“But Elder Ancestor, the Red Flame Tribe is so powerful. If this continues, even if our Skywing Tribe doesn’t face extinction, we will undoubtedly become extremely weakened. I beseech Your Excellency to show mercy and uphold justice for our Skywing Tribe.” Upon hearing this, Jinyue’s expression drastically changed, and she hurriedly knelt again, pleading earnestly.
“Hmph, what? Did you not hear my words just now, or do you truly believe I am being unfair?” Yuelong narrowed his eyes, snorted coldly through his nose, and suddenly unleashed a terrifying aura from his body.
Jinyue felt the surrounding space tighten abruptly, her entire body becoming unbearably heavy, crushed by this overwhelming pressure until she could no longer straighten up.
“Elder Ancestor, forgive me! This junior harbors no such intention.” Jinyue’s face turned deathly pale, her heart filled with terror.
“Enough. Fellow Daoist Jin and I have had some dealings after all. For Han’s sake, why not lend her a hand?” Han Li, who had been sitting quietly nearby, suddenly flicked his sleeve and spoke with a light chuckle.
In an instant, the invisible force pressing down on Jinyue was disrupted by another ripple of power, vanishing like snow under the spring sun.
Jinyue was stunned, raising her head in astonishment to look at Han Li.
“Oh, since Brother Han intercedes, it’s but a trivial matter. Jinyue, why don’t you thank Fellow Daoist Han for his kindness?” Far from being angered by Han Li’s intervention, Yuelong smiled broadly and readily agreed.
“It’s you!”
At that moment, Jinyue finally recognized Han Li from his somewhat familiar voice. Seeing how Yuelong, the revered ancestor of the Feiling Tribe, addressed Han Li, her expression became a spectacle in itself.
“What do you mean, ‘it’s you’? This is Fellow Daoist Han Li of the human race, whose powers surpass even mine.” Yuelong’s face darkened slightly, his voice carrying an imposing authority despite his calm tone.
“Fellow Daoist Han… no, Elder Ancestor Han, forgive me! This junior was merely startled by your sudden reappearance and lost composure.” It took Jinyue a while to suppress the thunderous shock in her heart before she could bow deeply to Han Li.
Though so many years had passed, such a span was insignificant to someone at the Body Integration stage.
Han Li, the former “Saint Son” with whom she had conducted two transactions and whose cultivation had rapidly matched hers, had left an indelible impression on her.
Yet now, after only a few centuries, Han Li had reappeared before her, his aura vastly transformed, standing as an equal to Yuelong, the revered ancestor of the Feiling Tribe.
Such a monumental change, coupled with its abruptness, left even the usually composed Jinyue momentarily dazed.
“Enough, you may leave. Since I’ve agreed to Fellow Daoist Han’s request, I will find time to mediate the conflict between your two tribes.” Yuelong gave Jinyue no further opportunity to linger, waving his hand dismissively before issuing a stern command.
“Yes, this junior takes her leave.” Though brimming with unanswered questions and shock, Jinyue dared not disobey.
Yet as she straightened up, she couldn’t resist stealing another glance at Han Li, as if to confirm he was indeed the person she remembered and not some figment of her imagination.
Han Li smiled faintly, seemingly reading her thoughts, and silently moved his lips a few times.
The next moment, a voice transmitted directly into Jinyue’s ears:
“Regardless of my past with the Skywing Tribe, after this act of assistance, any debts between us are settled. There’s no need to seek me out again.”
Jinyue’s heart skipped a beat, but before she could respond, Han Li formed a single-handed seal and pointed a finger at her from afar.
“Boom!”
A dozen silver arcs erupted beneath her feet, flickering several times before coalescing into a small lightning array. Waves of electric light enveloped her.
The scenery around her blurred, and in the next instant, she vanished from the hall without a trace.
Han Li had teleported her directly out of the giant tower using a lightning array technique.
“What a masterful display of spatial teleportation! It seems Fellow Daoist’s powers exceed even my expectations. This only reassures me further.” Yuelong’s eyes gleamed with admiration at the sight.
Far from the giant tower, above an ordinary building, space rippled as Jinyue materialized amidst swirling silver arcs.
Surveying her surroundings in shock, she glanced back at the distant tower, her expression fluctuating between emotions.
The next day, while the sky was still dim, two streaks of light—one azure, one black—shot out from the giant tower. After a brief hover, they tore through the air toward a distant destination.
By late afternoon, the two streaks of light descended into a small mountain range, landing in a depression between two hills.
“Is this the spiritual site you found?”
As the light dissipated, Han Li emerged, scanning the area with a slight frown.
The depression was pockmarked with craters of varying sizes, the ground barren and lifeless for miles around. The raised areas appeared as if they had been sheared off by some immense force, leaving the terrain significantly lower than its surroundings.
The only notable feature was a towering bronze pillar at the center of the depression.
The pillar stood a hundred zhang tall, its surface engraved with layers of intricate patterns, though now rusted and damaged, hinting at great antiquity.
“Brother Han, don’t let its current state deceive you. This place wasn’t always like this—it was ravaged by two successive heavenly tribulations. But finding a site suitable for channeling the power of heaven and earth is no easy task, so we’ll have to make do.” Yuelong appeared nearby, striding toward the bronze pillar as he explained.
“I see. But surely you don’t intend to rely solely on this artifact to harness the power of heaven and earth?” Han Li nodded, eyeing the pillar skeptically.
“Of course not. This is the Windgold Pillar, one of the auxiliary tools I crafted to attract metal-attribute energy. It was damaged during my last attempt, so I left it behind. For a new endeavor, naturally, I’ll employ fresh instruments.”
Yuelong chuckled, waving a hand to release hundreds of azure light orbs that scattered across the depression, transforming into gleaming bronze pillars—each pristine and untarnished.
He then began chanting, forming a series of hand seals.
The ground rumbled as the pillars shifted in a dazzling display, swiftly arranging themselves into a massive formation encircling both Yuelong and Han Li at its core.
“The Windgold Pillars number one hundred and eight, forming the Goldwind Demon Array. With this, we can significantly mitigate the backlash of the heaven and earth’s power. Follow the plan we discussed last night, and controlling this energy should prove far easier.” Once the formation stabilized, Yuelong ceased his incantations to explain.
“Very well. Proceed with your ritual. I’ll intervene when the time comes.” Han Li replied impassively before blurring and reappearing atop a nearby pillar, standing motionless with his hands behind his back.
Delighted, Yuelong wasted no time, flinging out countless formation flags and disks that streaked toward the depression’s edges like shooting stars.
Soon, seven or eight additional intricate barriers were erected around the bronze formation.
Yuelong then spat out five distinct treasures: a white jade vial with a slender neck, a purple-gold gourd, a cyan compass, a pale silver cauldron, and a crimson feathered fan.
The moment these treasures emerged, they began orbiting the elder.
“Activate!”
Yuelong pointed at the cyan compass.
With a “bang,” the compass swelled to a zhang in size, its surface swirling with radiant hues before projecting a starry sky—countless silver dots twinkling within, mirroring the constellations.
Next, Yuelong flipped his hands, revealing three silvery orbs in one palm and a black gauze-like net in the other, which he promptly tossed to Han Li.
“These are the two artifacts I promised yesterday to help withstand the heaven and earth’s power. Use them wisely, and they’ll prove invaluable.” Yuelong said gravely.
“Thank you for the reminder. I’ll exercise due caution.” Han Li caught the items, gave them a cursory glance, and replied evenly.
Yuelong nodded, then sat cross-legged, silently observing the compass.
Time passed slowly. After two full hours, the projected starscape suddenly rippled, several previously dim stars flaring brilliantly as an eerie pulse emanated from the compass.
“Be ready, Fellow Daoist! The celestial alignment begins—I shall now summon the power of heaven and earth!” Yuelong’s eyes blazed with fervor as he shouted.
He slapped the ground, unleashing an invisible shockwave that triggered rumbling tremors throughout the area.
Simultaneously, the surrounding barriers activated—some conjuring layered shields, others spewing dense mist that swirled in the air.
The one hundred and eight bronze pillars flashed violently, their golden runes blazing with blinding radiance.
Taking a deep breath, Yuelong stood and gestured toward the purple-gold gourd.
The gourd trembled, tilting to release a stream of golden powder.
The particles, infinitesimally small, plummeted straight downward the moment they emerged, as if impossibly heavy.
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