Автор: sergey

Han Li looked at Silvermoons transformed appearance as she departed, sighing in amazement at her impressive illusion. In all manners of appearance and aura, she appeared exactly the same as him.

Does Senior believe Silvermoons illusion techniques will allow her to trick the two pursuers? Han Li asked Monarch Soul Divergence. In any case, they should most likely not be able to see through her since I cant detect anything either.

Your artifact spirit is quite unique! Even I am unable to completely see through her illusion. At one moment, her illusion is weaker and in another, it is stronger. If it werent for the holy beast of theirs, they definitely wouldnt be able to differentiate between the two of you. freeebnovl.cm

After a moment of silence, Han Lis feeling of unease still remained, but he flew in the opposite direction of Silvermoon regardless.

Of course, Han Li couldnt have known that giving Silvermoon a portion of the Gold Devouring Beetles was an unintentionally effective move.

When the Soaring Tribes Immortals saw that Han Li split into two and were heading in different directions, the purple-haired woman and the Saintess exchanged a look of dismay and stopped.

The purple-haired woman brushed the hair from her face and she clicked her tongue in amazement. What is this? An incarnation technique? Their auras and spiritual Qi fluctuate at the same strength and they both appear entirely the same. That cultivator truly has many techniques.

Feeling quite the headache from this sudden development, the Saintess said, The distance is too far between them. There is no way of telling which one is the genuine of the two with our spiritual sense. Ill have the Holy Beast examine them.

Soon after, the woman uttered a few words to the Endless Sky Beast with an ancient language. Azure light then flashed from the beasts body and the pair of bull horns on its body became crystalline and transparent. It cried out several times and it gave the Saintess an answer with its spiritual sense.

It is truly troublesome. He mightve discovered we were tracking him through the scent of the Gold Devouring Beetles. Both of these doppelgangers possess the beetles and the Holy Beast isnt able to differentiate them.

The purple-haired woman raised her brow and said, If thats the case, we cant let either of them escape.

Its no matter. Let us each pursue one of them each. Now that were so close and hes using such tricks to split us apart, he shouldnt have anything else up his sleeve. Since he plans on dividing our forces, how about we properly oblige him? The Saintess then wore a cold smile.

Yes, but I heard that while this person possesses mid-Nascent Soul cultivation, his abilities are no weaker than a late-Nascent Soul cultivator, the purple-haired woman worriedly said, However, hes injured so you shouldnt have much to fear from him if you encounter his true self. I will chase the other one. So long as he doesnt use any wicked movement techniques, I should be able to deal with him and join back with you.

Please dont worry, Immortal Sun. Although that crimson movement technique is strange, it clearly comes at great cost, or he wouldve already used it to leave us behind. Hes managed to escape us until now but I reckon he is at the end of the line. I also have the holy cauldron to protect me so there are no worries. The Saintess smiled and spoke with confidence.

In that case, it should be fine. Ill be heading out first. The purple-woman smiled and then flew off in a purple streak of light, chasing after one of the Han Lis.

As for the Saintess, she chased after the other one with a cold glint of light flashing from her eyes.

With a rare tone of concern, Monarch Soul Divergence said, Theyve separated as youve expected. Youngster Han, your plan to separate them was truly effective. It appears their holy beast only has a fraction of its soul and is still lacking in its abilities. Even if you dont kill that Endless Sky Beast soon, the duration of the seal release will run out and the two Grand Immortals will return. Youll be left in dire straits, not to mention the Endless Sky Saintess wont be easy to deal with either.

Han Li used his spiritual sense to look at the Saintess trailing behind him and he sullenly replied, I have a plan. I dont wish to kill the woman, only the holy beast. It shouldnt take much time.

Oh? Then I will wait and see what happens. Monarch Soul Divergence said with a calm tone.

Han Li didnt reply. When the time came and he felt an opportunity was about to arrive, he suddenly flew in a circle and slapped his storage pouch, releasing several thousands of Gold Devouring Beetles in a surging rush. They formed a golden buzzing cloud that revolved in the air.

Then, several tens of sparkling gold flying swords shot out from his sleeve. Under the control of a spell seal, they transformed into over a hundred astonishing swordlights wrapped around his body.

After forming two incantation gestures, he shouted, Join! The swordlights trembled and flew upward, filling the air with blinding golden light. In the blink of an eye, it formed an imposing twenty-meter-long sword.

Han Li then opened his mouth and spat out a ball of purple flames. It transformed into a foot-long bird and charged into the huge sword.

The purple firebird ruptured and covered the huge sword in a layer of purple flames. Countless small arcs of golden lightning then flash from within the purple flames, in a display of immense power.

Han Li frowned when he saw this. After some thought, he spat a mist of azure Qi onto the sword. Suddenly, the arcing lightning from the sword disappeared without a trace.

He nodded with satisfaction from the sight and under his mental command, the golden sword pierced into the sky, instantly entering the black clouds and disappearing without a trace.

At that moment, a faint speck of light could be seen from the horizon. It was the Endless Sky Saintess.

Han Li narrowed his eyes when he saw her and his sleeve trembled, summoning a set of azure flying swords that began to circle around him. A blue shield then flew out from his other sleeve to block his front.

He flipped his two palms to summon an ancient purple mirror he acquired from Devilfall Valley in one hand, and his Spirit Subjugation Talisman in the other. With the Soullock Seal lifted, the last use of his talisman should raise his cultivation to an even higher level than the last two times he used it. Having thought that, he quietly waited in place for the Saintess to arrive.

Although the holy beast didnt possess a high cultivation, its speed was truly unordinary. In a span of a few breathes, it quickly arrived several hundred meters in front of Han Li.

Han Li coldly examined the Saintess and then turned to look at the Endless Sky beast. Apart from its large bull head, he wasnt able to make out anything particularly fearsome about it.

Compared to the beast, the Endless Sky Saintess was far more eye-catching. She possessed outstanding and unique charm, not to mention her immensely powerful cultivation as well.

As Han Li examined her, the Saintess did so as well. She felt somewhat alarmed by Han Lis young appearance, but her attention was immediately attracted to the huge cloud of Gold Devouring Beetles in the sky. She couldnt help but betray an expression of delight.

You… The Saintess hesitated for a moment as if wanting to ask something.

However, Han Li had a limited amount of time before the Soullock Seal would take effect again, and he also feared she would discover the huge sword hidden in the sky. Uninterested in the woman wasting his limited time, he silently pointed to the Gold Devouring Beetles in the sky and command them to charge towards her. Then, the azure flying swords fluttering around him swept towards the woman in waves of sword blurs.

Youre courting death! When the Endless Sky Saintess saw that Han Li immediately set out to attack, she flew into a rage and raised her hand, releasing a dark green bracelet from her wrist. It massively grew in size and rushed to meet the sword blurs.

She tossed a spirit beast pouch into the air with her other hand. In a flash of golden light, over ten huge fully-matured Gold Devouring Beetles shot towards the insect cloud.

As this all happened, she hadnt noticed how the black clouds in the sky were slowly growing closer to her.

The jade band was a powerful ancient treasure. As soon as the azure sword blurs made contact with it, the jade band began to quickly spin and contain all the sword blurs inside of it. When Han Li sensed the swords rendered completely ineffective by the powerful revolving force, he felt his heart tremble.

As for the dozen mature Gold Devouring Beetles, they had a huge advantage against Han Lis swarm.

Han Li clearly saw that while his own beetles far outnumbered the fully mature Gold Devouring Beetles, they werent able to harm them in the slightest. Rather, the fully mature Gold Devouring Beetles were devouring the smaller beetles one bite at a time.

With a sullen expression, Han Li silently slapped the Spirit Subjugation Talisman on his body, instantly beginning his transformation. His entire body glowed with crimson light as red scales covered it and a flood dragon horn appeared on the top of his head. An astonishing aura then surged from Han Lis body.

The Saintess yelped in shock, What technique is this?!

But then without the slightest fear, she opened her mouth and spat out a scarf magic treasure. It circled around her body before growing over ten meters long. It then stood upright to reveal the portrait of a huge silver silkworm.

Han Li was startled when he saw this. Just as he pondered about the treasures abilities, light began to glow from the silver silkworm portrait on the scarf and it came to life. It opened its mouth and shot out streams of silver thread in Han Lis direction.

The two were separated by a gap of over three hundred meters, but the dense streams of silver thread closed the distance in an instant.

In Han Lis alarm, he pointed to the blue light shield without any further thought. The shield immediately transformed into a large barrier of light and completely enveloped Han Li. Then, he opened his mouth and spat out a ball of purple flame at the barrier of light.

Purple glacial Qi burst from the light barrier and covered an area of ten meters in front of him. Then with a crackle, a purple ice wall thirty meters tall was raised in front of him.

Senior, Ive already shaken off these Soaring Tribes cultivators three times and left a large distance between them each time, but they were always soon to catch my trail. Could it be there is some spiritual sense strengthening technique that is beyond the Great Development Technique? How can they catch sight of me so far away? Han Li asked, his complexion deathly pale from strain.

At that moment, Han Li had already lifted the Soullock Seal and was flying through the air in an azure streak. He had done this three times already to make use of the Bloodshadow Evasion Technique each time, bringing Han Lis body to the brink of crisis.

If he wasnt using several high-grade secret techniques to forcefully suppress his baleful Qi backlash and his use of a dozen drops of Myriad Spirit Milk to make up for the blood essence requirement of Bloodshadow Evasion, he feared he wouldnt be able to press on.

And under such strain, he had already lost three years of his cultivation. If it werent for the many medicine pills he had taken, it was quite possible that he wouldve dropped to an entire level of cultivation.

With his body pushed to its limits and the late-Nascent Soul cultivators pursuing him, he found himself in dire crisis. But before he figured out how the Soaring Tribes Immortals were tracking him, he couldnt rashly make use of the Bloodshadow Evasion Technique. Otherwise, hed be ruining himself only for them to eventually track him down.

Monarch Soul Divergence coldly snorted and said, Although I am completely confident in my Great Development Arts, I dont dare to boast it as the number one spiritual sense technique in the cultivation world. There arent many who possess aptitude greater than mine, but they do exist. The possibility of them possessing a particularly powerful technique is miniscule.

However, those chasing you arent tracking you down through an immensely powerful spiritual sense. Instead, they are tracking you through inhuman means.

When Han Li heard this, he came to a sudden realization. Inhuman means? You mean that demon beast?

Thats right. Didnt you sense something similar to a demon beast behind you? Its appearance is exactly the same as what the Soaring Tribes mortal described of their patron god, the Endless Sky Beast. Those people from the Endless Sky Temples most likely summoned the beast to deliberately reclaim the face they lost from having their Nascent Soul Immortals killed by you. It isnt odd for something not from this world to be able to track you down.

