“Disciple was unaware of Senior Uncle Han’s true identity in the past and committed many offenses. I sincerely hope Senior Uncle Han will not hold it against me!” The yellow-robed man, whose face turned pale the moment Han Li recognized him, stammered nervously.
The woman beside him was taken aback.
Her Senior Brother Kui was usually the most eloquent, yet now he was acting like this.
Moreover, from his tone, it seemed he had known the Grand Elder for a long time.
Though filled with questions, the woman dared not ask anything outright.
Han Li curled his lips slightly, revealing an enigmatic smile.
“Ignorance is no crime. Back then, I had my own reasons for concealing my cultivation. Why would I hold it against you and your fellow disciples? But Nephew Kui, I must say, your Core Formation is truly unexpected. What of the other two?”
This yellow-robed cultivator was none other than Kuihuan, the Luoyun Sect disciple who had once invited him to hunt the Snowcloud Fox. His spiritual roots were mediocre, yet he had advanced from Qi Refining to Core Formation. Naturally, Han Li was surprised.
“Senior Brother Wang and the others were less fortunate. They failed to even reach Foundation Establishment and passed away many years ago,” Kuihuan replied with a bitter smile, surprised that Han Li remembered the past so clearly.
“That’s understandable. Their aptitudes weren’t exceptional, so failing to reach Foundation Establishment isn’t unusual. Nephew Kui, it seems you’ve had some fortuitous encounters.” Han Li sighed lightly.
“A century ago, I accidentally consumed an unknown spiritual herb, which caused my cultivation to advance rapidly!” Kuihuan explained with an ingratiating smile.
“Heh, that means you have great fortune. But I’m not here to reminisce. I have questions for you.” Han Li’s expression turned stern, his voice darkening.
“Grand Elder, please ask freely. This disciple will answer truthfully whatever I know,” the woman hurriedly replied respectfully.
Even if Han Li weren’t the Grand Elder of Luoyun Sect, his status as the foremost cultivator of the South Sky alone was enough to warrant her utmost deference.
“Nothing major. I just want to ask—has there been any unusual activity with the demonic abyss seal your Seven Spirit Islands have been guarding this past year?” Han Li asked slowly.
“The seal? It seems intact. We take turns patrolling it among the seven islands and haven’t heard of any anomalies. What does Senior Uncle mean?” The woman was stunned, answering reflexively.
Hearing this, Han Li frowned.
“Taking turns guarding it? So if another island’s cultivators encountered issues, you might not know?” His expression darkened.
“If the other islands don’t inform us, then yes, that’s likely the case,” Kuihuan and the woman exchanged glances before replying reluctantly.
To their surprise, Han Li didn’t grow angry. Instead, his eyes flickered, and he suddenly slapped his storage pouch, producing a set of multicolored array flags and disks.
“Take thirty-six disciples to the abyss entrance immediately and set up this ‘Mystic Firmament Heavenly Evil Array.’ I’m going into the abyss. If anything tries to escape, hold it off. I don’t expect you to kill it—just delay it briefly.” Han Li spoke calmly.
Kuihuan and the woman were shocked but quickly agreed.
“No time to waste! Gather your people and head to the seal to set up the array. I’ll go ahead to inspect the abyss. Heh, hopefully, it’s just a false alarm.”
Han Li murmured these words, tossed the array tools to them, and stood up.
Without waiting for their response, he flashed with spiritual light and shot into the sky as a streak of azure light, heading straight for the sealed abyss.
The woman and Kuihuan hastily bowed before hurriedly sending out message talismans to summon suitable disciples.
Soon, another group of cultivators gathered. The two distributed the array tools and led the team from the island, not daring to delay for fear of displeasing Han Li.
Meanwhile, Han Li had already arrived above the abyss entrance.
The once-massive whirlpool was now only fifty to sixty zhang wide, surrounded by over a dozen towering stone pillars. These pillars, neither metallic nor wooden, floated motionlessly in the seawater, emitting milky-white spiritual light that formed a radiant barrier sealing the whirlpool beneath.
Han Li hovered above, silently examining the seal with narrowed eyes.
“Senior Han, the seal has remained intact. Could your information be mistaken? Our seven islands have been guarding it diligently without any negligence,” a red-robed Core Formation cultivator behind him asked cautiously, clearly aware of Han Li’s identity.
Other Foundation Establishment cultivators stood further back, not daring to breathe loudly.
“Hmph, I know at least five or six methods to bypass the seal undetected. As for evading your notice, that’s even easier,” Han Li replied coldly without turning.
The red-robed cultivator could only smile wryly.
“Soon, my Luoyun Sect disciples will set up a temporary array to control the entrance. Your Crimson Lotus Sect will assist. Any objections?” Han Li’s voice turned icy.
“None at all! But Senior, are you truly entering the seal?” The red-robed cultivator sounded shocked.
“Of course. Why else would I come here? The demonic energy is weakest now—the perfect time to enter.” Han Li glanced at the sky.
It was noon, the sun blazing overhead.
The red-robed cultivator also looked up, realization dawning on his face.
“Very well. Do your part. I’m going in.”
Han Li flicked his sleeve, summoning a three-colored flame that coalesced into a feathered fan. With a light wave, fiery runes emerged, and three-colored flames danced across its surface.
In a flash, Han Li transformed into an azure streak, shooting toward the barrier. With a slash of the fan, a thunderous boom echoed as the three-colored flames cleaved a ten-foot-wide rift in the milky-white seal. Pitch-black demonic energy surged out, threatening to spread.
The red-robed cultivator paled, while the Foundation Establishment disciples gasped.
But Han Li’s other sleeve swept downward, releasing a torrent of azure light that suppressed the escaping demonic energy with overwhelming spiritual pressure.
In a flash, Han Li vanished into the abyss. The seal swiftly repaired itself, leaving no trace of demonic energy behind.
The red-robed cultivator sighed in relief, chiding himself for overreacting.
But then, a Foundation Establishment disciple behind him shouted, “Uncle, look!”
Turning, the red-robed cultivator saw dozens of streaks of light speeding toward them from the horizon.
“Luoyun Sect disciples! So Senior Han wasn’t exaggerating. Could there truly be a powerful demon lurking in the abyss?” he muttered, his expression complex.
Meanwhile, Han Li, enveloped in pitch-black demonic energy, crackled with golden lightning—the Evil-Suppressing Divine Thunder—warding off the encroaching miasma.
Amidst the roaring descent, he plummeted deeper into the abyss.
Golden arcs and demonic energy clashed, dispersing in low rumbles of thunder.
Ignoring this, Han Li focused on reciting an incantation from the Mysterious Yin Infant Transformation Art.
One thousand zhang, two thousand, three thousand… Despite his efforts, his divine sense detected nothing. His expression grew grimmer the deeper he went.
By seven or eight thousand zhang, doubt crept in.
Had he been wrong? Had the second Nascent Soul gone elsewhere to cultivate?
Just as he pondered this, his expression shifted. He halted mid-descent, his hands shifting to a new seal as he chanted lowly, his eyes glowing blue as he stared downward.
Then, his expression turned peculiar—uncertain.
After a pause, he resumed his descent, this time with clear purpose.
Within a few hundred zhang, bestial growls reached his ears.
Slowing, he tightened his grip on the three-colored fan, his pupils blazing with blue light.
With his enhanced vision, he could see a hundred zhang clearly, though beyond fifty zhang, details blurred.
A hundred zhang below, an enormous shadow reared its head, roaring skyward.
Han Li’s piercing gaze met the shadow’s blood-red eyes.
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