“The spiritual energy here is abundant. Why should I leave? Although I don’t know what the outside world is like now, I doubt the human realm could offer a better place for cultivation than this. I’ll stay here and cultivate until the day I ascend.” The ugly woman’s expression darkened at the mention of her lifebound token, her tone turning even harsher.
“Fellow Daoist Gui, you know full well that the seal has been broken. Staying on this mountain to cultivate is impossible. Why persist with such stubborn words? Besides, we share a certain connection—shouldn’t we join forces to overcome this challenge?” The silver-winged Yecha frowned.
“There is indeed some connection. You were once a human cultivator who refined your body into a spirit, while the Lion Hawk and I were once spiritual beasts raised by that person. We were all sealed together in the Spirit Trapping Array.” The ugly woman didn’t deny it, nodding slightly with a slightly softened expression.
“Precisely because of this, the three of us have a chance to cooperate. The Kunwu Hall has restrictions specifically designed to suppress us, making it impossible to approach under normal circumstances. But now, human cultivators are clearing the way for us. We just need to follow them in secret, and once inside, we can strike together. Retrieving our lifebound tokens will be effortless.”
“Hmph! Easier said than done. According to the Lion Hawk, both groups of cultivators are sizable, led by late-stage cultivators. And that particularly troublesome one you mentioned—the one suspected of possessing a Heaven-reaching Spiritual Treasure—seems to have joined them. What if we fail to retrieve the tokens and end up trapped again? I’ve had enough of imprisonment. I’d rather abandon my lifebound token and burrow deep into the mountain’s spiritual veins to sleep for another thousand years. Even if they have my token, they won’t be able to find me. What can they do then?” The ugly woman’s mind wavered, but she refused to yield easily.
“Fellow Daoist Gui, don’t forget—I, too, excel in earth escape techniques.” The silver-winged Yecha’s patience seemed to wear thin, his expression darkening.
“What do you mean by that?” The woman’s eyes narrowed coldly as she glared at him.
“It’s simple. If these humans take my lifebound token and interrogate me, I won’t be able to refuse. And once they learn about a tenth-grade Profound Rock Turtle’s demon core, do you think they’d let you go? I’d undoubtedly be sent to hunt you down.” The Yecha spoke calmly.
“Then why not hide with me?” The woman snorted, her face flushing with anger.
“I won’t pass up this chance to reclaim my lifebound token, nor will I spend my life trapped on this mountain. Without absorbing the Yin Moon’s essence from outside, I’ll never evolve into a Golden Moon Corpse.” The Yecha replied bluntly.
“Hmph! You’re blackmailing me!” The woman suddenly leaped several feet into the air, pointing at the Yecha and cursing loudly.
“Heh. Whether it’s a threat or not is for you to decide. But don’t forget—you still owe me a favor. Back then, those ancient cultivators placed the Blood Frenzy Curse on us to turn us into mindless beasts. If I hadn’t secretly given you a Clear Void Pill, you’d still be a bloodthirsty monster today, let alone achieved human form.” The Yecha’s silver wings flapped as his voice turned icy.
“That favor, I remember.” The woman’s anger subsided at the mention of the Blood Frenzy Curse.
“But don’t forget—there should be a fourth being sealed with us. We’ve never encountered it, nor do we know if it’s a ghost or a demon. If we could ally with it, I might reconsider.” After a moment of silence, the woman finally relented.
“I’ve searched everywhere. There’s no trace of a fourth Spirit Trapping Array or any other demon or ghost. Perhaps the fourth one was unlucky and perished long ago. Without the Clear Void Pill to preserve its sanity, a bloodthirsty monster wouldn’t last this long. Even if it still exists, we don’t have time to search for it now.” The Yecha shook his head.
The ugly woman’s expression flickered uncertainly.
After a long pause, she finally sighed heavily and gritted her teeth.
“Fine. Since you brought up the Clear Void Pill, I’ll help you one last time. But remember—once we retrieve our lifebound tokens, we leave immediately. I won’t stay on this damned mountain any longer. I’ll find some remote place and seclude myself for good.”
