“You also know that was a matter of the past. What’s the use of bringing it up now? Although my cultivation has improved somewhat, it’s still nothing compared to his. To advance from the Deity Transformation stage to the mid-Harmonious Void stage in just over a thousand years—such astonishing speed is something few in the entire human race, from ancient times to the present, have ever achieved. Who knows how he managed it.” Xu Qianyu shook her head, her tone tinged with melancholy.
“Since Senior Han possesses such immense power, Auntie, why didn’t you try to persuade him to stay? With his assistance, the task we need to accomplish would be foolproof,” another woman said after a brief silence.
“Although the three of us were separated from Lady Blood Spirit, she personally instructed us before we set out. The matter we must handle is crucial to the return of our ancestor, Lady Ice Soul. Even within the Xu family, few know the specifics of my mission. Although Senior Han has done our family a great favor, I dare not reveal the truth of this matter to him. Besides, he has already driven away those evil cultivators, so this place should be safe for now. As long as we act swiftly, we can retrieve the item and reunite with Lady Blood Spirit soon. It’s best not to complicate things further.” Xu Qianyu’s eyes flickered before she spoke with renewed calm.
Hearing this, the other two women exchanged glances and nodded in agreement.
“Alright, let’s go down again,” Xu Qianyu said after a moment of contemplation, her brows lifting as she turned and walked back into the house.
The other two women, their expressions grave, followed closely behind.
At the same time, in an underground cavern countless miles away, a bewitching woman clad in blood-red armor pulled a blade shimmering with eerie crimson light from the body of a disheveled high-ranking demon.
The corpse of the towering demon collapsed heavily to the ground with a dull thud, its eyes lifeless like those of a dead fish.
Scattered across the cavern floor were two other pitch-black demon corpses, motionless and covered in a layer of deep blue frost.
The woman swept her gaze over the corpses expressionlessly before darting down a narrow passage deeper into the cavern.
After several twists and turns, descending further underground, she arrived before an ordinary-looking stone wall.
Her eyes brightened as she flipped her hand, summoning a small green cauldron that materialized in a flash of azure light.
With a spin, the cauldron expanded to a height of several feet, its surface shimmering with green radiance and faint images of flowers, birds, insects, and fish.
This was none other than the Void Heaven Cauldron, the very treasure Han Li had once relied upon.
And the bewitching woman in blood-red armor was naturally the Blood Spirit incarnation of Lady Ice Soul’s Blood Soul.
After being separated from the Xu family members by the demon army, she had somehow ended up here, systematically eliminating the three high-ranking demons with some mysterious method.
It seemed her decision to lure the pursuers into this underground cavern was not a desperate act but a calculated move with a hidden purpose.
Now, as she summoned the Void Heaven Cauldron, she began chanting incantations, her jade-like fingers flicking toward the massive cauldron.
With a series of soft pops, several green spell runes shot out and vanished into the cauldron.
The cauldron trembled violently, emitting a resonant hum as its lid flew into the air, disappearing into the void after a single rotation.
A flash of green light erupted from the cauldron, and several green runes surged forth, transforming into large ancient characters.
These characters lined up in a row, glowing brightly before dispersing into specks of green light that shot toward the stone wall.
A deep rumbling echoed as the specks of green light struck the wall, causing its surface to crumble into dust, revealing an ancient bronze door adorned with several silver talismans.
“It’s completely intact, untouched by anyone. My original self’s foresight in leaving this backup plan was truly wise,” Blood Spirit murmured, her cold expression softening slightly as she examined the door with satisfaction.
With a flick of her finger, a gust of wind struck the cauldron’s surface.
A clear chime rang out as a stream of green mist sprayed forth, enveloping the bronze door.
The silver talismans on the door silently peeled away as the mist passed over them.
With a creak, the bronze door slowly swung open on its own.
Without hesitation, Blood Spirit transformed into a streak of crimson light and shot through the doorway.
As she passed the massive cauldron, it vanished in a flash of radiance.
Inside the door was a dimly lit hall, spacious yet mostly empty, save for a square stone table at its center.
On the table rested another small cauldron, shimmering with green light and adorned with intricate patterns—strikingly similar to the Void Heaven Cauldron at first glance.
The crimson light dissipated as Blood Spirit appeared before the table, reaching out to grasp the cauldron.
A sphere of green light floated into her hand effortlessly.
Holding the cauldron up to inspect it, her icy demeanor melted into a rare smile.
“Void Heaven Cauldron, Void Spirit Cauldron, Void Sovereign Cauldron… Hmph, those fools probably never imagined that before setting out, I had already crafted another replica. This Void Sovereign Cauldron surpasses the other two in power. With this, I’ve secured one of the keys needed to enter that place. Once the demonic tribulation subsides, I can set off for Thunder Continent!” she murmured to herself before stowing the cauldron away with a flicker of light.
With no further reason to linger, she rubbed her hands together and flung them outward.
A deafening roar of thunder erupted as countless crimson bolts of lightning surged from her palms, striking the walls in a frenzy.
In an instant, the entire hall was engulfed in crimson electricity, the stone walls crumbling into dust.
As she transformed into a streak of crimson light and shot out of the doorway, the hall collapsed behind her with a thunderous crash.
Moments later, the crimson streak reappeared above a desolate slope of land, hovering briefly before darting off in a specific direction—straight toward the small city where Xu Qianyu and the other two women were located.
A month later, Han Li hovered high in the sky, his gaze cold as ice as he observed a battle unfolding below.
A thousand feet beneath him, over a hundred demons clad in purple armor and bearing sinister markings on their faces were relentlessly attacking a group of several dozen human cultivators.
The weakest of these demons were at least at the Nascent Soul stage, while the two tallest and most imposing leaders had reached the mid-Deity Transformation stage—clearly elite forces among the demons.
The human cultivators under siege wore similar attire but varied in age and gender, their cultivation levels uneven. The weakest among them, a few youths, were only at the Foundation Establishment stage, while the strongest, a white-bearded elder, had reached the peak of the late-Deity Transformation stage.
They were evidently members of the same sect or clan.
Most were at the Core Formation stage, and despite the elder’s desperate efforts to hold the line with a meticulously arranged formation, they were being pushed to the brink by the demon elites.
The white-bearded elder, controlling a large seal-like treasure, surveyed the dire situation with despair.
Facing such a force of elite demons, even if he somehow escaped with his life, his disciples and juniors would surely perish.
Resolved to fight to the death, he spat a mouthful of essence blood onto the seal and pointed at it repeatedly.
The white seal erupted with the sound of wind and thunder, and within its glow, the faint outline of a white flood dragon emerged, spewing lightning and flames as it charged toward the two demon leaders.
Recognizing the elder’s suicidal intent, the two high-ranking demons sneered, sheathing their dark greatswords to form hand seals.
With a puff of black smoke, enormous demonic avian phantoms materialized behind them—deer-headed, bat-winged, and exuding malevolence.
The phantoms let out eerie screeches before flapping their wings and lunging forward, spewing demonic miasma to engage the white flood dragon in battle.
For a moment, the two sides were locked in a stalemate.
But in that brief respite, the human formation began to crumble under the demons’ relentless assault.
Panicked cries rose among the human cultivators, their faces drained of color.
Enraged, the elder let out a roar and slapped his forehead, preparing to release his Nascent Soul for a final, desperate strike.
Just then, a cold snort echoed from above.
Though the sound was soft, it carried an icy edge that struck both humans and demons like a thunderclap, leaving them pale and unsteady.
A clear chime rang out as a sphere of green light burst forth high above, revealing a shadowy figure within.
With a flick of its sleeve, hundreds of green streaks shot downward, transforming into gleaming sword lights.
The sword lights circled briefly before vanishing into thin air, as if they had never existed.
But in the next instant, they reappeared right above the demons, flashing with blinding radiance as they encircled their targets.
Screams erupted as the demons were engulfed in azure sword light, their bodies sliced into countless pieces—even their Nascent Souls were shredded instantly.
A mist of blood dispersed around the human cultivators, filling the air with the thick stench of gore.
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