Chapter 2286: Pre-Battle

“You mean Ying’er. Absolutely not. She is at a critical juncture in her cultivation, which directly affects the success or failure of our plans. She must not be disturbed.” Upon hearing this, the mother of the Asura Spider Clan changed her expression and exclaimed, as if the Elder Yi had touched a nerve.

“Of course, I understand the importance of Fairy Ying’s cultivation and enlightenment. But don’t forget, if we truly cannot withstand the attacks of these foreign Great Ascension cultivators, how could she possibly continue her cultivation undisturbed? Breaking through her seclusion would be inevitable sooner or later. All we need to do is give her a warning in advance. If those foreign Great Ascension cultivators are not targeting our city, or if we can easily repel them, then Fairy Ying naturally won’t need to emerge from seclusion.” Elder Yi replied calmly, his expression unchanged.

“Ying’er explicitly stated before her seclusion that this cultivation session is of utmost importance. No matter what happens, we must not disturb her, lest all her efforts go to waste! So I still need to think carefully before making a decision. Even just informing her of the news might affect her state of mind.” The Asura Spider Clan mother hesitated slightly before shaking her head again.

“Very well. I only suggested this arrangement as a last resort. However, in the next few days, we must activate all the restrictions your clan has painstakingly set up. Additionally, we should use the levitation restriction to move the city elsewhere. Although the restrictions prevent us from flying too far, it might buy us some time…” Though somewhat displeased, Elder Yi was well aware of how crucial Fairy Ying was to the Asura Spider Clan mother. After a few brief words, he moved on to other matters.

An hour later, layers of radiant light erupted from the battlements of the Asura Spider stone city in the mountain range, enveloping the entire city.

Then, the earth within a radius of several hundred miles trembled violently.

The stone city actually rose from the ground and, with a deafening roar, slowly flew toward another part of the sky.

Before long, the entire city vanished without a trace, leaving behind only a massive, pitch-black crater where it once stood.

Near the crater, an inconspicuous tree suddenly shimmered with green light, transforming into a pale-skinned young man in a green robe.

His facial features bore a striking resemblance to Han Li!

Raising his head to glance in the direction where the stone city had disappeared, the young man curled his lips into a faint, eerie smile.

Then, with a single hand seal, his body flashed with green light before vanishing into the earth.

At the same time, far away from the mountain range, a white flying boat soared through the sky above a vast grassland.

Han Li and Mo Jianli sat cross-legged at the bow, meditating with their eyes closed.

Xue Ran and Hei Lin stood side by side at the stern, silently conversing through sound transmission.

Suddenly, Han Li’s expression shifted slightly. He slowly opened his eyes, a peculiar smile playing on his lips.

“Fellow Daoist Han, has something happened?” Sensing the anomaly, Mo Jianli also opened his eyes and asked in surprise.

“Nothing major. It’s just that we may need to slightly adjust our course soon,” Han Li replied nonchalantly.

“Oh? It seems you’ve left some contingencies behind!” Mo Jianli was momentarily stunned but quickly understood, chuckling lightly.

“I merely left an avatar there. Even if they’ve temporarily relocated their lair, they couldn’t have gone far. Now that we’re moving at full speed, we should arrive there in at most a day.” Han Li’s expression remained unchanged.

“It appears Fellow Daoist Han is well-prepared. In that case, this old man can truly rest easy.” Mo Jianli nodded after a brief silence.

“I wouldn’t say I’m fully confident, but with the help of Brother Mo and the others, capturing those Asura Spiders shouldn’t be too difficult. Once we obtain the Threads of Time, Brother Mo and Brother Ao should have a better chance of surviving their tribulations.” Han Li smiled in response.

“Heh, let’s hope so. However, this battle will undoubtedly be a tough one. Even if those Asura Spiders are no match for us, if they decide to flee, capturing them won’t be easy.” Mo Jianli hesitated before voicing his long-standing concern with a bitter smile.

“If that’s the case, it would indeed be troublesome. Very well, I still have a few fearless Body Integration-stage puppets in my possession. While they may not be effective against formidable enemies like the Asura Spider Clan mother, they should prove useful against adult Asura Spiders who haven’t reached the Great Ascension stage.” Han Li pondered for a moment before replying.

