“No wonder a spirit spring was placed here—it was to nourish this wood. I desire the ten-thousand-year spirit milk, but I am also quite curious about this Soul Nurturing Wood,” Han Li said to Yuan Yao, speaking slowly and deliberately.
Upon hearing this, Yuan Yao’s expression instantly turned icy cold.
“Don’t worry. After so many years of nourishment, this wood must be quite large. I only need a small section of its roots and have no intention of competing with you for the main trunk, Miss Yuan,” Han Li said with a faint smile, seeing her reaction.
“Just the roots?” Yuan Yao was taken aback at first, then her expression softened slightly, though a trace of suspicion still lingered in her beautiful eyes.
“Of course. As compensation, however, I still expect the ten-thousand-year spirit milk you promised earlier,” Han Li added, his expression turning serious again.
“Hehe! Fellow Daoist Han, you are quite the schemer. I’m sure many sects would be willing to pay a high price for the roots of the Soul Nurturing Wood. But very well, I agree to this,” Yuan Yao said, her eyes flickering as if she had guessed Han Li’s intentions. She let out a charming, tinkling laugh.
Surprisingly, this seemed to put her at ease.
Han Li smiled faintly but offered no further explanation.
“Alright, let’s break the formation. I’ll first share some insights I gained from earlier attempts,” Yuan Yao said with a smile, appearing even more eager than Han Li.
“Not so fast. Don’t you want to take this spirit spring with you, Miss Yuan?” Han Li asked, pointing at the pool with a teasing smile.
“Brother Han, you must be joking! This spirit spring has long been integrated with the entire inner hall through profound restrictions set by the master of the Void Sky Hall. If I had such power, I would have gone straight for the Void Sky Cauldron instead of lingering here,” Yuan Yao retorted coquettishly.
Hearing this, Han Li felt a twinge of disappointment, but then he chuckled to himself. He had become too greedy, immediately wanting to claim any treasure he saw. This was not a good sign—he had no intention of meeting a tragic end for the sake of wealth.
With this in mind, Han Li inwardly cautioned himself and dropped the subject. Instead, he said solemnly, “Fellow Daoist Yuan, please give me the spirit milk first and then explain the formation. With our combined efforts, we should be able to break this formation within two or three days.”
Yuan Yao responded with a radiant smile, her charm dazzling and alluring.
A flash of white light shimmered above the sea, and two figures, a man and a woman, materialized within the glow.
The man was ordinary in appearance, with nothing remarkable about him except for his clear, bright eyes. The woman was tall and slender, as beautiful as a flower, with eyes that hinted at boundless allure. As soon as they appeared above the sea, they cautiously scanned their surroundings. Seeing no other cultivators nearby, they both breathed a sigh of relief.
They were Han Li and Yuan Yao, who had been transported out after breaking the formation in the secret chamber.
“It seems the others are still trapped inside the Void Sky Hall and won’t be able to leave until the designated time,” Yuan Yao remarked, glancing in the direction of the Void Sky Cauldron with a strange glint in her eyes.
“Could those Nascent Soul old monsters be transported out like us after retrieving treasures?” Han Li asked, frowning with caution.
“Don’t worry. The location where one is transported after retrieving a treasure is random—it could be near the Void Sky Hall or hundreds of miles away. No one could possibly monitor such a vast area,” Yuan Yao said lightly, brushing aside a strand of her hair.
“That’s a relief,” Han Li nodded, feeling somewhat reassured.
“Why? Did you offend those old monsters? If so, you should be careful, Fellow Daoist Han,” Yuan Yao asked, her eyes shimmering with a probing tone.
“That’s none of your concern, Fellow Daoist Yuan. I have urgent matters to attend to and must take my leave now,” Han Li said indifferently, cupping his hands in farewell. Without waiting for her response, he transformed into a green streak and flew away without hesitation or attachment.
Yuan Yao watched Han Li’s departing figure with a strange expression. After a long moment, she shook her head gently. A black light flickered in her hand, and a section of peculiar wood, about a foot long, appeared.
The wood was charred black, rough, and pitted—extremely ugly. Yet, as Yuan Yao gazed at it, a trace of sorrow crossed her face.
“Sister Yan, please endure a little longer. I will find someone to craft this wood into a Soul Concealment Case to free you from the torment of soul refinement,” she whispered. Without further delay, she pulled her black robe over her head, concealing her stunning beauty. Then, she transformed into a black mist and flew off in another direction.
