The green-haired being's face paled before becoming extremely flushed, perhaps due to overexertion or humiliation or a combination of both.
The entire third level fell completely silent.
All of the cultivators present, regardless of whether they were local beings or outsiders, were completely stunned by this turn of events.
The elderly man with the Yan surname was also quite shocked, but also elated that Han Li was so unexpectedly powerful.
In the distance, the silver-armored being's eyelids twitched, and he cast a frosty gaze toward Han Li.
Meanwhile, Xian Xian's expression changed several times in quick succession. She knew that Han Li was far more powerful than his cultivation base suggested, but it was still completely unexpected to her that he was able to crush a ninth-tier upper race after just a single exchange. This gave her rather mixed feelings.
Yue Zong was also completely flabbergasted, and he stared at Han Li in silence, seemingly yet to process what he was seeing.
As for the woman in the palatial dress and the others, they were naturally all completely dumbstruck.
Han Li paid no heed to any of them as he fixed his gaze on the green-haired being, whose joints were popping and cracking from the strain of resisting against the massive grey hand of light.
After being crushed into a half-kneeling position, the green-haired being was glowering at Han Li with both humiliation and resentment in his eyes. At the same time, the protective spiritual light around his body wavered incessantly, and he looked as if he wanted to forcibly rise to his feet.
Han Li harrumphed coldly upon seeing this, and he suddenly flipped his inky-black hand over.
Immediately thereafter, the grey hand that was weighing down on the green-haired being also flipped itself over, and a small mountain that was around 10 feet in size appeared out of thin air before crashing down with a dull thud.
The black mountain was completely mundane and nondescript in appearance, but not only was it able to completely vanquish the green-haired being's protective spiritual light, it completely flattened him onto the ground from his original half-kneeling position.
After that, the small mountain swayed and swelled to around 30 to 40 feet tall, crushing the green-haired being's entire body beneath it, leaving only half of his head poking out from underneath.
The entire pavilion tremored violently, following which a layer of white spiritual light surfaced over the floor and the walls. At the same time, a series of strange runes surged forth in a frenzy from all directions before disappearing a flash, following which the tremors came to an abrupt halt.
A massive and extremely profound restriction had been set up in this ordinary-looking pavilion. Otherwise, the clashes that had taken place earlier would've been enough to raze the entire pavilion to the ground several times already.
Han Li withdrew his arm as he looked down at the green-haired being beneath the mountain, and he asked, "Do I have a third choice now?"
In the face of a being at the pinnacle of the Spatial Tempering Stage, Han Li would normally have a hard time defeating them unless he were to unleash a few trump cards.
However, this bullish green-haired being was overly confident in the power of his own body, and he refrained from evading any of Han Li's attacks as he engaged Han Li in battle in such a small area.
As such, Han Li's insane strength and Provenance True Devil Arts shone through immensely, thereby allowing him to crush his opponent with ease.
When the green-haired being finally realized that something was amiss and attempted to take evasive measures or summon other treasures, it was already too late. In the face of the Han Li's immense strength and Divine Essencefused Light, he was only able to just barely ensure self-preservation, so there was no way that he could retaliate.
At the sight of his companion being subdued by Han Li with ease, the silver-robed being's brows furrowed as crimson light flashed past his face, and the odor of blood and gore around him suddenly became more pronounced.
He slowly rose to his feet, seemingly preparing to make his way toward Han Li, and the expressions of elation on everyone's faces immediately stiffened upon seeing this.
The fact that he was completely unfazed even after witnessing Han Li's display of power indicated that he was far more powerful than his green-haired companion.
The elderly man narrowed his eyes as he cast his gaze toward the silver-armored being, as did Han Li, but he remained completely expressionless as he did so.
As the silver-armored being strode toward Han Li, the atmosphere in the pavilion suddenly became extremely tense.
All of the other beings on the third level looked on with wide unblinking eyes in anticipation of the potential fierce clash that was about to take place.
