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The scholar let loose a low cry, and all of the demonic butterflies spread their wings, releasing bursts of five-colored powder that quickly expanded into a five-colored toxic cloud around an acre in size. The toxic cloud surged directly toward Han Li at the scholars behest, and at the same time, he began to chant something before opening his mouth to expel a red bamboo tube.

The bamboo tube was opened amid a flash of bright red light, and countless shimmering red runes flew out from within it. These runes all seemed to be very profound, but in the instant that they emerged from the bamboo tube, they all twisted and transformed into Fire Ravens that flew toward Han Li, right behind the toxic cloud.

This Lao Ai was only an early-Body Integration cultivator, but his attacks were quite powerful indeed, so it was no wonder that he still dared to challenge Han Li despite witnessing his earlier display of power.

However, these attacks were naturally nothing in the eyes of Han Li. As opposed to being alarmed by these ferocious oncoming attacks, Han Li chuckled instead. Without summoning any treasures, he made a hand seal, and golden light flashed, following which that golden projection with three heads and six arms appeared behind him again.

The projection made different seals with each of its six hands, and translucent spiritual light swirled around its body, following which it attained a substantial form.

It had three extremely clear and life-like faces that were identical to that of Han Li, and at the same time, there was a layer of golden scales all over each of its six arms. There were also faint runes running along the lengths of its arms, creating quite a mysterious sight to behold.

This was none other than Han Lis Provenance Golden Body.

Even the Long Family patriarch could no longer maintain his composure at the sight of this three-headed golden body. A stunned look appeared on his face, and he exclaimed, Thats a golden body!

Not just him, but the two mid-Body Integration cultivators of the Ye Family and the Lin Family were clearly aware of the existence of golden bodies as well, and they were just as astonished.

In the instant that the golden body took shape behind Han Li, the toxic cloud and countless Fire Ravens had also reached him, and it looked as if he were going to be completely inundated.

However, a cold light flashed through Han Lis eyes, and he suddenly let loose a loud cry. In the next instant, the golden body behind him swayed and somehow ended up in front of him. Bright golden light erupted from its body, and it swelled drastically to several tens of feet in size, then raised all six of its arms at once and thrust them toward the toxic cloud and Fire Ravens.

A string of spluttering sounds rang out in rapid succession, and a golden ball of light emerged within each of the golden bodys six large hands. The balls of light revolved incessantly over their palms before being hurled forth in unison.

The balls of light then converged and combined in mid-air to form a golden vortex. At the same time, the golden body opened all six of its eyes at once and began to utter three completely different chants that stacked on top of one another. гeewenvel.com

Within the vortex, loud thunderclaps rang out alongside Buddhist chants, and the vortex expanded to 30 to 40 feet in size in a flash.

Immediately thereafter, a golden shockwave that was visible to the naked eye erupted from within the vortex. The oncoming toxic cloud and Fire Ravens were completely unable to put up any resistance and were swept up by the shockwave before being drawn into the vortex.

Moments later, the devastating attacks that Lao Ai had unleashed ceased to exist, and he was naturally very alarmed by this development.

He hurriedly raised the giant brush in his hand to try and unleash another wave of attacks, but it was too late.

The Provenance Golden Body raised all six of its arms at Han Lis behest before unleashing punches toward Lao Ai from afar.

Six shimmering golden fist projections erupted forth amid a string of dull thumps, then instantly vanished into thin air.

Crap!

Lao Ai was a seasoned veteran when it came to battles, and he immediately knew that he was in trouble. Instead of unleashing an attack with his giant golden brush, he suddenly withdrew it before drawing a circle with it in mid-air.

Golden light flashed, and a round golden shield appeared in front of him out of thin air.

At the same time, the red bamboo tube he had summoned earlier also transformed into a red light barrier that enveloped his body within it.

In addition to the black light formed by the black ferule, he had instantly set up three layers of defenses, all of which appeared to be quite formidable.

However, in the instant that these defenses took shape, the six shimmering golden fist projections suddenly re-emerged out of thin air.

Initially, they had only been around the size of human hands, yet they were now as large as a human head and struck the defenses amid a string of sharp ringing sounds.

Blinding golden light flashed as the first three fist projections exploded, and the three layers of defenses were vanquished, exposing Lao Ai to the rest of the attacks.

Lao Ai was naturally petrified to see this, and he immediately brought his hand together before separating them again to produce a white bone hammer.

He grabbed onto the long shaft of the hammer with both hands and swept it horizontally before him like lightning.

The white bone hammer instantly swelled to around 10 feet in size, following which the remaining three golden fist projections reached him at alarming speeds.

An earth-shattering boom rang out as golden and white light intertwined. Lao Ai felt a burst of enormous power crash into his hammer, sending sharp pain spearing through his fingers, and he took an involuntary step backward.

Before he even had a chance to steady himself, the second fist projection struck the bone hammer as well amid another resounding boom.

Lao Ais face turned completely pale and devoid of color as the bone hammer was forcibly wrenched out of his hands, flying away into the distance alongside the second fist projection.

The third fist projection then struck the protective spiritual light around his body without giving him any chance to react, and he could only look on in horror and despair at the oncoming unstoppable attack.

Golden light flashed, and a burst of enormous power erupted forth, sending him flying without being able to offer any resistance. His body flew through the air like a cannonball, crashing straight through the light barrier with a dull thump before flying over 100 feet away from the Myriad Spirit Platform.

Only then did he just barely manage to stabilize himself in mid-air, and he hurriedly examined his own body, upon which he heaved a long sigh of relief.

Lao Ai then turned to Han Li with a grateful look on his face before cupping his fist in a salute. Thank you for holding back, Brother Han. Your powers are far superior to mine.

It was quite clear that he knew that he was only able to remain completely unscathed as Han Li had held back in his final attack.

Theres no need to thank me. This is only a sparring match, so my objective isnt to wound you, Han Li replied with a nonchalant smile.

He naturally wasnt going to make enemies for himself for no good reason.

At this point, all of the onlookers from the true spirit families were completely flabbergasted. Most of them had already identified that Han Li was definitely no ordinary early-Body Integration cultivator, yet it still came as a massive shock to everyone that he was able to defeat Lao Ai so easily.

As for the Body Integration cultivators among the true spirit families, they were now appraising Han Li with awe and veneration, while a small portion of them were looking at him with complex contemplative looks on their faces.

Han Li flew casually out of the light barrier and returned to his seat among the Gu Family entourage, upon which Bai Guoer immediately offered a cup of spirit tea to him in a respectful manner. Master, please have some tea!

Han Li took a glance at her to find that her cheeks were slightly red from excitement. It was no wonder that she was displaying such a reaction, she was already aware that Han Li was a Body Integration cultivator, but he had never displayed his powers before her. As such, how could she not be elated and excited upon witnessing Han Lis extraordinary powers?

Han Li smiled as he accepted the cup of spirit tea before taking a sip. Meanwhile, Fairy Xiao Feng and Elder Xiao were also appraising Han Li with surprise and elation. His powers had clearly far exceeded their expectations as well.

The Gu Familys spot in the top five was now truly assured. The rest of the process was quite simple.

All of the true spirit families were aware of how powerful one another were, so there werent that many challenges. After just a few matches, all of the rankings had been decided. After that, it was time to distribute the badges created by that Myriad Spirit Beast, as well as other resources, according to these new rankings.

Han Li naturally played no role in this and left things to Fairy Xiao Feng and Elder Xiao.

He merely sat in his seat with an amused smile as the family leaders gathered on the Myriad Spirit Platform completely cast aside all pretenses of affability and civility, arguing with one another with spittle flying in all directions.

Even the slightest compromise would lead to the loss of an astonishing amount of benefits, so there were naturally no families who were willing to back down.

Thankfully, the rankings that had just been established aided in speeding up this resource distribution process. Otherwise, they would most likely argue indefinitely without a consensus ever being reached.

However, the Body Integration cultivators among the true spirit families naturally werent going to stoop to this level, and they all remained in their seats as well, patiently awaiting the result of the negotiations.

Some of them were appraising Han Li with curiosity in their eyes, and on this occasion, none of them dared to display any animosity, so Han Li merely rested with his eyes closed and pretended not to notice.

All of a sudden, the voice of the Long Family patriarch rang out within his ears. Fellow Daoist Han, your abilities arent limited to the clone and golden body you displayed just now, right?

Han Lis expression changed slightly as he opened his eyes and turned toward the Long Family patriarch. He then also transmitted his voice calmly in response. Oh? Im sure your abilities arent just limited to your half-dragon transformation, isnt that right, Brother Long?

The Long Family patriarch was silent for a moment before asking a question that caught Han Li completely off guard. Of course. However, your powers are far superior to what I anticipated. Are you related in any way to the holy island, Brother Han?

The Long Family patriarch withdrew his hand, and a surprised look appeared on his face at the sight of the green arm that had appeared out of thin air.

Spatial fluctuations erupted once again, and a humanoid figure with green skin emerged.

The humanoid figure was around 20 feet tall with purple light flashing all over its body. It bore a strong resemblance to Han Li, and it had green light flashing within its eyes.

Han Li waved a hand toward the green figure, and it arrived by his side in a flash.

Is that a clone of yours? I must say, you have truly lived up to my expectations, Fellow Daoist Han. Now then, this will be my third attack! the Long Family patriarch chuckled coldly before raising an arm and making a grabbing motion toward Han Li.

His actions appeared to be identical to what he had just done earlier, but on this occasion, the effect was far different.

Even before his arm had been fully outstretched, a string of rumbling booms had begun to erupt in the surrounding area, alongside which countless five-colored specks of light appeared over the Myriad Spirit Platform.

In the next instant, these specks of light formed by the worlds origin Qi surged toward the Long Family patriarch and vanished into his arm in a frenzy.

The golden dragon scales all over his arms instantly became bright and translucent and shimmered with a layer of five-colored spiritual light. On top of that, the light was gradually becoming brighter and brighter, until many of the bystanders were forced to look away.

At the same time, an extremely powerful burst of foreign spiritual pressure also erupted from that very same arm. It was as if the arm had become a completely independent entity, and its aura was even more powerful than that of the Long Family patriarch himself.

In the face of this devastatingly powerful attack, Han Lis expression finally changed slightly. As the Long Family patriarch was approaching the point where it was going to be fully outstretched, he suddenly cupped his fist in a salute, and chuckled, Your powers are truly extraordinary, Fellow Daoist Long. Theres no need for you to unleash your third attack, I concede.

Before anyone had a chance to process what he had just said, azure light flashed from Han Lis body, and he flew out of the light barrier, tearing through it as if it were nothing more than a papier-mch structure.

After that, he returned to his chair at the front of the Gu Family entourage, and the green figure followed closely behind him like a shadow in the process.

All of the nearby Gu Family cultivators reflexively took a few steps backward as they appraised the green figure with curious eyes, yet Han Li merely cast an indifferent glance toward it before making a hand seal, upon which it rapidly shrank down amid a flash of purple light.

In the end, it transformed into a ball of purple light that vanished up his sleeve.

Meanwhile, Fairy Xiao Feng and Elder Xiao were appraising Han Li with complex expressions. It was no wonder that this was their reaction, as a cultivator who had only recently reached the Body Integration Stage, he had displayed powers that were not inferior to those of mid-Body Integration cultivators, but right when they had thought that he would create a miracle, he jumped off the platform and forfeited the match.

No matter how they looked at it, something didnt seem right. However, in the wake of Han Lis astonishing display of power, they naturally didnt dare to ask any questions, and could only exchange a glance with wry smiles on their faces.

They were rather exasperated by Han Lis erratic actions, but at the same time, all of their concerns had disappeared.

In their eyes, Han Li was not inferior in power to their grand elder, Fairy Tian Li. In fact, his combat prowess seemed to be even superior. As such, it definitely wouldnt be an issue for the Gu Family to secure a rank among the top five.

The Long Family patriarch finally returned to his senses, and he cast his gaze toward Han Li as he chuckled, Hehe, interesting!

After that, five-colored light swirled around his arm, and the surrounding worlds origin Qi vanished into thin air. At the same time, the golden dragon scales all over his body also receded as he reverted out of his half-dragon form.

The man wearing the copper mask in the Feng Family suddenly declared, Were giving up on our plan!

What do you mean, Brother? Even if that man is more powerful than an ordinary early-Body Integration cultivator, at the very most, hes only comparable to that Tian Li hag, surely we can take him down together, the man in the lavish robes countered with furrowed brows.

Hmph, you think hes only comparable with Tian Li at most? Have you gone senile? Setting aside everything else, just that clone of his is extremely powerful. It was powerful enough to knock back Old Man Longs attack with just a single punch, thats already something thats beyond our capabilities. On top of that, he displayed no fear or concern throughout that entire battle, so he definitely has more tricks up his sleeve. Even the two of us combined will most likely find it very difficult to defeat him. I dont want our Feng Family to make such an unfathomably powerful being our enemy, particularly at a time like this, the masked man replied in a cold voice.

But what about our agreement with the Lao Family? We already accepted benefits from them. The man in the lavish robes was still quite hesitant.

All we agreed to was to weaken Fairy Tian Li as much as we could for them. Seeing as shes not here, its very normal that we would change our plans. If they try to pin the blame on us, well just have to return what they gave us, what are they going to do? During our losers bracket match against the Gu Family, just fight using normal methods, the masked man said in an implacable manner.

In that case, well do as you say. Its rather regrettable that we wont be able to kick the Gu Family out of the top five families, but I guess well just have to wait until next time, the man in the lavish robes sighed in a reluctant manner.

In contrast, the masked man could clearly see the bigger picture, and he chuckled, The devilish tribulation is about to strike soon, who knows how many of these true spirit families will even be left on the other side? Theres no need to think so far ahead.

The man in the lavish robes could only offer a wry smile in response.

Meanwhile, several of the Lao Family elders were standing around the only early-Body Integration cultivator in their family, and they were currently discussing something in hushed tones.

The restriction around their entourage made it impossible to hear what they were saying, but their strained expressions clearly indicated that they were far from happy about this situation.

The Lao Familys Body Integration cultivator was a white-robed middle-aged scholar, and his brows were also tightly furrowed. It was quite clear that Han Lis display of power had come as quite a nasty surprise to them.

The next match will be the losers bracket match to decide the fourth and fifth ranks, and itll take place between the Feng Family and the Gu Family, the Long Family patriarch announced.

Both of the Feng Familys Body Integration cultivators turned toward the Gu Family entourage in unison upon hearing this, while Fairy Xiao Feng and Elder Xiao both turned toward Han Li.

I forfeit this match! Much to everyones surprise, Han Li forfeited the match without any hesitation, and this naturally created quite a stir.

Senior Han… Fairy Xiao Feng began as an urgent look appeared on her face.

Han Li merely turned to her in an indifferent manner, and said, The Feng Family also has two Body Integration cultivators, and theyre adept in combination techniques, so theres not much chance for me to defeat them. As such, it would naturally be a better idea to conserve my powers. Besides, according to our agreement, I only have to ensure that the Gu Family can maintain its current rank, so Im not breaking our agreement, am I?

Fairy Xiao Fengs expression changed a few times, but in the end, she conceded, Of course, its just that the fourth-ranked family will receive far more benefits than the fifth-ranked one. Forgive me for being greedy, Senior.

Thus, the Long Family patriarch announced the result of this forfeited match, following which the other three families drew lots.

On this occasion, the Long Family received a bye, so the next match was naturally between the woman in the five-colored dress from the Ye Family and the man from the Lin Family.

The two of them seemed to have a long-running feud, so as soon as their match began, both of them unleashed their most powerful attacks, and the battle quickly reached an astonishing climax.

Both of them were at the mid-Body Integration Stage, but it was quite clear that the woman from the Ye Family was slightly superior in power. Even after the Lin Family representative unleashed several new abilities in succession, he was still forced out of the light barrier by his opponent in the end, and he could only return to his seat in a furious manner.

Thus, the next match was naturally to be held between the Ye Family and the Long Family, but the woman in the five-colored dress knew that she was no match for the Long Family patriarch, so she conceded in a very straightforward manner. As for the Feng Family, they also made the wise decision not to challenge any of the top three families.

As a result, the ranking of the top five families remained the same as before, with the Gu Family bringing up the rear once again.

It was now time for the lower-ranked families to issue challenges, but the Gu Family wasnt overly concerned about this segment, considering Han Li had just displayed his powers to them.

Despite this, the sixth-ranked family, which was the Lao Family, still decided to issue a challenge. The white-robed scholar rose to his feet with a solemn look on his face, and said, I would like to challenge the Gu Family. Please enlighten me, Fellow Daoist Han.

White light then flashed from the scholars body, and in the next instant he appeared on the platform to wait for Han Li.

Han Li smiled upon seeing this, and azure light also flashed from his body as he appeared before the scholar.

Lao Ai wore a serious expression as he gave Han Li a curt nod, then flipped both of his hands over to summon a black ferule1 in one hand, while golden light flashed from his other hand, and a giant shimmering golden brush appeared. The brush was several feet in length, and its tip was shimmering with extremely vibrant five-colored spiritual light.

The ferule twirled through the air, conjuring up several tens of black spirit flowers that created a barrier around him. At the same time, he waved the giant golden brush in his other hand through the air, and a series of massive exuberant five-colored butterflies appeared.

1 A ferule is a wooden ruler-like object normally used for physical punishment.

The black-robed man was enveloped by a ball of golden light as he appeared on the spot, and at first glance, he didnt seem to have sustained any injuries, but upon closer inspection, one would discover that some faint traces of blood had appeared on one of his sleeves. These traces of blood were quite small, and they were barely noticeable on his black robes, but all of the cultivators present were at least at the Nascent Soul Stage, so they naturally wouldnt fail to notice such a detail.

A burst of chatter immediately rang out, and surprised expressions appeared on many peoples faces.

The two Body Integration cultivators from the Feng Family exchanged a glance, only to discover their own dismay mirrored in one anothers eyes. In contrast, Fairy Xiao Feng and Elder Xiao were ecstatic.

Han Li didnt unleash any further attacks as he hovered in the air above. He merely stood atop his small azure mountain and looked down at his opponent in a calm and collected manner.

However, the faint azure light that was flashing from the small mountain could transform into countless streaks of sword Qi again at any moment.

This isnt Divine Essencefused Light, its High Zenith Azure Light! Its colorless and formless, yet peerlessly sharp, it really is just as fearsome as the legends proclaim! The black-robed man raised an arm as he spoke, extending a bloody azure hand from his sleeve to reveal several small laceration wounds, undoubtedly inflicted by Han Lis sword Qi.

Your abilities are just as remarkable, Fellow Daoist Hui. To think that youre able to withstand High Zenith Azure Light with nothing more than your physical body, that hand of yours is definitely no less resolute than the average defensive spirit treasure, Han Li said with a smile.

Hehe, looks like Ill really have to pull out some trump cards to match you, Fellow Daoist Han, the black-robed man chuckled coldly, and the laceration wounds on his hand instantly healed amid a flash of spiritual light.

At the same time, he took a deep breath, and a layer of black light flashed over his body, following which countless black patterns appeared over his skin.

These black patterns roamed over his entire body as if they were living beings, and from a distance, it looked as if he had transformed into a devilish creature. On top of that, his aura had also become very peculiar.

An intrigued look appeared on Han Lis face upon seeing this, and he made a grabbing motion, upon which a short shimmering silver ruler appeared in his grasp.

However, right at this moment, the Long Family patriarch suddenly intervened.

Elder Hui, I didnt assist you in cultivating this ability just so you could use it in a sparring match. You wont be able to defeat Fellow Daoist Han easily, so let me face him in person.

As soon as his voice trailed off, a loud thunderclap suddenly rang out from beneath his feet, and his body shot forth as a bolt of silver lightning, passing through the light barrier and appearing beside the black-robed man in a flash.

The sinister look on the black-robed mans face stiffened slightly, and his heart jolted at the sight of the Long Family patriarchs emotionless eyes. He nodded reluctantly, and said, Rest assured, Brother Long, the situation is under control. However, seeing as youre interested in facing Fellow Daoist Han in my stead, Ill leave him to you.

After that, he made a hand seal, and the black patterns all over his body gradually faded away. He then cast one final meaningful glance at Han Li before flying out of the light barrier as a streak of black light.

Han Li turned toward the Long Family patriarch, and there was no hint of fear on his face whatsoever as he chuckled, Are you going to take Brother Huis place, brother Long? This truly is an honor.

Im already at the late-Body Integration Stage, yet youve only recently progressed to the Body Integration Stage, so it wouldnt be right for me to engage you in battle. Instead, heres what I propose: if you can take three attacks from me, then Ill forfeit the match! the Long Family patriarch said in a cold voice as he clasped his hands behind his back.

Han Li initially faltered slightly upon hearing this before a smile appeared on his face. Three attacks? Alright, I have no objections to that.

A stir immediately ran through all of the surrounding cultivators upon hearing this.

Han Li had just displayed powers that werent inferior to those of mid-Body Integration cultivators, and that had already drawn astonishment from many of the onlookers. Now that the Long Family patriarch was proposing this three-attack clause, everyone was getting very excited.

To the cultivators of the true spirit families below the Body Integration Stage, this was going to be an extremely eye-opening experience that would surely benefit them immensely.

After all, the true spirit families who were pitted against the Long Family during the past editions of the true spirit ceremony had all forfeited their matches, so it had been a very long time since everyone had seen the Long Family patriarch in action.

First attack.

The Long Family patriarch clearly had no intention of wasting time with words, and after letting loose a low cry, he suddenly reached out with one of his hands.

The entire sky immediately dimmed while the nearby worlds origin Qi surged violently, and a huge golden claw that was several tens of feet in size appeared above Han Lis head. Five-colored runes surged over the surface of the massive claw, and it grabbed directly toward Han Li.

Before the claw had even reached Han Li, the air around him tightened, and he felt as if he had been trapped in a cage of iron and steel.

All of a sudden, spatial fluctuations erupted above him, and a small black mountain appeared without any warning.

