“I didn’t expect Fellow Daoist Han to dare show his face here. Xu truly admires your courage.” The young man surnamed Xu sneered, flicking a streak of silver light that shattered a stone guardian facing him, then spoke first.
“Why wouldn’t I dare come? With a spiritual treasure right before us, do you still have the mind to trouble me?” Han Li replied calmly, his gaze flickering imperceptibly as he glanced at the shattered remains of the stone guardian.
To his surprise, the fragments of the destroyed guardian shimmered with white light atop the altar, reassembling instantly before resuming its attack, swinging its golden blade to unleash slashes toward the sky.
Hearing Han Li’s words, the Great Immortal Master of the Heavenly Grasslands flashed a murderous look, but before he could speak, the Silver-Winged Yaksha unfurled its wings in the distance and said indifferently, “Have you forgotten your grudge with me? Though treasure is at hand, I wouldn’t mind settling personal matters first.”
As soon as these words fell, the nearby Lion-Hawk Beast let out a low growl, its threat unmistakable.
“Oh?” Han Li, instead of being alarmed, chuckled in response.
Beside him, Gui Ling sighed and stepped forward, standing shoulder-to-shoulder with Han Li.
This scene made the Silver-Winged Yaksha’s expression shift slightly.
“Fellow Daoist Gui, what is the meaning of this? Why are you siding with this human cultivator?”
“Meaning? Are you truly ignorant or feigning stupidity? This old woman was ruthlessly used by you lot—you only cared about your own life tokens and abandoned me to my fate. Now that my life token has fallen into another’s hands, unless I wish to perish, I have no choice but to obey.” Gui Ling’s eyes flashed with ferocity as she suddenly pointed at the distant Silver-Winged Yaksha and began cursing loudly.
This outburst left all the cultivators present stunned.
The Silver-Winged Yaksha wore an awkward expression, while the growling Lion-Hawk Beast immediately fell silent.
Truth be told, the three demons shared deep ties and camaraderie. If possible, the two demons would have gladly helped Gui Ling retrieve her life token.
But the circumstances at the time were extraordinary. Managing to reclaim their own life tokens was already a stroke of luck, leaving no room to assist Gui Ling. Moreover, Han Li was slippery as an eel—the moment he seized the treasure, he fled immediately, leaving them trapped under the might of the Four Symbols Ruler, helplessly watching him escape.
“Fellow Daoist Gui, rest assured, we will help you reclaim your life token,” the Silver-Winged Yaksha said, his expression darkening as he glared at Han Li.
“At this point, such words are meaningless. This old woman has no choice but to obey orders now. If I must face you, don’t blame me for showing no mercy.” Gui Ling remained unmoved, her eyes flashing with defiance.
The Silver-Winged Yaksha let out a bitter laugh but said nothing more, though his gaze toward Han Li turned venomous.
Han Li, however, remained unfazed, inwardly deciding that if the Silver-Winged Yaksha truly sought trouble, he would have Gui Ling deal with him.
“Fellow Daoist Han, I wonder what the outcome of your battle with Elder Qian was. The old devil hasn’t appeared yet—could he have fallen to your hands?” The Wood Madame of the Hua Xian Sect suddenly giggled, her words startling the other cultivators.
“So it was you spying on our battle within the Arctic Divine Light. May I ask for your esteemed name?” Han Li’s eyes flickered slightly before he calmly scanned the woman and the beautiful maiden beside her.
“Likely, only Fellow Daoist Han here is unfamiliar with us. This concubine hails from the Southern Border’s Hua Xian Sect and could be considered half a local here. Yet Fellow Daoist Han’s face is entirely unfamiliar—are you not from our Great Jin?” The Wood Madame swayed coquettishly, her plain face taking on a hint of charm, though her pupils remained icy.
“My origins seem irrelevant to the matter at hand. However, I recall receiving quite the ‘hospitality’ from you two at the Kunwu Hall. As for Elder Qian and I, we merely exchanged pointers before parting ways. Has he not arrived yet? I assumed he’d come ahead of me.” Han Li spun his lies effortlessly, making Gui Ling inwardly roll her eyes in exasperation.
Though the Wood Madame harbored doubts, she found it hard to believe Han Li could have slain the infamous Elder Qian. Hearing his dismissive reply, she merely covered her mouth with a laugh and said no more.
Several unfamiliar cultivators, seeing how much attention Han Li commanded, exchanged glances before retreating slightly, halting their attacks on the stone puppets within the formation.
