As soon as the giant tortoise let the two demonic beings disembark from its back, it immediately shimmered with spiritual light and transformed back into the hideous woman. However, her ugly face appeared unusually pale, as if she had expended a great deal of vitality passing through the Golden Magnetic Light.
The three demons flashed forward without pause, darting straight into the great hall.
At this moment, the blood shadow transformed by the Elder Qian had already flown in ahead of them. The three demons could clearly see countless silver threads piercing through the blood shadow, riddling its body with holes. Yet, the blood shadow erupted with blinding crimson radiance, its body continuously repairing itself even as it was damaged.
Despite this, the blood shadow showed no signs of stopping and swiftly vanished into the Northern Polar Divine Light.
Witnessing this, the three demons dared not hesitate any longer. As if they had already devised a plan, the Lion Hawk suddenly stepped forward, opening its massive maw to release a silent golden soundwave. Wherever it passed, all the silver threads instantly shattered into fragments.
Immediately after, the Silver-Winged Night Rakshasa flapped its wings violently, unleashing a fierce azure wind that, combined with the golden soundwave, swept the broken silver threads away without a trace.
Thus, under the relentless sweep of these two divine abilities, a “clearing” finally appeared. Seizing the opportunity, the three demons rushed in and slowly advanced deeper into the hall.
Left outside the Kunwu Hall, Lin Yinping’s delicate face darkened. In the blink of an eye, the only ones remaining to continue destroying the giant trees were her group and Ge Tianhao’s party.
Biting her lip lightly and frowning, she turned to the young man surnamed Xu and said,
“Brother Xu, we—”
“Saintess, there’s no need to rush. Our primary target is that Han brat. The treasures in this hall are of little consequence. Besides, with so many people already inside, it’s unlikely anyone will monopolize the treasures easily. Let’s destroy these trees and guard the entrance,” the young man surnamed Xu replied indifferently, wielding a jade flying sword to relentlessly strike a giant tree.
“Hah! Brother Xu speaks wisely. Even if others obtain the treasures, they’ll have to exit through the hall’s entrance. Though we can’t enter the Northern Polar Divine Light, anyone trying to leave will have to answer to us first,” Ge Tianhao laughed heartily, clapping his hands.
Lin Yinping glanced at the silver threads within the hall and, after a brief consideration, nodded calmly.
The two black-robed elders, hearing this reasoning, also felt reassured and resumed their attacks on the giant trees with renewed focus.
In the next moment, a thunderous crash echoed as a scorched yellow giant tree, over ten zhang tall, collapsed under their assault.
Meanwhile, deep within the Kunwu Hall, Han Li let out a long sigh and turned to look at the dense silver threads behind him.
“The ancient cultivators were truly cunning, hiding an illusion array within the Northern Polar Divine Light. If not for my Brightsight Spirit Eyes, escaping would have been troublesome,” he murmured before turning his gaze forward.
He now stood in the rear section of the Kunwu Hall, a relatively small area. Directly ahead, two rows of over a dozen intricately carved wooden chairs formed what resembled a council chamber.
At the end of these chairs stood a pale golden throne, flanked by a green jade table about a zhang tall.
While the throne was merely carved from ordinary golden-threaded spirit wood, the table was a vibrant emerald, exuding rich spiritual energy—clearly no ordinary object. Moreover, it was encased in a green light barrier, through which a few indistinct items could be glimpsed.
These must be the treasures of Kunwu Hall!
Han Li’s brow arched as he scanned the surroundings, finding nothing else of note. His gaze then returned to the front, lifting slightly to settle on an inconspicuous painting hanging on the wall behind the golden throne—a depiction of three figures gazing at the moon.
The painting, only about a chi in size, showed a monk, a Daoist, and a scholar conversing under a full moon in a bamboo grove. The image was slightly yellowed and dull, devoid of any spiritual aura, which was why Han Li had initially overlooked it. But now, he stared at it intently, his eyes narrowing in focus.
After a long moment, he lowered his head, deep in thought.
His spiritual sense had detected nothing unusual about the painting, yet an inexplicable unease lingered. Why would an ordinary painting hang in such a place?
His expression flickered before hardening with resolve. With a flick of his wrist, a golden beam over a zhang long shot forth, slashing violently at the painting. The sword light exploded, shredding the artwork into fragments that fluttered to the ground.
Han Li blinked in surprise.
Had he been overly cautious?
But since he had already acted, he saw no reason to hold back. With a sweep of his sleeve, several fist-sized fireballs materialized before him. He inhaled slightly, preparing to launch them with his spiritual sense and incinerate the remnants.
Just then, Silvermoon’s voice suddenly rang in his mind: “Master, be careful!”
Startled, Han Li’s body blurred without hesitation, splitting into seven or eight identical afterimages.
Almost simultaneously, the stone floor behind him erupted as a streak of gold-and-silver light pierced through the illusions. Only one figure remained unharmed, deflecting the attack with a metallic clang—a gold-and-silver spike-shaped magic treasure rebounding off an unseen barrier.
The figure staggered but vanished instantly, reappearing six or seven zhang away. Turning around, it revealed Han Li’s furious expression.
Had he not summoned the Silver Aegis Shield in time, that ambush could have gravely injured him.
Suppressing his rage, Han Li swiftly recalled the shield into his hand while his other sleeve flicked, releasing dozens of golden flying swords that shot toward the rubble below.
A woman’s light laughter echoed as a massive gold-and-silver object emerged from the ground, evading the sword barrage effortlessly.
Han Li’s heart chilled, his anger subsiding as he focused.
The object was a colossal shuttle, several zhang long, its surface mirror-smooth and gleaming. It resembled the smaller spike that had attacked him earlier but was vastly larger.
“So vigilant! To evade my strike—impressive. Might you share what cultivation technique you practice?” the woman’s voice chimed from within the shuttle as the smaller spikes returned to it.
Ignoring her, Han Li recalled his swords and, in a flash of inspiration, shot toward the jade table as a green streak.
With another cultivator present, securing the treasures took priority. Prolonged conflict would only attract more intruders, diminishing his chances.
Yet, as he lunged forward, he wondered: the woman’s voice was unfamiliar—none of the beings outside the hall. Had another cultivator entered Kunwu Mountain so swiftly, even outpacing Elder Qian’s group?
His thoughts raced, but his momentum carried him within twenty zhang of the table.
Suddenly, space above him distorted as a cyan handkerchief embroidered with talismanic script materialized, descending upon him with crushing force.
The massive cloth, spanning five or six zhang, appeared too close to evade. Despite his prowess, Han Li found himself ensnared within its glowing confines.
Inside the cyan radiance, Han Li hastily activated the Silver Aegis Shield, encasing himself in a white barrier.
Outside, the Wood Madame of the Illusion Immortal Sect materialized atop the handkerchief. Having witnessed Han Li’s Three Flames Fan, she knew her trap wouldn’t hold him long. Without delay, she transformed into a white streak, landing before the jade table.
Raising a silver token, she unleashed a silver beam that dissolved the green barrier like snow under sunlight, revealing the treasures within:
Four stacked crimson wooden plaques, a small violet sword, a palm-sized demon-subduing staff, a red-glowing tome, and a jade-green seal carved with a lifelike five-clawed dragon.
Her face lit with greed, lingering briefly on the seal before sweeping her sleeve to claim everything.
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