Chapter 1742: Spirit Inscriptions on the Stone Wall

“It seems I was truly overthinking.” The dark-skinned Rong clansman’s lips twitched as he spoke.

“Haha, but this way, both of us can truly rest easy.” The pale-skinned Rong clansman, however, smiled faintly, seemingly unsurprised by his companion’s sudden attack.

The dark-skinned Rong clansman nodded slightly and slowly closed his eyes.

The pale-skinned foreigner swept his gaze once more over the passage ahead and, finding nothing unusual, also smiled lightly before shutting his eyes.

Han Li moved silently, slipping between the two Rong clansmen. Neither the black nor the white foreigner opened their eyes again, allowing him to flash past and enter the massive azure gate.

Only then did Han Li truly relax. Fortunately, the Rong clansman had used a physical attack earlier, which had no effect on his current ethereal form. Had it been a spell—even the simplest fireball—he would have been revealed instantly.

As his thoughts raced, Han Li ghostly maneuvered through the passage behind the gate, making several turns before disappearing around a corner.

This hidden cave could truly be called a marvel of nature!

Deep within, the passages were densely interwoven, sprawling like a spider’s web across the underground, most of them naturally formed.

This made it all the easier for intruders to lose themselves as if trapped in a labyrinth.

Fortunately, Han Li possessed the cave map given to him by the old man surnamed Xu, sparing him any detours. After flying for only a short while, he arrived before a natural stalactite cavern.

Within this cavern, spanning over thirty zhang in width, stood a pale-white stone wall. Its surface was inscribed with rows of golden runes, shimmering with a mysterious spiritual glow.

Han Li’s heart skipped a beat, but as his gaze swept across the scene, he noticed a Rong clansman wearing a conical hat seated before the wall, deep in thought, seemingly engrossed in deciphering the inscriptions.

Han Li’s brow furrowed slightly, sensing trouble.

The contents of this stone wall were, of course, his objective. However, copying the scripture using a secret technique would inevitably alert the Rong clansman.

Han Li stood silently at the cavern’s entrance, his expression shifting uncertainly as he pondered his next move.

The conical-hatted Rong clansman occasionally gestured toward the wall, utterly absorbed in his study.

Seeing this, Han Li made up his mind.

He moved stealthily toward the Rong clansman, closing the distance to within four or five zhang, then continued his slow approach.

The Rong clansman remained fixated on the wall, oblivious to his surroundings.

Han Li’s heart surged with delight. When he was just two zhang away, he struck decisively.

A golden flash erupted from his body as he materialized, raising a single hand to summon a dark, miniature mountain wreathed in gray mist, which shot forth with a roar. Simultaneously, a golden, three-headed, six-armed Dharma Form appeared behind him, its six arms blurring as six golden palms pressed down on the Rong clansman from point-blank range.

The conical-hatted Rong clansman jolted awake, his body flaring with green light as he attempted to activate an escape technique.

But at the same moment, the six golden palms emitted a radiant glow, unleashing an invisible force that clamped down on him.

The Rong clansman felt his shoulders grow heavy, the air around him tightening to the point where even his fingers froze. His spiritual power also stagnated, rendering him momentarily helpless.

The black mountain above him swelled violently, spinning rapidly as vast swathes of gray mist unfurled, accompanied by countless silver runes that surged from its base.

The conical-hatted Rong clansman’s face twisted with fury, but he was no ordinary foe. In a flash of thought, he took a deep breath and let out a piercing roar, intending to alert his kin.

Yet the sound waves of his cry collided with the surrounding gray mist, vanishing without a trace, unable to travel beyond a single zhang.

Before the Rong clansman could devise another plan, golden threads shot from the six palms, coiling around him and binding him tightly.

At the same time, the silver runes from the Magnetic Peak condensed into a radiant silver formation, descending upon him.

With a muffled thud, the formation dissipated—and the Rong clansman vanished without a trace, as though he had never been there.

In truth, had someone with great mystical vision peered into the Magnetic Peak, they would have seen the Rong clansman unconscious within its depths, his body tightly bound by golden threads and his Nascent Soul sealed under layers of silver runes, forced into slumber.

