“Hmph! Brother Wei, why feign ignorance? I don’t believe you aren’t somewhat wary. Advancing to mid-stage Nascent Soul at such a young age, with several formidable supernatural abilities—once he reaches late-stage Nascent Soul, where will there be room for us in the South Sky?” the Joyous Old Demon said coldly.
“Heh, my view differs slightly from Brother Joyous’,” Wei Wuyi glanced at the Joyous Old Demon with a faint smile.
“Oh? How so? Does Brother Wei still believe you can suppress him even after he reaches late-stage Nascent Soul?” the Joyous Old Demon said darkly.
“Suppress? Why suppress? I am the eldest among the three great cultivators, with at most a century left before my time comes. Even if he were an immortal reincarnated, he couldn’t advance again within a hundred years. If that’s the case, even if he later attains unparalleled power and sweeps across the South Sky, what does it have to do with me?” Wei Wuyi said indifferently.
“Brother Wei is willing to let the vast influence you’ve painstakingly built be taken by him alone? If you join forces with me, I might even concede on certain matters,” the Joyous Old Demon narrowed his eyes.
“I have no interest in stirring trouble. Besides, don’t you think it’s a bit late for such schemes now? Had this man been at early-stage Nascent Soul and you offered sufficient incentives, I might have been tempted. But now, though his cultivation hasn’t yet matched ours, his supernatural abilities are not far behind. I have no desire to make an enemy of someone at my own level, nor do I wish to bring endless calamity upon my sect. Brother Joyous, don’t forget—it’s nearly impossible to completely eradicate beings of our rank. Even with the most meticulous planning, failure is likely. Unless, of course, we could assemble the same lineup we used against the ancient demon. But in my opinion, you’d best abandon these futile schemes lest you provoke his hostility. After all, even if he does unify the South Sky, it won’t last long. Remember the fate of that Divine Transformation cultivator who once dominated the entire region.” A cold smile played on Wei Wuyi’s lips.
The Joyous Old Demon was momentarily stunned, then fell into thoughtful silence, though it was unclear whether he truly took Wei Wuyi’s words to heart.
Meanwhile, Han Li and Venerable Zhiyang had already descended thousands of feet into the vortex. Under the oppressive spiritual pressure, they couldn’t fly straight to the bottom but had to proceed slowly.
Han Li had already summoned the Blue Light Shield, forming a blue barrier around himself, while over thirty golden flying swords whirled around him like a storm of blades as he descended.
Venerable Zhiyang, on the other hand, was even more impressive. From the start, he had relied on a single white flying sword, which transformed into a radiant arc that effortlessly sliced through the dense white spiritual energy, descending side by side with Han Li.
Witnessing this, Han Li couldn’t help but admire inwardly—these late-stage Nascent Soul old monsters were truly extraordinary.
With that thought, Han Li extended his spiritual sense downward, only to find it rebounded after penetrating a mere ten feet. His Brightsight Spirit Eyes fared slightly better, piercing thirty to forty feet, but all he could see was a vast expanse of white. However, the occasional spiritual energy vortices couldn’t escape his spirit eyes, allowing him to detect and deftly avoid them in advance.
His ability to foresee and evade these hidden vortices didn’t escape Venerable Zhiyang’s notice. The old Daoist marveled silently, his desire to recruit Han Li growing stronger. As for whether Han Li’s advancement to late-stage Nascent Soul would lead to him unifying the major factions, the old Daoist wasn’t the least bit concerned.
He was certain he hadn’t misjudged—Han Li was the type of ascetic wholly devoted to the pursuit of the Heavenly Dao, indifferent to worldly affairs unless they directly concerned him. Otherwise, given Han Li’s abilities, controlling not just the Falling Cloud Sect but the entire State of Xi would have been effortless. Reports from the Righteous Alliance’s spies in Xi State confirmed that, whether during his early-stage Nascent Soul days or after his recent advancement, the young cultivator had shown no such ambitions. This only reassured the old Daoist further.
After the time it took to finish a meal, Han Li estimated they had descended nearly ten thousand feet. He glanced upward, but the dense spiritual energy above obscured his view. The immense pressure on his flying swords suggested that reaching such depths required at least mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivation. Were it not for the profound spiritual power afforded by his Green Origin Sword Art, he might have struggled by now.
As Han Li pondered, Venerable Zhiyang suddenly spoke up, “Brother Han, we’re nearing the bottom. Be cautious.”
“Thank you for the reminder,” Han Li replied, focusing his attention downward.
Sure enough, after descending another few dozen feet, a milky-white glow appeared beneath them, dazzling and intense, like a thick curtain of light. Slowing his descent, Han Li soon hovered alongside Venerable Zhiyang about five or six feet above the luminous barrier. With his spirit eyes, Han Li could clearly see countless tendrils of demonic energy writhing behind the barrier, a dark, oppressive mass.
“So this is the suppressed demonic energy. It’s indeed troublesome,” Han Li murmured, staring at the barrier.
“Indeed. The demonic energy below has formed an abyss—its depth and breadth unknown. To be frank, Brother Han, I once ventured in myself, relying on my cultivation’s inherent resistance to evil. But after barely a hundred feet, I knew I couldn’t linger and retreated immediately. The demonic nature and sheer volume here are beyond what ordinary cultivators can endure. Even demonic cultivators who practice ancient demonic arts, though their power might surge within, would inevitably lose their minds to the demonic energy’s corruption,” Venerable Zhiyang explained.
Han Li nodded, silently contemplating the demonic energy beyond the barrier.
“Brother Zhiyang, wait here. I’ll go in and assess the demonic energy’s potency,” Han Li said after a moment.
“Be careful, Brother Han,” Venerable Zhiyang replied, unsurprised by the request.
Without further ado, Han Li flickered forward until he stood just above the barrier. With a light tap of his toe, a foot-long cyan sword Qi shot downward, piercing the barrier and vanishing into the demonic energy below.
Han Li blinked in surprise but quickly realized the barrier was a restriction targeting only demonic energy, sparing him the need to break through it himself.
With that thought, the golden sword shadows around him crackled with thunder, arcs of golden lightning leaping from the blades to form a net around him. His mastery of the Evil-Suppressing Divine Lightning had reached an extraordinary level. With a hand seal, the net shrank and transformed, adhering to the blue barrier like a spherical cage. Meanwhile, the flying swords shrank to inches long and flew into his sleeves, returning to his body.
Then, Han Li silently sank through the barrier, entering the demonic energy without resistance.
A deafening roar erupted as pitch-black demonic energy surged toward him, only to be scattered by the golden lightning. Yet more rushed in relentlessly.
Han Li didn’t move immediately, simply observing as clumps of demonic energy were dispersed and reformed, attacking his barrier. Frowning, he gauged the rate at which the Evil-Suppressing Divine Lightning was being consumed, then turned and flew deeper into the abyss.
He dared not extend his spiritual sense outside the barrier—the demonic energy here was so dense it could corrupt even a cultivator’s consciousness. Caution was paramount.
Now, his only reliance was his Brightsight Spirit Eyes. But in this ink-black demonic abyss, even they could only penetrate a few feet, forcing him to proceed slowly.
However, he hadn’t gone far—barely two hundred feet—when he stopped, surveying his surroundings. After a moment, he turned and retraced his path without hesitation.
“The Evil-Suppressing Divine Lightning is indeed formidable. To emerge unscathed after such a duration is worthy of its reputation,” Venerable Zhiyang praised as Han Li re-emerged.
“It’s nothing. The demonic energy is unguided, making it easier to disperse. Let’s return to the surface for now,” Han Li replied calmly.
Venerable Zhiyang asked no further questions, nodding in agreement. Han Li retracted the golden lightning, released his flying swords, and the two ascended.
…
“Well? With Brother Han’s Evil-Suppressing Divine Lightning, he should be unharmed in the demonic energy, no?” Wei Wuyi asked leisurely as Han Li and the Daoist emerged from the vortex.
“It seems I can indeed attempt it. But before agreeing, I’d like to ask where exactly you intend to place the array disk. If it’s too deep, my Evil-Suppressing Divine Lightning might not last,” Han Li replied without hesitation.
“We’ll discuss the specifics back at the cave abode. The array disk is still with the formation masters. Let’s retrieve it first, then deliberate further before sending Brother Han down. After all, the disk wasn’t easy to craft—we can’t afford to lose it,” the Joyous Old Demon said coolly.
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