Just like the last time he entered the demonic aura, under the protection of the golden light, Han Li silently descended into the pitch-black abyss. As the thunderous roars faded, the golden glow of the Evil-Warding Divine Thunder gradually receded into the darkness, eventually vanishing without a trace.
Meanwhile, on the surface of the sea, Zhiyang and the others were engaged in conversation.
“Brother Zhiyang! Do you really think Fellow Daoist Han’s Evil-Warding Divine Thunder is insufficient for a round trip, as you claimed?” Wei Wuyai asked, his hands clasped behind his back.
“Brother Wei, what do you mean by that? Are you suggesting that this humble Daoist lied earlier?” The Daoist’s expression darkened, visibly displeased.
“Haha! Venerable, please don’t misunderstand. I meant no such thing. It’s just that Fellow Daoist Han agreed too readily afterward, which piqued my curiosity,” Wei Wuyai replied with a faint smile.
“If that’s the case, then this humble Daoist cannot say for certain. However, the deeper one goes into the demonic abyss, the greater the consumption of spiritual power. The amount of Evil-Warding Divine Thunder required for a safe round trip is indeed staggering. I doubt Fellow Daoist Han possesses such an abundance of divine thunder. Perhaps he has some other means to temporarily resist the demonic aura,” Zhiyang said, his tone easing slightly.
“That does seem plausible. After all, the world of cultivation is full of miraculous techniques and secret arts! But regardless, if this calamity can be resolved smoothly, it’s undoubtedly a good thing,” Wei Wuyai remarked with a smile, then glanced at the nearby Hehuan Laomo. The black-robed giant stood with his arms crossed, staring expressionlessly at the center of the whirlpool, silent.
A momentary silence fell among the three.
…
At a depth of three thousand zhang within the demonic aura, a golden light barrier hovered motionless in the air, crackling with electricity. Inside the barrier, Han Li clutched a jade slip containing the location of the array disk, scrutinizing its contents intently.
After a while, Han Li withdrew his spiritual sense and surveyed his surroundings. The darkness was absolute, as if he had reached the very bottom of the abyss, making it impossible to see far.
Frowning slightly, Han Li suddenly opened his mouth and spat out a small sword about an inch long. With a flash of golden light, the sword shot out of the barrier, its surface crackling with fine arcs of electricity. After circling once, it flew back above Han Li’s head, spinning rapidly amidst the electric sparks and transforming into a peculiar golden wheel about an inch in diameter.
Han Li formed a hand seal and pointed at the wheel above him. The wheel paused momentarily before shooting off as a streak of golden light. Without hesitation, Han Li followed closely behind, his protective barrier in tow.
After flying horizontally for several hundred zhang, the golden sword abruptly changed direction, plunging downward with a muffled *thud*. The sword had embedded itself halfway into something, remaining motionless.
A flicker of joy crossed Han Li’s face as he appeared a few feet above the sword. Though the surroundings were still pitch-black, the faint glow of electricity around the sword allowed him to make out a few details. He realized the sword had struck what appeared to be a flat, massive stone.
After a moment’s thought, Han Li raised both hands and pressed them against the barrier. The electric net on the barrier flared brilliantly, and several thick golden arcs shot out, coiling like giant serpents around the area. Within a radius of over ten zhang, all demonic aura was swept away, revealing the “massive stone” beneath the spiritual light.
Han Li examined it closely, then froze. It wasn’t a stone at all—it was a platform resembling an altar, far larger than he’d imagined, its full extent still hidden beyond the golden light’s reach.
Astonished, Han Li mused that the array disk’s designated location, as determined by the array masters, turned out to be such a place. This was intriguing.
He immediately urged the golden light to circle the altar swiftly, gaining a rough impression of the platform. It was a square structure spanning about an acre, its design and the patterns carved into its walls suggesting immense antiquity—undoubtedly a relic of ancient cultivators.
Returning to his starting point, Han Li summoned the small sword back with a wave of his hand. It flew back to him as a golden streak. Estimating the platform’s center, he flew toward it. Moments later, several points of white light flickered in the distance.
His interest piqued, Han Li increased his speed slightly and soon saw the scene at the platform’s center: a shattered stone stele lay quietly on the ground, its base still standing.
His eyes flickered as he examined the remnants. Though destroyed, the stele bore fragmented inscriptions he couldn’t decipher. Moreover, the material itself seemed extraordinary, still faintly glowing with milky-white spiritual light.
“Could this be as rare as Golden Lightning Bamboo?” Han Li wondered. He reached out, and a fist-sized fragment of the stele flew into his grasp. His fingers glowed with spiritual light as he inspected it closely.
The fragment appeared unremarkable—gray and dull—were it not for the occasional strands of spiritual light emanating from it. Han Li turned it over several times before suddenly applying pressure with his fingers.
To his surprise, the fragment didn’t crumble or resist. Instead, it softened under his grip, his fingers sinking into it as if it were clay.
Startled, Han Li frowned. “What is this? Senior Dayan, do you recognize it?” he transmitted mentally.
“No, I’ve never seen anything like it. But that’s not surprising—the ancient world was full of strange materials. No one could know them all. Still, toss a piece in here. I’ve got nothing better to do; might as well study it,” Dayan Shenjun replied lazily.
Without hesitation, Han Li tossed the fragment toward the bamboo slip on his back. A white mist emerged from the slip, enveloping the strange stone and drawing it inside.
From the fracture marks, Han Li deduced the stele hadn’t been destroyed long ago. It had likely been a critical component suppressing the array’s eye, hence its destruction coincided with the array’s malfunction. This alone confirmed the stele’s material was anything but ordinary.
With that in mind, Han Li swept up the remaining fragments with a wave of azure light, storing them in his pouch. He then fired a dozen azure sword beams at the stele’s base, intending to shatter it for collection.
To his astonishment, the beams vanished into the base without a trace, leaving it unharmed.
“How peculiar,” Han Li muttered. After a brief hesitation, he abandoned the remnants and turned his attention elsewhere, firing more sword beams.
Though he still had ample Evil-Warding Divine Thunder left, Han Li dared not linger in such a dangerous place. He began preparing to deploy the array disk.
A series of dull thuds echoed as a ten-foot-deep pit appeared beside the stele.
Expressionless, Han Li flipped his hand, revealing the exquisitely crafted array disk. Without delay, he tossed it into the pit, where it landed with a flash of white light.
Forming a hand seal, Han Li focused intently as the disk began to glow. Moments later, a clear chime rang out, and a thick column of milky-white light shot skyward from the disk, vanishing into the heights.
Relieved, Han Li confirmed the disk was functioning correctly—this was indeed the right spot.
With a sweep of his sleeve, a gust of azure wind scattered the surrounding debris back into the pit. Casting another spell, the rubble began to fuse under his incantation, the pit’s surface smoothing over until it appeared untouched.
After circling the site to ensure everything was in order, Han Li nodded in satisfaction.
He fired a few spells at the lingering golden serpents nearby. With several bursts, they dissipated into golden sparks, and the demonic aura, previously held at bay, surged back in.
Han Li hesitated briefly before the golden light around his barrier flared, and he prepared to ascend.
But just then, Dayan Shenjun’s voice echoed in his mind: “Hold on, lad!”
“Senior, what is it?” Han Li paused, halting his departure.
“Since this is the array’s eye, it should be the most concentrated spot of demonic aura. Given how long it’s been suppressed since ancient times, it’s possible some Demon Core Diamonds have formed here. According to ancient texts, they’re the sole material for forging a certain demonic treasure. Check beneath the platform and nearby—see if you can find any,” Dayan Shenjun suggested calmly.
“Demon Core Diamonds!” Han Li’s expression shifted slightly. After a moment’s thought, he retrieved a yellow jade ruyi scepter with a wolf’s head from his pouch.
This was the ancient treasure that once housed Silvermoon. Though its spirit was gone, it could still perform rudimentary earth escape techniques, albeit not as masterfully as before.
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