to the spot.

After a long while, a conflicted look suddenly appeared on Han Li's face, and he gritted his before throwing up a mouthful of blood while abruptly falling backward.

"What a powerful illusion of reincarnation! This Chaotic Yin Yang Qi really is just as fearsome as the legends proclaim it to be. If it weren't for the fact that I managed to snap back to reality at the final moment, I would've completely lost myself for eternity within the worlds formed by the Chaotic Yin Yang Qi," Han Li murmured to himself with a hint of lingering fear in his eyes.

In the instant that he had used his Brightsight Spirit Eyes to appraise the Chaotic Yin Yang Qi, he was drawn in by the essential power imbued within it and plunged into countless illusionary worlds, unable to return to reality.

Thankfully, he had foreseen this in advance, and planted a burst of energy within himself that would self-detonate at a set time to forcibly awaken him. Otherwise, he would've most likely sat here in a stupor until the day he died.

The ordeal was naturally a very alarming one for Han Li, but at the same time, it confirmed to him that this was indeed Chaotic Yin Yang Qi and couldn't be anything else. If he could refine this Chaotic Yin Yang Qi, then a breakthrough to the late-Body Integration Stage would be all but guaranteed.

However, prior to that, he had to pay another visit to the two old devils in the Devil Sealing Lock.

With that in mind, he suddenly pointed a finger at the azure ball of light, and a dull thunderclap rang out as a thin golden arc of lightning shot forth from his fingertip. The arc of lightning plunged into the azure ball of light in a flash, then immediately shot back. The black and white specks of light within the azure light remained completely unmoved, and it was as if nothing had ever happened.

However, a content look appeared on Han Li's face, and he pointed a finger at the blue jade vial, upon which the vial expelled a burst of white light that swept up the ball of azure light before drawing it into the vial.

Han Li swept a sleeve through the air to stow the jade vial away, then turned his attention to the wooden box that was hovering in mid-air. He opened his mouth to expel a string of beads, then laid a hand onto the top of his own head before slowly closing his eyes.

A short while later, spatial fluctuations erupted within a certain mysterious space, and Han Li's spiritual sense clone appeared high up in the air.

He inspected his surroundings, and his brows furrowed slightly upon discovering that he had found himself in a world of snow and ice.

Before he had a chance to do anything, spatial fluctuations erupted nearby, and two humanoid figures emerged in unison.

These were none other than Feng Xie and Che Qigong.

The two seemed to be very elated to see Han Li, and Feng Xie chortled as he asked, "What took you so long, Fellow Daoist Han? Brother Che and I were worried that you had landed yourself in some deep trouble."

"I was going to come and meet you much earlier than this, but during this past year, I was constantly being hunted by some powerful enemies, and only just managed to escape from them," Han Li explained with a smile.

"Seeing as you're here, I assume that you're safe now; I must congratulate you, Fellow Daoist Han. Did you manage to obtain the Chaotic Yin Yang Qi?" Che Qigong asked with an expectant yet slightly nervous look in his eyes.

"I'm sure the two of you are more aware than I am of whether any Chaotic Yin Yang Qi has gone missing in the Devil Sealing Lock," Han Li replied as he raised an eyebrow.

Not only were Che Qigong and Feng Xie not enraged by this response, both of them were ecstatic to hear Han Li's answer.

"Hehe, we did indeed sense a disturbance in the Devil Sealing Lock not long after we last parted ways, but we've been trapped in here and affected by the restrictions in this treasure, so we only had a vague sense of this disturbance. As such, we still require confirmation from you. Judging from what you said, is it safe to assume that you've already obtained the Chaotic Yin Yang Qi?" Feng Xie was suddenly speaking to Han Li in a far more polite manner than in the past.

"I encountered some mishaps during the process, but I have indeed already extracted the Chaotic Yin Yang Qi. Isn't it about time you disclosed the refinement method to me now?" Han Li asked.

"There's no hurry. The two of us have full trust in you, but shouldn't you show us some proof that you've managed to extract the Chaotic Yin Yang Qi?" Che Qigong asked in a cautious manner.

Feng Xie also nodded in support of Che Qigong's words.

"I thought you'd ask that." Han Li had anticipated such a request, and he abruptly rubbed his hands together, then thrust them toward Feng Xie and Che Qigong. An arc of golden lightning erupted out of the palm of each hand, and they hurtled directly toward the pair of old devils.

The two devils' hearts stirred upon seeing this, and one of them made a grabbing motion, while the other opened his mouth wide.

