"Hehe, of course. I'll be right beside you, Fairy Yan," Han Li replied as he transformed into the massive azure bird again, then flew ahead into the black mist first.
Yan Li held the azure feather in her hand and prepared to follow suit.
"Be careful, Senior Martial Sister!" Yuan Yao couldn't help but caution.
"Don't worry, I'll be fine with Brother Han looking after me," Yan Li replied with a smile before slowly descending into the mist.
Yuan Yao looked on as Yan Li departed while Han Li was waiting for her to descend into the mist.
Soon, Yan Li finally entered the black mist, following her elated voice rang out from within.
"It really does work! I still can't draw on most of my spiritual power, but it's more than enough for flight and using normal treasures."
Han Li seemed to have predicted this already, and he chuckled, "Hehe, that's good to hear. Come on down, Fairy Yuan, we'll search through this mist together."
Yuan Yao heaved a long sigh of relief after hearing their voices, and she also injected her magic power into the remaining azure feather before descending as well.
However, right at this moment, a sudden turn of events abruptly unfolded!
The peaceful black mist suddenly began to tumble and surge violently, following which a gust of ferocious winds erupted from down below. All of a sudden, the black mist transformed into a massive vortex that howled with fury.
Han Li was stunned by this sudden development.
The winds erupting from the vortex were quite fierce, and there was an enormous suction force attempting to draw his body into the vortex, but it wasn't enough to completely trap him. The suction force was only potent enough to slow him down slightly, yet he was still able to fly over to Yan Li in a flash, grabbing her in his talons before attempting to fly out of the black mist.
However, loud thunderclaps suddenly erupted within the entire vortex as countless bolts of inky-black lightning appeared.
Han Li's heart sank upon witnessing this familiar scene.
The black arcs of lightning were hurtling through the air extremely quickly, yet Han Li was unable to move as fast as he'd normally be able due to that immense suction force.
Black light flashed, and both he and Yan Li disappeared into the vortex.
Yuan Yao was stunned to see this as she looked on from above, yet before she had a chance to do anything, the black vortex abruptly expanded in all directions.
Yuan Yao was unable to evade the rapidly expanding vortex as she also disappeared amid flashes of black lightning.
Chapter 1516: Jade Platform
In the instant that the black lightning struck Han Li, he felt his surroundings blur before he was teleported away amid a rush of dizziness.
Thankfully, he was extremely familiar with teleportation at this point, and as soon as he reappeared, he forcibly suppressed his vertigo and discomfort as he made a hand seal to revert back to his human form.
Grey light then erupted from his body, instantly creating a protective barrier around himself, as well as Yan Li, who was still yet to return to her senses.
Only then did he carefully inspect his surroundings, upon which he discovered that they were situated on a tall platform constructed from beautiful jade.
There were a dozen or so azure stone pillars around the platform, all of which were extremely intricately carved with countless runes flashing over their surfaces.
This platform was a small spell formation.
As these stone pillars flashed, a film of murky white light was created, enshrouding the entire platform beneath it. Outside the light barrier was a vast expanse of black mist that made it impossible to see what was going on outside.
Thankfully, all of the mist had been kept out by the barrier.
Han Li's brows furrowed upon seeing this.
"Brother Han, what is this place?" Yan Li finally recovered from her rush of dizziness, and her face paled slightly as she took in her surroundings.
"Looks like we've been teleported elsewhere by the ghostly mist." Han Li was quite calm in comparison.
"Does that mean we're no longer in the infernal river?" Yan Li was elated to hear this.
"I'm not so sure about that. Judging from the teleportation experience I've accrued in the past, that didn't seem like long-distance teleportation across realms to me, so we should still be in the infernal river," Han Li replied with a shake of his head.
Yan Li was quite disappointed to hear this, but a thought then suddenly occurred to her, and her expression changed drastically as she exclaimed, "Junior Martial Sister Yuan is outside out of the black mist, and she hasn't been teleported here! Doesn't that mean we've been separated from her?"
"Not to worry, Fellow Daoist Yan; with Fairy Yuan's resourcefulness, she'll be fine even if she's on her own. What we have to focus on is determining where we are first. As long as we're all still in the infernal river, it shouldn't be a difficult task to find Fellow Daoist Yuan again," Han Li said in a calm voice.
Yan Li's anxious expression eased slightly upon hearing this, and she said, "Apologies for letting my emotions get the better of me there, Brother Han. It's just that I've very rarely ever been separated from my junior martial sister, so this is quite a jarring experience for me."
"It's alright, I'm glad to see that you and Fellow Daoist Yuan share such a close bond. However, we have to address the predicament that we're in at the moment first before we can worry about her," Han Li replied with a wry smile before making his way over to one of the nearby stone pillars.
He glanced at the runes on the pillar through narrowed eyes before casting his gaze out of the light barrier as a faint blue light flashed through his eyes.
The black mist around here was quite dense, but Han Li was still able to pierce through it with his spirit eyes to assess their surroundings.
"Hmm?" Han Li's expressions suddenly changed slightly.
"What do you see, Brother Han?" Yan Li made her way over to him with a concerned look on her face.
"Aside from this platform that we're situated on, there are six other platforms just like this one in a circular formation nearby. Also, we appear to be in the belly of a mountain," Han Li replied in a slow voice.
"The belly of a mountain? If we still haven't left the infernal river, then who would've constructed these things here?" Yan Li murmured to herself as she furrowed her brows.
"That's too difficult for us to speculate about. What I want to know is how this being was able to control the ghostly mist to teleport us here. Perhaps they're somehow related to the Rahu Beast," Han Li mused.
"We won't be able to find any answers if we keep taking shots in the dark like this; we have to get out of this place first," Yan Li sighed.
"Of course. We don't know whether the owner of this place harbors ill will toward us. It looks like we're being protected by this barrier, but it can also be said that we've been confined in a prison of sorts. Our top priority is indeed to get away from here. I just had a look at the runes on the pillars, yet they're extremely profound. At the very least, with my knowledge base in spell formations, I was unable to understand most of the runes, so we'll have to break out of this place using brute force," Han Li decided as he stroked his chin.
"Is that so? I've also done some research into the art of spell formations, so let me have a look as well." Yan Li seemed to be rather confident in herself.
"Oh? It would naturally be best if you could break this formation here." Han Li faltered upon hearing this before stepping away from the pillar with a smile.
Yan Li immediately strode toward the pillar and began inspecting it with rapt focus, seemingly completely absorbed by the runes on the pillar.
Meanwhile, Han Li clasped his hands behind his back as he made his way around the light barrier, trying to search for any alternative ways out.
Around 10 minutes later, Yan Li exhaled as she withdrew her gaze, then turned to Han Li with a forced smile on her face. "This restriction is in
deed far more profound than any I've encountered in the past, so I won't be able to help out here."
"That's alright, I'll try my flying swords." Han Li seemed to have predicted that this would be the verdict, and he swept a sleeve through the air, upon which a small golden sword shot forth from within.
The flying sword then transformed into a shimmering golden longsword that was around three feet in length.
"Go."
Han Li pointed directly at the white light barrier up ahead, and the golden longsword flew through the air before striking the light barrier with ferocious might.
White and golden light flashed amid a dull thump, following which the golden longsword was repelled with ease.
Han Li's expression changed drastically as he hurriedly pointed a finger toward the flying sword to stabilize it in mid-air.
He had guessed that this light barrier would be quite resolute, but not to such an extent that his Azure Bamboo Cloudswarm Sword wouldn't even be able to leave so much as a single scratch on it.
Yan Li also wore a surprised expression upon seeing this, and she immediately opened her mouth to expel a black banana leaf fan, which she waved toward the light barrier with all her might.
