Han Li was not surprised by this. Given that he had come to such a remote place, obtaining such gains could already be considered a stroke of great fortune.
After half a day, when Han Li finished searching the last building and returned to the front of the “Foundation Establishment Hall” stele tower, he hesitated as he gazed at the layer of hazy white light barrier.
There was still plenty of time, and he had every opportunity to explore the remaining areas. However, doing so seemed to carry some risks.
Who knew if other cultivators had also finished searching certain areas and would head elsewhere?
If it were someone like the elderly Fu or even the people from the Dry Devil Sect or the Poison Saint Sect, Han Li wouldn’t be afraid. But if he encountered the first wave of cultivators who had entered this mountain, it would spell big trouble. There was a ninety percent chance they would attack him on sight.
Yet, the thought of staying trapped here until the spatial rift reopened in a few days was unbearable to Han Li.
After a moment of contemplation, he chuckled to himself.
Even if he stayed here, wouldn’t those who finished searching other places eventually come to the Foundation Establishment Hall? Moreover, by his estimation, given how much time had passed, the Dry Devil Sect and others who had gone to the key areas of Kunwu Mountain had likely already encountered the first wave of cultivators—perhaps even engaged in battle.
If that were the case, it would be better to take advantage of the chaos and search more areas, maybe even fish in troubled waters. After all, he had already found something as valuable as the “True Yin Flame” in this small Foundation Establishment Hall. Other places should yield some rewards as well.
Besides, with his current abilities, even if surrounded by multiple late-Nascent Soul cultivators, he could still escape unscathed even if he couldn’t win.
After weighing his options, Han Li decisively took out the “Tri-Flame Fan.” With a flash of three-colored flames, he shattered the light barrier before him and headed straight down the mountain.
Almost simultaneously, in a dimly lit underground hall elsewhere in Kunwu Mountain, the big-headed freak, the ancient demon, and an early-Nascent Soul Ye Clan cultivator were surrounded by seven or eight red-haired, crimson-bodied malevolent ghosts.
These ghosts had green faces and fangs, exhaling yin energy as they slashed with their claws, sending waves of dark claw shadows toward the trio.
Trapped within swirling gray yin energy, the big-headed freak and the others had deployed several layers of differently colored protective barriers using their defensive treasures. No matter how fierce the yin energy or how sharp the claw shadows, they couldn’t shake the barriers in the slightest.
However, the yellow flying sword wielded by the freak, the black short sword controlled by the ancient demon, and the white jade ruler used by the Ye Clan elder, despite their dazzling brilliance, were equally ineffective against these ghosts.
No matter how many times the ghosts were sliced in half or their heads smashed to pieces, as long as the other ghosts exhaled yin energy toward them, the slain ghosts would instantly regenerate and resume their ferocious attacks, as if they were immortal.
The Ye Clan elder clenched his hands together before flinging out a series of crimson fireballs, which blasted one ghost into nothingness. Yet, as soon as the surrounding yin energy gathered, the ghost reappeared and lunged at the barrier again.
“Uncle Seven, Elder Han, this isn’t working. These ghosts have been nourished by the yin energy here for countless millennia and have clearly reached the ‘Yin Soul Manifestation’ stage. Ordinary spells and treasures can’t kill them. Only yang-based techniques or treasures will be effective,” the Ye Clan elder said anxiously.
“Hmph, if it were that simple, I would have acted long ago. These ghosts aren’t just at the Yin Soul Manifestation stage—they’re all avatars of a single Ghost King. Unless we kill all of them simultaneously, they’ll just revive in the yin energy. I haven’t used my full power yet because I’ve been searching for its true form,” the big-headed freak replied coldly.
“All avatars?” The elder was shocked.
“Indeed. Otherwise, even if these ghosts had reached Yin Soul Manifestation, after being killed so many times, they should be weakened. Yet, they show no signs of exhaustion. It seems this Ghost King intends to wear us down before finishing us off,” the ancient demon said calmly before pointing at his black short sword, piercing another ghost.
“I see. It’s a shame that Fifteenth Brother was hit by the Shadow Sand from that Shadow Serpent in the previous level and only his Nascent Soul escaped. His yang-based techniques would have been perfect against these ghosts,” the elder said, glancing at the gray surroundings with a grim expression.
“There’s nothing we can do about that. Who would have thought such a serpent, capable of hiding in shadows, would ambush Mingli from his own shadow? Even I couldn’t react in time. And its venom was so potent that Mingli’s body was completely necrotized in moments,” the big-headed freak sighed.
“I’m not blaming you, Uncle Seven. It’s just that this Demon-Suppressing Tower is truly bizarre. Not only is it built upside down—with the entrance at the top and the spire pointing downward—but each level is more dangerous than the last. We’ve spent so much time and only reached the seventh level. Elder Han mentioned this tower has nine levels. I can’t imagine what horrors await below. Should we really continue?” the elder hesitated.
“Hmph, are you scared after just a little danger? The more formidable the beings suppressed below, the higher the chance of finding a Heaven-reaching Spiritual Treasure. After all, only beings feared by ancient cultivators would require such treasures to suppress them. Do you want our Ye Clan’s centuries-long plan to come to nothing?” the freak rebuked sharply.
“You’re right, Uncle Seven. I was being cowardly,” the elder conceded, continuing to fend off the ghosts with his treasure.
“I’ve found the Ghost King,” the ancient demon suddenly announced.
“What? Where is its true form?” the elder perked up.
Just as the ancient demon was about to answer, his expression changed, and a muffled “bang” echoed from the distance. A green light flashed at the hall’s entrance, and a massive green orb flew in before dissipating to reveal four figures of varying builds.
Upon seeing the chaotic yin energy, the ghosts, and the trapped trio, the newcomers gasped in shock.
“Ye Yuesheng! Weren’t you long dead? So it was the Ye Clan who broke the seal?”
The speaker was a cultivator with green markings on his face—Hua Tianqi. The four were none other than the Poison Saint Sect’s four elders.
Recognizing the Ye Clan’s “Uncle Seven,” Hua Tianqi’s expression flickered unpredictably.
The trio’s expressions darkened upon seeing the Poison Saint Sect members, especially since they were still entangled with the ghosts.
“So it’s Fellow Daoist Hua. I didn’t expect the Poison Saint Sect to move so quickly into this mountain. I wonder why you’ve come to the Demon-Suppressing Tower instead of searching for treasures elsewhere,” the big-headed freak said nonchalantly, though a shadow briefly crossed his face.
“Hmph! We could ask you the same. And after hundreds of years, you’ve secretly advanced to late-Nascent Soul under the guise of death. If the righteous and demonic factions knew, they’d be restless,” Hua Tianqi said coldly, watching as the freak’s flying sword effortlessly shredded a ghost.
“Senior Brother Hua, do these people also know about the treasure in this tower?” a Poison Saint Sect elder transmitted nervously.
Their sect’s founder had vaguely mentioned a rare treasure in the Demon-Suppressing Tower, though its nature was unclear. Thus, the four elders had prioritized this location.
Though they’d noticed others had preceded them, they assumed the tower’s dangers would deter most. They never expected to encounter a late-Nascent Soul cultivator here.
Had the trio not been trapped by the ghosts, Hua Tianqi would have fled immediately. A late-Nascent Soul expert and two early-Nascent Soul cultivators were beyond their capabilities.
“Unclear. Perhaps they, like us, only have fragments of clues,” Hua Tianqi replied grimly, his eyes fixed on the trio.
“It seems Fellow Daoist Hua has no intention of leaving,” the big-headed freak said, his eyes glinting with menace. Suddenly, he opened his mouth, and a silver streak vanished.
A moment later, a silver explosion erupted in a corner of the hall, accompanied by a low roar.
A gray, blurry ghostly figure materialized, spitting out a thumb-sized gray orb to block a silver flying fork. Forced into retreat, it screeched wildly.
Before the Poison Saint Sect elders could react, the ancient demon silently flicked his sleeve, producing an ink-black mirror. He swiftly aimed it at the surrounding ghosts.
A wave of black light surged from the mirror, engulfing all the ghosts. One by one, they screamed as their bodies were torn apart in the light, which was as sharp as blades.
Though the Ghost King’s true form was pinned down by the silver fork, preventing the ghosts from regenerating, the dispersed yin energy coalesced into thick, churning clouds, trapping the trio within.
Even the ancient demon’s mirror couldn’t instantly dispel it.
Hua Tianqi’s face finally paled.
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