The small wooden hut at the foot of the hill, which had been emitting a faint white glow, remained closed for ten consecutive days after the woman and the young girl departed.
At this time, the security on Fire Cloud Island had tightened severalfold.
Not only had the Fire Yang Clan’s serpentine inhabitants ceased leaving the island to hunt or gather materials, but the entire population of over a hundred thousand had withdrawn into the earthen city. Moreover, several large-scale defensive formations were activated without regard for the consumption of spirit stones.
The seemingly fragile earthen walls were instantly enveloped by three layers of light—red, yellow, and green.
Within the city, thousands of elite serpent warriors, fully armed, patrolled in shifts. At the center, all the Fire Yang Clan’s priests had gathered under the leadership of the woman and the young girl, meditating in the grand hall to conserve their energy.
This hall was also submerged in a five-colored radiance, emanating from a conical artifact at the center of the plaza, suggesting an additional layer of profound mystery.
As for the ordinary serpent folk in the city, they had been instructed by their leaders to remain indoors, rarely venturing outside.
Under such stringent precautions, an overwhelming aura of hostility permeated the earthen city.
On this day, as the woman, the young girl, and the priests quietly meditated in the hall, a calm voice suddenly pierced through the defensive formations and echoed within:
“Friend Huo, I have finished refining the pill and emerged from seclusion. Please open the barrier so that Han may enter.”
The voice belonged to none other than Han Li!
Upon hearing this, the white-robed priests stirred with excitement, while the woman’s face lit up with joy.
Though she had harbored some concern that Han Li might renege on his promise, the imminent threat of annihilation left her no choice. Handing over the pill might secure a powerful ally; withholding it would eliminate even that slim chance.
Now, it seemed her gamble had paid off—Han Li was indeed a man of his word.
Overjoyed, the woman flipped her hand, producing a crimson jade disk. With a few taps of her finger, the five-colored radiance shielding the hall parted momentarily, creating a gap before sealing again.
In that brief moment, a golden flash appeared at the hall’s entrance, and a figure materialized—Han Li, clad in a green robe, his ordinary face belied by the luminous glow in his eyes.
Compared to ten days prior, his complexion had improved dramatically, a testament to the extraordinary efficacy of the Solar God Pill.
“Thank you for coming to our aid, Senior. Has your magic power fully recovered?” the woman asked warmly as she rose to greet him.
The young girl named Zhu’er, though reluctant, also stood up with a slight pout.
“Though the Solar God Pill is remarkable, my injuries were severe. I’ve only recovered seventy to eighty percent. The remainder cannot be healed by pills alone. However, if your enemies aren’t overwhelmingly powerful, I should still be able to contribute,” Han Li replied with a faint smile.
The woman’s expression flickered briefly at the news that Han Li hadn’t fully recovered, but his confident tone reassured her.
His abilities must exceed expectations if he spoke with such assurance.
Among the priests, some had seen Han Li before, while others were meeting him for the first time. His arrival sparked murmurs of curiosity and awe.
Ignoring the varied reactions, Han Li allowed the woman to guide him to a seat beside her. After exchanging a few polite words, he closed his eyes and fell silent.
The woman cast a stern glance around the hall, and the murmuring priests immediately quieted.
Silence returned—until Han Li sensed a pair of eyes cautiously studying him. He opened his eyes to meet the pitch-black gaze of Bai Zhu’er, seated on the woman’s other side.
Startled, the girl averted her eyes, clearly still shaken by the incident when the Soul Devourer nearly consumed her spiritual sense during the pill delivery.
A faint smile tugged at Han Li’s lips before he closed his eyes again, contemplating the situation.
After using the Spirit Devouring Firebird to absorb the fire-attribute spiritual power from the Solar God Pill, he had easily refined and consumed it.
The woman hadn’t exaggerated its potency. Though it hadn’t restored him completely, its effects far surpassed any pill he possessed. In just a short time, it had miraculously replenished most of his depleted blood essence and spiritual sense. As for his magic power, even without the pill, it had fully recovered over the past days.
True to his word, Han Li had come. Now at the Void Refinement stage, with enhanced abilities, he could hold his own even against a Body Integration-level opponent.
Thus, he harbored no fear toward the Fire Yang Clan’s enemies.
As if by coincidence, within half a day of his arrival, the enemy made their move.
A thunderous tremor shook the earth from all directions, as if colossal creatures were charging toward the city.
The priests in the hall sprang to their feet, many wearing expressions of extreme tension. Though the woman hadn’t disclosed specifics about the Wu Luo Clan, the sheer magnitude of the approaching threat was evident.
The woman, however, remained composed, merely furrowing her brow at the tremors.
“Panic serves no purpose! Our clan has prepared thoroughly. With three layers of defensive formations, even a formidable enemy cannot breach our walls easily. First, let us identify who they are and how many they number!” she declared, embodying the authority of a clan leader.
Han Li opened his eyes, his expression unreadable. Having weathered countless battles, this situation hardly fazed him.
The woman flicked her sleeve, producing a crimson command token. With a wave, a red beam shot into the ground, and a fiery array materialized, its center roiling with flames.
As she manipulated the token, the flames coalesced into a crimson crystal sphere, about ten feet in diameter, rotating slowly.
Eight white-robed serpent priests stepped forward, chanting incantations and channeling spells into the sphere. Flames surged, transforming into countless fiery serpents that slithered into the crystal.
Suddenly, vivid images appeared on the sphere’s surface—real-time views of the city’s defenses.
Squads of armed serpent warriors rushed to the walls, while others mounted lizard-like beasts gathered near the gates. Officers barked orders, their faces grim.
Within moments, thousands of warriors had assembled.
Han Li’s eyes flickered with surprise. This array and crystal functioned similarly to his Myriad Wonder Pearl. That a small clan like the Fire Yang possessed such a marvel was unexpected.
“Shift the view outside the walls,” the woman commanded.
The tremors grew louder, signaling the enemy’s approach.
The priests adjusted the crystal, and the scenes blurred before resolving into images of the surroundings.
Dusk had fallen, casting the landscape in dim light. At first, nothing seemed amiss—until massive, black-scaled beasts, resembling oxen but towering over twenty feet tall, emerged from the gloom.
On their backs stood densely packed figures of varying heights, all silent as ghosts as they advanced toward the city.
“Those are… ‘Black Armored Beasts’? Could the riders be—?” one priest stammered, his voice trailing off.
“The Wu Luo Clan? Impossible! Our Wa Clan annihilated them long ago!” another blurted in denial.
“Right! They should have been extinct for millennia!”
Others chimed in, as if to reassure themselves.
But as the beasts fully emerged from the darkness, revealing the riders clearly, the priests fell silent, their faces ashen.
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