Han Li frowned and hesitantly asked, The Endless Sky Beast? Ive made note of it, but this particular beast only possessed magic power around the level of a grade seven demon beast, far inferior to the Moulans sacred bird. How can it possess such abilities?

Hehe, Ive heard you speak of your continents war against the Moulan and how they summoned a projection of their sacred bird with the assistance of a treasure. It merely possessed an illusory body and emerged in this world from nowhere. From what I sensed, the demon beast following you should have a genuine body. If thats the case, the Endless Sky Beast seemed to use an ability similar to the Elder Devils possession through the use of some other beasts as a medium to bring itself into this world. Do not underestimate the abilities this incarnation possesses. If you give it enough time, it will grow into a fearsome existence. To the best of my knowledge, there are several other similar incarnations that descended into this world, but they are all fearsome to behold. And they are rarely ever seen by common cultivators.

There are such kind of beings in our mortal world? However, there is no time for me to further discuss this matter with you. Regardless of whether this is a demon beast or a holy beast, does Senior have a method of escaping its pursuit? It will be greatly troublesome if the seal continues to be lifted. As Han Li swept his spiritual sense behind him, he spotted three cultivators and a demon beast in the distance behind him and grew apprehensive as a result.

Monarch Soul Divergence answered, There are countless strange beasts in the upper realms. Who knows what kind of amazing abilities it is using to track you. Your Qi restraining abilities are quite to my satisfaction as well. It appears there are no good methods apart from slaying this beast. However, I can instruct you on a simple method of feigning death, capable of extinguishing all signs of life from your body, but I do not know how useful this will be. After all, the demon beast might not be tracking you down through your aura.

Han Li grew silent and then a cold glint flickered from his eyes. He fiercely said, Fine, then I will kill this beast.

Monarch Soul Divergence said with alarm, I fear you wont have the opportunity to kill that beast. It is being accompanied by two Grand Immortals and that masked mid-Nascent Soul stage woman should be the Endless Sky Saintess. Her abilities shouldnt be anything to underestimate either.

If I dont take the risk, there will be no opportunities. I will have to treat my second Nascent Soul as a disposable resource if I am to succeed. Han Li said with an icy tone.

Silvermoon then said, Master, if you plan on doing that, I also wish to help you.

After hearing her, Han Li asked, How are your injuries? Will you be able to persist in drawing their attention away as an artifact spirit?

Silvermoon smiled and said, I am the artifact spirit of Masters magic treasure. No matter how severe my injuries may be, so long as Masters flying swords arent destroyed, I will not die. Master doesnt need to worry much on my behalf. At most, I will only remain asleep in Masters magic treasure for a few years.

After some consideration, Han Li sighed and said, Alright. Since our current situation is far from good, I will have to trouble you.

Afterwards, Han Li learned the incantation for feigning death from Monarch Soul Divergence. With that memorized, he then immediately placed his hand on the top of his head.

His second Nascent Soul appeared in a flash of black light and spat out the Yin Sifting Banner from its mouth. It then shook the flag without end and leaped into the air. In the blink of an eye, black clouds gathered around them in a storm, darkening the sky for a whole kilometer and filling the air with devilish Qi.

Take this. If the Endless Sky Saintess chases after you with the beast, use this sword to strike it down. Han Li said with an imposing tone. Then with a wave of his hand, he summoned a small crimson sword and tossed it into the black clouds. It was the Blood Devil Sword.

Afterwards, a piercing shriek echoed from the clouds and the sword flew off with astonishing momentum.

Han Li glanced at the devilish cloud in the distance with a sullen expression. Then, he summoned a small bottle with a flip of his hand and poured a drop of Myriad Year Spirit Milk into his mouth.

His body brightly glowed with spiritual light and he tore through the sky in an azure streak.

…

Whats going on? If Im not mistaken, the foreign cultivators Nascent Soul materialized and fled on its own? When the purple-haired woman saw this, she couldnt help but yelp in astonishment.

The elegant man shook his head and said in a grave tone, That cant be right. If an ordinary Nascent Soul materializes, its body cannot move on its own. However, that person is now fleeing in a different direction from his Nascent Soul. Could it be he cultivated something similar to the Three Corpse Soul Technique?

The purple-haired woman wore a pensive expression and said, If hes trying to use a doppelganger technique in an attempt to escape us, he wont succeed. The Nascent Soul wont be able to escape us either so long as we pay attention to its whereabouts. Now that an intact Nascent Soul has fled, it shouldnt be something like the Six Soul Divisions Technique that Fellow Daoist Gui cultivates. Could it be this is a legendary second Nascent Soul?

The Saintess frowned and felt a wave of alarm.

The elegant man turned his head to the Saintess and asked, Did the Holy Beast sense anything strange?

It cant, the Saintess sighed, the Holy Beast only managed to bring a trace of its spiritual sense into this world. It will need over a hundred years of cultivation before it can completely make use of its spiritual sense. Its abilities are limited as its cultivation is only at the level of a grade seven demon beast.

The elegant man pondered for a moment before saying, This will be somewhat troublesome. Since we cant distinguish which one is genuine, we cannot allow either one to flee. How about I take on the Nascent Soul while you two pursue the man with the Holy Beast. With my abilities, it shouldnt take much time to deal with a mere Nascent Soul.

That plan sounds reliable, the purple-haired woman said with a smile. With me by the Saintess side, nothing should happen to her. While that Nascent Soul might not be his primary soul, dont kill it for now. First, try to find the method to breed the Gold Devouring Beetles from it.

Of course, the elegant man said, Ive considered that as well.

The Saintess felt there was no problem with this plan either and agreed.

The elegant man parted ways with the other two and flew after Han Lis second Nascent Soul in a thirty-meter long green streak of light, disappearing from view. The Endless Sky Saintess and the purple-haired woman didnt change direction and continued pursuing Han Li.

Soon, the two traveled over fifty kilometers and closed the distance between them and Han Li.

…

We should only be about thirty kilometers away from them. Silvermoon, its time for you to leave. Han Lis sleeve trembled as a small silver wolf flew out from it, landing at Han Lis side. Then in a blur, Silvermoon took the shape of Han Lis form.

Han Lis face wore a wry smile in response, but since there was no time, he said nothing else and summoned a storage pouch and a thumb-sized azure pearl before handing them over to Silvermoon.

Han Li explained, Since youre a tool spirit without a flesh body and wont be able to nimbly control magic treasures, bring the Gold Devouring Beetles with you and the lightning pearl. If that demon beast follows after you, consider nothing else apart from wounding the beast. It will be fine so long as you disable it for the time being.

Master, be at ease. If the Endless Sky Beast follows me, I will not allow it to easily escape. In Han Lis image, Silvermoon took the two treasures and tore through the sky in a silver streak.

The Endless Sky Saintess gradually sped up her incantations and extended her finger at the cauldron, ordering its lid to launch into the air in a streak of azure light. Then, sparkling grains of sand flew out from the cauldron and enveloped the altar, entrancing all the spectators present.

When the Saintess saw this, she stopped her incantations and pointed to the chained bison on the altar. In a flash of light, the silver chains constricted, tightly digging into the beasts flesh until they cut through it like a thousand blades, splitting the beast into over a hundred pieces and filling the air with the scent of blood.

The azure sand began to stream onto the silver chains and densely cover the altar. Then, the bisons corpse began to pulse in azure light as the sand gradually consumed its flesh, much to the shock of those watching.

A ball of green light suddenly flew out from the bisons corpse and directly shot into the air. It was the primal soul that the Azure Wind Bison had strenuously cultivated for many years. But before it could travel far, several bolts of azure light streaked out from the altar and struck it down, submerging it into the streams of sand below.

After the time it took to finish a meal, the huge beasts corpse had completely disappeared. The entirety of its flesh and bones had been consumed by the azure sand with each grain containing a trace of its blood.

When the Saintess saw this, she calmly waved towards the huge white python and the chains tightened around it, silently bringing it to the top of the altar.

A similar sacrifice occurred with the python. With the flesh and souls of the two grade seven demon beasts consumed, the azure sand transformed into a cloud of blood above the altar and floated there motionlessly.

Then, the Saintess used an incantation gesture to will the huge cauldron to slowly float from the altar in a series of trembles.

She turned to the two late Nascent Soul cultivators behind her and respectfully said, I am going to start summoning the holy beast. Please lend me your power.

The elegant youth smiled and calmly said, Of course. We will do our utmost.

The purple-haired woman pursed her lips in a smile as well.

The Saintess nodded and raised her hands. She flicked her fingers and repeatedly struck the surrounding spell formation with spell seals. Soon, it began to shine with bright light in activation.

Both the huge cauldron on the altar and the spell formation underneath began to pulse azure light in synchronization. The azure flame on the cauldron also weakened.

The Saintess walked half a step forward and raised her head, uttering a cryptic incantation. Then the two Grand Immortals placed a hand on the Saintess shoulders and slowly channeled spiritual power into her body.

The Saintess body glowed with silver light and the pattern of a flood dragon with an ox head appeared on her forehead. She pressed her hands together and then opened them to release two beams of pure spiritual power at the cauldron.

As the cauldron spun, it absorbed the white light without end. And soon, it began to spout out a mist of azure light that soon condensed into a head-sized ball of light above the cauldron. As time went on, more of the mist concentrated in the ball and glowed with blinding light.

The Saintess expression turned grim when she saw this, and the beams of light in her hand fluctuated in size as if attempting to control the cauldron.

The two Grand Immortals continued to pour in spiritual power into the Saintess body, not daring to stop or neglect their task.

As time slowly passed by, the ball of light grew more dazzling and began to release a sharp shriek. At that moment, the spell formation surrounding them began to hum and continuously release beams of various-colored light towards the ball.

The Saintess expression grew stern with caution and she began to quicken her incantation.

A while later, the ball of light shrunk before rupturing into a blazing azure sun. It faded away to reveal an egg-sized azure hole floating in the air. The hole only existed for a short time before fading away.

Soon, a scarlet light shot out from the hole and charged into the cloud of blood above.

The scarlet light was a magnet to the bloody grains in the cloud, drawing the sand towards itself in a rush and tightly covering it in a squirming foot-large crimson cocoon. The Soaring Tribe Immortals watching this were dumbstruck by the sight.

The Saintess silently pointed at the huge cauldron, causing countless azure threads to shoot out from it, wrapping around the crimson cocoon and dragging it into the cauldron. Then, its lid slammed down onto the cauldron and sealed it.

Azure flames surged to ten meters in height around the cauldron, completely submerging it. The spell formation below the altar then began to flicker with light and condense an astonishing spiritual Qi that slowly poured into the flames.

When the Saintess saw this, she sighed with relief.

