Upon hearing this, Han Li felt a surge of joy in his heart. His earlier question had been merely casual, with no real expectation of an answer, yet it seemed the other party genuinely knew something.
It appeared that Che Qi Gong’s claim of being one of the longest-lived Sacred Ancestors of the Demon Realm was not unfounded.
As Han Li silently observed the old man, waiting patiently, Che Qi Gong alternated between gazing at the sky with flickering eyes and lowering his head in deep contemplation, his expression shifting unpredictably. Occasionally, he muttered a few inaudible words under his breath.
Han Li’s heart stirred slightly at this sight.
“I remember now,” Che Qi Gong finally spoke, his brow furrowed. “There is indeed a forbidden technique from ancient times in our Sacred Realm that could achieve such a feat. However, this technique has been lost for many years, and once practiced, it carries immense risks and endless consequences. Even in ancient times, few Sacred Ancestors dared to cultivate it. Nowadays, very few in the Sacred Realm know of its existence—myself included. How did that scoundrel Xue Guang obtain the method to practice it?”
“A forbidden technique? Could Senior elaborate further?” Han Li asked, visibly surprised.
“This forbidden technique is called the ‘Soul-Splitting Corpse-Severing Art.’ It is said to be a secret method that completely splits one’s primordial spirit. Each split-off divine sense possesses independent intelligence and can manipulate a portion of the practitioner’s magic power, but their personalities become extremely extreme, making them a significant hidden danger. Moreover, the splitting process itself risks damaging the primordial spirit. These split-off divine senses are not mere avatars—each can be considered the practitioner’s true self, with no absolute hierarchy. As for more specific details, even I am not entirely clear. However, the power of these split-off entities depends on how many divine senses are divided. Given that they are crossing realms to descend upon the Spirit Realm, it’s unlikely that overly powerful avatars could manifest. Even so, they are far stronger than the typical divine sense avatars of other Sacred Ancestors.” The old man spoke slowly, weighing his words.
“Does this technique have no exploitable weaknesses?” Han Li asked, his expression darkening.
“Naturally, the forbidden technique has significant flaws, but those are long-term issues. In combat, there are no obvious weaknesses,” the old man replied, somewhat helplessly.
“If that’s the case, then so be it. I’ll act according to circumstances. My original plan was simply to evade these avatars anyway.” Han Li nodded, seemingly unwilling to press further.
With a slight bow to the old man, black light flashed around Han Li’s body before he abruptly vanished into a cloud of black mist.
Che Qi Gong watched the spot where Han Li had disappeared, his earlier expression fading into blankness as he hovered motionlessly above the grassland.
“You’ve watched long enough. There’s no need to hide any longer,” the old man suddenly said coolly.
“As expected, I couldn’t deceive Brother Che’s senses. In that case, whether I reveal myself or not is irrelevant,” a cold laugh echoed as another man’s voice, equally weathered, rang out from the nearby void.
“If I could break the seal to reach this layer, naturally you could as well. You were following me the last time I met this human cultivator, weren’t you?” Che Qi Gong’s expression darkened as he spoke with clear hostility.
“Since Brother Che already knows, why ask? Do you intend to hold me accountable?” the unfamiliar man replied indifferently after a brief pause.
“Hmph! If I could deal with you, do you think I wouldn’t?” Che Qi Gong snapped sharply.
“Brother Che was always the most ruthless among us. Had Xue Guang not struck first and betrayed us, you likely would have turned on the rest of us as well,” the stranger retorted, his voice turning icy.
“Don’t play the saint. Back then, everyone had their own schemes. Let the past be past, but this human boy is my only chance to escape. If you dare ruin this for me, don’t blame me for turning on you,” Che Qi Gong said coldly, his eyes glinting with menace.
“Fine. As long as you share half of the Chaos Qi obtained from that human boy, I won’t interfere. In fact, once free, I’ll even help you deal with Xue Guang,” the stranger demanded bluntly.
“It seems you won’t relent unless I agree. Half is impossible, but I can give you a quarter. Take it or leave it,” Che Qi Gong replied calmly after a moment’s thought.
“A quarter? Heh, that’s enough for me to protect myself and escape. Very well, I accept,” the stranger agreed without hesitation.
“Good. Once we’re free and refine the Demon-Sealing Lock to restore our former cultivation, we can take revenge on Xue Guang. He’s now walking the same path we once did—at his weakest,” Che Qi Gong said, his expression easing slightly.
“It’s strange, though. Xue Guang knows the dangers of this technique firsthand. Why would he dare practice it again? Is he not afraid of repeating history?” the stranger mused, puzzled.
“Who knows what Xue Guang is plotting? Perhaps he’s found a way to mitigate the risks, or he has no other choice. Regardless, his power is diminished now—our best chance for revenge,” Che Qi Gong replied, a venomous glint in his eyes.
“The first possibility seems unlikely. As for the rest, we’ll find out when we confront him,” the stranger said, his voice turning sinister, clearly sharing Che Qi Gong’s hatred for Xue Guang.
“Xue Guang’s expression when he sees us will be priceless. But first, that Han boy must survive his current ordeal. If he fails to escape Xue Guang’s avatars, the Demon-Sealing Lock will fall back into Xue Guang’s hands. While we’d be safe hiding inside, escaping again would be impossible,” Che Qi Gong said gravely.
“Didn’t you already teach him how to counter those two treasures? Without them, he should be able to protect himself,” the stranger remarked slowly.
“What we saw was merely a divine sense avatar of his. It’s hard to gauge his true strength, but if he snatched the Demon-Sealing Lock from Xue Guang, his abilities must be considerable,” Che Qi Gong frowned.
“Well, let’s hope so,” the stranger replied noncommittally.
Che Qi Gong gave a bitter laugh but said no more.
Outside the Demon-Sealing Lock, within the mysterious space of the giant roc, Han Li’s golden Nascent Soul remained seated motionless.
Suddenly, black mist flickered over the wooden box beside him, and a faint shadow shot out, transforming into an identical black Nascent Soul in an instant.
The demonic infant grinned at Han Li before merging into the golden Nascent Soul.
The two Nascent Souls fused seamlessly.
The golden Nascent Soul shuddered briefly, its hands swiftly forming a seal as a fleeting look of discomfort crossed its face before vanishing.
“So that’s it! This trip wasn’t in vain—I’ve finally obtained a way to counter those two treasures. Though I can’t verify its authenticity, it’s worth a try. If it fails, I’ll have no choice but to abandon the Demon-Sealing Lock or resort to riskier methods,” the golden Nascent Soul murmured, its eyes clear as water.
After a long moment of contemplation, a faint smile curled its lips before it dispersed into golden motes with a soft *pop*.
Two hours later, the giant roc Han Li had transformed into spotted a vast, desolate yellow plateau in the distance, barren and lifeless.
The silver roc’s eyes gleamed as it let out a long cry, retracting its four wings and reverting to human form amidst a radiant glow.
Han Li glanced at the plateau ahead, then cast a look behind him. Without a word, he flicked his sleeves.
Seventy-two small azure swords surged forth, multiplying into hundreds of sword beams that swirled around him in a dazzling dance.
With a hand seal, a layer of cyan light enveloped him, and the sword beams vanished into the void.
Moments later, hundreds of azure pillars erupted from the surroundings, spinning rapidly around Han Li as countless sword energies interlaced, forming a formidable giant sword formation—the “Emerald Coil,” the final formation of the New Green Origin Sword Art.
Though derived from Green Origin’s teachings, Han Li had enhanced it with his own insights into the “Mind Sword Technique,” making it even more potent. Its effectiveness against the white-robed demon youth had already proven its worth.
Yet, Han Li remained uncertain how well it would fare against his pursuers. Still, he had no choice but to deploy it.
However, Han Li wasn’t relying solely on this technique for the impending battle.
As soon as the sword formation was complete, he swayed slightly, and two figures—one gold, one green—shot out from his body.
One transformed into a fearsome, three-headed, six-armed golden statue, while the other became a green-skinned “Han Li”—his Buddhist Golden Body and Spirit Body.
Without hesitation, Han Li reached into the void, summoning a broken golden blade, which he tossed to the Golden Body.
The central head of the Golden Body opened its eyes, and a large hand snatched the blade midair.
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