At that moment, the group passed through another intersection and into the passage ahead of them. That same moment, a heavy, muffled thud came from their front. The sound continued as if something huge was slowly heading towards them.
Zenith Yin and Qing Yi’s expressions slightly changed and they halted, staring into the passageway ahead of them with grave expressions. In contrast, Man Huzi chuckled and revealed a trace of excitement. At the same time, his body flashed with golden light and a layer of golden scales suddenly covered his entire body. He had activated his Heavenbearing Devil Arts.
This was the first time Han Li had seen the bizarre appearance of the Heavenbearing Devil Arts up close. He couldn’t help but take a curious look at Man Huzi’s transformation.
Man Huzi keenly felt Han Li’s stare and turned his head around, giving Han Li a sinister grin. The expression on his face covered in small scales made for a frightening sight.
Han Li’s heart dropped, not knowing what he had meant by it. But he still forced himself to return the smile.
Fortunately, after Man Huzi smiled, he immediately turned his gaze back.
The approaching thuds were now only about a hundred meters away.
But as the passage across from them was pitch-black, Han Li wasn’t able to see anything within it. There were still restrictions in place inside the Inner Hall that restrained a cultivator’s spiritual sense.
Still, Han Li noticed the cold glint from the old eccentrics’ eyes. It seemed they were able see what was coming.
Without waiting for Zenith Yin and Qing Yi to act, Man Huzi deeply roared, flying into the passage as a streak of golden light. A series of loud impacts followed afterwards, along with deafening clangs of metal.
When Zenith Yin and Qing Yi saw this, they couldn’t help but look at each other in dismay.
Han Li was at a loss when a huge rumble sounded out as if something had been cleanly split into fragments.
Han Li’s mind stirred and something came to mind.
In the next moment, only the sounds of Man Huzi’s wild, carefree laughter could be heard.
Zenith Yin seemed to have thought of something and couldn’t help but laugh. “Let’s go! It is no longer a problem. We’ve already forgotten that we no longer have the same cultivation as we did three hundred years ago. The guards on the first layer are no longer a threat to us.”
Qing Yi chuckled with a relaxed expression, “That’s right. This old man had nearly forgotten this as well. The last time I came here, I had just entered the Nascent Soul stage, and the guards left far too deep an impression. It was good that Brother Man had taken care of it with his Heavenbearing Devil Arts. Else, we would’ve spent too much effort on them.”
Afterwards, the two began to take the lead with Han Li and Wu Chou closely following after them. The Bone Sage, who had originally been expressionless this entire time, wore a trace of disdain as he calmly followed them in the back.
After walking about thirty meters, Han Li saw Man Huzi in front of them with his hands behind his back. He was standing on something that was shining with silver light.
When Man Huzi saw Zenith Yin, he stretched his neck and indifferently said, “Not bad! This served quite well for a warm up. The Heavenvoid Hall this time around is truly interesting. However, it wasn’t nearly as formidable as rumors had made it out to be!”
“It’s because of the incredible force of Brother Man’s Heavenbearing Devil Arts. Other cultivators had to use magic treasures in such a narrow area, so they had experienced a bit of trouble.” Layman Qing Yi said with a smile. When Man Huzi heard his flattery, he chuckled but said no more. The golden scales on his body quickly faded away, and he indifferently took the lead. It seemed the previous fight had left him unsatisfied.
Zenith Yin and Qing Yi glanced at each other with a smile. Since Man Huzi was so willing to lead the way, they were more than happy to quietly follow after him.
When they walked past the silver item, Han Li stopped and lowered his head to look at it.
‘A mechanical puppet!’ Han Li was astounded. It was indeed a puppet, but what grade of puppet was this to have not been instantly destroyed by a mid Nascent Soul stage cultivator?
Most of what was scattered across the ground were pieces of an unknown silver metal. Apart from this, there was a ruined half of a golden wolf’s head, and several pieces of jet-black, thick and reflectioness blades, as well as an assortment of several other oddities.
As the Bone Sage quickly passed him by, he indifferently said without turning his head, “Don’t bother to look at them. While these items are certainly rare, they cannot be used to refine any magic treasures. Those that entered here long before have already tried.”
Han Li was surprised by this, but he continued to look at the ground as if he hadn’t heard. His gaze fell upon a sparkling, dark-green gem on the ground. Its extremely cold aura gave Han Li a remarkable impression.
After muttering to himself for a moment, Han Li immediately placed these items into his storage pouch with a sweep of his hand before rejoining the others.
The puppet with the golden wolf head was stronger than an early Core Formation cultivator. Although Man Huzi dealt with it like child’s play without using any powerful magic treasures, Zenith Yin’s and Layman Qing Yi’s serious attitudes towards indicated that it was unordinary.
With such good items at hand, it was only natural for Han Li to want to leave and research it. But as things stood, there would be no such opportunity for him to slip away into a stone gate and escape with a treasure as well. He understood all too well that despite walking ahead of him, the three Nascent Soul eccentrics were watching his every move through their spiritual sense. Wanting to stealthily slip away through a stone gate was merely wishful thinking.
With Han Li’s temperament, it felt somewhat intolerable to leave such a treasure trove empty handed. For now, he could could these puppet fragments as a consolation prize from the Inner Halls. As for the treasures of the Heavenvoid Cauldron, Han Li knew better than to have such fanciful expectations!
Chapter 476: The Second Floor
After their first encounter with the wolf head puppet, they encountered more puppets in quick succession. But under the unyielding transformation of the Heavenbearing Devil Arts, Man Huzi smashed them into pieces as if they were made of clay. Zenith Yin and Qing Yi didn’t need to help the slightest.
With each encounter, Han Li bluntly gathered and put away the remains of each puppet, much to the confusion of the Bone Sage and Wu Chou.
As for the Nascent Soul cultivators, they turned a blind eye to Han Li’s actions.
However, it was clear that they walked a path different from Wan Tianming’s party. When Han Li saw that the Devil Dao cultivators were still calm and unhurried, Han Li knew that these old devils probably had an approximation of where they were.
But ever since they started encountering the puppet guards, Zenith Yin and the others no longer continued straight ahead and began to take turns.
However, Han Li felt that there was something odd. From their earlier advance, Han Li had a clear feeling that all of the pathways were the same. But these three Nascent soul cultivators would make a sudden turn to the left and another to the right without the slightest hesitation. It was as if they already knew the route they would take in advance.
Were it just Zenith Yin and Qing Yi doing this, Han Li wouldn’t find it strange. After all, they’d been to the Inner Halls before. Perhaps they had already memorized the route from their last time here. But this was clearly Man Huzi’s first time coming here and he was leading them at the very front with Zenith Yin and Qing Yi following after him without any objections. Han Li found this baffling!
Han Li’s mind began racing as he stealthily swept the intersections for any differences or markings.
After passing several intersections, his efforts were in vain as he had found nothing. He could only leave the matter be for now.
After Man Huzi wrecked
the eighth wolf head puppet along the way, they arrived at a small transportation formation.
The transportation formation was at the center of an intersection and emitted a faint, sparkling light.
“This will take us to the second floor. I wonder if Wan Tianming and his party had used any tricks. They actually managed to get ahead of us.” Layman Qing Yi grumbled upon seeing the transportation formation, but a trace of a grin was still on his face.
Man Huzi coldly snorted and said without concern, “Humph! Let’s go. Even if they’re ahead of us, the Heavenvoid Cauldron isn’t something that is so easily acquired.”
Soon after, he led the way, entering the transportation formation in stride.
Layman Qing Yi smiled at the sight. After Man Huzi entered, Zenith Yin and Layman Qing Yi stood still. After taking a glance at each other, they gazed intently at Han Li.
Han Li felt his heart shiver.
He had no choice but to enter the transportation formation under their supervision.
Han Li saw a flash of white light and regained his bearings before raising his head.
He was shocked. He was at another intersection of stone passageways. If it weren’t for Man Huzi standing in front of him, Han Li would’ve thought that the transportation formation had failed.
While Han Li was at a loss, white light flashed from behind him, bringing along the rest of the party.
Just as Zenith Yin appeared, he took a look around. He grimaced and muttered, “What method did those Righteous Dao folk use to travel so fast? I can no longer find them.”
Layman Qing Yi’s eyes coldly glinted as he stood behind Zenith Yin. “Leave it be! I had felt it was strange as to why the Righteous Dao cultivators had made such a sly proposal outside. From what we’ve seen, it seems they were scheming against us all along. But, it’ll still be fine if they try to seize the treasure first. Actually acquiring the Heavenvoid Cauldron with Wan Tianming’s Gold Threaded Silkworm is merely wishful thinking after all. They’re merely testing what little luck they have. As such, it wouldn’t be too late for us to hide and lie in ambush.”
“Brother Qing’s words make sense! However, we cannot delay for too long. We must quicken our pace.” Zenith Yin nodded his head and agreed with a much improved expression.
Qing Yi spoke to Man Huzi with a solemn expression, “Brother Man, be careful! The snake puppet guards on this floor are somewhat troublesome. Fellow Daoist Wu and I can both provide assistance in taking them down. This way, we can save a bit of time and conserve our magic power. Let’s prevent having any weaknesses the Righteous Dao can exploit.”
“Snake puppet guards? That seems interesting! Do as you like.” Man Huzi said with a careless tone.
The party of Devil Dao cultivators then continued on their way.
Not long after, Han Li discovered a difference between the first and second floor.
The crossroads on the second floor were much smaller than the first floor. They were also farther apart with a few fearsome traps and restrictions placed down along the way.
Although these things didn’t pose a threat to a Nascent Soul cultivator, they were undoubtedly deadly to Core Formation cultivators. Han Li felt a cold chill down his spine as he followed after the others.
There was no question that he would’ve lost his life to the restrictions and traps had he entered the second floor of the Inner Halls alone.
By the time they crossed the first intersection on the second floor, Han Li finally saw one of the “snake puppet guards”.
The puppet appeared truly disgusting.
Its snake head was both blue and red, but its body was covered in jet-black scales. Additionally, it had two arms on both its back and its front.
Its front two arms held green short spears, and its back two arms held glossy black whips with razor sharp barbs that glowed with grey Qi.
When the puppet saw their group, it immediately charged towards them as a black streak of light without a sound. It’s actions were extremely quick.
Man Huzi howled with laughter. He charged to meet it after activating his Heavenbearing Devil Arts.
The following scene left Han Li in awe. The snake demon puppet was extraordinarily swift with its green spears and flailing whips. Although its unceasing barrage of attacks didn’t pose much of a threat to Man Huzi, he was forced to protect a few of his vital spots. As he wasn’t using any magic treasures, he had no other actions open to him.
While it was unknown what materials the green spears were made from, they slightly deformed Man Huzi’s gold-clad hands on impact, leaving behind two cuts.
An expression of astonishment was betrayed from Man Huzi’s face.
It was at this time that Zenith Yin and Qing Yi decided to act.
Zenith Yin used the Heavenvoid Corpsefire that had inspired fear in Han Li when they had first met.
A black ball of flame appeared in his hand before turning into a fine black thread as it shot out.
Just as the puppet pierced through Man Huzi’s Heavenbearing Devil Art, it left its guard down. In an instant, one of its front arms was enveloped by black flames and disappeared.
As for Qing Yi, he opened his mouth and an azure thread of light wildly rushed out from his mouth towards the puppet.
The azure thread of light wrapped once around the puppet and then burst into a cluster of explosions, causing the puppet to tumble.
