Автор: sergey

Several hours later, Han Li hovered high up in the air, looking at a crimson city wall in the distance. So this is Blood Crow City? It doesnt appear to be very big at all.

Hehe, its indeed not a very big city, but its walls are paved with rocks from near the Bloodlight Crystal mine, and apparently, they possess some properties that allow them to weaken magic power attacks, the Long Family patriarch said with a faint smile.

So that means this city will also be able to resist Butterflytail Beasts to a certain extent, it looks like we made the right decision to come here, the woman from the Ye Family said with a smile.

I examined the memories of those two devilish beings earlier, and it seems that all types of beast tides frequently appear in this area, but very rarely would they attack Blood Crow City, so the city doesnt seem to be as simple as it appears. Having said that, there are no restrictions in the city that can undo the effect of our Devilfeign Beads. Once we enter the city, well just have to disguise our auras to the Deity Transformation and Spatial Tempering Stages, and we should be able to avoid excessive scrutiny, the Long Family patriarch said.

Everyone else nodded in agreement to this.

Thus, the Long Family patriarch swept a sleeve through the air, and devilish Qi erupted from his body, sweeping everyone up before hurtling directly toward the crimson city wall down below.

Shortly thereafter, the devilish Qi faded, and Han Li and the others appeared in front of an inky-black city gate, where 30 to 40 green-armored devilish guards were appraising them with wary expressions.

The Long Family patriarch harrumphed coldly and released his immense Spatial Tempering Stage aura, upon which expressions of awe and veneration immediately appeared on the faces of the guards, most of whom were at the Nascent Soul Stage.

The leader of the guards was Deity Transformation Stage devilish being, and he hurriedly approached Han Lis group. After carefully asking a few questions, he immediately waved a hand, upon which the guards opened the city gate to grant Han Li and the others passage.

For a small city like theirs, a Spatial Tempering Stage being was not someone they could afford to offend, so Han Lis group was allowed passage with minimal questioning. In fact, under normal circumstances where there were no beast tides, the questioning process wouldve been skipped altogether.

In the instant that he entered through the city gate, blue light flashed through Han Lis eyes as he swept his gaze over a formation engraved on the city wall that was comprised of several devilish patterns. He didnt know what the other restrictions in the city were like, but this one was very ordinary and not worthy of concern.

Upon entering the city, everyone was greeted by the sight of rows of buildings of different heights, most of which were black and red in color. There were occasionally some buildings of different colors, but they were all clearly temporary structures.

There were a series of streets between the rows of buildings that were wide enough to fit three beast-drawn carriages side by side, and overall, this city was more of a larger town than a city, and it was home to 5,000,000 to 6,000,000 devilish beings at most.

There was a flight restriction in the city, ensuring that no devilish beings were flying over the city aside from the patrolling guards, and the city wasnt exactly packed to the rafters, but it was definitely very densely populated during this special time.

There were all types of devilish beings walking along the streets, including ferocious-looking ones who resembled devilish beasts, as well as some who looked identical to humans.

The streets were lined with all types of shops and some buildings that appeared to be inns. гeewenvel.com

Many devilish beings were entering and exiting these buildings in a hurried manner, and they were all quite powerful, with the majority of them at the Core Formation and Nascent Soul Stages, and the occasional Deity Transformation Stage devilish being could be seen as well.

As for Spatial Tempering Stage beings, Han Li and the others had only encountered two or three thus far, and all of them had only been at the early-Spatial Tempering Stage.

After walking for a while, they caught sight of a small mountain that was several thousand feet tall in the distance.

Around the mountain were a series of grey stone pagodas, which were being patrolled by elite armored devilish beings.

Halfway up the mountain, there was a black and red stone palace, which was presumably where the city lord, Bing Qianren, resided.

Han Li cast his gaze toward the stone palace with his eyes narrowed slightly in contemplation.

Right at this moment, the Long Family patriarch suddenly stopped at a crossroads, and said, Lets split up here, everyone. Im sure all of us prefer to be alone, and well gather here again to continue our journey once the Butterflytail Beast Tide recedes. This city isnt all that big anyway, so well be able to easily contact one another if something happens.

To everyones surprise, the woman from the Yu Family was the first to express her approval as a faint smile appeared on her face. Thats a good idea. I did see some things that piqued my interest earlier, so Ill be taking my leave now.

Immediately thereafter, she extended a salute toward everyone before departing.

Holy Maiden Thousand Autumns and her companions exchanged a few glances before also taking their leave, it seemed that they were going to stick together.

Ill be taking my leave as well, Brother Long, Han Li said as he cupped his fist in a parting salute.

Go ahead, Brother Han. The Long Family patriarch also returned his salute.

Thus, Han Li nodded before making his way toward a nearby street.

The Long Family patriarch looked on at Han Lis departing figure, and only after he had disappeared around a corner did his smile gradually fade. He then turned to the long-haired man, and asked, Fellow Daoist Lin, are you ready to give me a response to the collaboration I proposed to you?

The long-haired mans pupils contracted slightly upon hearing this, and he replied in a hesitant manner, This is quite an important matter, so Ill need some more time to think about it, Brother Long.

Indeed, this is something that requires careful consideration. We have a long journey ahead, so youll have plenty of time to consider the offer, the Long Family patriarch replied with a smile, seemingly completely unsurprised by this response.

You have my thanks, Brother Long, the long-haired man said as his expression eased slightly.

After that, they chatted for a while longer before the long-haired man also departed.

Brother Long, it looks like he may not accept our invitation, how about we try to recruit that woman from the Ye Family instead? After all, according to our original plan, someone from the Ye Family would actually be more suitable for our needs, Elder Hui suddenly said in a cold voice.

Thats out of the question! Shes far too wary of our Long Family, and she seems to have sensed something already, so theres no way shell agree. If we were to ask her, wed only risk exposing our plan, the Long Family patriarch immediately replied with a shake of his head.

But that man is clearly just placating us, Im concerned that even if agrees, he wont truly be willing to collaborate with us, Elder Hui said with furrowed brows.

A peculiar smile appeared on the Long Family patriarchs face as he chuckled, Hehe, once he agrees, I wont allow him to go back on his word. Thats enough about this matter, this isnt the right place to be discussing something like this. Lets go to the materials shops in this city to see if there are some materials that we need.

The materials shops in this city are indeed worth visiting. I presume everyone else is most likely visiting the materials shops in the city as well, so lets go in a different direction to avoid running into them, Elder Hui suggested.

My thoughts exactly! Lets go, the Long Family patriarch said with a smile before departing from the crossroads.

……

Holy Maiden Thousand Autumns and the Spirit beings were slowly walking along a street while quickly communicating with one another.

Holy Maiden Thousand Autumns transmitted her voice to her companions with a concerned expression. Zhi Shuis seal is displaying signs of coming undone, we have to find a place to renew the seal right away.

Surely not! The last restriction was cast not long ago, how is it coming undone already? the figure enshrouded within white light asked.

Im not sure, its most likely because were situated in the Elder Devil Realm. As youre aware, this things origins stem from the Elder Devil Realm in the first place, and the vast amount of devilish Qi in this realm seems to be impacting it quite significantly, Holy Maiden Thousand Autumns sighed in response.

Zhi Shui is our trump card, so we have to make sure that no issues arise with him. Well find some lodging right away and keep a lookout while you fortify the seal, the figure within the white light immediately replied without any hesitation.

That would be best. Holy Maiden Thousand Autumns nodded, and the group made their way along the street for a while longer before turning into an alleyway up ahead.

At the end of the alley was a tall building that resembled an ill, and they strode into the building one after another.

……

In a crimson devilish shop, the woman from the Ye Family was accepting an unknown piece of green ore from a pale-skinned devilish being.

The devilish being was delivering a long spiel about this piece of ore, while the woman was injecting her spiritual sense into the piece of ore with a smile on her face.

……

Meanwhile, Han Li was walking along a narrow street, on either side of which were all types of stalls of different sizes.

Behind each stall sat or stood a devilish being, and there were many devilish beings with powerful auras walking along the same street.

Some of them were engaged in heated arguments with the owners of the stalls, and a faint smile appeared on Han Lis face at the sight of this familiar scene.

Indeed, but to make sure that this information is accurate, well have to get someone to scout the situation. Ill leave that to you, Elder Hui, the Long Family patriarch said.

No problem, Ill be back in half a day, Elder Hui replied with a nod before flying away as a streak of black light.

Following Elder Huis departure, the Long Family patriarch finally turned to the two devilish beings. I have some things to ask the two of you, if you reply truthfully, youll be rewarded, but if not, Im sure you know whats going to happen to you.

Please go ahead, Senior, well definitely tell you everything that we know, the burly devilish man immediately replied.

The elderly devilish man also nodded eagerly with an obedient and respectful expression.

How far away from this place is Blood Crow City, and how far away is the nearest city to Blood Crow City? Also, what is the name of your city lord and whats his cultivation base? the Long Family patriarch asked.

He was posing many questions all at once, but none of them were taboo or related to confidential information, so the burly devilish man immediately replied, Blood Crow City is around 50,000 kilometers away from here, and the closest city to it is Night Asura City, but itll take at least two months to get there. As for our city lord, his name is Bing Qianren, and hes a mid-stage devilish lord.

A mid-stage devilish lord, eh? Thats not bad. Whats the current situation in Blood Crow City like? Are there any teleportation formations in the city that lead to other cities? Alternatively, is there any way to skirt around the beast tide in the east? the Long Family patriarch continued.

The burly devilish man hesitated momentarily before replying, In order to ensure that the city is prepared for a sudden attack from the Butterflytail Beasts, were in a state of total lockdown, but wed be more than happy to have you. Unfortunately, our city is too small to facilitate teleportation formations. There is naturally a way to skirt around the beast tide, but it would take far more than half a month to do so, so I suggest you all wait in the city until the beast tide passed before continuing onward.

Regardless of how long its going to take, I still want to know how we can skirt around the beast tide, Ill be the one to decide whether that option is suitable for us or not. Also, you have a map of this nearby area, right? Make a copy for me, the Long Family patriarch instructed.

