Sevenwonders snorted and gloomily said, “I didn’t expect the Ye Clan to use their Divine Spirit Treasure replica as a diversion, and use the opportunity to come here and seize genuine Divine Spirit Treasures. If it weren’t for the spies we placed in their ranks long ago, we would’ve been entirely in the dark.”
Master Sable sighed, “It is a pity. The Ye Clan had kept a close watch over their plans. Although our informants had known of this some time ago, they didn’t have an opportunity to report it. They were only able to destroy a few of their spell formations before escaping. Had we discovered this information earlier, we would’ve never given them the opportunity in the first place. What’s the worth of a Divine Spirit Treasure if the incarnation of the ancient devil ancestor is released? There will be nothing that can be done if we allow it. Given how long its been since Old Devil Qian had entered, he should’ve already found the site where the devil was sealed.”
“He isn’t a fool. He won’t do something that won’t benefit himself. However, those Endless Sky Cultivators are another story. They aren’t from the Great Jin.”
“Oh? I heard that your sect had a relationship with the Endless Sky Temple. I didn’t expect you’d be wary of them.”
“What relationship? We merely conduct deals in our own interest,” Sevenwonders indifferently replied. “How can a seal placed by the ancients be so easily broken? So long as they hadn’t yet dissolved the Elder Devil’s restrictions, we should be able to stop their rampant actions. And even if the Elder Devil incarnation escapes, it will have been greatly weakened after spending so many years imprisoned. With the five Devil Restriction Bands I’ve brought along, we should be able to subdue it.”
“The Devil Restricting Bands? Those ancient artifact passed down from the Spirit Realm?” Master Sable’s eyes lit up at the mention of it.
Sevenwonders coldly smiled, “That’s right. When the Elder Devils invaded our world, the cultivators from the spirit realm brought along a treasure specifically meant to deal with the high-grade Elder Devils. With the five Devil Suppression Bands, even the incarnation of the Elder Devil Sacred Ancestor will be helpless.”
Master Sable’s expression calmed and he said, “That will be good. I was originally worried that the trip would prove dangerous. I didn’t expect you would be able to find these treasures.”
“Who said that I found them? These bands were given to me from the same person who gave me my orders. The one from the High Zenith Sect didn’t send you a treasure to deal with them?” The scholar shot a doubtful glance at the old man.
“When I left, I was particularly busy and hadn’t the time to prepare anything. However, I did bring the Heavenbound Blade. I should be able to offer some assistance,” Master Sable said with a wry smile.
Sevenwonders nodded, “That treasure will be suitable enough.”
“However, there is something I still don’t understand. Why are we prevented from taking the devil’s life unless it’s absolutely necessary? Why would they want us to seal it again, so it can break out again in the future?”
Sevenwonders pondered for a moment and seriously replied, “Who knows, the ancient cultivators hadn’t killed the devil either. There should be some extraordinary circumstances behind this. Let’s just follow our orders.”
Master Sable pensively nodded and then glanced in the direction of the seal’s opening, “It is as you say! Let’s save ourselves the trouble and not be so meddlesome. Did Brother Sevenwonders come here on the Flying Tortoise Chariot? Let’s hurry inside.”
Sevenwonders chuckled and shook his sleeve, summoning a ball of light. It circled around them before massively expanding in size, turning into a ten-meter-long chariot. It appeared similar to a huge tortoise shell.
Soon after, Master Sable and Sevenwonders gave orders to the cultivators accompanying them, and the two entered the carriage in the blur before shooting into the seal’s opening in a streak of black.
...
The Great Pillar Mountain Range was one of the four grand spirit veins in the Great Jin. It belonged to the Righteous Dao’s number one sect: the High Zenith Sect.
Apart from the Heavenly Devil Sect and the Myriad Demon Valley, no other faction on the continent could compete in terms of power. This resulted in over a hundred various spirit mountains falling under the control of the High Zenith Sect.
