While these fire dragon pillars weren’t sentient like the cauldron, they had released countless streams earth fire. The astonishing amount of fire Qi it gathered should make these magic tools into something uncommon. He was convinced that they would prove valuable even as ingredients.
Han Li looked past the hall one last time to make sure he didn’t miss anything, and walked out with a smile, making his way to search through the rest of the buildings in the area.
Unfortunately, it was clear that he spent all his luck in the hall. Apart from a few common tool refinement jade slips, he found nothing else of note.
Chapter 1013: Yin Soul Condensation
Han Li wasn’t surprised by the lack of any further spoils. It was already fortunate to have made such great gains in a remote area.
Half a day later, he finished looking through the last of the buildings and returned to the stone wall at the entrance. He gazed at the white light barrier with a trace of hesitation.
Since he finished earlier than expected, he had the opportunity to look through other locations, but that would come with its own risks.
Who knew whether there would be others that also finished early and wished to do the same?
He had nothing to fear from Old Devil Qian or even the Sacred Poison Sect Elders, but it would be greatly troublesome to encounter the forerunners that had entered the mountain. He reckoned that they would attack him on sight.
But if he were to remain here for the seal to stabilize in a few days, he could return near unimpeded. However, he wasn’t entirely open to the idea.
He broke out in laughter over this line of thought.
Wouldn’t the others come to Spirit Metal Hall regardless? He reckoned that after such a long period of time has passed, those who went to the important locations in Kunwu Mountain should’ve encountered the first wave of cultivators, and likely to have already engaged in combat.
In that case, wouldn’t it be better to take advantage of the chaos to search other places? After all, he was able to find something as amazing as Great Yin Trueflame in the trifling Spirit Metal Hall.
With his current abilities, even if several late-Nascent Soul cultivators were to attack him at once, he should be able to escape with ease.
Having considered that, he took out his Triflame Fan without further hesitation and easily dissolved the barrier, then setting off down the stairway.
...
The large-headed eccentric and the Elder Devil, now accompanied by an old early-Nascent Soul cultivator, were currently surrounded by eight crimson ghosts inside a large hall that glowed a faint blue.
These ghosts all had a ferocious appearance and breathed out Yin Qi. They waved their hands and released pitch-black streaks towards the three from every direction. Additionally, a mist of grey Yin Qi was currently encompassing them. But no matter how violent the Yin Qi and how sharp the claw streaks may be, they weren’t able to pierce the barriers of light that protected them.
The three all used their own treasures to attack, but despite their efforts, it was to little effect.
Be it smashing to pieces or cutting them to halves, the ghosts immediately restored themselves after being scattered. They showed no signs of weakening as if they were undying.
At that moment, the old man clapped his hands together and raised them into the air, releasing a string of scarlet fireballs towards the fiends and disintegrating them. But just like before, the ghosts immediately condensed back together and pounced towards the light barrier.
The old man anxiously said, “Seventh Uncle, Elder Han, this can’t continue. They have nourished their Yin Qi for untold years. It is clear they’ve already reached Yin Soul Condensation Stage. Common methods won't be able to harm them. Only great Yang treasures will have some effect.”
The eccentric annoyedly snorted, “Yin Soul Condensation Stage? No, they are merely the doppelgangers of a ghost monarch. If we don’t kill them all at once, they will immediately reform. I have no such ability to do this. We can only attempt to find its true body.”
“They’re all doppelgangers?” The old man asked in surprise.
“That’s right. If they were at Yin Soul Condensation, we would’ve been able to exhaust their strength by now. It appears that the ghost monarch plans on wearing us down before finishing us off,” the Elder Devil calmly spoke. Then, he pointed to the small black sword and had it cleave through a ghost.
The old man stared at the surrounding grey Qi and grimaced, “So it was like that. It is a pity that Fifteenth Brother lost his body to the Black Shadow Snake in the first story here. His great Yang abilities would be very useful in dealing with these ghosts.”
