A male and female demonic saint immediately stepped forward in response.
The remaining Great Ascendants and their disciples, led by Bao Hua, continued advancing toward the center of the Origin Seal Land.
Clearly, this place was under an extremely powerful flight restriction. Even with their formidable abilities, these Great Ascendants could only fly slowly at low altitudes with their followers.
Of course, this was relative to their usual speed. To ordinary mortals, their movement would still appear incredibly swift.
In just over half an hour, the group had already traversed over ten thousand miles.
Ahead, an unusually long canyon suddenly appeared on the ground, from which wisps of thin purple mist billowed upward, soaring into the heavens.
Strangely, these mists carried a faint, nauseating stench. A single whiff caused dizziness and slowed spiritual perception drastically.
“What is this…?” Some of the Great Ascendants scanned the purple mist with their divine sense, their expressions shifting slightly.
“Everyone, be careful not to let these mists get too close. They are traces of the Mother Moth’s corrupting aura. It was this very corruption that transformed all the demonic insects of our Sacred Realm into moths,” Bao Hua warned.
Hearing this, some of the Great Ascendants immediately strengthened their protective spiritual barriers, while others summoned defensive treasures.
However, many remained confident in their own abilities and showed no visible reaction.
When the group finally reached the canyon’s edge and peered down, all the foreign Great Ascendants gasped in shock.
Amid the rolling purple mist, the canyon’s depths were unfathomable. Occasional gusts of foul wind surged upward, bringing an unnatural chill that pierced to the bone.
“Is this the location of the ancient seal?” Han Li narrowed his eyes and murmured.
Nearby, Bao Hua chuckled lightly and turned to him.
“Fellow Daoist Han, the ancient seal is indeed deep underground. In ancient times, our Sacred Race excavated the earth for thousands of miles around this seal, constructing a massive underground palace and layering countless profound restrictions. The Mother Moth resides at the heart of this palace. Normally, we cannot enter easily because the Mother Moth controls part of the seal’s power. However, these days mark the periodic eruption of the world’s spiritual energy, destabilizing the ancient seal. This is our only chance to infiltrate. Otherwise, even if we forced our way in, we would inevitably awaken the Mother Moth.”
“Is the Mother Moth truly so vigilant? From what I know, powerful insects in deep slumber to recover their energy are extremely difficult to rouse unless directly threatened,” remarked an elderly man with triangular eyes, clad in a silver-threaded Daoist robe.
“Ah, Fellow Daoist Gu. No wonder you understand insectoid beasts so well. But do not forget—the Mother Moth is no ordinary creature. Your assumptions may not apply here,” Bao Hua replied coolly, glancing at the triangular-eyed Great Ascendant.
“Hmph. Let’s hope so,” Gu Daoist snorted, clearly unconvinced.
“If you doubt me, feel free to descend and test it yourself,” Bao Hua retorted sharply before turning away, her gaze fixed on the canyon’s depths as if waiting for something.
Gu Daoist’s expression darkened, his triangular eyes flashing with malice, but he said nothing more and made no move to descend.
Han Li observed this exchange with interest.
Given Bao Hua’s extraordinary status, Gu Daoist’s boldness suggested he, too, was no ordinary figure.
“Fellow Daoist Han, Gu Daoist is notoriously acerbic, but his insect-controlling arts are formidable—even I find him troublesome. It’s best not to get involved with him,” Bao Hua transmitted privately to Han Li.
Han Li gave a slight nod but remained silent.
The other Great Ascendants hovered above the canyon, waiting patiently.
Whether due to the purple mist or the underground seal’s power, their divine senses scattered upon penetrating a hundred zhang into the canyon, making it impossible to detect anything below.
Staring into the abyss, some Great Ascendants couldn’t help but feel a twinge of apprehension.
At this moment, Bao Hua produced a silver array disk and began channeling incantations into it.
The disk flickered in her palm as if alive.
After the time it takes to finish a meal, the disk suddenly hummed, glowing brilliantly as countless silver runes surged forth, swirling in the air.
“Now! Everyone, move quickly!” Bao Hua exclaimed, lifting the disk as she transformed into a streak of pink light, shooting into the canyon.
The other Great Ascendants followed without hesitation.
Han Li, enveloped in a faint golden glow that repelled the purple mist, descended alongside them.
Surprisingly, the canyon was not as deep as it appeared. After descending about a thousand zhang, a soft white light emerged below.
Everyone landed on solid ground.
Han Li scanned his surroundings—a vast plaza paved with crystalline white jade, spanning over a hundred acres. Embedded in the ground at intervals were fist-sized luminous pearls, illuminating the area like daylight.
Around the plaza, seven or eight winding paths led into the unknown.
Han Li glanced upward.
Purple mist drifted in from all directions, rising back toward the canyon’s mouth, casting a dim, hazy glow over the plaza.
“Good. Since we’ve arrived safely, the Mother Moth must still be dormant. Now, let’s proceed as planned,” Bao Hua declared. “I will lead one group to commune with the ancient seal’s spirit. Fellow Daoist Tong Ya and the Tian Ya Realm cultivators will attempt to contact our trapped comrades deep in the palace. The two from the Night Realm, you will locate the Mother Moth’s resting place and monitor her—but do not alert her. With your concealment arts, this should be manageable. The rest will split into teams to restore key restrictions at the palace’s array nodes. Be cautious—these areas may be guarded by the Mother Moth’s true descendants. Without them, even she could not control the ancient seal, not even a fraction of its power. And her descendants are far more dangerous than ordinary moths—even to us Great Ascendants.”
“No problem.”
“I’ll take my leave first.”
“Take care, Fellow Daoist Bao Hua.”
The others voiced no objections, forming their teams before departing the plaza.
Han Li, Crab Daoist, and two other Great Ascendants—Xie Lian and the green mist-shrouded “Green Stone”—vanished down one of the paths.
Their task, like the others, was to restore a restriction at an array node.
Xie Lian led the way, idly twirling a jade slip. Han Li and Crab Daoist followed in the middle, with Green Stone silently bringing up the rear.
None spoke as they glided a few feet above the ground, their divine senses enveloping everything within a hundred zhang.
Han Li remained outwardly calm but scrutinized his surroundings intently.
Their path wound through a forest of pagodas—ancient, four-sided towers adorned with simple runes, stretching as far as the eye could see.
The pagodas exuded an aura of immense age, as if they had stood for countless millennia.
After flying for the time it takes to drink tea, they still hadn’t reached the end of the pagoda forest.
Suddenly, Han Li frowned and halted.
“What is it, Fellow Daoist Han? Did you discover something?” Xie Lian turned to ask.
Green Stone also slowed, eyeing Han Li curiously.
“There seems to be something interesting over there. Would you like to take a look?” Han Li gestured toward the depths of the pagoda forest with a faint smile.
“Your divine sense reaches that far?” Xie Lian’s expression shifted slightly as she scanned the area but detected nothing.
“Since Fellow Daoist Han suggests it, let’s investigate,” Green Stone said warily, also failing to sense anything.
At the very least, Han Li’s spiritual perception far surpassed theirs.
Han Li smiled and floated toward the pagodas, Crab Daoist following silently.
After exchanging glances, Xie Lian and Green Stone trailed behind, their expressions grave.
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