Ice Soul Valley was a unremarkably small place among these mountains.
It was entirely lacking in spiritual Qi and bone-chilling Yin winds haunted the location, coating the valley walls in an icy sheet year long.
This place of seemingly little value was actually one of the forbidden areas of the High Zenith Sect that few knew of.
What was particularly mysterious was the illusion formation concealing the valley entrance. Outside from these few restrictions, there were no cultivators standing guard.
In truth, no one had dared to step foot near the place for several hundred years. Even the high ranking elders of the sect didn’t dare to step inside. They merely stood outside and spoke towards the valley with a respectful tone.
Right around when, Daoist Sevenwonders and Master Sable both entered Kunwu Mountain, a grey-robed old man with a sickly appearance appeared outside the valley.
He glanced at the illusion formation at the entrance with ridicule and let out a cough, then flying inside in a streak of green light.
A short moment later, he appeared at the end of the valley and coldly looked at the huge ice wall in front of him with his face sank. He spoke with a soft cold voice, “Old Ghost Bai, I know you’re here. There is no need to hide from visitors in your coffin!”
Soon, his words were repeated with deafening echoes throughout the valley.
The ice walls quaked without end as if they were on the verge of collapse.
The grey-robed old man didn’t seem perturbed by this and narrowed his eyes as he stood in front of the ice wall.
Chapter 1039: Deity Transformation Cultivators
A long sigh was carried by the wind, echoing throughout the deep ice walls.
“Fellow Daoist Hu, I don’t remember inviting you here. Weren’t you cultivating at Devil Cliff Mountain? Just what are you doing at Ice Soul Valley?”
The old grey-robed old man snorted and unhappily said, “You think I want to be here? It’s about Kunwu Mountain.”
A neutral voice echoed back, “Oh, Kunwu Mountain! Didn’t we already leave this matter to our disciples? What’s left to talk about it?”
The grey-robed old man sullenly said, “If only it were so simple… you might not know this, but that Old Ghost Xian had met mishap on the mountain.”
“Old Ghost Xian!? Are you sure? Of all the old coots left, he was the strongest among us.” The voice shouted with disbelief.
The grey-robed old man coldly answered, “I’m not too sure myself, but Old Eccentric Feng personally reported it to me with his flying sword. You should understand that he had always been good friends with that old ghost and that they exchanged primal soul pearls. Recently, Kunwu Mountain made an appearance into the world, and Old Ghost Xiang happened to be nearby, but not long after he entered, his primal soul pearl fell dim. If he isn’t grievously injured, then he must be trapped in a restriction of some kind. In any case, he isn’t in a good spot.”
After a short pause, he continued, “And just as it so happens, a great problem has come to find Old Eccentric Feng and he isn’t able to personally go and assist. As such, he’s requested that we go take a look. He said he’s willing to give us two Blood Qi Pills as compensation.”
“Two? How generous! That pill will lengthen our lifespan for tens of years. But how did Eccentric Feng know that Ghost Xiang entered the mountain?” The voice asked with a cautious tone.
“That old ghost has always been cunning. Whenever he sets out to do something, he leaves behind a contingency plan in case anything happens. Before he entered Kunwu Mountain, he sent a message to Eccentric Feng with a flying sword. It seems his actions ha
d proved fruitful and now we’re here to save him. How about it? Would Fellow Daoist Bai be interested in taking a look? It would take us quite some time to refine those on our own,” the old man spoke enticingly.
The voice then paused in thought. Not long after, he then said, “I’ll leave it alone. You can go, but I won’t follow.”
“What? Does the Blood Qi Pill really not tempt you?” The old man asked with surprise.
The voice coldly replied, “I am indeed tempted, but I fear what I encounter isn’t worth the risk.”
“What do you mean? Even if that devil truly escaped confinement, if we join hands, we have nothing to fear.”
“What is there to fear? No matter how fierce it has been in the past, after being suppressed for so many years, its abilities shouldn’t be much higher than our own. It can’t have been as domineering as it had in ancient times, daring to use Spatial Tempering Stage abilities in the mortal world.”
“Then why not go?” The old man frowned.
“If I hadn’t taken the Fire Essence Jujube, perhaps. But now that I am using the fruit to break through my bottleneck, I can’t miss this opportunity, no matter how minor the changes may be.”
The old man’s expression revealed alarm, “The spiritual item you acquired was... did you take it directly?”
“Of course, that’s the only way to receive sufficient fire spiritual power!”
A glint flashed from the old man’s eye and he sullenly said, “You actually did! Don’t you know that fruits spiritual power is overbearing if you don’t refine it into a pill? It is enough to ignite the magic power in your body. Hadn’t we become all too familiar with the dangers the last time we met?”
“I am well aware. But if I don’t take the risk, I could perish within these walls of ice. Or perhaps I will take Ghost Xiang and Eccentric Feng’s example, and let go of my grand abilities to play the fool. Mingle with low-grade cultivators in fear that using too much magic power would take my life,” the voice said with a mocking tone.
“Brother Bai’s words are a bit harsh. They are only doing that in order to find the reverse spirit streams that the spirit world cultivators used in the past to descend into this world. Without reaching late-Deity Transformation stage, we will need to use these passages to ascend. After all, the cultivators of the higher realms were capable of suppressing their magic power and forcefully descend onto our world. If we find these passages, we can temporarily raise our magic power and use them to enter the spirit realm.”
“Ever since the world changed in the past, countless of our fellow Deity Transformation brethren went searching throughout most of the mortal world for any reverse spirit streams. If any existed, they should’ve been found by now, or they could be located in the far reaches of the ocean, meaning they could hardly be found at all.”
“Perhaps. But in any case, pursuing our only hope of ascending to the spirit realm is better than sitting around dying.” The grey-robed old man wore a helpless expression.
“Rather than looking for reverse spirit streams, wouldn’t it be better to cultivate to late-Deity Transformation stage? But if it weren’t for the ancient devil realm’s wickedness in having our world’s strength turning sparse, we wouldn’t be stuck at this stage to begin with,” the man chimed resentfully.
“There is no use in cursing them, Brother Bai,” the old man gloomily said, “With the last of the ancients that had ascended, it will be some time until the next cultivator manages to reach late-Deity Transformation stage and ascend, and even then, their numbers will be incredibly few in comparison to ancient times. Recently, the situation has turned even worse. In nearly ten thousand years, not a single cultivator managed to ascend. Not one. It is no wonder Eccentric Feng and the others wanted to put their trust into finding a reverse spirit stream.”
“They can do whatever they please. As for me, I’ll be cultivating in seclusion. Let’s end our talk here, you already know what I intend to do. Either refuse Eccentric Feng’s request or head out on your own. Forgive me for not personally sending you off. Ah, In the future, I will be asking my disciples to seal off this valley. I won’t be seeing anybody else until I fully refine the jujube. Make sure to inform the others.” After that, the voice ceased speaking and silence filled the air.
The old man wore a sullen expression and lingered near the ice for a moment more before stamping down his foot. “For two Blood Qi Pills, I only need to risk danger once. The extra hundred years of life should be more than enough to compensate for my loss of origin essence.” With that muttered, his body glowed in green light and he shot out from the ice valley.
...
In front of the palace on the eighth floor of the Devil Suppressing Pagoda, Han Li expressionlessly held his hands in an incantation gesture and combined a dozen of his flying swords as they let out a resounding hum, instantly turning them into a ten-meter-long cleaver that flashed down at the palace in golden light.
With a huge boom, the sword cleaved through a white jade statue and shattered it to dust.
Its remains faintly shook before ultimately lying still.
Han Li faintly nodded, then commanding his sword to return. This was the fourth statue that he had thoroughly destroyed.