“Body Integration-stage puppets! With such powerful puppets assisting, this old man might actually be able to capture one or two adult Asura Spiders. I won’t waste words on gratitude. If we succeed in this endeavor, I will repay you handsomely.” Mo Jianli’s face lit up with joy.

“We are of the same race. These puppets are nothing significant. Brother Mo need not concern himself.” Han Li chuckled, then flipped his hand to produce a black ring, which he handed to Mo Jianli.

Inside were several Body Integration-stage demon crystal puppets he had obtained from the Demon Realm.

Half of these puppets had been left on the Demon Spirit Holy Ship in the Spirit Realm, while the other half were carried with him for emergencies.

Mo Jianli accepted the storage bracelet with delight, scanning it carefully with his divine sense before repeatedly expressing his thanks.

With these fearless puppets to tie down the adult Asura Spiders, he finally felt confident enough to unleash his trump cards.

For the remainder of the journey, Mo Jianli studied the control methods for the demon crystal puppets, while Han Li resumed his meditation.

A day later, a white flash appeared at the edge of the mountain range where the stone city had once stood, revealing Han Li and the others aboard their flying boat.

Without pausing, the boat flickered several times before continuing forward at high speed.

In a short while, it traversed the heart of the mountain range and vanished into the horizon once more.

Meanwhile, in a hidden tree hollow below, a blurry figure watched all of this unfold.

Only after the flying boat had completely disappeared did a gentle breeze swirl around the figure, revealing a handsome young man in silver robes.

His expression grave, he stared at the sky for a long time before sighing softly and dissipating into the wind again.

Elsewhere, after passing over a lake and several dense forests, the flying boat arrived at an endless expanse of loess plateau.

At this point, Han Li, standing at the bow, opened his eyes and spoke calmly:

“We’re almost there. Fellow Daoists, prepare yourselves.”

As soon as he finished speaking, Han Li’s figure blurred as he stood up straight.

Mo Jianli, Xue Ran, and Hei Lin, hearing this, promptly rose and looked ahead.

However, aside from swirling yellow winds, there was no sign of any city.

“Fellow Daoist Han, where is the Asura Spider lair?” Xue Ran frowned and asked.

“Brother Xue, no need to worry. Another ten thousand miles ahead, and you’ll see it.” Han Li replied unhurriedly.

“Ten thousand miles?” Hei Lin immediately pressed a finger to his brow, releasing his vast divine sense.

Moments later, the Great Ascension-stage foreign cultivator burst into laughter:

“Indeed! There’s a patch of sandy land ahead, and beneath the gravel lies a hidden city.”

“Good, then there’s no problem. Let’s prepare to act!” Xue Ran nodded expressionlessly.

With that, he opened his mouth and spat out a black glow.

Within it was a fist-sized black incense burner, inside which stood a slender, blood-red incense stick, no more than an inch long.

Xue Ran formed a hand seal and pointed forward.

The incense burner spun rapidly, swelling to a height of several meters.

He then spat out a wisp of crimson flame, which ignited the incense stick, releasing a strange, pungent odor.

As Xue Ran began chanting, ghostly wails emanated from the burner, and faint green lights flickered above it.

Simultaneously, eight blood-red orbs flew out from his body, each containing a motionless infant with pale skin covered in crimson runes, their faces twisted into eerie smiles.

Seeing this, Hei Lin grinned and slapped a leather pouch at his waist.

With a *bang*, the pouch opened, releasing a black mist that condensed into a massive black cloud in the sky.

Within it, faint hissing sounds hinted at something lurking inside.

Hei Lin then flicked his sleeves, sending out over a dozen black artifacts that vanished into the surrounding void.

Meanwhile, Mo Jianli tossed out two spirit beast rings, from which a snow-white flying tiger and a crimson firebird emerged, circling above with formidable auras akin to the Body Integration stage.

He then formed a hand seal, summoning several treasures of varying designs from his person.

Han Li observed all of this calmly, his hands tucked into his sleeves, making no move.

Ten thousand miles was but a short distance for Han Li and the others.

Soon, they arrived above a desert of reddish-yellow sand.

Han Li tapped the flying boat with his foot, bringing it to a halt in midair.

Xue Ran scanned the undulating dunes below and smirked. Activating his technique, he uttered, “Break!”

Instantly, the infants within the eight blood-red orbs ceased smiling and opened their tiny mouths toward the ground.

With a thunderous roar, eight crimson beams shot down from the flying boat.