Han Li did not act immediately. Instead, he cautiously released his spiritual sense to scan the surroundings. After confirming that Ji Yin and the other old monsters were not monitoring him, he decisively extended a finger. A green light flickered, and a several-inch-long sword aura appeared at his fingertip, pulsating erratically.
Calmly, Han Li used the sword aura to carve a fist-sized circle on the bluestone. With a wave of his hand, the sword aura vanished. His other hand swiftly tapped the circle, and instantly, a hole appeared in the bluestone.
Knowing time was short, Han Li unhesitatingly reached inside. The space within was small, and after a quick fumble, his hand closed around an object.
His expression shifted slightly.
The object was slender, cylindrical, and soft, resembling a rod. But as he withdrew his arm from the bluestone, he saw it clearly: it was an old, yellowed scroll.
Just as Han Li, surprised, was about to unroll it, his face suddenly changed. He quickly tucked the scroll into his robe and pressed himself against the bluestone wall, perfectly concealing the hole as if he were resting.
No sooner had he done this than the gloomy voice of Patriarch Ji Yin echoed in his ears: “Han Li, return quickly. Your master and the others are about to enter.”
Hearing this, a flicker of surprise crossed Han Li’s eyes. Weren’t they supposed to be resting? Why the sudden change of mind? Had the three old demons sensed something amiss?
As these thoughts raced through his mind, he waited until Ji Yin’s spiritual sense vanished from the vicinity before turning to seal the hole and restore it to its original state. Then, he calmly walked toward the platform ahead.
When he arrived, the several old demons stood solemnly at the base of the steps, gazing up at the platform. Behind them, Wu Chou and Xuan Gu were doing the same.
Puzzled, Han Li glanced upward, and his expression shifted slightly.
The blue light on the platform was flickering dazzlingly, with faint golden reflections shimmering within its movements. In just this short time, the platform’s surroundings had thickened by several inches. Only the white light barrier isolated them, preventing Han Li from sensing any abnormalities.
Seeing Han Li arrive, Ji Yin nodded to him before turning to Man Hu Zi beside him. “Brother Man, my disciple is here. Let’s go up. I never expected Wan Tianming’s Golden Silk Worms could actually shake the Void Heaven Cauldron. Though I don’t know what’s happening, it’s best we investigate.”
Man Hu Zi didn’t respond verbally but leaped upward in reply. Ji Yin and the others followed closely behind.
*Boom!* A loud crash echoed as Man Hu Zi reached the light barrier at the steps. Without a word, he struck it with a fist enveloped in demonic energy, instantly cracking a gap several zhang wide. Man Hu Zi strode through, head held high.
Ji Yin and the scholar-robed old man flanked Han Li, pulling him along without explanation as they entered. Xuan Gu and Wu Chou brought up the rear.
So cold! Though Han Li had mentally prepared himself outside the barrier, the intense chill upon entering still made him shiver. He quickly activated his protective spiritual light, significantly reducing the cold.
Man Hu Zi showed no intention of waiting for the others, striding directly toward the brightest blue light at the center without a backward glance.
The old man and Ji Yin exchanged a look, sighing wryly before quickening their pace to catch up. Even so, Ji Yin glanced back at Han Li, who had fallen slightly behind, urging him meaningfully to hurry.
Han Li inwardly cursed Patriarch Ji Yin to the depths. He wasn’t foolish enough to attempt escape; he merely wanted to lag behind to sneak a look at the scroll in his robe. After all, its hiding place was peculiar, and it might offer some advantage in his current predicament.
But now, spurred by Ji Yin’s words, Wu Chou seemed to recall something, his gaze fixed warily on Han Li without wavering. Even Xuan Gu shot him a glance tinged with suspicion.
Han Li had no choice but to reluctantly quicken his pace. Yet, after only a few steps, he slowed down again.
This time, it wasn’t by choice.
Surrounded by the extreme Yin cold of the blue light, even with his protective spiritual light, Han Li felt his body grow colder with each step. After just a few steps, his face turned pale, and he hurriedly held his breath, fearing the freezing air would damage his lungs.
“The White Spirit Rhinoceros I gave you resists both fire and cold. Use it now! Why wait?” Patriarch Ji Yin’s voice sounded in Han Li’s ears once more.
Suddenly realizing, Han Li quickly retrieved the artifact and hung it at his waist again. As expected, the white light from the rhinoceros pendant glowed, and the surrounding warmth returned. Now, Han Li had the leisure to observe how the others were coping with the extreme cold as he walked.
Needless to say, nascent soul cultivators like Man Huzi were completely unaffected. The three of them relied solely on their protective spiritual lights to press forward as if nothing were amiss. Xuan Gu wore a string of glowing red beads around his neck and similarly showed no signs of being affected by the cold.
As for Wu Chou, who had somehow fallen behind him, a strangely patterned snake-shaped armlet on his arm emitted a pink light barrier, shielding him within.
Seeing this, Han Li withdrew his gaze.
Ahead, they had reached the center of the platform, where a raised altar stood. On it, seven or eight clusters of golden light danced and flickered. In the middle of these golden lights was a large hole emitting a piercing blue light.
Han Li’s spirits lifted, and he focused intently.
Within each golden cluster was a jade-green giant silkworm several feet long, each spitting thumb-thick golden threads into the hole. Their bodies swayed as they strained backward, each tug causing the blue light in the hole to flash wildly.
Beside the altar stood three figures, none other than Wan Tianming and his two companions.
The righteous path cultivators were clearly aware of Man Hu Zi and the others’ arrival, but they paid them no mind, their attention fixed intently on the golden light before them, faces tight with tension.
Seeing this, a cold glint flashed in Man Hu Zi’s eyes. Without a word, he raised his hand, and two golden streaks shot toward the three like rainbows.
“Frost Flood Dragon!”
“Departing Tortoise!”
Just as Man Hu Zi released the golden light, Wan Tianming and Tian Wuzi turned their heads coldly and shouted simultaneously.
Immediately, a disturbance came from above as a blue light and a green light shot down, intercepting the golden streaks and clashing together.
“Return!”
Slightly startled by this, Man Hu Zi beckoned, and the two golden rainbows flew back, transforming into two small golden knives in his hand.
The blue and green lights did not pursue but hovered in place, revealing their true forms: a several-zhang-long small white flood dragon and a semi-transparent, strange giant tortoise.
Upon clearly seeing these two creatures, Man Hu Zi’s expression changed dramatically.
“Madam Feng’s Frost Flood Dragon! Tian Yuanzi’s Departing Tortoise!” The scholar-robed old man, who had stepped forward, exclaimed in shock.
“No wonder Wan Tianming and the others are so arrogant. They actually borrowed those two old monsters’ spirit beasts. But as far as I know, those two old freaks treasure these spirit beasts immensely and never lend them to others. How did these two get them?” Patriarch Ji Yin, equally astonished, spoke with a hint of alarm and annoyance.
“Hmph! Whether they lend depends on who asks. Wan Tianming is Madam Feng’s nephew. Tian Wuzi is Tian Yuanzi’s junior brother. It’s no surprise they could borrow these spirit beasts,” Man Hu Zi said grimly.
“This is troublesome! These two beasts are incredibly powerful. If they fight desperately, the three of us won’t be able to break free quickly,” Qing Yi the Scholar said worriedly, eyeing the white flood dragon and giant tortoise.
“Qing Yi, Xuan Yin! What are you saving your Green Thorn Bird and Heavenly Corpse for? Even if they can’t defeat these two beasts, they can at least hold them off for a while. We don’t need to defeat Wan Tianming and the others; we just need to kill one Golden Silk Worm at will,” Man Hu Zi said with a sinister grin.
Hearing this, the scholar-robed old man and Patriarch Ji Yin exchanged hesitant looks.
“Relax, I’ll have my spirit beast join the fight too. Partnering with you two is always troublesome!” Man Hu Zi glanced sidelong at Ji Yin and the other, a trace of disdain in his eyes.
Only then did the scholar-robed old man and Patriarch Ji Yin relax and agree.
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