However, when Han Li put away the two slightly deformed bronze halberds, he faintly sensed that Frost Li had glanced at them a few extra times, though the latter quickly concealed his gaze.
Although this action was extremely subtle, Han Li felt a chill in his heart. He knew these two short halberds were likely valuable treasures. Since Frost Li still needed him to retrieve the treasure, he naturally wouldn’t risk losing the bigger goal by forcibly taking them now. But this meant Frost Li had one more reason to target him afterward.
Thinking this, a bitter smile flickered across Han Li’s lowered face. But when he raised his head again, his expression returned to normal.
With the three Nascent Soul stage cultivators working together, even though the puppets and restrictions on this level were formidable, the group passed through unscathed.
They then teleported to the third floor, where three people were whispering among themselves. They were none other than Wan Tianming and his group of righteous path cultivators.
Not far in front of them stood a massive structure—an incredibly majestic stone platform.
The platform was over a hundred zhang long and wide, and about thirty zhang high. A staircase of several hundred steps led directly to the top.
The entire platform was constructed from a type of seemingly ordinary gray rock, enveloped—along with the staircase—by a white light barrier.
Strangely, a blue glow shimmered within the barrier, growing increasingly intense toward the center of the platform. The swirling radiance was so dazzling it made it impossible to see clearly what lay there.
The edges of the stone platform were coated with a thick layer of frost. Under the reflected light, the ice appeared crystalline and transparent, making the platform exceptionally beautiful.
“How about it? Have you recovered enough spiritual power? If so, let’s begin. Although we used the Creation Device from the Tianji Sect to evade the puppet guards this time, we don’t have much time to spare. After all, Barbarian Blade’s Demon-Subduing Art is also extremely effective against those puppets. They might be delayed a bit longer on the fourth floor, but they won’t be held up for too long elsewhere,” Wan Tianming said solemnly in front of the platform.
“Brother Wan is right. Let’s go retrieve the treasure,” the Taoist Tian Wuzi across from him agreed, a hint of excitement flashing in his eyes.
The dark-skinned old man who resembled a farmer nodded silently without saying a word.
Wan Tianming didn’t mind. He knew that although the old man was reticent, the “Jade Elixir Art” he cultivated was incredibly powerful, and his true strength might even surpass Tian Wuzi’s. It was just that, despite being from the righteous path, he had always kept to himself, focused solely on cultivation, which made him appear so aloof.
With a faint smile, Wan Tianming led the two toward the light barrier.
A dense purple aura flashed, and with a crisp “crack,” the white light barrier was torn open by Wan Tianming’s sleeve, creating an opening about a zhang tall. The three swiftly entered through it.
Soon, Wan Tianming and the others vanished into the blue light atop the platform, and the torn opening in the barrier restored itself, leaving the staircase quiet once more.
Some time later, Wan Tianming and his group still hadn’t emerged from the barrier, but Barbarian Blade and Frost Li appeared at the foot of the platform, with Han Li, Xuan Gu, and others following obediently behind.
“Finally, we’ve reached this damned place. That golden-haired puppet on the fourth floor was surprisingly powerful. If the three of us hadn’t used our ultimate skills, we might have been held up even longer,” the scholar-robed elder said, his eyes gleaming as he gazed at the platform.
“Hmph, that puppet was nothing. The restriction we encountered on the third floor was the real challenge. It took us far too long to break through, otherwise we would have arrived earlier,” Frost Li said with a dark expression, his tone tinged with frustration.
“Why waste words now that we’re here? Let’s first see if Wan Tianming and the others have gone in to retrieve the treasure,” Barbarian Blade interjected impatiently, frowning.
Frost Li’s expression soured, and he fell silent.
The scholar-robed elder, however, chuckled calmly. “Brother Barbarian, rest assured. Based on the secret techniques Brother Wu and I used, Wan Tianming and his group indeed entered several hours ago and haven’t come out yet. We can simply wait here. This staircase is the only entrance to and exit from the Frost Jade Platform.”
