The small arrow had just flown a few meters when Han Li, who had been watching intently from the side, flicked his middle finger. A streak of cyan sword energy shot straight out, striking the arrow squarely and causing it to falter, pausing momentarily.
In that brief delay, the radiant light sprayed by the Soul Devouring Beast enveloped the small arrow. Instantly, the treasure flickered incessantly, thrashing left and right within the light as if trying to break free. But the yellow light seemed to possess a tremendous suction force; no matter how it struggled, the arrow remained trapped like a headless fly within the glow.
As the Soul Devouring Beast was renowned as the bane of all ghosts, the soul-sucking divine light from its nostrils was far from ordinary.
The arrow’s rotation slowed for just a moment before hundreds of earthy-yellow threads shot out from the radiant light, tightly wrapping around it. Then, all the yellow threads pulled outward simultaneously, forcibly yanking a ball of green light out of the arrow.
Entangled by the numerous yellow threads, the green light continuously morphed into various shapes of insects, fish, birds, and beasts, expanding and contracting erratically in a desperate attempt to escape. But the yellow threads pierced directly into the green light, leaving it no chance to break free, and slowly dragged it toward the Soul Devouring Beast’s large nose.
Panicked, the green light ball flickered and transformed into the face of a grim, elderly man. Within the radiant light, it fearfully pleaded with Han Li: “Young friend Han, spare this old man! If you let me live, I am willing to serve you as a ghost slave for life. I know countless rare techniques and secret arts, all of which I will impart to you. And wouldn’t you like to know the complete Profound Yin Art? Even that traitor Jiyin never learned the final layers. What about the mysteries of the Soul Refining Demon Art? And though my base was seized by Jiyin, I still have several secret caves filled with treasures. This old servant is willing to offer them all to you, Master…”
The ghostly face spoke faster and faster, its expression growing increasingly frantic, even referring to itself as a servant. By now, it was only a foot away from the Soul Devouring Beast’s nose.
If it were truly sucked in, no matter how resilient its demon soul was, it would never escape.
Hearing these temptations, even Han Li, whose will was far stronger than most, felt his heart stir, and a hint of hesitation appeared on his face.
Perhaps sensing Han Li’s indecision, the ghostly face seized this last lifeline and roared hoarsely, “Even if you don’t want these things, surely you want to know Jiyin’s weaknesses and how to remove the tracking mark he placed on you!”
At these words, Han Li’s eyes flickered, and his expression finally shifted. He sighed lightly, clenched the Soul Cry Pearl in his hand, and gently waved it. The raging radiant light slowed, halting the ghostly face’s descent toward the beast’s nose.
Overjoyed, the entangled ghostly face relaxed: “Young friend Han, this is a wise decision! Keeping me alive is completely…” It forced a smile, trying to flatter Han Li.
But at that moment, the Soul Devouring Beast’s nose inhaled forcefully again. The slightly slowed radiant light surged with triple the suction force, instantly pulling the unprepared ghostly face into its nose without any resistance.
Only then did a cold, mocking smile appear on Han Li’s face!
The Soul Devouring Beast let out a belch as if it had overexerted itself, clumsily patted its belly, and showed a human-like expression of satisfaction.
Han Li smiled faintly and shook the Soul Cry Pearl in his hand. The Soul Devouring Beast transformed into a yellow light and flew back into the spirit beast pouch.
“Take you as my slave? How dare I make a pact with a tiger! A millennia-old ghost—in terms of cunning, even two of me might not outsmart you. No matter how sweet your words, it’s safer to destroy you. Otherwise, I might fall victim to your schemes someday.” Han Li walked over, picked up the small green arrow, and murmured to himself.
Even now, Han Li wasn’t sure whether the ghostly face was Xuan Gu’s main soul or a residual spirit separated by some secret technique.
The ability to split souls was not uncommon among ghost cultivators, so Han Li wasn’t surprised.
After collecting the nearby Five Elements Ring, Han Li didn’t leave immediately. The ghostly face’s words had reminded him of the tracking mark placed by Patriarch Jiyin. If not removed, he would be detected as soon as he left the barrier.
Though Han Li had scanned himself with his spiritual sense multiple times and found nothing unusual, he had another clever method to locate the mark. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have mercilessly destroyed the ghostly face.
He summoned a spirit beast pouch, and thousands of gold-and-silver beetles flew out, covering his entire body.
Moments later, some of the Gold Devouring Beetles on his calf emitted unusual sharp cries.
Overjoyed, Han Li issued a command with his spiritual sense. The beetles there stirred briefly before all swarmed back into the pouch. Without further delay, Han Li flew straight toward the stone steps.
He had already spent too much time here, and it made him uneasy.
He covered the several dozen meters in an instant. Opening his mouth, he spat out a cyan light—the Emerald Bamboo Cloud Sword—which sliced a meter-wide opening in the barrier. Han Li transformed into a rainbow and shot out through the gap.
According to his plan, it was best to stealthily return to a secret room on the first or second floor, break the restrictions, and teleport out of the Void Palace. The other floors were too dangerous. Following the path from memory, he flew silently back the way he came.
Since all the traps and restrictions along the way had been broken, Han Li had no other concerns aside from avoiding the old monsters. He could fly boldly.
As he traveled, he released his spiritual sense and took out the tattered scroll, finally finding time to examine it.
“Eh!”
After just a few glances, Han Li couldn’t help but exclaim in surprise, slowing his flight. At first glance, the scroll seemed unremarkable—it emitted no spiritual energy, and its content was simplistic, merely a rough outline.
But after a few moments, Han Li recognized it as a schematic diagram of the Inner Palace’s fifth floor.
The platform and the small, three-legged cauldron sketched on it were unmistakably markers of the Void Cauldron. The intersecting patterns before the platform were clearly the passages and rooms.
What astonished Han Li was that while all other patterns were drawn in black ink, one route cutting through several passages was highlighted in bright red. The end of this route was a high wall at the edge of the Inner Palace, behind which was drawn what appeared to be a teleportation formation.
This discovery made him slow down.
According to his original plan, traveling from the fifth to the first or second floor meant a high chance of encountering several old demons. But if this map was genuine, he could use the teleportation formation to escape elsewhere. Even if it didn’t take him directly outside the Void Palace, it was still far better than staying on the fifth floor.
What excited him even more was that his current location, according to the map, was just one turn away from the red line at the next crossroads.
His only concern was whether this route contained restrictions or puppets he couldn’t handle.
As for the map’s authenticity, Han Li wasn’t worried. No one would hide such a map in a blue stone without reason. Moreover, the scroll appeared ancient, with a primitive style that suggested it was from the same era as the Void Cauldron. It was unlikely to be a joke.
As he hesitated, he reached the next crossroads. Han Li looked around, still uncertain.
Very well! If he encountered danger, he could always turn back. According to the scroll, this route wasn’t long, and the risk was far smaller than returning to the first floor. Besides, he doubted that what seemed like an escape route would lead the holder into extreme danger.
With this thought, Han Li raised both hands without further hesitation. Several white lights shot out, summoning giant ape puppets ahead. Under his spiritual command, they immediately turned onto the adjacent passage. Han Li followed cautiously, his expression grave.
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