“Let’s follow them. Don’t get too close to these old monsters. It’s only thanks to the mountain’s restrictions suppressing divine sense that we even have a chance to tail a late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator.” Lady Mu called out, and immediately, white light shimmered around the two women as they stealthily emerged from the stone pillar, employing a secret technique to continue their pursuit.
Not long after the two women left, a faint green glow flickered behind another pillar near where they had been hiding. A tall, green-hued figure materialized, its crystalline emerald eyes coldly fixed on the direction the women had vanished before it too disappeared with an eerie flash.
By the time Venerable Qian and the others arrived at the mountain gate, Han Li was already walking slowly along the path between the gate and the massive palace. Each step he took was deliberate, as if weighed down by immense pressure, and he was still about two to three hundred zhang away from the palace.
However, Han Li was now enveloped in a swirling aura of cyan light and golden arcs, his entire body shrouded in a dazzling layer of violet flames. He had even transformed himself into a bizarre half-human, half-flood dragon form using the Spirit Subduing Talisman, startling Venerable Qian and the others when they saw him.
“What kind of divine ability is this? How did he turn into this?” a black-robed elder couldn’t help but exclaim.
“Who cares what’s going on? It looks like he’s trapped by restrictions—this is the perfect chance to eliminate him,” Ge Tianhao said with a sinister glint in his eyes. He flicked his wrist, sending a fiery red halberd shooting toward Han Li like a crimson streak.
Han Li had previously destroyed one of Ge Tianhao’s bone swords with the Three Flames Fan, causing him significant losses. Now that an opportunity presented itself, Ge Tianhao wasn’t about to let it slip.
But the red streak had barely flown a dozen zhang before it plummeted with a loud *thud*, embedding itself deep into the ground and remaining firmly pinned there.
“What’s this?” Ge Tianhao was shocked and immediately channeled his magic power to retrieve the weapon, but the halberd remained rooted to the spot as if fused with the earth.
“Magnetic force?” Lin Yinping murmured in surprise.
“No, it’s golden magnetic gravity—a natural restriction generated by those golden magnetic spirit trees on either side. Anyone who steps into their range will be weighed down by their invisible magnetic light, making movement nearly impossible,” the Silver-Winged Yaksha said calmly, glancing at the two rows of withered giant trees.
“Nearly impossible? Then how did that Han kid get through?” the Xu youth sneered, casting a glance at Han Li’s distant figure.
“Hmph, can’t you see, or are you deliberately ignoring his transformation? His cultivation has surged by at least half since changing form, reaching the peak of mid-Nascent Soul stage. Not to mention, both his Evil-Suppressing Divine Lightning and that violet ice flame are extraordinary divine abilities. If you were to go in there, you wouldn’t last half as long as he has in that form,” the Silver-Winged Yaksha retorted with a mocking smile.
“Oh? From your tone, it sounds like you know this Han kid quite well. Do you recognize him?” the Xu youth asked, his expression unreadable but his words probing.
“Whether I know him or not is none of your concern,” the Silver-Winged Yaksha replied, recognizing the veiled inquiry.
Though the Xu youth’s expression remained unchanged, inwardly, he seethed with anger.
“Golden magnetic spirit trees—are those the legendary Treasure-Felling Trees from ancient times? I thought they were extinct. They’re said to suppress any treasure containing metal attributes, which explains why Ge Tianhao’s weapon fell immediately. And their magnetic force is innate, undetectable even with divine sense,” the Xu youth mused, frowning.
“It’s worse than that. The magnetic fields they emit are incredibly potent and can even stack, layering gravity effects on anyone within range. The number of trees lining the path means we’d likely be under the influence of four or five at once. I doubt I could withstand such force,” the square-faced cultivator said gravely.
“Is that so? I don’t believe it. I’d like to test it myself,” Lin Yinping said coldly, eyeing Han Li’s slow progress. She tapped her spirit beast pouch, releasing a four-legged winged serpent covered in thick scales.
“Go!” she commanded, pointing at Han Li’s back.
The serpent, now encased in a yellow protective barrier, soared into the air before darting through the mountain gate.
Under the watchful eyes of the group, the serpent flew a dozen zhang before plummeting like the halberd. However, it managed to roll onto its feet and flap its wings weakly, struggling to rise again.
Lin Yinping’s face lit up with hope—until a muffled *pop* sounded, and the serpent exploded into a bloody pulp under the crushing gravity.
“How is this possible? How can the magnetic light be so strong? What is that Han kid made of? Even my spirit beast couldn’t endure it, yet he’s still unharmed!” Lin Yinping paled, her voice trembling with disbelief.
“No need to overthink it. I sense a faint demonic aura on him—likely some secret technique borrowing a monster’s power to enhance his physique. But his own abilities are formidable, resisting such force while wielding three different powers without relying on treasures. Even I couldn’t do that,” Venerable Qian said coldly, guessing part of the truth.
“Such a technique? This man truly knows many unorthodox methods!” Lin Yinping and the others murmured in realization.
“Enough talk. If you humans keep chattering, he’ll reach the Kunwu Hall,” the ugly woman among the three demons rasped, her voice grating as she eyed Han Li’s nearing figure.
“Relax, the Kunwu Hall’s restrictions won’t end here. Who knows what other traps await inside? And now that we know the trees’ nature, breaking the restriction is simple—just cut them down with non-metallic treasures,” the Xu youth said dismissively.
“That easy?” the ugly woman blinked skeptically.
“The golden magnetic gravity is only dangerous because it catches people off guard. Otherwise, it’s nothing special,” the Xu youth replied, summoning a pale yellow sword that shot toward the nearest tree.
A loud *boom* echoed as golden light flashed around the tree, leaving only a deep gash where the sword struck.
“Huh?” The Xu youth was taken aback.
“It seems you’ve forgotten—these trees are harder than metal, and after millennia of absorbing spiritual energy on Kunwu Mountain, they’re no ordinary wood. Destroying them won’t be easy. Let’s not waste time—attack together!” Venerable Qian said, his massive white shadow spitting out a crystalline orb that crashed into another tree.
Ge Tianhao and the others exchanged glances before joining in, summoning jade, wood, and other non-metallic treasures to assault the trees.
For a moment, the area was ablaze with multicolored spiritual light as the group focused their attacks.
Unnoticed by the humans, the three demons—Silver-Winged Yaksha included—secretly rejoiced. Though they also joined the assault, their attacks were deliberately ineffective, masked by the chaotic barrage.
“How foolish. They’re actually cutting down the golden magnetic trees,” Silvermoon sighed in Han Li’s mind as he trudged forward.
“Can’t blame them. Without my Brightsight Spirit Eyes, they can’t see the ancient Great Lightwheel Demon-Suppressing Inscriptions inside each tree. Even I wouldn’t have noticed without your reminder. Who’d expect ancient cultivators to engrave spells inside living wood?” Han Li replied calmly.
“But this means the three demons can pass unhindered. Should we warn the others?” Silvermoon hesitated.
“Warn them? Why? Aside from the Ye Clan, the Tianlan Sacred Hall and Yin Luo Sect are no friends of mine. Let the demons distract them. I didn’t destroy the trees myself only because it’d take too much effort alone. Otherwise, I’d have done it already,” Han Li chuckled.
“True. But Master should hurry into the hall and secure the treasure. Once you have it, you can escape in the chaos. Then just hide somewhere in the mountain until the spatial rift stabilizes,” Silvermoon suggested with a light laugh.
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