A deafening explosion resounded through the air!
The entire light screen abruptly caved inward, its surface streaked with white cracks that threatened to shatter it completely with a crisp snapping sound.
At that moment, the statue of Tian Ding Zhenren, holding the small pagoda in its palm, suddenly emitted faint white rays of light that swiftly merged into the light screen, sealing the newly formed cracks in an instant.
With a loud *bang*, the indented portion of the light screen instantly rebounded, forcefully repelling the emerald-green miniature mountain.
Seeing this, Han Li frowned slightly and beckoned with one hand, recalling the tiny mountain back into his sleeve.
“Brother Han, this statue of Tian Ding Zhenren is highly unusual. It complements the small pagoda perfectly. Back then, I exhausted every method at my disposal but still couldn’t break the joint barrier they formed,” Frost Li, witnessing this scene, was inwardly shocked that Han Li had nearly shattered the light screen with a casual strike, but she quickly explained.
“In that case, let’s destroy the statue first,” Han Li said coldly, though a fierce glint flashed in his eyes.
A low growl erupted.
Golden light surged around Han Li’s body as he rapidly expanded in size, transforming in the blink of an eye into a towering golden-furred ape over a hundred feet tall. Simultaneously, a terrifying ripple emerged behind him, revealing a three-headed, six-armed ferocious Dharma Form.
*Thud! Thud!*
The giant ape flipped its massive hands, and two miniature mountains—one green, one black—materialized in its palms. With a shake, they swelled to several feet in height.
The ape’s arms trembled as it hurled the two mountains with terrifying force once again—this time directly at the statue of Tian Ding Zhenren.
The moment the mountains left its hands, they blurred into streaks of green and black, tearing through the air with an ear-splitting shriek before arriving right before the statue.
A crystalline flash erupted as the light screen, which had initially only enveloped the small pagoda, expanded into a massive crystalline shield, encasing the entire statue.
At the same time, the previously motionless statue suddenly trembled, and the longsword on its back quivered on its own.
*Whoosh! Whoosh!*
Two streaks of white sword qi erupted from the statue, flashing like lightning as they slashed toward the incoming mountains.
*Boom! Boom!*
Two thunderous explosions followed. The mountains merely shuddered slightly before crushing the sword qi with overwhelming force, though their momentum was significantly reduced.
By the time they struck the light screen again, the statue erupted in dazzling white light, causing the screen to cave slightly before rebounding once more.
However, the golden ape had already taken a step forward, vanishing into thin air.
In the next instant, it reappeared above the light screen in a blur. Its two furry fists clenched slightly before unleashing a barrage of violet-golden fist projections, raining down upon the screen like a storm.
Initially, the fist projections vanished into the light screen, but as more attacks landed, the screen’s absorption slowed. It could no longer fully absorb the onslaught and was forced to rely on its own resilience to endure.
Explosions erupted across the screen as violet-golden fist projections detonated, causing the barrier itself to flicker violently.
Seeing this, the golden ape’s expression turned fierce. It suddenly retracted its fists and swiftly formed a hand seal.
The three-headed, six-armed Dharma Form behind it solidified into a golden entity, its six massive arms pressing downward toward the light screen.
A deafening roar echoed as six golden orbs materialized above the screen, merging into a colossal golden vortex.
Countless golden runes floated within the vortex, accompanied by resonant Buddhist chants, before descending with overwhelming force.
At that moment, the statue’s eyes flashed with white light, and two crystalline beams shot out, slashing toward the vortex.
But the golden vortex merely emitted a thunderous roar, unleashing a tremendous force that crashed into the already faltering light screen.
*Crack!*
White patterns suddenly emerged across the statue’s surface, emitting an even more blinding radiance. The light screen trembled violently but barely withstood the pressure from above.
Yet the golden vortex continued spinning relentlessly, its crushing force surging in waves without pause.
No matter how miraculous the statue was, it couldn’t endure such an onslaught indefinitely.
Within moments, the white light around the statue dimmed, and the patterns vanished. With a loud *snap*, countless fissures spread across its surface before it crumbled into fragments.