“The only one? Are you sure? What if those righteous path fellows slip away from somewhere else while we wait here like fools?” Barbarian Blade glanced skeptically at the elder.
“Heh! There’s no doubt about it. This white light barrier isn’t an ordinary shield—it’s the renowned Heavenly Astral Barrier from ancient times. Aside from this specially created exit at the staircase, there’s no other way to pass through quickly. Let’s rest here for a bit and then go in to check the situation,” the elder replied calmly, stroking his beard.
“Good. That’s acceptable,” Barbarian Blade nodded faintly and sat cross-legged on a nearby step.
Frost Li and the scholar-robed elder huddled together and began whispering.
Han Li observed all of this coldly but showed no outward reaction. These demonic path old monsters might have a plan, but Wan Tianming was clearly a shrewd individual. By not entering now, they might be playing right into the hands of the righteous path.
With this in mind, he glanced around and noticed Xuan Gu standing alone near the platform, staring at the white light barrier as if deep in thought.
Han Li’s expression shifted slightly. This might be a good opportunity to discuss things with him again. But then it occurred to him that since Xuan Gu had now allied with Barbarian Blade, his own value to the old demon had diminished. Most likely, Xuan Gu, like Frost Li, was also plotting to use his Bloodjade Spiders to retrieve the treasure. Otherwise, why would he choose to deal with Frost Li only after the treasure was secured?
Approaching him now would only reveal his unease and worsen his situation. It seemed he would have to rely on himself to devise an escape plan.
With these thoughts, Han Li’s gaze toward Xuan Gu turned icy. Surprisingly, Xuan Gu seemed to sense it and turned around, catching Han Li’s eye.
Cursing inwardly, Han Li quickly assumed a calm expression and walked away nonchalantly.
Xuan Gu stared at Han Li’s retreating figure, a flicker of doubt crossing his face.
Meanwhile, Han Li leisurely circled the massive stone platform outside the light barrier.
Frost Li and the others, confident that a mere early Core Formation cultivator like Han Li couldn’t possibly escape on the fifth floor, allowed him to move freely.
Before long, Han Li found himself alone at the back of the platform. Opposite the light barrier stood a tall bluestone wall.
The wall was carved with images of ancient monstrous beasts and some talismanic scripts, but nothing seemed unusual. Han Li had seen many such walls in the inner hall and knew they were protected by powerful restrictions. Even Nascent Soul stage cultivators like Frost Li couldn’t break through them.
Even if Han Li suspected the other side of the wall led outside the inner hall, there was nothing he could do.
Frustrated, Han Li mentally cursed the ancient cultivators who had made the inner hall as impenetrable as a turtle’s shell. In a fit of irritation, he slapped the stone wall hard and turned to leave.
A dull “thud” echoed, and Han Li, who had already taken three or four steps, froze.
He slowly turned around, his face filled with disbelief.
An ordinary cultivator might have dismissed the sound and walked away, but Han Li, having once been part of a martial world gang, had studied mechanisms and hidden chambers extensively in his youth. The moment the sound reached his ears, he recognized that the bluestone wasn’t solid.
Han Li could hardly believe it. In a place like this, filled with ancient restrictions, the idea of a hidden compartment seemed absurd. He doubted his own judgment.
Of course, he couldn’t just walk away. After a moment’s thought, he swiftly returned to the wall.
Using two fingers, he lightly tapped each of the bluestones near where he had slapped. When his fingers struck the third bluestone, his heart leaped, and his eyes fixed on it. This particular stone was carved with the blood-red eye of a winged beast.
Though the carving wasn’t exquisitely detailed, the beast was vividly depicted, its frenzied, bloodthirsty madness palpable.
After a brief glance at the beast pattern, Han Li tapped the bluestone again lightly. To his delight, he confirmed that the stone was indeed hollow, and something seemed to be hidden inside.
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