Chapter 1968: Siege

When Han Li gave a noncommittal nod, Che Qigong suddenly flicked his sleeve, sending a ball of white light shooting toward him with a flash.

Han Li raised a hand and expressionlessly caught the white light in his palm, revealing it to be a pristine, crystalline jade slip.

“I’ll first study the technique. If there are results, I’ll naturally return to meet with both of you as soon as possible. For now, I take my leave!” Han Li didn’t immediately inspect the jade slip with his spiritual sense but instead cupped his fists in farewell.

A green glow flashed over his body, and his form dissipated into specks of spiritual light, vanishing into thin air.

“Brother Che, do you think this kid will keep his word?” The black-armored man asked thoughtfully as soon as Han Li left the space.

“The secret technique to refine the Chaos Qi is known to very few in the world besides us and Xue Guang. If he wants to refine it for his own use, he naturally won’t break the agreement. Even if he has to part with some Chaos Qi now, it’s still a hundred times better than being unable to use the treasure at all. Moreover, with our Sacred Race’s grand ceremony underway and enemies at our doorstep, he’s even less likely to abandon a method that can immediately boost his cultivation.” Che Qigong replied with absolute confidence.

“I hope it’s as you say, Brother Che. Hehe, as long as we have this Chaos Qi, our escape from imprisonment isn’t far off. Once we join forces to capture that kid, we can forcibly extract the other half of the Chaos Qi he’s refined into his body. In such a short time, he couldn’t have truly refined it.” The black-armored man’s eyes gleamed brightly.

“Naturally. A mere human cultivator dares to covet such a treasure. No matter how clever he is, he’d never guess that we’ve already broken all the seals on the Demon Lock. The only thing missing is the Chaos Qi. It won’t take long—just half a year for us to preliminarily refine the Chaos Qi, and we’ll be free from the Demon Lock. Hmph, by then, that scoundrel Xue Guang…” Che Qigong raised his head to gaze at the snow-filled sky, took a deep breath, and a trace of madness flickered across his face.

“Haha, I can’t wait for that day to come!” Feng Xie chuckled darkly.

Meanwhile, outside the Demon Lock, Han Li had long since withdrawn his spiritual sense incarnation, and his Nascent Soul had returned to his physical body in a flash.

His eyelids twitched as he slowly opened his eyes. With a flip of his hand, a white jade slip materialized in his palm.

Without a word, he flicked his finger, and the jade slip shot up as a streak of white light, firmly attaching itself to his forehead.

Immediately, a powerful surge of spiritual sense poured into the jade slip, scanning its contents in an instant.

Inside was indeed an incomplete technique, spanning over a thousand characters, each one mysteriously profound, as if containing hidden secrets.

As Han Li delved deeper into the technique, his expression began to shift subtly.

This short passage of text plunged him into meditation for two full days and nights.

On the morning of the third day, Han Li finally exhaled lightly and withdrew his spiritual sense. The jade slip, still pressed to his forehead, shattered into fragments with a flash of light, turning to dust that dissipated into the air.

The technique recorded in the jade slip was now firmly etched in his mind, not a single word forgotten.

“The technique seems genuine! Even if those two old demons wanted to tamper with it, they wouldn’t have done so from the start.” Han Li murmured to himself, lost in thought.

“No, once I obtain the refinement method, I must throw the Demon Lock back into the Demon Realm. It seems I can’t wait to enter the Demon Realm with that old monster from the Long Family. I’ll just find a node where the two realms have merged and toss it in.” After a long moment of contemplation, Han Li’s expression shifted between uncertainty and resolve, and he seemed to adjust his original plan for caution’s sake.

Having made his decision, he flicked his sleeve, and the blue jade vial containing the Chaos Qi flew out. At the same time, he raised a hand and tapped the crown of his head…

While Han Li, hidden in the wilderness near the human territories, was slowly extracting the refinement technique from Che Qigong and his companion, the human city of Tian Yuan was besieged by millions of demonic troops.

Massive demonic fortresses, hundreds of feet tall, had risen densely around Tian Yuan’s walls, serving as potential breach points.

Within these fortresses, demonic clouds churned, filled with elite armored demons. Towering flying pagodas hovered above the demonic army, surrounded by countless smaller flying chariots and warships.

Between the fortresses stretched an endless landscape of rocky hills and pits, teeming with overlapping shadows of demonic beasts of various ranks.

Atop one of these demonic fortresses, over a hundred high-ranking demons stood on a vast platform, gazing toward Tian Yuan with varied expressions.

At their forefront stood a blood-robed youth, his face cold and indifferent, though a closer look revealed a hint of absentmindedness.

The other high-ranking demons murmured among themselves in small groups.

After a brief moment, the blood-robed youth withdrew his gaze and spoke indifferently, “The time has come. Begin the siege. I hope to step into Tian Yuan within a few years.”

“We will spare no effort to assist the Sacred Ancestor!” The other demons responded in unison, their expressions solemn.

A red-armored guard standing behind the blood-robed youth immediately tossed an object into the air.

A silver light shot skyward, exploding with a thunderous roar at over ten thousand feet, forming a massive silver sigil a hundred feet wide, radiating blinding brilliance.

As if in response, smaller silver sigils rose one after another from various points outside Tian Yuan, emitting sharp whistles.

In the next instant, the demonic flying chariots and pagodas in the sky, as well as the demonic beast hordes on the ground, stirred into action.

Giant arrays lit up within the fortresses, and countless black orbs, each as large as a hill, materialized above them before hurtling toward Tian Yuan with deafening roars.

Wherever these massive orbs passed, the void twisted and trembled, their momentum terrifying.

Simultaneously, the demonic pagodas and chariots within the demonic clouds launched their assault. Thick beams of light, like a rain of destruction, shot forth en masse from the demonic clouds.

Before these attacks could reach the human defensive barriers, thunderous booms erupted from Tian Yuan as rows of arrays appeared above the city walls.

Under the shimmer of five-colored light, countless fireballs, wind blades, ice spikes, and other spells surged forth like a tidal wave, colliding head-on with the demonic onslaught.

For a moment, the sky and earth seemed to split apart as deafening explosions erupted before Tian Yuan’s defensive barrier. The intense bursts of spiritual light illuminated half of the previously darkened sky.

In the glow, one could vaguely see demonic beasts transforming into hundreds of giant serpents, charging toward Tian Yuan.

Some slithered across the ground, others glided low in the air, while still others flapped their wings furiously at higher altitudes.

Meanwhile, fleets of flying chariots and warships hummed as they advanced steadily.

Around these demonic flying behemoths, groups of armored demonic warriors had appeared, some treading on demonic clouds, others riding demonic beasts, their faces filled with murderous intent.

Thus, the demonic siege of Tian Yuan officially began.

Deep in a dark forest, a stunningly beautiful woman in black demonic armor sat cross-legged beneath a giant tree, meditating.

Beside her stood an elegant woman in a blue palace gown, watching over her with concern.

It was Yuan Cha!

After an unknown length of time, the black-armored woman exhaled softly and opened her eyes.

“Sister Liu Ji, how is it? Have your injuries healed?” Yuan Cha asked eagerly.

“Healed? If Bao Hua’s Sunset True Flame were so easy to dispel, she wouldn’t have earned such a fearsome reputation in the Sacred Realm back then. Though I’ve taken some spirit pills, they’ve only barely suppressed the injury. Unless I return and seclude myself for a century, full recovery is impossible. But this also shows that Bao Hua hasn’t fully recovered her power either. Otherwise, a mere incarnation wouldn’t have escaped the Sunset Arrow.” The black-armored woman replied coolly.

“True. But even so, without our true bodies here, we’re no match for her in single combat.” Yuan Cha sighed, her expression complex.

“You said it yourself—single combat. Bao Hua is no longer a Sacred Ancestor of our realm. With an army at our disposal, why fight her alone? But you mustn’t wander off alone after this. Only by staying with the main force will you be safe.” Liu Ji snorted coldly.

“Thank you for the reminder, Sister. But given Bao Hua’s temperament, she doesn’t seem intent on targeting us specifically. Even if she destroyed a few of our incarnations, it wouldn’t help her situation much. Knowing the Sacred Ceremony has begun, she must have another purpose for appearing here…” Yuan Cha mused carefully.

“Another purpose? What could it be? Her greatest goal now should be healing her injuries and restoring her full power.” The black-armored woman sneered.

“Restoring her power… That’s it! Bao Hua is also a renowned diviner in our realm. Perhaps she came here for that very reason. Nothing else would justify such a risk.” The black-armored woman paused, a thoughtful look crossing her face.

“Perhaps. But let’s discuss this later. For now, I’ll escort you back to the human territories. Once we reunite with your other incarnation, we’ll be safe.” Yuan Cha nodded and suggested.