Chapter 2214: Entering the Demon Realm Once More

Han Li witnessed this scene without any change in his expression, merely flicking his sleeve toward the sky.

Instantly, golden light shot down and vanished into his sleeve in a flash.

Han Li then turned his hand, revealing a fist-sized golden beetle in his palm.

It was one of the three “pseudo-king insects” he had previously released to hunt down Black Vulture King.

After staring at the golden beetle for a moment, Han Li frowned slightly and murmured:

“So Black Vulture really managed to escape. However, nearly half of his body was devoured by these little ones, so his injuries are far more severe than I initially expected. This is still a decent outcome.”

After muttering to himself, Han Li flicked his hand and stored the beetle away. Then, with a flash of green light, a jade slip appeared in his grasp.

Glancing at the jade slip, a faint smile appeared on his face.

Although he had encountered many impressive secret techniques during his visit to the Celestial Book Pavilion, his true objective had been the second half of the “Thunder Sacrificial Art.”

The version he had obtained from the Feather Tribe’s Abyssal Demon King was incomplete—while it could unleash tremendous power with the Divine Annihilation Lightning, the casting process was excruciatingly slow, making it impractical in actual combat.

When he learned from Black Rain Sage that the Sacred Island still preserved the second half of the Thunder Sacrificial Art, he immediately resolved to master the complete technique.

Now that he had retrieved the second half from the Celestial Book Pavilion and confirmed its compatibility with what he had already learned, he was overjoyed and took the jade slip without hesitation.

The dozens of other secret techniques were merely incidental.

Still, among them, a few had caught his eye, and he planned to practice them later.

After quickly scanning the Thunder Sacrificial Art in the jade slip and verifying its authenticity, Han Li stored it away and strode toward a nearby teleportation array.

There, Crab Daoist had been waiting quietly.

“Fellow Daoist Han has returned,” Crab Daoist remarked calmly as Han Li approached.

“My apologies for keeping you waiting, Brother Crab. Let us meet with the Sacred Island elders—they must be growing impatient by now,” Han Li replied with an apologetic smile.

Crab Daoist nodded in agreement.

The two stepped into the teleportation array, and with a flash of light, they vanished.

…

Several days later, a white jade boat soared away from Sacred Island, streaking into the distance.

Onboard were Han Li, Crab Daoist, Silvermoon, and an additional passenger—the white-haired Elder Luo from the Sacred Island’s Council of Elders.

Standing at the bow of the boat, Han Li wore a pensive expression, seemingly deep in thought about some pressing matter.

“Fellow Daoist Luo, Black Vulture King has been severely wounded by me and won’t pose a threat to our two races for centuries. As for the Shadow Tribe and others, without a Grand Ascension cultivator among them, they likely won’t dare act recklessly. In any case, news of my entry into the Demon Realm must remain concealed—no word of it should leak for at least a hundred years, lest unforeseen complications arise,” Han Li instructed the elder in a commanding tone.

“Your orders shall be obeyed, Senior Han! We will do everything in our power to suppress all information about your departure from the Spirit Realm. However, are you truly resolved to set out so soon? You’ve only recently advanced to the Grand Ascension stage—wouldn’t it be better to consolidate your cultivation and prepare further before entering the Demon Realm?” Elder Luo hesitated before voicing his concerns.

“Fellow Daoists Mo Jianli and Ao Xiao have been trapped in the Demon Realm for quite some time. They may already be in grave danger—we cannot afford further delays. As for stabilizing my cultivation, my circumstances differ from most. My path to Grand Ascension heavily involved body-refining techniques, so I don’t require extensive consolidation,” Han Li explained with a shake of his head.

“If you’ve made your decision, I shall not dissuade you further. The spatial node we are heading toward was once a passage used by the Demon Army during their retreat. Though the passage has collapsed into a node, nearby cultivators report frequent spatial fluctuations, indicating the barrier between realms remains weak. With your Grand Ascension power and the Star Disk’s aid, breaching into the Demon Realm should not be overly difficult.”

