Chapter 419: The Ancient Treasure of the Primordial Wilderness

Seeing that the array flags and disks were properly set up, Han Li took a deep breath and was about to begin casting spells when suddenly, a sharp whistling sound rapidly approached from beyond the sky. A flash of blue light appeared at the horizon, and a blue rainbow shot forth like a flood dragon emerging from the sea, arriving above the group in the blink of an eye.

As the blue light faded, a strange man with twin swords strapped to his back appeared in midair.

When Han Li and the others below got a clear look at the man’s appearance, they were all inwardly startled.

He was gaunt and bony, with a mess of white hair reaching down to his shoulders. He wore a black short-sleeved leather jacket and carried a peculiar flower basket at his waist. His face was covered in strange red spots, and he had a pair of fierce, triangular eyes. Judging by his spiritual energy fluctuations, he was actually a mid Core Formation cultivator.

The strange man was also taken aback to see so many Core Formation cultivators gathered here. But when his gaze fell on the red light barrier and Han Li’s array tools, his expression changed dramatically.

“You juniors must have a death wish! How dare you spy on what I’m guarding while I’m away from the island? Get out of here now!” the man shouted, a fierce glint in his eyes as he spoke.

“Island Master?”

“Your things?”

Hu Yue and Jin Qing exchanged bewildered glances, while Han Li and the others were even more confused.

Wasn’t this supposed to be an uninhabited deserted island?

“Fellow Daoist, are you the master of this island?” Hu Yue furrowed his brows slightly and asked calmly.

“I’ve lived on this island for over a hundred years. Of course, I’m the island master,” the strange man retorted rudely.

“But when Brother Jin and I came here last time, we didn’t see you,” Hu Yue pressed, unruffled.

“What? You’ve been here before? Hmph! You must have come while I was away on business, just like this time,” the man snapped, his eyes widening with even greater irritation.

“So, you’re the only one on this island. You’ve essentially appointed yourself the island master,” Hu Yue said coldly, a hint of mockery curling his lips.

With the restriction on the verge of being broken, he had no intention of humoring this strange man.

“Enough with the roundabout talk. Destroying the restriction is a capital offense! Since you don’t want to leave, you might as well stay here forever,” the man said, a strange yellow glint flashing in his eyes. He then grabbed the basket at his waist and hurled it downward.

Instantly, the bamboo basket transformed into a chilling white mist, shooting straight toward Hu Yue.

Han Li and the other cultivators were stunned.

Was this man out of his mind? Couldn’t he see how many Core Formation cultivators were present? He had attacked without hesitation—was he not thinking clearly?

Seeing the attack, Hu Yue was both shocked and furious. With a flick of his sleeve, two red beams shot out to meet the white mist. With a dull thud, the white mist was shattered and scattered in all directions.

“All bark and no bite! You’re nothing but a paper tiger!” Hu Yue relaxed slightly and couldn’t resist taunting.

“Cackle… cackle…” The strange man didn’t respond but instead let out a series of eerie laughs.

This sent a chill down Hu Yue’s spine, and his expression suddenly changed. “What’s happening? My flying daggers!” he cried out.

The two flying daggers, after shattering the white mist, now wobbled unsteadily in place as if they had lost their spiritual connection.

Meanwhile, the scattered specks of white mist quickly coalesced again. With a flash of light, the mist reformed into the bamboo basket. The two flying daggers were now trapped inside, enveloped by a swirling white mist and unable to break free.

The sight of his magic treasure being restrained left Hu Yue in disbelief, while Han Li and the others grew pale.

But the strange man gave them no time to think. With a cold laugh, he shrugged his shoulders, and two gray sword beams descended from the sky, slashing toward Hu Yue.

Jin Qing, standing nearby, naturally couldn’t stand by and watch. With a flick of his finger, a thumb-sized white seal flew from his palm, growing in size as it hurtled toward the gray beams.

A thunderous crash echoed as the three treasures clashed, their dazzling lights intertwining.

At the same time, Cultivator Jian glanced at Han Li and Qu Hun before silently raising his hand. A flying fork imbued with black and white energy shot straight toward the strange man himself.

Han Li sighed inwardly. Since the fight had already started, he and Qu Hun couldn’t just stand by. They would have to deal with this strange man first. With that thought, Han Li and Qu Hun released the “Chaos Cauldron” and the “Green Scorch Sword,” sending them flying toward the fray.

Instead of showing fear, the strange man let out a maniacal laugh. He opened his mouth and spat out a black, blood-streaked pearl that shot toward the group’s magic treasures.

A deafening explosion echoed!

To Han Li and the others’ astonishment, the pearl self-destructed the moment it made contact with their treasures, emitting a dark glow. The explosion severely damaged the spiritual nature of their treasures, causing their radiance to dim immediately.

Cultivator Jian’s heart ached, his expression one of extreme distress. He formed hand seals, attempting to recall his flying fork. That single strike had damaged it so severely that it would require at least a year of nurturing within his primordial spirit to recover.

However, it was already too late to retrieve his treasure.

With a cold laugh from the strange man, the bamboo basket in the air shimmered with white light and suddenly released a vast expanse of white mist. In one swift motion, it enveloped and trapped all of their magic treasures.

“An Ancient Treasure! You’re using a Primordial Ancient Treasure!” Cultivator Jian exclaimed, his voice trembling as if he had just remembered something.

Hearing this, Han Li was taken aback.

So-called “Primordial Ancient Treasures” were magic tools refined by ancient cultivators. These treasures often possessed single divine abilities but wielded immense power, far surpassing ordinary modern treasures. Moreover, the refining methods and materials used in ancient times were entirely different from those used today, making it impossible to store these treasures within the body. They could only be carried externally, like magical instruments.

This was the only way to distinguish Primordial Ancient Treasures from ordinary magic treasures.

Now, seeing how bizarre this bamboo basket was and recalling that it had been hanging at the man’s waist from the start, Cultivator Jian immediately understood its true origins.

In fact, the “Dry Heaven Halberd” used by the Six United Palace to subdue the “Infant Carp Beast” was also a surviving Primordial Ancient Treasure.

Although Han Li was somewhat surprised by the “Ancient Treasure” and had a few trump cards up his sleeve, he had no intention of standing out in front of so many people. He firmly believed that the more hidden tricks he kept, the more effective they would be in times of danger.

Moreover, he knew that even if the opponent possessed an Ancient Treasure, he wouldn’t be able to hold his own against so many Core Formation cultivators. Han Li only needed to perform at the level of an ordinary Core Formation cultivator.

With this in mind, Han Li focused solely on controlling the Green Scorch Sword, making it dart left and right within the white mist. He didn’t order himself or Qu Hun to take any extraordinary actions, instead coolly observing the performances of the others.

He was sure someone would step up!

Sure enough, upon hearing that the bamboo basket was an Ancient Treasure, Hu Yue and the others revealed looks of delight. Since the strange man had attacked first, it seemed only right for them to join forces, eliminate him, and seize the treasure.

After a moment’s hesitation, Cultivator Jian formed hand seals, and three black beams flew out from his storage pouch—three towering black banners, each radiating a sinister aura.

He then spat a mouthful of black energy onto the banners, and immediately, the sound of wailing ghosts and howling wolves filled the air, causing the cultivators to feel dizzy and their minds to waver!

At the same time, Hu Yue gave up on controlling his flying daggers. Rubbing his hands together, he launched a series of green thunderfires toward the strange man.

Jin Qing raised his eyebrows and suddenly cast a spell onto his treasure. The white seal emitted a dragon’s roar and expanded several times in size, momentarily suppressing the two gray flying swords.

Witnessing the three unleashing their full power, Han Li inwardly smiled, thinking that the strange man was about to face serious trouble.

However, although the strange man’s expression shifted slightly at Hu Yue and the others’ fierce attacks, he soon resumed his mocking smile. He abruptly tore off his short-sleeved leather jacket, baring his upper body.

With just one glance, Han Li was so shocked he nearly bit his tongue.

On the gaunt man’s chest, two fist-sized skulls were biting into his flesh—one on the left and one on the right. These skulls were pitch black, with messy long hair, and squirmed incessantly on his chest as if they were alive.

Just as the green thunderfires and the three black banners were about to strike the strange man, he raised two fingers and uttered an extremely bizarre incantation.

The two skulls immediately emitted low, mournful whimpers. They flew out from his chest, one after the other, and in a swift motion, each bit off one of the man’s fingers before eagerly charging toward the incoming thunderfires and black banners.