The middle-aged man who appeared blind reacted immediately upon seeing this scene, his facial muscles twitching as he blurted out, “The Void Heaven Hall? Impossible! It hasn’t even been three hundred years since its last appearance!” He had instantly recognized the origins of the floating palace.
At the mention of “Void Heaven Hall,” while the blue-robed Daoist and the scholar remained unfazed, the three men in green robes were visibly startled. The burly man’s voice even trembled slightly as he exclaimed, “Void Heaven Hall! That secret realm rumored to hold ancient treasures!”
“If not this hall, then what else? But for it to appear ahead of schedule is indeed strange! However, even if it truly is the Void Heaven Hall, without a Void Heaven Fragment Map, no one can enter. Hmm? What’s that? Someone’s approaching!”
Just as the middle-aged man was voicing his doubts, a fiery cloud suddenly surged from another direction at an astonishing speed, clearly drawn by the anomaly in the sky and eager to investigate the exposed palace.
Seeing the momentum of the fiery cloud, the gray-eyed man’s expression shifted slightly. His initial impulse to approach the palace was instantly replaced by caution, though a cold glint flickered deep in his pupils.
As the fiery cloud neared the palace, a corner of the massive hall, half-hidden in white light, suddenly flashed with a five-colored radiance. A massive azure beam shot out, piercing straight through the ocean below.
The sea instantly split open, forming a bottomless black vortex where the beam struck. But what followed was even more unbelievable.
Within the azure beam, a white formation several zhang in diameter materialized without warning. A flash of light later, a man, a woman, and a massive azure cauldron appeared out of thin air. However, the two figures remained motionless, seemingly trapped within the beam.
By then, the fiery cloud had already reached them, pausing in apparent confusion at the sight.
Then, a deafening roar erupted from the white light. The massive palace trembled, and spatial fluctuations erupted before the entire structure vanished in a blinding flash.
The azure beam flickered violently before dissipating, leaving only the man, woman, and the cauldron floating in midair.
The figure within the fiery cloud seemed to sense danger and immediately retreated with a thunderous roar.
But the woman arched an eyebrow, flicked her sleeve, and unleashed a torrent of over a hundred crystalline sword beams. In an instant, the sky was filled with chilling light as the swords pursued the fiery cloud.
The sword beams closed the distance in mere flashes before ruthlessly piercing the cloud.
A furious roar echoed from within, followed by chaotic churning as hidden flashes of cold light suggested the occupant had summoned defensive treasures.
Yet the moment the swords struck, the fiery cloud disintegrated as if encountering its nemesis. The summoned treasures were sliced in half midair, powerless against the onslaught.
The cultivator within, now terrified, attempted to flee but had no chance.
A scream rang out as the swords tore him apart, annihilating even his nascent soul.
Blood rained down, marking the swift demise of this high-ranking cultivator.
The scene left the green-robed elder and his companions pale with fear. Even the usually composed middle-aged man showed a flicker of dread.
“Uncle, was that one of the disciples under the Fiendfire Old Devil? Otherwise, how could…” the burly man forced a smile, trying to speak.
“Disciple? That was the Fiendfire Old Devil himself! Only his Burning Flame Art could produce such power,” the middle-aged man replied dryly, not turning his head.
Though they had suspected as much, the confirmation sent chills down the spines of the three Core Formation cultivators.
“The Fiendfire Old Devil was a Nascent Soul cultivator like you, Uncle. How could he be killed so easily? It didn’t even seem like his nascent soul escaped!” the bewitching woman gasped.
The green-robed elder and the burly man wore equally stunned expressions.
The middle-aged man remained silent, his gaze fixed on the distant figures.
After exchanging a few words, the woman let out a cold laugh, recalling her flying swords into a crystalline rainbow before vanishing into the horizon.
The man shook his head, glanced toward the port, and then flew over as an unremarkable azure streak, unhurried and composed.