Inky-black flames surged through the air, only to repelled once again the same manner as the golden sword, while the light barrier remained completely unscathed.
"How is this restriction so powerful?" Han paused momentarily before raising an arm to reveal pitch-black hand.
He spread open his five fingers before pressing his hand flat against the light barrier, then unleashing a powerful burst of grey light.
The seemingly indestructible light barrier began to emit a low ringing sound as the grey light swept over it, following which ripples began to appear on its surface.
A faint smile appeared on Han Li's face upon seeing this.
It was just as he'd expected; as long as this restriction contained any five-elemental power, then there was no way that the Divine Essencefused Light wouldn't be able to do anything to it.
With that in mind, Han Li began to circulate his magic power, and the grey light surging from his palm became more and more dazzling while the white light barrier began to termor more violently.
The entire light barrier began to warp and twist with Han Li's hand at the epicenter.
Yan Li's eyes widened with surprise and elation upon seeing this.
She'd seen Han Li unleash his Divine Essencefused Light on multiple occasions, so she was aware of just how powerful it was, but she didn't think that it'd be so effective against restrictions as well.
Moments later, a dull thump rang out as the light barrier was finally twisted to the point of shattering by the Divine Essencefused Light.
The black mist outside immediately swept toward the white jade platform as a result.
Han Li immediately transformed into his bird form again before rising into the air. Yan Li was also well prepared as she injected her magic power into the azure feather, conjuring up a ball of azure light around her before ascending toward Han Li.
Han Li had already assessed their surroundings using his spirit eyes, so after adopting his bird form, he immediately flew toward a certain direction in the mist without any hesitation.
After a few flashes, his eyes lit up at the sight of the azure and yellow barrier up ahead.
This barrier was an extremely simple one, so he immediately crashed through it without adopting any defensive measures.
The barrier was easily shattered by his massive bird body, and he descended onto a patch of rocky land on the other side of the barrier before reverting back to his human form.
Yan Li also flew through the barrier behind him in hot pursuit, then landed beside Han Li.
Han Li hurriedly turned around to discover that the azure and yellow barrier behind them had sealed over in the blink of an eye, keeping out the black mist that was trying to seep into the area.
Only then did Han Li heave an internal sigh of relief.
Right at this moment, Yan Li exclaimed, Brother Han, there's someone over there! Should we go and have a look?"
Han Li's heart stirred upon hearing this before he hurriedly turned toward the direction that Yan Li was pointing toward.
Several hundred feet away from them, there was a shimmering white passageway situated on a bluestone face, and Han Li raised his eyebrows as he took a closer look.
Only then did he realize that they were standing atop a platform on a steep mountain face, and the jade platforms he'd seen earlier was situated at the foot of the mountain.
Instead of making his way over to the passageway in the mountain face, Han Li paused momentarily before flicking two fingers through the air.
Two specks of golden light flew out of his sleeve before transforming into a pair of fist-sized golden beetles, which then flew toward the opening of the passageway.
Meanwhile, Han Li sat down onto the ground with his legs crossed and his eyes closed.
Yan Li knew that Han Li was sending those beetles into the cave as scouts, so she also waited patiently nearby.
After a while, Han Li's face suddenly paled as he abruptly opened his eyes and sprang to his feet.
"This is bad! There's someone with an unfathomable cultivation base in that cave; my spirit insects have been captured!"
As soon as Han Li's voice trailed off, an elderly voice rang out around them from all directions.
"I was wondering who had broken my Seven Gates Yin Locking Formation; turns out I've got some guests. Seeing as you're here, why not come in and have a chat with me?"
Chapter 1517: Qing Yuanzi
Han Li and Yan Li were both startled to hear this elderly voice, and the two of them exchanged a bewildered glance.
"Let's go, this man's far too powerful for us to oppose. According to the wisps of spiritual sense I'd imbued my spirit insects with, his cultivation base is beyond that of even the demon monarchs." Even though Han Li was feeling quite uneasy, he still put on a calm facade.