The eccentric sighed, “That was unavoidable. Who would've thought that there was a demon snake who could burrow into shadow? It was too late for even me to help Young Fifteenth when he was ambushed by from his own shadow. The snake’s poison was so fierce that nothing we had could stop the decay of his body.”
“I didn’t mean to complain, it’s just that this Devil Suppressing Pagoda is quite weird. Not only is it constructed upside down, but there are countless waves of difficult demon ghosts. We’ve used up so much time, but we are only at the seventh story. Elder Han, there should be nine floors here,” The old man then hesitantly asked, “What other demons could be lurking down below? Can we even continue?”
The eccentric snorted and annoyedly said, “What dangers are you scared of? The greater the threat that is suppressed here, the greater the odds of encountering a Divine Spirit Treasures. After all, the only thing that could contain the devils that the ancient cultivators feared would be Divine Spirit Treasures. Could it be that you don’t care if the clan’s several hundred years of ambitions end up in failure?”
When the old man heard this, he conceded, “Seventh Uncle’s criticisms are correct. I was being cowardly.”
At that moment, the Elder Devil suddenly said, “I’ve found the ghost monarch.”
“Where is it?” The old man’s spirits were roused.
He was about to reply, but he suddenly let out a yelp of surprise. Soon after, a muffled bang sounded out from a distance. Afterwards, light flashed from the hall’s entrance to reveal four figures.
The Sacred Poison Sect Elders yelped as well when they saw the ghosts dancing within the Yin Qi along with the three trapped by them.
The cultivator with green marks on his face, Hua Tianqi, said, “Ye Yuesheng! You’re alive? So it was the Ye Clan that broke the seal!” His expression wavered when he recognized the identity of the Ye Clan’s Seventh Uncle.
When the three saw the Sacred Poison Sect Elders, their expressions turned unsightly. They were still occupied by the ghosts.
A gloomy expression briefly appeared on the eccentric’s face and he nonchalantly said, “So it was Fellow Daoist Hua. I didn’t expect that the Sacred Poison Sect would be so quick to act. Why did you come to the Devil Suppressing Pagoda rather than the other areas?”
Frigidly watching the eccentric easily slay one of the ghosts, Hua Tianqi chuckled and said, “We want to ask you the same thing. You haven’t been seen for several hundreds of years. During the time you feigned death, you already ascended to late-Nascent Soul stage. If the Righteous and Devilish Dao were to know of this, I fear they won’t stay still.”
Hua Tianqi heard the worried voice transmission from his fellow sect elder, “Senior Martial Brother Hua, could it be these people also know about the treasure?”
According to the words left behind by the Sacred Poison Sect’s founder, there was a grand treasure kept in the Devil Suppressing Pagoda. However, the details were vague. Even so, the four decided to pursue it.
Although they rushed through the first few stories, they already discovered the presence of others, much to their surprise; they hadn’t believed that the first party would’ve placed such importance on this fiend infested place. But they believed that with their numbers, they would be able to overtake them. Nevertheless, they hadn’t expected a
late-Nascent Soul cultivator to be among their ranks.
If it weren’t for the fact they were trapped by the ghosts, Hua Tianqi would’ve fled without a doubt. A group of three with a late-Nascent Soul cultivator wasn’t something that his party of four could deal with.
With a sullen expression, Hua Tianqi sent a voice transmission in return, “I’m not sure. Perhaps he only had as much information as we do.”
“It appears that Fellow Daoist Hua doesn’t plan on leaving.” when the eccentric said this, an ominous glint appeared in his eye. Soon after, he opened his mouth, producing a silver streak that soon disappeared.
In that next moment, an eruption of argent light burst from a corner of the hall, followed by a roar.
An indistinct grey figure appeared there. It had spat out a thumb-sized grey pearl from its mouth to block the silver fork, snarling as it was being pushed back. The newly arrived remained idle with the appearance of the grey ghost monarch.
