As for Han Li and his two companions, the demonic guards on the massive black vessel were clad in silver armor with fiery red robes draped over them. Even the weakest among them had cultivation levels surpassing the Nascent Soul stage.
At the bow alone stood over a hundred guards, including several Venerables at the Body Integration stage.
These demonic guards stared at Han Li and the others with shock and suspicion, unable to comprehend the situation at first.
According to the original plan, this spatial passage had been reserved for their use throughout the day, with only their war vessel permitted to traverse it. Yet now, a flying carriage had emerged from the opposite direction!
Just as the flying carriage and the massive vessel were about to cross paths, before the demonic beings on the ship could react, an ancient, hoarse voice suddenly echoed from within the cabin:
“Hmph, so it’s the outsiders from the Spirit Realm! Since you’ve come this far, there’s no need to rush back. Accompany this old man back to the Sacred Realm!”
As soon as the voice fell, an almost tangible killing intent surged from the cabin. A spatial ripple appeared above the flying carriage, splitting open a white spatial rift.
A ghostly howl erupted!
A massive white bone claw, several zhang in size, reached out from the rift and viciously grabbed downward.
Before the five ghastly white bone fingers could fully descend, five streams of gray-white baleful energy erupted from their tips.
The outermost barrier of the flying carriage trembled upon contact with the gray-white energy, shattering instantly without even a moment’s resistance.
Han Li, standing inside the carriage, paled and let out a low roar without hesitation. His body erupted in golden light, rapidly expanding as he transformed into a golden-furred giant ape several zhang tall.
The golden ape’s arms blurred as its two furry fists smashed upward with tremendous force.
Golden fist shadows flashed into existence once more!
With a deafening boom, the gray-white baleful energy collided with the fist shadows and was forcibly dispersed. However, the originally radiant golden fist shadows shrank by nearly half, their brilliance dimming significantly.
Standing nearby, the Crab Daoist’s eyes flashed coldly as he opened his mouth and spat out a golden beam of light. It vanished in a flash, striking the palm of the bone claw almost simultaneously with the fist shadows.
A muffled sound like a tolling bell erupted!
Golden light exploded beneath the bone claw, intertwining and merging into a massive golden sphere resembling a blazing sun, spinning rapidly.
Despite the immense power contained within the bone claw, it momentarily froze in midair under the golden light’s resistance.
At the same time, the surrounding space trembled violently, buzzing as if the entire passage was becoming unstable. Some areas even began to distort and blur.
The demonic guards on the massive vessel turned pale at the sight, many of them showing panic in their eyes.
If the spatial passage truly collapsed, none of them would escape unscathed.
But at that moment, a cold snort came from the cabin!
The bone claw abruptly clenched, its five fingers slashing toward the golden sphere like blades.
With a “pfft,” the golden sphere shattered and vanished instantly under the claw’s grasp.
Han Li gasped inwardly at the sight.
However, by this point, he had already channeled his full spiritual power into the flying carriage beneath him.
With a “whoosh,” the carriage trembled and vanished from its original position.
A moment later, it reappeared a hundred zhang ahead, space rippling as it materialized before darting away as a streak of azure light.
The bone claw trembled before collapsing with a muffled explosion.
The demonic beings on the vessel exchanged bewildered glances.
“Move on. Ignore them. Our journey takes priority!” After a long pause, the emotionless, aged voice sounded from the cabin once more.
“Yes, Lord!”
The bow of the ship bustled with activity as many resumed their tasks. The vessel’s surface shimmered with light as its speed increased dramatically, shooting toward the other end of the passage.
“Lord Swallowing Heaven, are we just letting them go? Shouldn’t we send someone to capture them?” Inside the cabin, a demonic youth of twelve or thirteen asked indignantly, addressing an elderly white-haired man reclining on a grand chair.
“Forget it. This old man has more pressing matters. Let these insignificant insects pass. Besides, unless I personally intervene, none of you would be capable of capturing them anyway,” the elderly man replied indifferently. Clad in a black robe, his arms were unusually long, extending past his knees.
“Are they truly that formidable? But, Lord Swallowing Heaven, you didn’t even use much of your true power just now,” the youth, whose delicate face bore several purple demonic markings, asked in surprise.
“Heh, even if I didn’t use my full strength, neither did the two who resisted my attack. If we truly fought, I wouldn’t be able to subdue them in a single exchange,” the old man explained with a faint smile, seemingly fond of the youth.