Among them, a white-robed Confucian scholar at late Nascent Soul stage flickered his gaze and sent a sound transmission to Han Li: “Fellow Daoist, it seems you have grievances with many here. I am the Grand Elder of the Ye Clan, overseeing the Great Jin imperial lineage. Would you be interested in allying with the Ye Clan? We seek only the Eight Spirit Ruler—all other treasures within the palace shall be yours. What say you?”
Han Li blinked slightly but showed no outward reaction, nor did he reply.
“Do not think the Ye Clan greedy. Even if you were to obtain such a treasure by chance, without sufficient strength, you would never hold onto it for long.” The scholar, seeing Han Li’s formidable cultivation and his control over a high-tier demon like Gui Ling, was eager to recruit him.
Han Li’s brow twitched before he finally responded via sound transmission: “The Ye Clan, as the foremost family of Great Jin, surely needs no outsider’s aid. Moreover, didn’t two of your great cultivators enter this mountain? Where is the other?” His sharp gaze swept over the unfamiliar cultivators, finding no trace of the ancient demon’s avatar. Though relieved, his wariness deepened.
“Fellow Daoist Han is remarkably well-informed. To be frank, my elder should also be within this tower. Though I’ve yet to contact him, I believe he will intervene at the critical moment—perhaps he has already infiltrated the palace!” The scholar chuckled, though inwardly unsettled.
“Is that so? If the palace proves empty, wouldn’t I have wasted my efforts and earned the ire of others for nothing?” Han Li paused before replying.
“That’s easily resolved. I’ve acquired several powerful treasures elsewhere in Kunwu Mountain. Should you find nothing, I’m willing to offer them all to you. If you fear retaliation, the Ye Clan can also appoint you as an honorary elder or pay you a million spirit stones.” The white-robed scholar, anxious over the disappearance of his clansmen, spared no expense in recruiting Han Li.
“An honorary elder is unnecessary, but the million spirit stones do interest me. Worst case, I’ll simply leave Great Jin afterward.” Han Li chuckled lightly, agreeing to the terms.
“Excellent! Then it’s settled. Later, act as the situation demands.” The scholar seemed delighted.
“Wait—you’re truly giving up the Eight Spirit Ruler?” Silvermoon, Han Li’s bonded artifact spirit, had overheard everything and couldn’t help but ask.
“Give it up? Of course not. This is merely a verbal agreement—neither of us takes it seriously. The Ye Clan feels weakened, and I need someone to distract the others. That’s all.” Han Li replied leisurely.
“I thought as much. Once the formation breaks, it’ll be a free-for-all.” Silvermoon sighed.
Han Li smiled faintly and said no more, for the white-robed scholar had raised his voice to address the others.
“Fellow Daoists, now that Fellow Daoist Han has arrived, our chances of breaking this ancient formation have improved. The earlier agreement should extend to him as well.”
“Nonsense! We have enough strength already. Why add another? Just subdue him!” The young man surnamed Xu scoffed.
“Subdue him? If you can, by all means try. But with the seal weakening by the moment, do we have time to waste?” The scholar’s expression darkened.
“He’s right. The Taiyi Sect’s Xuan Qingzi has already arrived outside, and the Seven Wonders True Monarch of the Heavenly Demon Sect is on his way. We have at most a day to claim the treasure. Once the top orthodox and demonic sects arrive, do you think the Eight Spirit Ruler will remain ours?” The Wood Madame flicked her hair, her tone grave.
Taiyi Sect! Heavenly Demon Sect!
Every cultivator present—except the three demons—was shocked, especially the Ye Clan’s Grand Elder, whose face paled instantly.
The young man surnamed Xu and Lin Yinping exchanged uneasy glances. Though the Heavenly Grasslands’ Holy Hall had dealings with the Heavenly Demon Sect, they knew better than to expect equal shares of Kunwu Mountain’s treasures.
“Fine, let him join. Once the formation breaks, whoever claims the treasure does so by their own means!” The young man, a true great cultivator, swiftly made his decision.
The others, including the Silver-Winged Yaksha and his ilk, harbored their own schemes but voiced no further objections.
Han Li smirked, flicking his sleeve to release over a dozen golden flying swords, which shot toward the stone puppets below without hesitation. The others, unwilling to delay, resumed their assault on the formation.
The previously motionless puppets sprang back to life, brandishing their golden blades to counter the aerial attacks.
Blades clashed, and thunderous booms erupted once more!
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