Chapter 1910: The Mysterious Wooden Box

The black-armored giant and the petite woman tensed up, almost instinctively exchanging glances.

The white-robed youth’s previously indifferent expression suddenly flickered with a hint of strangeness.

“After Lord Smoke Demon’s reminder, it does seem plausible. Calculating the timing, the chance of those two human cultivators encountering the three Venerable Force members is quite high. If that’s the case, this person is even more formidable than we anticipated. At the very least, even with the assistance of a Demon Venerable, I, Zang, could defeat the three Venerable Force members, but killing them all on the spot would be beyond my ability,” the black-armored giant mused thoughtfully.

“If that’s so, we must regard this person as a major adversary. If he truly is the one who killed the three Venerable Force members, even with the help of Yin-Yang Twin Fiends, keeping him on the battlefield would be no easy task. With his level of strength, if he is determined to escape, unless a Sacred Ancestor personally intervenes or traps him in an inescapable dead end, there would be no way to stop him,” the petite woman murmured, her face showing signs of distress.

“Indeed. Moreover, if this person participates in the defense of Yitian City, it could become a significant variable,” the black-armored giant said, his eyes flickering, his expression growing increasingly grim.

The hall fell into silence as the others frowned, lost in thought.

“Hmph, if all else fails, we can use that method again to deal with him. As long as we lure him in, even with his immense abilities, he won’t be able to escape. Didn’t we eliminate those two human Body Integration cultivators the same way last time?” the petite woman suddenly suggested with an odd tone.

“Use that method again? Absolutely not! The last time we employed it, we lost nearly a thousand demonic cavalry and over a dozen Wheel War Demons. If we use it again, the losses will surely exceed the previous ones. These are elites carefully nurtured by our Sacred Clan; we cannot sacrifice them so lightly,” the fire-armored giant exclaimed in alarm, vehemently opposing the idea without hesitation.

“Hmph, but if we don’t use this method and let him escape, the number of Sacred Clan members he might kill could far exceed these losses. Moreover, if he truly is the person Lord Bloodlight is searching for, and he escapes from our grasp, who among us can bear the wrath of the Sacred Ancestor?” the black-armored giant retorted coldly, without hesitation.

“What I said earlier was merely speculation. It’s unlikely to be such a coincidence that it’s related to the Venerable Force,” the fire-armored giant said, the flames in his eyes intensifying as he forced a bitter smile.

“Whether it is or not, we should investigate first. But regardless, we must prepare for this outcome. Though it may not necessarily require using that method,” the black-armored giant added after a moment of contemplation.

“Brother Zang, what do you mean? Just now you said we must use that method to deal with him, and now you say it may not be necessary?” the petite woman raised her delicate eyebrows, looking displeased.

“Fairy Yu, there’s no need for anger. While the Yin-Yang Twin Fiends are formidable, their combined strength is at most comparable to mine. Since the Sacred Ancestor dispatched them to investigate the killer of the three Venerable Force members, he must have equipped them with a method to deal with that person. Otherwise, if that person could kill the Venerable Force, handling the Twin Fiends wouldn’t be too difficult either,” the black-armored giant explained calmly, unperturbed.

“Hmm, Brother Zang speaks sense. With Lord Bloodlight’s methods, we indeed need not worry too much. Let’s treat the method we discussed earlier as a last resort,” the fire-armored giant laughed heartily, seeming to relax at once.

“Brother Leng, what do you think?” the petite woman asked, her expression still tense as she turned to the white-robed youth.

“I care not what methods you prepare to deal with the humans, but that person’s life must be taken by me. He possesses a peculiar cold energy that is of great use to me,” the youth said coldly, a flash of cyan light in his eyes.

“Rest assured, I won’t compete with Brother Leng for this. I wonder what Brother Zang thinks?” the petite woman paused, then chuckled softly.

“Since Brother Leng has such intentions, I, Zang, will naturally accommodate them. However, half of the treasures on that person’s body must go to me. The other half can be divided between Fairy Yu and Brother Smoke. I trust Brother Leng has no objections?” the black-armored giant said after a brief hesitation, his eyes shifting craftily.

“I only want that human cultivator’s cold energy. You may divide the other treasures as you wish,” the white-robed youth replied indifferently.

“Fairy Yu and I have no objections either!” the petite woman said with a blink of her beautiful eyes, smiling in agreement.

The fire-armored giant remained silent, offering no dissent as the woman spoke on his behalf.

