Chapter 1669: Inter-Dimensional Evil Thoughts

“Brother Han, please bring out the demon armor,” the Crystal Clan woman turned her head and spoke gravely to Han Li.

Han Li naturally had no objections. With a flip of his palm, a jade box about a foot in size appeared, its surface sealed with two restriction talismans. He flicked his sleeve over the box, and the lid opened, releasing a surge of black mist.

Within the black mist, a half-foot-long purple battle armor emerged. The armor was not only grotesquely shaped, with spikes protruding from the shoulders and knees, but its surface was also covered in black patterns, exuding an overwhelming demonic aura. However, there was a conspicuous hole in the chest, its edges shattered.

As soon as the black mist rolled out from the armor, the woman named Xianxian paled slightly. With a wave of her delicate hand, a crystalline barrier enveloped her before she pointed toward the box from a distance.

The purple armor seemed to be pulled by an invisible force, floating lightly toward the center of the formation. But before it could reach the middle, the Crystal Clan woman raised a hand, sending out a faint silver spell that vanished into the bronze cauldron.

A bell-like chime rang out, and the black-green flames on the cauldron surged, engulfing the demon armor and drawing it inside.

A thunderous roar erupted from the cauldron, and the intricate black patterns on its surface flickered.

Simultaneously, the entire formation below churned with black mist, and faint silver runes emerged from all directions, rushing into the cauldron and disappearing without a trace.

Xianxian then began chanting softly, forming a hand seal. The ground near the formation trembled violently, and at the four corners, dazzling yellow light flashed as deep-yellow stone platforms rose.

Each platform was about ten feet tall, smooth and polished, with a small black banner planted on top. Beneath the banners were an assortment of bottles and jars.

Han Li’s expression flickered slightly at the sight but quickly returned to normal.

As the incantation continued, the four banners expanded, growing to about fifty or sixty feet in size.

Xianxian finally stopped her spell and turned to Han Li.

“Fellow Daoist Han, let us begin. During the repair process, you only need to follow my instructions and channel your magic power into the four demon banners.”

“No problem,” Han Li nodded without hesitation.

The Crystal Clan woman smiled in satisfaction and pointed again at the hovering formation disk high above. A long hum sounded from the disk, and countless spells sprayed out, scattering across the space.

The dark clouds overhead roared as they descended, and the surrounding spatial barriers filled with gray mist.

In mere moments, Han Li and Xianxian were completely engulfed in the swirling fog, with only the occasional rumble echoing from within.

Time passed, and three days later, the shop’s door suddenly opened. A figure walked out calmly, summoned a beast-drawn carriage, and leisurely departed.

Inside the private space of the shop, Xianxian stood at the edge of the formation, staring blankly at the bronze cauldron before her.

The cauldron’s surface was now covered in dense cracks.

The formation below was equally devastated, with nearly half of it destroyed. The black crystals embedded around it had turned into piles of debris.

Above her head, the qilin phantom had shrunk to about a foot in size, its eyes flickering as if deep in thought.

“This demon armor must have some extraordinary origins. Ordinary demon armor from outer realm fiends would never cause such a thing,” the qilin phantom sighed after a long while.

“Indeed. After the repair was completed, it actually attracted the divine sense of a demon from another realm, nearly allowing it to manifest a demonic body using the local demonic energy,” Xianxian said, a trace of lingering fear in her voice.

“Fortunately, that Han fellow possesses the Evil-Suppressing Divine Lightning and dispersed the condensed demonic energy in one strike. Otherwise, we would have faced serious trouble,” the qilin said gravely.

“But for that demon to forcibly project its divine sense across realms suggests its cultivation is not far from that of a True Spirit. Could this armor have some other secret? Yet after the repair, I found nothing unusual about it,” Xianxian frowned.

“The time was too short for me to discern anything either. Had I known, we should never have agreed to give it away. You could have made an excuse to keep it and offered him another treasure in exchange,” the azure qilin suddenly suggested.