Yes, Senior, please forgive me for jumping to conclusions in your stead! The beast tide in the east covers a very large area, so if you want to skirt around it, youll have to travel through the Withered Leaf Forest to the south or the grassland to the north… The burly devilish man immediately revealed everything that he knew, and at the end, he pulled out a black crystal that he handed over to the Long Family patriarch.

The Long Family patriarch accepted the black crystal before replicating its contents into a white crystal. These crystals were similar to the jade slips of the Spirit Realm, and the Long Family patriarch had collected some prior to entering the Elder Devil Realm.

Their functions and method of usage were similar to those of normal jade slips, but devilish Qi was required to activate them.

This was naturally no issue to Han Li, who was using a devilish cultivation art, and everyone else was also able to use these crystals by drawing upon the power of their Devilfeign Beads.

In order to not arouse suspicion, all of them had prepared some commonly used items from the Elder Devil Realm for themselves.

After the Long Family patriarch replicated the map, he tossed the crystal to everyone else for them to make copies as well.

With a map of the nearby area, they were naturally able to examine the options they had for skirting around the beast tide, but after examining the map, none of the options proved to be very attractive.

Just as Han Li was pondering the situation, the Long Family patriarchs voice suddenly sounded beside his ears. Fellow Daoist Han, it looks like we really wont be able to skirt around that Butterflytail Beast Tide, how about we wait in the nearby area for some time and continue after the beast tide is over? A delay of around half a month wont be of much consequence to us anyway. As for that Blood Crow City, I think we should stay out of it as a safety precaution.

As a late-Body Integration cultivator, Han Li was naturally the first person the Long Family patriarch turned to for discussion.

Han Li was silent for a moment before replying, It is indeed not worth the risk to venture into the beast tide when we could just wait half a month instead, but I think we should make a trip to this Blood Crow City.

Oh? Why is that, Brother Han? The Long Family patriarch was rather taken aback to hear this.

I understand that youre reluctant to enter the city as youre concerned that our covers could be blown, but Blood Crow City is only a small city that doesnt even have any teleportation formations, so it wont have any powerful restrictions, either. As such, our disguise should be safe. The main reason Im suggesting we go to Blood Crow City is because its very likely that well be staying in the Elder Devil Realm for up to several decades. During such an extended period of time, its inevitable that well have to come into contact with some devilish beings. The Devilfeign Beads can indeed disguise our auras, but our severe lack of knowledge of this realm could expose us sooner or later. On top of that, aside from the Spirit Cleansing Pond and Clean Spirit Lotus, there are some spirit medicines in this realm that are very difficult to find in our Spirit Realm, dont you want to collect some of those as well, Brother Long? Han Li replied in an unhurried manner.

The Long Family patriarch seemed to have been swayed by Han Lis suggestion, and he replied, That does sound appealing, Brother Han. Ill discuss this with Fellow Daoist Thousand Autumns and the others before we decide how to proceed.

Of course, Im guessing Fairy Thousand Autumns is even more eager to enter Blood Crow City than we are, Han Li chuckled in a meaningful voice.

The Long Family patriarch faltered slightly upon hearing this before also chuckling in response. Hehe, thats true, there are a few extremely precious materials for the Spirit Race that can only be found en masse in the Elder Devil Realm. He then turned and transmitted his voice to Holy Maiden Thousand Autumns, and judging from her reaction, she was clearly very receptive toward the Long Family patriarchs proposal.

Their conversation was very brief, and Holy Maiden Thousand Autumns didnt even discuss the matter with the other Spirit beings before giving the Long Family patriarch a very clear answer. It was clear that the Spirit beings had already made a decision among themselves.

Thus, it was decided that they were going to travel to Blood Crow City, and the Long Family patriarch informed the woman from the Ye Family and the man from the Lin Family of this decision as well.

Neither of them had any objections, and a consensus was quickly reached.

The two devilish beings could naturally see that Han Li and the others were discussing something, and they waited patiently and obediently without uttering a single word.

Half a day later, a streak of black light approached them from afar, it was Elder Hui who was returning from his scouting trip.

As soon as Elder Hui landed on the ground, the Long Family patriarch approached him with a smile, and asked, Did you manage to verify whether theres a beast tide, Brother Hui?

There are indeed countless Butterflytail Beasts gathered in the east. I didnt dare to approach them and only looked on from afar for a while before returning to deliver the news, Elder Hui replied with a wry smile.

The Long Family patriarch had already anticipated this to be the case, and he asked a few more questions before he lowered his head with a contemplative expression. All of a sudden, he flicked a finger, and two streaks of golden light shot forth like lightning before vanishing into the bodies of the two defenseless devilish beings in a flash.

Never did the two of them think that this devilish lord would suddenly launch a surprise attack against them, and they both slumped to the ground almost as soon as the streaks of golden light entered their bodies.

Everyone else aside from Han Li was rather bewildered by this.

Why did you do that, Brother Long? Dont we need them to take us to Blood Crow City? Zang Xing asked.

We already know the location of Blood Crow City, dont we? We can just get there ourselves. Besides, I didnt kill them, I merely knocked them unconscious, the Long Family patriarch replied.

Zang Xing was also a wily old fox who had lived for countless years, and an enlightened look immediately appeared on his face. Oh? Could it be that youre planning to…

Indeed. If I were to kill them, that would most likely attract the attention of that Blood Crow City Lord. Theres no need for us to fear a mid-stage devilish lord, but its naturally best if we avoid trouble as much as possible. Im planning to unleash a soul seal technique on them to temporarily seal away their memories before releasing them. As for us, well just enter the city disguised as ordinary devilish beings, Im sure the devilish beings in the city wont pay us any heed then, the Long Family patriarch explained.

Thats a good idea, but is your soul seal technique reliable, Brother Long? It would be very troublesome for us if the city lord were to see through it, the man from the Lin Family said in a concerned voice.

Hehe, this is a secret technique passed down by an unfathomably powerful being, unless a Sacred Ancestor were to examine the two of them in person, theres no way anyone would discover anything amiss, the Long Family patriarch assured.

Everyone was naturally instilled with a lot of confidence upon hearing this.

Thus, the Long Family patriarch made a grabbing motion to draw the elderly devilish man toward him, then expelled a ball of purple light out of his mouth, which completely encompassed the devilish mans entire face.

After that, golden light flashed within his eyes as he looked into the devilish mans eyes while chanting an incantation.

Around a dozen pillars of golden light erupted forth one after another out of the projections six eyes, and each pillar of light struck a fleeing silver beast with unerring accuracy.

These silver beasts only had a chance to howl with anguish before their bodies were reduced to nothingness within the golden light.

The two devilish beasts knew that Han Lis powers were definitely far superior to theirs upon seeing this, and their expressions changed drastically.

They had faced the silver beasts in person, so they were well aware of how powerful those beasts were. However, this senior had destroyed all of the silver beasts with ease, it was quite clear that his powers were completely unfathomable to them.

After all of the silver beasts were eradicated, all of the other devilish beasts instantly scattered under the leadership of the green beasts. All of the devilish beasts quickly fled deep into the grassland like the receding tide, and the surrounding space was emptied in the blink of an eye.

Han Li had no intention of pursuing the devilish beasts any further. Instead, he cast his spiritual sense even further into the distance, and he discovered that all of the devilish beasts there were also fleeing for their lives.

Thus, the terrifying beast tide had been completely scattered.

Han Lis expression eased slightly as he heaved a faint sigh of relief upon sensing this.

The burly devilish man briefly examined the wound on his own shoulder before flying toward Han Li with the elderly man. He looked at the Provenance True Devil Projection with a hint of awe and veneration in his eyes, and said, Thank you for saving us, Senior. If it werent for you, the two of us wouldve perished to those Luminous Wolf Beasts for sure.

Its alright, it was only a simple task for me, and I only saved you as you agreed to do something for me in return, Han Li replied as he made a hand seal, upon which the golden projection vanished in a flash.

How may we be of service to you, Senior? the elderly devilish man asked in a respectful manner.

Tell me who you are and how you ended up here, Han Li instructed in an implacable voice.

We are both guards of Blood Crow City, and we were sent here by the city lord to kill the Luminous Wolf Beast Monarch in order to scatter this beast tide. Unfortunately, a mishap occurred at the end, and we almost perished here, the burly devilish man replied.

Even though they were unable to sense Han Lis exact cultivation base, they knew that he had to be an extremely powerful devilish lord, so they naturally didnt dare to display any disrespect toward him.

Im sure that Luminous Wolf Beast Monarchs powers wouldnt have been inferior to yours, how were you two able to venture so deep into this beast tide and kill the beast monarch? Also, where is this Blood Crow City? Is it located somewhere near here? Han Li asked with a puzzled look in his eyes.

He had developed some understanding of the Elder Devil Realm through the information he had gathered and the jade slip given to him by the Long Family patriarch, but he naturally couldnt be aware of all of the cities in the entire realm.

Considering this Blood Crow City hadnt been mentioned in any of the information he had obtained, it was most likely not a very large city.

You mustve come here from another area, Senior. We were able to venture into this beast tide and kill the beast monarch as we had a few special treasures at our disposal. Otherwise, we certainly wouldnt have dared to enter this beast tide. As for Blood Crow City, its a small nearby city, but its decently renowned in this area, and City Lord Bing of our city is a devilish lord as well, the elderly devilish man replied.

Han Li was rather taken aback to hear this. Oh? So theres a devilish lord overseeing this Blood Crow City? It must be quite a prosperous city, then, is there anything special about it?

Blood Crow City was built on a Bloodlight Crystal mine. The Bloodlight Crystal it produces are extremely important for those cultivating blood-related devilish arts, and our city lord just so happens to be using the renowned Blood River Cultivation Art. Otherwise, theres no way he wouldve been willing to take on the role of city lord in such a small and secluded city like ours. On top of that, Blood Crow City is the only city within a radius of millions of kilometers, so all fellow daoists looking to enter the grassland to hunt for devilish beasts would stay in the city for a few days. If you dont mind, you can come with us to rest in the city as well, Senior. Our city is going to be holding a small auction soon, perhaps there could be some auction items that could catch your eye, the elderly devilish man said in a careful manner.

An auction? Im interested, but I have no time to waste here, I have to be on my way soon, Han Li refused with a shake of his head.

A hint of disappointment appeared in the elderly devilish mans eyes upon hearing this.