From the moment Han Li revealed himself to the instant the foreigner was sealed within the mountain, only a few breaths had passed. Both the Dharma Form’s strike and the Magnetic Peak’s activation had been utterly silent, their spiritual fluctuations suppressed to the extreme.

Unless a third party had been present in the cavern, no one would have realized that a peak Void Refinement cultivator had been captured alive in the blink of an eye.

Seeing his success, Han Li exhaled in relief.

It was fortunate that only the conical-hatted Rong clansman had been present, and that his attention had been wholly fixed on the golden runes. Otherwise, such an effortless victory would have been impossible.

Had it been the other pairs of foreigners outside, killing them would have been simple, but capturing them alive would have been out of the question. As long as they weren’t slain, the other Rong clansmen wouldn’t detect anything amiss for some time.

The ability to imprison foes within the mountain was a spatial power unique to the Magnetic Peak after its refinement into an Extreme Mountain.

Had the Five Extreme Mountains been fully forged, this power could have swallowed rivers and seas—a feat beyond ordinary imagination.

Even as a single peak, its might was formidable. Once an enemy was sealed within, escape was impossible.

Without hesitation, Han Li recalled his Dharma Form and the black mountain, then flicked his sleeve, releasing a dark ring. It hovered midair before unleashing a wave of azure light that swept toward the stone wall.

The wall emitted a faint golden glow, remaining unmoved—it couldn’t be stored in a spatial artifact.

Han Li sighed inwardly, though his expression remained unchanged.

If the wall could have been so easily taken, it wouldn’t have remained here all this time. His attempt had been merely precautionary.

A white flash later, a palm-sized jade slip flew from the ring, hovering before the stone wall.

Han Li formed a hand seal and pointed at the ring. The jade slip shimmered, projecting a silver light that enveloped the entire wall.

The golden runes on the wall twisted as if coming to life under the silver glow, then detached in clusters, flying into the jade slip.

Moments later, once all the golden light had been absorbed, Han Li narrowed his eyes and withdrew his spell. The jade slip’s silver light faded as it floated into his hand.

Inspecting it with his divine sense, Han Li smiled faintly—the golden runes within were identical to those on the wall.

He carefully stored both the ring and the jade slip, then flipped his hand to produce a purple talisman, which he pressed against his body.

Amid a violet flash, his form grew ethereal once more…

Thus, Han Li continued his search through the hidden cave, eventually locating three more caverns, each containing identical golden-rune-inscribed walls. Only one was guarded; the other two were empty.

Overjoyed, Han Li subdued the remaining guard using the same method, sealing him within the Magnetic Peak and copying the runes onto the same jade slip.

According to the old man Xu’s map, only one final section of golden runes remained to complete the entire cultivation method.

Yet now, Han Li grew even more cautious.

Since he hadn’t encountered the other Rong clansmen earlier, they must all be gathered at the last cavern.

From what he’d overheard, the final set of golden runes’ restrictions hadn’t yet been broken—no wonder so many were stationed there.

As he pondered, Han Li arrived at a crossroads, the only path leading to the final cavern.

Scanning the area, he stroked his chin before raising a hand, unleashing a flood of formation flags from his sleeve—over a hundred in total.

This was the most powerful formation set in his possession, capable of restraining Void Refinement cultivators for a short time.

Additionally, he deployed a set of Nine Palaces Heavenly Talismans. The phantom of a grand palace flickered briefly above the formation before vanishing.

Though the materials for these talismans were exceedingly rare, he’d managed to gather enough in Cloud City to craft two more sets.

Now, even if the Rong clansmen outside sensed something amiss and rushed back, these two barriers would delay them long enough for him to act.

Satisfied, Han Li nodded and patted the top of his head. A golden flash later, his three-headed, six-armed Dharma Form materialized behind him.

He then spat out a wisp of black energy, which merged into the Dharma Form.

“Go,” Han Li commanded without hesitation.

The Dharma Form’s face twisted into a fierce grin before it vanished into the void like a specter.

Next, Han Li flicked his sleeve, releasing a silver flame and two silver talismans.

With a sizzle, they transformed into a silver firebird and two faint silver shadows, disappearing into the ground before him.