Thus, one of the golden arcs of lightning was caught by Feng Xie, while the other was devoured by Che Qigong.

Both of them closed their eyes and directed their spiritual sense toward their respective arc of lightning, and Han Li merely waited in silence with his arms crossed.

After just the span of a few breaths, Feng Xie and Che Qigong opened theirs almost in unison, and content looks appeared on both of their faces.

"There's no mistaking it; the aura is very feeble, but it definitely is the aura of Chaotic Yin Yang Qi. Now that we've confirmed that, let's discuss the terms of our collaboration," Feng Xie said as an excited look reappeared on his face.

In contrast, Han Li's expression darkened upon hearing this, and he asked in a cold voice, "Didn't you agree to give me the refinement method for half of the Chaotic Yin Yang Qi? Have you changed your mind?"

"Not at all, Fellow Daoist Han. The original terms of our agreement naturally won't change, but further consideration must be taken when deciding how exactly we're going to facilitate the exchange. Otherwise, how will we decide whether we should hand over the refinement method first or if you should give us the Chaotic Yin Yang Qi first?" Che Qigong chuckled.

"I see. We're all bound by vows, but in the face of such an important treasure, vows of this nature are indeed rather lacking in gravity," Han Li said as his expression eased slightly.

"Indeed, and that's why Fellow Daoist Feng and I have thought of a way to facilitate the exchange that should be satisfactory for both sides; would you like to hear it, Fellow Daoist Han?" Che Qigong asked.

"Sure, go ahead," Han Li replied in an indifferent manner.

"It's actually very simple; we'll split the exchange process into several parts. We'll give a part of the refinement method first, and if you find it to be genuine, you can give us part of the Chaotic Yin Yang Qi that you promised to us. After that, we'll continue to give you parts of the refinement method in exchange for portions of Chaotic Yin Yang Qi. At the end of this process, there will only be a tiny amount of Chaotic Yin Yang Qi you'd still owe us, and I'm sure you wouldn't be willing to incur the risk of backlash from inner demons over such a small amount of Chaotic Yin Yang Qi. Similarly, we wouldn't be willing to relinquish that final portion of Chaotic Yin Yang Qi just to withhold the final section of the refinement method, either," Feng Xie proposed.

Han Li remained silent upon hearing this, but the contemplative look in his eyes indicated that he was clearly carefully considering this proposal.

The two devils were confident that Han Li would agree, but they still couldn't help but grow a little nervous. However, both of them were beings who had lived for countless years, and they were more than capable of maintaining poker faces as they awaited a decision from Han Li.

"That's a good idea. We'll do as you say," Han Li finally decided.

Feng Xie was ecstatic, and he immediately replied, "Hehe, you've definitely made a wise decision, Fellow Daoist Han. Let's begin our exchange right away; this is the first section of the refinement method. If you see no problems with it, then you must hand over the first portion of Chaotic Yin Yang Qi to us within three days. If you're unable to do so in time, then we'll be giving up on this exchange. If that happens, not only will you have to suffer backlash from your inner demons, you'll also have no way of ever refining the Chaotic Yin Yang Qi."

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Han Li merely nodded in response, and Che Qigong waved a sleeve upon seeing this, sending a ball of white light flying toward Han Li.

Han Li raised a hand to catch the ball of white light, upon which it was revealed to be a pristine white jade slip.

"I'm going to study this section of the refinement method, and I'll return as quickly as I can once I arrive at a verdict. I'll be taking my leave now," Han Li said as he cupped his fist in a farewell salute, then disintegrated into specks of spiritual light.

"Do you think he'll uphold his end of the deal, Brother Che?" Feng Xie asked after Han Li had departed from this space.

"Aside from us and Xue Guang, there's virtually no one else who's aware of the refinement method for Chaotic Yin Yang Qi. If he wants to be able to refine it, then he has no choice but to fulfill his side of the exchange. After all, giving up half of his Chaotic Yin Yang Qi is surely better than keeping all of it but being unable to use any of it. Besides, we're currently in the midst of the sacred sacrifice; with so many powerful enemies around, there's no way he'll give up on something that could give him a massive cultivation base boost," Che Qigong replied in a confident manner.

"I certainly hope so. Hehe, with this Chaotic Yin Yang Qi, it won't be long until we can get out of here. When that time comes, we can capture that brat together and forcibly extract the other half of that Chaotic Yin Yang Qi from his body; there's no way he'll be able to truly refine it in such a short time," Feng Xie said with an excited look in his eyes.