Han Li's calm and collected demeanor as quite a soothing sight for Yan Li, and she nodded in response.
Thus, the two of them slowly drifted over to the entrance of the cave.
The passageway on the mountain face wasn't very large, and nor was it special in any way; it was merely a square entrance paved with ordinary bluestone.
After flying into the passageway for over 1,000 feet, the two of them arrived in an antiquated hall with fine white sand all over the floor.
The hall was over 1,000 feet in size, yet in such a cavernous space, there were only a few items of furniture. Aside from a few tables and chairs, there were only several pots of strange plants situated in the corners of the hall.
These plants were each no more than a foot tall, but Han Li could smell their essence even from afar. Just the scents emitted by these few potted plants in the hall alone made him feel as if he were situated within a lush forest.
At the very center of the hall was a chair, on which sat a grey-robed elderly man.
The man possessed a mundane appearance with his meter-long beard his only noteworthy facial feature, and he was also looking back at Han Li and Yan Li.
"You two are humans!" the elderly man said in a slightly surprised voice.
Han Li's heart jolted upon hearing this, and he bowed slightly as he replied. "I see that Senior knows of our human race. May I ask for your name, Senior?"
"Hehe, I don't just know of the human race, I'm a human myself. As for my former name, there's no need to mention it. You may refer to me as Senior Jiang," the elderly man chuckled, and a benevolent light appeared in his eyes as he looked Han Li and Yan Li.
"What? You're a human as well, Senior?" Yan Li exclaimed in shock.
"Why? Is it really strange that I'm a human?" the elderly man chuckled.
"Of course not. It's just that we didn't expect to see one of our brethren so far away from the human territories," Han Li hurriedly explained.
The elderly man befo
re them was truly an unfathomably powerful being whom they couldn't afford to offend.
"I hail from the human race, but my current body is no longer the one I originally possessed. Instead, I managed to obtain the body of an extremely rare Chang Yuan Race being by chance. These beings are proficient in all types of abilities, and they are endowed with several incredible abilities from birth, each and every one of which are far beyond even the most prodigious cultivators of our human race," the elderly man said in a slow voice as he inspected his own hands.
Han Li had never heard of this Chang Yuan Race, but this elderly man's appearance and voice were exactly the same as that of a human.
Thus, a peculiar look appeared in Han Li's eyes.
"There's no need to be perplexed; my current appearance is still the same as it was back when I possessed a human body. It took me a lot of effort to refine this Chang Yuan Race body to perfectly resemble my former body," the elderly man explained.
The process being described by the elderly man was an unimaginable one to Han Li, yet the man was speaking about it as if it had been a relatively simple feat. This made Han Li even more awestruck by the man's unfathomable powers, and he said in a respectful voice, "Please forgive us for our ignorance, Senior!"
"Come to think of it, ever since I left the human race all those years ago, I've never returned once, so I'm rather interested to hear what the human race is like now. Would you two be willing to tell me about it?" the elderly man asked in a pleasant voice.
"We'll be sure to tell you everything we know, Senior," Han Li immediately replied after exchanging a glance with Yan Li.
The elderly man chortled with elation as he rubbed his hands together, and said, "Great! I wonder how many of my past friends and acquaintances from the human race are still alive."
After that, the elderly man paused momentarily as he appraised Han Li and Yan Li, and a hint of surprise appeared on his face.
"The two of you don't possess any exceptional cultivation bases, yet the cultivation arts you're using are quite interesting. One of you is a semi-ghostly being; it's been over 10,000 years since I've seen someone adopt such a cultivation path. As for you, your magic power is quite diverse; you possess a hint of devilish nature, and your body is extraordinarily powerful for a being of your cultivation base. You're either using several types of cultivation arts at once or walking the path of simultaneous cultivation," the elderly man mused in an absentminded voice, but his words struck Han Li and Yan Li like a bolt of lightning.
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