Are you traveling to the plains, senior? the burly devilish man asked in a hesitant voice.

Han Lis expression immediately darkened upon hearing this, and a burst of terrifying spiritual pressure erupted from his body. How did you know that?

The burly devilish mans expression changed drastically, and he hurriedly explained, Please dont misunderstand, Senior! Anyone traveling through this area is either here to hunt for devilish beasts on this grassland or is on their way to the plains. Aside from that, I cant think of any other place where you would want to go.

Oh? Does that Ill have to pass through your Blood Crow City if I want to travel to the plains? Han Li asked in a cold voice.

On this occasion, it was the elderly devilish man who hurriedly interjected, Of course not, but if you want to travel to the plains, youll most likely have to stay in our city for around half a month first, Senior.

Why is that? Is there someone blocking the way? Han Lis brows furrowed slightly upon hearing this.

Surely you jest, Senior, no one would dare to do that here. Its just that theres another beast tide taking place on the way to the plains, and compared with that one, this Luminous Wolf Beast Tide is virtually nothing. Even if someone of your powers were to fall into that beast tide, it would be extremely dangerous. The beast tide began around half a month ago, so itll most likely last around another half a month. At a time like this, our city is the only place that can offer some refuge, the burly devilish man explained.

Han Lis pupils contracted slightly upon hearing this. What type of beast tide could be that fearsome? Could it be an Irontooth Beast Tide?

From the information he had gathered on the Elder Devil Realm, Irontooth Beasts were one of the most fearsome types of devilish beasts on the devilish grasslands. Not only were they all quite powerful, their packs often numbered in the tens of millions, making them extremely feared by all devilish beings who lived near grasslands.

I wouldnt be telling you this if it were an Irontooth Beast Tide, Senior. With your powers, youd have no issues passing through such a beast tide. The beast tide thats currently taking place is one thats comprised of Butterflytail Beasts, which are very rare even in our entire holy realm, the burly devilish man said as a hint of fear appeared on his face.

Butterflytail Beasts? How is that possible? Dont they inhabit mountains or forests? Why have they appeared on this grassland? Han Lis expression changed slightly upon hearing this.

Were not particularly sure why these beasts have appeared in this area. They suddenly emerged from deep in the grassland in droves, and theyre now lingering in the east. As a result of this, many nearby fellow daoists have fled to our city. However, these beasts never remain in the same place for over a month, so as long as our city doesnt attack them, we should be fine. Besides, even if these Butterflytail Beasts suddenly attack our city, the citys restrictions will be able to keep them at bay, the burly devilish man replied.

This was indeed rather troublesome. Butterflytail Beasts were only slightly more powerful than Irontooth Beasts, but the poisonous mist that they released was extremely formidable. Not only could it linger in one place for a long time, it was capable of slowly eroding all types of defensive treasures and protective spiritual light, making them very difficult to deal with.

The thought of being caught in a poisonous cloud that extended further than the eyes could see was a very concerning one even for Han Li.

With that in mind, Han Lis expression darkened slightly.

You two wait here for now, I have to discuss this with my companions.

As soon as his voice trailed off, Han Li flipped a hand over to produce a yellow talisman, then spoke a message into it before releasing it as a streak of red light that instantly vanished into thin air.

The two devilish men were rather surprised to hear this, but they were too fearful of Han Li to oppose him, so they could only wait in silence.

Around two hours later, several streaks of light shot forth from afar before arriving beside Han Li, revealing themselves to be a group of male and female cultivators in different attire.

All of them had pure devilish Qi drifting around their bodies, and they were none other than the Long Family patriarch and the others, all of whom had already activated that Devilfeign Beads.

The two devilish men immediately drew a sharp breath in unison upon sensing their cultivation bases, and they hurriedly extended respectful bows. We pay our respects to our seniors!

It was no wonder that they were so astonished, even though there were countless powerful beings in the Elder Devil Realm, it was still extremely rare to see so many devilish lords gathered in one place.

The Long Family patriarch didnt even bother to take a single glance at the two devilish beings as he asked, Brother Han, is your information reliable? Is there really a Butterflytail Beast Tide up ahead?

I was informed of this by these two fellow daoists. As for whether its true or not, well just have to do some scouting for ourselves to find out, Han Li replied.

If there really is such a formidable beast tide, then our journey will have to be delayed. If there were only several hundred thousand Butterflytail Beasts, wed be able to wipe out all of them, but if theres enough to form a beast tide, then itll be very difficult for us to fight our way through it without at least sustaining severe injuries, Holy Maiden Thousand Autumns sighed.

Blue light flashed through Han Lis eyes, and he immediately caught a clearer glimpse of the two humanoid figures that had been surrounded by the dozen or so silver devilish beasts.

One of them was a burly devilish man who was built like a brick house, while the other was an elderly devilish man with blue devilish patterns on his face.

Both of them were at the late-Spatial Tempering Stage, and the burly devilish man had devilish Qi surging all over his body. He was waving a massive black club through the air, unleashing a burst of black Qi that swept forth in a frenzy to keep most of the silver beasts at bay.

The elderly devilish man had a pair of triangular green eyes, and he was holding an inky-black bowl, from within which one monstrous bird projection after another was being released.

As soon as these projections reached the silver beasts, they would immediately explode into balls of silver light that forced the silver beasts into retreat.

However, it was quite clear that the black Qi and bird projections were only just barely able to keep the silver devilish beasts at bay, but unable to inflict any substantial damage upon them.

These devilish beasts had bodies that seemed to be no less resolute than the average treasure, and they would simply shrug off the oncoming attacks before pouncing toward the two devilish men again.

If things were to continue like this, the two devilish men were eventually going to completely exhaust their magic power and be slain by the silver beasts.

Judging from the powerful remnant aura of the devilish beast carcass with the five-colored horns, it was most likely the beast monarch that he was searching for.

Could it be that those two devilish beings were the ones who had killed it? How had they managed to do that? They were indeed both quite powerful, but they shouldnt have been powerful enough to kill the beast monarch!

Han Li was rather perplexed by this current situation, and it was quite an unexpected turn of events that someone had killed the beast monarch in their stead.

Thus, Han Li began to consider what he was going to do next.

The green devilish beasts up ahead seemed to be aware that Han Li was not to be messed with, and they didnt pounce toward him like the other ordinary devilish wolves. As such, an impasse ensued between them.

Just as Han Li was still hesitating about how to proceed, the burly devilish man suddenly yelled toward his companion, We cant keep wasting time here, Old Man Wu, the effect of the beast repellent incense is about to wear off, so we have to get out of here right away. Ill take on these beasts by myself, you focus on teleporting us away from here!

As soon as the burly mans voice trailed off, he let loose a thunderous roar, and his aura instantly became extremely violent while the black Qi being released by his club became more than twice as dense as before, thereby allowing him to keep all of the silver beasts at bay.

Alright, be careful then, Fellow Daoist Tie, the elderly devilish man said as he flipped his hand over to stow the bowl away.

What took its place was a translucent black crystal, and he immediately hurled it forward before chanting an incantation.

The crystal rotated on the spot and released countless black threads of light, all of which intertwined to form a black formation that was around 10 feet in size.

A resounding boom rang out, and the black formation began to slowly rotate, looking as if it had been activated.

Its ready, lets go! the elderly devilish man hurriedly yelled before flying toward the formation without any hesitation.

The burly devilish man swung his giant club vigorously through the air a few times to force back the oncoming silver devilish beasts, then also rushed toward the formation as a burst of black Qi.

The two of them were clearly planning to escape using the power of this formation.

However, just as it was looking as if their plan was going to succeed, the situation suddenly took a drastic turn.

In the air above the formation, spatial fluctuations erupted, and a silver beast suddenly appeared before opening its mouth to expel a pillar of silver light, which struck the direct center of the formation.

An earth-shattering boom rang out, and the black formation flickered erratically before exploding violently.

The two devilish beings who were already close to reaching the formation were immediately plunged into despair upon seeing this, and immediately thereafter, all of the silver beasts converged to surround them again.

Almost at the exact same moment, the giant circle formed by the faint azure smoke faded amid a dull thump, and all of the devilish beasts that had previously been kept at bay immediately let loose bloodthirsty howls as they also flooded toward the pair of devilish beings.

Two cries of alarm and fury rang out, followed by a string of violent explosions. It was quite clear that in this dire situation, the two devilish beings were making a final stand.

Han Li was appraising the unfolding situation from a distance, and all of a sudden, he made a hand seal, upon which layers of black scales appeared over his skin. At the same time, a burst of powerful devilish Qi erupted out of his body alongside immense spiritual pressure that came crashing down upon all of the devilish beasts.

All of the green devilish beasts standing in his way immediately backtracked reflexively as they let loose menacing snarls, but the ferocity in their eyes only became more pronounced.

Who goes there? We are both guards of Blood Crow City, if you were to save us, wed be sure to offer you a handsome reward, Senior.

I am the only son of the grand elder of the Infernal Crow Race, our race will also be greatly indebted to you, Senior.

Han Li had activated his Devilfeign Bead before unleashing his power, and the two devilish beings instantly called out to him in hope and desperation upon discovering his presence.

A faint smile appeared on Han Lis face, and he abruptly advanced toward the green beasts that stood in his way.

His body blurred, and he suddenly appeared in the air above the green devilish beasts.

On this occasion, the green beasts displayed no intention of backing down, and they let loose long howls as they released countless strands of fur from their backs, all of which hurtled directly up toward Han Li as streaks of green light.

Interesting! Han Li chuckled as he clenched his fists, then unleashed countless black fist projections that rained downward in a frenzy.

There was an astonishing number of those streaks of green light, but they were obviously no match for the attacks manifested by the power of the Provenance True Devil Arts. As soon as they were struck by the fearsome might of the fist projections, they instantly exploded, following which the first projections went on to reduce hundreds of green beasts into mincemeat in an instant. гeewebnovl.com

Meanwhile, Han Li vanished on the spot again, then flew over to directly above the pair of devilish beings before casting a cold gaze downward with his arms crossed.

The two devilish beings were currently frantically unleashing their powers and treasures to keep the hordes of devilish beasts at bay. The normal devilish beasts werent able to pose much of a threat to them, but the green and silver devilish beasts were too much for them to contend with, and it looked as if they could be completely inundated at any moment.

