When the silver runes dissipated into scattered spiritual lights, the surrounding scenery, along with the densely packed puppets, vanished without a trace.
Ahead, the void twisted and blurred, revealing a sprawling complex of buildings.
“It’s broken! Wonderful! Brother Xiao, your skills are truly remarkable,” Lady Wanhua exclaimed joyfully upon seeing this.
“The restrictions here are quite profound. It’s possible no one has ever set foot here before. If we weren’t in such a hurry, we might have thoroughly searched the place,” Xiao Ming sighed regretfully.
“Brother Xiao, there’s no need for regret. Even if there are treasures in these outer palaces, they aren’t essential for us. Once we reach the central area and take control of the restriction core, all the treasures in this palace will be ours for the taking,” Daoist Qingping said with a smile.
“I understand that, but seeing treasures so close yet out of reach still feels like a missed opportunity,” Xiao Ming replied with a faint smile.
With that, the three of them followed a small path along the buildings, their escape lights flaring as they flew toward the light barrier at the other end of the region.
—
In another restricted area of the outer palaces of the Heavenly Tripod Palace, a burly man in embroidered robes coldly stared at a towering, hundred-zhang-tall twin-headed giant ape. His disciples, numbering over a hundred, had formed an intricate formation, trapping the beast within.
As the disciples accelerated the activation of their magical tools, the formation’s power surged to its limit, tightening relentlessly. Waves of invisible force pressed against the giant ape’s massive body, producing loud cracking sounds.
When the ape stiffened, finally immobilized by the surrounding pressure, the burly man flicked his sleeve, releasing a silver streak that circled the beast before slicing it cleanly in half.
The gray, misty void around them shattered into fragments, collapsing completely.
—
In a swamp-like region, a giant centipede wreathed in blue lightning, a massive scorpion shrouded in black mist, and an enormous serpent with an oddly flattened head rampaged through a sea of beasts.
Perched atop each of the three giant insects was an ugly, emaciated elder.
The beast horde included tigers, wolves, jackals, leopards, and other bizarre mutated creatures, each possessing strength comparable to mid- to low-level cultivators. They relentlessly attacked the three giant insects, biting and tearing.
The three elders remained motionless atop their mounts, indifferent to the chaos around them.
—
Outside the Five-Colored Seal, five identical-looking youths sat cross-legged in mid-air, their faces expressionless as if waiting for something.
Suddenly, the space above them rippled, and a massive black hole appeared out of nowhere.
With a sharp whistling sound, a ball of bloody light shot out, swirling before transforming into a faint, humanoid blood shadow. Its indistinct face bore glowing green eyes, exuding an indescribable aura of sinister malice.
Upon seeing this, the five youths immediately stood up. A surge of light enveloped their faces as twelve bone-white flying swords materialized before each of them, flickering with eerie green flames.
“Blood Union Five, are you planning to fight me?” the blurry blood shadow asked, seemingly surprised.
“We arrived in haste and lack the key to break the seal. We have no choice but to take one from those who come after. Whoever you are, hand over the key, and we’ll let you pass,” the central youth said coldly.
“Hah! Such arrogance. Fine. I, Blood Shadow, also need fresh blood to nourish this body. Offer your flesh and blood to me!” The blood shadow let out a mad laugh, its form blurring as it split into five elongated streaks of bloody light, lashing toward the Blood Union Five.
“Though the Blood Shadow Art is formidable, it isn’t invincible,” the middle youth sneered. A faint white light shimmered over his body as his treasures transformed into rolling waves of radiance, meeting the attack.
The other four youths blurred and vanished into the void.
In the next moment, the sky filled with bloody light and deafening explosions as a fierce battle erupted.
—
Outside the massive gate, nearly a thousand high-level cultivators had gathered, most at the Body Integration or Void Refinement stage. Over thirty of them joined forces, unleashing treasures and countless bolts of lightning and fire in a frenzied assault on the gate.
Yet the gate remained unmoved, its surface only flickering with gold and silver runes.
The others watched coldly from a distance, showing no intention of interfering.
“Worthless trash! With such meager skills, you dare dream of entering the Heavenly Tripod Palace? Scram!”
A thunderous roar, like a bolt from the blue, shook the air, leaving everyone’s ears ringing. Some weaker cultivators even collapsed, plummeting from the sky.
**BOOM!**
A crimson lightning bolt, spanning several acres, tore through the void and struck the gate.
Instantly, arcs of crimson lightning as thick as bowls coiled around the gate, sending a terrifying shockwave in all directions.
Dozens of nearby cultivators paled and scrambled backward. A few who failed to evade in time were caught in the blast, letting out agonized screams before abruptly falling silent—likely perishing on the spot.
Under the impact, the massive gate slowly creaked open a sliver.
The crimson lightning arcs swiftly retracted, condensing back into a ball before darting through the gap and vanishing.
With a deep rumble, the gate slowly closed again.
“That was the Crimson Thunder Ancestor! That had to be him!” someone gasped in shock.
The onlookers exchanged uneasy glances.
Compared to the last opening of the Heavenly Tripod Palace, where most entrants were at the Body Integration stage, this time, far more Mahayana-level ancestors had appeared.
It seemed the scattered keys to the palace had finally drawn out these ancient monsters.
—
Three days later, deep within the Heavenly Tripod Palace, Han Li stood in a long corridor, blocked by two towering golden and silver golems resembling vajra guardians.
Each stood nearly eighty feet tall, wielding massive hammers matching their colors. Their bodies were riddled with scars, as if they had fought countless battles in the distant past.
Han Li merely glanced at the golems before shifting his gaze to the pale vermilion wooden door behind them. He took a step forward, advancing unhurriedly.
**BOOM! BOOM!**
The moment Han Li approached, the golems swung their hammers with a deafening hum.
A flash of cyan light erupted as countless green threads unfurled from Han Li, reducing the golems and their hammers to shattered fragments in an instant.
Han Li stepped past the wreckage and flicked his sleeve toward the wooden door. An invisible force pushed it open.
Inside the hall, rows of rectangular stone platforms held thousands of magical artifacts—some dazzlingly radiant, others dull and unremarkable.
Han Li smiled faintly and strode inside.
—
At the same time, above an endless expanse of azure sea, Lady Wanhua and Daoist Qingping hovered mid-air, their expressions grim.
Not far ahead, Xiao Ming sat cross-legged, eyes closed, one hand holding a formation disk while the fingers of his other hand trembled slightly, as if performing intricate calculations.
“Who would have thought the second area would have such a powerful illusion? We’ve been trapped here for two full days,” Lady Wanhua muttered to Daoist Qingping.
“Indeed. I never expected such formidable illusionary restrictions here. Even Brother Xiao can’t break them quickly. But it makes sense—though this is only the second palace for us, given our route, it’s deep within the Heavenly Tripod Palace. Once we break through, we should be close to the central area,” Daoist Qingping said, frowning.
“I hope so,” Lady Wanhua replied, her expression still unsettled.
Xiao Ming remained motionless, seemingly oblivious to everything around him.
—
Seven days later.
At the entrance of a grand hall in another region of the Heavenly Tripod Palace, Xue Po emerged slowly, her face pensive, as if she had found little inside.
Suddenly, a bolt of crimson lightning shot toward her, transforming mid-flight into a towering elder clad in scarlet robes, his face marked with golden thunder patterns.
Xue Po startled, instinctively flicking her sleeves to release two bursts of cyan light. They swirled and solidified into two armored guardian puppets—one in green armor wielding a massive bow, the other in black armor gripping a pale blue spear.
“Oh? Body Integration-level puppets? Rare indeed. Girl, state your name and who brought you here,” the elder demanded, his voice sharp.
“This junior is Xue Po. I entered with Senior Han. And you are…?” Xue Po immediately recognized his Mahayana-level cultivation and tensed, her voice faltering slightly.
“Han? Never heard of a Mahayana cultivator by that name. A newly ascended fellow, perhaps? No matter. Hand over your key and any treasures you found inside. Don’t think to deceive me—I’ll know if you lie,” the elder growled, his expression turning vicious.
“I found nothing inside, and the key is with the senior who brought me in. Isn’t this demand of yours excessive?” Xue Po forced a smile, though fury and fear warred within her.
“Then I’ll take them myself,” the elder sneered, stepping forward menacingly.
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