Grey light swept forth from the mountain, and Han Li was immediately freed. He then thrust his pristine white palm upward, and five-colored flames instantly surged forth from his fingers, forming a massive five-colored hand that rose up to clash with the giant golden claw amid a resounding boom.

The two seemed to be evenly matched for a brief moment before the giant golden claw destroyed the five-colored hand amid a flash of golden light. Despite this, Han Li remained completely unflustered as he pointed a finger up into the air.

The destroyed remnants of the massive five-colored hand transformed into five-colored glacial flames in a flash, and these flames immediately swept up the huge golden claw.

As a result, the golden claw faltered in mid-air before being sealed within a huge chunk of five-colored glacial ice, reduced to a levitating ice statue.

The Long Family patriarchs eyelids twitched upon seeing this, but he then immediately yelled, Second attack!

As soon as his voice trailed off, he laid a hand onto his own head, and a thunderous dragons roar rang out.

Immediately thereafter, spiritual light flashed, and a golden wyrm projection flew up from the top of his head. The projection circled around in mid-air before abruptly plunging back down onto his body.

In the next instant, bright golden light was released from his body, and golden scales appeared all over his face and limbs, while a pair of golden horns that were several inches in length emerged on his head.

He had adopted a half-dragon form, and a thunderclap rang out from beneath his feet, following which he vanished on the spot in a flash.

Almost at the exact same moment, Han Li heard a thunderclap erupt overhead, and the Long Family patriarch appeared, then raised an arm before reaching down with his scaled golden hand.

A dull thump rang out, and an enormous burst of power descended from the heavens.

Han Lis pupils contracted slightly upon seeing this, and in his eyes, the oncoming hand seemed to have encompassed the entire Myriad Spirit Platform, affording him no avenues for escape or evasion.

If he were to be struck by this devastating force, he definitely wouldnt be able to withstand the attack, despite his powerful physical body.

With that in mind, Han Li immediately directed the black mountain above his head toward the oncoming golden hand, sending it hurtling through the air with devastating might. At the same time, golden light flashed, and a golden figure emerged behind him before transforming into a golden projection with three heads and six arms.

Right at this moment, a resounding boom rang out, and the black mountain was repelled by the golden hand, while the latter continued to descend toward Han Li, seemingly having not been slowed down in the slightest.

Han Lis expression darkened upon seeing this, and the Provenance True Devil Projection behind him raised all six of its arms before unleashing a torrential barrage of punches up into the air.

Meanwhile, Han Li waved his silver ruler, and a silver ruler projection that was several tens of feet in length also erupted into the heavens amid a flash of silver light.

In the next instant, an incessant string of explosions rang out as the golden fist projections and silver ruler projection clashed with the descending golden hand.

Immediately thereafter, more ruler projections were unleashed by the silver ruler, numbering in the tens, hundreds, thousands…

In the blink of an eye, countless projections had been conjured up by the silver ruler in Han Lis hand, and all of these projections were surging upward in a frenzy as a silver stream.

The people outside the light barrier were stunned by the fearsome powers Han Li was unleashing, but the Long Family patriarch seemed to be unimpressed as he let loose a cold harrumph, which was immediately followed by an earth-shattering boom.

In the next instant, the countless golden fist projections and silver ruler projections were all destroyed by a burst of extremely terrifying power.

The golden hand flashed before appearing in the air no more than 10 feet above Han Li, then grabbed downward without any hesitation.

Right at this moment, spatial fluctuations suddenly erupted nearby, and an green fist reached out before striking the golden hand like lightning.

The seemingly completely unstoppable golden hand was diverted away upon being struck by the green fist, and taking advantage of this opportunity, Han Li vanished on the spot, then appeared just over 100 feet away from the Long Family patriarch. As soon as he reappeared, he raised his head to appraise his opponent with a calm and collected look on his face.

Within mere moments, 36 pairs of different treasures had flown out of the black-robed mans sleeves, and they were all revolving around him, creating quite an intimidating sight to behold.

The fact that he could control so many treasures at once indicated that his spiritual sense was definitely far more powerful than that of the average Body Integration cultivator.

Han Lis mind was racing, but at the same time, he was also slightly awestruck.

All of a sudden, the black-robed man cackled as the 72 treasures around him swept toward Han Li with unstoppable force.

Han Li raised an eyebrow upon seeing this before sweeping a sleeve through the air, summoning several tens of small azure swords which surged toward the oncoming treasures as 72 streaks of azure light.

A string of crisp clangs rang out in rapid succession as the azure flying swords clashed with the opposing treasures.

The 72 treasures were blasting forth all types of energy attacks, such as clouds of black Qi and arcs of lightning, but the azure flying swords managed to remain completely unscathed as if they possessed no substantial form. On top of that, they were binding tightly around the opposing treasures like spirit snakes, and the two sides were evenly matched.

The black-robed man was slightly surprised to see this, and his treasures began to release more power at his behest, but they were still caught in a stalemate with the 72 Azure Bamboo Cloudswarm Swords.

The black-robed mans expression darkened, and he suddenly took a deep breath before abruptly stepping forward and making a forward grabbing motion.

A resounding boom rang out as the worlds origin Qi within the entire light barrier surged violently, following which countless black threads appeared out of thin air, then shot forth as countless streaks of black light.

The entire sky dimmed in the wake of the black light, and they reached Han Li in a flash.

In response, Han Li remained completely unflustered as he let loose a low cry, then swept a hand forward to release a vast expanse of grey light. The grey light then condensed into a grey wall of light, and the seemingly unstoppable streaks of black light were all instantly caught within the wall.

Han Li then raised an eyebrow as he pressed an inky-black palm against the wall of light, and spiritual light flashed, following a string of dull thumps rang out.

The black threads that had been caught within the wall of light all exploded and vanished as clouds of black smoke.

Divine Essencefused Light! the black-robed man exclaimed upon seeing this.

However, in the next instant, a vast expanse of black mist erupted from behind him, and the mist condensed into an enormous black sword above his head.

The front half of the sword appeared to be substantial, yet the rear half was rather murky and indistinct.

The tip of the sword tremored slightly, and a ball of black light immediately emerged. At the same time, a faint buzzing sound rang out.

Go! The black-robed man then made a hand seal before pointing a finger at the giant sword in a solemn manner.

The black ball of light immediately shot forth from the tip of the sword at his behest. In the beginning, the ball of light was only around the size of a human fist, but after just a few flashes, it had swelled to around 10 feet in diameter and was hurtling toward Han Li like a huge black meteorite, leaving a trail of warped and blurry black light in its wake.

This black ball of light possessed such fearsome power that it was able to tear through space itself!

What was even more astonishing was that the giant sword was releasing a string of these balls of black light, and seven or eight of them had been released in the blink of an eye.

As opposed to being alarmed by this, Han Li instead chuckled, As expected of a mid-Body Integration cultivator, your powers are truly remarkable, Fellow Daoist Hui!

He raised an arm to reach a pristine white palm out of his sleeve, then quickly brought both of his palms together in front of his chest.

Following a loud metallic clang, two small mountains, one black and one azure, emerged above his head. The two mountains revolved in the air while releasing an azure halo of light and a black circle of Qi, intertwining to form a huge black and azure ring that shielded Han Li within it.

At this moment, the first black ball of light crashed directly into the giant ring in a flash, and a resounding boom rang out as the black and azure light exploded. An enormous black hole appeared where the explosion had taken place, as if the space there had collapsed in on itself.

After that, the rest of the balls of light also plunged into the black hole, and it instantly swelled to over 10 times its original size. At this point, the black hole had encompassed virtually the entire stone platform, and Han Li had been inundated by boundless darkness, along with the entire giant halo around him.

The entirety of the Myriad Spirit Platform began to tremor violently while releasing a strained creaking sound in the face of the enormous might emanating from the black hole, and all of the cultivators outside looked on in astonishment and fascination.

The Long Family patriarch had his hands clasped behind his back as he appraised the scenes unfolding on the platform in a completely expressionless manner, but the look in his eyes suggested that he wasnt actually as tranquil as he appeared.

The woman in the five-colored dress from the Ye Family heaved a forlorn sigh to herself, and all of the cultivators from the other true spirit families wore vastly contrasting expressions.

Of course, Fairy Xiao Feng and Elder Xiaos expressions had both become quite strained.

Thankfully, the 72 azure flying swords that were contending with the treasures were still flying through the air in a controlled manner, which indicated that Han Li hadnt been incapacitated by the black-robed mans attacks, and that was the only source of solace for them.

For the black-robed man himself, it clearly hadnt been a simple task to release so many black balls of light from that giant sword. Not only had the light in his eyes dimmed significantly, his aura had also noticeably abated, and even the purple scar on his forehead seemed to have become bigger than before.

He heaved a sigh of relief and opened his mouth to expel a large shimmering blue seal, with which it appeared that he was going to unleash his final attack, when a calm voice suddenly rang out from within the giant black hole.

Is this all you have to offer, Brother Hui? I will admit that your abilities are quite interesting, but this wont be enough to defeat me!

As soon as the voice trailed off, an extremely sharp screeching sound rang out from within the black hole, followed by a resounding boom. A silver ruler projection that was around 70 to 80 feet in length then abruptly sliced the black hole in half, and azure light flashed as a humanoid figure flew out from within.

The black-robed man was truly surprised to see this, and he immediately made a hand seal, upon which the large blue seal swelled drastically to the size of a small mountain before hurtling directly toward the humanoid figure.

Han Li, who had just emerged from the black hole, merely chuckled upon seeing this. One of the mountains above his head blurred momentarily before vanishing amid a flash of azure light, while the other expanded to over 1,000 feet in size amid a flash of grey light.

Countless silver runes then swept forth from the mountain to meet the oncoming blue seal.

The two enormous objects clashed, and in the beginning, there was no sound resulting from the clash whatsoever.

In the next instant, grey shockwaves erupted through the air before sweeping forth in all directions.

The black-robed man wore a dark expression as he waved a sleeve through the air, easily parting the shockwaves. He then narrowed his eyes as he cast his gaze toward Han Li, but right at this moment, his expression abruptly changed drastically as he swayed to the side.

A streak of invisible sword Qi then emerged without any warning before glancing past his shoulder. Even the protective spiritual Qi around him was completely unable to impede it.

If he hadnt reacted as quickly as he did, his shoulder wouldve been completely punctured. гeewenvel.com

The black-robed man was quite alarmed by this, yet just as he was about to turn around to try and identify the invisible sword Qi, more of these streaks of sword Qi emerged around him like a torrential storm.

His alarm was further exacerbated, and he immediately summoned a black shield and an antiquated golden mirror, which transformed into two barriers of light, one golden and one black, to shield him from the attack.

At the same time, the giant black sword above his head also exploded into a cloud of black mist that inundated his entire body.

However, the countless streaks of sword Qi that were undetectable both to the naked eye and spiritual sense surged into the black mist.

A string of dull thumps rang out, immediately followed by the screeching of metal grating against metal.

Meanwhile, azure light flashed in the air above the black mist, and a small azure mountain abruptly appeared.

The mountain was revolving rapidly on the spot, and with each revolution, it released a halo of azure light. As soon as the azure light left the mountain, it transformed into countless streaks of sword Qi that vanished into thin air.

Han Lis body swayed from afar, and after just a few flashes, he appeared directly above the small azure mountain before stomping a foot firmly onto its summit, then cast his gaze downward in an indifferent manner.

The black mist down below was in tatters from being ravaged by the countless streaks of sword Qi, and the black-robed man was about to be revealed.

However, right in that instant, a pillar of golden light suddenly erupted from within the mist, hurtling directly toward the azure mountain up above.

Han Li raised an eyebrow upon seeing this before abruptly stomping a foot downward, and the small azure mountain immediately ceased in its rotation.

At the same time, a layer of azure light swept forth from it, instantly forming a translucent light shield in front of the mountain.

However, as a result, the output of sword Qi also ceased.

In the instant that the golden pillar of light clashed with the light shield, the latter swayed slightly while the former tremored before a small portion of it crumbled away. The majority of the pillar of light was reflected back in the direction it had come from and vanished into the black mist in a flash.

A rumbling explosion rang out from within the mist, followed by a roar of shock and fury from the black-robed man, and the black mist finally dissipated.

This man was none other than the grand elder of the Lin Family, which was the third-ranked true spirit family, and he seemed to not be on good terms with the grand elder of the Ye Family.

The woman in the five-colored dress from the Ye Family chuckled, Hehe, if youd like to spar with me, then Ill naturally accept your challenge, Fellow Daoist Lin.

The man from the Lin Family harrumphed coldly and offered no response.

Fairy Xiao Feng and the two Body Integration cultivators of the Feng Family naturally had no objections to this, either.

The Long Family patriarch nodded upon seeing this before clapping his hands together, and another golden-armored guard strode onto the platform with a platter in his hands.

Sitting on the platter was a yellow bamboo tube, within which were five bright red bamboo sticks. The entire bamboo tube was concealed under a layer of spiritual light that kept even spiritual sense at bay, preventing one from being able to glean what was written on those bamboo sticks.

As per usual, well draw lots to decide the matchups. This will be limited to only sparring matches between Body Integration cultivators, so all of the juniors will be excluded. For the first round, the family that picks the fifth stick will get a bye.

It looks like youre not going to make the first draw, Brother Long, so let me do the honors, the man in the lavish robes from the Feng Family chuckled before reaching out toward the bamboo tube from outside of the Myriad Spirit Platform, and one of the bamboo sticks immediately flew into his grasp.

The man glanced at the bamboo stick before announcing, Number three.

The grand elder of the Ye Family smiled as she also raised a hand toward the bamboo tube from afar, and a silver thread shot forth from her fingertip before reaching the bamboo tube in a flash.

Another bamboo stick was drawn into her hand as a streak of crimson light. freewenovel.cm

She glanced at the stick before announcing, Number five.

For the first round, the Ye Family received a bye.

Senior Han, would you like me to draw in your stead? Fairy Xiao Feng asked in a respectful manner.

Sure, go ahead, Han Li replied in a nonchalant voice.

Fairy Xiao Feng nodded before sweeping a sleeve through the air, and a white thread shot forth from within her sleeve, then wrapped itself around a crimson stick before drawing it into her grasp.

Fairy Xiao Feng glanced at it before informing Han Li, Number four.

Han Li nodded and offered no response.

Meanwhile, the man from the Lin Family had also drawn one of the final two sticks, and he announced, Number one.

All of the Gu Family cultivators expressions changed drastically upon hearing this. The number two stick corresponded with their number four stick, which meant that they were going to be pitted against the Long Family in the first round.

The Long Family patriarch drew the final stick as a formality before turning to Han Li with a meaningful expression. The lots have been drawn, let the matches commence. As for the rules of the matches, thatll be up to the participating families to decide. Now then, Fellow Daoist Lin, Fellow Daoist Feng, you may begin.

Theres no need for that, my brother and I are no match for Brother Lin, so our Feng Family concedes, the man in the lavish robes said without any hesitation.

The man from the Lin Family wasnt surprised to hear this.

In that case, the Feng Family will be placed in the losers bracket and will be competing with the loser of the other match, and the victor of that match will be able to challenge any of the other three families. If you relinquish the right to do so, then youll secure the fourth spot ahead of the loser of the losers bracket match. Next up will be our Long Family against the Gu Family. Will your family be represented by Fellow Daoist Han? Our Long Family will be represented by both myself and Elder Hui, so youll have to defeat the two of us one after the other to secure victory in the match, the Long Family patriarch announced.

Senior Han, lets forfeit this match, Fairy Xiao Feng immediately said.

She was well aware that even if their grand elder were present, there was still definitely no chance that they could defeat the Long Family, so she naturally wanted Han Li to conserve his powers for the next rounds.

However, Han Li stroked his chin with a smile, and said something that came as quite a shock to Fairy Xiao Feng and Elder Xiao. I wouldnt mind sparring with a late-Body Integration cultivator. Ever since I progressed to the Body Integration Stage, I havent yet had a chance to battle such a powerful cultivator.

This wasnt a battle of life and death, so to Han Li, this was a rare opportunity for him to gauge the power of a late-Body Integration cultivator, as well as to see if he could stand up against one at his current level of power. If he were afraid of fighting the Long Family, he wouldnt have provoked the Long Family patriarch by using his spiritual sense to intimidate Long Dong.

Furthermore, if possible, he definitely wouldnt mind putting on a display of power so these true spirit family cultivators could spread the word and enhance his reputation in the human race. After all, this situation was different compared to back when he was situated on foreign territory.

In the territories of foreign races, no matter how powerful he was, he had to keep as low a profile as possible to avoid trouble. However, now that he had returned to the human race, it would benefit him immensely to establish a resounding reputation.

Aside from the Long Family patriarch, the most powerful beings present were only at the mid-Body Integration Stage, and he knew without a doubt that his powers definitely wouldnt be inferior to those people.

But Senior Han, the Long Family…

Han Lis expression fell slightly as he turned toward Fairy Xiao Feng with blue light flashing within his eyes. If I recall correctly, the terms of our agreement dont allow you to stipulate which battles I have to accept or forfeit.

Fairy Xiao Fengs heart jolted at the sight of the blue light in Han Lis eyes, and the rest of her words were immediately cut off.

Before she had a chance to say anything else, azure light flashed from Han Lis body, and he abruptly vanished on the spot.

In the next instant, he reappeared on the Myriad Spirit Platform over 100 feet away from the Long Family patriarch, then cupped his fist in a salute. Ive heard much about your esteemed self, Fellow Daoist Long, please enlighten me.

The Long Family patriarchs eyes narrowed slightly, and he said, So you really are representing the Gu Family, Fellow Daoist Han. How is that disciple of yours? I believe his name is Qi Lingzi?

Han Li faltered slightly upon hearing this, but his expression remained completely unchanged as he replied, I appreciate your concern for my disciple, Fellow Daoist Long. Hes a bit of a trouble-maker, so Ive sent him somewhere obscure to cultivate, and he most likely wont be coming out for the next few decades.

Thats not a bad idea. After all, that disciple of yours is no ordinary cultivator, so it definitely couldnt hurt to take some extra precautions. However, if you want to challenge me right now, then Im afraid youre going to be disappointed, the first cultivator to represent our Long Family wont be me, the Long Family patriarch replied.

At the same time, spatial fluctuations erupted beside him, and a black-robed figure abruptly appeared before turning to Han Li in a cold manner. Ill be taking you on first, Fellow Daoist. If you can defeat me, then Fellow Daoist Long will face you himself.

This black-robed man was naturally none other than the mid-Body Integration Stage elder of the Long Family.

Han Li immediately recalled the hostility that this man had displayed toward him earlier, and he nodded in a calm manner. Alright, then please enlighten me, Brother Hui.

A hint of a sinister smile seemed to have flashed over the Long Family patriarchs face as golden light flashed from his body, and he flew off the Myriad Spirit Platform before immediately instructing, Fortify the restriction! Dont let this battle harm our disciples.

The cultivators in the valley who were responsible for controlling the formation hurriedly sprang into action upon hearing this, and bright light immediately erupted from the formation flags around the Myriad Spirit Platform.

The massive light barrier over the entire stone platform tremored slightly before instantly becoming several times thicker, and restriction runes of different colors appeared on its surface.

All of the people from the true spirit families were quite excited to see this. It certainly wasnt a commonplace opportunity to witness a battle between two Body Integration cultivators, so not only would this greatly broaden their horizons, it would also be a great chance for them to educate themselves.

Within the light barrier, a cold smile suddenly appeared on the black-robed mans face, and he swept a sleeve through the air. A clear ringing sound erupted, and two streaks of black light flew out from within his sleeves before revealing themselves to be a pair of inky-black hooks.

The hooks were no more than three feet in length, and there were indistinct silver flowers revolving around them, creating quite an intriguing sight to behold.

However, instead of attacking Han Li, the two hooks began to revolve around the black-robed man, seemingly more intent on keeping him safe than to directly attack Han Li.

Han Lis brows furrowed slightly as a hint of surprise flashed through his eyes upon seeing this, and in the next instant, spiritual light flashed again from the black-robed mans sleeves, following which two streaks of white light shot forth from within.

On this occasion, he had summoned a pair of pristine white short swords, each of which was around a foot in length and gave off a chilling glacial aura.

He continued to sweep his sleeves through the air, and a pair of silver flying daggers emerged immediately thereafter.

Han Lis eyelids twitched as he watched his opponent summon one pair of treasures after another, seemingly with no end in sight.

The leaders and elders of the true spirit families were all quite accustomed to this sight, and after hearing what the Long Family patriarch had to say, they each waved a hand toward the disciples behind them, immediately following which one person from each family quickly approached the Myriad Spirit Platform with a palm-sized jade vial cradled in their hands.

At the same time, golden light flashed from the Long Family patriarch, and his body swayed, following which he entered directly through the light barrier over the Myriad Spirit Platform. After that, he hovered at a low altitude and made a hand seal to release a pillar of golden light downward.

The golden light then vanished into the ground down below in a flash.

In the next instant, a burst of dull rumbling rang out from the Myriad Spirit Platform, and an antiquated azure stone basin appeared near the white formation.

The basin was long and flat, measuring around 10 feet in length. There were peculiar black symbols carved all over its surface, and it seemed to be an extremely ancient artifact.

All of the people who had emerged from the true spirit families approached the stone basin one after another, then removed the lids on the jade vials in their hands before pouring their contents into the basin.

Streams of liquid of different colors flowed out of the vials, some of which were extremely repugnant and vile, some of which were quite fragrant and pleasant, while others were colorless and odorless like water.

Several tens of different types of liquids were poured into the basin, and they came together to form a ball, but they didnt intermingle with one another in the slightest.

The Long Family patriarch paid no heed to all of this. He merely glanced at the light within the formation, which was steadily increasing in brightness, then looked up at the enormous purple net of lightning up above in an expressionless manner.

Outside the Myriad Spirit Platform, all of the Body Integration cultivators had risen to their feet, and they were also appraising the formation with serious expressions.

All of a sudden, a resounding boom rang out, following which the runes of different colors pouring out of the formation suddenly condensed to form a huge ball of light with a diameter of several tens of feet.

The ball of light then revolved in the air above the formation a few times before exploding amid a dull thump to reveal a strange beast with eight heads.

Its body was very indistinct, as if it were only a projection, and its aura was only at the early-Spatial Tempering Stage. However, as its eight heads swiveled around to sweep its gaze over all of the people surrounding the Myriad Spirit Platform, everyone couldnt help but shudder as if a glacial aura had just passed over their bodies.

In the next instant, the Long Family patriarch cupped his fist in a salute, and said, Welcome, Master Myriad Spirit. Please enjoy the true blood sacrifice our 51 human true spirit families have prepared for you.

The eight-headed beast raised one of its heads to glance at the Long Family patriarch, then flew out of the formation and arrived above the basin.

It opened all eight of its mouths in unison, and the liquid in the basin flowed into its mouths in a frenzy.

Within mere moments, the liquid in the basin had all been devoured, following which a layer of light appeared over the beasts body, and it took on a more substantial form.

Immediately thereafter, the beast glanced at the cultivators outside of the stone platform before rearing its heads back and letting loose a thunderous roar.

An astonishing aura emanated from its body, rising from the early-Spatial Tempering Stage to the mid-Spatial Tempering Stage, then rapidly climbing to the late Spatial Tempering Stage… freewebnvel.com

After a short while, the beasts aura had swelled to the pinnacle of the late-Body Integration Stage. No, it seemed to be slightly superior to that, as if it was only half a step away from reaching the Grand Ascension Stage.

Even Han Li couldnt help but be awestruck as he sensed the violent aura emanating from the Myriad Spirit Platform.

Thankfully, this seemed to the limit of the beasts capabilities, and its enormous aura finally stagnated thereafter.

However, what the eight-headed beast did next was quite alarming to all of the onlooking cultivators.

All of a sudden, the beast raised all eight of its heads in unison, and a bolt of azure lightning as thick as a large bowl erupted from each of its mouths, then crashed into the purple lightning net up above in a flash.

Even the Body Integration cultivators present were slightly alarmed by this, and the Long Family patriarch was able to maintain a calm expression, but the look in his eyes indicated that he was also slightly bewildered.

Several earth-shattering booms rang out in quick succession as the purple and azure lightning intertwined, forming balls of lightning that were as large as wagon wheels before exploding in the air above.

Moments later, the lightning receded, and the massive purple net tremored a few times before falling still again, managing to remain completely unscathed through the process.

The cold look in the eight-headed beasts eyes faded, and it slowly closed its eight enormous mouths.

One of its azure heads then abruptly turned toward the Long Family patriarch, and it said in an extremely ancient voice, Hmph, you humans sure are a careful and meticulous race, Ive already descended upon this place countless times, yet this Lightning Myriad Seal Formation has had no fallacies every single time. You better pray that things continue like this. Otherwise, if you slip and allow me to find a chink in this formation, hehe…

Not only was the beasts azure head speaking in a human tongue, it was also appraising the Long Family patriarch in a threatening manner.

The Long Family patriarch extended a slight bow before replying in a manner that was neither humble nor arrogant, Rest assured, Master Myriad Spirit, if we become so incapable someday that we cant even set up a seal formation properly, then everyone here deserves to have their true blood sucked away for your consumption. However, according to the agreement our true spirit families have made with you, now that our sacrifice has been accepted, its time for you to create the Hidden Spirit Badges for us now.

This beast was a true spirit level being from another realm, but only its clone could descend into this world. Even though it had devoured the sacrifice to significantly enhance its powers, it was still being severely debilitated by the seal formation set up by the true spirit families, so a late-Body Integration cultivator like the Long Family patriarch didnt have much to fear.

Hmph, I did indeed accept your sacrifice, so Ill naturally fulfill my end of the agreement, the beast harrumphed coldly before beginning to chant something with all eight of its heads.

As it did so, runes of eight different colors surged out of its mouths before intertwining with one another in mid-air.

After a short while, all of the runes had spread over the Myriad Spirit Platform, creating quite an astonishing sight to behold.

The Long Family patriarch was situated within all of these runes, but he appeared to be very calm, and there was a layer of golden light around his body, keeping the runes several feet away from him.

All of a sudden, the beast let loose another thunderous roar, and invisible ripples abruptly surged through the air above.

All of the runes in the sky stacked on top of one another, then transformed into countless five-colored badges that fell onto the Myriad Spirit Platform.

Alright, the 999 Hidden Spirit Badges have been created, make sure you dont summon me again until 3,000 years have passed, the eight-headed beast grumbled in a slightly weary manner, then flew back into the formation.

Light flashed from the massive formation, and spiritual light erupted forth to inundate the giant beast in a flash.

A buzzing sound rang out once again, and the eight-headed beasts body exploded into countless runes amid a dull thump.

In the next instant, the formation itself also vanished, and it was as if it was never there to begin with.

The Long Family patriarch was silent for a moment before instructing in a cold voice, Gather the Hidden Spirit Badges, and well distribute them once the rankings have been decided.

Several golden-armored guards immediately heeded his call, striding onto the platform, carrying a silver platter each. They then made grabbing motions toward the badges, and all of them were drawn toward the guards before being piled onto the platters.

After that, the platters were carried to a designated table below the stone platform, where they were placed down in a respectful manner.

Master Myriad Spirit has already left. Next, let us pay our respects to our true spirit ancestors, the Long Family patriarch said in a solemn voice.

All of the true spirit families immediately sprang into action upon hearing this, bringing out all types of spirit tools, as well as spirit fruits and incense, before setting them up on the platform.

Immediately thereafter, all of the true spirit family entourages were led by their leaders and elders onto the Myriad Spirit Platform one after another. They knelt down in front of their respective makeshift true spirit shrines before paying their respects and praying to their ancestors.

There were even some more traditional true spirit families who performed ceremonies that had already been made obsolete elsewhere, and Han Li was quite intrigued to see this.

The families paid their respects for close to half a day, and only then did the truly important segment of the true spirit ceremony commence. All of the true spirit families were competing to decide their rankings, and resources would be reallocated based on those rankings.

The Long Family patriarch flew onto the stone platform again before announcing, As per usual, each family possesses one opportunity to challenge a family above them, as well as an opportunity to accept a challenge from a family below them. However, the challenger cant challenge a family that is more than five ranks above them, and if multiple families challenge the same family, then the highest-ranking challenging family will take priority. Of course, our top five families can only accept challenges after we compete in round-robin matches to decide our rankings again. Fellow Daoist Lin, come onto the platform and draw your opponent for the first round.

Among the five true spirit families, one of them was comprised solely of men, and a lazy voice rang out from among them. Hehe, theres no need for that. If we encounter your Long Family, then well forfeit the match right away. However, I did cultivate a few new abilities recently, so Id like to test my skills against Fairy Ye.

The one who had spoken was a man in a dark green robe with a strange silver band around his head. His features were as fine and delicate as those of a woman.

Long Dong was quite indignant toward the fact that the Long Family patriarch hadnt stood up for him, but he didnt dare to raise any objections.

In contrast, the black-robed man sitting beside the Long Family patriarch was rather surprised by this occurrence, and he turned to the Long Family patriarch before transmitting his voice to him. Brother Long, why did you…

Do you still remember the mysterious demonic ape who fought me on Nine Immortal Mountain, Brother Hui? The Long Family patriarch transmitted his voice back in response.

Of course I do, didnt you speculate that he may have been a demonic cultivator from the holy island? the black-robed man asked as his expression changed ever so slightly.

Hehe, indeed. After the event, I discovered through a thorough investigation that the demonic ape had caused such a scene over a Foundation Establishment Stage junior that had been abducted to our Long Family, and that person is none other than an in-name disciple of this Fellow Daoist Han.

The black-robed man drew a sharp breath upon hearing this. Is that so? Does this mean you think that he has something to do with the holy island?

Perhaps, or perhaps hes merely an acquaintance of that demonic ape, its hard to say. However, its naturally best not to attract any unnecessary trouble to our Long Family prior to the devilish tribulation. That mans cultivation base may be inferior to ours, but the fact that he was able to progress to the Body Integration Stage so quickly indicates that hes most likely no ordinary early-Body Integration cultivator. If you ask me, hes either cultivated some powerful abilities or possesses some extremely powerful treasures, the Long Family patriarch replied in a calm manner.

The black-robed man nodded initially before his brows furrowed slightly as he asked, That is indeed true, but what if we have to face the Gu Family during the ceremony? Do we have to go easy on him?

Theres no need for that, perform as you normally would during this true spirit ceremony. If you encounter that man, theres no need to hold back, itll also give us a good opportunity to examine the true extent of his powers. If he really is as powerful as we think, then perhaps we can take him along with us when we go to that place, the Long Family patriarch replied.

Alright, I understand. Leave everything to me, Brother Long, the black-robed man chuckled before falling silent.

Throughout the entire voice transmission conversation, the Long Family patriarchs eyes had remained closed, and his face had betrayed no emotions whatsoever, it was as if he hadnt engaged in that conversation at all.

Over at the Gu Family entourage, Fairy Xiao Feng and Elder Xiao were both given quite a fright by Han Lis actions.

The Gu Family didnt exactly see eye-to-eye with the Long Family, but Han Li hadnt made any effort to act respectfully toward the Long Family patriarch at all, and that naturally made the two of them quite concerned.

As such, they were quite elated and surprised to see that the Long Family patriarch was dropping the issue so easily, but at the same time, they were also slightly bewildered.

As for Han Li, his expression remained completely calm and collected, and it was impossible to tell what he was thinking.

However, in the eyes of the other true spirit families, he became a lot more mysterious and unfathomable as a result of his actions, and many people were speculating about him.

Yinger, that Fellow Daoist Han sure is a brave man, he dares to directly oppose the Long Family patriarch at just the early-Body Integration Stage. It seems that he must possess some extraordinary powers or has backers that he can rely on. Its no wonder even our gorgeous little Yinger was unable to tempt him. The one who had spoken was a female cultivator from one of the true spirit families.

This group of people was situated directly beside the Long Family entourage, and just like the Gu Family, they consisted primarily of women.

The one who had spoken was standing at the very front of the group, and was a young woman who appeared to be 17 or 18 years of age. She wore a five-colored feather dress, and had a suggestive smile on her face.

Sitting on either side of her was a beauty who appeared to be 27 to 28 years of age, and an elderly woman with a head of grey hair.

The person standing behind the woman in the five-colored dress was a young woman in white, and she immediately blushed upon hearing this before stammering, I-Im not exceptional in any way, so its no surprise that I didnt appeal to Senior Han.

This was none other than Ye Ying, whom Han Li had met on several occasions in the past, and she bore a close resemblance to the woman in the five-colored dress.

Is that so? Then why is it that the more I look at our little Yinger, the more adorable I think you are? That Han brat has a rotten eye for women! Otherwise, if he were to join our Ye Family, not only would he receive incredible benefits, he would also be able to marry my most beloved granddaughter. The woman in the five-colored dress suddenly burst into laughter, and her voice was as pleasant as that of a lark, drawing attention from many of the nearby onlookers.

Even though a restriction had been set up to prevent the other true spirit families from overhearing their conversation, the eyes directed toward them from the other families made Ye Yings blush deepen even further, and she was tucking her chin so firmly that it seemed she wanted nothing better than to bury her head into her own chest.

Please dont tease her, Mother, why do you always pick on her? the beautiful woman sitting off to the side chuckled.

Heehee, Im not picking on her, its just that among these juniors of mine, only Yinger bears a resemblance to my younger self. However, her personality is far too different from mine, so I naturally have to guide her onto the right path. Otherwise, it would be a waste of her beauty for her to act like a cold puppet all the time, the woman in the five-colored dress sighed with a shake of her head.

It was quite clear that the beauty beside the young woman was a very conservative and sensible individual, and she could only fall silent with a wry smile upon hearing this.

As for the rest of the Ye Family entourage, they were all quite amused by this conversation.

Meanwhile, a pair of Body Integration cultivators from another true spirit family were also conversing quietly among themselves.

That Tian Li hag didnt turn up, but that Han brat clearly isnt going to be a walkover, either. Are we still going to follow our original plan? We initially agreed to target that hag with the Lao Family, a handsome middle-aged man in a set of lavish robes asked with furrowed brows.

The man sitting beside him wore a copper half-mask, revealing only one half of his face, which was as delicate as that of an infant, and he replied, Why not? That hag should count herself lucky for not turning up. We dont have any vendetta against that Han brat, but seeing as hes here to represent the Gu Family, we naturally have to teach him a lesson. Both of us may only be at the early-Body Integration Stage as well, but weve been at this stage for tens of thousands of years, so even if we dont use our combination technique, well still be able to crush him. Besides, all we have to do is wear him down and exhaust him of his magic power, we can just leave all the dirty work to the Lao Family. Theyre probably over the moon that that hag didnt turn up.

The man in the lavish robes cocked his head to the side and thought about this for a moment before nodding with a smile. Thats true. Even that Tian Li hag wasnt a match for us during the last edition of the ceremony, so that brat is nothing to worry about.

Meanwhile, a sinister voice suddenly rang out from a certain true spirit family that was situated beyond the inner circle. Fairy Tian Li failed to show up, and the Gu Family only has an early-Body Integration Stage representative, this is a perfect opportunity for our Lao Family! We can take it a little easy when fighting the other families, but during our match with the Gu Family, we have to do everything in our power.

Yes, Patriarch!

There were also people from other true spirit families who also seemed to be plotting something, yet at this point, Han Li had already withdrawn his gaze. He was currently appraising a thumb-sized golden gourd that he had summoned, and there wasnt really anything remarkable about it aside from the fact that it was fluctuating in and out of existence, as if it had no substantial form.

However, for some reason, Han Li seemed to be extremely interested in this item, and was appraising it with an intrigued expression.

Thus, time slowly passed by, and all of the true spirit families waited patiently.

Finally, after over four hours had passed, spiritual light suddenly flashed from the center of the Myriad Spirit Platform, following which a white formation appeared on its surface. Initially, the formation was only several tens of feet in size, but after a short while, it swelled drastically amid a flash of bright light, expanding to around an acre in size.

Runes of different colors surged out of the formation in a frenzy, and bursts of buzzing sounds rang out from within it.

The entire Myriad Spirit Platform also began to tremor slightly in that instant.

A string of sharp ringing sounds then erupted from the surrounding mountain faces, as if to resonate with the buzzing formation. Immediately thereafter, hundreds of massive pillars of light erupted without any warning from the sites where the sharp ringing sounds emanated from. Each pillar of light was as thick as a water tank, and was flashing with piercing five-colored light.

Under the influence of the formation, a gust of fierce winds swept over the valley, and dense dark clouds appeared overhead. After that, devastating thunderclaps rang out as bolts of purple lightning that resembled giant pythons emerged from within the clouds.

Thats heavenly tribulation lightning!

Many of the true spirit family disciples who were attending this ceremony for the first time were already flabbergasted by the phenomena that had taken place earlier, and all of them erupted into a panic at the sight of this purple lightning.

The Long Family patriarch abruptly opened his eyes before rising to his feet, then said in a cold voice, Hmph, be quiet you fools! Whats there to be alarmed about? This is just a precursor to Master Myriad Spirits arrival. Shall we begin the ceremony now, fellow Daoists?

His voice wasnt very loud, but it was clearly audible to everyone, and all of the panicked disciples calmed down as they exchanged bewildered glances.

The man in the lavish robes from the Feng Family also rose to his feet as he replied with a smile, Of course. According to past conventions, this ceremony will have to be hosted by you again, Brother Long.

I have no objections.

I have no objections, either, Brother Long possesses the most superior cultivation base among all of us, after all.

Please go ahead, Brother Long.

All of the other true spirit families expressed their agreement one after another.

The Long Family patriarch looked up into the sky, then nodded in response. In that case, lets offer up the sacrificial items first.

At this moment, the purple lightning above the valley had intertwined to form a gargantuan net, which connected with the surrounding massive pillars of light to create an enormous cage.

I cant say anything for certain, but its not difficult to make educated guesses. Aside from a handful of people, who could possess so much power and have so many resources at their disposal? On top of that, not everyone has an inner page of the Golden Jade Tome, the white-robed young man chuckled coldly.

The golden-robed man was silent for a long while before giving a cold harrumph in response. Theres no need for you to be concerned about my exact identity, Fellow Daoist, all you need to know is that Im the only one who can help you master the Reverse Spirit True Yin Technique. All I ask is that after you master the technique, you assist me in transcending my future heavenly tribulations.

This is a mutually beneficial collaboration, so Ill naturally do my best to ensure your survival after I attain a true spirit body. However, Ive already reached the pinnacle of the late-Spatial Tempering Stage, so Ill need to find a place to begin making a breakthrough to the Body Integration Stage after I absorb the yin Qi within this Profound Yin Crystalline Wall. If this Reverse Spirit True Yin Technique really is extraordinary as its hyped up to be, then I should be able to progress to the Body Integration Stage with no issues at all. After that, Ill venture into the primordial world alone to hunt glacial ancient beasts and devour their demon cores. On top of that, Ill seek out some extreme glacial areas to absorb more yin Qi, and that should allow me to progress to the late-Body Integration Stage within 1,000 years. When that time comes, I can begin preparing to attain a true spirit body, the white-robed young man replied.

Im glad you have everything planned out, Fellow Daoist. The devilish tribulation is imminent, so I have to remain behind in my race. Otherwise, I would accompany you into the primordial world. Then again, once you reach the Body Integration Stage and master the Reverse Spirit True Yin Technique, you should be able to dominate the entire primordial world unless you run into extremely powerful beings from foreign races. The Tian Yuan Continent is extremely vast, so there should be many glacial ancient beasts for you to hunt down.

Ive already attained intelligence, so I naturally wont go picking fights with powerful foreign beings like an idiot, the white-robed young man said in an indifferent manner before falling silent.

The golden-robed man nodded in a pleased manner in response, and he also displayed no intention of saying anything further, but there was a contemplative look in his eyes, suggesting that he was pondering something.

A gust of yellow wind surged toward them from a distance, and not long after that, both of them disappeared into the gust of wind.

…

Two months later, Han Li was seated in a green wooden chair, inspecting an extremely intricate golden wine cup in his hand in an indifferent manner. The person sitting beside him was none other than the Gu Family Leader, Fairy Xiao Feng, and on her other side sat Elder Xiao.

There were many Deity Transformation and Nascent Soul Stage Gu Family disciples standing behind them in several rows, and all of them wore excited looks on their faces.

Up ahead lay a massive circular stone platform with a radius of around 500 meters. The platform was entirely paved with huge azure stones, but it was slightly black in color, indicating that it seemed to have stood for a very long time.

Around the edge of the stone platform was a series of tall formation flags of different colors, each of which was releasing layers of light that enshrouded the entire platform under an enormous light barrier that was over 1,000 feet tall.

Around the Gu Family entourage were groups of other people, consisting of up to a few hundred people for the largest groups, and only around a dozen or so in the smallest groups.

There were around 30 to 40 such groups of people, and among them, the Gu Family entourage was only a medium-sized group. The Gu Family entourage was among the five groups of people who were situated closest to the platform, while all of the other groups could only stand behind those five groups.

Further beyond them, some massive cliff faces could be seen, alongside some large buildings constructed by those stone faces.

This place was an enormous valley that was surrounded by mountains in all directions, and the huge stone platform at the very center of the valley was naturally none other than the Myriad Spirit Platform, where all of the true spirit families gathered every once in 3,000 years for the true spirit ceremony.

As one of the true spirit families that ranked among the top five during the last edition of the ceremony, they naturally had the right to be situated closest to the Myriad Spirit Platform, and as a result, they drew a lot of envy from the lower-ranked true spirit families behind them.

After all, a place in the top five didnt just earn a true spirit family reputation and renown, there were also massive benefits at stake.

However, there were clearly some cultivators from other true spirit families who were appraising the Gu Family entourage in an unfriendly manner.

Even with so many people gathered around the stone platform, the entire area was still completely silent, and everyone seemed to be waiting for something.

Han Li wasnt making any effort to look around as he sat in his chair, but he could clearly sense that there were a few pairs of eyes on him, and the owners of these eyes were all inspecting him with their spiritual sense as well in a display of completely disrespect.

It was no wonder that this was the case. After all, the Gu Familys grand elder, Fairy Tian Li, had failed to appear during this all-important true spirit ceremony, and she had been replaced by Han Li instead, who was clearly a temporary replacement. This naturally drew a lot of attention from the other true spirit families.

In the beginning, Han Li merely ignored the intrusive inspection being directed toward him, but after such a long time had passed, these people still werent exercising any restraint, so it was quite clear that they were provoking him.

Fairy Xiao Feng had also discovered this, and her expression was becoming more and more strained. frewebnol.com

Han Li heaved a faint sigh as a cold look suddenly appeared on his face, and the golden wine cup in his hand abruptly shuddered before crumbling into golden powder without any warning, then disappeared into nothingness.

At the same time, a layer of silver flames surfaced over his body in a flash, and the unfriendly bursts of spiritual sense being directed toward him were instantly retracted upon coming into contact with the silver flames.

Han Li then rose his head and cast a cold gaze toward the individuals who had been sizing him up, and he discovered that they were all Body Integration cultivators.

Two of them were from one of the other top five true spirit families, and this familys entourage was situated closest to the Myriad Spirit Platform. Meanwhile, the other three were from the true spirit families beyond the inner circle consisting of the top five true spirit families.

The three Body Integration cultivators outside the top five true spirit families were only normal early-Body Integration cultivators, so they were most likely only tempted to target him in the wake of Fairy Tian Lis absence.

As for the two people among the top five true spirit families, one of them was the grand elder of the Feng Family, a mid-Body Integration Stage elderly man whom Fairy Xiao Feng had cautioned him about in advance.

He wore a set of green robes and was holding a black cane, and was appraising Han Li with a dark expression.

The Feng Family was ranked fourth during the last edition of the true spirit ceremony, and they had a slight vendetta against the Gu Family. As such, it was no surprise that he was appraising Han Li with such apparent animosity.

Meanwhile, the other person was a cultivator from the Long Family, and he was also appraising Han Li in an unfriendly manner. This wasnt the Long Family patriarch. Instead, it was a black-robed man sitting directly beside him. The black-robed man was also a mid-Body Integration cultivator with a slightly red complexion and a deep purple scar on his forehead, giving him a very ferocious appearance.

This was another guest grand elder with the Hui surname that the Long Family had recruited not long ago. It was said that this man was using a top-grade Devil Dao cultivation art, and he was also at the mid-Body Integration Stage.

As for the Long Family patriarch himself, he had been resting with his eyes closed in his chair this entire time, and it was impossible to tell what he was thinking.

However, as Han Li swept his gaze over the Long Family entourage, he discovered that aside from the black-robed man, there was someone else among them who was also glowering at him in an extremely resentful manner.

Han Lis expression changed slightly as he directed his gaze toward that person, following which a hint of a smile appeared on his face.

This was a young man who was standing behind the Long Family patriarch. He had a bright red mole on the corner of his lips, it was none other than Long Dong, whose plans he had foiled back during their journey to the Wood Tribe.

Long Dong had plotted for several centuries, only to encounter an unexpected obstacle in the form of Han Li, and as a result, not only was he unable to obtain the Ye Familys Heavenly Phoenix True Blood, he lost most of his own True Dragon Blood as well, so he was naturally extremely resentful toward Han Li.

In particular, after hearing that Han Li had progressed to the Body Integration Stage, his resentment was intermingled with extreme envy.

If he had succeeded in his plan all those years ago, perhaps he wouldve been the extraordinary prodigy who progressed to the Body Integration Stage in just a few centuries.

As such, as Han Li cast his gaze toward Long Dong, the latter made no effort to avert his eyes and continued to glower at Han Li with an extremely resentful expression.

In the next instant, the faint smile on Han Lis face vanished, and piercing blue light suddenly flashed within his eyes.

All of a sudden, Long Dong felt a burst of heat abruptly spear into his eyes, following his head was struck by excruciating agony, as if his brain had been stabbed by a sharp spike. He immediately threw his hands over his head and let loose a howl of agony.

The Long Family patriarch abruptly opened his eyes upon hearing this, then reached out like lightning to lay a hand onto Long Dongs arm, following which a ball of golden light appeared before vanishing in a flash.

The agony etched on Long Dongs face disappeared as a result, but after removing his hands from his own head, his face was still twisted in shock and horror.

However, he then immediately came to his senses and extended a deep bow toward the Long Family patriarch. Thank you for saving me, Patriarch! If not for your intervention, I wouldve been killed by that man!

Long Dong glared at Han Li in a resentful manner again as he spoke, but aside from hatred and envy, his eyes were filled with acute horror as well.

It was quite clear that only now did he truly realize just how massive of a disparity there was between their powers.

Instead of paying any heed to Long Dongs words of gratitude, the Long Family patriarch turned to Han Li in an expressionless manner, and asked, What are our intentions, Fellow Daoist Han? Why did you attack one of my juniors?

Long Dongs cry of agony coupled with the Long Family patriarchs question naturally drew a lot of attention from the surrounding cultivators.

The blue light within Han Lis eyes faded, and a cold smile appeared on his face as he replied, I didnt like the way that he was looking at me, so I gave him some punishment. Is there a problem with that, Brother Long?

His cold response to Long Family patriarch naturally drew a lot of shock from the nearby onlookers, and hushed chatter immediately rang out in the surrounding area.

Its indeed true that this grandson of mine is rather conceited, so a slight punishment wont do him any harm. Much to everyones surprise, the Long Family patriarch displayed no intention of pressing the issue any further, and he merely nodded in an expressionless manner before closing his eyes again, paying no further heed to anyone else.

Immediately thereafter, spiritual light flashed from the head, and a miniature humanoid figure that was several inches in size was forcibly drawn out. The humanoid figure was identical in appearance to the brocade-robed man, and it was none other than his Nascent Soul.

The Nascent Soul had a white stone lock hanging in front of its chest, which was releasing a layer of silver light threads to protect its body, but it wore a horrified expression as it yelled, You cant kill me! The Blue Water Sect is a renowned sect in Deep Heaven City, and Im the sect master. If you kill me, youll definitely be hunted by the law-enforcing cultivators of the Tian Yuan Region! You can take these, they are the two most prized treasures of our Blue Water Sect. On top of that, Im willing to lead the way to all of the treasures in our sect as long as youre willing to spare me!

The white-robed young mans expression changed slightly upon hearing this, and it seemed that he really was interested.

The Nascent Soul was shown a glimmer of hope, and it continued in a beseeching manner, I dont know why you suddenly attacked us, but I presume it has something to do with the materials that our sect is delivering. Im willing to offer all of these materials to you as we…

Before the Nascent Soul had a chance to finish, a sinister smile suddenly appeared on the white-robed young mans face, and one of his hands shot forth in a blur to grab onto the Nascent Soul.

Immediately thereafter, white light flashed from his fingers, and the protective threads of light around the Nascent Souls body were instantly crushed into nothingness.

After that, the young man abruptly withdrew his arm and tossed the Nascent Soul into his mouth before swallowing it.

At the same time, another male voice rang out from nearby. Hehe, well done! This idiot was asking for death! Even in this dire situation, he dares to offer you all of those things that dont even belong to him, his death is very much well deserved!

As soon as the voice trailed off, spatial fluctuations rippled through the nearby space, and a golden humanoid figure appeared.

This was a burly man in a long golden robe with his hair arranged in a very strange manner. Most of his face was obscured by a busy curly beard, but his deep yellow eyes were clearly visible, and the mere sight of them was enough to strike the onlooker with a sense of dizziness.

The white-robed young man took a cold glance at the golden-robed man before paying no further heed to him, and reaching out to make a downward grabbing motion.

The bead that had fallen onto the ground and the white flag were both drawn up into the air before hovering in front of the white-robed young man.

The golden-robed man merely gave a nonchalant smile in response to the white-robed young mans cold demeanor, and he raised a leg, seemingly in a casual manner, before covering a distance of several hundred feet in just a single stride, taking him to only several tens of feet away from the white-robed young man.

All of a sudden, a burst of low buzzing rang out from where the young man was standing, and six transparent wing projections appeared on his back before rapidly vibrating at a rate that was untraceable to the naked eye.

Countless faint white saber projections surged forth in a frenzy from the six wings, forming a sea of white blades that inundated the bead and the flag.

The two treasures only managed to release spiritual light and resist for an instant before they were shattered amid dull thumps within the sea of blades.

A hint of elation appeared on the white-robed young mans face upon seeing this, and the countless blade projections were immediately withdrawn at his behest, leaving only two piles of treasure fragments, one blue and one white, hovering in mid-air.

After that, he began to chant something while making a hand seal, then blew a gust of air toward the treasure fragments.

An astonishing scene ensued.

A burst of golden flames erupted from his mouth and swept up the two piles of treasure fragments, and moments later, they had fused as one with the flames.

Only then did the white-robed young man take a deep breath to draw the golden flames back into his body.

Immediately thereafter, golden light abruptly flashed around him, and a golden halo that was around the size of a wagon wheel appeared behind his head. However, the halo only appeared for an instant before it crumbled away into countless golden runes.

A hint of elation flashed through the golden-robed mans face upon seeing this, and he murmured, The Blue Water Sects cultivation arts are quite ordinary, but its Extreme Blue Bead and White Water Flag are extraordinary treasures refined from 49 types of extreme glacial materials. On top of that, among the things that theyre delivering, theres a massive Profound Yin Crystalline Wall that can only be formed once every 1,000,000 years. This is a mandatory material for you to manifest a true spirit body, so we cant waste it no matter what.

Right as he was speaking, the golden light around the white-robed young mans body completely faded, and his aura seemed to have become slightly more powerful than before. It wasnt an extremely noticeable improvement, but it was still very alarming that he had made a noticeable improvement at all in such a short span of time.

Where is that Profound Yin Crystalline Wall? Aside from these two treasures, I havent sensed any other glacial treasures from these people, is your information incorrect? The white-robed young man finally spoke, and his voice was as cold as ice.

Theres no way my information could be wrong, I spent a lot of spirit stones to purchase it from the Myriad Avenues Sect! They wouldnt dare to try and swindle me, if they did, Id destroy their entire sect! The item in question mustve been sealed, and youre still unable to sense it at your current level of power. Let me give you a hand with that, the golden-robed man chuckled.

He then turned toward the surrounding cultivators, who had been reduced to ice statues, before abruptly thrusting a palm forward.

A resounding boom rang out, and the ice statues exploded into balls of spiritual light alongside the storage treasures that they were carrying.

All types of items flew through the air, and a cold light flashed through the golden-robed mans eyes as his hand shot forth like lightning before withdrawing just as quickly.

One of the items in the air hurtled directly toward him, falling into his grasp in a flash.

Upon closer inspection, he discovered that this was a yellow jade box, but it had many crimson talismans plastered onto its surface, giving it an air of mystery and intrigue.

The golden-robed man glanced at the item before tossing it directly to the white-robed young man with a smile.

The young man appraised the oncoming yellow jade box with a cold expression, but displayed no intention of catching it with his hands. Instead, one of the wing projections on his back fluttered slightly, and a burst of white light shot forth from it before striking the jade box in a flash.

A loud crack rang out, and the jade box was sliced apart like tofu along with the talismans on its surface, following which a fist-sized object fell out of it.

Before the young man had a chance to identify what this object was, it flashed with blue light before instantly transforming into a blue crystalline wall that was 3 feet thick and around 10 feet tall. The crystalline wall then plummeted straight downward, and a rare hint of a smile appeared on the white-robed young mans face at the sight of the wall.

In the next instant, he opened his mouth to expel a flood of white glacial Qi, which completely froze the blue crystalline wall in mid-air.

Immediately thereafter, he let loose a low cry, and his body blurred as he suddenly split up into 12 identical projections.

Each and every projection had the exact same appearance as the original white-robed young man, with the same golden and silver patterns on their faces, and the same transparent wings on their backs.

The 12 humanoid figures then made hand seals in unison, transforming into 12 snowy white centipedes, each of which was several feet in length, and then vanished into the crystalline wall in a flash.

12 white balls of light then instantly emerged from different parts of the blue crystalline wall, and they rotated incessantly while fluctuating slightly in size.

Blue light swirled within the crystalline wall, and wisps of blue threads emerged before surging collectively into the 12 balls of white light.

A slightly solemn look appeared on the golden-robed mans face upon seeing this, but after a long while, the 12 white balls of light continued to absorb the blue threads without any mishaps, and his expression finally eased slightly. At the same time, a complex look flashed through his eyes.

I dont know if I was vastly fortunate to have encountered you, or if youre the fortunate one to have met me right after I mastered the Reverse Spirit True Yin Technique. Not only do I possess White Dragon True Blood, my bloodline mutated, thereby allowing me to cultivate this incredibly powerful ability from the inner page of the Golden Jade Tome that somehow ended up in the human race. Even more coincidentally, youre a traitorous spirit insect that belonged to that man that my clone in that lower realm once mentioned to me. How interesting! I wonder how you will react when you next meet that Han brat after you manifest a true spirit body.

A cold harrumph suddenly rang out, following which the white-robed young mans voice sounded in the golden-robed mans ears. My reaction in that scenario doesnt seem to have anything to do with you, Fellow Daoist. Judging from what you just said, it seems that the clone of yours in the lower realm was quite close to my former master. I wonder how he would think if he knew that your true body was plotting against him here in the Spirit Realm.

Hehe, that Endless Sky clone of mine was created as nothing more than a precautionary measure, it has no bearing on me. If you can master this Reverse Spirit True Yin Technique prior to my next heavenly tribulation, and this technique really does turn out to be as extraordinary as I envision it to be, then you should be able to assist me in transcending my next few tribulations without any issues. As for that Endless Sky clone, itll naturally be made completely redundant, so who cares about it? the golden-robed man chuckled in a nonchalant manner.

Then you dont have to be overly concerned about my former master, either. As long as I can manifest a true spirit body, Ill naturally be able to eradicate bonded blood curse within my soul. However, I ask that you dont do anything unnecessary behind my back prior to that, the white-robed young man replied in a cold voice.

The golden-robed mans expression changed slightly upon hearing this before he chuckled coldly, Hehe, you think far too highly of me. That Han brat has already reached the Body Integration Stage, I wont be able to do anything to him even if I wanted to.

The whit-robed young man was silent for a moment before replying, I certainly wouldnt be fooled into thinking that given your identity, Fellow Daoist.

You know who I am? The golden-robed mans eyes abruptly widened upon hearing this, and two balls of yellow light appeared within his pupils, creating quite a startling sight to behold.

The young man was none other than Han Li, who had disappeared for several years following the conclusion of the Myriad Treasure Convention, and the little girl beside him was naturally none other than Bai Guoer.

She had already been taken by Han Li as an in-name disciple, and she was entirely dependent on Han Li to repress the glacial poison within her body to ensure her survival, so she naturally followed him wherever he went.

A stir ran through the Gu Family cultivators as they caught sight of the figures in the air above, and many of them conjured up layers of protective spiritual light as they stared up at Han Li with wariness in their eyes.

Han Li cast his gaze downward, and after catching sight of the young woman, he smiled, and said, Sorry to keep you waiting, Fellow Daoist Xiao Feng, I encountered some minor troubles on the way here, so Im a little late.

A layer of azure light then appeared over his body, and it swept up Bai Guoer before he descended onto the ground near the young woman.

Not at all, Senior, youve arrived right on time, we were just too early. I must express wholehearted gratitude on behalf of our Gu Family that you came to meet us as agreed. This is Elder Xiao of our Gu Family, and the two of us will be leading our Gu Family during this true spirit ceremony. A hint of elation appeared on the young womans face as she hurriedly introduced the yellow-haired elderly man to Han Li.

Pleased to meet you, Elder Xiao. Han Li could sense that this Elder Xiaos cultivation base wasnt inferior to that of Fairy Xiao Feng, and he cupped his fist in a salute toward the elderly man.

The elderly man was still rather skeptical about Han Lis powers, but he naturally didnt dare to show this skepticism, and he adopted a respectful demeanor as he said, The pleasure is all mine, Senior Han. Ive heard much about you during these past few years, and all of us can heave a massive sigh of relief now that youre here to support our Gu Family.

At this point, all of the other Gu Family cultivators had naturally also realized that Han Li was the powerful ally they had been waiting for, and they were quite stunned by his youthful appearance.

Theres no need to be so rigid and formal, fellow Daoists, we are only working together as part of a mutually beneficial exchange. Now that I look at it, the grand elder of your family, Fairy Tian Li, doesnt seem to be present. If I recall correctly, this wasnt what you told me would happen, Fairy Xiao Feng. Could it be that Fairy Tian Li left for the true spirit ceremony ahead of all of you? Han Li asked as he appraised the surrounding Gu Family cultivators with furrowed brows.

An awkward and resigned look appeared on the young womans face. Im afraid Grand Elder Tian Li wont be able to represent our Gu Family during this true spirit ceremony.

What do you mean by that? Han Li asked as his expression darkened slightly. This wasnt what they had initially agreed on.

Our sincerest apologies, Senior, but our grand elder has been forced to pull out of this ceremony due to an incident. You see… the elderly man hurriedly began to explain the situation at the sight of Han Lis displeased expression.

Fairy Tian Li is currently in seclusion to recover from an injury she sustained in the primordial world? I see. It is indeed not a simple task for cultivators of our caliber to recover from injuries. In that case, wont things be a little troublesome for your Gu Family during this ceremony? Han Li nodded as a slightly concerned look appeared in his eyes.

Fairy Xiao Feng seemed to have considered this matter carefully already, and a solemn look appeared on her face as she said, Seeing as our grand elder is unable to participate in the ceremony, our agreement for you to improve our Gu Familys ranking during the ceremony is naturally revoked. On this occasion, all you have to do to fulfill your side of the deal is to ensure that our Gu Familys ranking is maintained.

Han Lis expression eased slightly upon hearing this, but there was still a hint of reluctance in his eyes. Even so, thatll most likely be quite a difficult task. Ive only just reached the Body Integration Stage, after all, so I certainly cant make any promises.

The young woman hesitated momentarily at the sight of Han Lis hesitant expression, then suddenly pulled a storage bracelet out of her sleeve before handing it over to Han Li. As long as you do everything in your power to assist us, our Gu Family is willing to offer you a sum of top-grade spirit stones on top of what we originally promised you as compensation.

Han Lis heart stirred lightly as he accepted the storage bracelet before injecting his spiritual sense into it, upon which a hint of surprise flashed through his eyes.

After a brief moment of contemplation, Han Li stowed the storage bracelet away before replying with a smile, To think that youre willing to offer me such an astronomical sum, looks like it really is very important for your Gu Family to do well during the true spirit ceremony. In that case, Ill be sure to do my best for you.

Your presence is certainly a very reassuring one for our Gu Family, Senior Han. This place is still around a months journey away from the Myriad Spirit Platform where the ceremony is going to be held, so it would be best for us to set off right away. Elder Xiao and I will be explaining the specific details of the ceremony along the journey.

That would be best. Han Li naturally had no objections to this.

Thus, the Gu Family cultivators rose up into the air and flew into the distance in a line with Han Li among their ranks.

…

The Heavenly Horse Plains consisted of a massive section of barren land on the border of the Tian Yuan Region.

It was said that the plains were so vast that even a Deity Transformation cultivator would have to fly non-stop, day and night for around a month to cross through it.

On top of that, this place was rife with sandstorms and completely devoid of greenery and spirit veins, so rarely did cultivators ever visit this place.

Even if there were the occasional cultivators who had no choice but to pass through these plains, they would fly through without any pause.

On this day, there were a dozen or so human cultivators situated deep within the plains. They had arranged themselves into a circular formation with their backs facing one another, and they were hovering at a low altitude.

All of them had summoned their most powerful treasures, which had transformed into bursts of light that enshrouded their bodies, yet they all wore panicked expressions on their faces.

Among these cultivators, the one with the highest cultivation base was a mid-Spatial Tempering Stage burly man in a set of brocade robes. He was holding a blue bead in one hand and a white flag in the other. He was situated at the center of the formation with an even more pronounced look of shock and rage on his face than that of his companions, and his eyes were constantly darting around the formation.

Right at this moment, a gust of yellow wind suddenly blew past one of the male cultivators in the group, and he reflexively blinked. In that instant, a pristine white hand reached out of the yellow wind like lightning, and the protective spiritual light around the mans body was torn apart with ease, following which the white hand passed punctured through his chest without any impediment.

Before the man could even cry out, a white ice flower had bloomed in front of his chest, and he was instantly frozen into an ice statue, following which the white hand instantly vanished.

The nearby cultivators were all extremely alarmed by this, and they hurriedly unleashed the powers of their treasures to attack the assailant, but all they achieved was reducing their frozen companion into pulverized ice, while his killer was nowhere to be seen.

At the same time, the Spatial Tempering Stage brocade-robed man suddenly let loose a loud roar, and a pillar of piercing blue light erupted from the bead in his hand.

The pillar of light shot forth through the air like lightning, striking the gust of yellow wind in a flash. White light immediately flashed, and an indistinct figure was forced to reveal itself, trapped within the ball of blue light.

Without requiring any instructions from the brocade-robed man, all of the cultivators in the group immediately focused their attacks on that indistinct figure, and their attacks surged forth as a wave of five-colored light.

The figure was instantly torn apart by the five-colored light amid a dull thump, seemingly having been completely unable to offer up any resistance.

Cries of elation immediately rang out, and all of the cultivators were ecstatic to see this.

However, a bewildered look had appeared on the brocade-robed mans face, and he suddenly made a grabbing motion to draw a fragment of the destroyed figure into his hand, only to find that it was a piece of pristine white hard shell. The shell was extremely cold, and rapidly melted into water in his hand.

Dont let your guard down! That things still alive! the brocade-robed man roared as his expression changed drastically, and he immediately brandished his white flag to protect himself.

However, it was already too late. A sharp piercing cry suddenly rang out within the brocade-robed mans ears, following which an icy cold sensation surged over his neck, and his head was decapitated by a pair of snowy white scimitar-like pincers.

Immediately thereafter, a massive snowy white centipede projection appeared behind his headless body without any warning.

This centipede was around 50 to 60 feet in length with six pairs of semi-transparent paper-thin wings on its back. Its eyes were as red as blood and gave off a cold and menacing light. In the instant that it reappeared, it opened its massive mouth to expel a burst of white glacial Qi.

Several of the cultivators who were closest to it were completely unable to react, and they were swept up by the glacial Qi in an instant. Their bodies and their treasures were then reduced to extremely life-like ice statues amid a flash of white light.

The remaining cultivators were absolutely petrified by this harrowing sight, and someone suddenly yelled in a panicked manner, Run!

Everyone immediately dispersed and fled in all directions, but the snowy white centipede was completely unbothered. It merely flapped its six wings in unison, and its wings suddenly disappeared as six projections.

Moments later, the remaining few cultivators, who had fled to over 1,000 feet away, let loose anguished cries in unison, and their bodies were sliced in half without any resistance by streaks of white light.

Immediately thereafter, their Nascent Souls were also destroyed by the white light.

The six streaks of white light then returned to the snowy white centipede projection before instantly reverting back into its wings.

All of a sudden, piercing white light erupted from the centipede projections body, and it quickly began to shrink.

After all of the white light had faded, an expressionless white-robed young man with strange golden and silver patterns on his face appeared in place of the projection.

He inspected his surroundings in a cold manner before abruptly thrusting a hand into the air, sending forth a burst of white Qi that swept up the brocade-robed mans severed head.