The place Han Li was headed to was located in a small basin within the ring-shaped mountains, completely enclosed by tall, bizarrely shaped rocks that blocked all wind and rain. In the very center of the basin stood an ancient, massive bluestone hall. Despite its size, the hall’s entrance was pitifully small, barely wide enough for two people to pass through side by side. This gave Han Li, who was standing on a rocky outcrop surveying the area, an intensely discordant and peculiar feeling.
Frowning, Han Li leaped down from the rocks and slowly approached the hall’s entrance, tilting his head back to carefully examine the stone structure.
The longer he looked, the more suspicious his expression grew.
Whether it was an illusion or not, he kept feeling as though a faint blue light occasionally shimmered across the surface of the stone hall. But whenever he tried to focus his gaze to get a better look, he couldn’t detect anything out of the ordinary. After several failed attempts, he muttered to himself, “Could there be some kind of restriction spell cast here?”
Han Li lowered his head, scanning the nearby ground, but found no traces of anyone having been there. This made him narrow his eyes.
“Something is definitely off! Although this basin is somewhat remote, a stone hall this large shouldn’t have gone completely unnoticed. Besides, the information I got came from that scoundrel Zhong Wu—how could he not have been here?” Countless thoughts raced through Han Li’s mind in an instant, and he instinctively sensed that something was wrong with this place.
Still, he wasn’t quite ready to give up and leave just yet.
He took a few steps back, reached into his storage pouch, and pulled out a golden blade. With a flick of his wrist, he tossed it into the air, where it transformed into a streak of golden light that shot fiercely toward a specific bluestone on the hall’s entrance. With a soft “thud,” a surge of blue light erupted from the stone, leaving it completely unscathed, while the golden blade was sent spinning and tumbling through the air before being flung several meters away.
Shaking his head, Han Li turned to leave.
“Avoiding unnecessary danger and surviving the forbidden grounds is my top priority. This stone hall is too bizarre—it’s better not to go inside,” he thought, his expression unchanging.
But after taking just two steps, Han Li’s face suddenly changed dramatically. In a flash, he vanished into thin air, only to reappear inside the hall’s entrance before disappearing once again into the stone hall.
At that moment, a large group of Masked Moon Sect disciples appeared on the rocky slopes on one side of the basin. Leading them was a young-looking girl who, despite her childish appearance, was actually the sect’s revered ancestor.
With a hint of confusion in her eyes, the girl glanced toward the spot where Han Li had vanished near the hall’s entrance. She seemed to have sensed someone there just moments before, but now there was no one in sight. Could her senses have been mistaken?
Unwilling to accept this, the girl stood still, closed her eyes lightly, and released her immense spiritual sense. As expected, aside from her own group, she couldn’t detect any other cultivators in the vicinity. However, when her spiritual sense swept over the stone hall, it was abruptly repelled by some unknown force. Startled at first, she soon broke into a delighted smile.
At first glance, she had noticed that the stone hall was under some kind of restriction spell, which didn’t surprise her. After all, several of the dozen or so demon beast dens they had cleared earlier had also been warded with spells. That was nothing unusual. But the restrictions here were so powerful that even her spiritual sense couldn’t penetrate them—this was a first for her. It was far beyond the shallow restrictions they had encountered before.
Excited, the girl decided not to dwell on the earlier sensation. Even if there were one or two disciples from other sects lurking nearby, she was confident they posed no threat to her large group. With that, she led her disciples toward the stone hall.
Meanwhile, Han Li was pacing anxiously inside the hall’s main chamber!
He had been about to leave earlier! Out of habit, he had released his spiritual sense to check his surroundings before making his escape.
To his utter shock, the moment he extended his spiritual sense, he detected a large group of cultivators frighteningly close to him. His blood ran cold, and without a second thought, he dashed into the stone hall. No matter which of the other six sects the newcomers belonged to, if they found him here, the consequences would be dire.
Had he not exhausted so much energy over the past two days, he could have easily used his swift movement technique to casually evade the other cultivators and make a clean getaway. Unfortunately, in his current state, he could only use that technique a few more times at most, and there was no way he could outrun them for long.
Now, hiding inside the stone hall, he was temporarily safe! But at the same time, he was trapped there with no way to escape.
Moreover, the stone hall was far too simplistic in its design! Beyond the entrance was a winding corridor that led directly to this empty, spacious chamber. The entire hall was barren, without a single place to hide. And given the demeanor of the group outside, they were undoubtedly heading straight for this stone hall. Hoping they wouldn’t come inside was nothing but a foolish delusion!
Well, it wasn’t entirely true that there was nowhere to go.
Right in the center of the hall, there was a dark tunnel enclosed by a jade railing. A flight of steps led downward from the entrance, and a damp, hot breeze continuously blew out from within, making it hard to imagine where it might lead.
Even without thinking, Han Li could guess that this tunnel didn’t lead anywhere safe—it was undoubtedly fraught with danger. That was why he had hesitated to venture down. But with no other hiding spots in the hall, cold sweat broke out on his forehead.
Just then, the sound of chaotic footsteps echoed from the hall’s entrance. It seemed the group of cultivators had already entered the stone hall and would soon arrive in this chamber.
Seeing this, Han Li sighed inwardly, gritted his teeth, and gracefully leaped over the railing, slipping into the tunnel.
Once inside, Han Li found himself in complete darkness. He reached into his storage pouch, pulled out a Moonlight Stone, and the surroundings instantly brightened.
The tunnel wasn’t very large, constructed entirely of bluestone, and barely wide enough for one person to pass through. Not daring to waste any time for fear of being pursued, he carefully made his way downward.
After descending several hundred steps, the narrow passage gradually widened until it could comfortably accommodate two people walking side by side. However, the damp, hot wind blowing toward him grew increasingly intense, causing Han Li to break into a sweat within moments. Soon, he was drenched from head to toe.
After descending another hundred steps or so, Han Li estimated he was about a hundred meters below the surface when the bluestone tunnel finally ended. As he stepped out of the passageway, an astonishing swamp world unfolded before his eyes.
This underground world was only about thirty meters high but spanned several kilometers in diameter. As far as the eye could see, it was a vast expanse of muddy ground bubbling with black water. The scorching, damp wind seemed to generate out of thin air above the swamp, rushing swiftly through the tunnel behind Han Li before drawing in fresher air from outside, creating a balanced convection current.
Around the swamp stood tall mounds of black soil, while on the opposite edge grew several dozen exotic flowers and spiritual herbs of various colors. Among them were several of the heaven and earth spirit medicines Han Li needed, and in surprisingly abundant quantities.
But none of this captured Han Li’s attention as much as a small white jade pavilion situated in the center of the swamp. Suspended mid-air within the pavilion was a massive golden chest, about four meters long and two meters wide, with its lid tightly shut. A faint golden light shimmered across its surface, making it immediately clear that this was no ordinary item.
After only a brief glance, Han Li averted his eyes. It wasn’t that he wasn’t tempted by the treasures inside the golden chest, but the fact remained that a large group of deadly pursuers was right behind him. Finding a hiding spot was his most urgent priority! If he lost his life, what use would treasures be?
With a few swift movements, Han Li darted behind a mound of soil far from the tunnel entrance. He immediately employed his energy-concealing and invisibility techniques, then lay flat against the mound, completely motionless. Cloaked in invisibility, he blended seamlessly into the surrounding black soil, making it impossible to detect his presence from a distance.
No sooner had Han Li settled into hiding than the figure of the young girl appeared at the tunnel entrance.
As soon as she emerged, she calmly surveyed the scene before her. When her eyes fell upon the massive golden chest inside the white jade pavilion, her composed expression finally shifted, gradually filling with intense desire. Although she had heard her disciples describe the golden chest, seeing it up close was far more astonishing.
The girl descended the steps and stood gracefully at the edge of the swamp. The other Masked Moon Sect disciples, both male and female, swarmed out behind her and lined up in formation.
Watching from nearby, Han Li couldn’t help but feel a surge of alarm, while simultaneously growing intensely curious about the identity of the young girl leading the group.
“Is the Black Scale Python hiding here?” the girl’s delicate voice rang out, yet it carried an undeniable air of authority.
“Reporting to the Ancestor, the giant python is indeed hiding within the swamp. It has devoured over a dozen disciples from various sects who attempted to retrieve the treasure chest, earning a fearsome reputation and turning this place into a forbidden zone that disciples avoid. However, this demon beast is indeed far stronger than ordinary top-tier demon beasts. We urge the Ancestor to exercise caution!” a female disciple replied respectfully, bowing her head.
“Hmph! Do you think I can’t even handle a mere Grade One demon beast?” The girl’s fair, delicate face darkened as she adopted a comically aged demeanor, which nevertheless made the responding female disciple pale and repeatedly insist, “I wouldn’t dare!”
“Step back! Everyone, proceed according to the original plan. No matter how powerful this Black Scale Python is, it is no match for the ‘Yin-Yang Pulling Technique’! No matter how strong it is, it’s still just a Grade One demon beast!” the girl declared in an tone that brooked no argument, invigorating the disciples behind her.
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