"Of course. It's downright delusional for a mere human cultivator like him to think that he can take this Chaotic Yin Yang Qi for himself. I can see he's quite a cautious little brat, but there's no way he could anticipate that we've already broken all of the restrictions in this Devil Sealing Lock. Now, all we're missing is his Chaotic Yin Yang Qi. As long as we can have half a year to refine the Chaotic Yin Yang Qi to an elementary level, that'll be enough for us to get out of this Devil Sealing Lock. When that time comes, Xue Guang's days will be numbered!" Che Qigong looked up at the snowflakes descending from the heavens as a hint of insanity appeared in his eyes.

"Haha, I'm really looking forward to that day." A sinister smile also appeared on Feng Xie's face.

Meanwhile, outside the Devil Sealing Lock, Han Li had withdrawn his spiritual sense clone, and his Nascent Soul had also returned to his body.

He slowly opened his eyes, then flipped a hand over to produce that white jade slip.

He pressed the jade slip firmly against his own forehead, then injected his spiritual sense into it to inspect its contents.

There was indeed a rather profound incomplete refinement method in there, which was comprised of around 1,000 characters. As Han Li studied the contents of this incomplete refinement method, his expression began to undergo minute changes, and he went into meditation for two days and two nights with the jade slip pressed against his forehead.

On the third morning, he finally withdrew his spiritual sense, and the jade slip on his forehead immediately crumbled away into dust. He had naturally already committed the contents of the jade slip completely to memory at this point.

"The refinement method looks to be real. Even if those two old devils want to try something, I'm sure they wouldn't risk ruining this exchange from the get-go," Han Li murmured to himself as a contemplative look appeared on his face.

After pondering the issue for a while, Han Li arrived at a decision. "I have to throw this Devil Sealing Lock back into the Elder Devil Realm after I obtain the refinement method. Looks like I won't be able to wait until I can venture into the Elder Devil Realm with Patriarch Long and the others; I'll just have to toss it into a random node where our two realms have already overlapped."

Having made that decision, he swept a sleeve through the air to release the blue jade vial containing the Chaotic Yin Yang Qi, then laid a hand onto the top of his own head again.

While Han Li was hiding in the primordial world near human territory, exchanging for the refinement method bit by bit from Che Qigong and Feng Xie, Deep Heaven City had already been completely surrounded.

A series of devilish strongholds that were each several thousand feet tall had been set up in front of each city wall, and within those strongholds were countless elite devilish armored warriors.

Massive flying pagodas had also appeared in the air above the devilish army, and they were being surrounded by countless flying carriages and battle arks.

Between the strongholds were a series of stone mountains and craters of different sizes, within which were countless devilish beasts of varying power levels.

On a giant platform at the top of one of the devilish strongholds, there were over 100 high-grade devilish beings appraising Deep Heaven City from afar.

They were led by a crimson-robed young man who wore a frosty expression, but if one were to look closely at him, they'd discover that he seemed to be rather distracted, as if his mind were elsewhere.

Meanwhile, the other high-grade devilish beings were discussing something among themselves in hushed tones. A short while later, the crimson-robed young man withdrew his gaze, and said, "It's time. Begin attacking the city; I want to have this Deep Heaven City fully conquered within a few years!"

The surrounding devilish beings all adopted serious expressions upon hearing this, and they answered in unison, "We'll do everything in our power to make sure that happens, Master Xue Guang!"

There was a red-armored guard standing beside the crimson-robed young man, and he immediately tossed the item that he was holding up into the air.

A ball of silver light instantly rose up into the heavens, climbing to an altitude of over 100,000 feet before exploding with a resounding boom.

A silver rune with a diameter of around 1,000 feet then emerged in mid-air before radiating dazzling silver light.

A series of other slightly smaller silver runes also rose up into the air in quick succession all around Deep Heaven City, as if to resonate with this initial giant silver rune.

All of the devilish beings in the air and on the ground below immediately began to prepare for battle upon seeing this.

A series of giant light formations lit up within the strongholds, following which countless black balls of light the size of small mountains emerged in the air above the strongholds, then hurtled directly toward Deep Heaven City.

The space in the wake of the giant balls of light twisted and warped drastically, indicating that each ball of light was imbued with enormous power.

The devilish pagodas and flying carriages within the dense devilish Qi also began to unleash attacks, sending countless pillars of light raining down from above.

Even before these attacks had struck the protective restrictions set up over Deep Heaven City, rows of formations appeared in the air above the city walls.

Five-colored light flashed, and countless fireballs, wind blades, ice spikes, and other magic attacks surged forth in a frenzy to clash with the attacks unleashed by the devilish army.

Earth-shattering booms erupted one after another as the scintillating explosions of light illuminated the dark sky.

Under the illumination of this light, one could make out groups of devilish beasts charging toward Deep Heaven City like hundreds of giant pythons.

Some of these devilish beasts were galloping along the ground, some were gliding along at low altitudes, and some were flapping their wings vigorously as they soared higher up in the air.

At the same time, a group of flying carriages and giant arks were also slowly advancing toward the city.

All of a sudden, groups of armored devilish warriors emerged near the giant flying devilish beasts. These warriors were either standing atop devilish clouds or seated on devilish steeds.

Thus, the devilish assault against Deep Heaven City officially commenced.

Deep within a lush forest, a fair-skinned beauty in a suit of black armor was seated beneath a massive tree with her eyes closed in meditation.

Standing beside her was another woman in a blue palatial dress, who was appraising her with a concerned expression.

After a long while, the black-armored woman exhaled and slowly opened her eyes.

"Have you fully recovered, Sister Liu Ji?" Yuan Cha hurriedly asked as an elated look appeared on her face.

"If Bao Hua's Sunset True Flames were that easy to recover from, then she wouldn't have been so renowned in our holy realm. I've taken some spirit pills, but I've only just barely managed to repress my injuries. Unless I go into seclusion for at least a century, there's no way I could fully recover. However, it's pretty clear that Bao Hua is also yet to recover from her injuries. Otherwise, this clone of mine definitely wouldn't have been able to survive her Sunset Arrow," Liu Ji replied.

"Indeed. However, the fact that our true bodies are unable to descend into this realm places us at a severe disadvantage against her," Yuan Cha sighed with a complex look on her face.

"We would indeed be no match for her on our own, but the current Bao Hua is no longer the same renowned Sacred Ancestor she once was. We have a devilish army at our disposal; there's no need for us to face her alone. However, after we get back, make sure that you don't go anywhere by yourself unless it's absolutely necessary. Only by staying in the devilish army will we be able to ensure our own safety," Liu Ji said in a cold voice.

"Thank you for your words of caution, Sister, but judging from Bao Hua's personality, I don't think she'd be all that keen on hunting down a few clones of ours, and it wouldn't help her current situation anyway. She must be aware that the sacred sacrifice has already commenced, yet she still dares to appear here; she must have some type of ulterior motive," Yuan Cha said in a cautious manner.

"Ulterior motive? What motive can she have other than to recover from her injuries and regain her magic power?" Liu Ji chuckled coldly in response.

"That's true. Bao Hua is quite a renowned divination master in our holy realm; could it be that she's here because she's tracked something down that can help her make a recovery? I don't think she'd be willing to take such a risk otherwise."

Liu Ji faltered slightly upon hearing this before a contemplative look appeared in her eyes. "Perhaps so."

"Let's set this matter aside for another time. For now, I'll take you back to human territory. As long as we can reunite with your other clone, we'll have nothing to worry about," Yuan Cha suggested.

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"I didn't go through all this trouble to sneak into the realm behind the backs of those old geezers just to hide somewhere like a coward; I came here to secure more benefits for the two of us. According to the agreement forged between the Sacred Ancestors, all of us Sacred Ancestors will receive ownership rights over half of the human territory we manage to conquer in this Spirit Realm; I can't just go into hiding and pass up such a fantastic opportunity!" Liu Ji said.

"Then what do you suggest we do, Sister?" Yuan Cha asked with furrowed brows.

"Once we get back, I'm going to take a Dragonlock Pill to stimulate the latent potential of this clone so it can temporarily recover 80% to 90% of its magic power. After that, we should still be able to assist you from the shadows as long as we don't encounter overly powerful opponents," Liu Ji said in a solemn manner.

Yuan Cha was very surprised to hear this. "Dragonlock Pill? But if you take that pill, you'll need to go into seclusion for at least 1,000 years to recover from your injuries and the pill's side-effects!"

"So be it. If we can reap enough benefits, it's hardly of any consequence if this mere clone of mine has to go into seclusion for 1,000 years. During this time, I'll have to trouble you to protect me so this clone doesn't perish," Liu Ji said.

"Rest assured, I descended into this Spirit Realm for the sole purpose of assisting you, Sister. Who would've thought that we'd encounter Bao Hua here? Thinking back to the bond we once shared, it really is quite sad that things have turned out like this," Yuan Cha said with a wry smile.