I can save you, but you have to do something for me, Han Li said in an unhurried manner.

Alright, well do anything you ask, Senior! the burly devilish man immediately yelled without any hesitation.

During this brief moment, a silver beast had already torn through his defenses and inflicted several claw gashes onto his shoulder, through which even his bones were visible.

The elderly devilish man naturally immediately agreed as well.

A faint smile appeared on Han Lis face upon hearing this, and a pair of translucent azure and white wings appeared on his back amid a rumbling thunderclap, following which countless azure and white balls of lightning emerged out of thin air.

He then made a hand seal, and he immediately disappeared once again along with all of the balls of lightning.

An earth-shattering boom erupted, and countless arcs of azure and white lightning shot forth out of thin air, instantly intertwining to form a gigantic lightning net that descended from above with devastating force.

Bolts of lightning rained down from the lightning net before instantly exploding violently, forming a sea of lightning in the air down below.

What was incredible was that the two devilish beings remained completely unscathed and werent struck by so much as a single bolt of lightning, even though they were situated right in the midst of the sea of lightning. A dense lightning barrier had appeared around them as a shield, while most of the surrounding devilish beasts were reduced to dust by the powerful lightning strikes.

Finally, after the lightning faded, only around 10% to 20% of the high-grade devilish beasts remained, and even they had been completely charred black.

Following that devastating rain of lightning, the remaining devilish beasts no longer had the courage to oppose Han Li, and they all fled amid horrified howls.

The burly devilish man was ecstatic to see this, but a thought then suddenly occurred to him, and he hurriedly yelled, Senior, kill those Silver-necked Beasts before they get away! If you can do that, this beast tide will immediately fall apart, and no new beast monarch will be born for over 100 years in this pack!

Silver-necked Beasts? Han LIs eyes narrowed slightly upon hearing this, and he cast his spiritual sense toward the dozen or so wounded silver beasts that had already fled into the distance.

Those were clearly the Silver-necked Beasts that the burly devilish man was referring to, and all of them had managed to survive that round of lightning strikes with their early-Spatial Tempering Stage powers.

After tracking them down, Han Li immediately sprang into action again, quickly making a hand seal, upon which a golden projection with three heads and six arms appeared behind him.

As soon as the projection appeared, it swelled to over 100 feet tall, then opened all six of its golden eyes in unison.

As he continued to control his Azure Bamboo Cloudswarm Swords, Han Li cast his gaze behind himself, where the Long Family patriarch and the others were also busy slaying other devilish beasts.

The woman from the Ye Family was flicking her fingers through the air, releasing streaks of silver light that shot forth like a torrential storm, felling hordes of devilish beasts around her.

The man from the Lin Family had summoned a translucent crimson jade ruler, which was releasing scorching fireballs in all directions to incinerate the devilish beasts around him into nothingness.

The Long Family patriarchs hands had transformed into a pair of giant golden dragon claws, and they were sweeping through the air with unstoppable might. He was accompanied by Elder Hui, who was releasing bursts of green Qi out of his sleeves.

All of the devilish beasts that reached within a radius of 1,000 meters from the duo were either instantly torn into countless shreds, or poisoned to death on the spot.

As for the Holy Spirits, Zang Xing had summoned an antiquated azure lamp that had released several tens of purple fireballs to encompass an area that was around an acre in size.

All of the devilish beasts that came into contact with the purple fireballs were instantly reduced to plumes of smoke.

Bai Qi was merely drifting along within his usual layer of protective white spiritual light, but all of the devilish beasts around him were being dismembered as if they were being ravaged by countless invisible blades.

Jin Gu had summoned a gong-like treasure that wasnt emitting a very loud sound, but all of the oncoming devilish beasts immediately began to sway unsteadily as if they were inebriated as soon as they approached the treasure, then fell to the ground and didnt get up again.

Zhi Shui had donned a suit of silver armor that had encapsulated his entire body without leaving even a single sliver of skin exposed, and he had plunged into a horde of beasts up ahead as a tornado.

All of the devilish beasts around him were being torn limb from limb, presenting a very gruesome and violent sight to behold.

Han Lis brows furrowed slightly as he took in the situation unfolding around him. Perhaps they were experiencing rotten luck or had simply entered this grassland at the wrong time, but they were only around half a month into their journey, and they had already encountered this enormous beast tide.

Han Li and the others had all experienced the horrors of the beast tides in the Spirit Realm, so they naturally immediately tried to avoid this beast tide, but they had still underestimated it in the end.

There was seemingly no end to the devilish beasts pouring out of the grassland, and all of them were the same type of wolf-like devilish beast.

Most of these devilish beasts were only at the Foundation Establishment Stage or Core Formation Stage, and even the most powerful ones among them were only comparable in power to Deity Transformation cultivators, but their sheer numbers alone would be enough to strike despair into the heart of the average cultivator.

As such, Han Li and the others had all unleashed powerful abilities from the get to wipe out over 1,000,000 of these devilish wolves, but they were still forcibly swept up by the beast tide in the end.

These devilish beasts surrounded Han Li and the others in unrelenting waves, and no matter how many of them were killed, there was always more to take their place.

Under these circumstances, everyone could only band together and join forces to plow their way through the beast tide.

However, these devilish wolves seemed to be determined to hunt them down, launching constant suicide attacks day and night without affording them any opportunity for rest and respite.

They had been slaughtering these devilish wolves for two days and two nights thus far, yet there were still no signs indicating that they were about to reach the other side.

As such, everyone was starting to become rather concerned. In contrast with this beast tide, the beast tides that appeared on the human territory of the Spirit Realm were mere childs play.

Perhaps only the gargantuan hordes of sea beasts in the oceans of the Spirit Realm could compare with this vast beast tide.

All of a sudden, Han Li raised a hand to release several thick bolts of lightning amid a loud thunderclap. The bolts of lightning plunged into a group of oncoming devilish beasts, and around 300 to 400 of them were instantly eradicated.

Even with the fearless nature of these devilish beasts, they couldnt help but falter in the face of such a devastating attack, and Han Li immediately took advantage of this opportunity to vanish on the spot.

In the next instant, spatial fluctuations erupted beside the Long Family patriarch, and Han Li re-emerged.

Brother Long, we cant continue like this. Theres no end to these devilish beasts, and theyre clearly targeting us, so they must be receiving instructions from a beast monarch. No matter how many of them we kill, theyll never let us go, Han Li said in a grim voice.

Indeed, Fellow Daoist Han, Ive arrived at the same conclusion. Otherwise, these devilish beasts wouldve definitely left us alone after we killed so many of them. It would be rather troublesome for us if we were to be discovered by high-grade devilish beings while were caught up here, so we have to kill the beast monarch and scatter these devilish beasts as quickly as possible, the Long Family patriarch said with a grim nod before thrusting a palm forward.

A massive palm projection instantly appeared up above before crashing downward, sending a burst of enormous invisible force descending toward the devilish wolves up ahead.

Hundreds of devilish beasts were instantly crushed into mincemeat.

Immediately thereafter, the Long Family patriarch transmitted his voice toward the Holy Spirits, and after a brief discussion, he turned to Han Li, and said, Fellow Daoist Han, Ive spoken with Fellow Daoist Thousand Autumns, and weve agreed that the best course of action is for the four late-Body Integration Stage beings among us to split up from the rest of the group to hunt down that beast monarch. Fairy Ye and the others will remain here to attract the attention of the devilish beasts while we branch out in four different directions to seek out that beast monarch. Well set a time limit of six hours, once that time passes, return here right away, and well figure out another way to escape from this beast tide. If you ask me, the beast monarch shouldnt be too far away. Otherwise, its control would be too weak to be making these devilish beasts attack us in such a fearless manner.

Han Li nodded in response. I released my spiritual sense toward the east earlier, and theres a high concentration of powerful devilish beasts in that direction, so its very likely that the beast monarch is hiding there, Ill make a trip there myself.

The Long Family patriarch naturally had no objections to this, and after issuing some instructions to Elder Hui, he began to head toward the west.

As for Holy Maiden Thousand Autumns and Bai Qi, they went south and north, respectively, and the three of them disappeared into the throngs of devilish beasts in the blink of an eye.

Han Li also shot forth toward the east as they had agreed upon earlier, and everyone else gathered together in a tight circle with their backs facing one another as they continued to oppose the oncoming devilish beasts.

Streaks of azure sword Qi flashed through the air, felling one devilish beast after another, and before Han Li knew it, he had been plowing through the beast tide to the east for over four hours.

Along the way, his 72 flying swords were like 72 azure wyrms, slashing through the air around him with peerless sharpness. Some of the devilish beasts had their bodies torn apart even before the sword Qi had made contact with them, and it was quite clear that Han Lis Azure Bamboo Cloudswarm Swords had become a lot more powerful with the advancements he had made in his cultivation base.

However, he was beginning to grow rather concerned.

He had encountered several mutated devilish beasts during the past few hours, but even the most powerful ones among them were only at the late-Deity Transformation Stage, so there was no way that any of them could be the beast monarch.

The six-hour time limit was quickly approaching, yet the number of the devilish beasts up ahead hadnt dwindled in the slightest, and he was beginning to hesitate about whether he should turn back to reunite with everyone.

Just as these thoughts were running through his mind, a hint of surprise suddenly flashed through his eyes as he cast his gaze toward a certain direction.

Almost at the exact same moment, bursts of violent explosions rang out, and the ferocious devilish beasts that were pouncing toward Han Li howled as they turned back in unison, as if there were some kind of tacit understanding between them.

Han Li faltered slightly upon seeing this before immediately setting off in pursuit, flying through the air as a piercing streak of azure light.

The devilish beasts directly up ahead were all shredded by his streaks of azure sword Qi, but even so, the other devilish beasts were still retreating as quickly as they could, paying no heed to Han Li at all.

Han Li was rather intrigued to see this, and he held the power of his Azure Bamboo Cloudswarm Swords as he followed the devilish beasts toward the location where the string of explosions had rung out earlier.

Now that there were no longer any devilish beasts impeding him, he was able to cover close to 100 kilometers in the blink of an eye, yet right at this moment, he suddenly stopped, and his expression changed slightly as he cast his gaze forward.

No more than a few kilometers up ahead, a large group of green devilish beasts had suddenly appeared up in the air.

These devilish beasts were far more massive than their brethren, and their fur was releasing a faint green light, as well as a pungent odor, indicating that they were extremely poisonous.

The retreating devilish beasts gave these mutated beasts a wide berth, parting on either side before rushing around them.

Han Li paid no heed this and merely cast his gaze into the distance toward the direction in which these devilish beasts were fleeing.

Behind this group of green devilish beasts was a pocket of open space where around a dozen burly silver devilish beasts were attacking a pair of humanoid figures relentlessly.

Beside these silver devilish beasts was a black-furred devilish beast with two five-colored horns on its head. The black-furred devilish beast had blood flowing all over its body, and it was lying in mid-air in a completely still manner.

Above the devilish beast was a silver incense burner that was also hovering in mid-air, and protruding out of the incense burner was a half-burned stick of grey incense that was releasing faint azure smoke.

The smoke had formed a barely visible ring around this pocket of empty space, which had been entirely surrounded by the wolf-like devilish beasts.

All of the devilish wolves were snarling with fury, but none of them dared to charge into the ring formed by the azure smoke, seemingly extremely wary of it.

As a true immortal, the giant humanoid figure was naturally aware of just how powerful this Celestial Crystal Pagoda was. In this dire situation, he immediately bit through the tip of his own tongue and expelled several mouthfuls of blood essence.

As soon as this blood essence emerged, it transformed into a burst of scorching crimson flames, when then took on the form of several crimson flaming pythons, each of which was over 100 feet in length, and they all pounced viciously toward the pagoda in unison.

The true immortal knew that if he could use these fiery pythons to keep the pagoda at bay for a short while, the Blooddrop Poria Flower would be able to recover from its frozen state and unleash its full power.

Once the flower exploded, even the Celestial Crystal Pagoda wouldnt be able to contain the explosion.

However, his actions were predicted by the white-robed elderly man in advance. A cold chuckle rang out from within the pagoda, following which the blue bead embedded on its tip suddenly revolved on its own, then released several blue streaks of light that were around as thick as a human thumb.

These streaks of light struck the flaming pythons like lightning, and the pythons were instantly reduced to plumes of smoke.

The true immortals expression changed drastically upon seeing this, and he immediately tried to unleash another ability, but it was already too late.

The massive translucent pagoda completely descended amid a vast expanse of glacial light, crushing the true immortal and the giant crimson flower beneath it.

Immediately thereafter, countless golden runes surged forth in a frenzy from all levels of the pagoda, creating a spectacular sight to behold.

At the same time, the top half of the white-robed elderly mans body emerged from the top of the pagoda, and he immediately yelled, What are you waiting for? Use the Devil Trapping Formation to help me seal him!

These words were naturally being directed toward the eight Holy Spirits, who were still rooted to the spot.

The eight Holy Spirits were naturally ecstatic to see that the giant crimson flowers explosion had been restricted by the glacial pagoda, and they immediately flew back to their original spots upon hearing the white-robed elderly mans instructions.

Thus, the eight Holy Spirits gathered around the formation again before raising the formation plates in their hands.

A flurry of runes immediately surged out of the formation, solidifying the runed chains that were starting to appear rather feeble. In conjunction with the runes flooding out of the glacial pagoda, a massive net was formed to encompass everything down below.

At the same time, the pagoda itself began to expand drastically amid a loud buzzing sound. Layers of translucent glacial ice then began to rapidly form over the surface of the pagoda, and the formation down below was also buzzing loudly, as if to resonate with the glacial pagoda.

Within the span of just a few breaths, the pagoda had transformed into a massive glacial peak that was tens of thousands of feet tall, and it had sealed the entire formation and the runed chains in ice.

As for the true immortal and the huge crimson flower, they were naturally sealed at the center of the formation.

The eight Holy Spirits were ecstatic to see this, and they heaved a collective sigh of relief. However, the white-robed elderly mans expression didnt ease in the slightest as he instructed in an implacable voice, Listen up, I may have used my true body to seal him, but the Blooddrop Poria Flower is an extremely renowned flower, even in the True Immortal Realm, itll most likely take over 10,000 years before the power of the flower will completely fade away. Prior to that, dont move this glacial peak even by a single inch. As a safety precautions, set up some restriction formations nearby right away to apply another seal to my body, as well as the Devil Trapping Formation.After I completely nullify the power of this Blooddrop Poria Flower, Ill transfer this glacial peak to a place where Earthly Hellish Flames can be found and refine this soul into a pill. During this time, I cant afford to be distracted, so all of the matters of our race will be decided by the panel of elders. Make sure we survive this devilish tribulation! If our race can survive this ordeal, then our resurgence will be imminent!

The eight Holy Spirits immediately fell to their knees in an extremely respectful manner. Yes, Spirit Monarch!

They then stowed the formation plates in their hands away and flew away to inform the rest of the Spirit Race of the white-robed elderly mans orders. Thus, in the blink of an eye, the white-robed elderly man was the only one left in the entire area.

All of a sudden, the true immortals enraged voice rang out from beneath the glacial peak. You really think this flawed Celestial Crystal Pagoda can trap me? Let me see how youre going to seal me after I exhaust all of the glacial Qi in this pagoda!

Hmph, as expected of a true immortal, you managed to identify the flaws in my body right away. Even so, do you still think that youre an omnipotent true immortal? Youre delusional if you think you can exhaust the glacial Qi within my body with your current powers! Having said that, the fact that youre still able to speak is testament to the power of your soul. Unfortunately for you, you wont be able to retain your sentience for much longer, the white-robed elderly man harrumphed coldly.

What do you mean by that? Theres nothing in this lower realm that can seal away my sentience! The true immortal clearly wasnt convinced.

There is indeed nothing that I know of in this lower realm that can completely seal away your sentience, but what if Im not using something from this realm? the white-robed elderly man chuckled coldly before making a grabbing motion, and a talisman that was giving off wisps of glacial light appeared in his hand.

The talisman was completely translucent, looking as if it were constructed from glacial ice, but there were golden runes inscribed all over its surface.

If Han Li were present, he would immediately be able to identify these runes as golden seal text.

Its a pity that I have to use this talisman here, Ill have one less trump card in the future. The white-robed elderly man appraised the talisman with a pained expression, but gritted his teeth in the end and flicked his wrist in a decisive manner.

The talisman immediately exploded into a ball of golden light that shot forth into the glacial peak down below, vanishing into it in a flash.

Immediately thereafter, the white-robed elderly man made a hand seal and began to chant something in a solemn manner. freewbnove.com

A scintillating ball of golden light that resembled a radiant sun instantly appeared within the glacial peak, then revolved on the spot before transforming into a massive rune that was around an acre in size.

The rune was shimmering with golden light, and it descended silently like a shooting star.

What are you doing? Wait, this is a talisman from the True Immortal Realm! the true immortal exclaimed as he sensed what was happening within the glacial peak.

However, before he had a chance to do anything, the giant golden rune plunged into the formation down below in a flash.

A resounding boom rang out, and the true immortals voice was abruptly cut off. The white-robed elderly man was completely unsurprised by this, and he began to chant with even greater urgency.

In the next instant, the entire glacial peak tremored, and golden patterns erupted out of it in a frenzy, forming a gigantic rune that was imprinted on one of the smooth faces of the glacial peak.

Hints of blue light immediately became intermingled in the white light emanating from the glacial peak, and the glacial Qi being released also became significantly denser.

Only then did the white-robed elderly mans chanting cease, and his expression also eased slightly.

If one could see through the underside of the glacial peak, theyd discover an unconscious golden-robed young man with runed chains and layers of translucent ice all over his entire body.

Imprinted on his glabella was a golden pattern that was completely identical to the rune on the face of the glacial peak, and the white-robed elderly man was ecstatic upon discovering this with his spiritual sense, and he immediately plunged into the glacial peak, vanishing into it in a flash.

Unbeknownst to him, in the instant that the golden-robed young man had fallen unconscious, a daoist priest with a dark complexion suddenly opened his eyes in another realm. The daoist priest was seated under an enormous tree, and he murmured to himself, What happened? Why is the true soul badge displaying such a strong reaction?

The daoist priest swept a sleeve through the air as he spoke, and a miniature pagoda that was several inches tall flew out of his sleeve amid a flash of green light, then swelled to over 100 feet tall in an instant.

The daoist priest then strode into the pavilion in an unhurried manner, and in the hall on the first level of the pavilion were hundreds of pristine jade tables, each of which had around a dozen identical yellow wooden badges placed upon them.

The badges had silver patterns running all over their surfaces, and after sweeping his gaze over all of the jade tables, a hint of surprise appeared in the daoist priests eyes as he suddenly raised a hand before waving it toward a huge rusty cauldron in a corner of the hall.

There was a yellow wooden badge in the cauldron as well, and it immediately flew out before landing in the daoist priests grasp.

The daoist priest stared at the wooden badge with a hint of a surprise in his eyes for a moment before his expression darkened slightly. So its his soul thats in peril. In that case, this isnt something I can ignore, I have to find him!

……

Han Li was hovering high up in the air with 72 streaks of azure light flashing around him. These were none other than his Azure Bamboo Cloudswarm Swords, and they were tearing through the inky-black devilish beasts pouncing toward him.

However, there seemed to be no end to these devilish beasts, all of which had backs that were covered in scales and a single horn on each of their heads.

The streaks of azure sword Qi swept forth before blooming into azure lotus flowers, and all of the devilish beasts in their wave were instantly sliced in half.

The Azure Bamboo Cloudswarm Swords were far too powerful for these low-grade devilish beasts to oppose, and the pungent odor of blood and gore had filled the entire surrounding area.

However, these devilish beasts seemed to have no regard for their own lives and continued to pounce toward Han Li with single-minded ferocity.

Han Li couldnt only heave a faint resigned sign upon seeing this.

The giant golden figure harrumphed coldly, Hmph, you sure dare to dream! If you dared to try this in the True Immortal Realm, youd be committing a cardinal transgression that would lead to your entire race being wiped out by immortal enforcers!

Hehe, but this isnt the True Immortal Realm. No matter how powerful the immortal enforcers are, they wont be able to detect anything thats happening in a lower realm as long as it doesnt affect the True Immortal Realm. After I consume the Immortal Soul Pill refined from your soul, Ill be able to advance even further in my cultivation base and take our Spirit Race to unprecedented heights! Besides, this is the only way to truly kill the soul of an immortal soul, so I have no other choice, the elderly voice replied in an implacable manner.

As opposed to being enraged upon hearing this, the giant humanoid figure suddenly burst into laughter. To think that I would be reduced to such a sorry state by mere spirit servants. At the height of my powers, I wouldve erased a Grand Ascension Stage being like you in the blink of an eye! Let me see how youre going to seal my soul!

Immediately thereafter, he swept his arms violently upward and cast around a dozen incantation seals in rapid succession, all of which vanished into the Spirit Capturing Heavenly Net up above.

The aura of the net was immediately bolstered by over twofold, and it swept upward with tremendous force, causing the giant silver bead to rise up by over 100 feet.

The eight Holy Spirits who were maintaining the formation were all very alarmed to see this, and they immediately injected even more magic power into the formation plates they were holding.

Piercing light erupted out from the formation plate, following which a buzzing sound rang out from within the formation. The surrounding runes surged before forming several more thick runed chains that swept toward the massive humanoid figure, but it was too late.

After forcing the giant silver bead upward, the huge humanoid figures stagnant magic power suddenly recovered for a split second, and that was enough for him to unleash a life-saving ability.

He let loose a low roar, and the dozen or so devilish projections behind him exploded before vanishing into his body as bursts of crimson mist.

His body had been slightly blurry and indistinct before, but it instantly became a lot clearer, and his suit of golden armor shattered to reveal the bronze-colored skin of his upper body.

On his chest was the image of an extremely life-like golden flower, and as soon as the image appeared, the humanoid figure began to rapidly chant an ancient incantation that had never been uttered in the Spirit Realm.

The golden flower image shuddered slightly before turning as red as blood, and a bloody gorey scent wafted forth, following which the flower emerged slowly from his chest as if it had actual substance.

Thats a Blooddrop Poria Flower! You no longer possess a physical body, you have the body of a flower demon! the elderly voice exclaimed from within the golden palace.

The giant humanoid figure paid no heed to this and lowered his head before exhaling toward the massive crimson flower.

The nearby worlds origin Qi instantly swept toward the crimson flower in a frenzy, and the entire sky dimmed as gigantic five-colored clouds appeared overhead, creating an incredible sight to behold.

After absorbing so much of the worlds origin Qi, the crimson flower swelled to over 10 times its original size and was giving off a very unsettling feeling.

Have you gone insane? Youre planning to detonate this flower? Dont you know that your physical body will also be destroyed by the explosion? A hint of astonishment and horror had crept into the elderly voice.

At the same time, spatial fluctuations erupted in the air above the golden palace, following which a humanoid figure emerged.

This was a white-robed elderly man with a set of remarkably youthful facial features, and he was looking down at the massive crimson flower with a nervous expression.

Hehe, detonating my physical body is much better than being refined into a pill. With the power of my soul, Ill be able to manifest a new body soon enough. If you know whats good for you, then youll deactivate this formation and withdraw the Immortal Sealing Bead right away, and Ill also let bygones be bygones. You recognize this demonic flower, so Im sure youre aware of how powerful its detonation would be. At the very least, itll be enough to reduce all of you to dust, the giant humanoid figure threatened.

The white-robed mans expression darkened significantly upon hearing this, but he didnt offer a response.

The expressions on the faces of the eight Holy Spirits had also become very strained after sensing the fearsome power radiating from the giant crimson flower. However, without any instruction from the white-robed elderly man, they didnt dare to do anything and could only continue to maintain the formation with all their might.

The white-robed elderly mans expression changed several times before a ruthless look appeared in his eyes. I can consider letting you go after Ive sealed you!

Immediately, thereafter, he vanished on the spot.

So you really want to die? Fine, Ill send all of you on your way then! the giant humanoid figure roared, but a hint of a hesitation crept into his eyes as he cast his gaze toward the huge crimson flower.

He had made it sound like manifesting a new physical body would be a very simple matter for him, but that was actually far from the truth. Even if he had extremely good fortune, it would still take tens of thousands of years before he could attain a new body.

On top of that, the process through which he had manifested this physical body using the Blooddrop Poria Flower had been an extremely arduous one, and it had taken him over 100,000 thousand years and countless painstaking effort to attain it.

With this physical body, it wouldnt be impossible for him to eventually return to the peak of his powers through diligent cultivation. If he were to lose this body, he was not confident that he would be able to find another body as suitable as this one, and he didnt know whether he would ever be able to return to his peak.

However, these doubts only ran through his mind for a brief moment before he gritted his teeth and made a decision. He resumed his chanting and pointed a finger at the giant crimson flower, and it swelled drastically once again.

White cracks suddenly began to appear over all of its petals, and a terrifying aura that was several times more powerful before erupted out of it. freewbne.com

At the same time, the gigantic five-colored clouds up above had combined as one to encompass the entire sky, and it was descending at a rate that was discernible to the naked eye.

As it descended, the eight Holy Spirits felt their bodies become extremely heavy and sluggish, as if a giant mountain were weighing down upon them.

They were naturally very alarmed by this, and protective treasures flew out of their bodies as balls of spiritual light before forming layers of light barriers around them. This allowed them to regain their mobility, and they immediately flew back in retreat in a panicked manner.

They appeared to be flying very quickly, but they were still several times slower than normal, and there was no way that they could escape out of the range of the crimson flowers explosion.

The eight Holy Spirits were clearly aware of this themselves, and they frantically released all types of treasures to help them withstand the imminent explosion.

A cold light flashed through the giant humanoid figures eyes, and he abruptly switched to a different hand seal as he uttered the word explode!

The massive crimson flower tremored, and the cracks on all of its petals widened significantly. At the same time, crimson liquid that resembled molten lava poured out of the cracks in a frenzy.

As soon as this liquid came into contact with the air, it transformed into balls of crimson flames that stained the entire surrounding space bright red, and they flashed erratically in preparation to self-detonate.

Meanwhile, the giant humanoid figure had shrunk down to the size of an average human, and a piercing silver light barrier had appeared over his body.

He was sacrificing his physical body during this explosion, but he still had to protect himself from the explosion to minimize the damage that he sustained.

Right at this moment, the white-robed elderly mans cold voice rang out in the air above the massive crimson flower.

Youll have to get past me if you want to self-detonate! Im going to completely seal you, even if it means I have to sustain severe injuries in the process!

As soon as the voice trailed off, a huge pagoda that was over 1,000 feet tall emerged out of thin air amid a flash of white light.

The pagoda was entirely glittering and translucent with countless transparent runes inscribed all over its surface, making it look as if it had been carved out of glacial ice.

What was even more noteworthy was the head-sized blue bead that was embedded into the tip of the tower. At first glance, it appeared to be completely smooth, but upon closer inspection, one would discover that there were countless transparent rune formations of different sizes carved onto its surface.

All of the rune formations on the bead were interconnected in an extremely profound manner, and the mere sight of it struck the beholder with a sense of visual overload.

This pagoda was the true body of the white-robed elderly man, and as soon as it appeared, it began to expel a burst of white glacial Qi that swept up the scorching fireballs and giant crimson flower down below.

Within the white glacial light, everything instantly came to a standstill as if time had been forcibly stopped within that area.

At the same time, the pagoda began to descend amid a rumbling boom.

The giant humanoid figures face immediately paled significantly at the sight of the pagoda, and he roared in an astonished and horrified voice, Youre a spirit servant formed by a Celestial Crystal Pagoda! Thats impossible! All replicas of this treasure were destroyed in the great riot of the Northern Infernal Immortal Palace several million years ago!

According to my knowledge, theres a type of devilish beast known as the Eight-footed Devilish Lizard that can be found only in the Illusion Howl Desert. This type of devilish beast can fly, but they can move as fast as the wind in the desert. If we can find a few of them to act as our steeds, well be able to traverse through the desert at a far faster speed, Holy Maiden Thousand Autumns said.

In that case, we can consider the final route. After all, that route would be a lot safer than the sea route, the woman from the Ye Family said with a contemplative look on her face.

Im afraid its not that easy, Fairy Ye. The devilish cores and bodies of the Eight-footed Devilish Lizards are extremely valuable, and theyve almost been hunted into extinction as a result. The remaining Eight-footed Devilish Lizards have all either been domesticated by powerful devilish forces or are residing deep within the desert, so it would be next to impossible to find them, Holy Maiden Thousand Autumns sighed in a forlorn manner.

Would we be able to replace these devilish lizards with other spirit beasts or devilish beasts? I have a few spirit beasts that are very fast when traveling over land, the woman from the Ye Family suggested.

The Illusion Howl Desert is even more restrictive on spirit beasts, spirit beasts that are normally extremely fast and agile will immediately become completely lethargic and useless once they enter the desert. Only the devilish beasts that inhabit the desert are unaffected, and Eight-footed Devilish Lizards are the fastest among them, the rest of the devilish beasts in the Illusion Howl Desert arent even half as fast as Eight-footed Devilish Lizards, Holy Maiden Thousand Autumns said with furrowed brows.

A hint of disappointment appeared in the young womans eyes upon hearing this.

In contrast, a peculiar look flashed through Han Lis eyes.

The fact that Holy Maiden Thousand Autumns knew so much about the Elder Devil Realm indicated that the Spirit Realm had prepared just as much if not more so for this as the Long Family had. In fact, they seemed to be even more familiar with the geography and powers within the Elder Devil Realm than the Long Family was, as evidenced by the fact that the Long Family patriarch had no idea about the Eight-footed Devilish Lizards.

If we really want some Eight-footed Devilish Lizards, we can just destroy one of the major devilish powers near the desert and take their Eight-footed Devilish Lizards, Elder Hui of the Long Family chuckled coldly.

With our powers, we have nothing to fear as long as we dont encounter any Sacred Ancestors, but if we do that, well be causing a huge commotion that could attract a lot of attention from devilish powerful beings. If they begin to track us or intercept us on the other side of the Illusion Howl Desert using teleportation formations, well be in huge trouble, the Long Family patriarch countered with a shake of his head.

Thats true. However, is there a way where we can steal these devilish lizards without getting into a conflict with these devilish powers? Alternatively, would it be possible to exchange some things for these devilish lizards? They may indeed be very valuable, but surely they can still be bought for a price, Zang Xing of the Spirit Race objected.

I think trekking through the Illusion Howl Desert is the best option, Jin Gu of the Spirit Race said in a concise manner.

The young woman from the Ye Family pondered the situation for a moment before giving her verdict. I support Brother Lins opinion. Trekking across the Illusion Howl Desert is going to take too long, and theres no guarantee that well be able to get enough Eight-footed Devilish Lizards. As such, flying over the sea is a more viable option.

Everyone else was carefully contemplating the issue and didnt hurry to express their opinions.

Fellow Daoist Han, which route are you leaning toward? the Long Family patriarch asked as he turned to Han Li.

Han Li was silent for a moment before asking in an unhurried manner, Before I answer that question, Id like to ask you something, Brother Long: how long will it take for us to get to the Illusion How Desert from here?

Itll take us around a year to get to the Illusion Howl Desert. Of course, thats under the assumption that we dont encounter any impediment along the way. Why do you ask, Brother Han? the Long Family patriarch asked in a surprised manner.

From a risk minimization perspective, Im naturally leaning toward the Illusion Howl Desert route, but if we cant gather enough Eight-footed Devilish Lizards, then the journey will take too long for it to be worth it. In that case, the time saved by taking the sea route would be enough to outweigh the relative risk. Hence, I think we should take both routes at the same time, Han Li said.

What do you mean by that? Holy Maiden Thousand Autumns asked with a contemplative expression.

We can go to the outskirts of the Illusion Howl Desert and search for the nearby devilish powers to see if we can gather enough Eight-footed Devilish Lizards. If were able to do so, then well naturally take the Illusion Howl Desert route, but if not, we can turn back and take the sea route. At most, well only be delayed by about two years, which should still be acceptable for us, Han Li replied.

Thats not a bad idea! I support Brother Hans plan, the woman from the Ye Family said as an elated look appeared on her face.

After a brief pause for contemplation, the man from the Lin Family also expressed his approval. This is indeed a more refined plan.

What do you think, Fellow Daoist Thousand Autumns? the Long Family patriarch asked as he turned to Holy Maiden Thousand Autumns.

Ill have to discuss this with my brethren before giving you a response, Holy Maiden Thousand Autumns replied.

Of course, go ahead, the Long Family patriarch agreed with a nod.

Thus, the Spirit beings got into a huddle and began to discuss the options presented to them.

At the same time, the Long Family patriarch was also having a secret conversation with Elder Hui through voice transmission.

All of a sudden, the voice of the woman from the Ye Family sounded beside Han Lis ears. Brother Han, the method that you proposed is very sound, I think the Spirit beings and Fellow Daoist Long will all agree to this in the end. However, judging from the previous interactions, it seems that Fellow Daoist Long was inclined to take the Illusion Howl Desert in the first place, while the Spirit beings seem to be leaning more toward the sea route. We dont know what theyre thinking, but regardless of what the final decision is, we have to be wary of them.

Han Li took a brief glance at her to find that she was looking vacantly into the distance, as if she hadnt just transmitted her voice to him.

Thus, Han Li also turned away and transmitted his voice in response. Thank you for the words of caution, Fellow Daoist Ye, Ill be sure to keep my guard up.

The young woman offered no response to this, but a faint smile had appeared on her face.

As expected, after their discussion, the Holy Spirits all expressed approval of Han Lis plan, as did the Long Family patriarch.

As such, they immediately set off and skirted along the border of the grassland to the west.

Unbeknownst to all of them, there was a ball of pink light tailing them from close to 10,000 kilometers away.

At the same time, within an extremely secretive restricted area in the Spirit Race territory of the Spirit Realm, there was a giant formation with a diameter of over five kilometers that was flashing with spiritual light on a patch of charred ground.

The entire formation was buzzing incessantly, and countless runes of all colors were surging forth in a frenzy, forming a series of massive runed chains that were binding onto a giant figure at the center of the formation.

The figure was around 1,000 feet tall and was clad in a suit of antiquated golden armor. There were around a dozen crimson devilish projections flashing erratically behind him, and these projections were letting loose ghastly cries and howls.

The giant figure currently had his hands held up in the air, and there was a silver net several tens of feet above his head, trembling incessantly as it kept a massive silver bead at bay.

The bead was around an acre in size, and its surface was riddled with complex patterns. The giant humanoid figure was very handsome, but he was sweating profusely and staring up at the massive silver bead with a look of shock and fury in his eyes.

In the air around the formation were eight Body Integration Stage Holy Spirits, each of whom was holding a formation plate, and they were also sweating profusely as they poured their spiritual power into the massive formation.

Tens of thousands of feet directly above the center of the formation was a shimmering golden palace. It was hovering in the air in a completely still manner, creating a rather surreal sight to behold.

Who are you? Why do you possess an Immortal Sealing Bead? Are you a spirit servant who escaped from the True Immortal Realm? the giant humanoid figure roared in a vicious manner.

The cold voice of an elderly man rang out from the golden palace in response. You dont need to know who I am. You possess a Spirit Capturing Heavenly Net, so you are a sworn enemy of our Spirit Race. Now that youve been captured in this Devil Trapping Formation, this Immortal Sealing Bead will put an end to your life.

You really think this will be enough to kill me? Ive already cultivated a golden immortal soul! Youre delusional if you think a being from a lower realm like you can kill me! Once I escape from this formation, Ill destroy all of your souls and refine you to become my treasures! the giant humanoid figure roared in a furious manner.

The cold voice rang out once again from the golden palace. Im naturally aware that even the combined powers of the Devil Trapping Formation and Immortal Sealing Bead wont be enough to erase the soul of a true immortal, even though youre currently not even as powerful as I am. However, if I were to seal you, then slowly refine you using the true flame within my body in tandem with Earthly Infernal Flames, Ill be able to refine your soul into an Immortal Soul Pill in 100,000 years.

Thank you, Mistress, Ill be sure to help you complete your objective even if it means I have to give up my life! Heie hurriedly said in an elated manner as a show of his loyalty.

Good. From now on, just follow my orders. Weve already delayed here long enough, lets set off right away, Bao Hua said as she cast her gaze into the distance with a cold look in her eyes.

Yes, Mistress! Heie replied in a respectful manner.

Thus, Bao Hua swept a sleeve through the air, and the pink floral tree projection reappeared before sweeping up both of their bodies, then shot forth into the distance as a ball of pink light.

Meanwhile, tens of thousands of kilometers away, Han Li and the others were also flying through the air.

Even though they had encountered a slight mishap outside the node, once they entered it, everything was identical to what the Long Family patriarch had described. Not only was the location they had emerged in right at the Bloodstone Mountain Range, there were only some ordinary devilish beings guarding the entrance into the Elder Devil Realm.

In order to avoid attracting attention, they refrained from slaughtering those devilish beings, choosing to force their way through the devilish beings instead.

After flying for around half a month and slaying a flock of unknown devilish birds, Han Li and the others flew out of the mountain range and arrived on a vast grassland with no end in sight and was covered in wild flowers.

The black devilish Qi drifting through the air here was clearly denser than that in the mountain range.

Right at this moment, the Long Family patriarch called out for everyone to stop, and they gathered together to discuss the route they were going to take.

According to our last Spirit Monarch, the Spirit Cleansing Pond and the Clean Spirit Lotus are situated on a mysterious island on the Devilish Origin Sea located in the easternmost region of the Elder Devil Realm. I have some leads on its exact location, but those leads will only be applicable once we get there. What we have to do now is get to the Devilish Origin Sea safely, Im sure you have a plan for how we can do that, right, Fellow Daoist Long? Holy Maiden Thousand Autumns said in a serious manner.

Indeed. Ive been collecting an extensive amount of information about the Elder Devil Realm, and I was able to determine that there are three routes for us to take if we want to get to the Devilish Origin Sea from our current location. However, all three of these routes have their own advantages and disadvantages, so we have to make a decision together on which route to take. Perhaps well have to try taking all three of them before we make a final decision, the Long Family patriarch replied with a solemn nod.

What are the three routes, Brother Long? the long-haired man from the Lin Family prompted.

The first route is to advance onward along this grassland, then pass through several major devilish cities, using their teleportation formations to reach the Devilish Origin Sea. If everything goes smoothly, well reach our destination in about one or two years. The only issue is that devilish cities with teleportation formations will definitely also have devilish lords or even Sacred Ancestor clones, as well as powerful restrictions. Even if we use the Devilfeign Beads, theres only around a 20% chance that well be able to fool all of the devilish beings in those cities, the Long Family patriarch said in a calm voice.

Thats far too risky! We cant take this route, the woman from the Ye Family immediately objected with furrowed brows.

Fellow Daoist Ye is right. This is the route that conserves the most time, but it is indeed far too risky, Holy Maiden Thousand Autumns chimed in with a shake of his head.

No one else said anything in response, but they clearly all held the same opinion.

The Long Family patriarch wasnt surprised to see this, and he immediately moved on to the second route. The second route involves traveling to the center of this grassland, then following the devilish river that runs through this grassland straight to the sea. After that, well travel over the sea to reach the Devilish Origin Sea. Considering how vast the oceans of the Elder Devil Realm are, we wont have to worry about encountering and being identified by high-grade devilish beings. The issue with this route is that there are countless types of marine devilish beasts in the devilish sea. If we encounter a pack of tens of thousands of sea beasts, well have no choice but to flee. On top of that, theres no lack of sea beasts of the devilish lord level in the devilish seas, and its said that there are even Sacred Ancestor level sea beasts. If we take this route, well get to our destination in about five to six years.

Thats still too risky. I dont know much about the devilish seas, but the sea beasts in our Spirit Realm are extremely formidable even for the most powerful races of our realm. On top of that, were completely unfamiliar with the devilish seas, if we stumble into a perilous region of the sea, well be in a world of trouble. Whats the third route, Brother Long? Holy Maiden Thousand Autumns asked with furrowed brows.

The final route involves heading west while skirting along the edge of this grassland until we enter the barren devilish plains. That region of the Elder Devil Realm is very similar to the primordial world of our Spirit Realm, there are also devilish beasts that can be found there, but far less so than in the devilish seas. With our powers, we shouldnt have too much trouble navigating through those plains. The issue with this route is that not only is it the longest of the three, well also have to pass through the vastly renowned Illusion Howl Desert. That desert is one of the 10 restricted areas of the Elder Devil Realm, all cultivators who venture into that desert will be severely debilitated, and whats even more concerning is that no movement techniques or treasures can be used in that desert, so well have to traverse through it entirely on foot, the Long Family patriarch said.

Han Lis heart stirred slightly upon hearing this before asking, Are there any powerful devilish beasts or venomous insects in this Illusion Howl Desert?

The Long Family patriarch shook his head in response. There are some low-grade and mid-grade devilish beasts in the Illusion Howl Desert, but even if were severely debilitated, well be able to take care of them with ease. The only thing that poses a threat to us in that desert is the Illusion Howl Devilish Wind. However, even though our magic power will be severely restricted, our spiritual sense wont be affected at all, so we should be able to withstand those devilish winds as long as we remain vigilant.

In that case, why did you specifically single out this desert as a major obstacle? Surely there has to be something else we should be concerned about, Han Li said with a smile.

Indeed, Brother Han. If this were the extent of the issues that we had to face, then I wouldve chosen this route right away without even preparing those two alternative routes. The main problem is that the Illusion Howl Desert is far too big, without being able to use any treasures or movement techniques to traverse it, itll take five to six decades to get to the other side, the Long Family patriarch replied with a wry smile.

Five to six decades? Han Li and the woman from the Ye Family were both stunned to hear this, while the Spirit beings remained quite composed, indicating that they already knew about the scale of the Illusion Howl Desert.

Five to six decades is far too long! By the time we get to the Devilish Origin Sea, the devilish tribulation will most likely already be over! On top of that, the longer it takes for us to get there, the greater the chance that something will go wrong, the long-haired man from the Long Family said.

In that case, which one of the first two routes would you prefer, Brother Lin? the Long Family patriarch asked.

The long-haired man hesitated momentarily before gritting his teeth, and replying, The first one is too risky, the second one is also rather risky, but so long as were careful, theres a chance that we could get to the Devilish Origin Sea without being noticed by any sea beast.

Alright, what do you think, Fellow Daoist Han, Fellow Daoist Thousand Autumns? the Long Family patriarch asked as he turned to Han Li and the Holy Maiden Thousand Autumns.

Aside from the Holy Spirit enshrouded within white light who barely ever talked, those two were the only other late-Body Integration Stage beings present, so the Long Family patriarch was naturally interested to hear their opinions.

The second route does appear to be more plausible than the other two. However, Id much rather go with the third route if we can somehow take less time to traverse through the Illusion Howl Desert, Han Li sighed.

Im also of the same opinion. Theres actually a method to traverse through the Illusion Howl Desert in a shorter time, but even that will take around 30 years, which is still too long, Holy Maiden Thousand Autumns said.

Oh? May I ask what method this is? I was unaware that such a method existed, the Long Family patriarch hurriedly asked in a surprised manner.

Im also interested to hear this, Han Li chimed in with an intrigued expression.

The pink fireballs seemed to be descending quite slowly, but they somehow reached all of the devilish beings down below with unerring accuracy in a flash, including the winged man.

In the instant that these flames came into contact with the pink flames, they were incinerated into smoke in the blink of an eye, leaving only the first devilish lord behind.

The devilish lords eyes were filled with incredulity at the sight of the floral tree up above, and he immediately fell to his knees without any hesitation.

The devilish lords voice trembled with emotion as he said, I didnt think Id ever get to see you again, Mistress Bao Hu, I can die without any regrets now.

Long time no see, Ke Yun. A faint sigh rang out, following which two humanoid figures, one white and one black, emerged in unison above the floral tree.

They were none other than Sacred Ancestor Bao Hua and Heie. Bao Hua looked down at the devilish lord, and a reminiscent look appeared in her eyes.

It really is you, Mistress Bao Hu! There are many rumors going around, claiming that youd already passed away, but I refused to believe them! With your powers, theres no way you wouldnt have been able to at least ensure self-preservation! the devilish lord said in an excited manner.

I did indeed manage to survive that ordeal, but my cultivation base was severely debilitated, and I could only flee into the Spirit Realm with some of my subordinates. Im quite pleased to see that youre doing well for yourself, but as a safety precaution, I have to examine your spiritual sense, Bao Hua said as her eyes narrowed slightly.

The devilish lord shuddered slightly, but then immediately agreed, Of course, Mistress! Those two possess powers that arent inferior to yours back at your peak, if they were to plant some type of restriction within me, I wouldnt be able to detect it.

Alright, pardon my intrusion then. Bao Huas expression eased slightly as she slowly drifted down from above, followed closely by Heie.

The floral tree vanished into her body as a streak of pink light, while the devilish lord rose to his feet and stood on the spot in a respectful manner.

The devilish Qi around his body faded, and he was revealed to be a middle-aged man with a pair of inky-black curled horns on his head.

Bao Hua arrived in front of him before pointing a finger toward his glabella without any hesitation. A thin translucent thread shot forth out of her fingertip and vanished into his glabella in a flash as she slowly closed her eyes.

A hint of pain appeared on the devilish lords face before his eyes quickly glazed over.

Time slowly passed by, and all of a sudden, the translucent thread began to shimmer with golden light before vanishing into the devilish lords head.

The devilish lord gave a muffled groan as blood began to trickle out of his nostrils and ears, following which a pea-sized grey speck of light emerged from each of those four orifices before flying away into the distance.

A cold look appeared on Bao Huas face as she flicked a finger toward these specks of light, and four more translucent threads of light shot forth in a flash, instantly piercing through those specks of light before drawing them into her sleeve.

Immediately thereafter, she opened her mouth to expel several pink specks of light that instantly disappeared into the devilish lords glabella.

Only then did the translucent thread disintegrate into nothingness.

The devilish lords expression stirred slightly, and the vacant look in his eyes faded as he turned to Bao Hua. Mistress Bao Hua, I…

As expected, they planted a restriction within you, but its been nullified now, and I planted a fake restriction inside your body to replace the original one. Unless those two examine your body in person, no one will be able to detect anything amiss, Bao Hua said in a calm manner.

Thank you, Mistress. May I ask why youve appeared here? Theres no one here who can pose a threat to you, but it would still be very detrimental to you if news of your presence here were to be leaked, the devilish lord said in a concerned manner.

I have my own reasons. Let me ask you this first: was there a group of people that just entered the node behind you? Bao Hua asked with a complex expression as she cast her gaze toward the node.

There was indeed a group of foreign beings who just entered the node. Half of them were human, while the other half were Spirit beings, and they were all at the Body Integration Stage, so I didnt dare to stop them, the devilish lord replied in a truthful manner.

I see. I have a mission for you: keep this incident a secret from the Sacred Ancestors for now. You wont be able to hide this forever, but keep it a secret for as long as possible, can you do that? Bao Hu instructed in a cold voice.

The devilish lord didnt know why Bao Hua was asking this of him, but he replied in a confident manner, Thats going to be rather troublesome, but the one that was sent here to keep an eye on me was just killed by you, so I should be able to keep this a secret for around a year.

Good. Lets go in as well, Heie. Bao Hua gave a content nod before drifting toward the node without even turning her head.

Both the devilish lord and Heies expressions changed drastically upon seeing this, but neither of them dared to say anything.

Heie gritted his teeth as he grappled briefly with an internal conflict before following along behind Bao Hua, and the two of them quickly disappeared into the node.

The devilish lord stared blankly at the node for a long while before a wry smile appeared on his face. Following a brief moment of contemplation, he suddenly raised his head and let loose a long cry that pierced straight into the heavens.

A short while later, groups of devilish beings riding atop all types of devilish steeds emerged from within the dark cloud.

Black Qi appeared over the devilish lords body, and immediately charged toward these devilish beings.

……

Meanwhile, on the other side of the node, spatial fluctuations erupted, and Bao Hua and Heie emerged in the Elder Devil Realm, only to be immediately surrounded by a group of alarmed and furious devilish beings.

These were all low-grade and mid-grade devilish beings, most of whom were already carrying injuries. Bao Hua took a glance at them before leaving them to Heie and vanishing directly into the nearby space.

Heie inspected the surrounding devilish beings, and after discovering that there werent any Body Integration Stage beings among them, a vicious smile appeared on his face as turbulent devilish Qi erupted out of his body.

Around 10 minutes later, Heie had caught up to Bao Hua again on an unknown mountain tens of thousands of kilometers away, and he was standing off to the side in a respectful manner.

Are you feeling uneasy now that Ive brought you back into our holy realm? Bao Hu asked in a completely emotionless voice.

Heie shuddered slightly before replying in a fearful manner, Not at all! You must have your reasons for doing this, Mistress.

Its only natural to feel uneasy. This is quite a risky undertaking even for me, and theres a chance that I could perish here. After all, Tian Qi and He Yan will be sure to hunt me down if they discover that Ive returned to the holy realm. With my current level of powers, I can just barely ensure self-preservation against one of them, but if the two of them were to join forces, then I would be killed for sure, Bao Hua said as she turned toward Heie.

Heie hesitated momentarily before speaking in a careful manner, Seeing as youre aware of the risk involved, I can only assume that youve made this decision based on the results of your divination.

Indeed. I couldnt complete the divination, so the signs I derived were incomplete, but do you know what those signs told me? Bao Hua asked as a peculiar look appeared in her eyes.

Heie faltered slightly before a wry smile appeared on his face. Im a complete novice when it comes to divination, please enlighten me, Mistress.

If youre not even willing to guess, then theres no point in telling you the signs that I derived. All you have to know is that before those people reach their destination, we cant disrupt them, and we have to ensure they dont discover us. In fact, we may have to assist them from the shadows if thats required for them to reach their destination smoothly.

Heie was very bewildered to hear this, but he still immediately said, Ill be sure to follow your instructions, Mistress.

Youve served me very well during this journey. As long as you continue to serve me, Ill assist you during your future Grand Ascension Stage breakthrough once I recover my powers, Bao Hua promised with a serious expression.