The Elder Devil then waved his sleeve and a pitch-black mirror appeared in his hand, and he quickly aimed it at the ghost monarch.
A black light shot out from it, and forcible swept up all of the ghost copies around them. Each of them let out a wailing scream as they were torn to shreds like a storm of blades.
With the ghost monarch’s true body being suppressed by the silver pitchfork, the ghosts were incapable of restoring themselves. However, they added to the concentration of the surrounding Yin Qi that trapped them.
Even the incisive power of the Elder Devil’s mirror couldn't touch it.
Hua Tianqi finally grimaced at what he saw.
Chapter 1014: Elemental Sanctuary Wall
Hua Tianqi quickly glanced at the Ye Clan Elders trapped in the Yin Qi before turning his eyes to the exit on the other end of the hall. With a resolute tone, he shouted, “Go!”
He flipped his hand, producing a small green flag. In a blur, a ball of emerald light immediately ruptured and swept the four up in its light before rushing them towards the other side of the hall.
“You dare?!” The large-headed eccentric furiously yelled when he saw this and immediately released countless yellow swordstreaks from his body, shredding the Yin Qi surrounding them in an attempt to break free.
After the eccentric’s party managed to escape, white light suddenly shined from the exit to reveal a dense wall of sparkling crystal.
Without another thought, he raised his hand and shot a ten-meter-long swordlight towards the wall. As a result, rainbow flashed and the swordlight was engulfed.
After examining it with shock, he cried out in fury, “An Elemental Sanctuary Wall!”
The old man astonishedly said, “Indeed. Isn’t this a signature treasure of the Buddhist Sanctuary Sect? How could it fall into their hands? Ah yes, it is said they have a relationship of some sort. After all, they are both great powers in the region.”
“The treasure is quite famous.” The Elder Devil frowned.
The eccentric stared at the wall with a pale complexion, “How troublesome. From how recklessly they acted, it appears there truly is a Divine Spirit Treasure at the bottom.”
The Elder Devil coldly laughed, “Brother Ye doesn’t need to be so anxious! It is good that they went down first. The treasure might not even be on the next floor and the monsters that are imprisoned there are sure to be even more deadly. They’re only asking for trouble to rush ahead. Let’s deal with the wall after we put this ghost monarch in order.”
After some thought, the eccentric relaxed and smiled, “Brother Han’s words are reasonable. I was too worried over the treasure!”
With that said, a cold glint flashed from his eye when he turned his attention to the ghost monarch suppressed by the silver pitchfork.
At the other side of the crystal wall, Hua Tianqi let out a long sigh. One of his fellow sect elders immediately grumbled, “Senior Martial Brother Hua, that was far too dangerous. Although the Elemental Sanctuary Wall will stall for some time, I fear we caused a great offense. How will we deal with them in the future?”
Hua Tianqi glanced at his fearful junior martial brother and sullenly said, “You still think that we can peacefully coexist with the Ye Clan? Ye Yuesheng feigned death in the past to escape execution from the ten great sects. Let alone offending them, now that we’ve encountered them, they will not leave us be. And since this treasure was the obsession of our sect founder, it can’t possibly be anything but a legendary Divine Spirit Treasure. What is there to fear with a bit of danger?”
Another sect elder fearfully asked, “If it truly is something as heaven-defying as that, we will have to brave the risk. However, Ye Yuesheng and the others will be guarding the outside. Even if we manage to acquire it, how will we leave?”
Hua Tianqi chuckled, “Did you think I’d take the risk without a plan? Before we came, I brought the Poison Dragon Pearl. I’ll swallow the pearl and have the power to contend a late-Nascent Soul cultivator for a short time. There should be no problem in getting away.”
“So Senior Martial Brother had made preparations. In that case, we have little to worry.” The other three relaxed.
“It is a pity that Junior Martial Brother Yuan isn’t here. Then we wouldn’t need to use the pearl to contend against them.” Having suddenly recalled his Junior Martial Brother, a trace of sadness appeared on his face.