A fierce expression flashed from Man Huzi’s face. Taking advantage of the opportunity, he released a low roar and the scene blazed with blinding light. He then appeared with his arm penetrating the abdomen of the puppet. A green gem was rigidly held in his grasp.
The snake puppet immediately lost the power to move and collapsed to the floor.
Man Huzi looked at the inanimate puppet and glanced at the green gem in his hand. With a malicious expression flickering across his face, he crushed the gem with a clench of his hand.
But after he unfolded his hand, he found the gem to be completely unharmed.
Even Man Huzi’s ordinarily savage expression changed upon seeing this.
With his Heavenbearing Devil Arts infused into his hands, he would’ve been able to warp powered magic treasures, let alone a single gem. He should’ve been able to somewhat damage it at the very least.
As Man Huzi’s face appeared somewhat blank, Qing Yi chuckled and walked over, “Brother Man, there is no need to be surprised! This strange stone has already been researched by others. Although this gem cannot be destroyed, it also cannot be refined or used to strengthen magic treasures. I reckon that unless the cultivators of antiquity were dealing with it, it will remain a mere bauble. Even puppet refinement sects don’t know what to do with the stone.”
“The items of antiquity are quite unusual! Youngster, you seem to be fond of such remains. Here!” Concealing his embarrassment from earlier, Man Huzi grimaced and casually tossed it to Han Li.
Han Li’s mind went blank and he unconsciously received the item.
After he had realized what had happened, he silently put it away into his storage pouch.
After he swept his gaze around, he walked forward and swept up the snake puppet remains without a trace of politeness.
Chapter 477: An Unexpected Discovery
As Han Li went to collect the two green spears, he faintly felt Zenith Yin eyeing the items, but he soon stealthily turned his gaze away.
Although this action had been quite stealthy, it had caused Han Li’s heart to shiver.
These two short spears were definitely good items and Zenith Yin wanted them for himself. But he couldn’t forcefully acquire them now and lose sight of the Heavenvoid Cauldron.
This, however, merely gave Zenith Yin yet another reason to dispose of Han Li afterwards.
With that thought, Han Li lowered his head and bitterly smiled. His expression quickly returned to normal before he raised his head.
After that, the three Nascent Soul cultivators worked together. Although the puppets and restrictions
on this floor were somewhat fierce, nobody suffered any damage when they passed through this floor and moved onto the third.
...
Half a day later at some place on the fifth floor of the Inner Halls, there were three people discussing something in a whisper. They were Wan Tianming’s party of Righteous Dao cultivators.
Not far in front of them laid an enormous stone platform. It was over four hundred meters wide and about a hundred meters tall. It appeared to be entirely made from the same common grey stone. There were several hundred steps in front of it leading to the very top, and it was covered in a white light barrier.
But what was most odd was the blue radiance lying inside the light barrier. This blue radiance grew brighter as it approached the top with blinding glimmers roaming within it. It made for a scene so brilliant, one could not look directly at it and see what was within.
To the side of the stone platform was a thick block of ice. The shimmers within the translucent ice made for a beautiful contrast to the stone next to it.
Standing in front of the stone platform, Wan Tianming said in a deep voice, “What? Your magic power has almost recovered? If that’s the case, let's set off! Although we’re using the Divine Fate Sect’s Creation Rites to evade the puppet guards, we still don’t have much time. Man Huzi’s Heavenbearing Devil Arts should be able to deal with the puppets with ease. Only when he reaches the fourth floor should he have to expend more effort.”
The old Daoist Tian Wuzi spoke in agreement with a trace of excitement in his eyes, “Brother Wan speaks true. Let’s go get the treasure.”
The old dark-skinned farmer silently nodded and said nothing else.
Wan Tianming did not mind his actions. He knew that although this shriveled old man was taciturn, his Jade Core Arts were quite remarkable. His true strength was beyond that of even Tian Wuzi.
Despite having emerged from the Righteous Dao, he had spent most of his time in concealed cultivation and rarely interacted with others, leading to his detached mannerisms.
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