Chapter 1507: The Wheel-Turning Yin-Gathering Formation

A few moments later, several earth-shattering roars erupted from the area shrouded by the black light curtain.

The curtain trembled violently, and rumbling explosions burst forth continuously from beneath the ground. Then, with the palace at the center, the earth within a radius of several miles suddenly collapsed after several massive beams of light shot into the sky.

The palace completely crumbled and vanished, leaving behind only a colossal crater in its place.

Near the crater, several massive fissures, each several zhang wide, stretched across the ground, extending over ten miles outward.

Soon after, furious roars echoed from the pit, and several glowing orbs shot out in rapid succession, chasing one another.

One orb led by a hundred zhang, while the others followed closely behind. In a flash, they reached the entrance of the blue passage and burst through the black light curtain.

With a sharp whistling sound, they shot off into the distance.

Suddenly, a struggle erupted among the trailing orbs.

They attacked one another while relentlessly pursuing the leading orb.

One orb abruptly halted, breaking away from the battle, and veered off alone…

In an instant, silence returned to the vicinity of the black light curtain, the surroundings utterly still.

—

Han Li, while swiftly flying with Yuan Yao and the other woman enveloped in green mist, cautiously directed his spiritual sense inward to inspect the seal on the mark within his body.

Good! The mark remained as solid as before, showing no signs of loosening.

Han Li felt slightly reassured, but his vigilance never fully subsided. He knew well that this was only because the demon kings were preoccupied with urgent matters and had no time to spare for him. Once the Six-Armed Demon King and the others were free and remembered him, they could activate the mark at any moment—and he wouldn’t be able to suppress it for long.

Thus, Han Li had no intention of fleeing endlessly with the two women.

After traveling over a million miles, they arrived at a hilly region shrouded in dense black mist, where yin energy was thickly concentrated.

A thought crossed Han Li’s mind. After a brief consideration, he descended with the two women.

After a few flashes, the green streak vanished into the black mist.

The scenery within the hills was not as desolate as Han Li had imagined. The uneven terrain was dotted with low gray shrubs and several towering trees.

Though the trees appeared somewhat dull in color, their foliage was luxuriant, covering nearly half of the hills.

After flying through the faint black mist for a while longer, Han Li stopped before a small rocky hill.

He swept his spiritual sense around, confirming that no powerful ghosts lurked nearby, then flicked his sleeve, sending a small golden sword shooting out.

With a flash, the sword transformed into several golden streaks that slashed violently into the stone wall.

A series of low rumbles followed, and a massive cave entrance appeared. The golden light drilled into it like a serpent.

Han Li stood before the entrance, hands clasped behind his back.

After the time it took to drink a cup of tea, the golden sword returned.

Han Li’s expression shifted slightly as he flipped his palm, revealing a stack of small flags of various colors.

With a toss, the flags vanished into the cave entrance.

Instantly, a seemingly ordinary black mist surged forth, blending seamlessly with the surrounding yin energy.

Han Li beckoned the green mist behind him and stepped inside.

The two women, still wrapped in the mist, floated in after him.

The temporary hideout was not large—only about ten zhang in diameter—but it extended deep into the heart of the hill.

When Han Li reached the end of the cave and sat cross-legged against the stone wall, the green mist gently deposited the two women on the ground before dissipating.

The women remained unconscious, their eyes tightly shut.

Han Li was unsurprised.

The blood threads were clearly sinister, and to free them quickly, he had forcibly channeled Divine Devilbane Lightning into their bodies. Given their half-ghost constitutions, they naturally couldn’t endure the cleansing unscathed.

Of course, this was also due to Yuan Yao and the other woman’s relatively weak physical bodies. Had they possessed Han Li’s formidable physique, such pain would have been negligible.

But Han Li had acted with confidence, knowing he could revive them immediately.

With a flash of spiritual light, a dozen slender silver needles and a stack of cyan talismans appeared in his hands.

He flicked his wrist, and the needles shot forth with a hiss, embedding themselves halfway into the women’s bodies.

Though still unconscious, their faces twisted in pain.

Han Li ignored this, tossing the talismans over them in a burst of cyan light.

Under the glow, their expressions gradually eased, and their complexions improved.

Han Li formed hand seals, sending a series of intricate incantations through the light into the women’s bodies. The silver needles trembled rhythmically, their glow flickering.

Exhaling softly, Han Li summoned the needles back into his sleeve.

Then, in a calm but penetrating voice, he said:

“Fellow Daoists, awaken!”

Though his tone was mild, he infused it with a trace of his Soul-Piercing Spike technique—just enough to rouse them without harm.

Yuan Yao let out a soft moan, her long lashes fluttering before her eyes opened, dazed at first but quickly sharpening with realization. She sat up abruptly.

“Brother Han, it’s you?” Seeing Han Li before her, she relaxed slightly, lips parting to speak further.

But Han Li raised a hand, his expression grave.

“Lady Yuan, save your words for later. First, check if your body is unharmed.”

Yuan Yao nodded solemnly, sitting cross-legged and closing her eyes again.

Soon after, Yan Li also awoke and, following Han Li’s instruction, began inspecting her own condition.

After a short while, both women exhaled deeply and opened their eyes.

“The impurities in my body are all gone. This time, we owe you our lives, Brother Han. Without you, my junior sister and I would have been doomed,” Yan Li said, rising to bow deeply.

Though unconscious, their spiritual senses had remained alert. Trapped and helpless, they had feared the white-haired woman’s cruelty. That Han Li had rescued them under such circumstances was beyond expectation.

Yan Li didn’t know how he had managed such a near-impossible feat, but she could imagine the peril involved.

Her gratitude was sincere.

Yuan Yao mirrored the gesture, her face equally thankful though she remained silent.

“No need for formalities,” Han Li said. “My actions were partly for my own sake. I’ve forcibly suppressed the mark in my body, but it won’t hold for long. The demon kings could activate it at any moment. First, assess whether the yin energy here can help us remove it.”

With his life at stake, he wasted no time on pleasantries.

The two women exchanged glances before surveying their surroundings, sensing the yin energy.

“It’s not as dense as we’d prefer, but it should suffice with a sixty to seventy percent chance of success,” Yuan Yao mused. “Should we seek a more concentrated site or risk it here?”

“Sixty to seventy percent is enough. We don’t have time to search further. Once those demon kings regroup, they’ll track us through the marks,” Han Li said decisively.

Though he usually avoided uncertainty, when forced to gamble, he did so without hesitation.

“Good. My junior sister and I will set up the ‘Wheel of Yin Gathering Formation.’ With its power, we can concentrate enough yin energy in a short time to purge the marks with our combined efforts,” Yan Li said, approving of his resolve.

Yuan Yao’s eyes flickered before she nodded in agreement.

Time was of the essence. Without delay, the three flew out of the cave and hovered at a low altitude.

Yan Li scanned the area, then raised a hand, summoning a swirling gust of yin wind that condensed into a grayish flag.

Chanting, she tossed the flag into the air.

Under her incantations, the flag spun rapidly, releasing countless gray threads that danced wildly before converging into a sharp, straight spike pointing toward a nearby hill.

“Found it! That should be the spot with the densest yin energy—perfect for the formation’s core,” Yan Li announced.

Yuan Yao, standing beside Han Li, brightened at the news.

The three flew over immediately. While Han Li remained aloft on guard, the two women began laying out an expansive formation centered on the hill, large enough to encompass it entirely.

Watching from above, Han Li stroked his chin, deep in thought as the formation took shape below.