In an instant, the sea surface returned to silence.
Meanwhile, on the high platform of the fifth floor of the Void Sky Hall’s inner chamber, several figures stood with grim expressions. They were all in a foul mood—these were the Nascent Soul cultivators from the righteous and demonic paths, including the cold-faced Man Huzi. For some reason, they had reached an agreement, and no one attacked him anymore.
“We have thoroughly searched every corner from the third to the fifth floor of the inner chamber. We’ve broken countless restrictions and destroyed numerous puppets, yet we still haven’t found them. Ji Yin! Two of the three missing individuals are closely connected to you. Are you absolutely certain you didn’t instruct them to take the treasure and flee?” Wan Tianming demanded, his face dark with anger.
“Hmph! Sect Leader Wan, you’ve asked this multiple times. I’ve already told you—my beloved grandson has met his demise. This was confirmed through my secret technique, and there’s no mistake. If it weren’t for the Heavenly Shield blocking my senses, I would have known the moment he died. Those two brats wouldn’t have had the chance to escape with the treasure,” Ji Yin retorted, his face twitching with anger.
“Speaking of which, I find Brother Man the most suspicious. Why did the Void Sky Cauldron disappear precisely when Brother Man lured us all away? And you still refuse to explain the background of that junior. Did you collude with him beforehand?” Ji Yin suddenly turned to Man Huzi, his voice sinister.
“Ridiculous! Why should I explain anything to you? Even if the Void Sky Cauldron was taken by that brat, what does it have to do with me? I was being chased by all of you—it’s not like the cauldron fell into my hands! And you claim your grandson Wu Chou is dead—who knows if that’s true? Maybe you’re secretly delighted!” Man Huzi shot back, glaring fiercely.
“You…!” Ji Yin was so enraged he nearly burst. His beloved grandson was dead, and now he was being framed. This was something he absolutely could not accept. His face flushed with anger, and he opened his mouth to argue further.
But the scholarly-robed elder intervened to mediate: “Brothers Man and Wu, there’s no need for disputes. The ones who took the treasure are undoubtedly those three. As for which one of them it was, what does it matter? That’s secondary. The most important thing now is to find them, whether they’re alive or dead. When we chased Brother Man, we pursued him all the way to the entrance of the third floor. No matter how fast they were, they couldn’t have escaped below the third floor. We’ve set up several formations at the entrance—it’s impossible for them to slip away. As for being transported out from a secret chamber, that’s even more unlikely. They’re only early Core Formation cultivators. Even if the three joined forces, they couldn’t possibly pass through any chamber above the third floor. Unless they’ve lost their minds and want to commit suicide,” the elder analyzed calmly.
“But we’ve thoroughly searched from the third to the fifth floor and found no trace of them,” Wan Tianming said coldly, his face full of doubt.
In truth, it wasn’t just him—the three righteous path cultivators were all half-convinced and half-doubtful.
They had secretly discussed multiple times via voice transmission, suspecting that the three old demons had collaborated to stage a diversion, luring them away so their juniors could retrieve the Void Sky Cauldron. Thus, filled with regret, they kept a close watch on Ji Yin and the others, refusing to leave their side within the Void Sky Hall.
Ji Yin and the scholarly-robed elder were well aware of the righteous path’s suspicions. But they were equally anxious and had no time to dwell on it. They only wanted to find Han Li and Xuan Gu quickly and reclaim the Void Sky Cauldron.
A group of Nascent Soul cultivators had fought fiercely in the inner chamber, only for a Core Formation cultivator to sneak away with the treasure. If this got out, they would become a laughingstock! Moreover, how could they bear to let the Void Sky Cauldron fall into the hands of Han Li and the others?
Man Huzi was also puzzled. Xuan Gu’s actions seemed to deviate from their prior agreement. Had he really taken the cauldron and fled? While an ordinary Core Formation cultivator might not pass the restrictions of the third-floor chambers, if Xuan Gu had switched to ghostly cultivation, it was hard to say.
Though filled with doubts, Man Huzi showed none on his face. Instead, for his own reasons, he decided to muddy the waters further. “What if the two old fellows from Star Palace didn’t leave but hid nearby? When we all chased after them, they came out, killed those three, and took the Void Sky Cauldron?” he suggested coldly.
At these words, the others exchanged glances, then thoughtful expressions crossed their faces.
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