As for the two four-winged centipedes, they were hovering over the two smaller teleportation formations while appraising Han Li with threatening looks.
This Ice Phoenix knew that the two teleportation formations were the only ways out of the hall.
In contrast, the reason that Han Li wasn't initiating an attack was very simple; he was rather wary of the Ice Phoenix's spatial manipulation abilities.
He had many tricks up his sleeve himself, but he was struggling to think of a way to force back this demon beast before escaping safely from this place.
However, right at this moment, a burst of wild cackling suddenly erupted from the center of the hall behind him.
"Haha! I've finally come out! I'm going to have some fun this time. You promised me you wouldn't make me go back until I've had my fun."
The cackling voice sounded like a female one, but it was extremely coarse and unpleasant to listen to.
Han Li faltered slightly before sweeping his spiritual sense behind him, upon which a surprised look appeared on his face.
The palace master who was originally battling the two Ice Phoenix avatars suddenly abandoned that battlefield to rush toward Han Li. The two elderly men were left behind to take care of the Ice Phoenix avatars.
Behind the woman was a cloud of dark green Yin Qi that followed her like a shadow. There was an indistinct female figure swirling within the green Qi, and the cackling had also erupted from there.
Han Li could sense that the woman in this cloud of ghostly Qi possessed extremely powerful Yin energy, and was another late-Nascent Soul cultivator.
However, the Yin energy emanating from her body suggested that she was an extremely powerful ghost cultivator!
"Don't worry, Fellow Daoist Han, I won't allow them to gang up on you! I'm here to lend you my assistance!" the palace master said.
Han Li was a little speechless upon hearing this.
This woman was clearly just afraid that he would be slain by these two demon beasts before they turned on the North Night Palace. However, she was making it sound as if she were joining this battle solely to help him.
From the very beginning, these tenth grade demon cultivators had been targeting the North Night Palace.
However, Han Li was rather surprised by the fact that the woman was able to immediately identify him, and he certainly wasn't going to object to her help.
Having two late-Nascent Soul cultivators joining him in battle would be a brilliant turn of events. Even though this palace master was far weaker than these two demons, the ghost cultivator within the cloud of green Qi was far more powerful and struck Han Li with an immense sense of pressure. She was most likely at the pinnacle of the late-Nascent Soul Stage!
Upon catching sight of the woman in the green Qi, the small child who was battling the huge skeleton suddenly cried, "Infernal Ghost Mother! Don't go poking your nose into my business!"
An extremely unpleasant burst of cackling escaped from the woman's mouth as she retorted fearlessly, "Hehe, if your true body were here, then I naturally wouldn't dare to intervene, but you're just a mere avatar; what are you going to do? Eat me?"
"Infernal Ghost Mother? You're that ghost cultivator who destroyed several cultivator sects on your own!" The silver-robed woman's expression also changed slightly upon hearing this name. She was clearly also aware of who this woman was.
"It's an honor that the master of the glacial sea has heard of my name! Even back when my body had first disintegrated, I had heard that you possessed the power to progress to the Deity Transformation Stage. The fact that you're still only at the tenth grade must be because you're afraid of creating an imbalance in the human world's origin Qi, thereby inflicting backlash on yourself! But restricting your own cultivation base like this must be a very bad feeling. Besides, even though you Ice Phoenixes have extremely long lifespans, you shouldn't be able to live much longer if you don't progress." The woman in the ghostly Qi seemed to be very familiar with this tenth grade Ice Phoenix, and had just revealed her the biggest secret in her heart.
The silver-robed woman's expression immediately darkened.
In contrast, Han Li drew a sharp breath in shock. He finally understood why this Ice Phoenix was so difficult to deal with.
The palace master suddenly harrumphed coldly, and said, "I didn't release you so you could catch up with some old friends!"
"Don't worry, I can easily ensure your survival as long as there aren't any Deity Transformation cultivators around. But don't forget what you promised me! Also, you forcibly summoned me even though you didn't have any spirit stones; after this, Yin Qi is going to enter your body and you're inevitably going to suffer a severe illness as a result," the Infernal Ghost Mother cackled.
The palace master's expression darkened upon hearing this, but she didn't say anything in response.
In the blink of an eye, the palace master and the Infernal Ghost Mother had reached the platform, where they faced off against the two demon beasts by Han Li's side.
The palace master turned to Han Li with an amicable expression, and suggested, "Brother Han, what do you say we join forces and get rid of this Ice Phoenix first?"
"I've got no objections to that!" Han Li stroked his chin and nodded in response.
The palace master was ecstatic to hear this, yet just as she was about to attack with the Infernal Ghost Mother, the silver-robed woman down below suddenly chuckled coldly before unleashing a streak of white light.
Following a resounding boom, one of the small teleportation formations was sliced cleanly in half.
Both Han Li and the palace master's expressions changed drastically upon seeing this.
"If you're planning to gang up on me, then I'm going to destroy this formation as well!" the silver-robed woman threatened.
The palace master forcibly calmed herself down before asking, "Why would you do that? If you destroy that teleportation formation, then none of you will be able to leave the Spirit Void Hall either!"
"Have you forgotten how I managed to infiltrate the Spirit Void Hall in the first place?" The silver-robed woman chuckled coldly.
Han Li's expression was slightly strained.
The palace master contemplated the situation momentarily before turning to Han Li as she said, "There's no need to pay any heed to her threats, Fellow Daoist Han. Even if this accursed beast really does destroy the teleportation formation, we can join forces to break through the restriction and exit through the main gate of the hall. It will take some time, but it definitely can be done."
Han Li's brows furrowed as an indecisive look appeared o his face.
If he hadn't killed those three North Night Palace cultivators in the Profound Jade Cave, then he could naturally join forces with the palace master to kill these demon beasts first before breaking through the restriction to escape this place. However, that was clearly a course of action that would take a long time and by then, the North Night Palace cultivators would have definitely discovered the situation in the Profound Jade Cave. He couldn't afford to waste any more time!
The palace master was initially slightly perplexed by Han Li's expression before a thought suddenly occurred to her.
Han Li had appeared before her, yet none of the other Nascent Soul cultivators that he had entered the Profound Jade Cave with had re-emerged. That had already struck her with a sense of foreboding. However, in the face of such powerful enemies, she could only pretend to be oblivious to the situation.
A decisive light suddenly flashed through her eyes as her lips tremored, as if she were transmitting her voice.
The Infernal Ghost Mother behind her suddenly flashed within the cloud of green mist and her body abruptly became blurry and insubstantial.
Immediately thereafter, a thin green thread shot forth soundlessly from within the mist before disappearing in the blink of an eye.
Even though the green thread was traveling in an extremely stealthy manner, the Ice Phoenix down below still caught on to the fact that s
omething was amiss as she let loose a sharp cry.
"Don't you dare!"
She then flicked her fingers toward the other smaller teleportation formation, sending five bursts of white sword Qi hurtling toward it. At the same time, the four-winged centipede in the air above that formation also abruptly lowered its head, blasting out a cloud of white glacial Qi that completely enshrouded the teleportation formation within.
Chapter 1124: Battle for the Teleportation Formation
Han Li's expression changed drastically upon seeing this. A loud thunderclap erupted from behind him, upon which he disappeared as an arc of lightning.
On the other side, green light flashed in front of the teleportation formation that was being attacked and a murky green woman appeared; it was none other than the Infernal Ghost Mother.
In the face of the surging sword Qi and glacial Qi, the Infernal Ghost Mother cackled before launching her palms toward the oncoming attacks. She did so in an extremely gentle manner, as if she were merely absentmindedly pressing her hands against the air rather than offering up any retaliation.
The five bursts of sword Qi abruptly shattered and crumbled before disappearing into nothingness around 10 feet away.
As for the glacial Qi descending from above, it seemed to have been impeded by some type of invisible force before being swept backward, forcing the four-winged centipede into a frenzied defense.
Right at this moment, silver light flashed as Han Li appeared within the smaller teleportation formation. He immediately raised a hand without any hesitation to launch a Celestial Technique into the edge of the formation, then made a hand seal as he quickly chanted something in a low voice.
Almost at the exact same moment, a humanoid figure appeared from behind him as the humanoid puppet unleashed countless flaming arrows with its red bow, which came raining down on the silver-robed woman like a torrential storm.
Meanwhile, a crimson light suddenly flashed in the eye sockets of skeleton, which was attacking the small child with all its might, and it suddenly reverted back into five ghostly heads without any warning. Those five ghostly heads then tumbled through the air and disappeared in unison.
In the next instant, five bursts of grey-white Qi appeared above Han Li's head before transforming into five ghostly heads once again.
They had been forcibly summoned back by Han Li.
At this moment, white light began to flash from the entire formation. Han Li stood at the center of the formation, staring intently at the silver-robed woman with a grave look on his face.
Everything had happened in the blink of an eye.
Han Li's actions had clearly taken both the palace master and the silver-robed woman by surprise.
The palace master's expression changed drastically as she hurtled through the air as a streak of silver light. At the same time, she let loose a loud cry, "Destroy the formation; don't let him get away!"
Even though she wasn't making it very specific whom she was referring to, it was quite clear that she was directing her words toward Han Li.
After all, regardless of whether Han Li had actually killed the North Night Palace cultivators in the Profound Jade Cave, the palace master required his assistance in this battle. If he were to leave, even with the help of the Infernal Ghost Mother, she wouldn't be able to take on these two powerful demon beasts at once.
Upon hearing this, the Infernal Ghost Mother cackled as she opened her mouth before swooping down toward the teleportation formation, seemingly preparing to unleash some kind of attack.
However, right at this moment, Han Li suddenly raised an arm and a green wooden ruler appeared in his hand. A silver lotus then began to blossom as seven-colored Buddhist light surged toward her.
"That's a Buddhist!"
The Infernal Ghost Mother's confident expression gave way to one of horror as she let loose a sharp scream. Her body then disappeared on the spot as a flash of green light as if she were a cat that had just had its tail trodden on.
At this moment, white light was glowing from the entire formation.
The palace master was flying toward the formation as quickly as she could, but she clearly wasn't going to be able to get there in time.
A hint of elation appeared on Han Li's face, but his expression soon changed drastically as he caught sight of the silver-robed woman tearing open a spatial rift before disappearing on the spot.
Han Li's heart sank upon seeing this, but he was prepared well in advance and countless golden swords shot forth from his body, making him appear as if he were a golden hedgehog. If that tenth grade Ice Phoenix dared to appear near the formation, she would definitely have to contend with these swords first, thereby rendering her unable to prevent Han Li from getting away.
However, much to his surprise, the silver-robed woman didn't appear close to the formation he was situated in. Instead, she appeared in the air above the larger teleportation formation over 200 feet away.
A cold smile appeared on her face as piercing white light emanated from her body. At the same time, she feigned a grabbing motion toward Han Li from afar.
A burst of spatial fluctuations appeared above Han Li's head, following which a massive transparent curtain of light surfaced before slowly descending toward him.
Han Li's expression darkened as he unleashed his spiritual sense.
All of the golden sword Qi on his body changed direction in unison and flew toward the air up above. Thus, blinding golden light instantly flashed in the air above as the sword Qi intertwined with one another.
However, a peculiar scene then ensued.
As the golden sword Qi struck the transparent film of light, they passed right through as if they had struck nothing more than an illusion.
Han Li's heart jolted with shock upon seeing this and he immediately tried to use his Eight Spirit Ruler to ward off this film of light.
In the distance, the silver-robed woman's face paled as she brought her five fingers together before slowly pulling her hand toward her, as if she were trying to drag an extremely heavy object her way.
The film of light in the air immediately disappeared, but it appeared right in front of Han Li in the next instant, encompassing the entire teleportation formation within.
A sense of foreboding welled up in Han Li's heart, yet before he had a chance to react, he heard a ringing sound as the white light around him began to flash wildly.
In the next instant, Han Li disappeared from the teleportation formation. The Unbroken Cinque Devils and the humanoid puppet also vanished along with him.
The entire teleportation formation was suddenly empty and the white light was naturally also snuffed out.
The palace master's heart sank upon seeing this. She stopped cold in her tracks before turning to the silver-robed woman with an expression of shock and wariness, trying to figure out what was happening.
However, the silver-robed woman was still dragging something toward her. Her cheeks were heavily flushed and white light was flashing wildly over her body, clearly indicating that she was expending a lot of effort.
Upon seeing this, the palace master no longer hesitated. She raised a hand and around a dozen or so streaks of silver light flashed through the air, transforming into a series of extremely sharp silver nails that hurtled straight toward the silver-robed woman.
The Ice Phoenix was greatly enraged upon seeing this. She had forced her body beyond its limits to unleash that secret technique. Even with her inherent spatial aptitude, that was still a secret technique that she should have only been able to unleash after reaching the Deity Transformation Stage. However, Han Li was about to get away and in her moment of urgency, she forcibly unleashed the technique.
Now that the palace master was launching an attack against her, there was no way for her to maintain the technique while defending herself, so she could only release what she was pulling and swing it into the ground below her.
A resounding boom erupted amid a flash of white light. Han Li, the puppet, an
d the Unbroken Cinque Devils appeared in the large teleportation formation, while the white light was snuffed out in a flash.
Han Li's body swayed slightly, seemingly still recovering from the dizziness brought on by spatial teleportation.
However, the silver-robed woman had already unleashed a shimmering blue robe to ward off the silver nails before whipping both of her sleeves downward. All of a sudden, translucent flying swords came surging forth in a frenzy, seemingly with no end to their vast numbers, encompassing Han Li's entire body and leaving him with no avenue for escape or retreat.
Han Li steadied himself before raising his head and opening his mouth, upon which an antiquated little cauldron emerged from within.
The cauldron spun in the air before countless thin azure threads flew forth from its surface, intertwining with one another to form a massive net that shielded Han Li below. At the same time, the ghostly heads that were the Unbroken Cinque Devils began to screech incessantly, blasting grey-white devil Qi out of their mouths. They broke through the white light and rose into the air while the humanoid puppet also disappeared.
At this moment, the small child had been freed from his battle against the five devils and unleashed his Myriad Demon Flag again. The flag swelled drastically in size once again as demonic Qi tumbled in the air around it. A series of pitch-black demon beast projections were being manifested by the flag, and they appeared to be close to taking on a substantial form.
However, Han Li paid this no heed as he spread open his Thunderstorm Wings again, attempting to rush back to the small teleportation formation.
Even though he had missed the best opportunity to teleport away from this place, he still had to gain control over the teleportation formation in order to prevent it from being destroyed by others.
However, just as Han Li thought that he would have to engage in a battle with the two demon beasts as well as the North Night Palace cultivators again, an unexpected turn of events suddenly struck.
The Heavenvoid Cauldron that was blasting out countless strands of azure thread suddenly shuddered violently, despite no instructions from Han Li for it to do so. Immediately thereafter, it began to emanate scintillating azure light, following which Han Li immediately lost his spiritual connection with the cauldron. The azure threads that were meant to ward off the swords descended from above suddenly disappeared into the large teleportation formation that Han Li was standing in.
A Record of a Mortal’s Journey to Immortality c1-2248 Page 609