“I considered that. But after he dispersed the demonic energy, though he appeared calm, I could sense that if I had refused, he would have attacked without hesitation. His power is nearly on par with an early-stage Saint Clan member, and I’ve exhausted most of my life-saving treasures in the Demon Mountain Range. I had no confidence in escaping if he turned hostile,” the Crystal Clan woman replied with a bitter smile.

“A pity. My own vitality was severely depleted in the Demon Mountain Range. Otherwise, with the spatial restrictions here, we might have been able to keep the armor,” the qilin said gloomily.

“Enough. No matter how miraculous this armor is, it’s still a demonic artifact. Even if I kept it, I couldn’t refine or wield it. Offending such a powerful ally would be a greater loss,” Xianxian said after a long silence, taking a deep breath.

“Hmph, if that’s how you see it, so be it. Consider it his good fortune. Whether there are other secrets within the armor will depend on his destiny. It’s just a shame—this might have been a rare opportunity for you,” the qilin sighed.

“With you by my side, do I truly lack opportunities?” Xianxian chuckled softly, seemingly having let go of the matter.

“That’s true. What you lack now isn’t opportunities but the cultivation and power to seize them. Otherwise, no matter how many chances come your way, they’ll be wasted. Enough of this. Have you found what I asked you to investigate?” the qilin abruptly changed the subject.

“Not yet. The whereabouts of that item are known only to a few Saint Clan elders. It’s proving quite troublesome,” Xianxian said with a troubled expression.

“You must put more effort into it. Without that item, even if I take you to the ancient ruins, you won’t be able to enter,” the qilin said indifferently.

“I know. I’ll try other methods—perhaps purchasing or borrowing it from the disciples or relatives of those elders,” Xianxian murmured after a thoughtful pause.

While the Crystal Clan woman and the qilin phantom discussed their plans, Han Li was on his way back to his cave abode.

Inside the beast-drawn carriage, he appeared calm and motionless, but his mind was in turmoil. He had never expected that repairing the demon armor would nearly lead to a major catastrophe.

His hand moved unconsciously, reaching into his sleeve and touching a cool object—a green jade box containing the repaired demon armor, its surface covered with over a dozen restriction talismans.

Han Li’s fingers lightly traced the box as he recalled the events.

The first half of the repair process had gone smoothly, but the latter half was plagued with unexpected issues—the formation suddenly stopping, the cauldron cracking inexplicably. Fortunately, with their combined efforts, they managed to resolve each problem.

But the real shock came when the armor was finally repaired and flew out of the cauldron. A cold, powerful divine sense forcibly breached the spatial barrier and descended upon the small space, immediately targeting the armor.

Caught off guard, Xianxian froze momentarily.

But Han Li, having encountered such cross-realm divine senses before, reacted swiftly. He unleashed a bolt of Evil-Suppressing Divine Lightning, dispersing part of the divine sense and repelling it.

Normally, the divine sense would have retreated upon failing. But whether due to its owner’s determination or sheer arrogance, it instead plunged into the purified demonic energy within the formation, gathering it to form a monstrous demonic body.

Han Li, however, had no intention of letting it succeed. In a surge of alarm, he released all his remaining divine lightning, bombarding the demon with a storm of golden arcs.

Though the demon’s true form was unfathomably powerful, even its partially manifested body couldn’t withstand hundreds of divine lightning strikes. Before it could even scream, both its divine sense and body were obliterated.

From then on, both Han Li and Xianxian realized the armor’s extraordinary nature—far beyond what they had anticipated.

Han Li noticed Xianxian’s hesitation afterward. Though he remained outwardly calm, he was fully prepared for her to renege on their agreement.

To his relief, despite her obvious reluctance, she allowed him to take the armor. This deepened his favorable impression of her, though he didn’t linger, expressing his thanks before departing.

Now, as he absently stroked the jade box in his sleeve, his curiosity about the repaired demon armor grew even stronger.