Just as Han Li and the Saint-rank demon ape finally came face to face, within one of the labyrinthine passages of demonic energy, the Crystal Clan woman Xianxian and the azure qilin phantom came to a halt under the protection of a pitch-black light barrier.
About ten zhang away from them stood a jet-black stone wall—the end of the passage, with no further path ahead.
“This should be the place!” the qilin phantom declared after a brief flicker in its gaze.
“Qilin Shadow, don’t make a mistake. The formation flags to open the spiritual vein are one-time use, and I barely managed to refine just one set,” Xianxian cautioned with extreme prudence.
“Being careful is wise. Wait a moment,” the azure qilin agreed after tilting its head in thought.
Then, it suddenly opened its mouth and spat out a cyan orb. The orb spun rapidly before transforming into a stream of azure mist that swept toward the stone wall.
A bizarre scene unfolded.
After the azure mist vanished into the wall, a low roar soon echoed from deep within the stone. The surface of the wall flashed with black light, and the azure mist was forcefully expelled as if repelled by some immense power.
With a shimmer of spiritual light, the mist coalesced back into the orb.
“No doubt about it—this is definitely the spot!” The qilin swallowed the orb again, its eyes gleaming with excitement.
“Good. I’ll set up the formation now and open the spiritual vein!” Xianxian exclaimed, her face lighting up with joy upon hearing the miniature qilin’s confirmation.
With a flick of her wrist, she produced a stack of pre-prepared cyan formation flags. Though seemingly ordinary, a closer look revealed intricate gold and silver threads embedded within, resembling layers of spiderwebs.
Dozens of azure streaks shot out like flowing light, pausing midair before converging into a formation several zhang in size. The formation vanished into the stone wall without a sound, leaving no trace.
Unfazed, Xianxian reached out with both hands, summoning a small blue bell in one and an ancient, somewhat tattered white ruyi scepter in the other. The bell shimmered with a radiant blue liquid, while the scepter appeared dull and worn.
With a pained expression, she hurled both treasures forward. A blue and a white light collided midair, shattering like porcelain and scattering fragments everywhere.
When the light faded, two liquid orbs—one blue, one red—remained floating in the air.
The nearby qilin phantom couldn’t hide its greed but quickly suppressed it, murmuring, “The blood of the Eight-legged Primal Beast and the Phoenix—you spent centuries gathering these, nurturing them in these treasures for another hundred years. Consuming them raw could refine your body and even benefit my spirit.”
“Our Crystal Clan is different. True Spirit blood isn’t as effective for me as you think. Besides, no matter how rare, it can’t compare to the benefits of the True Spirit Vein,” Xianxian replied calmly.
“True enough. Your clan’s unique physique means only the True Spirit Vein can truly aid you. Using these as keys is a necessary sacrifice. Without True Spirit blood, the Vein Spirit won’t awaken and then slumber. For outsiders, opening the True Spirit Vein is nearly impossible,” the qilin chuckled in agreement.
Without another word, Xianxian rapidly flicked her fingers, sending incantations into the two orbs. The liquids merged, forming a single blue-red sphere that drifted toward the wall.
A low roar echoed from the wall as the formation reappeared, engulfing the sphere before vanishing again.
Xianxian chanted solemnly, her hands weaving spells. This time, the wall rippled with black light, twisting as if alive before layers peeled away, revealing a glowing face several zhang wide—featureless except for eyes, a nose, and a mouth.
The face remained motionless, eyes shut.
“Now, hurry!” the qilin urged.
Xianxian shouted, reactivating the formation, which dissipated instantly, leaving the blue-red orb behind. The face stirred, opening pitch-black eyes to gaze at the orb before lunging forward and swallowing it whole. A satisfied glow flashed across its features.
After a glance at Xianxian, its mouth gaped wide, transforming into a white, stone-like passage leading deep underground.
“Success! The Vein Spirit sleeps—let’s go!” the qilin cheered.
Xianxian, barely containing her excitement, nodded and swept the qilin into her sleeve before darting into the passage as a streak of light.
Unnoticed by them, a faint blood-red glimmer flickered in a corner of the wall before vanishing. Moments later, a golden flower emerged from the demonic mist, circling briefly before plunging into the passage.
Meanwhile, outside the mountain, a streak of blood-red light shot from the horizon, materializing into the silver-armored, grim-faced Gui at the entrance of the demonic passage.
“My warning seal was triggered—they really came for the True Spirit Vein. Good, this saves me the trouble of opening it myself,” he muttered darkly before vanishing inside in a crimson flash.
His blood-light repelled the demonic energy effortlessly, clearing his path.
Shortly after, a petite figure—Jiu Ye—appeared nearby, eyeing the churning demonic mist in shock.
“Such dense demonic energy… Only the great ones could wield this power. Is this the secret lair of Iron Demon or Blood Arm?” she gasped, hesitating before steeling herself and diving in as a silver streak. As a high-rank demon beast, the mist only empowered her further.
—
Han Li stood at a corner of the hall, now sporting two additional golden heads on his shoulders and four extra arms wielding radiant weapons—a staff, a pestle, a wheel, and a ruler—each crossed to block massive fists wreathed in black energy.
The weapons trembled under the strain, their faint whimpers audible. The fists unleashed shockwaves, but a crystalline barrier deflected them harmlessly.
Nearby, two fist-sized golden beetles harried a purple blade remnant, dodging its slashes only to relentlessly close in again. Though the blade was swift, its attacks came with a slight delay, preventing it from targeting Han Li directly as the beetles body-blocked every attempt.
Despite being sent flying by each strike, the beetles simply shook their wings and charged back, their resilience rendering the blade’s efforts futile.
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