"Hmph, Bao Hu chose a path that diverged from ours, so we were always destined to be enemies. The winner takes all while the loser gets nothing; that's always been the case in our holy realm. If I had been defeated on that day instead, the fate I would've suffered definitely would've been a lot more tragic than Bao Hua's current situation," Liu Ji harrumphed coldly in response.

"Perhaps. However, Bao Hua is one of the three great patriarchs of our holy race; it'll be very difficult to completely erase her influence. It's not very apparent on the surface, but deep down, I can tell that there are still many people who are loyal to her," Yuan Cha sighed.

"As a matriarch, her influence naturally far exceeds that of us Sacred Ancestors. However, no matter how much influence one possesses, their influence still won't be able to stand the test of time. In 30,000 or 40,000 thousand years, there may still be people who remember her and are loyal to her, but after 100,000 years or even 1,000,000 years, her influence will definitely cease to exist. Even so, we can't just allow her to roam this area. Once my true body is able to descend into this realm, I'll organize a group of people to specifically target her. We naturally can't put an end to her life, but at the same time, we definitely can't allow her to foil our plans!" Liu Ji said in a cold voice.

"Seeing as you've already made a decision, I naturally have no objections. Now that you've managed to repress your injuries, let's return to human territory right away. Back when we had first set off, the restrictions of the Spirit Sovereign City had already been almost completely whittled down; perhaps we'll be able to conquer the city as soon as we get back," Yuan Cha said as a hint of excitement suddenly appeared on her face.

In contrast, Liu Ji was a lot calmer. "The army being led by my other clone consists of elite forces that were hand-picked by me. It can rank among the top three of all of the armies that have descended into the Spirit Realm, so it would be surprising to me if it couldn't conquer a single human city."

"That's true. Otherwise, that clone of yours wouldn't have had the spare capacity to send me out to foil the humans' plans," Yuan Cha chuckled.

"Let's go. Hopefully, everything progresses as smoothly as we imagine," Liu Ji said as she looked up into the sky.

"It's a pity that we let that Han brat get away," Yuan Cha grumbled as a frustrated look appeared on her face.

Liu Ji merely smiled and remained silent before opening her mouth to expel a ball of red light.

The red light contained a translucent red flying carriage that was only several inches in size. The carriage was extremely intricate, and it instantly swelled to several tens of feet in size at her behest.

Yuan Cha flew onto the carriage without any hesitation, and Liu Ji also rose to her feet before slowly drifting onto the carriage.

In the next instant, the flying carriage sped away into the distance as a streak of red light.

Five months later, the Spirit Sovereign City, one of the three sovereign cities of the human race, was finally conquered by the devilish army.

Not only were all of the human cultivators in the city killed, even the Body Integration Stage elders hadn't managed to escape.

However, those elders had left the devilish army a huge memento to remember them by, self-detonating together to kill the same number of devilish lords, as well as thousands of high-grade devilish beings.

The only one who managed to escape was the newly appointed Spirit Sovereign, who unleashed an incredible ability to enhance her powers to an unfathomable degree. In the end, she was able to carve out a path of escape for herself, and even though she had sustained severe injuries, she managed to flee in the end.

Following that battle, no further news of the Spirit Sovereign arose.

In a fit of fury, the high-grade devilish beings of the devilish army slew all of the human cultivators they had captured, and felled the gargantuan tree that was the symbol of the Spirit Sovereign City.

The entire city was destroyed, and very few buildings were left standing.

However, the devilish army had also suffered heavy losses during this battle. As such, instead of immediately continuing onward to sweep through the nearby area, they rested and recuperated in the remains of Spirit Sovereign City and began to replenish their lost devilish beasts through the passageways leading to the Elder Devil Realm.

What was quite astonishing to the remaining human forces in the Tian Ling Region was that the devilish army was beginning to build devilish fortresses and strongholds on the territory they had conquered. They were also beginning to plant some inky-black devilish trees that released devilish Qi in the nearby area, and it seemed that they were planning to settle permanently in the Spirit Realm.

This was naturally quite an alarming discovery, and these human forces did everything in their power to inform the human settlements in other areas of this information.

Not long after that, all of the most prominent human settlements had been made aware of this, including Deep Heaven City. On the surface, they didn't display much of a reaction to this, but things were not so calm behind the scenes.

In the primordial world, around a dozen pagodas that were around 1,000 feet tall had appeared at the center of a dense primitive forest on the edge of the Wood Tribe's territory. These pagodas were linked by sections of grey city walls to form a small stronghold with a diameter of around 500 meters.

Within this stronghold, dense devilish Qi churned, and groups of armor-clad devilish beings could be seen patrolling the city walls.

In the air above the stronghold was a black hole with an area of around an acre. This one of the nodes where the Elder Devil Realm had overlapped with the Spirit Realm.

However, compared to the super nodes that had appeared on human territory, this one was completely insignificant and diminutive.

The red-skinned devilish beings that were patrolling the stronghold all possessed rather lackluster cultivation bases, and they didn't seem to be true devilish elites.

This was quite a normal occurrence. After all, the Elder Devil Race certainly wasn't going to send its elite forces to such a tiny spatial node.

In fact, if it weren't for the fact that the number of nodes on the Wood Tribe's territory was far lesser than those of the human and demon territories, there wouldn't even be any devilish strongholds set up here.

Judging from the large clusters of charred trees and the countless craters that riddled the surface of the ground, one could see that many battles had taken place here, but the losers of those battles clearly weren't these devilish beings.

Of course, this was also because the Wood Tribe wasn't paying much heed to such a small devilish node. Instead, they were directing the vast majority of their forces toward the giant nodes that actually posed a threat to the Wood Tribe.

However, to the local Wood Tribe settlements, these smaller nodes posed a serious threat. As such, every once in a while, they would organize a group of warriors to attack the stronghold, but unfortunately, their efforts had all been in vain thus far.

Furthermore, this devilish stronghold was able to constantly draw power from the devilish node up above, so it was steadily becoming more powerful.

This naturally sowed even more panic among the nearby Wood Tribe settlements, and the frequency of the attacks they unleashed increased even further.

On this day, a group of Wood Tribe beings appeared several tens of kilometers away from the devilish fortress. They were clad in yellow and green wooden armor, and they were slowly advancing toward the fortress using movement techniques.

There was a high level of variance in the cultivation bases of these Wood Tribe beings, but they were all moving in a very stealthy manner and seemed to be quite well-trained.

They were led by a Spatial Tempering Stage elderly man and a late-Deity Transformation Stage middle-aged couple, and these three were also the ones with the highest cultivation bases in the group.

The three of them were traveling at the forefront of the group while carefully conversing with one another through voice transmissions.

"Thank you for lending us your assistance, Elder Zhu. If you can help us take down this devilish fortress, we'll be sure to thank you with a handsome reward for your efforts," the middle-aged man said in a grateful manner.

"There's no need to thank me. I'm also a member of a Wood Tribe, so it's only right that I contribute to the resistance against these devilish beings. However, I've taken quite a risk by coming here and leaving my family exposed, so we'll have to take care of matters here as quickly as possible," the elderly man said in a slightly concerned manner.

"Rest assured, Elder Zhu; we've brought along all of the most powerful forces we have, and we also intend to end things in one final battle. Otherwise, the longer things drag on on for, the more detrimental it'll be to us. Through our last battle, we were able to determine that the most powerful cultivators in the fortress are only four Deity Transformation Stage devilish beings. With your help, I'm sure we'll be able to take them down," the middle-aged Wood Tribe woman chimed in as well.

"If that's all they have, then you can leave them all to me while all of you focus on destroying that devilish node. Without that thing hanging over our heads, those devilish beings won't pose a threat to us any longer," the elderly man said.

The middle-aged couple exchanged a glance upon hearing this before nodding in agreement. "Alright, we'll do as you say, Elder Zhu. After we destroy that node, we'll help you kill those high-grade devilish beings."

The elderly man's expression eased after receiving this affirmative response, and the three of them discussed strategy for a while longer before focusing on forging ahead.

However, regardless of whether it was the three high-grade Wood Tribe beings or the thousands of other Wood Tribe beings with them, none of them noticed a pair of spirit eyes that were flashing with blue light, appraising them from within a dark cloud in the sky above the forest.

The owner of the pair of spirit eyes was none other than Han Li, and he glanced at the group, then cast his gaze toward the devilish fortress with a contemplative look in his eyes.

All of a sudden, a smile appeared on his face, and he flew out of the cloud as an indistinct azure shadow, flying toward the devilish fortress along with the group of Wood Tribe beings.

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Around 10 minutes later, a loud explosion suddenly erupted near the devilish stronghold, following which over 100 wooden giants that were several hundred feet tall rushed out of the dense forest amid a flash of green light. They rushed toward the stronghold like devastating wrecking balls, followed close by the group of Wood Tribe beings.

A series of green wooden spears, bows, and arrows appeared in their hands, and launched the projectiles toward the stronghold in a torrential barrage.

All of the spears and arrows that were launched instantly swelled to several times their original size before crashing into the protective light barrier around the stronghold, sending ripples running along its surface amid an incessant string of resounding booms.

At this point, the wooden giants had reached the fortress, and their hands transformed into giant white metal hammers that were brought down upon the light barrier with ferocious might.

The light barrier began to tremor violently, and it seemed to be on the brink of crumbling away.

Everything had happened within the span of a few breaths, and only now did the devilish beings in the stronghold react to the situation. Loud sirens immediately rang out all over the stronghold while bursts of black light descended from the city walls before falling upon the Wood Tribe beings down below like rain.

An extremely fierce battle was about to unfold.

Black and green light flashed and intertwined, forming a giant net above the fortress that rumbled and flashed incessantly.

The wooden giants seemed to be a little clumsy and maladroit, but their bodies were as hard as iron and steel, and attacks from ordinary devilish beings were only able to inflict some insignificant pit and bumps into their bodies.

A short while later, a giant opening was created by them in the city wall, and they charged onward in a completely fearless manner.

These wooden giants seemed to possess tremendous strength, smashing all of the devilish beings before them into mincemeat with their giant hammer hands. They led the other Wood Tribe beings straight into the devilish fortress, but their actions had also enraged the high-grade devilish beings in the fortress.

One of them let loose a loud cry, and several menacing roars immediately rang out from within a few giant buildings in the fortress. Immediately thereafter, a dozen or so 100-feet-long rhinoceros-like devilish beasts rushed out of those buildings.

These super devilish beasts all had bright red eyes, and they opened their mouths to expel pillars of white light that struck the wooden giants in a flash.

Around a dozen wooden giants immediately stumbled and almost crashed to the ground. Furthermore, charred holes had appeared on the parts of their bodies that had been struck by the pillars of light.

The rest of the wooden giants continued to charge toward the giant beasts, but the super devilish beasts weren't backing down, either.

They lowered their heads and pounced toward the oncoming wooden giants to engage them in a fierce battle.

Deafening roars and resounding booms rang out, and the two sides seemed to be evenly matched.

Meanwhile, tens of thousands of feet above the ground, the elderly man and the middle-aged couple were facing off against four armor-clad devilish beings.

A high-grade being that resembled a giant bear glanced at the elderly man, and as opposed to being panicked or alarmed, a sinister look appeared on his face as he said, "Hmph, I was wondering what gave you the courage to attack us like this; so you've brought along reinforcements. You've made our job a lot easier; after killing this old fart, there shouldn't be any Wood Tribe beings of a higher cultivation base in this area."

The middle-aged couple's expression changed slightly upon hearing this, but the elderly man remained calm and collected as he replied in a cold voice, "You think a group of Deity Transformation Stage devilish trash like you can bring me down? Let me see if your powers can back up your words!"

"If they're incapable of bringing you down, then how about me?"

A rumbling boom rang out as spatial fluctuations erupted in mid-air, and a black figure appeared at the center of the four high-grade devilish beings before appraising the Wood Tribe trio with a cold expression.

This was a man in a brocade robe with a pair of horns on his head, and there was a ruthless look in his small triangular eyes.

The elderly man's heart immediately sank upon seeing this.

This was a late-Spatial Tempering Stage devilish being while he was only at the early-Spatial Tempering Stage; he was most likely no match for this new enemy.

The middle-aged couple were unable to ascertain this devilish man's exact cultivation base, but they could also sense that his aura was more powerful than that of the elderly man, and their expressions darkened significantly.

"We're very fortunate that you paid us a visit, esteemed envoy. Otherwise, we would be in huge trouble here. These are the leaders of the Wood Tribe resistance forces in the nearby area; we'll have to trouble you to help us take care of them," the bear-like devilish being said as he extended a respectful bow toward the brocade-robed man.

"Hehe, these three are all that we're dealing with? I can kill them all with one hand tied behind my back! Rest assured, there's no way I'll be letting them get away," the brocade-robed man guffawed with a disdainful look in his eyes.

The elderly man took a deep breath to repress the alarm in his heart, then quickly transmitted his voice to the middle-aged couple. "We're in trouble here, fellow daoists! I'll do my best to hold off this devil; lead everyone else on a retreat right away!"

The middle-aged couple's hearts jolted upon hearing this, and the middle-aged man hurriedly transmitted his voice in response. "Don't engage in a direct battle with this devil, Elder Zhu. If the opportunity arises, you have to retreat as well!"

