Han Li slowly stood up and reached out with one hand toward a nearby red cloud. Instantly, a massive cyan hand materialized out of thin air, grasping the colorful cloud firmly.
A low incantation echoed in the air!
Han Li fixed his gaze on the giant hand, forming an intricate hand seal while murmuring an arcane chant.
The cyan hand trembled before abruptly clenching its fingers, crushing the red cloud within its grasp.
A brilliant cyan light erupted, transforming the hand into a dazzling sphere of radiance.
Without hesitation, Han Li opened his mouth and exhaled a wisp of cyan infant flame, which coiled around the luminous sphere before engulfing it in raging fire.
Only then did Han Li relax his hand seal, watching the sphere expressionlessly in silence.
After an indeterminate amount of time, his lips twitched slightly. With a flick of his sleeve, a wave of multicolored light swept toward the flames, extinguishing them instantly and revealing a pale-red orb.
“It seems I was right! Such an advanced concealment technique could only belong to ancient cultivators. But even in those times, few would have mastered such an array. Fortunately, Xin Ruyin once gifted me a tome containing a similar restriction. Otherwise, I’d have had no way to break it. It seems I must further refine my spiritual sight. If I continue using the Bright Spirit Liquid for another century, perhaps I’ll be able to see through such high-tier illusions.” Han Li sighed, visibly frustrated by his inability to penetrate the array with his current abilities.
Ignoring the floating red orb, he scanned his surroundings before fixing his gaze on a blue cloud. Another giant hand seized it, and another wisp of infant flame was exhaled.
This time, the cloud dissipated into nothingness within the flames.
Han Li showed no reaction and immediately targeted another blue cloud.
After two consecutive failures, he finally refined a blue orb.
By the time half a day had passed, he had successfully refined three more orbs—yellow, green, and gold.
With a solemn gesture, Han Li summoned the orbs, which swiftly flew toward him.
His fingers flicked rapidly, guiding the orbs into a slow orbit around him. The rotation accelerated, forming a five-colored ring adorned with shimmering spiritual light, exuding an air of profound mystery.
“Go!” Han Li’s brows arched as he uttered a low command.
His fingers stilled, and the five-colored ring shattered. The orbs shot outward in an intricate, unfathomable trajectory, landing at five seemingly unrelated points in the vicinity.
Each orb spun rapidly, expanding and contracting in an eerie rhythm.
The moment Han Li narrowed his eyes—BOOM!—five deafening explosions erupted simultaneously. Five radiant spheres of different colors burst forth, illuminating the space like five unnatural suns.
Even Han Li reflexively shut his eyes against the blinding glare.
As the five lights converged and filled the entire space, the surroundings twisted abruptly. In a flash, Han Li found himself standing on a familiar stone staircase, with the massive boulder bearing spiritual herbs visible not far away.
“Brother Han!”
“Fellow Daoist Han!”
A man and a woman’s startled voices rang out beside him.
Han Li turned to see Bai Yaoyi and the elderly Fu, both appearing haggard but visibly relieved, standing a few zhang away.
“You’ve escaped as well,” Han Li remarked calmly.
“Brother Han must have shattered this bizarre restriction! I’ve never encountered such a terrifying array—I truly thought I’d be trapped to death!” Fu exclaimed, his voice trembling with lingering fear.
Clearly, the elder of the Nine Serenities Sect had suffered greatly, both in spiritual energy and mental fortitude.
“My situation was similar to Brother Fu’s. I was completely helpless within that restriction. We owe our escape to Brother Han’s intervention,” Bai Yaoyi added with a bitter smile, a trace of gratitude flickering across her delicate features.
“It was nothing. I merely happened to know of a similar restriction, which allowed me to dismantle this one. Such ancient arrays are exceedingly rare. By the way, Brother Fu, that spiritual herb you took—if I’m not mistaken, it was merely an illusion conjured by a magical artifact. You’ve been thoroughly deceived,” Han Li chuckled darkly.
“An illusion? Impossible! I clearly—Huh? What’s this?” Fu stammered, retrieving a jade box from his storage pouch.
Instead of the spiritual herb, it now contained an ordinary jade ruyi scepter.