The Saintess turned around and spoke with a clear voice, The ritual was finished smoothly. However, we will need to wait a month before we can see the result of the Holy Beasts incarnation. Of course, even if the Holy Beast incarnation cant remain long in our mortal realm, it will last at least a week. This will be more than enough time for the Holy Beast to find the foreign cultivator. After the Holy Beast completes its sculpted body, the two Grand Immortals and I will lead the hunt for the foreign cultivator. Before this, everyone should rest and prepare yourselves.

Naturally, the Soaring Tribe Immortals didnt raise any objections to this and they all departed. However, a few were curious and couldnt help but take a few more glances at the huge cauldron.

Not long after, only the Saintess and the two Grand Immortals remained in the restricted area.

Fellow Daoist Xu, Immortal Sun! The Saintess called out to the two late Nascent Soul cultivators and said, I must trouble you two to guard the cauldron for two days to prevent anything unexpected from happening.

Of course, the purple-haired woman immediately replied, We dont wish for our ten years of effort to fail while were on the verge of success.

The elegant man nodded and said nothing else.

The Saintess relaxed when she heard this, but then, a series of thunderous growls faintly shook the cauldron and caused her expression to freeze. Soon after, the three cultivators present exchanged a glance and promptly sat cross-legged around the altar.

…

Two days later, the sounds of a bell repeatedly rang throughout the Endless Sky Temples. The many low-grade cultivators and tribes that still remained at the temples looked at them with astonishment.

Afterwards, over a dozen streaks of light tore through the sky and flew south without any intention of stopping. Although the streaks of light traveled quickly and no one could see who was flying inside them, it was obvious that none of these streaks of light couldve belonged to low-grade cultivators, much to the shock of those who saw them.

…

Three days later, an azure streak flew past the southern end of the Heavenly Water River, the Endless Sky Plains largest river. It flew a large circle on the rivers surface, revealing itself to be a crimson flood dragon with an ox head.

The flood dragon was only a dozen meters long and a layer of faint azure light covered it, obscuring its precise appearance. The Endless Sky Saintess was floating above its head, as she examined the surface of the water.

A moment later, several streaks of light flashed from the sky and two Grand Immortals had appeared.

Fellow Daoist Lin, has the Holy Beast found him? The purple-haired woman asked.

The Saintess answered, Definitely. Since this person is carrying so many Gold Devouring Beetles, he wont be able to conceal himself from the Holy Beast. He shouldnt be far from the surface of the water. This person is truly cunning to flee when the Holy Beast submerged. It was how he was able to conceal himself from us so many times. Let us go.

Good, the elegant man coldly replied, I also wish to see whether or not he is truly a Yin Sifting Sect Elder. He was already struck by Brother Hus Elemental Immortalwrest Palm, but he is still able to safely evade us. I truly wish to see what he is capable of.

I heard this persons appearance wasnt very tall and he seemed young. I also wish to see who is this powerful character, the purple-haired woman said.

Since you two are so eager, lets go. The silver-robed woman chuckled and then a silver mark appeared on her forehead. By using some sort of ancient language, she spoken to their holy beast beneath her with a respectful tone. Afterwards, the holy beast snorted and took off in a streak of azure light.

When the other cultivators saw this, they hastily followed after her.

They followed the river for over two hundred kilometers before finding a section of narrow river channels. Afterwards, a faint crimson streak emerged from the water and streaked far into the distance before suddenly disappearing.

The Saintess waited for her two companions to catch up and said, Not good! The foreign cultivator had sensed something and used a secret evasion technique to run. He is now over a hundred kilometers away. It will be troublesome given how powerful this persons spiritual sense is. The others are too slow. Lets go ahead and block his path. Otherwise, it is going to be hard to track him again.

The two Grand Immortals didnt raise any objections. They promptly raised their hands and sent a voice transmission to the few cultivators following them. Then the three quickly followed the foreign cultivators track with all their speed.

Although they were so far away and werent able to lock their spiritual sense onto the foreign cultivator, the incarnation of their holy beast possessed profound and great abilities. The three were right on his tail.

The chase continued for an entire day. Although Han Li would use the Bloodshadow Evasion Technique to separate from them by a huge distance, they would soon track him down and give chase once more.

Han Li was forced to unseal his cultivation three times, and now that he was still unable to shake them off, his heart grew sullen.

Han Li muttered to himself as he looked down at the corpse of the burly youth that was originally in possession of the Snow Crystal Pearl. He had wished to save the youth and ask about the Great Jin, but from his black-purple complexion, it appeared he committed suicide with poison.

Knowing this calamity would be difficult to escape from, he swallowed a fierce poison before the battle. In case he was captured, he wouldnt have any fear of having his soul being refined, but given how fast his soul dissipated, it seemed he had done something else as well.

Han Li shook his head, feeling at a loss of whether he should laugh or cry. What a shock it wouldve been if he had somehow found out that Han Li wouldve saved him after he arrived in the afterlife. Regardless, Han Li had no relationship to his person and didnt feel particularly strongly over the matter. Then, he flicked a small fireball at the youths corpse, turning it into ash without much further thought.

A moment later, the cloud of devilish Qi returned. Han Lis second Nascent Soul waved the small black flag in its hand and absorbed all of the devilish Qi into it. Then it flew a circle above Han Li before disappearing into the top of his head.

He then looked around and saw the Soaring Tribes mortals looking at him with fear.

Lets not stay here any longer. Follow me. You still need to tell me the location of the secret cave before you die. Han Li spoke at one of the carriages.

Feng Yue slowly emerged from the carriage with his head wearing a cloak. Then with a voice faintly carrying a trace of excitement, he said, So you were actually an elder of the Yin Sifting Sect. It was no wonder you were able to easily kill that traitor Feng Zhen and possessed a medicine as rare as the Vast Essence Pill.

A Yin Sifting Sect Elder? Ill speak of the matter later. Lets go. Han Li coldly chuckled and then took to the sky on a flying sword.

Feng Yue hesitated for a moment before closely following after him. Two streaks lit the sky and slowly departed into the distance.

At that moment, the Soaring Tribe mortals finally gathered the courage to reform their caravan. When their leaders met face to face, they wore a bitter expression. All of the Immortals they hired were either dead or gone. They were still confused over what had happened to them.

Over the next few days, the matter was eventually made known. Although the cultivators were low grade, their deaths were still significant, particularly because it involved cultivators of the Great Jin.

The cultivators of a few temples immediately responded after hearing of the news. After a bit of investigation, they recognized the killer of the Great Jin cultivators was that same foreign cultivator that had slain several of their Immortals. From what the mortals saw and given the cultivators who perished were from the Great Jin, the identity of this foreign cultivator was made known to be an elder of one of the Ten Grand Sects of the Great Jin the Yin Sifting Sect.

In their previous battles, the foreign cultivator clearly hadnt made full use of his powers as he still held his sect protection treasure in reserve, but now that the Yin Sifting Sect Flag was discovered in his possession, it was now made clear the foreign cultivator was amongst the most important elders in the Yin Sifting Sect. The Soaring Tribes Immortals that fought against him trembled when they found out about this.

At that moment, a few Soaring Tribes Immortals came to a conclusion on why the foreign cultivator had appeared in the Endless Sky Plains and was attacking them with such strength.

In the holy war several tens of years ago, the Yin Sifting Sect was supporting the Moulan. Could it be that the Yin Sifting Sect Elder had infiltrated deep into the Endless Sky Plains for revenge over the Moulan Tribes defeat or was it some other conspiracy? This reasoning made just enough sense to justify his actions.

The Soaring Tribes Immortals felt much more at ease with that misleading conclusion as they now had a background to attach to this enemy foreign cultivator. They believed now they knew how to better deal with him.

The Endless Sky Temple immediately sent a large number of cultivators out to patrol the border of the Jin Empire and the Endless Sky Plains to prevent the Yin Sifting Sect from rescuing their elder. They also quickly gathered a large number of Nascent Soul cultivators in order to eliminate the Yin Sifting Sect Elder. Regardless of the foreign cultivators identity or powers, he wouldnt be leaving the Endless Sky Plains alive. If he were to somehow escape, it would cause a massive loss of face and prestige for the Endless Sky Temple if it were made known.

For this Day of Spirit Release, the Endless Sky Priestess was personally presiding over the Spirit Release Rites at one of the temples and hastily rushed through the ceremony in two days.

The next day, over a hundred high-grade Immortals finished their bathing rites and began to gather behind the temple in a carefully guarded area.

This restricted area spanned over three thousand meters and had a huge formation diagram at its center with over a hundred mid-grade spirit stones embedded within it.

At the center of the formation, there was a light grey altar over twenty meters tall. It was rather simple and was made of white stone. Apart from several unknown talisman characters on its walls, there were no other decorations and engravings.

There were about a dozen early-Nascent Soul cultivators surrounding the spell formation, all standing in place with a solemn expression as if waiting for something.

After a brief moment of silence, two women and one man walked into the restriction. A slender silver-robed woman walked between them and had her face covered in a white shawl, but her flawless skin, jet-black hair and enchanting eyes were enough to stir anyones soul.

The man that accompanied her was an elegant man in his early thirties, but his eyes seem to contain a vast depth.

As for the woman at her side, she had a beautiful face and an alluring figure, not to mention her strange purple hair. She wore yellow clothes and walked with exposed arms with jet-black, fist-sized ghost heads biting down on each of them, but she didnt reveal the slightest pain.

Greetings Saintess! Grand Elders! When the surrounding Soaring Tribes cultivators saw the three entering, they immediately bowed.

The three nodded in acknowledgment and walked ten meters in front of the altar before coming to a halt and turning around.

The silver-clothed woman gracefully turned around and slowly spoke in a clear and pleasant voice, Everyone, there is no need to be overly courteous. We are not only performing this summoning ceremony to hunt the foreign cultivator down but to also have the incarnation of the sacred beast remain permanently at our temple. I hope you Fellow Daoists will assist me with all your strength. In order to succeed with these summoning rites, these two Grand Elders have spent over ten years in preparation. Grand Elders, please present your offerings.

The other Soaring Tribe Immortals revealed excitement upon hearing this.

The elegant man and purple-haired beauty glanced at one another and smiled before they clapped their palms together, shaking the ground with a series of heavy thuds.

This came as a great shock to many of those present and they hastily looked around them.

Two groups of six-meter-tall copper statues walked in from both sides of the plaza. There were eight statues in each group and their bodies shined with golden light. They were all holding two huge wooden palanquin as they slowly made their way towards the altar.

When the bronze statues brought the palanquin in front of the altar and placed it down, even the more collected bystanders couldnt help but gasp in shock at the sight of what was on it.

On one palanquin there was a large bison that glowed with azure light. On the other was a huge white python coiled up. They were both soundly asleep on the palanquins.

The most notable thing about these demon beasts was the demonic Qi their bodies emitted. It indicated these demon beast were at the peak of grade seven and were on the verge of becoming fearsome grade eight demon beasts. It was no wonder why the Grand Elders spent such a long time before they managed to capture them alive.

The silver-clothed woman cooly swept her gaze across those present and calmly said, This is an Azure Wind Bison and an Ice Armor Python. They are rarely ever found and will be suitable sacrifices. We will have to see whether or not they will be enough for the sacred beasts incarnation to remain in our mortal world. Let us now begin preparations for the sacrifice. She then waved towards the huge beasts on the palanquins.

Suddenly, silver threads shot out from her hand and tightly wrapped around the beasts. Silver light then glowed from the threads and the huge beasts began to float from the ground and make their way towards the altar.

At that moment, the azure bison began to awaken and when it saw what was happening, it knew it was in danger and began to shake its body in an attempt to break free. However, there were several types of restrictions placed on its body as well as over a hundred silver chains restricting it, preventing it from moving in the slightest. It could only watch in furious alarm as it floated towards the altar, its attempts to roar were in vain as its mouth was tightly shut.

The silver-robed woman turned towards the altar and flicked her sleeve, launching a fist-sized ball of azure light in the air. It circled once around the bull before stopping above it and revealing itself to be a small cauldron wrapped in faint azure flames. It continued to spin in place as it floated in the air.

The Saintess formed a hand gesture and began to slowly mutter an incantation. The azure flames surged around the cauldron, causing it to gradually grow to three meters in height.

If Han Li saw this, he wouldve been shocked dumbstruck. Apart from the cauldrons flames, it looked almost exactly the same as the Heavenvoid Cauldron. It had both a similar shape and similar decorative carvings on its surface.

In a rush of wind, golden light flashed in front of the middle-aged man and the Goldflame Stone suddenly flew through the air. Slow to react, he reached out to grab it in his alarm but the Goldflame Stone flew out in a streak of light and into Han Lis grasp.

In that next moment, all of those present were stunned by what they saw. Han Li was holding the stone in a single hand and was carefully examining it while ignoring everyone else.

The middle-aged mans complexion turned pale with rage. He eerily stared at Han Li and uttered, Give that to me and Ill let you live if you cut off your arm.

After Monarch Soul Divergence confirmed the Goldflame Stone was genuine, Han Li put it in his storage pouch with a flip of his hand. He then smiled towards the middle-aged man and said with an indifferent tone, I also want this item. But I dont wish to give it to you or cripple myself. Would it be better for Fellow Daoist to just return without raising a scene?

When the middle-aged man heard this, he grew even more furious and his hands tightened into fists. A foot-wide layer of white light suddenly shined around him as he was about to take action.

When the icy woman at his side saw this, she felt there was something amiss about Han Li. Using the language of the Great Jin, she asked, Commander Gu, whats the matter? What is that strange item? If it isnt important, dont stir up any trouble.

When the middle-aged man heard this, he hesitated before sending her a voice transmission. When she heard this, she revealed an astonished expression. Her expression froze and she asked, Is that true? Are you not mistaken?

I am absolutely certain I am correct, the middle-aged man said with excitement, You should also know I was originally a tool smith and have looked through the Supreme Stone Records countless times as a result. If we bring this wondrous treasure back to the palace master, the merit we would receive would be far beyond what we would gain from returning the traitor and the Snow Crystal Pearl.

When the woman heard this, she looked at Han Li once more and verified he was truly only a Foundation Establishment cultivator. A cold light then flickered from her eyes and her heart was filled with killing intent. With a raised brow, the icy woman commanded, Attack! Kill all of the Soaring Tribes members. Leave no witnesses! The Endless Sky Temple wont become hostile with our Nine Immortals Palace over a few low-grade cultivators and a couple hundred mortals. At worst, well merely compensate them for a fraction of the price. She then opened her mouth and spout out a streak of silver light, arriving in front of a Soaring Tribes Foundation Establishment cultivator in an instant.

Although the Soaring Tribes cultivator was protected by a blue barrier, it wasnt able to block the full powered strike of a Core Formation cultivator. As a result, a scream sounded out and he was split into two. The silver streak circled once in the air to reveal itself as a sparkling white dagger that was about a foot long.

As for the Foundation Establishment cultivators from the Great Jin, they immediately complied with the womans orders and released their magic tools, attacking the remaining Soaring Tribes cultivators. As for the mortals farther away, they were left alone for the time being since they couldnt run.

When the Soaring Tribes cultivators saw the Great Jin cultivators attacking them, they felt both alarm and fury. However, one of them was at early Foundation Establishment stage while the other two were at Qi Condensation stage. Against the joint attacks of the six Great Jin Foundation Establishment cultivators, they were only able to resist for only a moment before being killed. After they were dealt with, the Great Jin Foundation Establishment cultivators approached Feng Yues carriage to deal with him.

The icy woman showed indifference at the sight of this as she stood on the bat. But when she turned to look at the middle-aged man, her expression vastly changed.

When the middle-aged man heard the order to attack, he immediately spat out a flying sword and had it attack Han Li in a white streak.

Han Li sighed and flipped his hand in response, summoning a small pitch-black flag into his hand. With a wave, the flag surged and transformed into a black barrier that protected him from every side. When the silver streak struck the barrier, it was repelled and didnt cause the slightest damage.

Feeling anxious and alarmed at having his attack easily repelled, the middle-aged man quickly employed a sword art, causing the silver streak to circle in the air before turning into a ten-meter-long python. The python tightly wrapped around the light barrier and gaped its mouth wide open in an attempt to rip it open with its fangs. However, the black light barrier was completely unphased by the huge pythons attempts to crush it.

When the icy woman had a good look at the barrier, her heart turned gloomy.

As she predicted, there was a reason why that Foundation Establishment cultivator would dare to contest a Core Formation cultivator over the item. With that in mind, the woman pointed to her dagger in the distance and the magic treasure trembled for a moment before fiercely striking down at the black light barrier in a streak of light.

The icy woman and middle-aged man exchanged a glance and then looked at the intact black barrier with astonishment.

The icy woman turned to her subordinates and sharply commanded, Ignore the one in the carriage. Quickly set this one aflame!

When the Foundation Establishment cultivators heard this, they released their fire-red spell banners into the air and created a cloud of flame into the sky once more. It slowly pressed down on Han Lis black barrier.

Good, very good. This will save me quite a bit of effort. After Han Li said this, light flashed from the top of the black barrier, revealing a giggling black-green Nascent Soul. It was holding a small pitch-black flag in its hand.

Nascent Soul! You… Youre a Nascent Soul cultivator! The icy woman felt as if she were struck by a hammer when she saw the appearance of the Nascent Soul. She then immediately pleaded, Well stop attacking and well immediately leave. We dont dare to contest for the item! At that same moment, she commanded her dagger magic treasure to return.

But then, Han Lis second Nascent Soul wore a faint sneer and waved its flag. Suddenly, the flag surged to ten meters in height and enveloped everything nearby in a rush of dense black Qi, including the fire cloud and magic treasures.

As this occurred, all the Great Jin cultivators lost their mental connection to their magic tools and treasures.

A Yin Sifting Banner? Youre an elder of the Yin Sifting Sect! When the middle-aged man saw the banner, he cried out with fright. Then with his body glowing with light, he took to the skies in a blinding streak, abandoning his magic treasure in the process.

When the icy woman heard the flag was the sect protecting treasure of the Yin Sifting Sect, she felt her blood run cold. Without another thought, she struck the huge bat with several spell seals and pressed down on it with her foot. The bat suddenly grew a third larger, brightly glowed with green light, and released a strange cry before tearing through the sky in a green streak. It flew in the opposite direction of the middle-aged man.

Accustomed to the devilish sects habits of pursuing revenge, the woman didnt truly believe the Yin Sifting Sect Elder would truly cease his attack. She also felt hatred towards the middle-aged man for acting so meddlesome. If it werent for him, they wouldve been able to return without a problem.

The Foundation Establishment cultivators were all frightened in a panic and scattered in every direction on their magic tools.

Azure light flashed from within the cloud of Devilish Qi and Han Li emerged above it. He looked at the fleeing Great Jin cultivators with cold intent.

He slapped one of the pouches at his waist and summoned a dozen half-foot-long streaks of light that took off after the six Foundation Establishment cultivators in groups of two. They were the Six-winged Frost Centipedes.

At that same moment, black light flickered from the banner, creating a meter-wide pitch-black hole in the air. A huge Gold Devouring Beetle wrapped in black Qi flew out from the hole with eyes flickering with crimson light. It suddenly unfolded its wings and transformed into a golden light as it quickly gave chase to the middle-aged man.

After the Gold Devouring Beetle flew off, the black-green Nascent Soul flew onto the Yin Sifting Banner and had it dive into the cloud of devilish Qi below.

The devilish cloud began to roil without end and released a shrieking pitch before charging through the sky. In a blur, the cloud appeared over a three hundred meters away and began to surge in the direction of the huge bat. As it left dense black smoke it resembled a devilish deity that descended upon the earth.

Han Li remained motionlessly floating in the air as he observed this all with indifference.

The Soaring Tribe mortals had fled into the distance when they saw their several immortals were killed. There were a few braver mortals that remained nearby, but they didnt dare to draw close to Han Li, given the power he displayed.

In nearly the blink of an eye, the Six-winged Frost Centipedes had chased down the six Foundation Establishment cultivators.

These cultivators were no match as even Core Formation cultivators would hold the centipedes icy Qi in fear. They covered the cultivators in large chunks of ice, saving them for later to devour their primal soul.

The middle-aged man fled at a speed was no quicker than his Foundation Establishment subordinates as he no longer had his magic treasure. A huge insect was soon tailing after him. With a face of despair, the man was helpless as the Gold Devouring Beetle easily bit through his several barriers and bore into his body. The man then promptly fell from the sky in anguish before soon dying.

As for the icy woman and the huge bat, neither of them possessed a high cultivation, but the womans spell seals and techniques mustered an extreme speed. However, Han Lis second Nascent Soul managed to eventually overtake them and envelope them with the black cloud, giving the woman a silent departure from this world.

By the time the second Nascent Soul returned, Han Li was fiddling with the Snow Crystal Pearl in his hands. When he turned to look at what the Great Jin cultivators left behind, he had a bewildered expression.

Han Lis gaze wasnt focused on the bat but the cultivators that were standing on top of it. Although they were quite some distance away, he was still able to clearly see them with his Brightsight Spirit Eyes.

The group of cultivators had four men and four women. The men wore embroidered robes, jade bands, and magnificent ornaments. As for the women, they wore golden belts, white robes, and were barefoot. From their attire, one could clearly tell they werent from the Soaring Tribes. All of them were at Foundation Establishment stage apart for the two Core Formation cultivators that were leading them. And much to his relief, it appeared they hadnt come for him.

As these thoughts quickly flashed through Han Lis mind, the twenty-meter-long bat flew above the caravan and wildly flapped its wings before stopping above it.

A windstorm suddenly assailed them, blowing several carriages over and scattering their contents out onto the ground. Many of the mortals present even fell to the ground.

In that moment, the Soaring Tribes cultivators were all deeply shocked by this display and looked at each other in dismay.

Who is your leader? Come out and speak. A forty-year-old man standing on top of the bat swept his eyes across the caravan and spoke coldly in the Soaring Tribes language. This person was one of the two Core Formation stage cultivators. The other Core Formation stage cultivator was a white-clothed woman that had a beautiful icy appearance.

When Ying Lu heard this, he felt his heart drop and immediately walked out in the front. But when he bowed and attempted to speak, he was interrupted by the middle-aged Core Formation cultivator with an annoyed expression, Im not talking about the mortals, but the cultivators. The huge bat then waved one of its wings and shot out another gust of wind, blowing Ying Lu several steps back and nearly causing him to fall onto the ground.

When the Soaring Tribes cultivators saw this, they were filled with terror. It appeared these cultivators didnt come with good intentions.

A moment later, they all looked in Han Lis direction. After all, in the cultivation world, leadership defaulted to the one with the highest cultivation.

When Han Li saw this, he felt a wave of gloominess. However, he then discovered that Feng Yue and one other Soaring Tribes cultivator had yet to emerge from their carriages.

It was understandable why Feng Yue hadnt emerged. After all, the proximity of his incoming death had left him on the edge of despair. He had nothing to fear from offending a high-grade cultivator. As for the other cultivator, he was the curious Soaring Tribe cultivator that only possessed a Foundation Establishment cultivation. It was quite questionable why he hadnt emerged.

Could it be they came for him? Han Li pondered.

Helpless, Han Li could only step forward and ask, May I ask what brings you two Seniors over here? If you wish to find someone, something, or have us perform some other task, we are willing to do our best to comply.

A cold glint appeared in the middle-aged mans eye when he heard Han Li speak in a tone that was neither servile nor arrogant. He glanced at his cloak and said, If you want to talk to me, take off your cloak. I wish to have a look at your face.

When Han Li heard this, his heart grew sullen, but since he never revealed his true appearance in his battle against the Soaring Tribes cultivators, the demand wasnt cause for alarm. Without another word, Han Li took his cloak off to reveal an ordinary face.

The cultivators standing on the bat all gazed at Han Li and he even sensed a secret technique employed through the mans eyes to observe him.

A moment later, the man withdrew his gaze and turned to the woman at his side, saying, Thats his true face. He isnt the traitor. The woman nodded and then she swept her gaze past the other cultivators in the caravan and shook her head.

At that moment, the middle-aged man turned to Han Li and said, Tell your companions to come out. Were looking for someone and suspect they might be hiding amongst you. After we find him, we will leave the rest of you alone.

Then, the middle-aged mans lips moved, sending a series of voice transmissions out, and he waved his hand. The six Foundation Establishment cultivators flew off from the bat and they surrounded the carriages containing Feng Yue and the other Foundation Establishment cultivator.

The two carriages were completely silent. When the others saw this, the air became so heavy, they could hardly breathe. The tribe leaders who hired these two cultivators turned deathly pale.

Han Li frowned but remained silent.

When the man saw that the carriages were silent, he couldnt help but coldly laugh. With a wave of his hand, several fist-sized fireballs appeared in the air and shot down towards one of the carriages.

At that moment, a bitter laugh sounded out from one of the carriages. Commander Gu, I already fled for the Soaring Sky Plains and traveled such a far distance. There is no need to execute me here, unless you absolutely insist on having this be my place of death? Before he finished speaking, the carriage erupted and a blanket of white glacial Qi spread out, extinguishing the fireballs upon contact.

A burly youth in his late twenties made an appearance as he held a snow-white crystal ball in his hands, his expression continuously changing.

When the cultivators on the huge bat saw this, they revealed expressions of joy.

The middle-aged mans smile then faded away and he malevolently said, Jiang Jianying, the Snow Crystal Pearl was in your possession as expected. My Mistress had you bring this pearl to North Ice Mountains Sage North, but you dared to steal it away. You still have the audacity to speak? If you obediently return with us, well spare your soul.

At that same time, the six Foundation Establishment cultivators blurred and surrounded the youth, leaving him nowhere to run.

When the youth heard this, he smiled with rage. Having me go to Sage North was the same as having me be a sacrifice. Wasnt I assigned that task because I had ice-attributed spirit roots? I wouldve been ideal sacrificial material to refine for this pearl. If I didnt run, I wouldve died!

Standing on the bat next to the middle-aged man, the icy woman snorted and said, So what if that were the case? Dont forget your current cultivation was all due to the medicine pills our palace gave to you. Otherwise, you wouldve perished a hundred years ago as a beggar, let alone become a cultivator. Not to mention the palace even allowed you to marry and have descendants. There is no problem in the palace asking for your body in return.

Nonsense! The youth scoffed, Even if the palace didnt take me in, another large sect would have, given my mutated spirit roots. As for my wife and children, they are only small acts of kindness in exchange for my life. The palace cant actually believe that to be fair. He then raised the snow-white pearl and a pure white mist spouted out from it, surrounding him in a mist of ice spanning over sixty meters.

You held such rebellious thoughts? The woman emotionlessly said, It is no wonder you didnt care for your family. We will have to bring you back to the palace to deal with your betrayal. Do you believe the Snow Crystal Pearl will be enough to deal with us? Youre delusional. She waved her hand and the six Foundation Establishment cultivators raised scarlet spell flags in their hands. The flags then shot out of their hands and transformed into scarlet fireballs before condensing together into a single thirty-meter-wide fire cloud.

When the youth showed himself, the parties involved began to speak the language of the Great Jin. The other Soaring Tribe members were left at a complete loss. As for Han Li who already learned their language ahead of time, he was particularly dumbstruck when he heard their conversation.

What palace were they talking about? And a commander? Their words were greatly different from what one would expect of a cultivation sect. Rather, it was reminiscent of the various powers that existed in the Scattered Star Seas. Could it be the cultivation world of the Great Jin was as complicated as the one in the Heavenly South?

While the Soaring Tribes members couldnt understand their conversation, they knew that matters had turned for the worse. The mortals had already gone into hiding. As for the Soaring Tribe cultivators, they didnt dare to depart out of fear of causing a misunderstanding and could only protect themselves from accidental injury.

As the fire cloud slowly pressed down on the icy mist, steam roiled and dispersed in every direction in a rather lackluster display.

Although the Ice Crystal Pearl was rather wondrous, its user was a mere Foundation Establishment cultivator. He wasnt able to refine the treasure and make use of its true abilities. As soon as the confrontation began, it became obvious the icy mist was at an immediate disadvantage. The burly youth knew things were far from good and mustered the icy mist with all the might he could, but he was trapped by the fire cloud.

Not long after, the ice mist began to shrink and the burly youth wasnt able to block the fire cloud no matter how much magic power he poured into the pearl. After a few minutes, the mist had shrunk to the size of ten meters.

When the Core Formation woman saw this, she turned to the man at her side and said, Commander Gu, take action. Since he is still useful, capture him alive.

Be at ease. It will be done. The man nodded and then shot towards the icy mist in a streak of white light.

When the six Foundation Establishment cultivators saw this, they all formed a hand incantation and released the fire cloud.

The icy mist roiled and a short moment later, a huge bang sounded out along with a muffled hum before the mist slowly faded away.

The middle-aged man was firmly standing in place as he held the unconscious youth in one hand and the Snow Crystal Pearl in the other. Given the huge disparity in their cultivation, the old man struck down the youth with ease.

The icy woman wore a satisfied expression.

Look after him. This trip can be considered a success. The middle-aged man handed over the youth to one of his subordinates and then pensively looked at the Soaring Tribes members who witnessed this battle.

The woman frowned and said, Dont overreach yourself. This is the Endless Sky Plains, not our Nine Immortals Palace. Although we are acquainted with the Endless Sky Temples, it would be best not to incur any trouble. The Soaring Tribes are very defensive of themselves.

I understand. Then let us set off. Yi! This is… The man nodded and was about to leave when he unconsciously swept his gaze past one of the items left onto the ground and yelped with alarm.

When Han Li followed his gaze, he saw a transparent fist-sized stone.

It appeared quite peculiar. Its exterior was crystalline and its interior shined with a golden flame. Most of its exterior was filthy and unremarkable, but after the earlier steam wiped away the dirt that surrounded it, the stone regained a trace of its original appearance.

Just as Han Li was pondering where he had seen this stone before, Monarch Soul Divergence suddenly shouted out its name, A Goldflame Stone! Its actually a Goldflame Stone! Youngster Han, your luck is quite good.

At that moment, he recalled the item was one of the crucial ingredients he needed to craft the Sevenflame Fan. It hadnt been seen in the Heavenly South for countless years and it was only something that could possibly be found in the Great Jin.

From the old mans strange discovery, there were only two conclusions: either his spiritual sense was mistaken, or there was a cultivator with a spiritual sense far superior to his own most likely being the foreign cultivator. Regardless of the outcome, neither of them would be good.

For the first possibility, it would cause a loss of face in front of his two juniors and a loss of reputation as well, but the second possibility could lead to disaster.

While he made it appear that capturing the injured foreign cultivator would be an easy task, he was among the cultivators that had participated in the battle to stop Han Li and held his grand abilities in terror.

The Nascent Soul cultivators who fell in the battle against Han Li had their bodies had turned to purple ice and their Nascent Souls were subsequently frozen over a scene that remained fresh in the old mans mind. Even if the foreign cultivator was injured, he reckoned that the foreign cultivator could easily bring him down in mutual destruction.

Since there were no other Nascent Soul cultivators nearby and there was a vague possibility of death, he didnt have to mind to confirm whether or not the danger was true. In any case, the Grand Immortals and the Saintess will personally deal with this person after the Day of Spirit Release.

With his heart filled with dread, the bald old man sighed and decided against catching up with the caravan. If he were two hundred years younger, he mightve taken the risk. But now that he was nearing the end of his lifespan, he treasured what time he had left.

The bald old man stared at the caravan as it made its way into the distance as he motionlessly stood in place. As for the pair standing behind him, they both glanced at each other with a bewildered expression, but neither of them were brave enough to ask about it.

…

When the caravan arrived ten kilometers away, Han Li felt a wave of relief. The master of the spiritual sense that had observed them back at the encampment hadnt followed them.

Although Han Li had quickly responded to the spiritual sense search, he was unaccustomed to his drop in cultivation and withdrew his spiritual sense a bit late. He wasnt sure if he had truly concealed himself. And given how indiscernible the spiritual sense was, it was clear that the owner cultivated a secret technique.

His heart relaxed a bit for the time being and he continued to conceal his aura, not daring to be careless.

After travelling for over half a day, Han Li felt a wave of relief and began to slowly release his spiritual sense, covering a perimeter of over ten kilometers. Sensing that nothing was out of the ordinary, Han Li summoned the purple-robed old mans storage pouch with a flip of his hand and poured out its contents in a flash of white light.

Han Li swept his gaze past the pile of items and took a small bottle into his hand. He opened it and took a whiff before shaking his head and setting it aside. Then he took another bottle and did the same as if trying to find something.

Eventually, Han Li opened the lid of an unremarkable green bottle. Before he even recognized what it was, a thread of purple mist drifted out. Han Lis expression grew sullen and he opened his mouth, spitting out a ball of azure light. The thread of purple Qi wrapped around it and soon, the azure light darkened.

Han Lis expression changed. Before the azure light became completely corrupted, Han Li forcefully blew on the light and pushed it into the bottle before quickly sealing it.

He then let out a sigh of relief. His actions hadnt been in vain. He had acquired the remaining agony poison, a rather significant gain. The Ten Absolute Poisons were rarely ever encountered. The Kong Clan mustve been an exceptional power to be able to possess something as rare as this.

He carefully put away the bottle in his storage pouch and then released a thread of spiritual sense out of impulse, peeking into one of the Red Wolf Tribes carriages.

Feng Yue was currently holding a fist-sized pearl with both his hands and meditating with his eyes shut. Black Qi was flowing in from his eyes to the pearl in his hands, causing the pearl to shine with black light. There was a pile of medicine bottles stacked in front of him, but most of them were opened and there were even a few loose pills were scattered to the side.

Han Li shook his head at the sight and withdrew his spiritual sense.

Although this pearl appeared to be some sort of exceptional treasure capable of absorbing poisonous Qi, it had already reached its limit. The absorbed poisonous Qi would soon be replaced by the Agony Poison deep within his body and his efforts would be in vain. It was simply a delusion to believe that hed be able to rid himself of the poison in a mere ten days.

With this thought, Han Li closed his eyes and sank into meditation.

…

Eight days later, the road had been peaceful apart from two low-grade Ironhoof Beasts. They encountered the caravan in a moment of carelessness, much to the joy of the cultivators cultivators, but Feng Yue, Han Li, and one other cultivator hadnt participated in the hunt.

The cultivator that hadnt taken action had aroused Han Lis interest and when Han Li examined him with his spiritual sense, he found that the youth was simply a diligent Foundation Establishment cultivator that was immersed in cultivation. freewebnvel.com

Han Li quickly lost interest in him after examining him a few more times. As for Feng Yue, he had failed in his many attempts to rid himself of the poison and had grown frantic, despair occasionally appearing on his face. His black hair had gradually turned white as well.

This came as no surprise. He was the sole descendant of the Feng Clan and was completely helpless as the death of his bloodline approached. What he suffered was far beyond what an ordinary person could bear. Now, there were only three days left before he ran out of time.

Anyways, Han Li had finished comprehending the incantation Monarch Soul Divergence had given him two days prior. He had gained much peace of mind as he no longer had any fear of being surrounded by Nascent Soul cultivators.

One day as night approached, the caravan of several hundred people stopped beside a river that was about a kilometer wide and made shelter for the night. The various tribes had raised bonfires all around them and were roasting livestock.

When Han Li heard the sound of flowing water, his heart stirred and he departed from the carriage.

The young woman named Ying Shan had been eating a piece of dried meat when Han Li suddenly emerged. With a face flushed with embarrassment, she tossed the meat to the side and respectfully saluted Han Li, saying, Sir Immortal, do you have any orders? Since this was the first time Han Li had emerged from the carriage during the long journey, she had been thrown off guard and was somewhat flustered.

Han Li took a glance at the womans dainty face and looked the meat she tossed aside, then saying, I have none. Ive meditated enough inside the carriage and thought Id have a look around.

That… Somewhat at a loss, the woman proposed, Immortal Han, how about I go fetch you some fresh water?

Han Li glanced at the river nearby and nodded. Thatll be good. Although I no longer feel the need to eat, a drink of fresh water will be good.

When the young woman heard this, she gave a lively response despite the turmoil she felt in her heart and ran to the river with a water sack. When Han Li glanced at her from behind, his heart stirred and he unconsciously smiled.

A short moment later, the young woman brought back the water sack and was holding a piece of roasted meat in her hand. She was panting for breath and offered the two items to Han Li with an embarrassed expression.

With an earnest tone, the young woman said, Sir Immortal, the roasted meat is quite good. Will you try some?

Han Li chuckled and said, Sure! Its been many years since Ive eaten something. A bit of food should be interesting. He then accepted the meat and took a bite, finding the taste to be quite good.

When the young woman saw this, she revealed an adorable expression.

When Han Li was finished with his bite of food, he set it aside and said, It mustve been hard waiting at the side of my carriage. Youre participating in the Day of Spirit Release, right? Extend your hand and let me take look at your spirit roots.

Many thanks, Sir Immortal. When the young woman heard him, she extended wrist with unconcealed excitement.

Han Li grabbed the womans wrist channeled a bit of spiritual Qi into her body and pondered for a moment. If his cultivation hadnt been reduced to Foundation Establishment stage, he wouldve been able to examine her aptitude without touching her.

Immortal Han, how is my aptitude? Do I have any chance of becoming an Immortal? The young woman eagerly asked. Her face wore an expression of hopeful excitement.

You should have no problem becoming an Immortal, but it can be considered destiny that youve met me. Take the medicine before the Spirit Release Rites. Han Li released his grip on her wrist and summoned a small white bottle with a flick of his hand.

This… The young woman received the small bottle with complete surprise.

Although the medicine pill isnt particularly precious, it will improve your constitution and will aid you on your path to cultivation. The medicine was a marrow cleansing medicine pill, something valuable to low-grade cultivators but was of little value to Han Li.

Many thanks for Sir Immortals great kindness. The young woman rejoiced and hastily bowed.

Stand up, Han Li waved his hand at the young woman and said, Perhaps if fate will have, well see each other again in the future. By the way, since this river is so wide, could it be the southern portion of the Heavenly Water River?

The young woman carefully put and bottle away and said, Thats correct, Sir Immortal. It is a branch of the Heavenly Water River. It runs over fifty kilometers down before joining with the true Heavenly Water River.

When Han Li heard this, he said nothing else and began to recall all the details pertaining to the Heavenly Water River.

If he remembered correctly, the river was incredibly long, earning its title as the largest river in the Endless Sky Plains, and it even reached down to the Jin Empire under the name of the Mystical River.

He couldnt help but ponder over this fact.

Then, Han Lis expression stirred and he raised his head to look at the sky across the river with a gloomy expression.

Quickly inform the tribe elders that there is something flying towards us, Han Li sullenly commanded, I dont know if they as passing through or if theyre specifically heading towards us.

The young woman was startled when she heard this and she repeatedly nodded her head before running to Ying Lu and the other tribe leaders. A short moment later, an uproar was raised and everyone quickly ran away from the river.

Before most of the people could return to the carriages, green light flash from over the horizon and a series of low-pitched cries sounded out, revealing a huge bat covered in green light.

Its sinister and frightening appearance caused the mortals to shiver in fear at the sight of it. The many Soaring Tribes cultivators in the caravan all leaped out at their carriages and looked at it with solemn expressions.

Of course. I have no interest in your other affairs. Although weve come to an agreement, let us head somewhere more discrete. This place is too open. Han Li smiled and waved his sleeve at Feng Yue without waiting for him to agree.

A gust of azure light blew around Feng Yue and caught him just as he was about to fall. Then with the azure light wrapping around his waist, he began to float off the ground. Although Han Lis cultivation was sealed, he still possessed his superb control of magic power, something far beyond the capability of an ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivator.

At that moment, his second Nascent Soul emerged from the forest and reappeared in front of Han Li with a tri-pointed stake in one hand and the purple-robed old mans primal soul in the other.

Han Li glanced at the old mans primal soul and emotionlessly said, There is no use for him. Kill him.

When the second Nascent Soul heard Han Li, it grinned and firmly held onto the primal soul before emitting a black-green flame from its small hand. The green ball trembled for a short moment before turning into ash.

At that moment, Han Li flicked his finger and an egg-sized fireball struck the old mans crushed remains, giving them a blazing cremation.

Soon after, Han Li waved at the ground and the old mans storage pouch and small fire-red sword flew into his hand. Then after tidying up the rest of the traces of what had happened nearby, Han Li brought Feng Yue to the sky before dropping down to the field of rocks where he had set up his temporary shelter.

Now that his cultivation was restricted, he had no choice but to be careful.

Additionally, Han Li felt particularly gloomy about how he wasnt able to employ his immensely powerful spiritual sense. It was on the level of a late-Nascent Soul cultivator but he took the initiative to conceal most of it. If a Grand Elder of the Soaring Tribes or any of their Nascent Soul cultivators with strengthened spiritual sense were to detect him, it would be a sure death sentence. As a result, he had pulled back his spiritual sense to only cover the nearby area, preventing any roaming high-grade Soaring Tribes cultivators from noticing it.

When Han Li was caught nurturing his Gold Devouring Beetles, he had been resting a portion of his spiritual sense at the time and had grown careless. Then as it so happened, a mid-Nascent Soul Soaring Tribes cultivator was pursuing a demon bird at a speed comparable to a late-Nascent Soul cultivator about ten kilometers away. Even if Han Li had been on guard at the time, he wouldnt have been able to put away his Gold Devouring Beetles in time and wouldve encountered disaster regardless.

He was truly out of luck for a mid-Nascent Soul cultivator skilled in movement techniques to come across him in a place as vast as the Endless Sky Plains. And he was convinced that if both sides understood each others abilities, a battle wouldnt have broken out between them.

Everytime Han Li recalled this, he found himself not knowing whether to laugh or cry.

He now found a majority of his magic power sealed due to the baleful Qi backlash. And his opponent only managed to have one of his seven split Nascent Souls escape from him. It was likely he suffered a massive loss in cultivation and would take quite some time to recover.

…

The next day, Han Li returned to the encampment. There were far fewer tents there than when he had arrived. It seemed many of the tribes finished resting and had continued on their way. When Han Li found the Grey Heron Tribe, they were already prepared to leave and were waiting for Han Li to return.

Ying Lu was delighted when he spotted Han Li and hastily invited him into a carriage. He then called for the escort to leave through the other side of the encampment.

Han Li sat in his carriage and slowly closed his eyes in preparation to sleep. But against his expectations, the carriage came to a sudden stop right after they left the encampment.

Han Li opened his eyes with a frown, simply releasing a bit of his spiritual sense outside instead of lifting the curtains.

Soon, escorts from various other tribes began to appear and their leaders called out to Ying Lu in greetings before joining together with the Grey Heron Tribe at the front of their caravan. At that moment, Han Li realized that during the time he was absent, the Grey Heron Tribe had formed an alliance of sorts.

