“Since you’re unwilling to discuss these matters, then…” The Profound Bone Venerable’s tone shifted, as if preparing to change the subject, when suddenly a clear, melodious chime emanated from the old demon’s body. The sound was so crisp and pleasing that Han Li was momentarily stunned.
Hearing this, the Profound Bone Venerable first froze in surprise, then revealed an expression of disbelief mixed with joy. Without paying any attention to Han Li, he suddenly struck his own chest with a fist. With a “thump,” a small section of pure white rib shot out from his body, circled around him once, then landed in his palm.
The clear chiming sound was actually coming from this rib.
Han Li blinked, showing a trace of confusion, completely baffled by what was happening.
Yet the old demon, holding this object, smiled even more broadly.
With a “snap,” the old demon applied slight pressure with his five fingers, and the piece of white bone turned into powder. From it floated out a white ball of light and a black insect resembling a cricket. The insect chirped incessantly around the light ball, but upon seeing the Profound Bone Venerable, it immediately stopped its cries and flew into his body of its own accord.
Seeing this, the Profound Bone Venerable let out a hearty laugh, grabbed the light ball, and as the white light faded, revealed a slightly yellowed old brocade handkerchief.
When Han Li saw this object, his heart involuntarily leaped.
This handkerchief looked so familiar—it seemed remarkably similar to the fragmentary map he had obtained from the Black Fiend Cult Leader. Could there be some connection between the two?
Han Li’s mind raced, realizing this might be the clue to unraveling the secret of the fragmentary map. He couldn’t help but widen his eyes, carefully observing the other’s every move.
Unfortunately, after a quick glance, the Profound Bone Venerable swiftly tucked the handkerchief into his robe. Then, with a calm expression, he said to Han Li, “Since you have no connection with those two rebellious disciples, I have no more time to waste with you. I have other important matters to attend to, so let us each go our separate ways. Additionally, I offer you a piece of advice: if you linger here any longer, my wayward disciple might just catch wind of it and come rushing over.” After saying this, the Profound Bone Venerable paid no heed to Han Li’s reaction. With a cold laugh, he transformed into a streak of blood light, flashed past Han Li, and shot out through the entrance, appearing extremely hurried.
Han Li was first taken aback, then frowned. But immediately after, he moved, transforming into a green light that circled once around the hall. He collected the magical treasures and storage pouches of Jin Qing and the others, then incinerated the corpses with several fireballs before similarly flying out of the place.
He had no time to ponder the handkerchief matter further, fearing that if he delayed his exit, the other might have set some trap at the cave entrance, which would be extremely troublesome.
However, the old demon hadn’t even glanced at these people’s storage pouches. Whether he simply disdained the possessions of Core Formation cultivators or was too rushed and careless, it had worked to Han Li’s advantage.
But the loss of his avatar, Qu Hun, left Han Li feeling extremely upset and furious! Yet engaging in combat with the other would likely result in low odds of victory, filling Han Li with a sense of helplessness once again.
As he was lost in these thoughts, he emerged from underground onto the surface.
The old demon had long since vanished without a trace, leaving Han Li inwardly astonished at the marvel of his escape technique.
However, looking at the silent surroundings and reflecting on how so many had entered underground yet only he had emerged, Han Li felt an inexplicable sense of loneliness and desolation.
But this negative emotion was quickly cast aside; after all, the path of immortal cultivation was long, and now was not the time for lamentation.
Not daring to stay any longer, Han Li quickly identified his direction and immediately sped away from the island. As he flew, he rummaged through his storage pouch.
A moment later, an identical brocade handkerchief emitting a white glow appeared in his hand.
Gazing at it, Han Li’s heart raced.
Even without a close inspection, he now knew that this handkerchief was undoubtedly of the same kind as the one the Profound Bone Venerable possessed. He just didn’t know what secret it held that could make such a cunning old demon act so out of character.
Thinking this, Han Li couldn’t help but examine the handkerchief more closely.
The originally blurry map had now completely vanished. In its place, on the empty brocade, was a small golden sword pattern. No matter how Han Li turned the handkerchief, the light sword would slowly point directly toward the northwest. A thin red line extended straight from the sword’s tip to the edge of the handkerchief, emitting a faint glow.
Han Li frowned. Although he didn’t know the specific function of this object, the meaning of such a simple illustration was clear enough—he wouldn’t be so foolish as to miss it.
This was clearly instructing the holder to follow the direction indicated by the small sword to a certain location. Presumably, some opportunity awaited the holder at the end of the red line.
Clutching the map, Han Li fell into deep thought.
Seeing how hurried the Profound Bone Venerable had been, it was obvious that the map’s effect likely had a time limit. And judging by the joy on his face, the benefits were certainly significant.
If Han Li wanted to get to the bottom of this, he had to set off immediately in the direction indicated. Otherwise, either the map’s effect would expire, or someone else would seize the opportunity first.
After pondering carefully for a while and hesitating for a long time, Han Li resolutely adjusted his direction. A green rainbow cut through the sky, and in the blink of an eye, he left the deserted island.
About a quarter of an hour later, a large mass of sinister black mist rushed to the island from afar. Hovering briefly near the wide-open cave entrance, the thick mist dispersed, revealing a middle-aged man with deathly pale skin devoid of any blood color.
The man looked at the utterly destroyed formation restrictions and the pushed-aside Spirit Sealing Pillar, his eyebrows immediately shooting up in anger. He promptly entered the cave.
A moment later, an extremely furious roar echoed from underground, shaking the nearby ground.
Then, the middle-aged man, enveloped in a black light, flew out of the cave and shot straight into the sky.
Anxious, he looked around in all directions. Suddenly, he spun rapidly, and dozens of black rays shot out, transforming into enormous black birds that flew off in all directions, swiftly searching the area within a hundred miles.
But when all the giant birds returned, they had found nothing. The middle-aged man’s expression turned extremely grim! He looked up at the sky and remained motionless for a long time.
After who knows how long, he suddenly let out a series of cold laughs.
“Old freak, so what if you managed to escape? You’re no longer the Profound Bone Demon Ancestor of the past, and I am no longer your mere Core Formation disciple. Once I finish matters at the Void Sky Palace, I will search through the entire Chaotic Star Seas to drag you out.” After saying this, he wasted no more time soaring into the sky, transforming back into a large mass of black mist.
Then, as if to vent his fury, a black light beam as thick as a bucket shot out from the mist. The ground near the cave entrance collapsed, turning into ruins.
Afterward, the black mist sped away like a meteor chasing the moon.
Han Li, of course, knew nothing of what had transpired on the island. At that moment, he was dutifully steering his magical treasure through the sky, following the direction indicated on the map.
Fearing a chance encounter with the Profound Bone Venerable, Han Li remained extremely vigilant throughout his journey, frequently expanding his spiritual sense to full capacity to guard against ambushes.
Several days passed without any incidents, allowing Han Li to relax slightly.
However, one day, as Han Li was focused on his travel, the sounds of combat suddenly reached him from ahead, accompanied by faint explosions and dazzling flashes of light—clear signs of cultivators fighting.
Frowning, Han Li relied on his powerful spiritual sense to observe from a distance.
It was a man and a woman engaged in a fierce battle with three sinister-looking cultivators in brocade robes.
But their skill levels were pitifully low, only at the early Foundation Establishment stage, and the man and woman seemed to be at a disadvantage.
Han Li rubbed his nose. Since these individuals posed no threat, he couldn’t be bothered to take a detour and prepared to drive his magical treasure past them from the side. As for the cultivators in the fray, he had no intention of getting involved—sticking to his journey was more important.
With this thought, Han Li slightly increased his speed, transforming into a green rainbow that shot forward, arriving before the group in an instant.
The combatants, startled, simultaneously ceased fighting and retreated, retrieving their magical instruments.
As Han Li passed by them, his sword light paused slightly. He cast a casual glance and couldn’t help but let out a surprised “Huh?”
At the same time, the female cultivator from the pair, upon clearly seeing Han Li’s face, cried out joyfully, “Elder Han! I am a direct disciple of Vice Envoy Zhuo of the Mystic Sound Sect! I beg Elder Han to lend us your aid! These three are great enemies of our sect, cultivators from the Venomous Dragon Society!”
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