The elderly man nodded in a grim manner and didn't say anything further. Instead, he swept both sleeves through the air to release a dozen or so azure wooden balls, all of which transformed into azure balls of light that encompassed all five devils before him.

The cold look in the eyes of the brocade-robed devil became even more pronounced as he harrumphed coldly, and bright red light suddenly began to glow from his horns. Countless crimson threads shot forth, all of which struck the surrounding balls of azure light with unerring accuracy before piercing through them in a flash.

However, before the brocade-robed devil had a chance to do anything else, a crisp crack akin to the sound of shattering porcelain suddenly rang out.

All of the azure balls of light exploded in unison and radiated blinding spiritual light.

All five devils immediately closed their eyes as an instinctive reaction to this piercing light.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, the middle-aged couple shot forth toward two different directions as two streaks of azure light, and at the same time, both of them let loose long cries of different octaves.

The five devils were only disoriented for a split-second before immediately returning to normal, and they were naturally all infuriated to see this.

"I'm going to rip you to shreds and torment your soul for all of eternity! Go and chase down those two; leave this old fart to me," the brocade-robed man roared as he rubbed his hands together. Bursts of inky-black devilish Qi erupted from his body, then converged to form a two-headed devilish projection.

The devilish projection was rather blurry and indistinct, and one could only just barely make out its rough form, but it was extremely fast and pounced toward the elderly man in a vicious manner.

The elderly man remained calm as he opened his mouth to release several streaks of yellow sword Qi. The sword Qi formed a sword barrier that shielded him from the oncoming devilish projection, and he seemed to be content to merely defend himself against his opponent's attacks.

The devilish projection immediately gained a significant upper hand as soon as it clashed with the sword Qi, but it was unable to immediately break through the barrier to kill the elderly man.

The four Deity Transformation Stage devilish beings shared a few hesitant glances upon seeing this, then split up into two groups to pursue the two streaks of azure light.

Meanwhile, the Wood Tribe beings who had just stormed into the fortress down below all displayed expressions of surprise upon hearing the long cries from the middle-aged couple, but they immediately turned around and flew back the way they had come without any hesitation.

However, on this occasion, the devilish beings weren't willing to let them leave so easily. They let loose fierce war cries as they rushed out of the stronghold to pursue the retreating Wood Tribe beings, and none of the wooden giants were able to assist them as they were still locked in battle with the giant rhinoceros beasts.

Thus, the entire stronghold was instantly plunged into a state of chaos.

Meanwhile, no one noticed a faint azure shadow appear high up in the air right below the devilish node, then reverted back to its original form, revealing itself to be Han Li.

The node was covered by a layer of inky-black devilish Qi, and there were over 100 devilish beings on a dozen or so battle canoes guarding the node.

They were clearly far more powerful than the average devilish being in the stronghold, and they remained completely unmoved by the battle taking place below them.

These devilish beings were naturally greatly alarmed to see someone suddenly appear before them, but before they had a chance to do anything, Han Li swept a sleeve through the air to release his Azure Bamboo Cloudswarm Swords, which transformed into hundreds of azure threads that instantly vanished into thin air.

In the next instant, all of the devilish beings and their flying treasures were shredded by streaks of azure sword Qi, following which Han Li opened his mouth to expel a ball of silver flames.

The silver fireball exploded as soon as it emerged, scattering through the air as countless silver sparks. The remains of these devilish beings and their battle canoes were set alight as soon as they came into contact with these silver flames, and they were incinerated into nothingness.

Immediately thereafter, layers of five-colored light appeared over Han Li's body as he quickly made a hand seal, and he flew directly into the dense devilish Qi.

This devilish Qi was clearly supposed to be some type of restriction, but it merely gave way to the five-colored light around Han Li's body.

In the blink of an eye, Han Li had passed through the devilish Qi and arrived before the devilish node up above.

The node was a vast expanse of darkness, and there were bursts of devilish Qi occasionally pouring out of it.

A solemn look appeared on Han Li's face upon seeing this, and after a brief pause for contemplation, he made a hand seal to summon a suit of antiquated black devilish armor over his own body.

Countless black runes then surged out of the suit of armor in a frenzy at his behest before enveloping his entire body.

Immediately thereafter, extremely dazzling and vibrant light erupted from his body, and he transformed into a giant five-colored heavenly phoenix.

The heavenly phoenix gave off an extremely authoritative aura, and it flapped its wings to send faint fluctuations rippling through the nearby space, instantly eradicating all of the oncoming gusts of black wind.

The giant heavenly phoenix then flew directly into the massive black hole.

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