Han Li had never heard of the term “Great Shift Token” before! But seeing Lü Tianmeng and Xuan Le immediately resort to killing others for it, he could tell just how precious this item was.
However, faced with the eerie appearance of the five-colored skeleton, Han Li didn’t dare act recklessly.
He took out a golden blade and cautiously tapped the skeleton. Seeing no reaction, he finally felt at ease enough to approach and carefully examine the token.
The token shimmered with a blue glow, emitting a faint radiance. Its ancient patterns and inscribed archaic characters clearly indicated it was an artifact from antiquity. In other aspects, Han Li didn’t sense anything unusual, and the spiritual energy it contained wasn’t particularly strong either.
After a moment’s thought, Han Li used the golden blade in his hand to gently flick the token, and it easily landed in his palm.
When he pinched it between his fingers, it wasn’t the metallic texture he had expected. Instead, it felt somewhat firm yet pliable, as if made from a certain type of wood.
Han Li toyed with it for a while before attempting to channel some spiritual energy into it.
But immediately, a powerful suction force emerged from the token, drawing out a large amount of spiritual energy from his body. Startled, Han Li quickly cut off the flow of spiritual energy, causing the suction to vanish.
Having learned his lesson, Han Li didn’t dare experiment further. He carefully stored the token in his storage pouch.
Next, he circled the unknown teleportation formation several times, growing intensely curious about where it might lead.
Of course, Han Li wasn’t foolish enough to recklessly try it out. Even if he had such an idea, he couldn’t have acted on it—one corner of the teleportation formation was damaged. Although the damage was minor, it was enough to render the formation unusable.
Han Li blinked, then suddenly pulled out a jade slip and began copying the formation’s patterns and designs. He planned to consult others to see if the teleportation formation could still be repaired. He was filled with anticipation at the prospect!
After completing this task, Han Li searched the massive cave once more, checking for any overlooked items.
Behind a thick stone pillar, he discovered two crystal-clear, translucent eggs, each about the size of a fist.
At the sight of them, Han Li was overjoyed. Without a doubt, these were the eggs of the spider demon beast.
Having personally experienced the spider demon beast’s ferocity, Han Li wasn’t about to miss this opportunity. He immediately retrieved a specialized beast pouch from a Spirit Beast Mountain disciple’s storage bag, carefully placed the spider eggs inside, and tucked it into his waist.
Encouraged by this find, Han Li meticulously combed through the remaining areas but unfortunately found nothing else.
Still, Han Li was already quite satisfied. He incinerated the bodies of Xuan Le, Lü Tianmeng, and the others with fireballs, reducing them to ashes and burying them on the spot.
When he came across the five-colored skeleton, Han Li casually tossed a few small fireballs at it, intending to destroy it as well. However, after the intense flames subsided, the skeleton had condensed into seven or eight small multicolored beads. Surprised and curious, Han Li collected them.
Han Li was now ready to depart. To prevent others from discovering the teleportation formation, he used his Green Yuan Sword Aura to shatter the cave entrance on his way out, completely sealing it off. Of course, he also left some hidden markers nearby so he could find the place again in the future.
Following the direction of the airflow in the stalactite cave, Han Li found an extremely well-hidden exit after several hours and finally stepped onto the surface.
Fearing that the group of demonic cultivators might still be lurking nearby, Han Li didn’t dare delay. He immediately summoned his Divine Wind Boat and flew toward Mount Taiyue.
The journey was uneventful, and seven or eight days later, Han Li returned to Yellow Maple Valley. After reporting a simplified version of his experiences to the on-duty steward, he returned to his cave residence to await further orders.
By then, he had learned that the second wave of the great war had already begun. In the early stages, with strong support from two other countries, the Seven Sects seemed to have gained the upper hand against the Six Sects. This had eased the tense atmosphere in Yellow Maple Valley, making it less pessimistic than at the start of the war.
Returning to his cave and finding everything unchanged, Han Li breathed a sigh of relief.
Although returning to the sect now might not be the wisest move—chances were high he’d be drafted—the Seven Sects were imposing severe punishments on disciples who evaded their duties. Penalties ranged from fines in spirit stones to having their cultivation crippled, and there was no leniency.
He had heard that nearly a hundred people across the Seven Sects had already been punished to varying degrees.
To determine whether disciples were avoiding battle, those without assigned tasks or who had completed their missions were required to report back to their sect within a specified time. Those who failed to return on time without a valid reason would be penalized.
Of course, the consequences for outright hiding or fleeing to another country were even more severe—they would face lifelong pursuit by the Seven Sects’ enforcement teams. As long as the Seven Sects existed, the hunt would never cease.
Unwilling to leave Yellow Maple Valley and flee Yue Country at this time, Han Li had no choice but to return obediently and follow orders.
In fact, he estimated that with both the demonic and righteous paths expanding, there would be no peaceful places left in the entire South Heaven region. Sooner or later, every region’s cultivation world would be drawn into the conflict. Given that, it was better to stay in Yue Country—after all, it was hard to leave one’s homeland.
The first thing Han Li did upon returning to his cave was to soak the pair of spider eggs in the Spirit Spring, allowing the spiritual energy to slowly nurture them until they hatched.
He then immediately went into seclusion for two days and finally mastered the first layer of the Great Development Art. Coincidentally, the Green Yuan Sword Art, which had shown no progress for a long time, simultaneously broke through to the fifth layer, elevating Han Li to the mid-stage of Foundation Establishment.
This delighted Han Li immensely. After all, every increase in his cultivation level at this time meant a better chance of survival in the turmoil.
However, what puzzled Han Li was that, several days after his return, the sect still hadn’t assigned him any tasks. This made him uneasy!
Based on his experience, the more abnormal something seemed, the more it indicated trouble and danger.
But then again, Han Li reconsidered—in the current conflict with the Six Sects, what task could truly be safe? Even guarding a spirit stone mine had nearly cost him his life. So, in the end, any task was equally perilous.
With this perspective, Han Li regained his calm. He used this brief respite to investigate what exactly the “Great Shift Token” was.
As for his master Li Huayuan and Hong Fu, he didn’t need to report about Dong Xuan’er. As Core Formation cultivators, they were already assigned tasks and were not in the sect.
After two days of searching through the extensive collections in Yellow Maple Valley’s Heavenly Knowledge Pavilion, Han Li finally found a brief introduction to the “Great Shift Token” in a book called “Dongxuan Interpretations.”
According to the book, this blue-glowing token was a necessary magical tool for ancient cultivators performing ultra-long-distance teleportation. Without it, safety during teleportation could not be guaranteed.
Only with the “Great Shift Token” could ancient cultivators avoid being crushed to death by the spatial pressure generated during ultra-long-distance teleportation. For short-distance teleportation, spatial pressure was negligible—for instance, Han Li had felt nothing unusual when using the small teleportation formation inside and outside the Yue Lu Hall.
As for how the Great Shift Token ensured the teleporter’s safety, the book didn’t elaborate. Moreover, the method to create the “Great Shift Token” had been lost during the distant turmoil in the cultivation world. Existing tokens had gradually disappeared, and by today, they had become legendary items. No one had heard of anyone possessing one.
However, this was irrelevant to the current cultivation world!
Ancient teleportation formations had become even more legendary than the “Great Shift Token.” While it was unknown about other places, in the South Heaven region, not a single one remained on the surface. Whether any survived in remote, inaccessible areas or within the secret grounds of certain sects or families was hard to say.
The farthest teleportation formations that could be built in the current cultivation world spanned only about a hundred miles—nothing compared to the ancient formations that could cover tens of millions of miles. Even so, the exorbitant cost of building teleportation formations meant that even a major sect or family could afford only three or four at most. Any more would be too painful to bear.
After understanding the purpose of the Great Shift Token, Han Li’s first thought was, “Could that underground teleportation formation be an ancient one?”
This speculation made his heart race! He knew it was highly possible.
If so, with the Great Shift Token and a repaired teleportation formation, he could instantly travel tens of millions of miles away. He wouldn’t have to wade through the muddy waters of the conflict between the Seven Sects and the Six Sects anymore. Instead, he could go to a new place and continue his cultivation.
Once this idea took root, Han Li could no longer contain himself. He began searching for books related to ancient teleportation formations, hoping to find a way to repair the underground one.
He spent several more days in the well-stocked Heavenly Knowledge Pavilion, poring over countless books on formation arrays. Yet, he found no information on ancient teleportation formations.
This greatly disappointed Han Li!
Then, he remembered someone who might be able to help him repair the formation.
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage