In an instant, Han Li descended onto a small platform halfway up a mountain. Gazing at what appeared to be an ordinary section of the cliff face before him, he flicked his sleeve, sending forth a surge of azure light.
With a soft *puff*, the azure light struck the rock wall, suddenly erupting into a dazzling radiance.
The rock wall then blurred like an illusion, revealing a massive stone gate several zhang tall. The gate shimmered with white spiritual light, clearly indicating the presence of restrictive spells.
Han Li examined it for a moment before raising his hand and releasing a streak of firelight, which vanished into the stone gate in a flash.
After a short while, a woman’s pleasantly surprised voice echoed from within the gate: “So it’s Senior Han who has arrived! Please wait a moment, my husband and I will come out to greet you.”
As the voice faded, the white light on the gate flickered wildly before dimming to normal. A rumbling sound followed as the gate slowly opened, revealing two women and a man stepping out.
They were none other than Wen Siyue, her husband, and the young girl named Tian Qin’er.
Han Li’s gaze lingered on the girl’s face for a moment, and he was slightly taken aback.
The girl, who had previously appeared sallow and emaciated, now looked like a delicate and pretty young maiden, with traces of her mother’s charm in her features.
It seemed that after expelling the toxins and recuperating, she had regained her original appearance.
“Greetings, Senior Han! We didn’t expect you to arrive so soon. Siyue failed to welcome you from afar—please forgive us!” Since Wen Siyue was the most familiar with Han Li among the group, the charming young woman stepped forward and bowed gracefully, her face adorned with a radiant smile.
“My journey went smoothly without any delays, so I arrived earlier than planned,” Han Li replied, waving his hand to indicate they needn’t stand on ceremony.
“However, my husband and I have been eagerly awaiting your arrival. Please, Senior, come inside and rest for a while.” Wen Siyue smiled sweetly and stepped aside, speaking in a gentle tone.
“Very well. I also wish to test this girl soon to see how much she has comprehended from the array formation books I gave her. If she truly satisfies me, I will take her as my disciple.” Han Li nodded calmly, then glanced at the girl again.
Tian Qin’er blushed slightly under his gaze and quickly lowered her head.
Wen Siyue and the middle-aged Tian man were overjoyed upon hearing this and promptly ushered Han Li into the cave abode.
Han Li remained inside for an entire day and night. During this time, Wen Siyue and her husband’s four Foundation Establishment disciples also came to pay their respects to Han Li. Among them, the elderly man brought along a youth of about seventeen or eighteen. They entered the cave abode but did not emerge immediately.
After another day, a streak of azure light shot out from the mountain, carrying two indistinct figures—a man and a woman. After a few flashes, the azure light vanished without a trace.
A month later, in the inland region of the Tiannan Yue Country, countless miles away from the Chaotic Star Sea, several black-robed cultivators flew at low altitude through a vast canyon in a desolate plain. Though their movements were graceful, their speed was unusually slow, clearly indicating their low cultivation levels.
After flying for some time, the black-robed cultivators suddenly veered toward one side of the canyon and disappeared into an exceptionally well-hidden cave.
Walking inward for about ten zhang, they came upon a stone gate shimmering with restrictive spiritual light.
A fierce-looking black-robed man, seemingly the leader, stepped forward and formed hand seals while muttering an incantation. After a while, he flicked his fingers, sending a spell into the gate, causing faint spiritual light to ripple across its surface.
The stone gate trembled slightly before slowly rising.
“Which junior brother from the sect has arrived?” A lazy voice echoed from within before the group could enter. A wisp of black mist shot out from the cave, stopping before the burly man. The mist dissipated, revealing a pale-faced elder.
“Oh, so it’s Junior Brother Meng. Are you the one assigned to take over this shift?” The elder, initially stern, was momentarily surprised but quickly adopted a smile.
This was understandable—the burly man was at the mid-Foundation Establishment stage, while the elder was only at the early stage, so he dared not show any disrespect.
“Indeed, Senior Brother Fan. I’ve been ordered to take over the supervision of this spirit mine. Is the entrance to the vein inside?” The burly man asked bluntly, his expression indifferent.
“Haha, Junior Brother Meng is quite impatient. The entrance is indeed inside. But are these the only people you’ve brought? It seems a bit short-handed,” the elder remarked, eyeing the few men behind the burly man with curiosity.
“Our Ghost Spirit Sect isn’t what it used to be. Most disciples are deployed to guard against the Beast Taming Sect and the Devil Flame Sect. These are the only men I could barely secure from the duty hall. Fortunately, this place is deep within our territory, and we’re only managing mortals here, so they should suffice.” The burly man snorted, clearly displeased.
“That makes sense. But Junior Brother Meng will have to work harder from now on,” the elder conceded with a helpless nod.
“Then, Senior Brother, please take me to see the mine first so I can familiarize myself with the situation,” the burly man said, glancing deeper into the cave.
“Of course. Follow me, Junior Brother.” The elder nodded, resealed the stone gate with a hand seal, and led the group deeper into the cave.
After winding through the passages for a short while, they arrived at a massive fissure in the ground, about several zhang wide, emitting a faint white glow that seemed to lead underground.
Two black-robed Qi Condensation cultivators sat cross-legged at the fissure’s entrance. Upon seeing the elder and the burly man, they hurriedly rose to bow.
The elder waved dismissively and led the burly man and his men straight into the fissure.
After a quarter-hour, the elder had shown the burly man most of the underground mine’s passages. The tunnels were densely packed and intricate, with many hired laborers toiling to extract spirit stones. The elder pointed out various details as they walked, clearly familiar with every inch of the place.
This was hardly surprising—after spending over a decade here, one could likely navigate the tunnels blindfolded.
The burly man listened with a grim expression, rarely speaking.
As they turned another corner, they encountered a downward-sloping passage leading deeper underground.
The elder frowned at the sight of this passage and shook his head, making no move to lead the group further. Instead, he turned to leave.
“Senior Brother Fan, where does this lead? Why aren’t we going to see it?” The burly man stopped, eyeing the passage curiously.
“Many years ago, this was a restricted area guarded by specially assigned disciples. But it’s long been abandoned, and those guards have been withdrawn,” the elder replied casually.
“A restricted area? What was inside? And why was it abandoned?” The burly man grew even more intrigued.
“Nothing much—just an ancient teleportation formation. It’s been in disrepair for ages and is unusable. As for why it was restricted and later abandoned, even I’m not entirely sure. It might have something to do with Senior Wang Chan,” the elder said hesitantly, though he seemed to consider the matter trivial.
“Senior Wang… you mean the former…” The burly man abruptly cut himself off, as if wary of something.
“Junior Brother understands. Matters concerning Senior Wang are not for us to discuss,” the elder said meaningfully.
“In that case, Senior Brother, could you take me to see it? To be honest, I’ve been studying formation techniques these past few years and am quite curious about ancient teleportation formations,” the burly man suddenly proposed after a moment of silence.
“You’re studying formations? That place is quite a distance away—it’ll take some time,” the elder said, looking slightly puzzled.
“Don’t be surprised, Senior Brother. I know the saying about ‘biting off more than one can chew.’ But my cultivation has hit a bottleneck, and I need to try different methods to break through. Perhaps studying formations will provide unexpected insights,” the burly man sighed.
“Very well, I’ll guide you there. But if you truly wish to study the formation, it’s best to come back another time,” the elder relented.
The burly man smiled faintly.
The group then proceeded down the passage.
Soon, they entered a deeper underground tunnel.
After winding through the labyrinthine passages for the time it takes to eat a meal, they arrived at an interconnected network of stalactite caves under the elder’s guidance.
The area resembled a small maze, but following marked symbols, they eventually stopped in a sizable stalactite cave.
In one corner lay a hexagonal, ancient teleportation formation.
“Junior Brother, this is it,” the elder said, pointing at the formation.
“Remarkable! This is an ancient teleportation formation. I’ve only read brief descriptions in texts—never seen one in person,” the burly man exclaimed, his eyes lighting up as he stepped forward to examine it closely.
The elder stroked his beard, smiling silently.
The Qi Condensation disciples, though curious, dared not approach and remained obediently at the entrance.
“Rumor has it this formation is actually intact. The reason it can’t be activated is likely due to issues with the formation on the other end. Otherwise, I’d love to know where it leads. But there’s plenty of time—you’ll be stationed here for over a decade, Junior Brother. You can study it at your leisure. Let’s head back now,” the elder suggested after a while, urging the burly man to leave.
“Leave? I don’t think so. This place is so secluded—why don’t you stay here forever, Senior Brother?” The burly man, still facing away, spoke eerily.
The elder stiffened, a chill running down his spine. Before he could react, a cold sensation touched his neck.
A sword light flashed, and his head tumbled to the ground.
The elder’s headless body swayed before collapsing.
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage