Автор: sergey

Shi Kun faltered slightly before bursting into laughter as he said, Im sure your powers arent inferior to ours, Fellow Daoist Han. In any case, we should stop praising one another and discuss the more important matters at hand. If we continue onward for a day or two, well truly be entering the depths of the Dark Beast Forest, which is where most of the Dark Beasts reside. If we want to pass through this area, we have to be on high alert the entire time.

When passing through the central region of the forest, make sure you dont try to kill any straggling Dark Beasts. Our restrictions will be able to fool normal Dark Beasts, but high-grade Three-eyed Dark Beasts will immediately sense that something is amiss as soon as we try to use our powers. On top of that, we wont be able to release our spiritual sense over large areas deep in the forest, so if a battle were to break out, wed be in a lot of danger, Liu Shuier said in a grim voice.

Even if were forced into a battle, we cant delay for so long like were doing now. We have to attack all at once to try and kill the enemy on the spot in an instant, only then will we be minimizing the risk of blowing our covers, Shi Kun added in a solemn manner.

Indeed. If we were to come up against a normal Dark Beast, it shouldnt be too difficult for the three of us to kill it in an instant. However, I cant say the same if we were to encounter high-grade Dark Beasts, Han Li said as he stroked his chin.

If we really do get targeted by a high-grade Dark Beast, then thats when our Divine Essencefused Light combination technique would come in useful, Liu Shuier reminded with a smile.

I almost forgot about that secret technique! With that up our sleeves, we wont have to fear even high-grade Dark Beasts as long as we dont encounter too many of them, Shi Kun chuckled as he rubbed his hands together with glee.

However, that ability has to only be used as a last resort. If we were to unleash it, it would definitely cause a massive commotion that would result in a large number of high-grade Dark Beasts pursuing us at once, Han Li said with a concerned shake of his head.

Rest assured, Brother Shi and I are well aware of that. Seeing as youve also obtained a Dark Beast hide, lets all transform and set off. It would be best if we were to open up some distance between one another. Otherwise, it would be rather eye-catching if we were to travel as a group of three, Liu Shuier suggested.

Thats a valid point, Fairy Liu. In that case, Ill be going on ahead first, Shi Kun said with a quick nod.

He then made a hand seal, and that black beast hide abruptly appeared over his body. A ball of silver light then shot forth from within his sleeve before disappearing into the beast hide in a flash.

Thus, he transformed into a Dark Beast again, and his four paws dug into the ground, propelling him through the forest like an arrow.

Han Li and Liu Shuier also immediately followed suit upon seeing this, transforming into a pair of Dark Beasts that set off in hot pursuit.

Along the way, the three of them activated their concealment treasures to hide themselves once again.

Thus, it would be very difficult to discover the three of them, especially in the Dark Beast Forest, which had very low visibility during the night.

After that, Han Lis trio proceeded cautiously onward, skirting around an area as soon as they discovered any powerful beasts there, trying to minimize their contact with other creatures in the forest.

During the first few days, they didnt encounter Dark Beasts on too many occasions, but they rarely ever appeared on their own, and most of them traveled in groups of two or three.

After about a week or so, they had traveled to the true central region of the forest, and Dark Beasts were beginning to appear in groups of five or six, and even packs that numbered in excess of 10.

This was rather alarming to Han Lis trio, and they began to proceed with even greater caution.

Thankfully, they were able to rely on their profound movement techniques and superior magic power to fool these Dark Beasts, and no mishaps occurred.

Perhaps they were simply lucky or something was happening within the Dark Beast Forest. In any case, they didnt even encounter a single high-grade Three-eyed Dark Beast on the way here, thereby allowing them to travel smoothly all the way into the very center of the Dark Beast Forest.

If things were to continue like this for the next three to four days, they wouldve passed through the most dangerous region of the Dark Beast Forest at that point, and theyd be able to heave a sigh of relief.

However, at present, Han Li and the others were all quite tense, and they wore rather grim expressions on their faces.

All three of them were vastly knowledgeable and experienced beings, and even though they were quite glad that they hadnt encountered any high-grade Dark Beasts in the forest, their past experiences told them that this was not necessarily a good thing.

As they continued to forge on ahead, even the number of normal Dark Beasts they encountered dwindled significantly. During the next two days, they only encountered a dozen or so Dark Beasts during their travels.

This was quite alarming to Han Lis trio, and they became even warier of the situation.

Han Li was quickly traveling through the forest in a wraith-like manner, passing through all obstacles like giant trees in his path in a completely soundless manner as an azure shadow.

This kind of movement technique naturally allowed him to travel extremely quickly.

However, his brows were tightly furrowed, and faint blue light was flashing within his eyes as he constantly surveyed his surroundings.

This was the central region of the forest, so he naturally didnt dare to release his spiritual sense. As such, he could only use his Brightsight Spirit Eyes to detect Dark Beasts and take measures to avoid them in advance.

He didnt know what kind of methods Liu Shuier and Shi Kun were employing, but they were reacting just as quickly as he was whenever Dark Beasts appeared up ahead.

This came as quite a surprise to Han Li. Could it be that theyd also cultivated some kind of profound sensory ability or were using treasures to accomplish this?

In any case, Han Lis appraisal of their powers was increased once again upon seeing this.

With that in mind, Han Li inspected his surrounding area, and with his spirit eye ability, he was able to tell that Liu Shuier and Shi Kun were over 1,000 feet away on either side of him.

Both of them were also traveling very quickly through the forest, and after ascertaining that theyd encountered no issues, Han Lis expression eased slightly as he withdrew his gaze again.

However, right at this moment, a sudden turn of events abruptly unfolded!

A golden shadow suddenly shot forth out of the darkness right ahead of them.

After just a single flash, it covered a distance over several hundred feet, taking it over to Shi Kun before it crashed headfirst into his body.

Shi Kun was naturally extremely alarmed by this, but hed been caught completely off guard, and simply had no time to evade.

As such, he had no choice but to conjure up a protective barrier of spiritual Qi amid a flash of bright yellow light.

An earth-shattering boom rang out, and golden and yellow light intertwined before the golden shadow stumbled backward a few steps, but then immediately righted itself.

In contrast, the Dark Beast that Shi Kun had transformed into was sent flying like a cannonball, crashing into a large tree several hundred feet away with vicious force. Only after the entire tree had snapped in half from the force of the impact did he finally manage to arrest his momentum.

However, he continued to lay on the ground with an agonized expression on his face, looking as if he were unable to get up.

Han Li and Liu Shuier were both quite stunned to see this.

They had personally witnessed just how powerful Shi Kuns body was, yet even he had been reduced to such a sorry state after being rammed into by that golden shadow. Just how terrifyingly powerful did that golden shadow have to be to accomplish this?

Blue light flashed through Han Lis eyes, and he immediately managed to identify what the golden shadow was, upon which he was instantly given a massive fright!

This was a Dark Beast that was around 10 feet in length with shimmering golden fur and inky-black eyes.

It was a legendary Dark Beast Monarch!

No way! Prior to setting off, hed said that there was no way theyd be unlucky enough to encounter a Dark Beast Monarch, yet theyd somehow managed to encounter one before theyd even seen a Three-eyed Dark Beast. These Dark Beast Monarchs were the most fearsome beings in this forest, and even though there were no records detailing how powerful they were, they had to at least possess powers comparable to holy race beings.

Han Lis heart sank as he came to an abrupt halt, then fixed an intense unblinking gaze onto the golden Dark Beast.

At the same time, he immediately forged a spiritual connection with several treasures within his body, getting ready to unleash them at a moments notice.

Meanwhile, Liu Shuier had also stopped on a thick tree branch, appraising the golden Dark Beast with a grave expression on her face.

The Dark Beast Monarch was clearly also rather disoriented from crashing into Shi Kun out of the blue, and after shaking its head from side to side, a vicious light flashed through its eyes as it fixed its gaze on Shi Kun, who was still unable to get up.

Sharp claw projections immediately appeared on the front ends of its paws, and it seemed to be preparing to attack Shi Kun.

Both Han Li and Liu Shuiers hearts jolted upon seeing this, and they were contemplating whether to step in or not.

It was quite clear that the Dark Beast Monarch hadnt discovered the two of them yet, so if they were to sneak away now, perhaps theyd be able to escape unscathed. Otherwise, even if the three of them could just barely hold off this Dark Beast Monarch, as soon as it summoned more of its brethren to the scene, theyd definitely be plunged into life-threatening danger.

However, if Shi Kun were to die, thered be no way for them to access the restricted ruins, so their mission would end in failure before it had even begun.

If they were to fail to complete the mission and allow Shi Kun to perish in the Dark Beast Forest, they would definitely be punished by Cai Liuying and Duan Tianren, even if they could return from the Vast Glacial Realm alive. freewebnvel.com

However, even though this was quite a troublesome prospect, it was something for him to worry about in the future. For now, his top priority was naturally to save himself.

Thus, Han Li made his decision in the blink of an eye before quickly turning to glance at Liu Shuier.

However, he discovered that the Dark Beast that Liu Shuier had turned into was arching its back, and faint white light was shimmering from its body, looking as if it were going to rush to Shi Kuns aid without any hesitation.

This came as quite a surprise to Han Li, and a contemplative look appeared in his eyes.

However, he had no intention of risking his life with her. As such, after taking a deep breath, he planned to hurtle back in retreat.

However, the events that unfolded next had him completely flabbergasted.

The golden Dark Beast had a ferocious look in its eyes, and it was clearly just about to attack. However, its ears suddenly twitched, following which the vicious look on its face transformed into one of shock and fury.

It then let loose a low snarl, and shot forth as a golden shadow again, disappearing into the forest after just a few flashes.

Silver light flashed, and as soon as Shi Kun was encompassed within the sheet of beast hide, he transformed into a living Dark Beast.

He had the same black fur and identical sharp claws as those of the Dark Beast from before.

This is incredible! I almost dont feel any different, yet Ive completely transformed into another being! Shi Kun inspected his front paws with amazement before bursting into laughter.

If the Thousand Transformation Faces didnt have such abilities, I wouldnt have brought them out for you two to use, Liu Shuier said with a smile.

Thank you, Fellow Daoist Liu. With these treasures, all of us will have flawless disguises for the journey up ahead, the Dark Beast said with an elated expression.

After witnessing Shi Kuns transformation, Han Li also became quite confident in these treasures, and after expressing his gratitude to Liu Shuier again, he suggested, Fairy Liu and I still dont have beast hides at the moment, but it wont be good to delay any further. Why dont we set off, and if we encounter any Dark Beast stragglers, we can pick them off along the way.

My thoughts exactly Brother Han. Were on a tight schedule, so its naturally best not to waste any time, Liu Shuier immediately agreed.

Shi Kun didnt have any objections to this either, so the three of them crept silently out of the hold in the tree and into the night.

After that, Shi Kun expelled a yellow cloud from his mouth, and his body instantly transformed into a burst of faint yellow Qi.

The Dark Beast Forest had extremely low visibility to begin with at night, and after unleashing this technique, it would be impossible for anyone to discover Shi Kuns presence unless they were to look carefully at him from within 100 feet away.

Meanwhile, Liu Shuier removed a jade-pendant-like treasure from around her waist, and she tossed it into the air, upon which it transformed into a pristine white mouse that was around 10 feet in length.

Her body then swayed, and she drifted onto the mouses back, following which faint white light began to emanate from its body, enshrouding both itself and Liu Shuier within.

The two gradually turned transparent in the white light, transforming into a barely visible transparent shadow in the end.

As for Han Li, the measures he took were even simpler.

After the latest refinement, his Azure Bamboo Cloudswarm Swords had become pure wood-attribute treasures, and in a forest with such abundant wood-attribute spiritual Qi, it was extremely easy for him to conceal himself with his swords.

As such, he raised an arm, and a small azure sword shot forth out of his sleeve, then transformed into a streak of azure light that was several tens of feet in length before sweeping toward his body.

Moments later, a barely visible streak of azure light shot forth through the air.

Thus, the three of them officially began their journey into the Dark Beast Forest in a discreet and stealthy manner.

Several days later, a thin Dark Beast was slowly treading over a thick bed of leaves and branches as it traversed through the forest in a graceful manner.

All of a sudden, a burst of blue light flew toward it from a nearby tree, then swept up its entire body.

The female Dark Beast was naturally quite alarmed, and it let loose a sharp cry as it sent several black claw projections hurtling toward the blue light.

However, the blue light merely swirled before transforming into a massive ball of light that completely encapsulated the female Dark Beasts body.

As such, the sharp cries escaping from its mouth became completely inaudible to those outside the ball of light, and its sharp claws were also only able to send a few ripples surging through the blue light without actually being able to penetrate through it.

At this moment, white light flashed from the massive tree, and a gorgeous figure emerged from within.

It was none other than Liu Shuier.

She was making a hand seal with one hand while carrying a fist-sized blue crystal ball in her other hand, and she was chanting something at the same time.

A peculiar scene then unfolded.

The blue ball of light slowly spread in all directions at her behest, forming a blue light barrier that covered a full acre in mere moments.

After that, she stowed away the blue crystal ball in her hand, following her body swayed, and she vanished into the light barrier as a white shadow.

The Dark Beast within the light barrier immediately pounced toward her without any hesitation, and along the way, it manifested three more identical black shadows.

However, Liu Shuier remained completely unflustered as she opened her mouth to expel a clump of thin blue threads, which dispersed to form a blue net of light that surged toward the Dark Beast and its projections.

The Dark Beast also opened its mouth to blast forth a pillar of black light upon seeing this, then slashed its claws through the air in a menacing manner, conjuring up countless claw projections that hurtled directly toward the massive blue net.

A string of resounding booms rang out as black and blue light intertwined with one another amid a series of explosions.

However, the loud commotion and violent spiritual Qi fluctuations were all greatly buffered by the light barrier, making it almost impossible to hear the battle from outside.

Thus, Liu Shuier and the Dark Beast engaged in battle.

Outside the blue light barrier, azure light and yellow Qi flashed, following which Han Li and Shi Kun emerged in unison.

Both of them were staring at the blue light barrier with different expressions on their faces.

Hehe, Fellow Daoist Liu sure is picky, refusing to go with any target other than a female Dark Beast. Shi Kun chuckled with a shake of his head.

Im sure she has her considerations, Han Li replied in a calm manner.

As a woman, it makes sense that Fellow Daoist Liu is averse to adopting the form of a male Dark Beast, but Im quite curious about why you decided against killing the Dark Beast that we encountered two days ago, Shi Kun continued as a peculiar look appeared in his eyes.

That Dark Beast was already riddled with wounds, so even if I were to secure its hide, it wouldnt look right after I transform into it, so I decided to wait for the next one we encounter instead, Han Li explained in an indifferent voice.

I see. I thought you let it go out of the kindness of your heart after seeing the cubs that were traveling with that wounded Dark Beast. But then again, cultivators like us are beyond such shallow thoughts, Shi Kun said in a nonchalant manner.

Han Li merely smiled and offered no response to this.

Just as the two of them were chatting with one another, a dull thump suddenly rang out from within the blue light barrier, following which the entire barrier tremored slightly, but immediately settled again.

Han Li was slightly startled by this, as was Shi Kun.

All of a sudden, the blue light barrier suddenly shattered, then vanished as specks of spiritual light.

At the very center of the light barrier stood Liu Shuier, and beside her lay the female Dark Beast in a completely motionless manner. Its fur was rather wet, but there was not a single wound on its body.

Han Li only had to scan this beast with his spiritual sense to know that it was definitely already dead.

Nicely done! I didnt think your water-attribute abilities would be so potent, Fellow Daoist Liu, you took care of that beast even faster than I slew mine a few days ago, Shi Kun praised as he clicked his tongue with wonder.

Liu Shuier raised a hand to draw the Dark Beast into her grasp, then smiled as she replied, Theres no need to flatter me, Brother Shi, Fellow Daoist Han and I have both witnessed the power of your body, and my little tricks certainly cant compare with your immense strength.

Haha, if your abilities are nothing more than little tricks, then my pitiful abilities are even less than that. Fellow Daoist Han, both Fairy Liu and myself have obtained beast hides, so youre the only one left now. The deeper we go into this forest, the greater the probability that well encounter packs of Dark Beasts, so you need to think about how to proceed from here, Shi Kun said to Han Li with a meaningful look on his face.

Rest assured, Brother Shi, I definitely wont be playing games with my life on the line, Han Li replied with a faint smile.

Three days later, beside a small creek in the Dark Beast Forest, a Dark Beast that was around 30% larger than the average Dark Beast had been enshrouded under an azure light barrier.

Han Li hovered in the air above with his eyes closed, making a series of hand seals that were causing the light barrier to fluctuate in brightness erratically.

Both Liu Shuier and Shi Kun stood beside the barrier, and the two of them were quite stunned by what they were seeing.

Not only was the azure light barrier so dense that it felt as if it were a substantial structure that completely impeded their vision, even their spiritual sense was repelled when they tried to detect what was happening within the barrier.

This was none other than the Spring Dawn Sword Formation that Han Li had set up.

All of a sudden, Han Li raised an eyebrow as he hovered in mid-air, and he ceased making hand seals. He then swept a sleeve downward, and uttered the word withdraw.

The azure light barrier immediately dissipated, reverting back to several tens of azure flying swords, each of which was several feet in length.

Han Li made a grabbing motion, and all of the flying swords shrank down to several inches in size amid a flash of azure light. They hurtled directly toward him before quickly vanishing into his body.

At this point, the massive Dark Beast below the light barrier was already dead, and it was sprawled onto the ground with blood flowing from all seven of its orifices.

Liu Shuier and Shi Kun couldnt help but exchange a glance upon seeing this, and they could see their own wariness mirrored in each others eyes.

Han Li had naturally also caught sight of what they were doing, but he merely descended slowly and landed beside the Dark Beast carcass.

Fellow Daoists, with this Dark Beast hide, we can now venture deep into the forest without taking as many precautionary measures as before, Han Li said with a smile.

Of course, its just that I didnt think that your most powerful ability would be a legendary sword formation, Brother Han. The two of us couldnt see anything that was happening inside, but just the fact that it was able to block our spiritual sense indicates that its quite a profound formation, Liu Shuier said with a wry smile.

Indeed. You took slightly longer than the two of us to kill your prey as you had to lure it into the sword formation before killing it, but no sound or fluctuations escaped during the process whatsoever, and that further exemplifies how incredible this sword formation is. With this ability up your sleeve, I doubt youd encounter many opponents below the holy race that would be able to best you, Shi Kun also praised in a heartfelt manner.

Hehe, theres no need to flatter me, Fellow Daoists. My Spring Dawn Sword Formation does indeed possess some power, but Im sure the two of you havent even begun to show the extent your powers. Otherwise, the two seniors wouldnt have entrusted you two with such an important task. In the face of your powers, my sword formation is nothing to boast about, Han Li chuckled nonchalantly.

In a one-on-one battle, I can gain a huge advantage in just 10 breaths, and Id be able to kill it in 30 breaths, Shi Kun replied with furrowed brows.

Oh? Then what if three or four of these Dark Beasts, or even a dozen of them were to appear before you at once? Liu Shuier asked with a hint of a smile on her face.

If theyre all this powerful, then I cant guarantee victory against more than three of them, and if more than five of them were to swarm me at once, Id have no chance of victory. If I were to encounter more than 10 of them at once, Id immediately run for my life, Shi Kun admitted in a begrudging manner.

Thats the problem, from what Ive heard, there are tens of thousands of Dark Beasts in the Dark Beast Forest, and their powers differ greatly. According to our records, the power displayed by that Dark Beast earlier is slightly inferior to that of the average power level of a mature Dark Beast. Otherwise, it wouldnt have taken so long to defeat that Azure Night Python. Above normal Dark Beasts, there are also two higher tiers of Dark Beasts, one of which is the Three-eyed Dark Beast. Aside from the fact that theyre simply a lot more powerful than normal Dark Beasts, their third eyes can also release a strange type of light that can reduce living beings to rotten wood. The other type of Dark Beast is the Dark Beast Monarch. These Dark Beasts possess pure golden fur as opposed to black fur, and we dont have any information on how powerful they are. Apparently, one of our seniors who came into the Vast Glacial Realm before us once passed through the Dark Beast Forest, and he witnessed from afar a Dark Beast Monarch leading a pack of hundreds of mature Dark Beasts galloping through the forest, Liu Shuier said in a grim voice.

Ive seen similar records as well. I would estimate that I could take care of a single one of those Three-eyed Dark Beasts, but Im not sure if Id be able to take on two at once. As for those golden Dark Beasts, they can lead packs of their kind, so they must be far more powerful than even Three-eyed Dark Beasts. In that case, its most likely the case that wed be no match for them even if the three of us were to combine our powers. However, seeing as theyre beast monarchs, there shouldnt be all that many of them even in the entire Dark Beast Forest, so surely we wont be unlucky enough to encounter one, Han Li said in a slow voice.

Thats a valid point. We have no intention of bothering these Dark Beasts anyway, all we want to do is sneak through this forest, so well be doing our best to avoid them. Its a pity that we cant fly over this forest. Otherwise, it would only take us a few days to cross through it, Liu Shuier sighed. гeewenvel.com

Its alright, we can afford a slight delay like this. Besides, we have no other alternative anyway. If we were to try and fly over the forest, wed quickly be surrounded by countless Dark Beasts at once, Han Li said with a wry smile.

Im naturally aware of that. According to our predecessors who have trekked through the Dark Beast Forest, Dark Beasts are severely weaker during the day than they are during the night, so the forest is much more heavily guarded during the day. Many Three-eyed Dark Beasts would even come out to patrol the forest during daylight hours. In contrast, fewer guards patrol the forest during the night and all of the high-grade Dark Beasts will return to their caves to rest and cultivate, but the Dark Beasts are a lot more powerful during that time, Liu Shuier continued.

In that case, we should travel through the night, then rest during the day. I thought itd be the other way around! Shi Kun was rather surprised to hear this.

I also support what Fairy Liu is saying. Not only will there be more high-grade Dark Beasts patrolling the forest during the day, a lot of our concealment techniques will also be hampered greatly during the day, so its very likely that we wont be able to escape the notice of those Three-eyed Dark Beasts. After all, most beasts with additional demonic eyes have abilities that can allow them to see through illusions and concealment techniques, so thatll certainly work against our favor. Regardless of how severely debilitated Dark Beasts are during the day, well still be in a dire situation if we get surrounded by 100 at once. As such, its better to travel during the night, Han Li said after a brief pause.

Hmm, that does indeed make a lot of sense. Alright then, well travel during the night as opposed to during daylight hours. Shi Kun seemed to have been convinced.

Liu Shuier nodded before asking, In that case, lets set off soon. The earlier we can get through the forest, the safer well be. By the way, do you two have any suitable concealment techniques?

Oh? From the sounds of it, do you perhaps possess a superior concealment technique that can help the two us? Han Li was immediately able to read between the lines and glean the purpose behind Liu Shuiers question.

You really are a smart man, Brother Han. Prior to coming here, I borrowed three Thousand Transformation Faces from my master. With these treasures, we can transform into anything we want, and no one will be able to discover anything amiss unless they were to carefully inspect us with their spiritual sense. I know that the two of you must also have other brilliant concealment techniques, but these treasures are perfect for this situation. Even if we get discovered by other Dark Beasts, well be able to conceal ourselves with these treasures, Liu Shuier explained with a smile as she flipped a hand over to produce three thin silver objects.

Thousand Transformation Faces! These treasures are extremely renowned, and Ive heard that only your master knows how to refine them. If youre willing to lend them to us, then that would naturally be fantastic! Shi Kun was elated at the sight of the three thin treasures, and he immediately made a grabbing motion to draw one of them into his grasp before carefully appraising it.

Han Li hadnt stayed in Cloud City for a very long time, so it was the first time hed heard of this treasure. However, it was quite apparent from Shi Kuns excited reaction that these were definitely no ordinary treasures.

Thus, he expressed his gratitude toward Liu Shuier before also grabbing one of the treasures and inspecting it with a curious look on his face.

This so-called Thousand Transformation Face was as thin as a silk handkerchief, yet slightly warm to the touch. Even with Han Lis vast wealth of knowledge and experience, he was unable to identify what kind of material this treasure was refined from.

However, there were a few pea-sized silver runes of different sizes inscribed onto the surface of the treasure, and they immediately caught his eye.

After focusing his gaze on this silver runes, Han Lis expression changed ever-so-slightly, but his reaction still didnt escape the notice of Liu Shuier.

A peculiar look flashed through her eyes as she asked, Brother Han, have you seen this treasure before?

Han Lis heart stirred slightly, but his expression had already returned to normal as he replied, This is a treasure that can only be refined by Senior Cai, so of course Ive never had the chance to see it before.

Then what was your reaction just then? Liu Shuier wasnt willing to let the issue slide.

Hehe, the material used for this treasure is very unique. I thought myself to be quite knowledgeable, but I dont have the slightest inkling what this material could step from, and Im feeling rather embarrassed, Han Li explained with a nonchalant smile.

Liu Shuier seemed to have believed Han Lis excuse, and she explained, I see. I dont know the refinement method, but Ive heard from Master that these treasures were refined through combining the skins of seven types of extremely rare spirit beasts, so its no wonder that you cant identify the material used.

Thank you for telling me this, Han Li replied as he feigned an expression of enlightenment.

At the same time, he was gently stroking the silver runes on the treasure while many thoughts surged through his mind.

The silver runes on this Thousand Transformation Face were none other than beveled silver text, and it was naturally very surprising to him to see this text here.

If this was a treasure that only Cai Liuying knew how to refine, did that mean that she also had an outer page of the Golden Jade Tome?

Just as he was thinking this, Liu Shuier continued, These treasures are quite extraordinary, but the transformations wont happen as soon as you put them on. If you want to transform into another living being, it would be best to obtain some of its blood, flesh, or skin first. If you could obtain the entire hide of a beast, the transformation would be absolutely perfect.

It shouldnt be that hard to find complete beast hides, well just have to find a few Dark Beasts and kill them. Hehe, the one that we just saw would be perfect for this. In such a short time, it couldnt have gotten very far away, Shi Kun chuckled a ferocious look flashed through his eyes.

Immediately thereafter, yellow light flashed beneath his feet, and he slowly sunk into the ground.

Liu Shuiers eyes flashed upon seeing this, but she didnt say anything to stop him in the end.

Thus, Shi Kun unleashed his earth movement technique, and vanished in the blink of an eye.

There wont be any issues letting Brother Shi go on his own, will there? Liu Shuier asked in a low voice as she glanced at Han Li.

Seeing as you didnt say anything to stop him, you must be of the opinion that everything should be fine, and I also think the same. Weve already carefully assessed this area and ascertained that there are no other Dark Beasts within a radius of 50 kilometers. On top of that, Fellow Daoist Shi has the element of surprise on his side, so this should be an easy task for him, Han Li replied in a calm manner.

Liu Shuier fell silent upon seeing this.

An hour later, yellow light flashed from the spot where Shi Kun had disappeared, and a humanoid figure emerged from the ground.

It was none other than Shi Kun himself.

As soon as he emerged, he smiled at Han Li and Liu Shuier, then abruptly swept a sleeve through the air, upon which a black object flew out from within.

It was none other than a complete set of Dark Beast hide.

Fellow Daoist Liu, do you think this beast hide is suitable for me to use? Shi Kun asked in a proud manner.

After briefly appraising the sheet of beast hide, Liu Shuier smiled, and replied, It doesnt have any wounds on it at all! In that case, there would naturally be no issues. Ill teach both of you the mantra, and you can give it a try, Brother Shi.

After that, she tossed back the sheet of beast hide, then transmitted her voice to Han Li and Shi Kun, teaching them a profound mantra.

Han Li and the Shi Kun naturally listened with rapt focus and committed the mantra to memory.

Moments later, Liu Shuiers voice transmission trailed off, and Shi Kuns eyes lit up as he tossed the beast hide in his hands into the air, following which he raised both hands at once.

The Thousand Transformation Face vanished into the beast hide as a ball of silver light, following which a series of silver runes appeared.

The entire sheet of Dark Beast hide then descended onto his body.

Even though Dark Beasts werent the most powerful beasts in the Vast Glacial Realm, even an ancient beast definitely didnt want to face a pack of mature Dark Beasts at night.

For some reason, it was night time in the Dark Beast Forest for about two-thirds of the day, leaving very few remaining hours of daylight in contrast.

There were thousands of Dark Beasts living in the forest, and quite a large proportion of them were mature Dark Beasts.

As such, even though the Dark Beast Forest directly neighbored the Myriad Fowl Ridge and the Eight Omens Sea, none of the powerful ancient beasts nearby had any intention of invading the forest.

This forest was like the backyard of the Dark Beasts, and virtually all of the other beasts that resided within it could only act as prey to the Dark Beasts.

There were a few other types of beasts that also enjoyed enhancements during the night, and only they could pose some threat to the Dark Beasts, but they were all far inferior to the Dark Beasts both in terms of numbers, as well as individual powers.

On this day, close to 100 kilometers away from the border of the Dark Beast Forest, there was a giant python that was 70 to 80 feet in length with azure scales all over its body, facing off against a Dark Beast in a tense confrontation.

This python appeared to be no different from a normal python, but in reality, it was one of the types of beasts in the Dark Beast Forest that could challenge the Dark Beasts.

These types of pythons were known as Azure Night Pythons, and at night, their already powerful bodies would become significantly enhanced, and they would also draw upon the power of the night to enter what was essentially a berserk state.

After undergoing a berserk transformation, these giant pythons possessed powers that were comparable to that of mature Dark Beasts, and they were extremely ferocious and bloodthirsty in battle.

However, this type of transformation naturally also presented many negative after-effects to these Azure Night Pythons.

Not only would they be severely debilitated within the next few years, their lifespans would also be reduced. As such, none of them would undergo such a transformation unless they found themselves in grave danger.

Unfortunately for these Azure Night Pythons, their inner cores were extremely beneficial for Dark Beasts to consume, so if they were to encounter one another in the Dark Beast Forest, a battle to the death would immediately ensue.

This was exactly what was happening right now.

The Azure Night Python had its head raised up high, and it was flicking its dark purple forked tongue in a menacing manner. All of the azure scales on its body had also stood up on end, and it appeared to be ready to pounce at a moments notice.

The Dark Beast that was facing off against it bore the appearance of a wolf that had swelled to three or four times its normal size. It was completely inky black in color, and its tail was long and thin, like that of a leopard, giving it a graceful and rather feline appearance.

This Dark Beast was slightly thinner than a normal mature Dark Beast, so it had clearly only reached maturity not long ago. However, it wasnt backing down in the slightest as it glowered at the Azure Night Python with ferocity flashing in its eyes.

Strangely enough, the Dark Beast was only staring at the giant python, and didnt immediately pounce toward it.

Most battles between mature Dark Beats and berserk Azure Night Pythons ended with the former securing the inner core of the latter, but there were also cases where Dark Beasts had been devoured by Azure Night Pythons.

As such, the Dark Beast was naturally delighted to have encountered an Azure Night Python here, but it didnt immediately rush into battle.

A berserk Azure Night Python would obviously become a lot more powerful, but in the instant it underwent its transformation, it would expose its weakness, and if the Dark Beast could take advantage of that split-second of weakness, it could kill its opponent in a single well-timed strike.

Meanwhile, the Azure Night Python had adopted a pose that suggested that it was going to go berserk at a moments notice, but in reality, it didnt dare to do anything rash, either.

Thus, the tense standoff continued.

All of the beasts in the Dark Beast Forest were nocturnal creatures that rested in their caves during the day.

The trees here were extremely tall, and even though they were some distance away from the edge of the forest, the lush branches and leaves up above were still dense enough to almost obscure the entire sky. If one were to try and peer through these lush canopies, theyd only be greeted by the sight of a vast expanse of darkness.

It was currently the darkest time in the night, and if it werent for some glowing plants nearby, this place wouldve been completely pitch-black.

Time passed by slowly, and the standoff continued. Both of the creatures were getting rather disgruntled at this point.

Finally, it was the Dark Beast that ran out of patience first.

It let loose a low snark, and it began to slowly stalk the area around the giant python in an entirely soundless, wraith-like manner. feewenve.com

The Azure Night Python began to flick its forked tongue with even greater urgency upon seeing this, and at the same time, it began to hiss in a menacing manner.

However, the ferocious light in the Dark Beasts eyes only grew more pronounced as inky-black claw projections that were half a foot in length each began to appear on its front paws. At the same time, its long and thin tail began to swish through the air, leaving a trail of afterimages in its wake as it cracked like a bullwhip.

The Azure Night Python was carefully appraising the Dark Beast this entire time, so it naturally saw everything that the Dark Beast was doing. Upon seeing the Dark Beast whipping its tail through the air, its hissing suddenly became more urgent, as if it were being provoked.

At the same time, light flashed from its dark azure scales, and its body began to swell up like a balloon, causing the entirety of its snakeskin to be stretched taut.

Almost in the blink of an eye, a sharp tearing sound rang out as the entire snakeskin split open, revealing a serpentine body that was almost one and a half times the size of the original Azure Night python.

This was still a python with azure scales, but the patterns on those scales had become silver, and these patterns intertwined to create a series of runes of different sizes that were flashing with faint silver light.

On top of that, a single horn that was as pristine white as jade had also appeared on the pythons head. The horn was in a corkscrew shape, and it looked extremely sharp.

The giant pythons green eyes also took on a crimson hue, and they were flashing with a deranged light.

Almost in the exact same instant that the giant python had completed its transformation, the Dark Beast immediately sprang into action.

Black light flashed, and the Dark Beast vanished on the spot.

In the next instant, black light flashed again near one side of the giant pythonss head, and the Dark Beast reappeared, seemingly out of thin air. At the same time, several black claw projections erupted forth, slashing viciously toward the pythons neck.

On each berserk Azure Night Pythons neck, just below their head, were several red scales. These scales could be considered to be the Achilles heel of these snakes, and even an ordinary flying sword would be able to inflict grievous wounds on these pythons if the swords were to target those scales.

If the Dark Beasts claw projections could strike that weakness, then the battle would essentially be over.

Of course, this glaring weakness wouldnt constantly be present. In the instant right after entering a berserk state, those scales would turn into the same color as the rest of the pythons scales, and in fact, theyd become far more resolute that all of those other scales.

A few dull thumps rang out as the claw projections struck the Azure Night Pythons body, but the giant python had instinctively dodged to evade these lethal attacks.

Even so, several red bleeding gashes had been inflicted onto its neck, but they didnt appear to be very deep.

Such a surprise attack naturally completely enraged the giant python, which was already in a semi-deranged state. An explosive roar of fury rang out, following which the python whipped its tail through the air, and a series of azure tail projections appeared before surging toward the Dark Beast.

Even after failing to land a decisive blow with its surprise attack, the Dark Beast remained calm as it swayed, and two streaks of black light shot forth from its body before transforming into a pair of black beings.

These two shadow-like beings were extremely similar in appearance to the Dark Beast, except their bodies were quite blurry and indistinct, and were flashing with dark grey spiritual light.

As soon as they appeared, they also pounced through the air alongside the Dark Beast.

The Dark Beast and its two projections then unleashed claw projections in unison, which instantly clashed with the azure projection sweeping through the air.

Following an earth-shattering explosion, the projections all disappeared at the same time, and it appeared that the first clash had ended in a tie.

Immediately thereafter, a ball of azure light erupted in the air above the Dark Beast, following which a giant python head emerged from within the light. The python head then came crashing down at an astonishing speed, swallowing one of the Dark Beast projections whole before hurtling toward the other one.

Right at this moment, the actual Dark Beast emerged from the side, then opened its mouth up as wide as it would go, revealing rows of dagger-like teeth that before pouncing toward the giant python.

Despite how thick the Azure Night Pythons body was, if those giant jaws were to clamp down on it, it would definitely be bitten into two halves.

However, after going berserk, the Azure Night Pythons speed was not inferior to that of the Dark Beast, and it abruptly withdrew its head before also opening its cavernous mouth and turning toward the Dark Beast.

At this moment, the body of its original target, the other Dark Beast projection, suddenly elongated to an incredible extent as it hurtled directly toward the Azure Night Python.

Thus, the two beasts clashed amid a string of resounding booms, and they appeared to be quite evenly-matched.

Unbeknownst to the two of them, a massive hole with a radius of around 20 feet had been carved into an ordinary-looking giant tree close to 10 kilometers away from them.

Within the hole in the tree, there were three people seated inside in a cross-legged manner, appraising a mirror that was hovering in mid-air with rapt focus on their faces.

The back of the mirror was shimmering with silver light, while the mirror of the surface was displaying an extremely clear image, the image was none other than that of the battle between the Dark Beast and the Azure Night Python.

All of the scenes in the distance had been perfectly replicated in the mirror, except everything was countless times smaller than their actual size.

Among this trio, one of them was an azure-robed man, one was a woman with a white hood over her head, and the final being was a burly yellow-skinned man.

These were none other than Han Li, Liu Shuier, and Shi Kun, who had finally gotten here after close to a month.

All three of them wore grim expressions as they stared at the mirror with intense unblinking eyes.

Close to an hour later, the Dark Beast in the image had split up into hundreds of black bats that finally wore the wounded Azure Night Python down until it died, then devoured its preys beast core before departing in high spirits.

Liu Shuier cast an incantation seal onto the mirror, and the image disappeared as she sighed, What do you think of these Dark Beasts after witnessing one in action for yourselves?

Liu Shuiers expression eased slightly upon hearing his response, and her voice also softened slightly as she said, Seeing as youve come around as well, we need to work together to pass through this Dark Beast Forest. Im sure well be able to succeed in that endeavor with our combined powers.

Hehe, I certainly hope so, Shi Kun chuckled in response.

Thus, after a brief discussion, the three of them continued flying toward a certain direction along the seashore.

In the blink of eye, theyd disappeared into the distance, but not long after theyd left, two streaks of light, one yellow and one red, appeared on the seashore in a flash.

The lights receded to reveal two foreign beings in different attire, and both of them had rather strange appearances.

One was short and portly, wearing an oversized suit of black armor that almost encompassed his entire head.

His companion was tall and thin, giving off the appearance of a dried corpse, but he was also wearing an oversized set of robes, making it appear as if both of them had suffered bizarre wardrobe malfunctions.

These two were among the few Heavenly Cloud beings that had remained at the spot where theyd first entered the realm following the departure of Han Lis trio.

Both of them were quite disheveled and wore extremely dark expressions on their faces.

The short and portly was drenched in sweat, and there was still a hint of lingering fear in his eyes as he said, What terrible luck! I cant believe we encountered two ancient beasts at once. If it werent for the fact that they were too busy battling one another to pay any heed to us, theres no way we wouldve survived that ordeal. Even so, we still had to detonate several treasures just to get away.

The short and portly being was clearly feeling very dejected that hed had to waste his treasures under such unfortunate circumstances.

Hmph, were already immensely lucky to have been able to escape alive from those two ancient beasts. However, this region of the sea really is quite strange. Not only did we get trapped in that strange mist for over 10 days, we encountered those two ancient beasts right after we escaped out of the mist, the tall and thin being said in a grim voice.

Thank heavens we finally made it out of the sea. This set of mountain ranges up ahead should be safer, right? The short and portly being cast his gaze toward the mountain ranges up ahead with an indecisive look on his face.

Our position disk was completely ineffective in the sea, lets see if it can locate us now that were on land, the short and thin being suggested after a brief pause.

Alright, Ill check right away. The short and portly being nodded before opening his mouth to expel a smooth jade disk.

The object rotated in mid-air before expanding to around 10 feet in size. At the same time, white light was shimmering all over its surface, and something seemed to be emerging from it.

The short and portly being suddenly expelled a ball of blood essence, which transformed into a cloud of blood mist.

He then made a series of quick hand seals before pointing a finger at the blood mist, and it vanished into the jade disk.

Bright crimson light began to emanate from the disk, and some features seemed to have appeared on its surface.

The two beings immediately began to appraise the disk with rapt focus.

However, their expressions only darkened even further a few moments later.

Whats going on? The disk still isnt able to ascertain our rough location, the tall and thin being murmured.

Either were in a special area where the positioning disk cant function or the two ancient beasts nearby have stirred up the worlds origin Qi here, thereby impacting the positioning disk. This disk is quite useful, but it still cant compare with those few legendary treasures, the short and portly being said after a moment of contemplation. frewebnoel.com

Hmph, if Id known it was this useless, I wouldnt have paid such a high price to purchase it during that auction. We spent most of the spirit stones wed saved up on this thing! The tall and thin being was clearly rather agitated.

This thing fails to work from time to time, but without it, there would be no way for us to ascertain our location in this realm. Everyone else paid the same price to purchase it as well, didnt they? Only Crystal beings know how to refine this thing, and every time the Vast Glacial Realm opens, they profit greatly from this invention. Ive heard that Crystal beings can also refine better positioning treasures, but Im not sure if thats true. The short and portly being was also rather dejected.

So be it, theres no use complaining now. Seeing as this thing cant tell us our current location, lets just get out of here first, the thin and tall being suggested after scanning his spiritual sense carefully through the mountain ranges up ahead.

I guess we have no choice. His companion nodded after a brief hesitation. Thus, the two of them rose up into the air, quickly flying into the distance. Moments later, they vanished into the mountain ranges, and no one ever heard from or saw them again.

…

In the air above a forest, three Heavenly Cloud beings had combined into one streak of three-colored spiritual light while hurtling through the air.

Behind them were a dozen or so beasts with lion bodies and elk heads giving chase in hot pursuit.

Even further away, several strange humanoid beings with long white fur growing all over their bodies were flying less than 100 feet in the air above a certain glacier.

The sharp blade-like snowflakes and the icy winds that could instantly freeze a normal being solid didnt affect these humanoid beings in the slightest, and they quickly vanished into the distance.

…

Deep within a lush forest, two green-robed men with skin that resembled dried yellow tree bark were waving a small red flag each toward a giant tree that was over 100 feet tall up ahead.

The giant tree was remarkably green, but there was a sinister ghoul-like face right at the center of its trunk.

At this moment, the entire tree was enshrouded in scorching flames, and the sinister face letting loose shrill shrieks while blasting forth bursts of green liquid to resist the flames.

A dozen or so extremely thick tree roots were also flailing violently from the soil around the base of the tree, slamming into the ground with devastating force, leaving trenches that were several feet deep in their wake.

If these were normal flames, then perhaps these tree roots really wouldve been enough to douse them. However, these flames were seemingly inextinguishable, and they clung firmly to the tree roots like projections.

Moments later, the amount of green liquid being expelled by the massive tree was starting to dwindle, and it no longer had the power to resist the surrounding flames. Its shrill cries came to an abrupt halt, and it was incinerated into a pile of ashes.

The two green-robed men withdrew their flags upon seeing this, then flew over to the pile of ashes before leaning down and pulling out a green crystal each.

The two men glanced at one another upon seeing this, and both of them could see their own elation mirrored in each others eyes.

…

In a certain secluded corner of the Vast Glacial Realm, there were a dozen or so male and female horned beings huddled together above a boundless desert. All of them were listening to something that was being said by a young man with three short golden horns growing on his head, and from the stunned expressions on their faces, it seemed that theyd heard something extremely incredible.

However, as the young man swept his gaze across his companions, all of them lowered their heads in a display of awe and veneration.

All of you are clear about our true objective here, right? In order to ensure our success, our elders have used a Profound Heavenly Treasure to refine five extraordinary treasures for us, and even made use of several spies wed planted in the Heavenly Cloud Races to draw the attention of their higher-ups. Im sure all of you are aware of what awaits us when we get back if we can accomplish this, so I wont speak any further about that, the golden-horned young man said in a calm voice.

All of the other horned beings were quite excited to hear this, and they replied in unison, Rest assured, all of us will do everything in our power to achieve this objective.

Very good. Ive been cultivating in the sacred mountain all along, so I havent known all of you for very long. However, the future prosperity of our race hinges on this, so Im sure all of you will be giving it your all. We have more than 10 teams that entered the Vast Glacial Realm this time, but only the five teams that possess one of the five treasures have been assigned this task. All of the other teams are only responsible for assisting us and providing decoys so the other races dont see through what were doing. For now, lets set off as wed originally planned, the golden-horned man instructed with a pleased nod.

Thus, the group of Jiao Chi beings followed him deeper into the desert.

…

In the air above a lake, there were two foreign mermaid-like beings standing next to one another.

Before them was a monstrous whale that was over 100 feet in length. There were nine golden eyes on its forehead, and it was appraising the two beings with an extremely astonishing aura emanating from its body.

Among the two foreign beings, the man had a pair of silver eyes, while the woman had a pair of golden eyes that were rather similar to those of the monstrous whale.

The whale was in the process of letting loose a low roar as it appraised the two beings at the same time with its nine eyes, putting on quite an antagonistic display.

Both of the foreign beings wore grim expressions upon seeing this, and after a brief conversation, the womans golden eyes flashed, and she suddenly let loose a sound that was quite similar to the whales roar.

The monstrous whale blinked all nine of its eyes in unison, and it seemed to have become rather hesitant upon hearing this sound.

The womans expression eased upon seeing this, but she didnt stop what she was doing, even for a single instant. Instead, her roar was only growing louder than before.

All of a sudden, the monstrous whales roar cut off, and golden light flashed in its eyes before its massive body swayed, following which it flew a few laps around the two beings. After returning to its original spot, it let loose another low roar, and on this occasion, and elated look appeared on the woman face upon hearing this. She immediately flew into the air above the monstrous whale, then slowly settled onto its back.

This seemingly extremely powerful whale reacted in quite a benevolent manner, allowing the woman to ride atop its back before flying away as a streak of blue light at her behest.

The womans male companion naturally followed along closely behind them.

That thing looks to be at least just as powerful as that Sea Guardian Ape, we should get out of here as quickly as possible. Liu Shuier expression changed upon seeing this, and she immediately made a hand seal before flying away as a streak of blue light without any hesitation.

Even without her reminder, Han Li and Shi Kun knew that a battle between two beings with such devastating powers would likely affect a massive area even beyond the direct vicinity of their battlefield.

As such, they also followed suit and flew away as streaks of light behind Liu Shuier as quickly as they could.

The three streaks of light quickly vanished into the distance, and moments later, an earth-shattering roar suddenly erupted from the seashore in the distance.

Immediately thereafter, the sounds of fierce winds and thunderclaps intertwined, creating a rumbling commotion that drowned out the roar of the Sea Guardian Ape and the cry of the giant bird.

Almost at the exact same moment, a gargantuan wave that was over 10,000 feet tall swept forth in a frenzy from the seashore, completely inundating the spot where Han Lis trio had been standing mere moments later.

At this point, Han Lis trio had already fled to several hundred kilometers away, then changed direction and flew back toward land after going around in a massive loop.

After the three of them finally flew safely onto land, Shi Kun heaved a faint sigh of relief as he said, This Vast Glacial Realm really is just as the rumors proclaim it to be, there are so many ancient beasts here that have already gone extinct long ago in our Spirit Realm. If we keep encountering these beings during our journey, well most likely dead before we even get to the restricted ruins.

His voice wasnt very loud, but at Han Li and Liu Shuiers cultivation bases, they were naturally able to hear him quite clearly.

There are indeed some ancient beasts here, but its not like theyre all over the place. Its most likely the case that we were simply unlucky and stumbled upon the battlefield between two powerful ancient beasts, Liu Shuier said with a shake of her head.

Is it really just bad luck? This is quite a bad start to the journey, Shi Kun said with a resigned shrug.

Cultivators like us are beings who defy the natural order, so we cant completely ignore things like omens, but theres no need to take them completely seriously, either, Liu Shuier said with a faint smile.

Hehe, I certainly hope so, Shi Kun chuckled in response.

At the sight of Shi Kuns unconvinced expression, Liu Shuier spoke no further on this matter, turning to Han Li instead as she said, Brother Han, we need to ascertain our location in this Vast Glacial Realm first, and well need you to be on lookout duty for us.

After the events that had unfolded earlier, Liu Shuier was clearly being more polite to Han Li.

No problem, Han Li replied with a nod. He was rather curious about how these two were going to ascertain their current location.

After that, he rose up into the air as a streak of azure light, reaching altitudes in excess of 1,000 feet before revealing himself again.

His spiritual sense was then released, covering the entire area in a radius of several tens of kilometers around them.

Liu Shuier nodded with a pleased look on her face before turning to Shi Kun as she said, Lets begin, Fellow Daoist Shi.

Hehe, Ive already got everything prepared, Shi Kun replied without any hesitation.

Thus, Liu Shuier and Shi Kun abruptly flew away in different directions, then stopping after several hundred had been opened up between them.

Thus, the three of them ended up in a massive triangular formation.

At this moment, Liu Shuier and Shi Kun both swept their sleeves through the air, releasing a white disk and a yellow scroll, respectively.

The two of then made hand seals while chanting something, and the disk swelled to over 10 times its original size, looking as if it were a massive moon.

Meanwhile, the yellow scroll slowly unfurled to reveal a burst of yellow light, and there seemed to be something lurking within the scroll.

All of a sudden, yellow light flashed, and the entire scroll disappeared.

In the next instant, specks of yellow light surfaced in the air within a radius of over 1,000 feet, and these specks of light flashed before combining as one to form a yellow light barrier that obscured the entire sky.

Shi Kun let loose a low cry upon seeing this before pointing a finger at the artificial moon.

Pure white light swirled around it before disappearing into the yellow light barrier, and the chanting from Liu Shuier and Shi Kun began to grow louder.

A peculiar scene then ensued.

A loud buzzing sound rang out from the yellow light barrier, following which a series of mountains, rivers, and lakes appeared all over its surface. These landmarks were all extremely tiny, but also remarkably life-like, and it was quite easy to see the differences between the landmarks.

These miniatures images were then split up into blocks that were each around 10 feet in size, creating quite an intriguing sight to behold.

Han Li was naturally able to see the entire light barrier from his vantage point up above, and his eyes narrowed slightly as he asked, What is that?

This is a Vast Glacial Map that my master and Senior Duan refined after collating all of the geographic data collected by the beings who came into the Vast Glacial Realm before us. I wouldnt dare to proclaim that its a comprehensive map of the entire realm, but around 70% to 80% of the entire realm can be seen in this map, Liu Shuier explained.

What we have to do now is ascertain whether were actually situated in one of the areas included in the map. If not, then things may be a little troublesome for us, Shi Kun said as he pointed a finger at the light barrier.

Brilliant yellow light immediately began to radiate from the entire map, following which an egg-sized spot of white light suddenly emerged from a corner of the map, then hovered over a certain block.

After identifying the area that the white ball of light had settled over, Liu Shuiers voice trembled slightly as he said, Thats it, were situated on the border of the Myriad Fowl Ridge, which means we just emerged from the Eight Omens Sea.

Shi Kuns expression also changed drastically upon hearing this.

Han Li was appraising the white ball of light down below with a curious look in his eyes, and he drew a sharp breath after hearing Liu Shuiers words.

Seeing as they were preparing to enter the Vast Glacial Realm, hed naturally read many tomes with information regarding the realm, particularly about the renowned perilous locations here, in case he were to stumble into one of them and lose his life there.

The Myriad Fowl Ridge and the Eight Omens Sea were two of the more renowned areas that hed read about.

As the name suggested, the Eight Omens Sea, which theyd just passed through, was a region of the sea where eight legendary ancient beasts resided. As for the Myriad Fowl Ridge, there were tens of thousands of spirit birds that resided here, three of which were ancient beasts that were no less powerful than the Sea Guardian Ape.

These two areas directly neighbored one another, so this was naturally a very unlucky area to have ended up in.

Thus, all three of them fell silent with their brows furrowed as they stared at the giant light barrier in a grim manner.

I dont want to have to travel through the Myriad Fowl Ridge. Not even taking into account the three ancient birds there, if even the other spirit birds there were to notice us, wed be swarmed and killed for sure, Shi Kun said with a dark expression.

The Myriad Fowl Ridge is indeed extremely perilous. Even though we managed to make it out of the Eight Omens Sea safely, that doesnt mean well have the same luck in the Myriad Fowl Ridge, so lets go around it, Han Li chimed in in agreement.

Liu Shuier glanced at Han Li and Shi Kun before heaving a faint sigh as she said, Looks like we have no choice but to do that.

Seeing as everyone was on the same page, Shi Kuns expression eased slightly, but his brows were still tightly furrowed as he appraised the giant light barrier.

Directly neighboring the Myriad Fowl Ridge are the Blue Sun Desert and the Dark Beast Forest. Theres no need for us to even consider the Blue Sun Desert, for upper race beings like us, that place is even more fearsome than the Myriad Fowl Ridge. According to records, well only be able to withstand the power of the sunlight there for half a day at most before were incinerated into ashes. In contrast, the Dark Beast Forest contains the Dark Beast Race, which has been extinct for a long time in our Spirit Realm. During the nighttime, these Dark Beasts become several times more powerful than they are during the day, so its also a very perilous place to traverse through. However, it appears that this is the only option open to us, Liu Shuier said in a slow voice as she pointed at the light barrier.

We cant do that. There are very few records about Dark Beasts, which means that very few people have made it out alive from the Dark Beast Forest, so its still too dangerous for us to go through it. Its best to go around that area as well, Shi Kun immediately objected.

How do you propose we do that? The restricted ruins are already extremely far away from us, so itll take us three or four months to get there even if we enjoy a completely smooth journey. If we encounter some obstacles along the way, that number could quite easily double. Just going around the Myriad Fowl Ridge will take close to an extra month, and the Dark Beast Forest is even larger in area, which means itll take us close to two additional months to go around it. On top of that, we need to save a month or two in order to make our breakthroughs. How will we be able to get there in time, then break the restriction if we keep going around everything? Liu Shuier countered in a cold voice.

A hesitant look appeared on Shi Kuns face upon hearing this.

The Dark Beast Forest does indeed appear to be quite perilous, but there have been beings who have traversed through it in the past. In any case, our records do include some information about how to better handle these creatures in battle, so we should have an even better chance of passing through the forest than those who came before us. Besides, if we go back empty-handed, are you not afraid of being punished by Senior Duan, Fellow Daoist Shi? Liu Shuier continued with a cold look in her eyes.

Shi Kun was still rather hesitant, and he suddenly turned to Han Li as he asked, What do you think, Fellow Daoist Han?

I was asked to come here by the two seniors and was promised quite a handsome reward for my efforts, so Im willing to go anywhere as long as it doesnt spell certain death, Han Li replied in a calm manner.

After a moment of careful contemplation, Shi Kun suddenly chuckled, Alright, seeing as neither of you fear the Dark Beast Forest, Ill also tag along and see just how fearsome these legendary Dark Beasts are!

The three of them flew for four days and four nights, encountering only a few islands along the way.

All of these islands had been taken over by other sea beasts, all of whom possessed extremely powerful auras.

Sea beasts of this caliber werent powerful enough to scare the three of them away, but they were clearly far more powerful than the octopus beast, so even the three of them wouldve had some difficulty facing them.

As such, both Liu Shuier and Shi Kun were quite relieved that theyd listened to Han Lis advice. Otherwise, they wouldve had to delay the cultivation of that secret technique after theyd found land.

However, land was clearly not that easy to find.

On the fifth morning, a faint black line finally appeared on the surface of the ocean in the distance, and all three of them were quite elated to see this.

Weve finally flown out of this accursed ocean, Shi Kun laughed heartily.

Liu Shuier was also quite elated, but she cautioned, You should still be on your guard, Fellow Daoist Shi. According to the experience of those who have come before us, land is far more dangerous here than the ocean. We may have found land, but its best to withdraw our auras so we dont end up alerting any powerful ancient beasts to our presence.

Dont worry, Fairy Liu, I do enjoy a good battle, but Im well aware of my limitations, Shi Kun replied in a nonchalant manner.

Liu Shuier was feeling slightly more reassured upon hearing this.

With Shi Kuns cultivation base and experience, she naturally shouldnt have to issue such a reminder, but Shi Kun seemed to enjoy battling a little too much, which was why she had been slightly concerned.

A faint smile appeared on Han Lis face upon seeing this, and he was just about to say something as well when violent winds were suddenly swept up in the distance over the surface of the ocean. A cloud of murky white mist began to appear, and it was spreading at a rapid rate.

Whats that? Han Li was rather taken aback by this sudden development.

Liu Shuier and Shi Kun had naturally also witnessed the strange scenes unfolding up ahead, and they exchanged a slightly bewildered glance with one another.

Without the need for any further communication, all three of them stopped cold in their tracks before casting their eyes toward the distant shore.

Almost as the exact same moment, a loud cry rang out from the shore, and the sea of mist that was a few acres in size churned violently along with the ocean around it.

At the same time, an astonishing primordial aura erupted into the heavens from below the mist.

Immediately thereafter, a giant beast that was several times larger than even the giant octopus theyd slain surfaced from the ocean. This was a furry giant ape-like beast with a single horn on its head. reewebove.com

As soon as the beast flew out of the sea, it threw its head back and let loose an unbearably sharp cry.

As soon as Han Lis trio heard this loud cry, their expressions changed drastically, and spiritual light flashed from their bodies as they hurriedly conjured up thick light barriers to shield themselves within, then exchanged fearful glances with one another.

As soon as the sharp screech had reached their ears, their eardrums had been struck by a sharp pain. At the same time, the blood within their bodies began to churn violently, causing their limbs to experience an uncomfortable pins and needles sensation.

The three of them were naturally quite startled by this.

However, unbeknownst to them, this was only just the beginning.

In the next instant, the sharp screech emanating from the giant beasts mouth suddenly turned into a thunderous roar that caused the nearby air to tremor audibly.

Not only did the surrounding sea mist quickly disperse as a result of this almighty roar, countless vortexes of different sizes had been formed in the nearby seawater as well.

Countless fish of all types floated to the surface with their bellies facing the heavens, having been killed by the soundwaves from the sea beasts devastating roar.

All of a sudden, the surface of the ocean in a radius of around 50 kilometers was riddled with fish carcasses.

At this moment, the light barriers around the bodies of Han Li and the others began to tremor violently, as if they were being dealt heavy blows, and their expressions darkened significantly.

Liu Shuier had turned completely pale, and her body was trembling involuntarily, looking as if she were going to plummet downward at any moment.

Shi Kuns body was as still as a mountain, but there were thick veins pulsing on his forehead, and his eyes were threatening to bulge out of their sockets, clearly indicating that he was going through extreme exertion.

Among the three of them, Han Li remained the least affected, and his face had only paled slightly.

Strangely enough, the thunderous roar was exerting an immense amount of pressure toward all three of them, but they were completely unable to move, as if their feet had been rooted to the spot.

The roar erupting from the giant beasts mouth grew louder and louder, and there were now even transparent soundwaves that were visible to the naked eye surging through the air.

After being swept through by these soundwaves, an indentation that was over 100 feet deep was blasted into the nearby surface of the ocean, thereby forming a massive water crater.

Waves that were several thousand feet tall instantly took shape before sweeping forth in all directions as if there was an immense force propelling them from behind.

Han Li and the others were situated several tens of kilometers away, but it still felt as if those waves were going to crash into them at any moment.

Liu Shuier and Shi Kun were both very alarmed by this development, yet both of them were completely rooted to the spot.

The transparent soundwaves were less than 500 meters away from them after just a few flashes, and Shi Kun finally managed to open his mouth slightly. In doing so, he managed to utter a faint raspy sound, and yellow light began to flash from his body, but he was still completely unable to move.

Sweat began to pour down his forehead as horror appeared in his eyes, as well as in the eyes of Liu Shuier.

Just as the transparent soundwaves were about to reach them, golden light suddenly flashed past Han Lis face, and he let loose a cold harrumph.

The harrumph wasnt very loud, but Liu Shuier and Shi Kun both shuddered in response, following which spiritual light flashed from their bodies, and expressions of elation appeared on their faces.

Immediately thereafter, Shi Kun stomped a foot into the air and shot back as a streak of yellow light.

Meanwhile, Liu Shuier made a hand seal, and her body blurred before she abruptly vanished on the spot.

When she reappeared, she was already over 1,000 feet away.

In just a few flashes, she had traveled close to 10 kilometers, even managing to outspeed Shi Kun in the process.

As for Han Li, hed already sped away as a streak of golden light after letting loose that cold harrumph.

After all three of them had fled for close to 20 kilometers, all of them finally stopped in their tracks before turning back.

The transparent soundwaves that were surging toward them finally ran out of power a few kilometers away from them.

Unbeknownst to them, right after theyd regained their mobility, a vicious light flashed through the giant sea beasts eyes, and it cast a final glance at the direction theyd fled in before returning to the shore as if nothing had ever happened. Throughout this process, the almighty roar erupting from its mouth didnt cease for even a single moment.

What kind of sea beast is this? Just its roar alone was enough to restrict our bodies and magic power. Could it be that this is a legendary true spirit Giant Mountain Ape? Shi Kun said with a hint of lingering fear in his eyes.

Liu Shuier seemed to have recovered some of her composure, and she said, It cant be a Giant Mountain Ape. If it really were a true spirit being, then we wouldve perished to its roar already. Even so, this is not something that we can afford to mess with. I think it better matches the description of a Sea Guardian Ape.

A Sea Guardian Ape! Is that the legendary ape thats supposedly able to tear wyrms apart with its bare hands and swallow holy race beings alive? Shi Kun drew a sharp breath upon hearing this.

That should be it. After all, the roar of the Sea Guardian Ape has been vastly renowned ever since ancient times. We were most likely only able to escape alive because it wasnt directly attacking us, and we were merely in the wrong place at the wrong time, Liu Shuier mused with a wry smile.

In that case, we really are very fortunate to have escaped with our lives. If it werent for Brother Han saving us with that ability of his, the two of us would most likely be dead by now. Shi Kun suddenly cast his gaze toward Han Li with a peculiar look in his eyes.

His expression was also mirrored on Liu Shuiers face as she said, Indeed. I didnt think that Brother Han would possess an ability capable of nullifying the roar of a Sea Guardian Ape.

Its nothing much, I just so happened to have cultivated some secret techniques that were able to provide some resistance against this beasts roar. Thankfully, we were quite far away, so we werent afflicted by the full power of that roar. Otherwise, even I wouldve been in trouble as well, Han Li said in an indifferent manner.

Liu Shuier and Shi Kun exchanged a skeptical glance upon hearing this.

After a brief pause, Liu Shuier smiled, and said, In any case, you saved me and Brother Shi. Ill have to repay you for that in the future.

Indeed, I owe you a massive favor, Brother Han, Shi Kun also chimed in in agreement.

Theres no need to take this to heart, Fellow Daoists. This Vast Glacial Realm is fraught with peril, who knows how many beings just as or even more powerful than that Sea Guardian Ape exist here? Its quite likely that Ill also be needing you two to save my skin from time to time during this trip, Han lI replied with a smile.

Fellow Daoist Han, you… Liu Shuier was just about to say something else when a strange long cry suddenly erupted in the distance alongside the thunderous roar. This was an extremely alluring cry, like the voice of an angel.

The three of them were quite startled to hear this, and their conversation immediately cut off as they cast their eyes toward the distance again.

From such a far distance away, even though the white mist had already been cleared by the soundwaves, they were still only able to catch an indistinct glimpse of what was happening.

There, they discovered that a massive purple bird was flying toward the giant ape from the opposite shore, and it was none other than that bird that was releasing the heavenly cry.

It was too far away for them to get an accurate gauge of the birds size, but it appeared to be quite comparable in stature to the giant ape.

Furthermore, the bird was completely immune to the effects of the giant apes roar, and was flying directly toward it.

These are just a few little tricks that arent all that noteworthy, Han Li replied with a modest smile before also slowly descending toward the island.

Liu Shuiers brows furrowed slightly, and she was forced to swallow the questions that she was about to ask as she also descended as a streak of blue light.

At this moment, Shi Kun had already been waiting for a short at the center of the island.

Hed also witnessed Han Li unleashing his Fire Raven to melt that dome of ice, but his expression remained quite calm, in stark contrast with the insanity hed just displayed in battle.

Han Lis heart stirred slightly upon seeing this.

We dont have much time, so lets start practicing the combination secret technique right away, Shi Kun suggested as soon as Han Li and Liu Shuier descended nearby.

Of course. However, this secret technique has to have a main instigator while the other two play supportive roles, and its best for the leader to be the one with the most powerful Divine Essencefused Light. The three of us should unleash our respective Divine Essencefused Light to decide on who the leader should be, Liu Shuier replied with a nod.

I have no issue with that. Ive heard that Fairy Liu possesses a natural Essencefused Body, while I possess an acquired Essencefused Body, I wonder which one is more powerful. Shi Kuns eyes lit up with a hint of excitement as he spoke.

I think well both have our strengths and weaknesses. Due to the fact that I possess a natural Essencefused Body, I have great control over my Divine Essencefused Light, as if its an extension of my body, but cultivating it is very difficult for me. In contrast, with an acquired Essencefused Body, youre able to enhance your powers easily using external help, Liu Shuier analyzed in a calm manner.

But those with natural Essencefused Bodies have a chance to evolve their Divine Essencefused Light, thats something the likes of myself cant compare with. On top of that, I had to endure a lot of suffering to acquire this body. Fellow Daoist Han, Ive heard that youre different from both of us in that youre only able to unleash the Divine Essencefused Light through the use of an Essencefused Treasure, is that true? Shi Kun chuckled as he turned toward Han Li.

That is indeed true. My Divine Essencefused Light definitely cant compete with you two, so I wont participate in this contest, Han Li replied with a nonchalant smile.

Shi Kun stared at Han Li for a moment upon hearing this, but didnt press him any further as he said, In that case, we wont force the issue, Brother Han. Why dont you have a sparring match with me, Fairy Liu?

Liu Shuier nodded before slowly rising up into the air until she was hovering over 200 feet above the ground.

For some reason, she also seemed to be very interested in Shi Kuns acquired Essencefued Body.

Shi Kun let loose a low cry, and yellow light flashed all over his body as he rose up to the same altitude as Liu Shuier before facing her in mid-air.

Meanwhile, Han Li flew back to over 1,000 feet away, leaving a trail of afterimages in his wake before looking up in an expressionless manner.

He didnt have any interest in leading the combination secret technique, but he was rather interested to see how powerful the Divine Essencefused Light of these two beings were.

At this moment, Shi Kun let loose a loud cry as his skin gradually turned black, transforming him into what appeared to be a black rock golem. Immediately thereafter, he made a hand seal, and grey light instantly took the place of the yellow light around his body.

This was none other than the Divine Essencefused Light.

Look out now, Fairy Liu! Shi Kun warned before raising an arm and spreading his fingers apart before making a grabbing motion.

A pillar of grey light immediately shot forth from his palm, but as soon as it left his body, it transformed into thousands of grey threads of light that filled the entire sky.

Han Lis eyes narrowed slightly as he looked on from down below.

Liu Shuier made a hand seal in an unhurried manner upon seeing this, and grey light also erupted from her graceful body, forming a massive wheel of light with a radius of 30 to 40 feet behind her, and the wheel was slowly rotating behind her.

The center of the wheel flashed, and a burst of grey light swept forth, hurting directly toward the oncoming threads of light.

The two clashed in an instant, resulting in a loud explosion.

Both of them were using the same type of power, so none of the Divine Essencefused Lights advantages over other types of powers could play a role here. As such, this battle could only be decided purely by the powers of their respective Divine Essencefused Light.

Following the conclusion of the explosion, all of the grey light had vanished into nothingness, and it appeared that their first clash had concluded in a tie.

Splendid! Now see if you can handle this! Shi Kun chortled as he suddenly slammed his hands together in front of his chest.

His black rocky body shuddered as a burst of piercing grey light emerged, and it was as if hed transformed into a scintillating grey sun that was too bright to be directly appraised.

A serious expression appeared on Liu Shuiers face for the first time, and she immediately made a series of quick hand seals while chanting something at the same time.

The grey wheel of light behind her blurred before rotating at a rapid rate, and countless runes surged forth from it in a frenzy, shattering before converging again.

In the blink of an eye, a massive rune had taken shape at the center of the wheel of light.

Go! Shi Kun let loose a low cry as he swept both arms through the air, and they transformed into countless projections that hurtled through the air, as if hed unleashed hundreds of punches in a split second.

Each and every fist projection then transformed into a head-sized ball of grey light, and hundreds of them rushed toward Liu Shuier in a frenzy, creating quite an intimidating sight to behold.

In the face of such an astonishing assault, Liu Shuier merely harrumphed coldly before pointing a finger up ahead.

A burst of buzzing immediately rang out from the grey wheel of light behind her, and its rotation came to an abrupt halt as the massive rune shot forth from its center.

A peculiar scene then unfolded.

As soon as the rune sped into the air, it swelled drastically in size, reaching several hundred feet in just a few flashes. It continued on toward the balls of grey light in a soundless manner, obscuring virtually the entire sky.

After striking the massive rune, all of the balls of light vanished in a flash like sandcastles being swept away by the rising tide.

Shi Kun had grey light flashing from his hands, and he was about to unleash a second wave of attacks, but his expression immediately faltered upon seeing this. After a short while, he lowered his hands as a wry smile appeared on his face.

Thats enough for me. As expected of a natural Essencefused Body, my acquired body simply cant compare. Theres no way that Ill be able to beat that attack.

Shi Kun made no effort to prolong this sparring match, immediately conceding after deciding that there was no chance for victory, then descended back onto the ground.

Theres no need to be so depressed, Fellow Daoist Shi. I only recently grasped that ability, and I wouldnt have unleashed it had it not been for the fact that youd thrown such a devastating attack at me. In reality, the power of your Divine Essencefused Light is quite comparable to mine, Liu Shuier chuckled in consolation before pointing a finger at the giant rune.

The rune immediately shattered amid a flash of grey light, then disintegrated into specks of grey light that surged back into the grey wheel.

Following a gentle wave of her arm, the grey wheel of light disappeared in a flash, and she also slowly descended from up above.

Hehe, theres no need to try and flatter me, Fellow Daoist Liu, Im well aware of the extent of my abilities. I gave everything I could just then, but you probably only used 60% to 70% of the power of your Divine Essencefused Light at most. I dont know about Fellow Daoist Han, but theres no way that I can match you in this aspect, Shi Kun replied in a nonchalant manner.

Even Brother Shi is no match for Fairy Liu, so theres no way that I can compare when my Divine Essencefused Light is merely stemming from a treasure, Han Li said with a hint of a smile on his face.

Liu Shuier and Shi Kun naturally didnt completely believe what Han Li was saying, but seeing as his Divine Essencefused Light really did stem from a treasure, it was most likely the case that it would indeed be inferior in power compared to theirs.

As such, the two of the three of them exchanged some further pleasantries, and they didnt force Han Li to display his power.

Unbeknownst to them, the treasure that Han Li was referring to was an entire Divine Essencefused Mountain. If theyd known that, there was no way that theyd be thinking this way.

Thus, following that sparring match, Liu Shuier was assigned the leader of the combination secret technique, while Han Li and Shi Kun were to play secondary support roles.

The three of them immediately set up a giant illusionary formation in the nearby area to disguise the fact that the entire island had been razed to the ground, then began to practice the secret technique.

A dozen or so days passed in a flash.

During this time, no other beings or sea beasts passed by the island, so no mishaps occurred.

After three or four more days, the illusionary formation on the island suddenly vanished, and three humanoid figures rose up into the air.

This was naturally none other than Han Lis trio.

Liu Shuier wore an elated expression, while Han Li remained quite calm, and Shi Kun looked like he simply didnt care.

It appeared that their cultivation on the island had gone very smoothly.

I didnt think that our cultivation of the combination secret technique would go so smoothly, weve managed to master it in just half a month.

Hehe, thats mainly because your mastery of the Divine Essencefused Light far outstrips ours. Fellow Daoist Han and I both benefited greatly from cultivating with you, Shi Kun chuckled in reply.

Indeed, I didnt think that there were so many forms that the Divine Essencefused Light could adopt, I really must thank you for your instruction, Han Li chimed in with a smile.

Youre far too kind, Fellow Daoist, I was only able to master these things as I possess a natural Essencefused Body. If you two were in my shoes, Im sure your mastery of the Divine Essencefused Light would only be superior to mine, Liu Shuier chuckled in a modest manner.

Thats enough exchanges of pleasantries, lets go and find those restricted ruins as soon as we can. Theres no way to ascertain where we are now in the middle of the ocean, so we have to find land first before deciding where to go next, Shi Kun suggested.

Han Li and Liu Shuier naturally had no objections to this.

Thus, the three of them picked a certain direction before flying toward it.

Not only were these tentacles covered in dark green patterns, they were also riddled with massive suction cups the size of wagon wheels, creating a truly disturbing sight.

As soon as these tentacles emerged, Shi Kun stomped a foot into the ground, and his body shot forth like an arrow, taking him to the nearest tentacle in a flash before he swiped an arm through the air.

A streak of yellow light hurtled forth like a giant blade that was over 100 feet long, slicing through one of the massive tentacles with ease.

A massive fountain of green blood immediately spurted into the air, and rank green blood began to rain down from the sky.

Shi Kun let loose a burst of raucous laughter upon seeing this, and his body swayed as he prepared to fly toward another tentacle.

However, a thunderous roar suddenly erupted from below the island, causing the entire sky in the nearby area to tremor audibly.

Shi Kun faltered in mid-air as his expression changed slightly, and right at this moment, the sea beasts severed tentacle suddenly whipped violently through the air.

The bleeding from the wound immediately ceased, and bursts of putrid green mist were blasted forth from within.

Shi Kun was clearly an extremely experienced warrior, and he immediately retreated upon seeing this, flying back to over 300 feet away to distance himself from this green mist.

However, as opposed to attacking Shi Kun, the green mist in the air suddenly manifested into a complete tentacle that was identical to one he had just severed.

Shi Kuns expression darkened upon seeing this, and he immediately swiped his arm through the air again to unleash another devastating streak of yellow light.

However, on this occasion, all of the suction cups on the newly formed tentacle immediately compressed before expanding to expel bursts of black light.

The yellow streak of light struck the black light with a loud clang, followed by the sharp screeching sound of metal grating on metal. The yellow streak of light was able to slice through part of the black light, but it finally fizzled out into nothingness just before it could reach the sea beasts tentacle.

At this moment, the roar erupting from below the island became even louder, and the tentacle came crashing down toward Shi Kun with mountainous force.

Before it had even struck him, fierce gusts of wind were swept up, making it quite difficult for Shi Kun to stand still on the spot.

A ferocious look appeared on his face, and he let loose a loud roar as he launched a fist into the air.

Han Li and Liu Shuier were both spectating the battle intently from above, and they noticed that in the instant Shi Kun unleashed that punch, his fist swelled up like a balloon to five to six times its original size.

Furthermore, several yellow runes emerged from the giant fist before exploding in unison, and a yellow halo swept forth, forming shockwave-like ripples of light.

As soon as the giant tentacle came into contact with the yellow light, its skin was twisted and warped as if it had been stirred up by some kind of immense force. Immediately thereafter, the tentacle began to essentially disintegrate as it fell from above as chunks of skin and flesh, along with gushing green blood.

This punch seemed to be even more powerful than the one Shi Kun had unleashed to flatten the entire small island.

Even Han Lis eyelids twitched involuntarily upon seeing this.

However, the sea beast below the island had clearly been completely enraged by this attack, and it let loose a violent roar as its remaining few tentacles whipped through the air in unison, forming countless black shadows that crashed directly toward Shi Kun.

These tentacles were so massive that they were sweeping up a hurricane that encompassed the entire island.

Black shadows and gale-force winds intertwined, completely inundating Shi Kun in the process.

Looks like we wont need to do anything, Fellow Daoist Shi should be enough to take care of this sea beast on his own, Liu Shuier sighed as she looked on from above.

Indeed. Brother Shi possesses an extremely powerful body, so this sea beast will inevitably be killed eventually. However, this thing seems to possess an immortal body ability, so its best that we enter the ocean and kill its main body first. After all, it wont be a good thing to have this battle drag on for too long, Han Li replied after a brief pause.

Thats true. I just so happen to be using a water-attribute cultivation art, so Ill take care of this, Liu Shuier replied with a nod.

Han Li was rather surprised to hear this, but he merely smiled, and agreed, In that case, Ill leave everything to you, Fairy Liu.

Thus, Liu Shuier made a hand seal, and blue light flashed from her body as she sped directly downward as a streak of blue light, vanishing into the ocean after just a few flashes.

Almost at the exact same moment, a string of resounding booms rang out from the small island, which had been entirely enshrouded under fierce winds and black shadows.

Han Li cast his gaze toward the island to discover balls of piercing yellow light forcibly tearing their way through the powerful winds. At the same time, an astonishingly scorching aura erupted into the heavens, causing even the two restriction barriers up above to tremor slightly.

Amid these resounding booms, Shi Kuns raucous laughter was still clearly audible, and he seemed to have only just gotten warmed up.

Is he a berserker? Id only ever heard of such beings in the past, but I appear to be witnessing one in action right now, Han Li murmured to himself with a wry smile on his face while sweeping a sleeve through the air.

A burst of azure light swept forth, disappearing into the white light barrier in a flash, and the restriction barrier fell completely still again.

Thus, Shi Kun continued in his rampage on the small island, constantly pulverizing the tentacles around him, while the tentacles of the sea beast quickly regenerated amid a burst of green mist.

Thus, the two of them came to an impasse of sorts.

However, moments later, the beastly roars erupting from below the island suddenly took an anguished turn, and the seawater down below began to churn violently. A massive wave that was over 1,000 feet tall was swept up without any premonition before hurtling toward the small island with devastating might.

If such an astonishingly powerful wave really were to strike the island, there was a good chance that it would sink.

Han Lis expression darkened slightly as he looked on from above, and he immediately extended a pristine white palm of his sleeve, then spread his fingers open before making a grabbing motion.

Five bursts of five-colored glacial flames immediately erupted from his fingertips, injecting themselves into the white light barrier encompassing the island in a flash.

The light barrier immediately took on the five colors of the glacial flames, and at this moment, the giant wave crashed down upon it.

The five-colored light barrier appeared to be extremely thin and fragile, but as five-colored light swept over its surface, all of the seawater was instantly frozen into glacial ice.

Thus, a peculiar scene ensued.

A massive dome of blue ice appeared over the island, keeping all of the oncoming waves of seawater at bay while the small island itself remained completely unscathed.

Han Li nodded with a pleased expression upon seeing this before withdrawing his hand.

The giant waves only crashed into the wall of ice a few times before they subsided, and the entire surface of the ocean suddenly became remarkably calm.

Just as a contemplative expression had appeared on Han Lis face, a resounding boom rang out as a humanoid figure flew up from the island, then appeared in mid-air.

What happened? Why isnt that sea beast attacking anymore? Could it be that Fellow Daoist Liu decided to lend me a hand?

The humanoid figure was naturally none other than Shi Kun, and he was looking at Han Li with a hint of confusion in his eyes.

Han Li smiled upon hearing this, yet just as he was about to say something, a massive black vortex suddenly appeared on the surface of the ocean beside the island. The seawater nearby revolved around the vortex as the mountainous body of a black beast rose to the surface, revealing itself to be a gargantuan black octopus.

However, not only was this octopus extraordinarily huge, it also possessed the face of a ferocious-looking human male.

There were even two thick arms attached to its body alongside the giant tentacles, and attached to each of those arms was a hand that was wielding a crimson spear-like weapon.

A burst of blue light shot forth out of the water from beside the giant sea beasts carcass, then abruptly appeared in the air beside Han Li.

The blue light faded, and Liu Shuiers gorgeous figure was revealed.

So it really was you, Fairy Liu. Tsk tsk, you must have some tricks up your sleeve to be able to take care of this giant beast so quickly, Shi Kun said with a hint of surprise in his eyes.

It wasnt much. If it werent for the fact that youd attracted most of the beasts attention, I wouldnt have been able to kill it anywhere near as easily. I must say, youre abilities are quite impressive, Fellow Daoist Han, youve even managed to freeze such a vast quantity of seawater, Liu Shuier remarked as she took a glance at the massive dome of ice down below.

Hehe, theres no need for you two to be so modest. Seeing as the beast has been slain, lets withdraw these restrictions and settle on the island, Han Li chuckled.

Shi Kun and Liu Shuier naturally had no objections to this, and the former immediately began to descend toward the island.

Meanwhile, Han Li and Liu Shuier both made hand seals to withdraw their restrictions.

Brother Han, we cant just leave this dome of ice here, its far too eye-catching, Liu Shuier said as she pointed downward.

Han Li seemed to have considered this issue already, and he quickly replied, Of course, Ill melt it right away.

After that, he opened his mouth to expel a silver fireball, which immediately transformed into a silver Fire Raven that was around a foot in size.

Go, Han Li instructed as he swept a sleeve toward the Fire Raven.

The Fire Raven spread its wings before diving headfirst into the dome of ice amid a clear cry.

A peculiar scene then ensued.

The dome of glacial ice that was as hard as rock began to melt away in large sections from the spot that the Fire Raven had disappeared into it, reverting back to churning seawater before raining down from above.

Within just a few minutes, the entire dome of ice had vanished.

Only then did Han Li raise a hand, and the silver Fire Raven immediately re-emerged before disappearing up his sleeve in after just a few flashes.

You possess both fire and ice-attribute abilities? Thats very rare, Fellow Daoist Han! Liu Shuier said with a hint of surprise in her eyes.

Shi Kun was a menacing-looking man who appeared as if his entire body had been constructed from grey rocks, and he shook his head as he said, Why do we need to go through the hassle of doing that? With our combined powers, as long as we dont encounter some of the most powerful beings in this realm, well be more than able to look after ourselves. Even though we have an entire year before we get teleported back to Cloud City, we still dont know where we are at the moment, and there may not be enough time for us to make breakthroughs and also track down those restricted ruins. As such, I think we should make haste and skip any trivial activities that arent necessary.

Fellow Daoist Shi, The Divine Essencefused Light combination secret technique is something that my master invented specifically for this trip after expending an extensive amount of painstaking effort, and its far more powerful than you can imagine. I insist that we should rehearse the technique first. Otherwise, itll be too late for regrets once we encounter a powerful enemy, Liu Shuier countered in a slightly cold voice, clearly rather displeased by Shi Kuns words.

Is that so? I still think that compared to this, its much more important for us to get to the restricted ruins as quickly as possible, then use the remaining time to break through our bottlenecks. I havent cultivated any combination techniques in the past, but Ive still reached the current level of power, have I not? Shi Kun chuckled coldly, clearly unwilling to back down, either.

Liu Shuier expression cooled even further upon hearing this, and she turned to Han Li as she asked, What do you think, Fellow Daoist Han?

Han Li thought about this for a moment before suggesting, I think that seeing as neither of you is willing to back down, we should find a middle-ground that both of you can agree on. I suggest that we do practice this combination secret technique, but we only spend half a month doing so. At the conclusion of that period of time, we set off in search of the restricted ruins regardless of whether weve mastered the technique or not. In that case, well be able to familiarize ourselves slightly with the secret technique, and Im sure half a month isnt too long to wait for Brother Shi.

Well…

Alright, well do as you say, Fellow Daoist Han.

Liu Shuer was rather hesitant upon hearing this proposal, but Shi Kun quickly agreed to it after a brief moment of contemplation.

Seeing as both of you support this course of action, I have no choice but to agree as well, Liu Shuier replied with a reluctant nod.

In that case, lets find somewhere suitable for us to practice the secret technique first, Han Li said with a smile.

Neither Shi Kun nor Liu Shuier had any objections to this, so the three of them immediately sped up by about twofold, hurtling through the air like a trio of shooting stars while releasing their spiritual sense into the area around them.

They had thought that theyd be able to find a small island quite quickly, but much to their surprise, they only caught sight of a small island in the distance that was less than 10 kilometers in size after flying for an entire day and an entire night.

At this point, the sun was just beginning to set, and the entire sky above the island was filled with a warm red light. However, the surface of the nearby ocean was completely black, as if it had been stained by a vast spillage of black paint.

Upon seeing this island, Han Lis trio immediately slowed down, then reappeared several kilometers away as they appraised the area with wary expressions on their faces.

My spiritual sense cant detect what lies below the island, and the sea around it is also teeming with demonic Qi. It appears that a certain demon beast has taken over this island, Shi Kun speculated with a grim expression.

Indeed. Theres only one sea beast under the island, but its not a very powerful one, its cultivation base seems to be comparable to my own, Han Li said in a slow voice as blue light flashed through his eyes.

You can sense what lies beneath this island? Liu Shuier was rather surprised to hear this.

She was in a similar situation to Shi Kun in that as soon as her spiritual sense approached the island, it would become quite blurry and indistinct. It appeared that the sea in the nearby area possessed certain properties that hampered ones spiritual sense.

I was lucky to have mastered some special secret techniques in the past, and possess an alternative sensory ability aside from my spiritual sense, Han Li replied in a calm manner.

Thats fantastic! With that ability of yours, well be able to avoid a lot of danger, Brother Han. Shi Kun was quite elated to hear this.

Han Li merely offered a smile in response.

Liu Shuiers eyes also lit up, and she said, Indeed, our trip will be made a lot safer by this ability of yours, Fellow Daoist Han. Seeing as this island has been taken over by a sea beast, lets go and find another place to settle. Its not worth wasting magic power fight for an island like this.

On this occasion, Shi Kun agreed with Liu Shuier suggestion, and he immediately nodded to express his approval.

However, Han Li shook his head after a brief moment of contemplation.

Even if we find some other place, the situation wont be any better.

Oh? What do you mean by that, Brother Han? Shi Kun was rather taken aback to hear this.

Liu Shuier also turned to him with a hint if befuddlement in her eyes.

As opposed to answering the question, Han Li replied with a question of his own. What did you two think about the speed that we traveled at to get here? frewebnol.com

It was alright. We didnt travel at full speed, but for me, that was around 60% to 70% of my full speed, Shi Kun replied.

Thats exactly the point. Weve traveled for an entire day and an entire night at this speed, so we mustve covered millions of kilometers already. On top of that, weve been using our spiritual sense to scour through the surrounding area this entire time, so dont you find it strange that weve only come across this one island after all this time? Han Li sighed.

What are you trying to say, Fellow Daoist Han? Im not the sharpest when it comes to things like this, and I hate it when people speaking a roundabout manner, Shi Kun harrumphed in an impatient manner.

A faint smile appeared on Han Lis face upon hearing this, he certainly wasnt going to believe that Shi Kun was as ignorant as he was making himself seem.

Are you trying to say that somethings a little off about the sea here, and that even if we were to find other islands, they wouldve most likely been taken over by other sea beasts already? Liu Shuier asked.

Thats exactly what I mean. This island has already been taken over by a sea beast, but its not very powerful at all, and well be able to take care of it easily. I think thats a much better course of action than wasting time searching for other islands, Han Li explained in a slow voice.

That makes sense. Alright, well do as you say, Brother Han. In any case, the three of us will definitely be able to take care of this sea beast without any problems, Shi Kun said as a ferocious look flashed through his eyes.

I also think this is a good idea. Liu Shuier nodded in agreement after a brief pause.

Alright, in that case, lets make some preparations. As a safety precaution, Im going to set up a temporary formation so we can kill this sea beast without any being noticed by any other beasts in the area, Han Li said in a calm manner.

Shi Kun and Liu Shuier naturally posed no objections to this.

Thus, Han Li flipped a hand over, and a stack of formation flags appeared over his palm. He tossed the formation flags into the air, then made a hand seal as he began to chant something.

A dozen or so streaks of light of different colors immediately surged toward the ocean before vanishing in a flash.

In the next instant, a dozen or so thick pillars of light suddenly erupted from the sea down below. These pillars of light then dispersed to form a barely-visible white light barrier than encompassed the entire island.

Ill also lend you my assistance, Liu Shuier suddenly said as she raised a hand into the air, sending a yellow disk hurtling forth before instantly flying into the air over 1,000 feet above the white light barrier.

She then pointed a finger up above, and the yellow disk rotated on the spot before also emitting a yellow light barrier that encompassed Han Lis white light barrier within it.

With these restrictions set up, Im sure we wont attract any attention even if we battle all-out in there, Liu Shuier said in a calm voice.

Haha, in that case, Ill be able to fight to my hearts content, Shi Kun chortled with glee as yellow light flashed from his body, and he immediately donned a suit of yellow armor.

Immediately thereafter, Shi Kun flew through the two restriction barriers, hurtling directly toward the island.

From afar, he looked like a yellow shooting star plummeting from the sky.

The streak of yellow light crashed down into a forest at the very center of the island with a resounding boom, and yellow shockwaves that were visible to the naked eye proliferated in all directions. All of the trees, rocks, and mountains that stood in the path of these yellow shockwaves were all instantly pulverized into powder.

In the blink of an eye, the entire island had been razed to the ground.

At the center of the island, Shi Kun stood proudly in a massive crater that was several feet deep, and he was in the process of slowly withdrawing his fist from the ground.

He had essentially destroyed everything on the island with just a single punch.

Liu Shuier shuddered slightly at the sight of Shi Kuns terrifying destructive power, and Han Lis eyes also narrowed slightly.

It appeared that Shi Kuns confidence and his unwillingness to cultivate the combination secret technique certainly wasnt unwarranted.

Id always known that Stone Cocoon beings were renowned for possessing powerful bodies, but it appears that Fellow Daoist Shi mustve also used quite a powerful cultivation art. Otherwise, theres no way that an upper race being could be capable of unleashing such devastating might, Liu Shuier murmured to herself, but also seemingly to Han Li as well.

Han Lis expression remained unchanged, as if he hadnt even heard what had just been said.

Shi Kun seemed to be quite pleased with his own handiwork, and he raised his head as if he were about to say something to Han Li and Liu Shuier.

However, right at this moment, the entire island tremored violently, and the black seawater around it also began to churn as if it were being boiled.

Seven or eight thick black objects then erupted from the seawater around the small island, and each of these objects was 2,000 to 3,000 feet tall, extending into the clouds like giant black pillars.

However, these pillars had fleshy bumps all over them and were squirming incessantly, creating quite a harrowing sight to behold.

Han Li immediately focused his gaze to discover that these were all gargantuan tentacles.