Two days later, a streak of cyan light streaked toward a nameless islet west of Twin Peaks Island. Just as it was about to reach the island, the radiance faded, revealing a man and a woman.
They were none other than Han Li and Madam Fan.
Finding her flight speed too slow, Han Li had simply enveloped her in his own light and flown them both here.
“Is the teleportation formation on this island?” Han Li asked coolly, glancing down at the islet from mid-air.
“Yes. There are eight Mystic Sound Sect disciples guarding it. But aside from two who are my subordinates, the rest are demonic cultivators brought by Yun Tianxiao, all at Foundation Establishment stage or higher. I have no authority over them,” Madam Fan replied with a serious expression.
“Understood. Summon your people. I’ll handle the others.” A flash of killing intent crossed Han Li’s face.
“Of course, Senior. Just a moment.” Without hesitation, Madam Fan raised a delicate hand, producing a message talisman between her fingers. With a flick, it transformed into a streak of fire and shot toward the island.
Han Li watched as the talisman circled briefly over a hilly area before diving toward what appeared to be an ordinary mound. After a flash, the firelight vanished, evidently entering some kind of restriction.
Moments later, three figures emerged from the mound—two women and a man. Spotting Madam Fan and Han Li high above, they immediately flew toward them on beams of light.
“Greetings, Sect Leader!” Two curvaceous, enchantingly beautiful female cultivators bowed deeply to Madam Fan upon arrival, then glanced curiously at Han Li. Sensing his Core Formation cultivation, which he made no effort to conceal, they immediately grew solemn.
The blue-robed elder behind them merely cupped his hands casually toward Madam Fan but eyed Han Li with a mix of suspicion and surprise, opening his mouth as if to ask something.
But Han Li, having already identified friend from foe, gave him no chance to speak. A trace of killing intent rising, Han Li flicked a finger without a word, and a streak of cyan sword Qi shot out like lightning.
Terror flashed across the elder’s face, but the sword light was too fast. With only time for a choked cry, a thumb-sized hole appeared in his forehead, and his corpse plummeted downward.
The two women paled in shock, but seeing Madam Fan’s cold indifference, they understood and exchanged a silent glance.
“Are the others below?” Madam Fan asked coldly.
“Yes! All five are at the formation. This disciple will lead you and the Senior there immediately,” one fair-skinned woman replied obsequiously.
“Good. Lead the way for Senior Li. None of them are to be spared.” A ruthless glint flashed in Madam Fan’s beautiful eyes.
Hearing this, the two women confirmed that Madam Fan had indeed brought help to deal with Yun Tianxiao’s men and promptly led Han Li and Madam Fan toward the mound.
“Open!” one woman cried, holding a red-glowing token toward the mound. A red mist shot from the token, striking the mound and causing ripples to spread. A yellow stone door, about fifteen feet tall, materialized on the surface.
“We’re here. But those five are all mid-Foundation Establishment cultivators. Senior, please be cautious,” the fair-skinned woman said with a charming smile.
“Understood.” Han Li’s expression remained impassive as he raised a hand and shot a cyan beam of light.
With a thunderous crash, the stone door shattered to pieces. Without changing expression, Han Li flew inside.
The two women exchanged worried glances, but Madam Fan, full of confidence in Han Li, gestured for them to follow.
Beyond the door lay a bluestone passage about ten feet wide. Han Li’s eyes narrowed slightly as two figures hurried toward them, likely alerted by the noise.
Without even looking at them, Han Li opened his mouth, and two gleaming, crystalline small swords shot out, streaking toward the two.
Startled and confused, the two could only hastily summon defensive artifacts—one a red brocade handkerchief, the other a small yellow shield. But the cyan light pierced through both effortlessly. The artifacts lost their spiritual light and fell to the ground. Almost simultaneously, the cyan light flashed again, and the two men screamed and collapsed.
Han Li stepped over the corpses without pause, the two small swords automatically returning to circle around him.
Madam Fan and the others, following behind, felt a surge of relief but paused briefly to deal with the two bodies.
By the time the three women passed through the corridor and entered a vast hall over three hundred feet wide, Han Li was already standing in the center, hands behind his back, studying a small teleportation formation at his feet. Around him lay three corpses, hacked into several pieces, filling the air with the stench of blood.
At this sight, Madam Fan’s face lit up with a radiant smile. She instructed the two women to dispose of the bodies and approached with a fragrant breeze.
“It seems Senior’s power truly transcends the mundane. Dealing with Foundation Establishment cultivators is like using a butcher’s knife to kill a chicken,” she praised, her apricot lips parting sweetly.
“Foundation Establishment cultivators are indeed nothing to me now. Is this the teleportation formation you mentioned?” Han Li seemed wholly focused on the formation, offering only a perfunctory response before redirecting the conversation.
“Yes! As Senior can see, it’s about eighty to ninety percent complete. Once the Illusion Dream Stone components are installed, it will be ready. And as you saw a few days ago, I indeed have the stone. I would not dare deceive you,” Madam Fan said, her bright eyes shifting.
“Since you’ve spoken truthfully, I will deal with Yun Tianxiao. But does this formation truly lead to Huangming Island in the inner sea? As far as I know, that’s just an ordinary mid-sized island. Why would the demonic path set up a formation there?” Han Li frowned, still staring at the formation.
“I actually heard Yun Tianxiao mention this. Apparently, there’s an ancient, abandoned teleportation formation on Huangming Island. The demonic path modified it slightly for their own use. However, that formation can only receive transmissions; it cannot send them out, so the demonic path doesn’t use it much. If it weren’t the only formation capable of receiving such long-distance transmissions from the outer sea, Yun Tianxiao wouldn’t have chosen it. You shouldn’t encounter any trouble there, Senior,” Madam Fan explained earnestly, aware of how seriously Han Li took this matter.
Hearing this, Han Li nodded and said no more. As long as there were no Nascent Soul old monsters guarding the place, he feared no danger, however treacherous. Besides, even if there were risks, it was still far better than flying back from the outer sea. And he was confident that Madam Fan had no reason to deceive him about this.
After examining the formation a while longer, Han Li turned to Madam Fan and said coldly, “Have your formation master come quickly to complete this. After I help you kill Yun Tianxiao, I need to use the formation immediately. Now, let’s return and wait for Elder Yun. As you said, he should arrive at Twin Peaks Island in five or six days to personally oversee the market.”
With that, he strode out, his expression dark.
As days passed, Han Li grew increasingly anxious. He knew well that staying in one place for too long increased the chances of that demonic cultivator Feng Xi finding him.
To his frustration, the dissipation of the Wind Spirit Energy that Feng Xi had mentioned still hadn’t occurred. How long did “a while” mean? A year? Several years? Or was it just empty talk?
He had tried several times to have his Gold Devouring Beetles shrink and enter his body to slowly consume the Wind Spirit Energy, but it proved impossible. To reach the energy, the beetles first had to bite through the golden threads of the Divine Devilbane Lightning. But the moment a small hole appeared in the golden net, the Wind Spirit Energy would flare up, forcing him to hastily repair the gap. If not for the fact that dealing with Yun Tianxiao required little effort, he would never have stayed here so long.
Even so, a sense of unease gnawed at him, an ominous feeling persistently surfacing in his heart.
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage