Chapter 2267: Spirit Heaven Fortress

Sword light flashed wildly!

Thousands of feet of silver lightning flared, and several towering wind pillars were sliced in half midair, dissolving into gusts of wind that scattered in all directions.

Fist winds moved soundlessly!

Golden light flickered at the centers of some wind pillars, revealing massive whirlpools spanning acres in size, spinning rapidly.

With a violent tremor and pull, the wind pillars were forcibly sucked into the golden whirlpools that had formed within them, dissipating into formless energy and vanishing.

Under the combined efforts of two Mahayana-stage beings, even such terrifying natural power was forcibly dispersed.

After leaving the stormy sea, the Ink Spirit Holy Ark immediately accelerated, swiftly flying out of the canyon.

For the rest of their journey, Han Li and his companions encountered no further major dangers. Half a year later, they finally entered the Spirit Clan’s domain.

Standing atop the massive ark, Han Li and the others could already see a natural wall formed by a range of low, rolling mountains.

Beyond this colossal wall, a towering peak tens of thousands of feet high pierced the clouds, its summit lost in the heavens.

Amid the mist-shrouded mountainside, triangular prism-shaped towers were faintly visible, densely packed as if covering the entire mountain.

“That ahead is the Spirit Clan’s renowned Spirit Heaven Fortress! Though called a fortress, it’s more akin to a city. Its function is similar to our two clans’ Sky Abyss City—specifically designed to block foreign invaders from entering Spirit Clan territory. However, unlike our super formations that envelop the entire domain with only one exit at Sky Abyss City, the Spirit Clan’s borders are mostly surrounded by treacherous terrain unsuitable for large armies. By securing just a few key points, the Spirit Clan remains safe. Thus, they don’t rely on just one fortress—they have seven in total.” Mo Jianli explained to Han Li aboard the ark.

“Even if this fortress is extremely well-defended, bypassing it should be effortless for us. Or does Brother Mo think it’s better to enter the Spirit Heaven Fortress openly?”

“We didn’t arrange a meeting with the Spirit King beforehand, and the Thundercloud Talisman is far too important to draw attention. It’s best to seek the Spirit King quietly.” Mo Jianli had clearly considered this already and replied without hesitation.

“Brother Mo makes a fair point. Then let’s bypass this fortress and infiltrate the Spirit Clan discreetly.” Han Li nodded, expressing no objections.

The others deferred to the two leaders and naturally raised no objections.

Thus, the ark changed course, veering to one side.

Almost simultaneously, within a prism-shaped structure atop the massive mountain behind the “colossal wall,” a beautiful woman in her thirties stood before a white wall inscribed with an astonishing number of runic formations, her delicate brows slightly furrowed.

In her surveillance, a faint ripple had just passed through one of the formations on the wall. Though extremely weak, it indicated that an object carrying an extraordinary spiritual pressure had appeared in the area before the fortress—something that wouldn’t normally register on this “Divination Map.”

With this thought, the woman issued a command toward the door.

A Spirit Clan guard clad in armor entered and bowed deeply.

“Greetings, Overseer!”

“Investigate the Fire Departure Zone Three. There’s an unusual fluctuation there!” the woman ordered without hesitation.

“As you command!” The armored guard bowed again before retreating.

Shortly after, a squad of over a hundred Spirit Clan guards left the Spirit Heaven Fortress, heading toward the area where the Ink Spirit Holy Ark had been.

By then, however, the ark had already carried Han Li and his group hundreds of thousands of miles away, leaving the guards empty-handed.

Upon hearing the report, the woman frowned again.

For some reason, though the fluctuation hadn’t been particularly notable—possibly even a false reading—she felt an inexplicable unease, her mind unable to settle.

Perhaps she really needed a good rest.

After some deliberation, she dismissed the matter as fatigue from long-term surveillance, pushing it to the back of her mind with a self-deprecating sigh.

Meanwhile, Han Li and his companions were quietly flying over a stretch of pitch-black water.

For some reason, Han Li had stowed the Ink Spirit Holy Ark, instead expanding his protective spiritual light into a massive shield that enveloped Silvermoon and the others.

Mo Jianli, meanwhile, maintained a smaller shield of his own.

Outside the shields, faint yellow mist swirled, and eerie sounds occasionally rose from the black water, pressing against the barriers.

Under this assault, the shields frequently twisted or shuddered violently, as if resisting some immense force.

Suddenly, a sharp cry erupted from below. The black water split as a shadow shot upward at an incredible speed, aiming straight for Han Li’s shield.

Han Li’s brow twitched slightly as he expressionlessly flicked a finger downward.

*Boom!*

The shadow was struck as if by a massive hammer, halting midair before being flung back even faster than it had come.

It was a creature resembling a cross between a turtle and a toad—armored, thick-necked, and colored black and yellow.

Han Li’s seemingly casual flick contained terrifying force—enough to shatter even a top-tier treasure. Yet the creature, after crashing back into the water, quickly righted itself, seemingly unharmed aside from a pained cry before diving back into the depths, abandoning any further attempts.

Such creatures were not uncommon in these black waters. Every so often, one or two would leap out to attack the shields, only to be repelled by Han Li or Mo Jianli.

Despite these interruptions, the group’s speed remained steady. After three or four hours, they finally left the black waters behind, greeted by an expanse of lush green mountains.

“Finally, we’ve truly infiltrated the Spirit Domain. The natural toxins of that black lake were secondary—some treasures can block them. But those Profound Toad Beasts were truly troublesome! Their attacks aren’t strong, but their endurance and resilience are astounding. Once entangled, even a Body Integration cultivator would struggle to shake them off.” Silvermoon exhaled in relief, her face brightening.

“If Fellow Daoist Han’s ark could still be used over the black water, we wouldn’t have had to worry about those beasts. Unfortunately, the ark is restricted by the water’s innate suppression. Forcing it would slow us to a crawl, making flight the better option.” Mo Jianli chuckled.

“Not just my ark—most flying treasures would suffer the same fate over that water. Combined with the Profound Toad Beasts, it’s no wonder the Spirit Clan left this direction unguarded.”

“But that worked to our advantage. We slipped into the Spirit Domain undetected in such a short time. It’s a pity about those beasts, though—despite their strength, they’re utterly worthless. If they were like other rare beasts of their tier, we’d have reaped quite a harvest.” Mo Jianli stroked his beard, grinning.

“Without demon cores or usable hides, they’re of no interest to anyone. If they weren’t, they’d have been hunted to extinction long ago. Now that we’re here, we’re halfway to success. Next, we just need to reach the Spirit Clan’s central region and find the Spirit King. From here on, secrecy remains paramount. Unless absolutely necessary, we must avoid exposing ourselves.” Han Li spoke with calm assurance.

Flowerstone Patriarch and the others voiced their agreement, and Mo Jianli nodded in approval.

Han Li then summoned the Ink Spirit Holy Ark again, but after a series of hand seals, shrank it dozens of times into a mere dozen feet long, its appearance altered to resemble an ordinary flying vessel.

With a flick of his sleeve, several Void Refinement-stage crystal puppets appeared before him. After a shimmer of light, their auras shifted to closely mimic those of the Spirit Clan.

“Unless we encounter major trouble, these puppets will handle any encounters. We’ll stay aboard the ark and conserve our strength.” Han Li smiled faintly.

“Brilliant! This plan is excellent. The Spirit Clan members are born from artifacts—your puppets mimicking them is flawless.” Mo Jianli clapped his hands in delight before boarding the ark.

Silvermoon, Zhu Guo’er, and the others followed with pleased expressions.

Han Li blurred into a shadow and vanished into the ark.

Moments later, the black ark trembled before shooting into the distance with a roar.

At the same time, in a secluded pavilion deep within the Spirit Clan’s central region, two dark-skinned, nearly identical Mahayana-stage beings whispered in secret.

From their fragmented conversation, chilling phrases like “Spirit King’s Thundercloud Talisman” occasionally surfaced.

Meanwhile, within the heavily guarded Spirit Clan’s forbidden grounds, a pristine white tower stood tall.

At its pinnacle, atop an altar, five crystalline jade tablets hovered in the air, each wreathed in golden lightning that crackled with low, ominous thunder.