“Good. With our freedom and cultivation, there’s nowhere in the world we can’t go.” The Yecha’s face brightened slightly. The Profound Rock Turtle’s transformed form was even more formidable than his own—a powerful ally indeed.
“But before we act, we need a solid plan. Since those cultivators already know about the two of you, we must be cautious not to fall into their trap.” Once she agreed, the woman became eerily calm.
“Naturally!” This time, the Yecha agreed without hesitation.
Beside them, the Lion Hawk let out a low growl.
The three demons then huddled beneath the giant tree, whispering their plans. After what felt like a mealtime, they suddenly soared into the air, swiftly heading toward the stone steps.
In an instant, the giant tree stood silent once more, with only the faint rustling of the wind.
Much later, another seemingly ordinary tree nearby began to tremble, shrinking rapidly from large to small. Under a green glow, two enormous emerald eyes emerged from its bark, coldly staring in the direction the three demons had vanished.
This tree was actually an unknown demon in disguise. Despite their formidable powers, the three demons had failed to detect its presence right beside them—an inconceivable oversight.
After staring into the sky for a long while, the demon’s eyes flashed green, and with a “whoosh,” the tree vanished into the ground.
Now, the area was truly deserted.
Meanwhile, Han Li and his group, after losing sight of the Lion Hawk, wasted no time lingering in the stone hall and quickly exited.
Outside, they encountered the same flight-restriction spell that had plagued the Ye Clan’s cultivators, causing them to plummet from the sky.
Though startled, they were also elated—this confirmed they had reached the heart of Kunwu Mountain.
“What’s that?” Bai Yaoyi suddenly exclaimed, her delicate face filled with shock as she stared into the distance.
The others turned to look. Several miles away, the stone steps twisted into a vast bamboo forest.
The forest was filled with towering purple bamboos, each as thick as a person’s embrace, stretching as far as the eye could see. The white jade plaza that should have been ahead was completely obscured by the dense growth.
A faint purple mist drifted through the bamboo sea, and the oppressive spiritual pressure it exuded sent a chill down Han Li’s spine.
“This formation seems even more formidable than the Iceflame Dual Extremes Formation. But it must be their last line of defense. Once we break it, we can catch up to them.” Hua Tianqi examined the scene carefully before speaking gravely.
“Then what are we waiting for?” Qian Laomo let out a wild laugh as his Five Demon Sons transformed into a streak of light, charging toward the bamboo forest.
After a brief hesitation, Hua Tianqi led the Poison Saint Sect’s disciples forward as well.
“Let’s go too. Huh? Brother Han, what’s wrong?” Fu Xing noticed Han Li’s unusually grim expression and paused in concern.
“It’s nothing. Let’s proceed.” Han Li took a deep breath, his expression quickly returning to normal. Without another word, he strode ahead.
Though puzzled, Fu Xing kept his questions to himself and followed.
Unbeknownst to him, Han Li’s flying swords had just trembled uncontrollably—a sign that the ancient demon was nearby.
No wonder Han Li’s face had darkened.
Was the demon among the cultivators ahead? How had it infiltrated their ranks and reached this mountain? Did it seek something here, or was there another scheme at play?
A flood of thoughts overwhelmed Han Li, leaving him unable to regain his composure.
It wasn’t that he still feared the demon—not with the Three Flames Fan and his late-Nascent Soul puppet. But its appearance now was too suspicious.
To encounter it repeatedly in the vast Jin Empire, on top of the recent chaos at the Ten-Thousand Zhang Demon Abyss in the South, filled Han Li with an ominous premonition.
By now, Qian Laomo’s Five Demon Sons had reached the bamboo forest, spewing grayish cold air toward it.
The purple bamboos hummed in response, and seven violet beams shot into the sky from various points. The purple mist within the forest surged like living waves, clashing violently with the gray cold air like two monstrous beasts locked in combat.
The Poison Saint Sect’s elders and the other cultivators wasted no time, unleashing their own attacks with a flurry of treasures and techniques.
Han Li silently summoned his flying swords, joining the assault halfheartedly.
Meanwhile, outside the seal, at the collapsed underground passage sealed by the self-destructing illusion array, several more uninvited guests had arrived.
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