“They possess such abilities? It seems these outsiders must have notable backgrounds,” the youth mused, his eyes flickering thoughtfully.
“Anyone capable of infiltrating our Sacred Realm and forcing their way back through the passage cannot be weak. But if we weren’t in the spatial passage, where I dared not unleash too much power, I would never have let them escape,” the old man said calmly, though a trace of ferocity flashed across his face.
“Of course. Outside the passage, these insignificant outsiders would have no choice but to surrender before you, Lord,” the youth quickly flattered.
The old man chuckled, stroking his beard with narrowed eyes, seemingly pleased by the youth’s words. However, deep down, he still harbored some doubts.
The fair-skinned youth on the flying carriage who had spat golden light gave him a faintly familiar aura, though he couldn’t recall where he might have encountered him before.
“Never mind. Once we return to the Sacred Realm, I’ll have someone investigate. If I can’t even remember, he can’t be that important,” the white-haired old man concluded inwardly.
Three or four hours later, at the other end of the spatial passage, several squads of demonic guards patrolled the exit.
Below them stood three massive triangular towers, each over a thousand zhang tall, arranged in a triangular formation.
Suddenly, spatial ripples emerged as a flying carriage wrapped in azure light shot out of the passage. After a few flashes, it streaked past one of the patrol squads overhead.
Naturally, this startled all nearby patrols. Piercing alarms blared from all directions as the guards surged toward the flying carriage in a frenzy.
Simultaneously, the triangular towers below began glowing faintly, their sides revealing stone doors of varying sizes.
Figures poured out from within, swarming like bees.
But the speed of the flying carriage far exceeded the demonic guards’ expectations. With a series of sharp whistles, the carriage’s faint afterimage reached the horizon in an instant before vanishing completely.
Only then did several demonic Venerables roar in fury as they flew out from the towers.
…
“Good, this is indeed the Wood Tribe’s territory. I once visited the Wood Tribe in the past, and these towering trees and unique environment are unmistakable,” Han Li remarked after examining the dense forest of hundred-zhang-tall trees below. The flying carriage continued its rapid flight tens of thousands of miles away.
“So this is the Spirit Realm! The spiritual energy is incredibly dense, far surpassing our Minor Spirit Heaven,” Zhu Guo’er exclaimed excitedly, her eyes darting around eagerly.
Many of the humans in Minor Spirit Heaven were descendants of Spirit Realm cultivators who had been stranded there. Naturally, they often spoke of the Spirit Realm with nostalgia, praising its many advantages to those who had never left.
“While the Spirit Realm is indeed superior, our human race’s influence here is limited. Moreover, we are currently in a precarious situation, so it may not be as idyllic as you imagine,” Han Li said, shaking his head as he withdrew his gaze.
“Regardless, the Spirit Realm is far more suitable for human cultivation than Minor Spirit Heaven. By the way, Senior, when do you plan to return to Minor Spirit Heaven? You must take me with you!” Zhu Guo’er giggled before hastily adding.
“Rest assured, even if you don’t mention it, I’ll bring you along. After all, I’m unfamiliar with Minor Spirit Heaven and will need a guide,” Han Li replied without hesitation.
“Then this junior thanks you in advance, Senior!” Zhu Guo’er beamed, quickly performing a respectful bow.
Han Li nodded and fell silent, focusing on propelling the flying carriage forward at full speed.
With the carriage moving at such velocity, he had no fear of any pursuers.
However, after half a day of flight, Han Li’s expression gradually darkened as he observed the scenery below.
Though the towering forests stretched endlessly, some trees had begun to take on a dark green hue, starkly different from the lush greenery of others.
As they traveled further, these dark green trees became increasingly prevalent, eventually dominating entire forests.
Within these forests, faint layers of eerie purple-black mist lingered. Though thin and barely visible, the sight of it was deeply unsettling.
Despite her limited experience, Zhu Guo’er’s initial excitement waned as she noticed the proliferation of these trees, replaced by growing unease.
“Senior Han, these trees resemble the flora of the Demon Realm. And the mist seems to contain demonic energy. What’s going on?” she finally asked after flying a while longer.
“I’m not entirely sure, but it’s likely the work of the demonic beings. What’s even stranger is that we haven’t encountered a single Wood Tribesman despite traveling so far. The Wood Tribe may not rival our human race, but their strength shouldn’t be underestimated,” Han Li replied gravely, his expression shifting between uncertainty and concern.
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