This movement alarmed the middle-aged man surnamed Gan. He barked a quick order, “Stay here and don’t act rashly. I’ll return shortly!”
With that, he transformed into a blue streak and flew out of the pavilion, circling briefly before intercepting the incoming azure light.
The others in the pavilion exchanged uneasy glances.
They had just witnessed a cultivator of their uncle’s level being effortlessly annihilated like an ant. If this man was the woman’s companion, his strength must be equally terrifying.
Their hearts pounded with fear.
Even Gan, despite his outward calm, was inwardly trembling.
After seeing the woman’s display, he was certain she was on par with the likes of the Twin Saints of Heavenly Star or the Six Paths Demon Saint—monstrously powerful late-Nascent Soul beings. If she had intended to kill them, escape would have been impossible.
As a mere early-stage Nascent Soul cultivator, the gap between them was insurmountable.
Thus, he chose to approach cautiously, hoping to avoid provoking any hostility.
The two streaks of light met within moments.
The azure light dimmed, revealing an ordinary-looking young man in a green robe, his skin slightly tanned, watching Gan with an ambiguous smile.
Scanning him with his spiritual sense, Gan’s pupils contracted. He clasped his fists respectfully. “I am Gan Lin, an elder of the Yellow Sand Sect. May I ask for your esteemed name, Daoist? Is there anything this humble one can assist with?”
Though he addressed the man as an equal, his tone was exceedingly deferential.
The young man chuckled. “My surname is Han. I believe I’ve heard of the Yellow Sand Sect before, though my memory is hazy. Is that your sect’s territory ahead?”
“Our sect is but a minor faction in the Chaotic Star Sea. It’s no surprise if you haven’t heard of us. If you’d care to, Brother Han, would you honor us with a visit?” Gan replied, relieved by the man’s amiable tone but still cautious.
His earlier probe had confirmed that this man was a genuine late-Nascent Soul grand cultivator—someone he couldn’t afford to offend.
This young man was none other than Han Li, who had spent over eighty years trapped in the Void Heaven Hall before finally escaping.
After using the Spirit Eye Spring to reach the peak of mid-Nascent Soul in sixty years, he spent another twenty consolidating his cultivation before attempting to break through to late-stage—an endeavor he had undertaken half-heartedly, expecting little success.
To his astonishment, he broke through effortlessly, as naturally as breathing.
The ease of his advancement left him in disbelief.
Unlike his grueling mid-stage breakthrough, which had required countless rare pills and elixirs, this time he had succeeded with minimal preparation.
He pondered the reasons—perhaps the Great Development Technique, the Nascent Soul Pill, the Spirit Root-enhancing Five-Colored Pearl, the inherently smoother progression of the Azure Essence Sword Art, or his unusually profound foundation—but ultimately dismissed the speculation.
Every late-Nascent Soul grand cultivator’s path was unique; otherwise, such powerhouses wouldn’t be so rare in the human world.
Once his cultivation stabilized, Han Li refined the Eight Spirit Ruler and the Void Heaven Cauldron, mastering the second layer of their treasure-controlling spells with ease. He then sought out the silver-robed woman—the tenth-grade Ice Phoenix—who was equally shocked by his late-stage breakthrough.
Realizing she stood no chance against him now, she cooperated fully. Using her secret technique, along with the combined efforts of the five demons and the humanoid puppet, they activated the control formation to temporarily summon the Void Heaven Hall from the void into the Chaotic Star Sea.
They then teleported themselves and the cauldron out.
The Fiendfire Old Devil had simply been unlucky. The Ice Phoenix, frustrated by her century-long confinement and Han Li’s effortless breakthrough, vented her rage on him before departing to find her way back to the Great Jin.
Though Han Li’s power had grown, he still lacked confidence in subduing her and thus let her leave.
Naturally, he kept the ancient teleportation array leading back to the Heavenly South Region a secret from her.
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