“Thud!”
A seemingly ordinary palm effortlessly pierced through the red light and struck the crimson giant hand with a solid impact.
The crimson hand, over ten times larger than Han Li’s palm, was instantly permeated by an unstoppable, invisible force. After a slight tremor, it silently crumbled into dust.
The massive puppet remained expressionless, its crimson glow flaring violently as several phantom beasts resembling a mix of oxen and tigers faintly emerged on its surface. With a furious roar, it lunged toward Han Li.
But at that moment, a sharp glint flashed in Han Li’s eyes. He suddenly opened his mouth and spat out a streak of azure sword light. In a single flicker, it appeared right before the puppet, wrapping around its colossal body in an instant.
“Thump!”
Despite the puppet’s frantic spiritual light, its massive body was cleanly severed at the waist, toppling over in two pieces. The phantom beasts that had just emerged on its surface let out mournful cries before dissipating into wisps of green smoke.
However, in the next moment, the two halves of the puppet were engulfed by crimson flames surging from the crystalline ground. A red glow flashed at the severed section, and countless crystalline threads shot out, pulling the halves back together with a sharp tug.
The puppet’s body instantly reconnected, its wounds flickering violently before healing completely.
Yet, seeing this, Han Li wasted no time. He raised his hand and pressed it down into the void once more.
“Boom!”
A deafening explosion echoed as a golden hand, spanning an acre in size, materialized above the puppet. Its fingers spread wide before slamming down with crushing force.
The colossal puppet felt an immense weight press upon it, followed by an overwhelming, merciless force.
White streaks appeared all over its body before it exploded into a burst of crimson light.
Amid the explosion, a fist-sized golden orb shot out from the debris, trembling as if attempting to flee.
Han Li, however, seemed to have anticipated this. With a cold snort, his outstretched fingers suddenly clenched in a grasping motion.
“Whoosh!”
The golden orb was instantly enveloped by an invisible force. After a brief shudder, it was pulled into Han Li’s palm.
Lowering his gaze, Han Li saw a golden sphere covered in intricate runes and perforations. It felt weightless in his hand, as if hollow inside.
“Indeed, this is far from an ordinary puppet. Its secrets must lie within this object,” Han Li mused, tossing the golden sphere lightly with a flicker of interest on his face.
Beside him, Silvermoon watched with a wry smile.
Though she had known that Han Li’s strength after advancing to the Mahayana realm was beyond her imagination, she had never had a true benchmark to gauge it. Now, witnessing the ease with which he obliterated a puppet she knew she couldn’t defeat, she finally grasped the vast gap between them.
As Silvermoon sighed inwardly, specks of silver flame reappeared in the air, coalescing with a muffled boom.
The silver firebird reemerged.
This time, however, Han Li did not command it to advance. Instead, he stowed the golden sphere away and swept his divine sense indifferently across the surroundings. With a single-handed seal, he muttered an incantation.
“Whoosh!”
The silver firebird raised its head with a clear cry, its body rapidly expanding.
In moments, a behemoth over a hundred zhang long stood at the heart of the sea of flames. The surrounding fire waves recoiled, clearing a vast empty space around it.
“Absorb!”
Han Li showed no signs of stopping. He pointed at the silver giant bird and uttered a low command.
A thunderous roar erupted as the firebird’s silver wings flapped violently, unleashing countless silver runes. A tremendous suction force swept outward in all directions.
The repelled sea of flames trembled violently, waves rolling as over a dozen fiery pillars surged toward the colossal bird.
The crimson flames merged seamlessly into the bird’s body upon contact. With each absorption, its size grew further.
Within the time it took to drink a cup of tea, the surrounding flames had been completely devoured, revealing the true landscape of the area.
Silvermoon’s eyes swept the scene, her expression one of utter astonishment.
They stood atop a massive platform spanning a thousand acres, its surface paved with crimson crystals. Surrounding it was an expansive depression filled with countless pits of varying sizes.
Within these pits flickered various spiritual lights, each containing a crystalline puppet of differing heights.
These puppets wore armor of five colors, wielding an assortment of weapons—some long, some short—or carrying bizarre demonic artifacts. Among them were even ferocious beast-shaped constructs.
From a distance, the puppets exuded an overwhelming aura of slaughter, numbering nearly a hundred thousand.
Han Li’s brows rose slightly as his gaze swiftly assessed the situation.
Most of these puppets were of no low rank. Many possessed strength equivalent to the Core Formation or Nascent Soul stages, while over a tenth reached the Deity Transformation or Void Refinement levels.
Most striking, however, were the several dozen top-tier puppets resembling the colossal one he had just destroyed.
Though none approached the late Body Integration stage, they were at early or mid-tier strength.
Such a formidable force, if unleashed upon the outside world, would undoubtedly leave many major factions dumbfounded.
“So this Weeping Spirit Ancestor was a grandmaster of crystalline puppet forging. What an unexpected boon,” Han Li remarked, stroking his chin with a faint smile.
“Brother Han, how do you plan to handle these puppets?” Silvermoon, still wide-eyed, snapped out of her daze and asked eagerly.
“How? By taking them all, of course. Why leave them for the demons?” Han Li replied without hesitation.
“Good! Then I’ll help gather them,” Silvermoon said excitedly.
Han Li chuckled in agreement.
Without another word, Silvermoon floated into the air, raising her fair wrists as several storage bracelets shot out like colored orbs toward a cluster of puppets.
Han Li remained composed, flicking his sleeve to release dozens of multicolored rings that spiraled into the sky before hurtling toward other directions.
As the storage bracelets spun, radiant lights swept forth.
Any puppet touched by the light vanished instantly from its pit.
Despite the staggering numbers, the two worked swiftly, collecting nearly all the puppets in no time.
However, when they reached the dozens of top-tier Body Integration puppets, crystalline glows flickered across their surfaces, resisting the storage bracelets’ absorption.
Silvermoon let out a surprised “Hmm,” but instead of frustration, delight crossed her face. Her fingers flicked, sending a barrage of spells into the puppets.
After a slight tremble, the puppets ceased their resistance and were likewise stored away.
As the last puppet vanished, the entire platform rumbled violently, suddenly sinking into the ground.
Silvermoon hastily flew back, landing beside Han Li.
With a wave of his hand, Han Li dispersed the giant firebird and stood calmly with his hands behind his back.
Amid the deafening noise, the platform descended over a hundred zhang before shuddering to a halt.
Now, both Han Li and Silvermoon turned their gazes toward the same direction.
Embedded in a gray stone wall opposite them stood an unassuming green stone door.
“Let’s go. I sense no further restrictions inside. This must be the Weeping Spirit Ancestor’s true treasure vault,” Han Li said with a smile.
Silvermoon nodded, her face alight with anticipation.
The two strode toward the door.
When they were within a few zhang, Han Li raised his hand and pushed lightly through the air.
The stone door swung open silently, revealing a brilliantly lit hall.
Inside, rows of long stone pedestals held an array of objects—some in boxes or jade cases, others displayed openly.
These treasures either shone dazzlingly or appeared ancient and unremarkable. Yet, without exception, each radiated an aura that would drive the outside world into a frenzy.
Han Li’s gaze, however, was drawn to the three central pedestals, taller than the rest.
Upon them lay three distinct items:
A rusted azure halberd, a pale yellow gourd, and a pitch-black flying boat no longer than half a chi.
A sweep of his divine sense over these treasures caused Han Li’s expression to shift visibly.
Silvermoon’s eyes sparkled with curiosity as she, too, was captivated by the three artifacts.
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage