Chapter 1708: Purple Lightning

Han Li’s expression flickered slightly upon seeing the door, but without hesitation, his figure blurred and vanished from the spot.

In the next instant, a flash of green light appeared before the radiant door, and Han Li had already stepped inside. The giant ape puppet swayed slightly before following closely behind.

Almost the moment the puppet disappeared into the light door, the black-blue orb floating in the air emitted a low hum. Its surface shimmered with strange light before exploding into a blinding burst of radiance.

The enormous silk net that had enveloped the entire plaza shattered without warning, disintegrating into countless specks of spiritual light before vanishing completely. Immediately afterward, the towering light door flashed violently several times, the surrounding space twisted and blurred, and then it too disappeared without a trace.

Everything in the plaza returned to its original state, as if nothing had happened—except that Han Li and the giant ape puppet were nowhere to be seen, as though they had never been there at all.

Meanwhile, outside the palace gates, Shi Kun had already ascended to within a hundred steps of the summit, where he could faintly make out the wide-open doors of the hall. Liu Shui’er, too, had climbed several hundred steps.

Knowing that Han Li had already entered the palace, both of them had calmed their expressions.

……

Han Li slowly reopened his narrowed eyes, taking in his surroundings. Emerging from the light door, he found himself standing directly in front of the grand purple-gold hall.

The main hall’s doors appeared ordinary, also forged from purple-gold material, adorned only with a few rough, simple patterns. Above the doors, however, hung an enormous plaque about seven to eight zhang in length, inscribed with several ancient golden characters.

Upon closer inspection, Han Li’s heart stirred.

Though he couldn’t decipher the characters, they gave him a familiar sensation, similar to the Silver Script—undoubtedly, they were the Golden Script.

Unfortunately, those who understood the Golden Script in the Spirit Realm were exceedingly rare, and he had never had the opportunity to learn it. Otherwise, he might have gleaned something from these ancient characters.

Lost in thought, Han Li glanced at the tightly shut doors before silently commanding the giant ape puppet beside him.

The puppet strode forward, ascending a few steps before reaching the main hall’s entrance. Raising its arms, it pressed its hands against the doors, intending to push them open as it had done with the palace gates earlier.

This time, however, Han Li’s plan was thwarted.

The moment the puppet’s hands touched the seemingly ordinary doors, a series of low thunderous rumbles erupted from within. A terrifying, world-destroying aura surged forth from the doors.

*”Not good!”*

Though he stood over a dozen zhang away, Han Li’s heart clenched at the sight. Without hesitation, a crackling sound erupted from his body as a layer of blue-white lightning armor materialized around him.

Twisting his upper body while keeping his lower half motionless, he slid sideways with ghostly silence, his feet barely touching the ground.

Almost simultaneously, the main hall’s doors erupted in a dazzling purple radiance. Strange violet arcs of lightning emerged, instantly transforming into dozens of serpentine bolts that shot outward.

The giant ape puppet, standing right before the doors, was instantly engulfed in the electric storm, reduced to a wisp of green smoke before vanishing entirely.

The purple lightning showed no signs of stopping. With a flicker, the arcs redirected themselves toward Han Li, as though they possessed a will of their own.

Han Li’s expression darkened. If not for the flight-restriction barrier, he could have easily evaded the attack with his various mystical movement techniques. But grounded as he was, even with his extraordinary physical agility, dodging this lightning strike was impossible.

Thinking quickly, he raised a hand, summoning a crystalline shield before him. With a flash of light, the shield expanded to a size of several zhang.

At the same time, a surge of black energy roiled around him, forming a fearsome suit of demonic armor beneath the blue-white lightning. The armor encased him completely—it was none other than the restored Heavenly Devil Armor.

The purple lightning surged forward, dozens of serpentine bolts crashing into the massive shield.

This crystal shield, capable of distorting attacks, had served Han Li well in numerous battles. But this time, the situation was entirely different.

The purple lightning was clearly no ordinary thunder. Despite the shield’s mystical properties, it managed to deflect only a third of the arcs to either side. The remaining bolts struck the shield head-on.

With a violent explosion of purple light, a scorching, terrifying energy engulfed the shield.

An unbelievable sight unfolded—the shield rapidly melted under the purple lightning, dissolving into transparent liquid before dripping to the ground and disappearing.

Shocked, Han Li instinctively formed a hand seal. The lightning armor around him rumbled as it transformed into a blue-white net of electricity, surging forward to clash with the purple arcs.

The lightning from his armor had been refined from heavenly tribulation clouds, its power far surpassing ordinary thunder.

Yet after a few frenzied exchanges, the blue-white lightning rapidly diminished and vanished, completely devoured by the purple arcs, which only grew brighter in response.

Han Li’s face paled. He swiftly flicked his sleeves, summoning another burst of thunder as thick golden lightning prepared to lash out.

But it was too late. The purple lightning suddenly coalesced into several bowl-thick bolts, striking Han Li’s Heavenly Devil Armor with devastating force.

A deafening explosion echoed as Han Li staggered, his entire body enveloped in purple lightning.

With a furious shout, the demonic armor expanded, its surface patterns writhing to life as countless black sigils emerged, clashing violently with the purple arcs.

These seemingly insignificant sigils possessed unimaginable power. Upon contact with the purple lightning, both forces detonated, transforming into swirling gusts of black-purple scorching wind that whipped around Han Li chaotically.

By the time he steadied himself and stood upright, both the purple lightning and the strange winds had vanished without a trace.

Han Li exhaled deeply, glancing at his Heavenly Devil Armor with a sense of relief.

Had he not repaired this armor beforehand, that unexpected attack might not have killed him, but severe injuries would have been unavoidable.

Even so, he was left covered in dust, looking rather disheveled.

Sighing, he glanced at the pool of crystalline liquid on the ground, feeling a pang of regret.

The crystal shield had been utterly destroyed, beyond any hope of repair.

Turning his gaze back to the now-calm main hall doors, Han Li’s eyes flickered with hesitation.

Such formidable restrictions guarding the main hall surely meant it housed treasures highly valued by ancient immortals. But knowing how deadly the defenses were, even if he could break through, it would take far too long. Lingering here would only allow Shi Kun and Liu Shui’er to catch up, turning his efforts into a wasted opportunity.

Having made up his mind, Han Li wasted no more time. He turned and strode toward a nearby stone path leading to the nearest side hall.

Even if that place also had restrictions, they surely wouldn’t be as terrifying as the main hall’s. There might still be a chance to enter.

As he moved swiftly, he flicked his sleeve, releasing a sphere of green light—another giant ape puppet.

Learning from his earlier mistake, this puppet was summoned close to the ground, landing steadily.

Under Han Li’s command, the second puppet marched toward the side hall, with Han Li following expressionlessly behind.

Proceeding along the stone path, no further mishaps occurred. Han Li soon arrived before the side hall.

This structure was about a third the size of the main hall, but its design and materials were identical. Even the doors were merely scaled-down versions, complete with a plaque inscribed in Golden Script.

Staring at the seemingly ancient doors, Han Li’s eyelids twitched slightly. After a brief moment of thought, he retreated another forty zhang before stopping.

He then raised a hand, summoning several talismans, which he slapped onto himself. Layers of differently colored protective barriers instantly materialized around him.

Clenching his fists, a low rumble sounded as golden lightning flickered faintly around his sleeves.

Once fully prepared, Han Li solemnly commanded the puppet.

The giant ape stepped forward, raising its thick arms to press against the doors. Han Li held his breath.

With a creak, the double doors slowly swung open—there were no restrictions at all.

Overjoyed but cautious, Han Li didn’t rush in immediately. Instead, he directed the puppet to enter first.

Only after confirming that the puppet remained unharmed did he finally relax.

Dispelling the talisman barriers with a flash of light, he also let the golden lightning in his sleeves fade away.

He strode forward, heading straight for the side hall’s entrance.

As Han Li stepped inside, the giant ape stood motionless by the door, standing guard.

His gaze swept swiftly across the hall, taking in the scene before him. A trace of surprise flickered across his face.

At the far end of the hall stood a pristine white jade altar, upon which rested a purple-glowing shrine. Inside, faint light shimmered around an indistinct divine statue.

Facing the statue were hundreds of pale yellow meditation cushions, arranged in neat rows. At each corner of the hall stood a green incense burner, filling the space with a faint sandalwood fragrance.