Without the statue’s support, the small golden pagoda’s barrier alone was no match for the force from above.
Almost immediately after the statue’s destruction, the crystalline light screen shattered with a muffled *pop*.
Laughing heartily, the golden ape beckoned downward with a furry hand.
The golden vortex and the two mountains vanished in a flash, while the small golden pagoda was pulled into the ape’s grasp by an invisible force.
A treasure that Frost Li had failed to retrieve after years of effort now rested effortlessly in Han Li’s hand.
Golden light flickered as the ape reappeared beside Frost Li. With a hand seal, its body rapidly shrank, reverting to human form in an instant.
“Mission accomplished. Here’s the item. Fellow Daoist Frost, check if it contains what you need,” Han Li said calmly, scanning the pagoda with his spiritual sense before handing it over.
“Breaking the barrier was entirely your doing, Brother Han. How could I dare to claim first pick? Please select three items first, and I’ll take what remains,” Frost Li, still reeling from shock, hastily declined.
“I’ve already examined the contents. Aside from a jade slip recording a secret technique that might be of some use, the other treasures hold little value to me. I’ll simply make a copy of the jade slip’s contents. No need for formalities,” Han Li chuckled, tossing the golden pagoda to her without hesitation.
“Thank you for your generosity, Brother Han. I’ll remember this kindness and repay it in the future,” Frost Li said gratefully, visibly relieved.
She then inspected the pagoda’s contents with her spiritual sense before retrieving a crimson jade slip and handing it to Han Li.
“If this jade slip is useful to you, there’s no need to make a copy. Please take it directly,” she offered.
“Since you insist, I won’t refuse,” Han Li replied with a faint smile, accepting the slip with a flick of his sleeve.
Frost Li smiled warmly in response.
“With this matter settled, let’s depart. If the formation outside is destroyed, leaving will become troublesome,” Han Li suggested after a brief pause.
“Wait a moment, Brother Han. During my time here, I’ve gained partial control over Tian Ding Palace’s restrictions. Let me activate a preset mechanism at the core formation. Once we reunite with Blood Soul, I can close the palace at will and teleport us out,” Frost Li explained.
“A fine plan. Proceed,” Han Li agreed readily.
The two then soared into the air, retracing their path out of the hall.
Within the time it takes to eat a meal, they reappeared at the teleportation formation Han Li had used earlier.
Han Li formed a hand seal and pointed at the formation, which hummed to life with faint spiritual light. Satisfied, he nodded.
Stepping into the formation, their figures vanished without a trace.
—
Outside the colossal blood-colored stele, three figures stood near several massive silver inscriptions, engaged in a tense discussion.
They were none other than Xiao Ming and his two companions—three Great Ascension cultivators from the Blood Sky Continent who had finally breached the space after considerable effort.
“Fellow Daoist Qing Ping, are you certain this is the entrance to the core? Could you have mistaken the location? We’ve tried every method but still can’t open it,” Xiao Ming asked gravely.
“There’s no mistake. However, the entry method seems to have been tampered with—most of the original incantations no longer work. Though I’m somewhat familiar with Silver Ant Script, I’m no master. Let me try once more. If it fails, we’ll resort to brute force. It might trigger other restrictions, but we have no choice,” Qing Ping said through gritted teeth.
“Very well. Do your best. If it doesn’t work, we’ll break through together,” Xiao Ming agreed after a moment’s thought.
Lady Wan Hua voiced no objections.
Qing Ping took a deep breath and began rapidly forming hand seals, chanting under his breath.
The four massive silver inscriptions on the stele glowed brightly, crawling along cryptic trajectories at a painstakingly slow pace.
“Open!”
After the time it takes to drink tea, Qing Ping shouted, jabbing a finger at a specific point on the stele.
The four inscriptions blurred before merging into a large silver orb.
As his chanting grew frantic, the orb spun rapidly—only to explode moments later, scattering the inscriptions back to their original positions as if his efforts had been in vain.
The trio’s expressions darkened.
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage