Chapter 994: The Colossal Mountain Supporting the Sky

Han Li also did not pursue the Silver-Winged Nightfiend. On one hand, the creature was no longer trapped by the Three Flames Fan and could not be easily eliminated. On the other hand…

His gaze shifted, landing on the Soul Devouring Beast, a faint smile appearing on his face.

The beast was waving a white, fluffy object in one of its massive hands. Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be a small, tender white horse with emerald-green eyes, about half a foot in size.

This was unmistakably the ultimate target of his risky venture—the elusive Shadow Spirit Horse.

Ironically, this spiritual creature had been unlucky. When the teleportation began, it had hidden itself back inside the corpse wolf. However, when the Soul Devouring Beast sucked out the corpse wolf’s essence with its yellow mist, the Shadow Spirit Horse was inadvertently dragged out as well.

If not for Han Li’s sharp eyes and quick command to stop the beast, the spiritual creature would have been swallowed whole by the Soul Devouring Beast.

As for the two flying swords Han Li had been trapped with, he had managed to break their restraints and recall them with a thought just before the teleportation, while the Silver-Winged Nightfiend was distracted. However, the Nascent Soul of the black-robed beauty, also ensnared by the Soul-Severing Threads, had been devoured by the Silver-Winged Nightfiend before the teleportation.

The only thing that frustrated him was that his crystallized flying needle had been seized and taken away by the Silver-Winged Nightfiend.

Fortunately, although this treasure was not his lifebound artifact, it had still been refined by him. The creature would not be able to erase its spiritual nature in a short time, leaving Han Li with a chance to reclaim it later.

Now, Han Li scanned his surroundings. The place resembled the underground cavern they had been in earlier, but there was no trace of the Yin Wind. Instead, the spiritual energy here was astonishingly rich—a vast cave seemingly situated atop an extraordinary spiritual vein.

This discovery left him somewhat puzzled.

Han Li then looked down at the teleportation array beneath his feet.

With his expertise in formations, he immediately recognized that this massive teleportation array, though vastly different from any he had seen before, was clearly a one-way receiving array. In other words, he had been teleported here, but there was no way to use this array to return to the original location.

Realizing this, Han Li frowned slightly before turning his attention to the two giant cocoons.

They still emitted strong spiritual energy reactions, indicating that Old Man Fu and Bai Yaoyi were still alive.

After a brief hesitation, he first beckoned the Soul Devouring Beast and took the Shadow Spirit Horse into his hand. He then affixed several restriction talismans to it before tossing it into a spirit beast pouch.

Once this was done, Han Li raised both hands, releasing two thick golden arcs that struck the gray cocoons.

With a thunderous boom, the golden arcs transformed into two golden nets, enveloping the cocoons.

For a moment, blinding golden light and continuous thunderclaps filled the air.

Without the Silver-Winged Nightfiend to sustain them, the Soul-Severing Threads rapidly disintegrated layer by layer under the golden light.

Finally, with two loud explosions, the cocoons burst open one after another, releasing a man and a woman—Old Man Fu and Bai Yaoyi.

However, both of them looked pale and deeply unsettled.

Anyone trapped for so long by threads that drained spiritual energy would undoubtedly be in a sorry state, with their cultivation severely depleted.

“Many thanks for your rescue, Brother Han!” Old Man Fu clasped his hands in gratitude, his expression easing slightly.

“If not for Brother Han’s extraordinary abilities, we would surely have met our doom. Who could have guessed that a Silver-Winged Nightfiend was lurking in the Yin Yang Cave? Brother Yuan and I were caught off guard and ambushed by this monster. Brother Yuan had his Nascent Soul crushed in an instant, losing his life,” Bai Yaoyi added with a bitter smile, bowing slightly to Han Li.

Han Li merely smiled faintly in response.

Though the two seemed genuinely grateful, he could sense deep wariness in their eyes.

After all, even while trapped in the cocoons, they had clearly sensed Han Li’s battle with the Silver-Winged Nightfiend. The fact that Han Li had fought the creature to a standstill and even forced it to retreat was something they could never hope to match, even working together. Now, teleported to this unknown and mysterious place with no one else around, their unease was understandable.

If Han Li harbored ill intentions now, they knew their chances of survival would be slim.

But Han Li simply tossed the spirit beast pouch containing the Shadow Spirit Horse to Old Man Fu and said calmly, “The Shadow Spirit Horse is inside. I won’t say much else. If you manage to refine extra Infant Nurturing Pills, just leave two for me. Can you agree to that?”

“Two? No problem. If there are extras, I will definitely set them aside for you,” Old Man Fu replied without hesitation, visibly relieved.

“I have no objections either. To be honest, I hardly contributed to this venture—it was all thanks to Brother Han. It’s only fair that you receive a larger share,” Bai Yaoyi agreed readily with a light laugh.

“Good. Then you two should rest and recover your energy here. I’ll go scout the area,” Han Li said, narrowing his eyes as he glanced toward the only exit.

“Go ahead, Brother Han. We’ve indeed expended much of our energy and need to meditate,” Old Man Fu replied without objection.

Bai Yaoyi simply nodded and sat down cross-legged.

With a faint smile, Han Li enveloped himself in azure light and flew out, simultaneously releasing his spiritual sense to guard against any potential ambush by the Silver-Winged Nightfiend. He wasn’t worried about the two absconding with the Shadow Spirit Horse—the spiritual markers he had left in their bodies would take days to dissipate. Any suspicious movement on their part, and he could track them immediately.

Han Li was no saint—thoughts of killing them and taking their treasures had briefly crossed his mind. However, his knowledge of the Infant Nurturing Pills was limited, and even with the recipe, his success rate in refining them would be low. Moreover, the two had left a favorable impression on him so far, making it difficult for him to muster strong murderous intent.

After brief consideration, he had decided to release them.

Beyond the cavern-like hall was a flight of stone steps leading upward, so long that their end was not visible at a glance.

Were they deep inside a mountain?

Though surprised, Han Li continued flying upward without pause.

However, after some time, he grew increasingly astonished.

The steps seemed endless, stretching on without change—an utterly unbelievable sight.

Given his speed, the distance he had covered should have been immense. Were it not for his repeated scans confirming the absence of any formation fluctuations, he might have suspected he was trapped in another restriction.

Who would build such an impossibly long passage?

Puzzled, Han Li flew several more miles before finally spotting the exit’s light. Relieved, he emerged into a vast platform paved with smooth stone tiles, spanning over a thousand feet in every direction. The air was rich with the fragrance of plants and flowers, and the spiritual energy here was even denser than near the teleportation array.

Looking ahead, Han Li’s astonishment only deepened.

At the platform’s edge stood a sheer cliff face. Following it upward, he realized the “sky” was merely a thin white line. Turning around, he saw another towering cliff behind him, sandwiching the platform between two massive walls.

This enormous platform was built within an unfathomably deep mountain gorge.

After staring upward for a long while, Han Li scanned the sides but found only winding cliffs with no notable features.

Without further delay, he shot upward in a streak of azure light.

After ascending thousands of feet, he finally exited the gorge—only to freeze in disbelief. He quickly flew around the area for hours before returning, his face filled with shock.

In a word, the sight before him could only be described as “colossal.”

Han Li had seen many massive mountains in his time, the largest being the Sacred Mountain of Heavenly Star City in the Chaotic Star Sea. That mountain, towering like a pillar of heaven, had eighty-one tiers housing countless cultivators’ dwellings.

Now, he stood at the foot of another mountain that seemed no smaller—perhaps even larger—than the Sacred Mountain. Gazing upward, he saw only endless greenery, the so-called gorge merely an insignificant crack at its base.

But what truly stunned him was that this gargantuan mountain was encased within an immense restriction. Looking beyond the mountain, he saw a white light barrier descending from the sky, stretching endlessly as if enveloping the entire peak.

Such a feat could only have been accomplished by ancient cultivators. The sheer scale of it left Han Li awestruck.

After hesitating for a while, he flew toward the light barrier. It took him the time it takes to drink a cup of tea to reach it. Up close, the barrier’s thickness was impossible to gauge, and its oppressive spiritual energy was palpable.

Without even testing it, Han Li knew that no amount of brute force—not even from a Deity Transformation cultivator—could breach this barrier. He turned back without hesitation.

On his return flight, he observed the mountain from afar. It remained eerily silent—no birds, no beasts, as if devoid of life. Yet the vibrant spiritual energy contradicted this lifelessness, creating an unsettling and ominous atmosphere.

With a grim expression, Han Li returned to the gorge and the cave housing the teleportation array.