“As long as the node is as you describe, entering the Demon Realm should indeed pose little challenge for me now,” Han Li replied noncommittally.

“Senior Han, if you were willing to wait, other major races might also send scouts into the Demon Realm. After all, their own Grand Ascension cultivators remain missing as well,” Li Rong interjected from the side.

“Those major clans, even if they do send people, will only care about their own. They won’t spare a thought for minor races like ours. Besides, given how much time has passed, they may have already dispatched their own envoys. Do you truly believe they’d bother informing us?” Han Li scoffed.

Hearing this, Li Rong and Elder Luo fell silent.

Han Li then added calmly,

“You needn’t worry too much. I’ll have Brother Crab accompanying me, and Silvermoon will join as well. Even if trouble arises, we can handle it. However, Guo’er’s cultivation is still too weak—she cannot come with us. I’ll need you all to look after her in my absence.”

“Rest assured, Senior Han! After your departure, we will escort Miss Zhu back to Sacred Island and ensure she can cultivate in peace,” Elder Luo quickly assured with a bow.

Zhu Guo’er pouted slightly, clearly displeased but not daring to voice any objections.

Seeing this, Han Li chuckled and sent her a private message:

“The entrance to the Minor Spirit Realm won’t appear for some time yet. Focus on improving your cultivation while I’m away—only then will you be strong enough to accompany me when the time comes.”

Zhu Guo’er’s expression sobered, and she nodded obediently.

As for Silvermoon, she was too preoccupied with Ao Xiao’s safety to object—joining Han Li in the Demon Realm was exactly what she wanted.

Thus, the jade boat continued its journey toward the demon lands. After half a month of uneventful travel, it arrived above a vast green prairie.

After two more days and nights of flight, the boat finally halted over the ruins of a fortress.

“According to our intelligence, this is the place. The Demon Army once garrisoned here, but it has long been abandoned,” Elder Luo confirmed after examining a formation disk.

“Here?” Han Li looked up at the sky.

Aside from a stretch of gray clouds, nothing seemed out of the ordinary.

Han Li’s expression shifted slightly as he tapped his forehead.

With a soft *puff*, a wisp of black energy emerged, forming a third vertical eye.

As the eye slowly opened, a beam of dark light shot into the sky and vanished.

Moments later, a faint spatial ripple emanated from the gray clouds, detectable to all aboard the jade boat.

Elder Luo and the others brightened with relief.

Han Li nodded, retracting his third eye before sweeping his sleeve outward.

Countless formation flags and disks surged forth like a multicolored tide, disappearing into the void.

Shortly after, Han Li clapped his hands and flicked them downward.

A thunderous crack echoed as a thick golden lightning bolt lashed out before vanishing.

Below, a massive formation spanning an acre materialized, crackling with golden arcs.

Han Li then flicked his sleeve again, releasing a white orb containing a foot-wide disk—the renowned “Inverse Star Disk,” a legendary artifact for breaching realms.

The disk hovered above the formation, spinning rapidly before transforming into a silver moon suspended in midair.

“Brother Crab, Silvermoon, let’s go,” Han Li said without turning.

With a single step, his figure blurred and vanished.

A muffled boom sounded below as Han Li reappeared at the formation’s center, wreathed in lightning.

Crab Daoist and Silvermoon followed without hesitation, landing behind him.

After a final glance at Elder Luo and Li Rong on the jade boat, Han Li formed a seal with one hand and pointed skyward with the other.

The silver moon above the formation emitted a clear chime, trembling as a five-colored beam shot into the gray clouds.

Simultaneously, six black-and-white pillars of light erupted from the formation, entwined with lightning, striking the same spot in the clouds.

A deafening explosion later, a blinding silver flash pierced the clouds, revealing a massive black void.

Han Li took a deep breath, his body erupting in golden radiance. In an instant, the light enveloped his companions as he let out a long cry, transforming into a golden streak that shot into the black abyss.

Amid violent spatial fluctuations, the golden streak vanished into the void.