“Good, then it’s settled. First, dispatch some personnel to investigate the deaths of the three Venerable Force members. Then, await the arrival of the Yin-Yang Twin Fiends. Before the Day of Five Suns Converging into the Moon arrives, we should have enough time to determine whether the killer is indeed that human cultivator from Yitian City. If it is him, we’ll proceed as discussed. If not, we’ll stick to the original plan,” the black-armored giant concluded decisively.

—

In Yitian City, within an exquisite pavilion nestled in a tranquil bamboo grove, Han Li sat in a secluded chamber on one of the floors, surrounded by layers of stringent restrictions. In his hands, he toyed with a milky-white wooden box, his expression thoughtful.

This box was the spoils he had obtained after slaying the bald Demon Venerable. However, it was sealed with an enigmatic restriction, and he had been unable to crack it during his journey. Now that he had entered Yitian City, he finally had the opportunity to study it.

From time to time, alternating waves of icy cold and scorching heat emanated faintly from the box, and it completely blocked all attempts at divine sense detection, making it quite peculiar.

Han Li scrutinized the box carefully for a long while before his pupils suddenly erupted with two dazzling bursts of blue light, piercing deep into the box.

As the blue light flickered in his eyes, his expression shifted subtly, yet he did not immediately retract his spiritual vision.

Time passed slowly as Han Li remained motionless, staring at the box as if he had turned into a wooden statue.

Three days and nights slipped by in the blink of an eye.

Han Li’s face was slightly pale, and the blue light in his eyes had dimmed somewhat.

After the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, Han Li’s expression turned peculiar. With a single-handed seal, the blue light in his eyes dissipated.

“Interesting. This box itself is a void treasure, sealed with thirteen ancient restrictions. Without the Brightsight Spirit Eyes and my research into ancient restrictions, I might not have been able to discern anything at all.”

“However, each of these restrictions is extremely powerful. Without spending centuries unraveling them layer by layer, it would be impossible to open. But it seems unlikely that the bald demon was the one who placed these restrictions. I wonder what’s inside that warrants such caution,” Han Li muttered in a voice so low it was almost inaudible, his expression fluctuating.

He placed the box on the ground before him, staring at it intently as he pondered.

After the time it takes to eat a meal, his eyes suddenly brightened, as if he had remembered something.

“Though breaking the seal is impossible for now, using that foreign race’s secret technique might allow me to glimpse what’s inside. But if the contents are something malevolent, it could be troublesome!” Han Li seemed indecisive, narrowing his eyes as he sank into thought once more.

This time, however, he chuckled softly after only a brief moment.

“Even if I encounter something truly sinister, at worst I’ll lose a bit of divine sense, which can be restored with half a month of meditation. Given how heavily this item is sealed, it’s worth a look.”

Having made up his mind in an instant, he flicked his sleeve without hesitation.

A flash of light later, over a dozen crystalline five-colored beads flew out from his sleeve, circling him once before transforming into clusters of spiritual light that hovered motionlessly.

Within these lights, faint five-colored eyes could be seen, glowing with an eerie radiance.

Han Li flipped his palm, revealing another five-colored bead, which he held before his chest as he began chanting an incantation in an alien tongue.

With his other hand, he slapped the top of his head.

A golden radiance swirled, and a naked golden infant emerged—his Nascent Soul.

The infant formed a strange hand seal and began chanting in unison with Han Li.

The five-colored eyes in the surrounding lights suddenly blazed, shooting out finger-thick beams of five-colored light that vanished into the Nascent Soul in a flash.

At the same time, the golden Nascent Soul let out a low shout, its hand seal pointing abruptly at the bead hovering before Han Li’s chest.

A golden shadow shot out from the Nascent Soul, vanishing into the bead in an instant.

Inside the bead, a blurry shadow of the Nascent Soul could be seen, its expression serene.

Seeing this, the golden Nascent Soul grinned slightly before beckoning to the bead with a tiny hand.

The bead’s surface shimmered with five-colored light, expanding and contracting slightly before shooting like a streak of light into the wooden box on the ground.

—

In a gray, misty space, the five-colored streak of light appeared abruptly.

It twisted and transformed, taking the shape of a blurred human figure.

Though the face was indistinct, the attire unmistakably belonged to Han Li!

As soon as he materialized, he raised his head to survey his surroundings, blue light flickering in his eyes.

“Strange. This doesn’t seem like a void space—more like an illusionary restriction. Could it be that this strand of divine sense didn’t penetrate the box but is trapped in one of its seals?” the shadow muttered, sounding surprised.