A nearby elder smiled and said, “That is so, but Senior Martial Brother Hua already left a message behind. He might even be on his way as we speak. In that case, things will be much easier when we leave.”
“I hope that is the case,” then with a stiff expression, Hua Tianqi solemnly said, “Everyone, be careful. Given how difficult the ghosts on the seventh floor were, they will be even more fearsome on the eighth and ninth. However, the Devil Suppressing Pagoda is truly deserving of its name. If the Ye Clan hadn’t cleared the way for us, we would’ve spent a great amount of strength.”
The other three called out in acknowledgment.
Afterwards, the party made their way further down. From what they had seen earlier, they should head down to the next floor after walking for a hundred meters.
But this time, they only walked for thirty meters before their surroundings lit up, finding themselves facing a small stone room. The walls were completely bare, but there was two teleportation formations on the ground: a black one and a white one.
“This is...” Hua Tianqi frowned.
The others looked at each other with dismay.
They walked inside. Hua Tianqi held his hands behind his back and gave a cursory glance.
He turned his head to an old man with thick eyebrows and said, “Junior Martial Brother Miao, you’re skilled in ancient spell formations. Take a look and see if they’re short-range teleportation.”
“Understood,” the old man immediately replied. He then walked in front of one of them and began to inspect it. The others curiously followed after.
A moment of silence later, the old man confirmed, “It is truly a short-range teleportation formation, one that won’t exceed fifty kilometers.”
A cold glint flashed in Hua Tianqi’s eye, “Then it should lead us to the eighth floor, though it is quite unordinary to use teleportation for one floor. Do these formations work both ways?”
The old man rubbed his chin and doubtfully said, “Of course. Normal short-range formations are bidirectional. But it is strange for there to be two. Could it be the eighth floor is divided into two?”
“Perhaps, but we’ll have to take it to be sure. Let’s first take the white one. The other one gives me a sense of dread.” Hua Tianqi then walked to the white formation without hesitation.
When the other three looked at the black one, they felt a sense of dread and quickly made their way to the white formation, if only to get away from it.”
After Hua Tianqi struck it with a spell seal, white light flashed, followed by their disappearance.
A moment later, they felt a sense of vertigo and found themselves in a land r
esembling paradise.
There was a blue sky with white clouds and spiritual plants of all kinds surrounding them. With each breath, they felt a wave of overwhelming spiritual Qi.
But what was most eye-catching, was a small palace regally decorated in gold and jade. It was located at the center of a giant spell formation. There were altars that surrounded it, each enshrined with a giant stone statue carrying a huge golden blade. These statues were crude and carried an indescribably savage aura, and they all faced the palace at the center.
The scene was so bizarre that Hua Tianqi found himself at a loss as of what to say.
...
Han Li was currently standing in the white jade plaza, facing a group of cultivators that were leering at him with unrelenting malice.
‘Perhaps staying at the Spirit Metal Hall would've been the right choice,’ he thought, or if he had delayed himself for a moment, he wouldn’t have had such a warm welcome.
Just as he returned and thought to take another stairway, a group of people emerged from the trees at the side of the plaza. Rather than going up a stairway, they had concealed themselves nearby. Because spiritual sense was restricted in the area, he wasn’t able to detect them and fell into their trap.
A gorgeous white-robed woman was frigidly glaring at Han Li. Through her gritted teeth, she said, “Fellow Daoist Han, I didn’t expect to see you here. You’ve been quite hard to find.”
The person standing at her side was someone he found to be familiar, a white-robed youth. As for her other three companions, they were Ge Tianhao and two black-robed old men.
They surrounded him in a half circle and blocked the way down the mountain, fearing he would escape.
Han Li sighed. He recalled the detection tool he made specifically to avoid her, but now that several years had passed, it had lost its efficacy. It would’ve been an entirely different story if they crossed paths two years ago.
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