These carriages had their own cultivator guards, but their cultivation was pathetically low. Two of the tribes even only had cultivators at Qi Condensation stage. According to the sayings of the Soaring Tribes, Qi Condensation cultivators werent considered true Immortals. It was also unknown how these tribes came across these cultivators. Despite Han Lis sealed cultivation, he still possessed the highest cultivation among the caravan guards.

Han Li stroked his chin and then shook his head with a bitter smile. From the way he saw it, having more tribes in this journey would only serve to inconvenience them instead of being of any help.

Then, the Red Wolf Tribe rushed over. When Han Li saw this, his expression stirred and he thought to release his spiritual sense, but suddenly, a very faint spiritual sense swept across the caravan. If it werent for Han Lis hugely powerful spiritual sense, it was likely he wouldnt have sensed this at all.

Han Lis expression changed and without further thought, he concealed his aura.

As expected, the thread of spiritual sense swept past the entire caravan and then focused on inspecting the cultivators that were present. A moment later, Han Li stood up and began to walk in circles, ultimately deciding to remain inside his carriage.

Han Li wore a sullen expression as he looked at the encampment as they departed.

During that moment, three Soaring Tribes cultivators were standing on the second floor of the stone structure in the encampment, all of them looking in the direction of Han Lis caravan. The bald old man suddenly yelped in surprise and opened his eyes with a bewildered expression.

The large middle-aged man standing behind the old man had a change of expression and his face tensed, asking, Senior Ying, could it be youve discovered him?

The bald old man snorted and gave the middle-aged man an annoyed look. Be at ease. It wasnt the foreign cultivator. There was a person amongst them that was acutely poisoned and surrounded by toxic Qi. I am baffled how he is still alive.

The palace-robed woman standing at the middle-aged mans side smiled and explained, Senior Martial Uncle, Brother Li was simply a bit worried. Senior Martial Uncle might have nothing to fear from the foreign cultivator, but you are the only Nascent Soul cultivator present. Given how vicious this person is, the many small tribes and minor cultivators in the caravans will be drawn into the battle, and while you may be able to fend for yourself, you wont be able to look after the others. I hope youll be able to excuse our worries.

The old man calmly said, You dont have to flatter me. If he wasnt injured, even three of me wouldnt be his match. But now that hes received an injury from the Grand Elders Elemental Immortalwrest Palm, there is no longer anything to fear. As of now, I simply need to keep watch over this area and prevent the foreign cultivator from sneaking away. Our tribe must acquire his method of nurturing so many Gold Devouring Beetles. This effort has gone so far as to stationing a Nascent Soul cultivator among all the nearby encampments in hopes of finding him. After we set down an inescapable net and the Day of Spirit Release is concluded, the Saintess and two Grand Elders will meet at the nearby temple and use the sacred relic to summon an apparition of the holy beast. Then with the aid of its power, we will quickly find where this foreign cultivator is hidden. It will be impossible for him to escape.

The palace-robed woman sighed with relief and said, So it was like that. I was wondering why we werent urged to act after we received our orders.

The old man snorted and said, Who do you think your cheap tricks are fooling? However, no one could blame you. Although he is heavily injured, you still arent a match for him. Not to mention the cultivators dispatched from other areas had mostly behaved the same way. We didnt truly believe that youd be able to scare him out of hiding. After all, the foreign cultivators movement techniques are unordinary. Not only is he skilled in earth movement techniques, but he also used that strange blood-red evasion technique. If he were discovered, we wouldnt be able to hold him down without a Grand Elder present. Also, despite what Ive told you, you still have to follow your orders on the surface and occasionally sweep across the nearby area.

Yes! The large middle-aged man and the palace-robed woman exchanged a glance and happily agreed. After all, they had been a bit anxious about the way they had been dealing with the situation. Now that they had confirmation, they felt much more at ease.

Ah yes, Senior Ying, since you found the poisoned person in the caravan to be odd, do you wish for him to stay behind so that you might interrogate him? The large man said in an attempt to curry favor.

That… The old mans heart stirred and he stroked his beard as he pondered. He then waved his hand and said, Leave it be. It isnt a mystery that he is able to survive if he had some poison warding treasures or had taken some medicine pills. However, this displays he has some Senior backing him. I reckon that he will only have a few days before he perishes. It could be troublesome if he were to die near us.

Yes, it is as you say. The large man said with an embarrassed expression. His attempts at gaining favor had fallen short.

At that moment, the old man took another glance in the direction of the caravan and unconsciously frowned.

When he first swept his spiritual sense through the caravan, he had felt a cultivators body that was under the effects of an unordinary constraint but that sensation was very brief. The second time he examined the caravan, he wasnt able to find any trace of this. This strange occurrence bewildered him and caused him to hesitate.

What other Ning is there? It is the Guan Ning Prefectures Feng Clan of course. It can be considered a significant faction. Feng Yue answered.

The Guan Ning Prefecture? The province capital? Han Li narrowed his eyes.

There are many prefectures with the name Guan Ning, but the Feng Clan of Ning resides only in the Liao Province. Feng Yue replied with an odd expression. He appeared somewhat baffled by Han Lis questions.

Han Li carelessly nodded and didnt further ask about the Feng Clan. He instead pointed to the jade pendant and asked, How did you acquire that item? What are its origins?

This pendant was passed down from my father. It is a token of the Feng Clan. Why do you ask? Feng Yue said with surprise.

Han Li glanced at the youth and doubtfully asked, A token? Could it be all disciples of the Feng Clan possess a top grade magic tool as a token?

Of course not, Feng Yue shook his head, There are only four such tokens in the entire Feng Clan.

From that, it seems your standing in the Feng Clan is quite high.

I am the eldest son of the Feng Clan. If nothing unexpected happened, I shouldve become the head of the Feng Clan in several tens of years. Feng Yue curled his lips and a trace of pain appeared on his face.

When Han Li heard this, he wasnt surprised. For such great problems to happen to him, it seems that something happened to the Feng Clan. However, this had nothing to do with Han Li. Instead, he stared at Feng Yue and uttered the most pressing question on his mind, What relationship does your Feng Clan have with the Buddhist sects of the Great Jin? Dont say you dont know anything about it. That token of yours possesses a deep Buddhist spiritual light.

Feng Yue blankly stared for a moment and openly answered, The Buddhist sects do have a relationship with our Feng Clan. One of our ancestor was a layman disciple of the Guan Nings Thousand Light Temple, a branch of the grand Gold Sifting Sect. Our Feng Clan originally cultivated a Buddhist technique, but ever since the Thousand Light Temple moved away from the Liao Province several hundred years ago, we changed our cultivation art to a Confucian one.

When Han Li heard this, he rejoiced. Although he didnt know about the Thousand Light Temple, he had heard of the Gold Sifting Sect. It was one of the four great sects of the Great Jin. It seems the Feng Clan had genuinely cultivated Buddhist techniques in the past.

Do you know any of these Buddhist techniques? Han Li asked.

After a moment of hesitation, Feng Yue replied, I didnt wish to cultivate Buddhist techniques, so I dont know any of the incantations. However, our Feng Clan have preserved some of these techniques. He was astonished that this mysterious character had his eyes set on these Buddhist techniques.

While Buddhist techniques were extremely powerful when cultivated to their late stages, their cultivation speed was pathetically slow. Even in the Great Jin cultivation world, there were few truly willing to take the initiative to cultivate Buddhist techniques.

Monarch Soul Divergence then said, Youngster Han, ask if his ancestor cultivated a Crystal Relic within his body. Only Buddhist cultivators with a Crystal Relic are able to cultivate methods to dissolve baleful Qi.

In preparation for his trip to the Great Jin, Han Li had read through a few records that happened to touch upon the subject of Crystal Relics.

Crystal Relics are a characteristic of Buddhist cultivators. There is no set pattern for their appearance. There are those that appear during Core Formation stage and those that are refined during Nascent Soul stage. To external cultivators, they were a rather mysterious existence.

However, a Crystal Relic was something required to cultivate many profound Buddhist techniques and abilities. As such, cultivators from other sects, despite how superior their cultivation may be, are rather fearful of Buddhist cultivators who possess a Crystal Relic.

Han Li agreed with Monarch Soul Divergences suggestion and asked Feng Yue about it.

A Crystal Relic? Feng Yue frowned, My ancestor had cultivated one in the past, but due to his poor aptitude, he wasnt able to break through the barrier to Nascent Soul stage. As such, he was disheartened and established the Feng Clan of Ning instead.

Han Lis spirits were roused. It appeared his luck was quite good. He may be able to find a technique to dissolve the baleful Qi without searching deeply into the Great Jin.

With that thought, Han Li smiled and said, I now have one last question for you.

Feng Yue forced a smile and said, If there is anything you wish to know, please ask.

Why did they use Agony Poison to deal with a Foundation Establishment cultivator such as yourself? The Ten Absolute Poisons are more precious than rare medicine pills. They wouldnt have used it if they wished to capture you alive. There shouldve been no reason for that Core Formation cultivator to use something as excessive as the Agony Poison, given the differences in your cultivation.

When Feng Yue heard him, his face turned gloomy. That traitor Feng Zhen was a rogue Devil Dao cultivator that our Feng Clan had adopted in the past. Because he had offended an expert and was being hunted, he prostrated to our Feng Clan to take him in, even offering to take our name as well. My grandfather had given that traitor shelter as our clan was prosperous at the time. As he was sent to handle our relations with a few of the Soaring Tribes in the past, I had originally come here to find him, but I didnt expect that he had been compromised by the Kong Clan. He then lured me out and used the Kong Clans Agony Poison because of the restriction placed on his body, direct descendants of the Feng Clan are able to restrain his cultivation once theyre at Foundation Establishment stage. If he hadnt used poison to launch a sneak attack on me, I wouldnt have been so helpless.

Han Li tilted his head and mused, So it was like that. It is said Agony Poison has no scent or color. In the instant a lesser cultivator touches it, they would immediately slip into a coma. The Kong Clan seems to be great enemies with your clan.

Thats right, Feng Yue scowled, The Kong, Zhang, Jin, and the Feng Clan are the four great noble cultivation clans in the Guan Ning Prefecture. Originally, we were all neutral parties, but when our Feng Clan weakened in power, the Kong Clan suddenly created an alliance with the two other clans and struck the Feng Clan off guard.

Feng Yue was reduced to wandering through various tribes in the plains after his clan had lost his standing and was now on the deaths door. It was only natural for him to bear hatred towards these three clans.

I have no interest in knowing about the quarrel between noble clans, but your reply is to my satisfaction. Now, lets mention the matter of the Vast Essence Pill. I only have about ten of these medicine pills, enough to extend your life for about ten days. However, each of these medicine pills cost several thousands of spirit stones. Are you truly able to purchase them?

Several thousands of spirit stones?! Although Feng Yue had guessed as much, he was alarmed. It was the cost of a top grade magic tool.

Fine, Ill buy it. Feng Yue agreed with gritted teeth.

Youre carrying that many spirit stones on you? Han Li raised his brow and examined Feng Yue with a mysterious smile.

I dont have them on hand, but I can put up the key to the Feng Clans secret cave for collateral. Feng Yue lifted the silver key around his neck and handed it over without any hesitation. It seemed he had already come to a decision.

The Feng Clans secret cave? Han Li stared at the silver key and didnt immediately move to take it.

Thats right, Feng Yue answered, This is the sole magic tool that can open the secret collection of the Feng Clan for over a thousand years. As a direct descendant of the Feng Clan, the Feng Clan Elders had me escape with the key as calamity befell the clan. Although I had never been there myself, the collection should have several tens of thousands of spirit stones.

Youre putting that key up for collateral? Han Li expressionlessly asked, How can I tell whether or not it is genuine? And even if it is, dont tell me you have no intention of returning to the Feng Clan.

What is there to return to? Feng Yue gloomily said, To the best of my knowledge, only a few servants and branch disciples managed to escape. I am now the only direct descendant remaining. I wouldve reunited with my other clan members instead of roaming these plains alone otherwise. If I die, the bloodline of the Feng Clan will cease and the secret collection will eventually be tracked down by the Kong Clan, only to their benefit. As such, it would be better spent to save my own life. If I cannot find a way to dissolve this poison in ten days, I will leave the secret collection to you, a better fate than having it found by the Kong Clan. Besides, the Buddhist techniques Fellow Daoist Han so desires will be found in the secret cave as well.

Han Li silently pondered for a long while before saying, Fine. You can use the key as collateral for the medicine pills. But first, you must allow me to search your soul to find out whether or not the matter of the secret collection and the Buddhist techniques are true. I dont wish to make a trip to a cave that doesnt exist.

Soul search? Isnt that something only capable by Nascent Soul cultivators? How will that be possible? Feng Yues face paled and his expression revealed fear.

A forceful soul search requires a Nascent Soul cultivation. But if it is coordinated with another person through a technique, it wont be very difficult. Furthermore, this secret technique is different from common soul search techniques. Although Foundation Establishment cultivators arent able to search through complicated topics, it can easily verify if something is true or false. Han Li pursed his lips and soon revealed his white teeth in a smile, revealing a cold glint.

When Feng Yue saw this, he felt his heart tremble. As the disciple of a noble clan, he was very fearful of soul searching and wouldnt agree to such a dangerous affair under normal circumstances. But when he lowered his head and saw his poisoned skin, he found himself helpless.

Feng Yue tightly gripped his fists and took a deep breath before coming to a decision. Fine, I will coordinate the technique with you. However, you may only search for matters relating to the Buddhist techniques and the secret storage. I will not let you look through anything else.

Han Li flipped the small bottle and dropped a fire-red almond-sized medicine pill into his hand.

A trace of sorrow appeared on Han Lis face. This was a medicine pill refined from a high-grade demon core and was used to increase the spiritual power of Core Formation stage cultivators. It was a bit of a waste to use it on a Foundation Establishment cultivator. If his magic power wasnt sealed and Silvermoon wasnt injured, hed be able to use a soul searching technique instead of going through all this trouble.

He held Feng Yues chin in one hand and opened his mouth wide with a flip of his wrist. Then with his other hand, he wrapped the pill in azure Qi and flicked it into Feng Yues mouth.

Han Li let go of him and reached his waist to take out a sparkling silver needle. It shined with a cold light as he stabbed various places on Feng Yues body in a blur. Suddenly, all the stabbed areas spurted with black blood, releasing a foul stench into the air.

Han Li stood up and held his hands behind his back as he waited for Feng Yue to awaken.

After the time it took to finish a cup of tea, the black poisoned blood formed a large pool around Feng Yues body and he eventually began to softly groan as if he were about to awaken.

Han Lis gaze wandered and he flicked his fingers, launching a wind that immediately stopped the flow of poisoned blood. Then with a tremble of his shoulder, his second Nascent Soul transformed into a black cloud and disappeared into the forest.

Its you… Feng Yue eventually opened his eyes and clearly saw Han Li standing in front of him. He then let out a yelp of alarm and struggled to sit up.

Han Li gave Feng Yue a glance and asked, What? Is it a surprise to see me?

Was it you who saved me? Where is that traitor Feng Zhen? Although Feng Yues voice was weak, it was filled with vigilance.

Han Li looked to the side and carelessly said, You mean that purple-robed man? Hes dead.

Feng Yue turned his head with great effort before finally spotting the remains of the purple-robed old man. An expression of shock and resentment appeared on his face. Then his gaze turned back to Han Li with an odd expression.

Could it be that Fellow Daoist Han was the one to kill that old traitor? It seems your abilities are truly profound. I will remember your kindness and reward you in the future. He then took out a medicine pill from his waist and brought it to his mouth before attempting to stand up.

When he stood up halfway, his lost the strength in his legs and fell back onto the ground.

Whats going on? I cant muster any strength. Feng Yues face then betrayed a trace of panic.

Youre going to give me a reward? It seems you dont know about your current situation. Han Li spoke indifferently, showing no intention of helping him.

What does that mean? What has happened to me? Have you placed a restriction on me? Feng Yue glared at Han Li and his face revealed furious alarm.

Han Li smirked and said, You think too highly of me. If I wanted to restrain you, why would I need to place a restriction on you? How about you take a look for yourself? He then raised his hand and flicked a small object in his direction, a common mirror.

Feng Yue was completely bewildered by Han Lis actions, but gritted his teeth and took a look at the mirror.

Ah! How can this be? My face… When was I so deeply poisoned? Could it be that old traitor used…? When Feng Yue saw his condition, he felt great fright and couldnt help but yell in shock. He then hastily reached for his storage pouch and took out a large pile of bottles in a flash of white light. He hastily searched through the bottles and began stuffing his mouth with medicine pills without any regard for the consequences.

Han Li watched him with indifference and didnt say a word, allowing him to scarf himself with medicine.

With that done, Feng Yue said little else to Han Li and closed his eyes in meditation, focusing on channeling the medicinal power to dissolve the poison. But after a while, he opened his eyes and appeared to be on the verge of panic.

How can this be? The many antidotes Ive taken have no effect? What kind of strange poison is this?

Han Li leisurely said, Although I havent seen it before, it appears to be the Agony Poison of the Ten Absolute Poisons.

Feng Yues complexion turned deathly pale and he couldnt help but shout, Agony Poison?! To think they would use that against me… That old traitor is clearly relying on the Kong Clan. It was rumored the Kong Clan possessed that poison.

The Kong Clan? Han Lis brow momentarily stirred.

Wait. Feng Yue suddenly thought of something and managed to gather the strength to turn himself in Han Lis direction, asking, The Agony Poison shouldve immediately killed me. How was I able to reawaken?

Han Lis expression sank and he snorted, It seems you are unaware of my act of kindness. If it werent for the questions I had for you, I wouldnt have wasted the Vast Essence Pill on you. You merely had a temporary stay on life because of that thing on your neck blocking the poison. It wouldve immediately killed you otherwise, preventing any miraculous medicine from reawakening you.

You touched it? When Feng Yue heard Han Li mentioning the silver key, he looked down at his chest in alarm before quickly calming down.

I was quite curious about how a Foundation Establishment cultivator was able to resist Agony Poison for such a long period of time. Naturally, I wanted to investigate the matter. However, the Vast Essence Pill is only temporarily blocking the poison. One day, the poison will continue its attack on your heart and you will surely die.

With some thought, Feng Yue then nervously asked, The Vast Essence Pill? I heard that it was an incredibly rare medicine pill. If I had another one of those pills, would I be able to continue suppressing the poison?

Han Li was surprised by his question and coldly replied, It would be able to preserve your life temporarily, but do you understand the materials used to refine it? It isnt a medicine pill for dissolving poison, but something used for Core Formation cultivators to break through bottlenecks. It isnt something that can be bought on a market.

Although Han Li didnt say it outright, it was clear what he had meant.

It is a cultivation progression pill for Core Formation cultivators? Although Feng Yue anticipated the pill would be precious, he couldnt help but be dumbstruck.

However, there is a way for you to live. Han Li said with a smile.

What is it? So long as you save my life, I am willing to agree to any conditions. Feng Yues mind was roused and he quickly spoke with eagerness.

Han Li chuckled and said, I dont want any reward from you, just a few answers to my questions.

Thats fine. Ill answer to the best of my knowledge. Feng Yue replied without hesitation.

Han Li explained, The method is quite simple. Since the Agony Poison has already set your body on the path of ruin, you simply have to exchange your body. In the past, cultivators that are afflicted with the Ten Absolute Poisons used possession to escape with their lives.

Possession? Feng Yue bitterly smiled, much to Han Lis surprise.

Han Li raised his brow and asked, What? Do you find this method unacceptable?

After a moment of hesitation, Feng Yue muttered, Many thanks for Brother Hans kindness. While possession might work for others, I cant use this method.

Something then came to Han Lis mind and he asked, You cant use this method? Could it be you already…

I wont conceal this from you, Feng Yue said with a bitter smile, I already used possession once before. This isnt my original body.

Han Li sighed and shrugged. In that case, there is nothing left for you. There is no cure for the Ten Absolute Poisons.

Feng Yue revealed an expression of alarm and bitterly pleaded, There is truly no other way? Brother Han has much knowledge. Can I trouble you to give it more thought?

There is nothing to think about, Han Li shook his head, Since the fame of the Ten Absolute Poisons had lasted through the cultivation world for so long, there truly is no method of dissolving them, earning them the reputation of being the Ten Absolute Poisons.

Then you mean to say that I will soon pass away? Feng Yue said with a deathly complexion.

Thats right, Han Li replied emotionlessly, Even if you continued to take Vast Essence Pills, you will eventually become resistant to its effects and perish regardless.

Grasping at his final straw of life, Feng Yue recollected himself and rigidly stared at Han Li, asking, How many Vast Essence Pills does Brother Han possess? Can he sell them all to me?

Han Li frowned and then calmly asked, What? Fellow Daoist Feng wishes to purchase them from me? While I am willing to sell them, I dont have too many. How about we talk about the matter after you answer my questions?

Please dont hesitate to ask. Now that Ive reached this far, there is nothing I wont answer. Feng Yue gloomily replied.

Good, very good. How about you state your identity? You arent from the Soaring Tribes but from a noble family from the Great Jin, is that right?

Feng Yue looked at the jade pendant that had fallen to the ground and the silver key on his neck. Then he gritted his teeth and said, Since youve already guessed it, was there a need to ask that question?

Han Li wore a faint smile and aloofly said, Which Ning is the Feng of Ning from? And how powerful is the Feng Clan?