The great formation around the palace seemed to make the statues undying, but in truth, they stopped regenerating after better shattered several times.
However, this was only possible with a great number of Nascent Soul cultivators attacking the formation simultaneously. If it were only a couple, it would take far too much magic power to entirely eliminate the formation.
As for the golden sabers the stone statues wielded, they were made from a material unknown to him. Not only were they incredibly incisive, they all also had devilbane properties.
But what particularly caught his attention was the blades of light that the sabers released. The cultivators of devil techniques wouldn’t dare to approach them as they would be able to penetrate through devilish Qi as if it were thin air.
As for those that wished to enter, the statues would ignore those on the outside and simultaneously release a combined attack in the direction of the trespasser, forcing them to flee back as the attack seemed to cover every angle.
And as it turned out, the spell formation was an overlap of several kinds of restrictions. Even after destroying the main body, they wouldn’t be able to rush in.
Of course, no one was about to take this risk and simply bore through attacking the statues nearby. After they were finished being destroyed, they would be able to tear down the rest of the formation with less effort.
After Han Li struck the statue in front of him, he suddenly frowned and looked around. He only saw a few more puppets that still moved.
When he thought that, Silvermoon suddenly yelped from his mind and began to sob in pain.
In his alarm, he couldn't help but ask, “What’s going on? Is there something wrong?” His voice carried a tone of concern.
“It... isn’t important... There is something in the palace that has awakened. It gives me an important, strange feeling as if it is— familiar?... Ah, my head!” After forcing out those few words, all Silvermoon could do was groan.
Chapter 1040: Long Meng and Ling Long
When Han Li heard this, his heart trembled and he hastily looked at the palace’s spell formation center.
The building appeared exactly the same as it had before.
Confused, he thought to ask Silvermoon another question when an enormous pressure surged from the palace hall, followed by a heart-rattling explosion. Yellow light shot out from the top of the hall, a large hand moving to grab the Eight Spirit Ruler.
All of the cultivators present were shocked by this and several of them even yelped in surprise.
At that moment, a sweet playful laugh echoed from the palace. Then, the space around the Eight Spirit Ruler began to fluctuate before a silhouette with disheveled hair appeared.
He opened his mouth as soon after, releasing a ray o
f light that flashed like lightning, striking the hand and easily penetrating it.
A miserable screech sounded out and the large hand quickly disappeared. Soon after, a silhouette wrapped in yellow light flew up and quickly shot away.
The disheveled figure chuckled and flickered in an inhuman blur. It somehow stretched itself over thirty meters away in instant pursuit.
The person in yellow light was greatly alarmed and he released a crimson arrow from his mouth.
This was an attack formed from blood essence and was incredibly fast, but the other person simply blurred from sight and the arrow passed through its body as if it were an illusion,
A miserable scream immediately called from the yellow silhouette and soon, he employed an unknown secret technique, scattering himself into mist before condensing back together a distance away.
At that moment, his complexion was deathly pale and body bloodstained. There were several long claw marks raking his body and one of his arms was a bloody stump.
“Seventh Uncle!”
The Ye Clan Elders shouted out with disbelief at his appearance.
This sorry figure was the large-headed eccentric. The Ye Clan’s Grand Elder was particularly shocked by his sudden appearance.
Although Han Li and the others didn’t know the identity of this person, a sweep of their spiritual sense revealed that he was a late-Nascent Soul cultivator. As a result, their shock was no lesser than the others.
As for the disheveled figure that chased after him, his hair covered his face, but from his appearance, it vaguely matched that of the grand elder of the Sacred Poison Sect, Hua Tianqi. However, the words that left his mouth spoke with the charming voice of a young woman.
If it weren’t for the vast abilities of those gathered and the presence of the Eight Spirit Ruler, Han Li would’ve fled.
When the other cultivators saw that something was amiss, they all looked at the disheveled man with baffled gazes.
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