Автор: sergey

As Divine Sage Zhong and Cultivator Lu were having their discussion, Han Li had already flown over fifty kilometers away. Nothing else occurred on his way and he arrived at the cave after another hour of flight.

When he arrived, he took out the Yin Yang Ring once more and entered the passageway with the treasures protection. He quickly passed through the passage and quickened his steps when he saw the light of the caves exit.

Soon, his surroundings brightened and he found himself back in front of a cliff leading to the outer valley.

Han Li raised his head to look at the dusky sky. Although it still gave him a feeling of unease, it was far better than the crimson light that covered the sky in the valley depths.

After sweeping his spiritual sense over the nearby area and discovering there were no cultivators or any other oddities, Han Li sighed with relief and turned his gaze to the wall around the cave entrance.

With a wave of his hand, an azure spell seal flew out and entered the stone wall without a trace. Soon after, Han Li silently formed another hand gesture as he began to slowly mutter an incantation while a strange scene followed.

The unremarkable stone wall suddenly began to glow with a layer of blue light before a swarm of Gold Devouring Beetles flocked out from the wall, each of them carrying various-sized pieces of silver crystal. A few pieces were as large as a fist while others were as small as a grain of sand. In the blink of an eye, the pieces of silver crystal delivered by the beetles had formed a pile in front of Han Li. They were the crystalized Tailstar Silver ore.

When the first pieces appeared, Han Lis expression was calm, but excitement began to show when tens of these crystals dropped down.

Youngster Han! The Tailstar Silver ore vein is far bigger than I imagined. It seems I will be able to research using this material in creating puppets. Suddenly, the Monarch of Soul Divergences voice appeared in Han Lis mind. He couldnt help but betray his delight from his voice.

After the Gold Devouring Beetles had deposited the last of the Tailstar Silver crystal, Han Li looked at the small pile of shimmering silver and smiled. Thats right. I also didnt think the Tailstar Silver ore vein would contain this much. Weve gathered quite the harvest!

Han Li swung his sleeve over the ground and swept up the silver crystals into his storage pouch in an instant. Afterwards, he sharply whistled and the Gold Devouring Beetles revolved around him before rushing back into their storage pouch.

Once this was done, Han Li slapped his storage pouch and a translucent ball appeared in his palm. He then blew a mist of azure light onto the pearl and a bean-sized speck of light appeared within the ball.

Han Li stared at the pearl in his hand for a long while and slightly frowned before looking around him. After getting his bearings, his body glowed with azure light and he streaked through the sky.

Han Li wasnt flying in a hurry and as he flew with the transparent ball in his hand, he would occasionally stop to look at it before adjusting his course and continuing on his way.

After flying for tens of kilometers, he arrived above a wilderness and yelped with surprise before coming to a sudden stop. His body blurred and he quickly descended. By the time he was a hundred meters above the wilderness, Han Li stopped and light flashed from his eyes.

He saw a male cultivators corpse split in half lying in the wilderness and the surroundings had already been stained dark red with the hardened blood. As for the cultivators magic treasure and storage pouch, they were nowhere to be seen.

Han Li glanced at the corpse for a moment and sighed, It seems someone had attacked him. After verifying that there were no spatial tears nearby, he knew there was only one possible conclusion.

Han Li didnt linger there for long and quickly continued on his way. Although he believed that there were few things in the valley that posed a threat to him apart from the two late Nascent Soul cultivators, it would still prove dangerous if a group of cultivators were to surround and ambush him.

While this wasnt likely, Han Li traveled with heightened wariness regardless. After half a day had passed, Han Li still hadnt found any signs of an ambush. Rather, he came across two cultivators who had perished as a result of spatial tears. Han Li shook his head at the sight of their broken bodies.

Following the guidance of the transparent ball in his hand, he eventually arrived above a dense and verdant forest.

Han Li muttered to himself for a moment before gripping the transparent ball in his hand and exerting strength into it. In a flash of azure light, it shattered with a clear ring.

When the ball shattered into fragments, the speck of azure light that floated inside of it was freed. The speck of light floated in front of Han Li while waiting for further instruction. The bean-sized speck of light flickered before shooting off as soon as he pointed at it while he closely followed after it. freewebnvel.co

A moment later in the sky above the dense forest, the speck of light flickered and began to fly downwards. As Han Li descended after it, a glint shined within his eyes. When it arrived at the ground, the speck of light spun around a gigantic tree before disappearing into its trunk.

When Han Li saw this, he landed in front of the tree and the light around him faded away. He quickly sized up the tree before pressing his hand against it.

With a muffled bang, green light flashed from where he pressed his palm and an azure talisman floated from the tree. He swiftly grabbed the talisman between his finger and glanced at it with a smile before tossing it into the air.

Woosh. The talisman set itself on fire before streaking into the sky in a fiery red line.

This time, Han Li stood still for a moment and sat cross-legged on the ground before closing his eyes and restoring the magic power he had consumed on his way here.

Not long after, the streak of red light dropped down at an unremarkable corner of the forest. Then another streak of light emerged into the sky and flew towards Han Lis location.

Before the streak of light arrived, Han Li slowly opened his eyes and watched as it approached.

The streak of light soon arrived. It flew once around Han Li as if verifying his identity and then swooped down. As soon as the streak touched the ground, the light instantly disappeared to reveal a white-robed woman who possessed an otherworldly beauty.

Han Li calmly looked at her and said, Lady Violet Spirit! You arrived quite quickly!

Quickly? Ive already been waiting here for several days. During that time, seven groups of cultivators have searched through this forest, and I grew more nervous each time it happened. I wouldve left soon if Brother Han didnt arrive. Violet Spirits pleasant voice seemed to contain a bit of annoyance as she walked towards him with graceful steps.

Han Li smiled and looked at Violet Spirits flawless face before continuing, Lady Violet Spirit revealing her true appearance has come as a surprise to me. I had believed that it was easy for you to conceal.

Violet Spirit pursed her lips and sweetly said, When I entered the valley, I had used a treasure to conceal my true appearance. However, there seems to be a restriction in the valley that has rendered it ineffective. Without it to conceal my true appearance, I have no choice to but wear it. What? Could it be that my uncouth appearance is below Brother Hans notice?

Fairy Violet Spirit must be joking. With a wry chuckle, his expression suddenly became solemn as he said, Thats enough joking around. Was this the first place you found that was marked?

Violet Spirit withdrew her smile and answered, Thats right. It should be genuine since the original mark was destroyed by the Ghost Spirit Sect. However, finding it should prove to be no problem.

When Han Li heard her mention the Ghost Spirit Sect, he raised his brow and coldly smiled. Since thats the case, lets just follow the Ghost Spirit Sect disciples. It should save us quite a bit of time.

As Brother Han commands! A month ago, I placed a tracker unique to the Exquisite Sound Sect onto the Ghost Spirit Sect disciple who gave me the information. The tracker isnt something created from magic power but by a fragrance undetectable to others. While the range of this fragrance isnt large and it disappears after two months, it should still be enough to track down the Ghost Spirit Sect disciple that I placed it on.

I will have to trouble Fellow Daoist Violet Spirit to lead the way. First, we will track down the Ghost Spirit Sect disciple and rush past the marks they placed before. This way, the Spirit Kindle Fruit will be ours. Han Li nodded and then slowly stood up.

A silver-tailed squirrel suddenly shot out from the dense forest and flew into the sky. It then sniffed the air before flying off in a certain direction.

Soon after, two streaks of light flew in a circle before closely flying after it.

Although Marquis Nanlong sounded calm, he stared at the medicine herbs with intense desire, wishing with all his heart to grab them. They were exactly what they both needed. Now that they were so close at hand, Marquis Nanlong and Lu Weiying found their excitement and greed to be nearly irrepressible.

Just as Marquis Nanlong entered the room, he immediately caught sight of the medicine herbs and immediately reached for the herbs, but he hadnt expected for such a strange spell formation to exist there. As a result, he was repelled by a strong force and was forced to wait for Lu Weiying to catch up to him.

When he heard Lu Weiying mention the name Sanctuary Guardian Formation, Marquis Nanlong felt his spirit shake with joy. When he encountered the restriction, he sensed that it was far different from any formation he had researched in the past, much to his worry. It was quite relieving that Lu Weiying knew it was.

Marquis Nanlong forcefully stifled his excitement and asked, Brother Lu, you know of this restriction?

In the past, I had acquired some cultivation records from a few Buddhist sects. Although I wasnt able to cultivate their techniques, I did research a few of their spell formations. The Minor Sanctuary Guardian Formation was amongst the most amazing of them. Brother Nanlong, if it is truly that formation, it will be extremely troublesome. Lu Weiying glanced at the table and began to frown.

Marquis Nanlong spoke with a tone of disbelief, What do you mean? Could it be that the spell formation cannot be broken?

Lu Weiying wore a solemn expression and explained, This Minor Sanctuary Guardian Formation is an Immortal isolating formation. It is one of the few restrictions in this world that can only be broken with brute force, there are no other ways of shattering it. We will need to continuously unleash a variety of attacks against the spell formation without end. Although its defensive abilities arent above that of others, the spell formation is incredibly durable and will quickly restore itself unless it is completely destroyed. It is well deserving of being a Buddhist spell formation given its tenacious nature.

As if verifying what he had just said, Lu Weiying waved his hand and shot a fireball at the table ten meters in front of him. With a bang, the fireball exploded and disappeared before it even touched it.

A layer of spiritual light condensed above the table and golden light brightly shined. Small strings of ancient talisman characters appeared on the barrier, resembling little silver flowers.

Marquis Nanlongs expression grew sullen. Having seen this before, he didnt appear particularly alarmed.

Yi! Whats this? Lu Weiying cried out in alarm. Marquis Nanlong unconsciously looked at him, seeing that he was currently staring at a portion of the golden barrier with an expression of amazement.

In his astonishment, spiritual light flickered from Marquis Nanlongs eyes as he attempted to see as far into the barrier as he could. Through the golden light, he could see a silver alms bowl the size of a head floating in the air.

The surface of the alms bowl had various profound talisman characters drifting on top of it. Floating around the bowl were eight faint white jade talismans pointed towards it, and there were three exquisite items that were motionlessly floating above it.

Marquis Nanlong attentively focused at the sight and saw that they were a small silver sword, a jet-black Buddhist staff, and a blood-red pearl. Although the three items were only about an inch long, they emitted strands of light that intertwined together to cover the alms bowl that was floating above the table.

Marquis Nanlong was dumbstruck. The alms bowl, jade talismans, and the three magic tools had all strangely disappeared from sight above the table. Then the golden barrier surrounded by talisman characters silently disappeared.

What is happening? When the light barrier first appeared, those items werent there, but when Lu Weiying struck it, those items appeared above it? Marquis Nanlongs mouth was shut tight as he saw the light barrier disappear before him, his eyes flickering with bewilderment.

Lu Weiying didnt have this doubt. He simply looked at the items that had newly appeared and pondered for a moment. It is clear to see that the spirit medicines only served as a backdrop to the other items in the formation. What treasures could prove even more valuable than these heaven-defying medicine herbs?

Although this was only conjecture, Lu Weiying felt his heart pound. His original misgivings and worries about the Blood Curse Gate were now tossed to the back of his mind.

Brother Lu, it seems weve come to the right place. If we are able to break the Buddhist spell formation, our journey will not be in vain. Marquis Nanlong came to the same conclusion as Lu Weiying and smiled at him.

Lu Weiying wore a faint smile and said, Thats right. I didnt think that there would be so many secret treasures hidden behind the Blood Curse Gate. However, dissolving the restriction isnt an easy matter. It wont be possible unless we spend a large chunk of time and sacrifice our strength.

Hehe! Not to mention sacrificing my strength, but Id be willing to sacrifice ten years of my lifespan in order to acquire those treasures. You said that only brute strength can dissolve the formation? It seems were going to be quite busy. There is no time to lose. Lets start immediately. Marquis Nanlong then looked at Lu Weiying and openly said, And when we break the formation, shall we split the treasures evenly?

Of course. Lets do as you say. Lu Weiying also wished to acquire the treasure and replied promptly, much to Marquis Nanlongs satisfaction.

At that moment, the two increased the distance between them and developed a sense of vigilance against each other.

Afterwards, Lu Weiying took out a white flag and flung it into the air before taking a seat with his hands held in an incantation gesture. Marquis Nanlong waved his sleeve and flung a golden sword into the air.

Suddenly, both a gale and sword Qi were summoned. As they approached the table, the golden light barrier made another appearance and explosions began to continuously sound out deep underground.

…

Near the top of a mountain, a streak of azure light was flying through the sky. It was Han Li who was hurrying on his way.

He had already passed through the mountain with the Purple-lined Scorpions and was about to enter the cave to head back to the outer valley. Because Han Li had traveled along this path before, the journey went smoothly and quickly. What took a days travel before would now only take him a third of the time.

Just as he was two hours from the cave, he suddenly heard a chain of explosions in the distance.

His expression stirred and he paused to take a look at the source in the distance. He quickly spread out his spiritual sense and sensed strange spiritual Qi fluctuations.

Han Li unconsciously narrowed his eyes and saw that there were faint flashes of white light coming from a mountain in the distance. If he wasnt mistaken, it was an area that he suspected to have restrictions. It was possibly an area that contained treasures from ancient cultivators. It appeared other cultivators also entered the valley depths in search for treasure.

Just as Han Li pondered this, he shook his head. He was momentarily tempted to take advantage of the chaos for his own gain, but he soon stifled the idea. Since he was afraid of catching the attention of others, he only quickly swept his spiritual sense past them and didnt take a closer look at the treasure hunters.

As of current, Han Li felt that it was better to avoid any troubles that could come his way. That in mind, he tore through the skies and soon disappeared.

Tens of kilometers away in the direction that Han Li had looked, there were a group of a dozen cultivators that were furiously striking at a white barrier covering a small mountain. Those leading them was the Moulan Divine Sage Zhong and the woman surnamed Le. The group of cultivators were all Moulan spell warriors.

Just as Han Li flew off, Divine Sage Zhongs brow stirred and he unconsciously glanced in Han Lis direction.

Spell Warrior Le noticed the scholarly mans glance and asked, What? Has Brother Zhong discovered something amiss?

The scholarly man indifferently replied, Its nothing. I just felt a Heavenly South cultivator sweep their spiritual sense past this direction. However, it seems they dont wish to interfere and they flew away after finding us. Since were so close to breaking the restriction, lets not delve too deeply into the matter.

Spell Warrior Le sighed and helplessly said, Brother Zhong makes sense. We have reached the crucial moment for breaking the restriction. I hope it isnt like the other restriction we broke where there were no treasures to be found, not to mention the two men that we lost to spatial tears

When Divine Sage Zhong heard this, his face grew sullen. There is nothing that we can do about that. There is no way we can guard against those invisible spatial tears. The low-grade spirit birds we prepared had all gone made once we entered the valley and they were completely uncontrollable. If we were able to have them scout ahead for us, we wouldnt have lost two men.

Spell Warrior Le pensively said, Those spirit birds didnt seem to go mad, but were overwhelmed by their fear of the inner valley. Could there be something here that is specialized in restraining demon beasts? The Blackwing Hawk I borrowed is a grade five spirit beast but even it wasnt able to hear my orders once we entered the valley. It is even unwilling to leave the spirit beast pouch. There is something truly odd about this Devilfall Valley. frewebnoel.com

A cold glint appeared in the scholarly mans eyes and he gloomily said, Perhaps. It is known as the most dangerous place in the Heavenly South. Naturally, there will be something strange about this place. However, we didnt come here to unravel the valleys secrets but to search for ancient treasures and medicines on behalf of the Moulan. As such, we must continue even if we cant use spirit birds. We had to make a trade with the four superpowers of the Heavenly South in order to come by this golden opportunity. We cant waste it now.

Marquis Nanlong stuck the final formation flag down at the corner of the pond. He wryly smiled, slapping his hands together, and said, How is it? Are you done with your preparations? With these spell formations placed down, even if a massive problem occurs, well be able to deal with it. Anything further would be a waste of time.

Lu Weiying chuckled and said, I would rather waste a bit more time than encounter any surprises. If there are truly only secret treasures hidden behind the gate, then that will be for the best. But if there is something else there, a little more preparation will be better. Although I covet ancient treasures greatly, I view my own life to be more valuable.

When Marquis Nanlong heard this, he shook his head and said little further.

At that moment, Lu Weiying finished placing down his final formation plate and activated his restriction, creating a layer of indistinct white mist around them. Lu Weiying nodded with satisfaction and turned his head to look at the stone gate glowing with crimson light.

Marquis Nanlong had already grown somewhat impatient at this point. When he saw that Lu Weiying had finally finished, he immediately took a storage pouch from his waist and flung it into the air. Suddenly, white light poured out from it to reveal the crystalline remains of the ancient cultivator.

The Blood Curse Gate is quite strange. Breaking the gates restrictions requires either the essence or flesh of the caster. The flesh is obviously gone, but a bit of the cultivators essence should still be present in his bones. Marquis Nanlong spoke with a heavy voice. Then he spat out a golden flying sword and reached out to the floor as he clenched his hand into a fist. The bones suddenly floated off the ground and rose to twenty meters in the air.

Marquis Nanlong flicked his finger and launched a white spell seal, striking his golden sword at its center. As it hummed, the sword trembled and the tip suddenly burst with blinding golden light. freewebnovel.c

Soon after, the sword tip grew brighter until it released a ball of golden light. The ball of light then shot out and struck the bones that were floating in the air, the golden light suddenly ruptured.

Countless streaks of sword Qi suddenly wrapped all around the skeleton and completely enveloped it. An instant later, bone dust drifted down from the sky.

Light flashed from Marquis Nanlongs eyes and he flung his sleeve. A mist of golden light shot out and swept up all the translucent grains of bone. As for the golden sword Qi in the air, it had already disappeared.

Marquis Nanlong nodded when he saw that the golden light had swept up the entirety of the translucent bone dust and turned to look at Lu Weiying. When Lu Weiying saw this, he knew what Marquis Nanlong wanted him to do. He clapped his hands together and took out a white flag. With a slight shake, winds began to gather around the flag.

By then, Marquis Nanlong had already sat cross-legged and formed a hand gesture. With a muffled incantation, various-colored spell seals flew from his hand and struck the golden mist that enveloped the bone dust. Under the influence of the spell seals, the bone dust within the golden mist began to slowly revolve.

The translucent bone dust gradually twinkled with various colors causing it to grow extremely bright.

At that moment, Lu Weiying launched a probing strike at the stone gate. Rather than commanding an attack with his spell flag, he launched several fireballs towards the stone gate from his other hand.

The fireballs roiled through the air as they grew close to the stone gate, crimson light wildly flashed and came to life, condensing into a large mass of scarlet light and taking the form of a three-meter-tall ghost face that was identical to the one carved on the stone gate. After it consumed the fireballs that were about to strike the gate, it flickered and immediately disappeared.

When Lu Weiying saw the scene, he grew alarmed and with some hesitation, he pointed the flag at the stone gate. The wind dragon that had condensed around the flag then screamed through the air as it charged at the stone gate.

The ghost face reappeared and its mouth gaped open. A beam of light was shot out of its mouth, engulfing the wind dragon and dragging it into its mouth. Fury and alarm momentarily appeared on Lu Weiyings face.

Lu Weiying and Marquis Nanlong couldnt help but glance at each other in dismay.

Marquis Nanlong sighed and slowly said, The Blood Curse Gate is truly quite odd. Lets just dispel the restriction in accordance to the method Master Cang Kun described.

Lu Weiying rubbed his chin and could only nod. Although he had more powerful attacks, the ghost face was truly bizarre. He wasnt willing to overreach himself and potentially ruin this matter. Given Master Cang Kuns magnificent reputation in the past, his method of dissolving the restriction should prove better.

Go! Marquis Nanlong softly shouted before he pointed to the ball of golden light in the sky. It hummed and glowed magnificently before sweeping towards the stone gate.

Crimson light flickered and the ghost face reappeared. But as the golden light approached the ghost face, it merged with the bone dust it was carrying and transformed into specks of white light before sticking onto the ghost face.

When the ghost face touched the specks of light, it suddenly began to dissolve into grey smoke, and the grey smoke soon enveloped the entire stone gate.

Howling ghostly wails loudly erupted from the center of the smoke and crimson light flickered without end. Thick crimson tentacles began to emerge from the mist and do their utmost to strike at the ground nearby as if the gate were coming to life. But in the blink of an eye, the grey smoke that enveloped it also disappeared.

When Marquis Nanlong saw this, he shouted, Its now! Act! He then pointed at the golden sword in front of him and he grasped his hand in an incantation gesture. The entirety of the spiritual power in his body was poured into the flying sword through a spell seal and the golden sword tore through the air in a blinding streak of light.

Lu Weiyings face turned gloomy and he poured a majority of his spiritual power into the flag before tossing it out. In a flicker of white light, the flag transformed into several wind dragons, all whistling towards the stone gate.

In the blink of an eye, the golden streak of light and the wind dragons entered the grey mist and a world-shaking tremble appeared as the gales, golden light, and crimson light intertwined, resulting in a chaotic explosion.

Gales wildly blew away the grey smoke that obscured the sight of the stone gate. When Marquis Nanlong saw what was behind it, he narrowed his eyes and saw that the crimson light had disappeared as if the restriction was completely dissolved.

After looking around, Marquis Nanlong spotted his small golden sword embedded halfway into the stone gate. Sending a command with his spiritual sense, the small sword flew out from the stone gate and covered itself in a meter long streak of golden light before wildly slashing at the gate.

With violent rumbles, golden light brightly shined and chunks of the stone gate were crushed while the smell of blood filled the air.

But when Marquis Nanlong and Lu Wieying clearly saw the fragments from the stone gate, their expressions had changed.

The crushed fragments of stone seemed to resemble men and they seemed to be bleeding with black-tainted blood, the source of the bloody smell. The scene was truly awful to behold.

Although the stone gate had been shattered, the two cultivators hadnt discovered anything extraordinary. Rather, there was a dark flight of stairs that led deep into the earth.

Lets go! I can clearly see that the Blood Curse Gate is a mysterious treasure in of itself. Marquis Nanlong looked at the path below and called out to Lu Weiying. He then began to walk down in large strides.

Lu Weiying stood in place for a long while. He glanced at the black-blooded remains of the Blood Curse Gate and the passage that led underground. With a tense brow, he let out a long sigh and followed after Marquis Nanlong.

To Lu Weiyings surprise, the passageway was rather short. It went down only about sixty meters before they arrived at an underground hall. The hall was only about thirty meters in length and was completely bare apart from an offerings table at its center.

When Lu Weiying entered the hall, Marquis Nanlong was already standing at the center of the hall and was staring at the items on the table, his mind completely blank.

Lu Weiying bewilderedly walked to his side and also felt his heart become completely shaken.

Heaven Essence Fruit! If I am correct, once one of these is eaten, it can extend ones lifespan for a hundred years. That purple mushroom is the legendary Heavenmend Mushroom. It should be over ten thousand years old. It should have the power to progress ones cultivation by several tens of years worth of time. That sparkling golden bamboo should be Golden Lightning Bamboo, one of the three divine woods. And this… Lu Weiying woke up from his amazement and began to mutter without sense. He didnt seem to believe all the items that were laid before him and he unconsciously took a few steps forward to look at them closer.

In Lu Weiyings excitement, Marquis Nanlong coldly said, Fellow Daoist Lu, if I were you, I wouldnt act so rashly. Do you truly believe that the spirit medicines would just sit here ready for the taking? How about examining our surroundings?

Brother Nanlong, that does make sense. Lu Weiying woke up from his excitement and glanced around him in alarm.

Lu Weiying eventually discovered a few talisman characters written on the walls and felt a wave of shock. Yi! This seems to be the legendary Sanctuary Guardian Formation, a Buddhist spell formation. Why has it appeared here?

Marquis Nanlong glanced at the stone gate with a pensive expression before letting out a long sigh, Thats right. This is the Blood Curse Gate.

Lu Weiying looked at it for a moment and worriedly asked, The blood Qi on the gate seems to possess a strong devilish nature. Will there be any problems with it?

Marquis Nanlong turned to look at Lu Weiying and said, The gate was sealed by ancient cultivators by using essence blood. Naturally, it will differ from common restrictions. What? Does Brother Lu want to turn back?

Lu Weiying shook his head and solemnly said, Turn back? Since weve already arrived, how could I do something so foolish? But we still be careful just in case.

After a moment of thought, Marquis Nanlongs expression relaxed and he said, That is reasonable. The gate does give one a sense of discomfort. How about this? First well lay down several restrictions outside the gate. If anything strange occurs, well be able to escape without a problem.

Good, then lets do that. Lu Weiying promptly nodded.

As a result, Marquis Nanlong and Lu Weiying took out several spell formation setup tools and began to place them at the bottom of the pool.

As Marquis Nanlong and Lu Weiying made their preparations for the Blood Curse Gate, there were a group of people slowly travelling up a huge black stone mountain in another area of the valley. They were headed by a middle-aged cultivator with a stern face while an azure-robed old man stood by his side. They were Wang Tiansheng, Wang Tiansheng, and Wei Wuya. As for Wang Tiangu, he was following three meters behind them. In addition to the three of them, there were four Ghost Spirit Sect Core Formation cultivators closely following behind them.

Wang Tiangu glanced at the red mist not far above him and muttered, This wicked land is truly evil. Even remote areas have a restriction placed every fifty kilometers. You cant fly for more than ten meters at a time.

Wang Tiansheng calmly replied, The more constrained the area, the more it illustrates were in the right place. If we were the ancient cultivators, we wouldve placed restrictions most likely to dissuade other cultivators from treading here. After all, it would take at least a day by foot to travel through here.

Wang Tiangu revealed an expression of helplessness and said with a chuckle, Having spent so much effort on this, I certainly hope we didnt find the wrong place. Weve already lost three disciples on the way here.

At that moment, Wei Wuya was looking at the mountain top and expressionlessly said, After we entered the valley depths, we walked for three days. Dont tell me that we will have to walk for several more days before we arrive.

Wang Tiansheng didnt dare to neglect Wei Wuya and slowly said, Be at ease, Fellow Daoist Wei. Well be there once we pass through this mountain. Once this is done, our Ghost Spirit Sect will be the greatest Devil Dao Sect in the Heavenly South and Fellow Daoist Wei will breakthrough to Deity Transformation Stage. It is only a matter of time.

Wei Wuya grew silent for a moment before he derisively snorted, To tell the truth, I dont put much stock in the legends of the Spirit Ether Garden. They were most likely false rumors spread by ancient cultivators. If there was such a space that linked the Spirit World to ours, it shouldve already been found. How could it have been kept secret until now?

Wang Tiansheng didnt reveal any surprise and instead curiously asked, Since Brother Wei didnt believe it, why did he immediately accept our invitation?

Without further thought, Wei Wuya bluntly said, Fellow Daoist Wang seemed to mobilize half of the elites of his sect for this matter. It seems that you have some confidence in your trip to Devilfall Valley. Even if you dont find the Spirit Ether Garden, you should still find a secret ancient cultivator area. Since I knew this, I agreed to allow you to draw support from my reputation and suppress the other cultivators in the valley. The share of treasures you give to me should be quite generous.

The Ghost Spirit Sect roared with laughter and said, Brother Wei is quite sharp! However, this is something you misunderstood. My sect has spent such efforts in order to truly travel to the Spirit Ether Garden. The Spirit Ether Garden isnt some false rumor. Rather, Devilfall Valley was created by ancient cultivators for the sole purpose of protecting the Spirit Ether Garden. Once we pass this mountain, it will only take six hours before you can personally see it with your own eyes. When we open the way to the pocket dimension it is located in, we will require much of Fellow Daoist Weis power.

When Wu Weiya heard this, both excitement and surprise appeared on his face. If you say this with such certainty, you mustve acquired evidence that the Spirit Ether Garden exists.

Thats right. Our sect has a certain confidence that the Spirit Ether Garden exists. As for the evidence, Fellow Daoist Wei will know when he gets there. Once the black-robed middle-aged man finished speaking, he wore a mysterious expression. Although he was only an early Nascent Soul cultivator, his confident disposition gave Wei Wuya a feeling of unease.

Wei Wuya nodded and his expression returned to normal, but he coldly smiled in his mind. No matter how extravagant the Ghost Spirit Sect Masters words may be, unless he personally saw the Spirit Ether Garden, he would remain completely skeptical. Of course, he wouldnt say these words directly to him. He simply smiled and changed the subject, saying, After your sects Elder Zhong entered the valley, he had his own matters to attend to. Now that such a long time has passed, do you think you could tell me about his whereabouts? He cant be like the other cultivators. Surely your sect didnt send a mid Nascent Soul elder to Devilfall Valley on a trip of leisure?

Wang Tiansheng didnt appear to mind his question and casually replied, Brother Wei must be joking. I wont conceal this from you. Elder Zhong has been sent to collect treasures from another secret area of the valley. Of course, while the treasure may be precious, it isnt nearly as important as the Spirit Ether Garden.

When Wei Wuya heard this, he dryly laughed and declined from asking further about the matter. As a result, the party of cultivators continued on their way in silence.

…

In an expanse of rough and uneven stone, there were seven Ghost Spirit Sect disciples scattered around and continuously searching for something. The Ghost Spirit Sect Elder Zhong was floating at the areas center without making the slightest movement.

Although his spiritual sense was able to easily envelop the wilderness for tens of kilometers around him, he needed to find a particular mark, something that could only be found with deliberate and meticulous effort. As a result, he stifled his impatience and sent the disciples under his command to slowly sift through the rocks.

…

In another area of the valley, peals of thunder suddenly echoed from a ravine covered in rainbow light. Afterwards, following a storm of lightning and thunder, a group of cultivators emerged from the rainbow light.

The ones leading them were a green-robed old man and an old Daoist. Although the two didnt appear to have suffered any injuries, they each had a miserable appearance and ashen complexions. They were Daoist Heavencrystal and Dongmen Tu, the grand elder of the Controlling Spirit Sect.

The other five green-robed cultivators walked behind them with similarly ruined robes and pale complexions as if they had suffered through quite a bit of pain. As for the two fiendish puppets, they appeared entirely unchanged without even the slightest damage.

After flying a hundred meters away, Dongmen Tu turned around to glance at the ravine behind him before turning to look at the two fiendish puppets. Weve finally broken through the barrier and entered the valley depths. I didnt think that Fellow Daoist Heavencrystals two puppets would rival the power of a cultivator at the peak of early Nascent Soul stage. How truly envious!

Having hearing this, Daoist Heavencrystal said,The puppets are merely puppets. No matter how powerful they may be, how could they compare to your subordinates. With their elemental techniques, Im sure they would be able to contend against even a late Nascent Soul stage cultivator.

Daoist Heavencrystal was clearly wary of Dongmen Tu. As soon as they left the ravine, he kept his distance from him. His puppets stood behind him as they both began to flicker with various colored light.

When Dongmen Tu saw this, his face grew sullen and he soon sighed. With a wry smile he said, Isnt Fellow Daoist Heavencrystal overly wary of me? Weve spent the last two days in a united effort to break through the formations. Fellow Daoist shouldnt have anything against me. Wouldnt it be better to reconsider joining hands and looking for treasure together? Itll be far safer than heading out alone.

Brother Dongmen, I have nothing against you. It is just that I am fond of being alone. Please dont suggest joining hands again. Since weve already entered the valley depths, we should part ways. Daoist Heavencrystal chuckled and saluted Dongmen Tu. However, he didnt depart and was instead staring at him with caution.

When Dongmen Tu saw this, he frowned for a moment before smiling. Since Fellow Daoist Heavencrystal is unwilling, I wont force you. We will split up here. I hope you have a large harvest.

Hehe! Then I wish you luck as well. Daoist Heavencrystals expression relaxed and he headed away with his puppets following after him. Dongmen Tu watched him as he departed into the distance and his face grew sullen.

Dongmen Tu sighed with annoyance. That old ghost is truly too cautious. Its been two days and he hasnt let his guard down. With those two puppets, searching the valley depths would be far safer. He then glanced around and slapped his spirit beast pouch. With a gust of wind, a sparkling silver bat appeared in front of him.

Dongmen Tu raised his hand and tossed a jet-black medicine pill into the mouth of the silver bat. The bat then flew once in the air before shooting off into the sky.

When Dongmen Tu saw this, he hastily called out to the five cultivators behind him and led the way. In the blink of an eye, the party disappeared from sight.

While studying the crude map, Han Li saw that it appeared roughly similar to Devilfall Valley. However, there were a few particular areas on the map that were thoroughly marked, detailing those sections of the valley as well as the nearby topography of the marked locations.

Han Li was able to locate his own position with regards to the areas that were marked, but he was far too distant from them and was unsure of the dangers that lay ahead.

Han Li muttered to himself for a moment before putting away the map and shaking his head. He knew that the map was certain to contain some important secrets, but he couldnt afford any distractions before he acquired the Spirit Kindle Fruit, it was of tantamount importance. Silvermoon seemed to guess what Han Li was thinking and said little further.

Han Li flipped his hand and took out the jade box he just acquired before placing it inside the bamboo tube he wore on his back. Han Li then said with an indifferent tone, Many materials required to craft the Sevenflame Fan shouldve gone extinct or disappeared long ago. Perhaps Senior can find some substitutions that can be acquired in the current cultivation world with his material equivalence knowledge. If I end up truly able to refine this treasure, I will hold you in the highest esteem.

After a time of silence, the Monarch of Soul Divergence coldly laughed and answered, Youngster, do you think Im an idiot? Although I am quite interested in the Divine Spirit Treasure, Im not about to research the refinement method without a reason. Dont tell me you think Im going to do that for some simple praise.

Han Li didnt appear surprised. Instead, he coldly replied, Divine Spirit Treasures arent easily refined. Although I do know that you are knowledgeable of material equivalence, I am not confident whether or not you can truly do this. But if you do succeed, I will spare no effort to fulfill any of your requests. Will that satisfy you?

When he heard this, the Monarch of Soul Divergence paused before coldly snorting. With an arrogant tone, he said, In the past, I had found a few materials for Divine Spirit Treasures in some ancient cultivator ruins and learned of these world-defying treasures. As these treasures were something held in reverence by ancient cultivators, I grew quite curious and took particular note of them. Unfortunately, there was too little information on Divine Spirit Treasures and I wasnt able to make any progress on them. Now that Ive become neither human nor ghost, I dont wish to spend my remaining years of life on this task only for it to be in vain. Moreover, I will only be looking for a few substitute materials. I wont be doing something as difficult as creating a new method to refine them. And when I am done, dont forget that I will have a demand for you.

Fine. I agree. Han Li agreed with a beaming smile.

Since he had the genius who founded the Great Development Arts at his disposal, Han Li didnt wish to waste this opportunity. Although he already possessed another Divine Spirit Treasure, the Heavenvoid Cauldron, he didnt know when he would be able to use it. Besides, Divine Spirit Treasures were heaven-defying existences, so the more, the better.

The Monarch of Soul Divergence was silent afterwards, perhaps already examining the refinement method inside the jade box.

With that matter concluded, the light surrounding Han Lis body shined brightly and he flew forward at an even greater speed.

…

In the mountain where the Purple-lined Scorpions nest was located, Marquis Nanlong and Lu Weiying were heading underground inside an unfamiliar tunnel. It was dark to the point that they were only able to see ten meters ahead of them despite their vast cultivation.

As Lu Weiying followed three meters behind Marquis Nanlong, he slowly said, Brother Nanlong, I didnt think that there would actually be a place so cold and damp inside the lava territory. Ive now grown even more convinced that the Blood Curse Gate is here.

Marquis Nanlong smiled and said, So it turned out that Brother Lu was doubtful about it? You should know that the Blood Curse Gate wasnt even mentioned in the records left behind by Master Cang Kun, or else the Ghost Spirit Sect would definitely be here. The Blood Curse Gate was a secret that was only passed down through his descendants.

With narrowed eyes, Lu Weiying smiled and said, But if it werent for the fact you needed the power of two Nascent Soul cultivators to open the Blood Curse gate, you might not have needed to take me along.

With a chuckle, Marquis Nanlong casually said, Brother Lu must be joking. Weve been friends for many years. With such profit to be gained, it is only natural for me to ask you to come along. Why else would I have concealed this matter from that Youngster Han?

Having heard this, Lu Weiying tactfully dropped the matter and said, Then I must thank you for your kindness, Brother Nanlong.

With only two people searching for treasures, it was prudent to be somewhat wary of the other party member. By letting Marquis Nanlong know that he had a precaution up his sleeve, there shouldnt be any falling out along the way. He especially didnt wish to fight in such unfamiliar territory.

Marquis Nanlong knew what Lu Weiying was doing and he sneered in his mind while maintaining a calm expression.

The two remained silent as they continued down the passageway and eventually saw a weak light ahead of them. The two rejoiced and immediately quickened their steps, arriving inside a large cave.

The cave was over three hundred meters wide and had meter-long stalactites sparkling with white light hanging from the ceiling. But the most eye-catching thing was the thirty-meter-wide dark-green pool at the center of the cave. Apart from its emerald color, there didnt seem to be anything exceptional about it.

Discovering that there were no restrictions that existed nearby, Lu Weiying couldnt help but ask, The Blood Curse Gate is really here?

Seeing that Lu Weiying had already changed his stance despite his previous confidence in the existence of the gate, Marquis Nanlong shot a glance at him before revealing a mysterious smile and saying, Its here without a doubt. But since the Blood Curse Gate was such an important area, Master Cang Kun hid the area by concealing the restrictions before he left. He then turned his gaze to the pool at the center of the cave. Lu Weiying blankly turned toward it and suddenly began to examine the pool with a sudden realization.

At that moment, Marquis Nanlong waved his sleeve and took out a small blue flag. Plop. The flag flew out of his hand and disappeared into the pool without a trace. Afterwards, he formed a hand incantation and began to mutter.

The calm surface of the pool suddenly began to ripple and slowly revolve. The rotations grew in size and intensity until a large whirlpool appeared at its center, hums emitting from it.

A Watersplit Flag? I didnt think that Brother Nanlong would have such a rare treasure. Lu Weiying said with astonishment.

Marquis Nanlong shook his head and said, Its nothing. Apart from splitting the water, it has no other abilities. He then softly yelled as he raised his hands, striking at the whirlpool with two spell seals. The pool grew ten meters wide before creating a passage before them.

Without uttering another word, Marquis Nanlong flew directly into the water. Lu Weiying paused for a second before quickly following suit.

A moment later, Lu Weiyings expression paled. The pool wasnt simply deep, it was profoundly deep. He had already flown a kilometer downward and there was still no end in sight. As he glanced above to look at the top of the pool, he saw a speck of light and faintly felt apprehension and pressure weighing down on him.

Fortunately, after travelling over three hundred kilometers more, he saw that Marquis Nanlong suddenly slowed down. They had finally reached the bottom of the pool. Lu Weiying felt some relief and floated down, withdrawing the light that surrounded him.

The pools bottom was a round area that was over thirty meters wide, appearing even larger than the pools surface. The Watersplit Flag was inserted in the middle of the stone floor and glowing with blue light. Surrounding it was a tall, dark-green wall of water that stretched all the way up to the pools surface.

Lu Weiying glanced at his surroundings and frowned, saying, The Blood Curse Gate is exceptionally well hidden. No one would think to go a kilometer deep into the pool. However, it is baffling how Master Cang Kun managed to find this.

This… As a person who possessed an outstanding spiritual sense, it is likely Master Cang Kun managed to directly sink his spiritual sense deep into the pool. Marquis Nanlong spoke with a tone of doubt. As he hadnt considered the matter before, he felt somewhat at a loss.

That is certainly possible, Lu Weiying stroked his chin but his gaze flickered.

Marquis Nanlong muttered to himself for a moment before shaking his head and tossing the matter to the back of his mind. He then slapped his storage pouch and summoned a white jade pendant into his hand. He released the pendant into the air and it began to revolve around the two of them.

Marquis Nanlong raised his hands and formed an incantation seal, launching streaks of various colored spell seals onto the pendant. The pendant cleanly absorbed them and soon shined with a blinding white light. It stopped in front of the barrier of water before screaming with phoenix cries.

Marquis Nanlong raised his hand and pointed to the jade pendant. As it trembled, a white mist of light sprayed out in front of it.

A strange scene occurred as the mist of white light passed through the water barrier and distorted the image as if ripping through a painting. As the light shattered, a ten-meter-tall arched stone gate appeared in its place with crimson light sparkling on the surface.

A huge horned ghost head was carved onto the top of the stone gate, taking up most of the gates surface. It appeared true to life and malevolent.

This is the Blood Curse Gate? Lu Weiying stroked his chin as he looked at it. For some reason, he suddenly felt a wave of apprehension upon seeing the gate.

Marquis Nanlong and Lu Weiying each took a medicine bottle and carefully placed them into their storage pouches. Afterwards, the three glanced at the two remaining ancient treasures. It appeared that splitting them would be quite awkward.

As the Marquis and the old man hesitated over the matter, Han Li blinked and smiled. How about this? I am not lacking in ancient treasures, so if you two have enough spirit stones, I will let you two have them at the appropriate cost.

We will respectfully accept Han Lis modest proposal. Ive brought quite a number of spirit stones. Lu Weiying promptly agreed with joy. After all, ancient treasures were something that couldnt be bought.

Marquis Nanlong particularly lacked ancient treasures and he happily agreed to Han Lis proposal. They promptly gathered together nearly all the spirit stones in their possession and handed them over to Han Li, resulting in a satisfactory conclusion for all parties involved.

When Han Li saw that they had taken the two remaining ancient treasures, he casually waved his hand and summoned the azure silkworm robe into his hand before putting it away.

The other two watched this with a blank expression, but since Han Li had given the two ancient treasures over to them, they left the matter alone. Although the robe was rare, there werent many uses for it.

With the treasures now divided amongst them, they harvested the grass that was growing at the side of the lava, resulting in several stalks per person.

The spirit grass wasnt a common item since it was able to grow under such harsh conditions. It was revealed to be the flame-attribute Golden Yang Grass, a top grade material used for refining flame-attribute spirit pills.

Without anything else there to capture their interest, the three gathered back together on the stone platform and discussed their plans moving forward.

Han Li spoke first with a calm tone, Since the treasure has been acquired, I am planning on leaving the valley depths and returning the way I came. Will you be returning with me?

Marquis Nanlong chuckled and said, Fellow Daoist Han must be joking. Brother Lu and I have only just managed to enter the valley with great difficulty. We cant return so soon. Why are you so impatient to leave?

With a casual tone, Han Li answered, Its nothing surprising. Ive already made a profit and I dont want to take any further risks. The path of cultivation ahead of me is a long one. I have no interest in staying in an area as dangerous as this one and risk cutting that path short.

Lu Weiying wore a beaming smile and said, Hehe! I didnt think that Fellow Daoist Han was so aware of his future path. It is a pity we wont be returning together. Fellow Daoist Han can go ahead and leave the valley first.

Wearing an odd expression, Han Li asked, Leave alone? If I leave with the Yin Yang Ring, how will you two get past the Greatnorth Essence Lights?

Marquis Nanlong quickly replied, Brother Han doesnt need to worry. Weve already considered it. Master Cang Kun found a transportation formation in the valley depths during his time here. However, it is quite a distance away from here so it would be faster for you to return the way you came. I wouldve told you about it previously if it were closer.

Han Lis expression blanked for a moment but he soon nodded and said, So it was like that. Then I must bid you farewell. I hope you two have a rich harvest.

When Marquis Nanlong and Lu Weiying heard Han Li bid them farewell, they hastily replied.

Many thanks for your kind words, Fellow Daoist Han.

Please go ahead.

Han Li smiled and took a glance at the crystalline bones before flying out in a streak of azure light, disappearing in the blink of an eye.

When Lu Weiying saw that Han Li had disappeared from sight, his smile vanished. As for Marquis Nanlong, he expressionlessly slapped his storage pouch and released several small golden birds, the Eternal Flight Orioles that he had nurtured. They flew out of the cave and disappeared in streaks of light.

Marquis Nanlong closed his eyes as if sensing something. When Lu Weiying saw this, he raised his brow, but remained silent as he waited.

After an unknown amount of time had passed, Marquis Nanlongs eyes stirred and he opened them while saying, Han Li has truly left. At the very least, he isnt anywhere near us. The Eternal Flight Orioles have observed an area of five kilometers around us and they have found no trace of him.

Lu Weiying frowned and asked, Didnt you say that his spiritual sense is particularly powerful? Couldnt he be hiding from you?

Marquis Nanlong stroked his chin and wore an odd expression as he said, Relax. If he has truly concealed himself, then he definitely wouldnt be able to hide from me. However, I cant tell you the reason why I know this.

Lu Weiying felt somewhat skeptical of Marquis Nanlongs confidence, but after a time more of thought, he clutched his hands in a spell incantation and cast spell seals all around him, forming a small barrier of light around them.

Marquis Nanlong smiled, but a trace of disapproval was betrayed from his face.

With the barrier laid down, Lu Weiying finally said, It isnt ever wrong to be too careful. Weve never been able to see through Fellow Daoist Han, Brother Nanlong. He truly gives us a sense of mystery. And dont you think there was something strange about the way he glanced at the skeleton?

Marquis Nanlong shook his head and said, Brother Lu, you are too suspicious. Although that Youngster Han possesses vast abilities, he couldnt possibly know the secret behind the bones. It should only be an incidental action. After all, the skeleton looked quite unordinary. It should be natural to want to take a look at it.

After some more thought, Lu Weiying thoughtfully said, Regardless of whether he has seen through it, it is true that he didnt wish to stay here with us. Perhaps he feels that with his abilities, he would be able to search for treasures alone in the valley. Then so long as he doesnt get in our way, all we can do is be more careful, considering that he might not have left the valley. Since too much time has passed, we should act quickly.

Marquis Nanlong sighed and said, According to the records left behind by Master Cang Kun, the ancient cultivator skeleton is the key to dissolving the Blood Curse Gate. Since the gate is sealed with such formidable restrictions, it is obviously no small matter. During times of antiquity, the Blood Curse Gate was a storage of fantastical treasures. The diseased cultivators transparent bones were a sign that they had opened the gate once before. Master Cang Kuns inability to acquire them is a great convenience to us.

Lu Weiying continued, However, the treasures weve acquired shouldnt be nearly as valuable as those stored behind the Blood Curse Gate. Alright, lets set off. Although the Blood Curse Gate isnt far away, the quicker we acquire the treasures, the better. гeewenvel.com

Your words are reasonable. Let us set off. I am looking forward to seeing the items behind the Blood Curse Gate. Were it not for Master Cang Kun spotting the cultivator remains near the Blood Curse Gate, we wouldve had no chance of opening it. Those who placed the gate under the restrictions in the past cant have been too far away from it. However, it is odd as to how they died. There should be another story of what happened to those ancient cultivators.

I dont have any interest in what happened to them in the past. Let us go, Brother Nanlong.

Soon, the two shot out of the passageway and were flying toward some unknown passage in the giant mountain.

At that moment, Han Li was fifty kilometers away and on the route back to the outer valley.

Silvermoons puzzled voice asked from the back of his mind, Master, youre truly leaving? Those two are clearly concealing something from you. There is something strange about that skeleton.

Han Li replied, Of course I know this. It most likely has something to do with other treasures. Although I am tempted, I have something more important to attend to, the Spirit Kindle Fruit. And there are still other treasures in the valley I have use for. Since weve lagged too far behind the Ghost Spirit Sect, I cannot afford to be drawn into Marquis Nanlongs and Lu Weiyings scheme.

So it turned out that there truly are no other treasures in Devilfall Valley that hold as much value to Master as the Spirit Kindle Fruit. However, why did Master seize the azure silkworm gown at the very end? I dont believe that Master truly sought the item.

Han Li grinned upon hearing this. Hehe! Well, Im sure that those two old men also had no idea why I took it.

Silvermoon puzzledly asked, Master, what do you mean?

Han Li didnt immediately reply. Instead, he extended his hand and slapped his storage pouch. In a flash of green light, a silk robe appeared in his hand. With a crackle, Han Li easily tore open the corner of the robe.

Silvermoon exclaimed at the sight of this. Han Lis tear had revealed a small fabric of sorts that was written on with a primitive crudeness. Han Li then put away the azure robe and began to closely examine the fabric.

As Han Li looked at the item, Silvermoon was able to catch sight of it as well. After a glance, she cried out, This is a map, likely of Devilfall Valley!

Remaining silent, Han Li stared at a few large symbols on the map and couldnt help but narrow his eyes.

Han Lis gaze flickered. Having seen Lu Weiyings expression, he asked, Could it be that Brother Lu is suggesting another method to split the treasures?

If the jade box and medicine bottles were also ancient treasures, it wouldnt be a problem if we each got two items. But…

We still dont know what is inside the jade box or medicine bottles. Naturally, we should first take a look inside and split them in accordance to value. Marquis Nanlong interrupted him and said something that appeared fair.

Lu Weiying frowned after he heard this, but he soon nodded and said, I also find those terms agreeable. How about you, Fellow Daoist Han?

I have no objections. Lets do that then. Han Li replied without any further thought.

Fellow Daoist Han speaks quite frankly. Ill be taking a look at what is inside. Appearing quite satisfied at Han Lis response, Marquis Nanlong swept his hand and summoned the white box into his grasp. With a slap from his other hand, he attempted to open the box.

White light shined the moment the box opened and a layer of white light appeared from it, repelling Marquis Nanlongs hand. Yi! The box is under a restriction. After muttering to himself for a moment, golden light flashed from his hand and he grabbed the box once more.

The white light blocked him once more and intertwined with the light from Marquis Nanlongs hand, but after a short moment, the golden light sparked and he managed to forcefully open the box before the white light completely disappeared. Han Li was blinded for a moment before clearly seeing a faintly yellow jade slip within the box.

Lu Weiying wore an odd expression and Marquis Nanlong hesitated for a moment before placing the jade slip on his forehead. After sweeping through the contents of the jade slip in an instant, he wore an odd expression.

Fellow Daoists, have a look at it! Preventing the others from growing suspicious of him, Marquis Nanlong quickly tossed it over to Han Li. Han Li caught the jade slip and placed it against his forehead. A frown unconsciously appeared on his face a moment later and he gave the jade slip to Lu Weiying, who also quickly read through it.

Before Lu Weiying even finished reading through it, he muttered, The Sevenflame Fan? Ive never heard of this ancient treasure. Is it powerful?

Marquis Nanlong mused and said, Im not sure, but given the difficult refinement method listed in the jade slip and the fact that it requires spirit ore, it should be quite formidable.

Lu Weiying shook his head and returned the jade slip to Marquis Nanlong. Even if it is powerful, it is no use. Although it details the refinement method, it requires over eighty-one fire attribute spirit materials with just as many supplementary materials. Among these are items that were long extinct from this world. The jade slip is now of little value and can only be used for research.

Marquis Nanlong smiled and carelessly slipped the jade slip back into the box.

Just as Han Li deemed the jade slip to be useless, he suddenly heard Silvermoons delighted voice in his head, The Sevenflame Fan? Master, does that jade slip truly contain the method to refine it?

Han Lis expression stirred and he replied, Thats right. Do you know of it?

Silvermoons voice trembled and she excitedly said, Master, if I remember correctly, the Sevenflame Fan is a Divine Spirit Treasure, but its ranking was rather low amongst Divine Spirit Treasures, ranked in the teens.

Divine Spirit Treasure! When Han Li heard this, he couldnt help but speak with surprise.

Before Han Li could continue, the Monarch of Soul Divergence also spoke with excitement, What? A Divine Spirit Treasure? You must acquire the jade slip by all means. I wished to research Divine Spirit Treasures in the past, but their refinement methods are quite difficult to come by.

Silvermoons tone turned harsh and she coldly said, Old eccentric, what are you doing running your mouth?

The Monarch of Soul Divergence chuckled and casually said, Demon fox, youre still holding the grudge from before? I only thought to do a bit of research on you because Ive never heard of a tool spirit that was intelligent. Didnt your master accept as well?

You…

Han Li coldly said, Enough, Silvermoon! The matter has already passed, dont cling onto it. However, it does come as a surprise that Senior knows of Divine Spirit Treasures. However, now isnt the time to speak in detail. Lets put it off for later. Han Li then turned his gaze to the jade box and watched Marquis Nanlong open both of the black medicine bottles.

Silvermoon tactfully dropped the matter. Although she still felt unhappy towards the Monarch of Soul Divergence, she was still under the control of Han Li. With only a few simple words, he could order her to remain silent.

When Marquis Nanlong opened a black medicine bottle, Han Li felt his mind shake when he smelled the comforting fragrance that emerged.

Marquis Nanlong took out a glistening jade-green medicine pill from the bottle and held it in his palm. He hesitantly said, This isnt a common type of ancient medicine pill. While Im not sure what it is, it shouldnt be something harmful. Ill have to identify it with records.

With an entranced gaze, Lu Weiying slowly said, How many pills are in the bottle?

Marquis Nanlong faced Han Li and Lu Weiying and showed them the empty medicine bottle. There is only the one pill, but it seems to be incredibly valuable.

Lets look at the other medicine bottle! Lu Weiying impatiently said.

Marquis Nanlong nodded and sealed the medicine pill in his hand up in the bottle before opening the other bottle to reveal an identical green medicine pill. As a result, the Marquis and the old man exchanged a glance of apprehension.

Han Li smiled and calmly asked, It seems this harvest has been quite good. There are three ancient treasures, two unknown medicine pills, and the refinement method for an ancient treasure. How do you think we should divide it?

Marquis Nanlong looked at the two medicine bottles in his hand and calmly said, Although we dont know what these spirit pills are, Fellow Daoist Han should know that we entered the valley in order to look for spiritual medicines. Fellow Daoist Lu and I plan on splitting them between us as a share of the treasure. Since this is the case, Fellow Daoist Han can have first pick of the other ancient treasures. We hope you dont have any problem with this.

When Han Li heard this, he frowned and glanced at the several treasures on the ground.

Han Li stroked his chin and shook his head, You two Fellow Daoists should know the value of those ancient pills without me saying. To tell the truth, I might rather have one of those pills and increase my cultivation than take an ancient treasure.

When the other two heard Han Li, their expressions grew tense. Marquis Nanlongs expression stirred for a moment before forcing a smile, Fellow Daoist Hans age is still young. There should be no need to fight against two people at the end of their lifespans for the two medicine pills. In only a short time, you have entered the early Nascent Soul stage. It should be quite easy for you to reach the tallest heights of cultivation.

Han Li softly said, My age and wanting the medicine pill are two different matters. With such an opportunity before me, it is only natural for me to want to seize it will all my might. However, I am willing to renounce all the other treasures for those two medicine pills. To tell the truth, I have no lack of ordinary ancient treasures.

Lu Weiying grew nervous at Han Lis determined display and he gritted his teeth, saying, Fellow Daoist Han must be joking. How could we possibly give up the two medicine pills? How about this, so long as Brother Han relinquishes his claim on the two medicine pills, well give him priority on picking the entire his share of treasures. Brother Nanlong, what do you think?

When Marquis Nanlong heard this, he grimaced but soon wore a bitter smile and said, So long as he renounces his claim on the spirit pills, lets have Fellow Daoist Han have first pick on two treasures.

A trace of reluctant appeared on Marquis Nanlongs face. After all, most of his ancient treasures had been destroyed when the Ghost Spirit Sect besieged him in the Moulan Plains. With so many ancient treasures before him, he felt unwilling to let them go. However, he knew those ancient spirit pills were far more valuable to him.

At that moment, Han Li revealed a trace of hesitation on his face as if tempted by their proposal.

When Lu Weiying saw this, he hastily took the opportunity to add on, Fellow Daoist Hans lifespan is still very long. There will be time to look for other pills later. In comparison, you should find those ancient treasures to be useful to you now. Having another ancient treasure in your possession will be sure to save your life in any future battles.

Han Li couldnt help but smile and said, It seems that unless I give up on the spirit pills, it will be hard to distribute the treasures. Fine, since you two were so sincere, I will agree to give the spirit pills to you. I also dont need two ancient treasures, only the mirror. Also, give the treasure refinement method and spirit ore over to me. I am quite interested in tool refinement. Han Li reached out with his hand and summoned the purple mirror into his hand.

The two glanced at each other for a moment and promptly responded, Then lets do as you say, Brother Han.

Although they felt puzzled that Han Li would want that instead of an ancient treasure, they were disinclined to further investigate the matter since they already had the ancient pills in hand.

When Han Li heard their responses, he nodded with a calm expression and put the mirror away in a flash of light. Soon, he flung his sleeve and swept up the jade box and the crafting materials in a cloud of green light, causing them to disappear from sight.

Two clouds of light extended from the separated pieces of the flame toad as they gradually merged together.

Its body is immortal! The flame toad actually possesses such an ability? Marquis Nanlong cried out in alarm. Lu Weiying appeared just as shocked.

Immortal? There is nothing in this world that is truly immortal. Its vitality is simply more powerful than common demon beasts.

Having read many records, Han Li knew what an immortal body was. After he severed the Ancient Flame Toads arm, Han Li had noticed how strange it appeared and felt that something was amiss. As a result, he had shouted for Marquis Nanlong to not dissolve the barrier, denying the flame toad an opportunity to restore itself and escape.

At that moment, Han Li wore a cold smile and pointed at the flame toads head once more. The huge sword spun around once in the air before splitting into two and chopping down at each of the toads body parts.

In a flicker of blue light, two bangs sounded out. The flame toads head and body were instantly covered in layers of frost. The scarlet lights was sealed within and were scattered by the flying swords strike. With the body destroyed, all the remained was a scarlet sphere, the Ancient Flame Toads demon core.

When Marquis Nanlong and Lu Weiying saw the demon core, they both felt slight temptation. After all, it was the demon core of an ancient beast with an immortal body. It was likely that it possessed some strange attributes. But when the two recalled the abilities Han Li had earlier displayed as well as his grand reputation, their temptation towards the core was completely stifled.

After all, they both clearly realized that with the abilities Han Li had displayed, their odds of victory against him would only be a coin toss. Additionally, it wasnt worth becoming hostile over the core of an unknown ancient beast. There would be far more opportunities for treasure in Devilfall Valley.

Although Han Li didnt possess any mind-reading techniques, he could guess what the other two were thinking. In the recent battle with the flame toad, neither of them had displayed their full might as if they were mostly relying on Han Li to slay the beast. As a result, Han Li had maintained a calm appearance, when in truth he grew even warier of the other two cultivators in case they were overcome with foolishness.

Now that he saw that they had regained their calm after a momentary change in expression, Han Li felt relieved. Although he wasnt afraid of a fight, it would be better to avoid any risks altogether.

Han Li waved his hand toward the ice barrier and summoned the demon core into his palm. Then with a clear ring, the two huge flying swords broke down into over ten small swords before disappearing into his sleeve.

Han Li lowered his head as he glanced at the fire-red demon core in his hand and released a long sigh. He had finally fulfilled one of his objectives in Devilfall Valley.

Marquis Nanlong smiled and said, It is quite fortunate that we had Fellow Daoist Han here to slay the Ancient Flame Toad. Lets move into the nest and take a look. Surely Brother Han is also interested in taking a look at the treasures on the remains.

Of course. Han Li put away the demon core and nodded.

Lu Weiying was happy to hear this and the three soon entered the mountain cave after putting away their spell formations.

To tell the truth, Han Li did think about secretly releasing Silvermoon so that she could seize the treasures in the cave first. But given that the other two cultivators were extremely cunning, had paid particularly close attention to Han Li and possessed cultivation superior to his own, it was very likely they wouldve noticed he had released Silvermoon.

It was also worth mentioning that there was something odd about the cultivator remains. Since Han Li felt that there was something amiss, he decided to leave the matter be.

The three turned into three streaks of light, entering the cave in an instant.

The Marquis and Lu Weiying were surprised when they saw the lava, but soon ignored it as they glanced around, spotting the stone platform where the ancient cultivator remains laid with expressions of delight.

Marquis Nanlongs expression faded and he cooly said, It seems this should be the remains that Master Cang Kun mentioned. Lets go there together.

Han Li and Lu Weiying raised no objections and they immediately moved towards the remains.

Floating over ten meters away from the stone platform, Han Li watched the remains with a trace of eager impatience.

The other two were also eager and showed little restraint as they immediately released their spiritual sense to search the remains for treasures. When Han Li saw this, he wore a mysterious smile and said nothing further. He had already discovered something odd about the ancient remains and decided it would be better for the two to experience it for themselves.

As a result, the two submerged the skeleton with their spiritual sense and green light burst from its robes. As a result, their spiritual sense was repelled before they were able to see anything, much to their alarm.

With a surprised expression, Wei Luying muttered, Yi! There is something strange about those robes.

Marquis Nanlong regained his calm and explained, It is merely a gown made from the silk of an green silkworm. Ancient cultivators made robes from this material to prevent other cultivators from probing them with their spiritual sense. Although theyre rare in current times, it was a common item in ancient times. He then swept his hand at the air and summoned the green robe into his hand.

As a result, the skeleton was revealed with a small black pouch wrapped around its waist.

A storage pouch, as expected! Lu Weiying shouted with joy. Marquis Nanlong also felt excitement and flung the green robes to the side as he stared at the black storage pouch with complete focus.

When Han Li heard the sound made by the azure robes dropping to the ground, his expression faintly changed for just a moment.

As the atmosphere grew tenser, Marquis Nanlong smiled to his two party members and suggested, If you two are not opposed, will it be fine if I look through the storage pouch first?

Of course you can. Brother Nanlong please go ahead. Han Li glanced at the storage pouch and replied with a smile. As for Lu Weiying, he hesitated for a moment before nodding.

Marquis Nanlong then stepped forward and carefully took the storage pouch into his hand. He swept through the general contents of it with his spiritual sense and his face became stiff.

When Lu Weiying saw this, he couldnt help but say, Brother Nanlong, what is inside? You may as well let us take a look.

Marquis Nanlong nodded and flipped the storage pouch, immediately pouring out its contents in a flash of white light, producing a pile of items on the floor.

What in the world is this?! Lu Weiying shouted in alarm.

A majority of the items that appeared were scarlet lumps of metal that were scorching hot. There were also a few items that were particularly eye-catching: a white jade box, a small purple mirror, a small yellow sword, a set of green flying needles, and two black medicine bottles.

Han Li narrowed his eyes when he saw those items and his expression stirred.

Excluding the jade box and the medicine bottles, the rest of these items were rare ancient treasures without a doubt. As for the jade box and medicine bottles, they particularly piqued Han Lis interest. Both the box and the bottles were refined from a material that blocked him from seeing into them with his spiritual sense.

Han Li frowned and said, Ive never seen those materials before, but they seem to only be half finished.

After some thought, Marquis Nanlong mused, Half-finished? That does seem to be the case. If Ive guessed correctly, these iron chunks should be the legendary spirit ores, extraordinary materials that ancient cultivators used to refine ancient treasures. It is said that the method to refine them is quite peculiar, needing a large number of rare materials and worldly energy for their creation. This ancient cultivator mustve wanted to refine a particularly fearsome fire-attribute treasure to have so many of them.

Spirit ores! When Han Li heard the name, he immediately recalled that they were mentioned in an ancient record he had read. After a moment of thought, he remembered it to be a material used to refine rare ancient treasures, just as Marquis Nanlong had said.

When Lu Weiying heard this, he revealed a trace of excitement before turning to look at the rest of the treasures and eventually staring at the jade box and medicine bottle.

At that moment, Marquis Nanlong raised his hand and tossed the storage pouch over to Han Li.

Han Li unconsciously caught it and was surprised for a moment before realizing what Marquis Nanlong intended. He bluntly weighed it in his hand and searched through it before tossing it over to Lu Weiying.

Lu Weiying examined it and nodded when he confirmed there was no problem.

Lets each divide these treasures. How about we have each person select two items? Mentioning the most crucial question of the matter before them, Marquis Nanlong wore a solemn expression.

Red light brightly shined from the center of the ice barrier and the huge pillar of flame swept all around the Ancient Flame Toad. Regardless of whether it be the ice dragons or magic treasures, they were all forcefully knocked away. The Ancient Flame Toads silhouette could be faintly seen within the pillar of light.

The column of flame quickly dispersed, and knowing that it was trapped, the Ancient Flame Toad took advantage of this opportunity to attempt an escape. It transformed into a ball of raging flames and shot itself towards the hole it just made in the barrier. freeebnovel.com

When Marquis Nanlong and Lu Weiying saw this, they hastily commanded their magic treasures to block the beast from escaping the spell formation, but they were too late.

In the blink of an eye, it arrived next to the ice barrier, but then a sharp whistle erupted from the distance as soon as the toads front legs left the barrier. The toad saw a streak of black light appear and sweep towards it. Immediately after, it felt a burning and icy sensation from its leg, suddenly discovering that a large portion of it was missing.

The flame toad trembled for a moment before roaring with unbearable pain. Despite the beasts powerful abilities, it became overwhelmed by pain and promptly fell from the sky.

Marquis Nanlong and Lu Weiying rejoiced at the sight of this and immediately commanded their treasures to surround the flame toad and unleash a flurry of attacks.

The dark-green ring blurred several times and transformed into several hundred phantoms, revolving around the flame toad in an attempt to restrain it. As for the twin blue halberds, they turned into twenty-meter-long ice pythons in a flash of blue light before pouncing at the toad.

Showing itself to be a great beast deserving the fear from Master Cang Kun in the past, it showed no sign of being affected from having a missing limb and condensed a dense layer of small light shields around its body in preparation to receive the attacks.

The green ring phantoms were incapable of growing any closer to the flame toads body and restraining it. They were only able to strike at the light shields to little effect. As for the two ice pythons, they were able to restrain the fire element light shields with their own ice attribute attacks. With each pounce, they smashed another light shield, but the number of shields seemed endless and the attacks had little effect.

But six beams of blue light soon joined the barrage of attacks, shattering the light shields with flashes of light. With a loud rumble, the ancient flame toad was overwhelmed despite its attempts to resist.

When Marquis Nanlong saw this, he looked to the side in surprise, spotting Han Li who had appeared nearby at an unknown time. Han Li had his arm raised, black Qi scattering from it. Behind him, there were six tortoise puppets that were each emitting bowl-thick beams of light that were striking the flame toad.

Han Li turned his eyes to glance at the flame toads severed limb that fell outside the ice barrier. Although it was separated from its body, it still glowed with red light and floated near the ice barrier as if it still possessed spiritual power.

When Han Li saw this, his eyes betrayed a trace of astonishment.

A moment ago when Han Li saw that the flame toad was about to escape from the ice barrier, he unleashed the Yin Devil Execution in a moment of desperation. However, he didnt expect that the flame toad would still be so tenacious and fierce after it fell. It was still able to endure even under the attacks of two Nascent Soul cultivators and six of his puppets. It was no wonder why Master Cang Kun didnt dare to fight it while he was weakened.

Lu Weiying shouted, Fellow Daoist Han, those fire-attribute shields surrounding his body are endless! I fear we will need you to restrain it with your ice-attribute ability or it will take too much time. The light shields shattered into mist as soon as they were destroyed and after only a brief delay, the mist was sucked back into the toads body and the light shields reappeared. It was no wonder why Lu Weiyings voice sounded apprehensive.

Even without Lu Weiying pointing this out, Han Li knew what had to be done. With a wave of his sleeve, over ten sparkling golden swords flew out from his sleeve. The swords revolved around him once before condensing into a three-meter-long sword that glistened with golden light and released a chilling aura.

Lu Weiying and Marquis Nanlong were puzzled upon seeing this. They had expected him to use that fearsome blue flame to deal with the flame toad, not unleash some flying swords.

With the huge sword materialized, Han Li expressionlessly waved his hand. In a flash of golden light, the huge sword flew in front of Han Li. Then with breath, he blew a sliver of blue flame onto the huge sword, covering it in a layer of raging blue flame.

He hesitated and then clapped his hands together before casting a spell seal, drawing out the Divine Devilbane Lightning from the sword. Thunder roared, raising countless thin arcs of flickering golden lightning from underneath the blue flames on the sword.

A cold glint appeared from Han Lis eyes. As he pointed down at the flame toad, Han Li commanded, Go.

The air rumbled before the sword cleaved towards the flame toad in a streak of gold.

After a series of violent but ineffective attacks, Marquis Nanlongs and Lu Weiyings pressure had begun to weaken, granting the flame toad an opportunity to catch its breath. Fire-red spiritual light pulsing from its body, it began to wildly expand as if attempting to break through the barrier with another attack.

In the blink of an eye, the huge golden sword arrived at the flame toads head, striking down as it left of thunder in its wake.

The flame toad stared at the golden sword dropping towards it with green eyes and sensed that the sword posed a massive threat to it. Unable to continue expanding its stomach, it strangely croaked and spat out a sparkling scarlet fireball to meet the golden swords attack.

The fireball was only the size of a fist, but it was smooth and flickered with red light as if it were a huge pearl made of flame. As soon as it appeared, the air within the ice barrier became scorching hot.

Demon core? It cant be! It isnt material. Han Li was initially frightened when he saw this, but was relieved to discover it wasnt a genuine demon core. After all, the flame toad should be too afraid of the consequences of actually using it.

Han Li continued the command, urging the golden sword to chop down at the fireball without any hesitation. With their enhanced sharpness and the might of their condensed numbers, Han Li believed the Bamboo Cloudswarm Swords should be able to slice through it despite how odd the fireball appeared.

With a bang, an astonishing scene occurred. As golden and fiery red light intertwined, the huge sword was only able to penetrate halfway through the fireball before the sword was forcefully blocked.

What appeared to be contempt appeared in the flame toads eyes and it howled, rupturing the half-cut fireball.

A large expanse of the scarlet light spread out before instantly condensing into a six meter long red python. It leaped up and suddenly coiled around the huge sword, holding it in a rigid grip and restraining it.

Han Li was initially stunned, but he soon smirked. With his hands in an incantation seal, he pointed to the huge sword and it wildly flashed with golden light. Soon, arcs of lightning began to appear on the surface of the sword and they all struck the light python that was wrapped around the sword, forcefully repelling it.

The huge sword took advantage of this opportunity to disappear with a tremble. A moment later, it made a reappearance above the Ancient Flame Toad and struck down as blue flames surged from the swords surface.

Under the sword strike, the shields of light surrounding the flame toad were thoroughly frozen by the blue icy flames that surged from the huge sword and shattered.

In a single breath, over ten of the small shields were shattered and the huge sword continued downward, fiercely chopping down at the ancient toads head.

The flame toad didnt expect the situation to take such a dire turn. In its last attack, it had unleashed a fireball that condensed its bodys essence flame, and without the chance to catch its breath, the huge sword had shattered its defenses and was cutting towards its head. Fear filled its eyes.

Helpless, the flame toad could only open his mouth and launch its jet-black tongue from its mouth with a swoosh. At that same moment, it crouched on its hind legs, ready to leap.

If it were an ordinary treasure blade, the beasts action wouldve had an effect. After all, its tongue was incredibly durable and would be able to block common magic treasures without much effort. However, the Bamboo Cloudswarm Swords had been refined with Auric Essence and were far sharper than ordinary flying swords. As soon as the tongue touched the sword, it was cleaved through in a flash of golden light while the sword continued its descent.

Slash. Just as the Ancient Flame Toad leaped up three meters, its huge head spun as it flew off its body. Additionally, the light shields surrounding the toad soon scattered into ashes.

When Lu Weiying saw this, he shouted with delight, Its done!

Marquis Nanlong sighed and wore a smile. He then held his hands in an incantation gesture and walked towards the ice barrier.

Wait a moment! Han Li coldly shouted, stopping Marquis Nanlong from deactivating the ice barrier.

What is it, Brother Han? Marquis Nanlong wore a bewildered expression and unconsciously placed his hand on his storage pouch. Lu Weiying also glanced at Han Li, his face revealing a trace of vigilance.

Han Li turned a blind eye to their actions and calmly said, Its only that Ive yet to confirm that the flame toad is truly dead. Please dont be too hasty Brother Nanlong.

What? The flame toad is still alive? Marquis Nanlong and Lu Weiying were shocked to hear this and hastily glanced down toward the ice barrier. They discovered that there was something strange about the flame toad. Its severed head and body were still glowing with light and floating in the air.

Controlling the puppet with a trace of his spiritual sense, Han Li was able to clearly see the entirety of the caves interior.

There was a natural made tunnel that was about thirty meters long ahead of the wolf puppet. The stone walls were black and red and there were occasional threads of flame that leaked through cracks, causing the nearby air to be warped by heat. Han Li was convinced that if weaker cultivators were to enter the passage, they wouldnt be able to defend against the heat and would shortly lose consciousness.

Since the white wolf was a mechanical puppet, the problem didnt apply to it. Not long after, it arrived in an underground world of red.

The area was a kilometer wide, but a majority of it was submerged in boiling lava. The sound of the it splattering inspired a fear of being boiled alive.

Surrounding the lake was glowing scarlet ground that was covered in sparse greenery. The plants came as a surprise, but it was clear to see that it was a rare type of spirit grass. However, the white wolf puppet showed no interest in the spirit grass and focused on a protrusion in the lava.

The monster was currently lying on its back and was loudly breathing in its sleep. Its body was ten meters wide, nearly twenty meters long. With the addition of its glowing fire-red body, it possessed an unordinary aura. Occasionally when the beast breathed, it would release a cloud of red mist around itself.

This must be the Ancient Flame Toad! Han Li was able to clearly see the beast and carefully examined it for a long while. Afterwards, he turned his attention towards the stone platform jutting from the Lava Lake.

The stone platform appeared ancient. Although the platforms surroundings were caved with many decorative designs and talisman characters, its four corners were already worn down. At the center of the platform, were the remains of a green-robed cultivator, haphazardly lying down.

The robes were simple but had a strange style. At a glance, one could tell they werent clothes from a modern cultivator. Additionally, despite the years that had passed, the gown still appeared new as it glowed with a faint green light. The remains inside the robes had long rotted away, only revealing translucent bones as clear as crystal.

Having closely examined the remains, Han Li glanced at the Ancient Flame Toad before withdrawing his strand of spiritual sense from the puppet and having the spiritual sense sneak towards the remains.

He decided to first take a look at whether or not the body possessed any treasures. At first glance, he wasnt able to discover the existence or any treasures or a storage pouch on the body, much to his worry. However, it was possible the treasures were hidden near the stone platform or were perhaps hidden inside the green robes.

The strand of spiritual sense arrived above the remains, but when it sank down to them, a change occurred. The green robes brightly shone and created a barrier of green light around it, repelling the strand of spiritual sense and causing a wave of odd spiritual Qi fluctuations nearby.

The sleeping Ancient Flame Toad seemed to detect this and quickly opened its eyes, glancing around to find the white wolf puppet at the caves entrance.

Not good! Han Li shouted in his mind. The strand of spiritual sense immediately returned to the wolf puppet and the puppet hastily turned around and fled in a streak of white light.

At that same time, the round flame toad flipped over and leaped into the air before landing on a huge rock in a crouched position. It glanced at the white wolfs afterimage and furiously croaked. Soon after, it pounced off the rock and chased after the puppet while enveloped in a red mist.

The Ancient Flame Toad is on its way. Be on guard. Hidden near the spell formation, Han Lis lips moved as he sent a voice transmission to his two party members. Their faces froze as they glanced at the mountain from a distance.

A white streak shot out from within and directly flew towards the party of cultivators. A moment later, a ball wrapped in red mist flew out from the cave, closely chasing after it. Its speed was just as fast as an early Nascent Soul cultivator.

Han Lis expression stirred at the sight of this. Fortunately, the white wolf puppet was specialized in speed, otherwise it might not have been able to lure it out.

With that thought, Han Li willed the wolf puppet to rush at full power without regard to the puppets integrity. Afterwards, he flipped his hand to summon a ball of blue flame into his palm.

When the other two cultivators saw this, they prepared their magic treasures with serious expressions as they quietly waited next to the spell formations.

While the distance between the cultivators and the huge mountain appeared great, the white streak and the ball of fire-red mist crossed the distance in the blink of an eye. A stern expression then appeared on Han Lis face as the blue flame in his palm roiled, growing larger.

But when the white streak arrived near the spell formation and was just about to rush inside, the flame toad seemed to grow impatient. It loudly croaked and spat out a scarlet fireball while it was still over a hundred meters away.

When the fireball left its mouth, it wasnt even the size of a head, but when it reached ten meters out, it suddenly expanded to a gigantic size and overtook the white wolf puppet in a storm of raging flames. Soon, the puppet released a muffled explosion from within the flames.

The flames traveled incredibly quickly and not even a single trace of the puppet remained behind.

Han Li was shaken by the sight of this. The toads demonic flames were at least an entire level beyond a cultivators Nascent Flame. He grew doubtful about whether or not his Celestial Ice Flames would be able to restrain it, but he wasnt too worried. After all, he still had two even more ferocious methods to slay the beast: the Purple Apex Flames and the Aureate Sword Formation.

Not to mention that he would be able to slay the beast if he released all the Core Formation grade puppets he possessed, but in doing so, he would take a massive loss. The puppets would likely prove far more useful in other situations.

At that moment, the flame toad croaked with satisfaction at having killed the enemy that intruded upon its lair. Then in a blur of red mist, it turned around in a preparation to return.

In that moment, the three cultivators glanced at each other with dismay. Han Li felt particularly anxious. Since the flame toads core was a matter of life and death for Nangong Wan, Han Li couldnt allow it to escape. A harsh expression on his face, his figure blurred and he shot towards it in a streak of azure light, his lone figure appearing at the edge of the spell formation.

Marquis Nanlong and Lu Weiying were stunned when they saw this, but they soon realized what Han Li planned.

Han Lis appearance had alarmed the flame toad just as he had intended. It quickly turned its head around and rigidly stared at the new enemy that had suddenly appeared close by. It remained motionless as it bewilderedly examined Han Li with one of its eyes.

Han Li remained silent and simply raised the ball of flame in his hand while he slapped his storage pouch with his free hand. Six balls of blue light dropped behind him, revealing themselves to be ten-meter-tall blue tortoise puppets.

Under Han Lis mental command, the shells of the six huge tortoise puppets began to faintly glow with icy Qi, quickly condensing foot-long icicles from their shells. Soon, their original meek appearance had turned extremely intimidating.

The flame toad seemed to sense Han Lis hostility and a cold glint appeared in its eyes. With a single breath, it released another ball of flame from its mouth.

When Han Li saw the fireball expand and shoot towards him with overbearing force, he remained silent and promptly raised the hand holding the ice flames, intending on testing the might of the flame toads demonic flames. Suddenly an ember of blue ice drifted forward and met the oncoming giant ball of flame.

At that point, the flame toads fireball had already expanded to twenty meters in diameter, but the ember of the Celestial Ice Flames was only several inches long. At a glance, they didnt appear comparable in the slightest, but upon contact, the flames and blue light ruptured in an astonishing display. A layer of dense blue ice covered the fireball, turning it into a ball of ice with a scarlet flame flickering at its center.

Han Li was somewhat shaken by the sight of this.

But when the Ancient Flame Toad saw that its fireball was restrained, it was enraged and threw open its mouth, releasing hundreds upon hundreds of fist-sized fireballs in a furious barrage.

Han Li pursed his lips and waved his hands. The six tortoise puppets lying behind him simultaneously shook their shells, launching the countless icicles that had condensed on their backs towards the barrage of fireballs.

Explosions filled the air. Ruptured icicles turned into an icy mist and fireballs imploded into large waves of flame, filling the air with roiling white Qi.

Han Li stared in front of him and narrowed his eyes. Soon it became clear that the fireballs were far stronger than the tortoise puppets icicles. A moment later, the wave of fire began to overcome the icy mist.

When Han Li saw this, he muttered to himself for a moment before suddenly retreating in a blur. The six huge tortoise puppets closely followed after him.

At that moment, the wave of flames had completely overwhelmed the icy mist formed from the destroyed icicles and rushed forward without hesitation. But then, the six tortoise puppets shot out another barrage of icicles, blocking the wave of flames with a glacial mist.

Han Li closely stared at the Ancient Flame Toad that now appeared motionless and had its mouth closed. According to the information he had researched about Devilfall Valley, the Ancient Flame Toad should be able to recover its strength by drawing power from lava. In addition, with its immense skill in fire movement techniques, its able to draw support from flames to travel over three kilometers in an instant.

Since the interior of the mountain was submerged in a sea of lava, it would easily escape once it entered into the ground. However, Marquis Nanlong and Lu Weiying didnt seem to mind this. After all, they were here to acquire the treasure left behind by the deceased ancient cultivator. Even if they couldnt slay the beast, it was all the same if they could acquire the treasures from the cultivator remains. But this was not the case for Han Li since he needed to acquire the demon beasts core for Nangong Wan. So long as the beast was lured into the spell formation and prevented from escaping, he would be able to wholeheartedly attack it. Making sure it couldnt escape was absolutely crucial.

When the Ancient Flame Toad saw that Han Li immediately retreated after fighting, it couldnt help but be puzzled. Since the beast wasnt very intelligent, it blurred forward without much thought and vigorously chased after Han Li.

Han Li was overjoyed upon seeing this.

After travelling a short distance, the flame toad became surrounded in a barrier of faint blue light. Several white lights flashed from the light barrier, releasing several ice dragons that coiled around the barrier, turning it icy and cold.

The flame toad was alarmed and unconsciously came to a stop as it wildly looked around it before releasing a menacing croak.

At the same time, light shined from either side of the light barrier and Marquis Nanlong and Lu Weiying simultaneously appeared. When the two saw that the flame toad was trapped by the spell formation, they began to unleash attacks without restraint.

Marquis Nanlong tossed the jade ring from his hand and Lu Weiying unleashed twin blue halberds that spiralled towards the flame toad. As expected, the spell formations barrier didnt obstruct their treasures in the slightest and their attacks penetrated the ice barrier to strike the flame toad within.

The ice dragons surrounding the light barrier all flew up from it at once and attacked with brandished fangs. When Han Li saw this from a distance, he seized the opportunity to activate a formation flag in his hand, releasing a supplementary restriction in the formation to join together with his partys attacks.

When the flame toad saw this, it knew that things were far from good. It released a world-shaking howl and its body suddenly shrank before violently expanding, unleashing its life-saving ability.

As soon as the beast howled, foot long shields of scarlet light appeared all over the flame toads body. Afterwards, they stuck to its body, creating three impenetrable barriers of fiery light.

At that moment, the green jade ring, the ice dragons, and the blue twin halberds struck the fiery barrier simultaneously. Then a rumble shook the ice barrier and various colored lights collided, releasing a blinding burst of light.

But when the flame toad beast wildly roared again, a meter wide beam of light suddenly shot out from its mouth, striking a side of the ice barrier. The barrier groaned as it withstood the attack, but after only a moment, a large hole was easily melted through it.