The elder’s jaw dropped in shock.
“The moment we stepped onto that boulder, we were ensnared by the array’s illusion. Plucking the herb merely triggered its most potent restriction. Take another look over there,” Han Li said, pointing toward the boulder.
Fu and Bai Yaoyi turned to see the boulder still bore a spiritual herb adorned with a cluster of purple berries.
“These ancient cultivators were truly treacherous, setting such a sinister trap here. What were they thinking?” Fu fumed, his face contorted with frustration.
Bai Yaoyi’s lips parted slightly in astonishment.
“Don’t be surprised. This type of ancient restriction requires an artifact to be deliberately triggered by an intruder to fully activate. Naturally, it would take on such a guise. And mind you, I’ve only temporarily suppressed the array—not destroyed it completely,” Han Li explained leisurely.
“This Kunwu Mountain feels less like a sacred peak and more like a den of dragons and tigers!” Fu grumbled, still bitter over the lost herb.
“From now on, we must proceed with caution. This is no ordinary ancient ruin. If we encounter anything unusual, we should refrain from rash actions to avoid inviting disaster. This time, I happened to know how to dismantle the array, but next time, I may not be so fortunate. I trust you both understand,” Han Li’s tone turned icy as his gaze sharpened.
“Understood. I won’t act recklessly again,” Fu replied awkwardly, realizing his earlier impulsiveness.
Bai Yaoyi nodded thoughtfully.
“Since we’re in agreement, let’s move on. The commotion from the mountaintop has ceased. After our delay, others may have already reached the summit,” Han Li said, glancing upward before leading the way up the stone steps.
Bai Yaoyi and Fu followed closely.
This time, they encountered no further obstacles. Hours later, after traversing several massive ridges, they arrived at the stone pavilion where the Ye Clan cultivators had entered—the same spot where Xiang Zhili had vanished without a trace.
While Fu and Bai Yaoyi remained indifferent to the pavilion, Han Li suddenly halted, his gaze fixed on a patch of ground outside it.
Noticing his reaction, the other two followed his line of sight and spotted an anomaly—a faint, shallow footprint on the soft earth, easily overlooked if not scrutinized carefully.
“So others have indeed passed through here,” Bai Yaoyi murmured, her delicate brows furrowing.
“And not just that—look at that rock over there,” Fu added, gesturing toward a nearby boulder.
Etched into its surface was a narrow, deep groove several zhang long—clearly the mark of a formidable sword strike, likely left unintentionally by the Ye Clan’s Seventh Elder during his earlier passage.
“This sword mark is fresh. It seems not only have others come this way, but they’ve also clashed with something. Could it be the Silver-Winged Corpse?” Bai Yaoyi mused, her eyes glinting with speculation.
“Perhaps. But this works in our favor. With others clearing the path ahead, we’ll face fewer obstacles,” Han Li remarked coolly.
Just as Fu was about to respond, a white figure abruptly shot out from a nearby shimmering barrier, landing directly in their line of sight.
Han Li and Bai Yaoyi’s eyes widened in shock—they had stumbled upon the very exit they had been searching for.
But Fu’s expression darkened instantly.
“The Five Children United Demons—an avatar of Elder Qian’s!”
Han Li stiffened. Though the name “Five Children United Demons” rang a faint bell, he couldn’t immediately recall who “Elder Qian” referred to. Bai Yaoyi, however, paled visibly.
Before they could react, four more identical figures emerged from the barrier in rapid succession.
Five faint, ghostly white figures now stood in a row, their hollow gazes fixed unerringly on Han Li and his companions.
“The Grand Elder of the Yin Luo Sect!” Han Li’s face hardened as recognition dawned.
“So it’s Fellow Daoist Fu! What a coincidence! No wonder my subordinates couldn’t find you—you’ve already infiltrated this place. And this lady’s attire suggests she’s from the North Night’s Small Extreme Palace. I’ve had the pleasure of meeting Madam Liu of your sect. As for the last gentleman… tsk tsk, could this be the famed Han Li from the Heavenly South? Brother Han, you’ve given our sect and the Heavenly Saint Hall quite the chase!”
Elder Qian’s voice transitioned from surprise to maniacal laughter.
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage