“Audacious!” The young attendant, seeing that the opponent—merely a possessed body—dared to kill someone right before his eyes, couldn’t help but raise his eyebrows. The dazzling rainbow before him trembled and transformed into countless crystalline red threads, shooting fiercely toward the Heavenly Fiend True Monarch.
The old man surnamed Jiang also paled in shock. He hastily spat out a yellow flying sword to shield himself and, with a tap of his feet, scrambled backward in retreat. He dared not recklessly block the full-force strike of a sect master.
A strange smile curled on the Heavenly Fiend True Monarch’s face. Suddenly, his figure shifted direction, flashing to the side of the white-robed young woman. Without hesitation, his purple claws lashed out toward her arm.
The white-robed woman, already dazed by the revelation of the scholar’s betrayal, was caught off guard by the sudden ambush. Her face drained of color as she instinctively threw the long-faced old man to the ground. With a swift hand seal, a streak of green light shot from her sleeve, desperately trying to block the attack.
Amidst wild laughter, the Heavenly Fiend True Monarch feinted again. His massive hand reversed course, snatching the long-faced old man from the ground and lifting him effortlessly. His fist, wreathed in chaotic purple light, swung back in a counterstrike, meeting the incoming fiery-red sword threads head-on.
A muffled grunt echoed as the old fiend staggered back two steps. Yet, he used the momentum to land gracefully, still gripping the long-faced old man.
Strangely, the long-faced old man, as if under some spell, immediately knelt and bowed in gratitude. “Many thanks, True Monarch, for saving my life!”
“Hmph! If not for our lack of manpower and the risk of jeopardizing our plans, why would I save a junior from the righteous path? Whether you live or die now depends on your own skill.” With a cold snort, the Heavenly Fiend True Monarch lunged again, this time charging straight at the blue-robed attendant.
This time, he intended to fully engage the opponent, buying time for Du Dong and the others to escape.
“Go! The outer restrictions have been tampered with—their power is less than a tenth of normal. We can break through easily!” The long-faced old man, evidently decisive in battle, shouted to Du Dong and the scholar before charging toward the stone gate where the old man surnamed Fu and his allies stood.
Du Dong and the scholar, overjoyed, unleashed their own techniques—one summoning two white flying swords, the other shrouding himself in black light. The three of them surged forward in unison.
The old man surnamed Fu and his companions refused to let them escape so easily, unleashing their own treasures in a fierce counterattack. Instantly, the cavern split into two battling factions, the air filled with roars and explosions amidst dazzling flashes of light.
Seeing this, Han Li, who had been observing from the sidelines, judged the moment ripe. Without hesitation, he activated the wolf-headed scepter in his hand. A yellow glow enveloped him as he silently burrowed underground with Earth Escape, heading straight for the roots of the Spirit Eye Tree.
With everyone in the cavern preoccupied, no one noticed his stealthy approach. In no time, Han Li reached the base of the tree, only to be blocked by a faint golden barrier.
His eyes gleamed sharply as he raised both hands, fingers radiating green light. He pressed them silently against the barrier. Gold and green intertwined as the entire shield trembled faintly.
Under normal circumstances, such a disturbance in the metal-attribute barrier would have alerted the tree’s guardians. But with the fierce battle raging, no one noticed the subtle anomaly.
Moments later, Han Li’s hands had forcibly penetrated the golden light. A flicker of joy crossed his face as he intensified the green glow and abruptly wrenched his hands apart. The barrier split open with a slender fissure.
With a swift motion, Han Li’s body elongated unnaturally, slipping through the gap before the barrier silently resealed itself.
Gazing at the tree’s roots before him, Han Li allowed himself a rare smile.
Though the Spirit Eye Tree’s trunk bore little resemblance to ordinary wood, its roots were surprisingly similar—only their emerald hue was unusually vivid.
A deafening explosion erupted from above, followed by the clatter of shattered stone. The very ground around Han Li trembled violently—someone had unleashed a devastating technique.
Aboveground, the old man surnamed Fu’s furious voice rang out: “Chase them down! Don’t let them escape!” The sound of rapid flight followed, accompanied by the Heavenly Fiend True Monarch’s mocking laughter.
“Fellow Daoist Lan, how do you find the might of my Violet Nether Profound Art? Though I’m borrowing this body, so long as I don’t spare its essence and blood, restraining you for a while is child’s play.”
“Heavenly Fiend, you’d even abandon your own disciple? Even if this beloved pupil survives, his cultivation will be crippled beyond recovery!” Though the attendant’s voice remained cold, Han Li detected a trace of suppressed fury.
“My disciple? Does this traitor still consider himself a disciple of the Heavenly Fiend Sect? From his words, he seems to regard himself as a member of Falling Cloud Sect! So be it—this saves me the trouble of holding back. Hm? Lan old ghost, where do you think you’re going?” The Heavenly Fiend True Monarch’s tone shifted abruptly from calm to startled.
“Hmph! I’ve no interest in wasting time on a mere avatar. Those demonic brats won’t leave Cloud Dream Mountain with the Spirit Nectar!” The attendant’s voice echoed faintly from afar—he had already fled the cavern.
“Escape won’t be so easy!” The Heavenly Fiend True Monarch growled before seemingly giving chase.
In an instant, the cavern was deserted save for Han Li. Satisfied, he wasted no time. With a flick of his finger, a blade of green light several inches long shot from his fingertip, flickering ominously. A swift slash severed a small section of the spirit root, from which milky-white sap oozed, releasing a refreshing fragrance.
Ignoring this, Han Li enveloped himself in yellow light and emerged aboveground within the cavern’s barrier.
A quick scan revealed a gaping hole several zhang wide in one wall, surrounded by shimmering rubble.
Clearly, this was the aftermath of the Heavenly Fiend True Monarch’s strike—even the reinforced, iron-hard stone walls had been obliterated in a single blow. Such terrifying power had allowed Du Dong and the others to seize their chance to flee.
Without delay, Han Li tapped his storage pouch, producing an exquisitely carved jade box. Carefully placing the spirit root fragment inside, he secured it with utmost seriousness.
Pleased with his haul, Han Li prepared to break through the barrier and pursue the fleeing cultivators. Though he had obtained the spirit root, the recipes for Bright Spirit Water and Soul Stabilizing Pills remained elusive. The Heavenly Fiend True Monarch, despite possessing the elder’s body, couldn’t sustain the possession for long—he would inevitably fall to the attendant and wouldn’t escape far.
Just as Han Li raised his hands, green light flickering as he prepared to breach the barrier once more, his expression shifted. Frowning, he turned and stepped behind the Spirit Eye Tree.
There lay a yellow meditation mat, a square stone platform about a foot long, and atop it—a faintly glowing green jade slip.
After a moment’s consideration, Han Li scanned the items with his spiritual sense, detecting no hidden restrictions. With a wave, a streak of green mist shot from his palm, ensnaring the jade slip and drawing it into his grasp.
Han Li stood motionless, his spiritual sense probing the slip’s contents.
After a long pause, he withdrew his sense, his face a mix of astonishment and suspicion. The slip contained the cultivation techniques of the possessed elder, along with his insights into pill refinement—including the coveted recipes for Soul Stabilizing Pills and Bright Spirit Water.
Clutching the slip, Han Li was momentarily bewildered.
Had the elder foreseen his impending demise and left this behind for someone? Yet the slip’s conspicuous placement behind the tree suggested it was meant for Falling Cloud Sect disciples. What hidden meaning lay behind this?
After a moment’s thought, Han Li retrieved a blank jade slip from his pouch and swiftly copied the contents of the green slip.
Given his current cultivation, the task took mere moments.
Returning the original slip to its place, Han Li stored the copy in his pouch and strode toward the golden barrier. With no telling when the three sects might return, it was best to leave swiftly—his objectives here were fully accomplished.
No longer concerned about witnesses, Han Li channeled his full spiritual power. A flash of green light later, the barrier split open under the force of his Azure Essence Sword Qi.
In an instant, Han Li was through, transforming into a streak of azure light as he shot into the distance.
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