"Put your treasure away, Fellow Daoist. This is the Lightning Cloud Pavilion, and fighting is prohibited here. If you want to spar, then you can go to the arena in the town that has been built specifically for this purpose. Otherwise, all of you will be prohibited from entering the Golden Devil Mountain Ranges." An unfamiliar male voice had suddenly sounded from the staircase leading up to the fourth level, and the voice was quite a stern and unyielding one.
Han Li's expression changed slightly upon hearing this, and the silver-armored being also faltered in his footsteps.
"It's the newly appointed Enforcer Min! Fellow Daoist Han, you should do as you're told," the elderly man hurriedly cautioned.
Han Li raised an eyebrow upon hearing this, and he chuckled as he glanced at the green-haired being beneath the mountain, then made a grabbing motion toward the small mountain.
Thus, the small black mountain disappeared amid a flash of grey light as if it had been nothing more than a mirage, and the green-haired being immediately sprang to his feet with his face completely flushed from humiliation.
He let loose a low roar, and he opened his mouth to reveal a hint of yellow light shimmering within, seemingly about to attack Han Li again.
Han Li remained on the spot upon seeing this, and merely chuckled coldly in a derisive manner.
"Stop! You're no match for him; come back," the silver-armored being ordered in a cold voice.
"He only got me because he caught me off guard! I'm going to..." In his fit of thunderous rage, the green-haired being didn't want to listen to anyone.
The silver-armored being's expression darkened upon seeing this, and he asked in a cold voice, "Are you going against my orders?"
His voice wasn't very loud, but the green-haired being immediately shuddered as the fury on his place was replaced by horror, and he hurriedly replied, "I wouldn't dare!"
He then aimed a vicious glare at Han Li before walking away and sitting back down on his futon in an extremely foul mood.
"Seeing as you refuse to let Fellow Daoist Yue come with us, then so be it. From what I overheard earlier, it seems that you aren't going after the immortal zoysia anyway, so there's no direct conflict of interest between us. As such, I have no intention of fighting you here and needlessly wasting my magic power. However, if you dare to oppose me next time, then things won't end in such a peaceful manner!" the silver-armored being threatened in a menacing manner before also sitting back down on his futon.
Han Li merely stroked his chin with a smile and remained silent upon hearing this.
The elderly man and everyone around him heaved a collective sigh of relief.
At this point, the woman in the palatial dress had naturally realized that she'd completely misjudged Han Li, and she smiled at him as she prepared to say something, but at this moment, Enforcer Min's voice rang out from upstairs again.
"Aside from upper race beings of the eighth and ninth tiers, all those who want to enter the Golden Devil Mountain Ranges must pass the examination. Those of you who want to enter the mountain ranges can come upstairs now, but only two at a time."
Enforcer Min's voice was extremely calm, but his words immediately created a stir among the beings gathered on the th
ird level.
Everyone glanced at one another before a pair of beings rushed up the staircase one after another, disappearing from view in the blink of an eye.
One of them was a mid-Deity Transformation Stage being while the other was at the early-Spatial Tempering Stage. Neither of them belonged to the elderly man's faction, nor the silver-armored being's faction.
The other beings were all quite disappointed that they hadn't reacted quickly enough.
After all, getting a Lightningbane Umbrella earlier could only be better than getting one later.
As things stood now, the remaining beings could only wait. Some of them were focusing intently on trying to hear what was going on upstairs so they could perhaps ascertain the nature of the examination.
However, either a restriction had been set up upstairs or the examination was completely silent; in any case, no one could hear even the slightest sound from upstairs.
This was rather disheartening to the beings who were craning their necks and listening intently.
The duration of the examination wasn't very long, but it wasn't all that short, either. After a full hour had passed, one of the beings finally came down from upstairs.
Everyone immediately turned toward him in unison to find that his clothes were in tatters, and that he was carrying a few injuries, seemingly having just endured a battle with something.
"Fellow Daoist Zhu, what was the examination about? Did you get a Lightningbane Umbrella?" one of his acquaintances immediately asked.
"I did pass the examination, but Enforcer Min has prohibited me from revealing any details about the examination. Otherwise, my Lightningbame Umbrella will be stripped away. Also, everyone who has undergone an examination has to leave this place immediately, regardless of whether they've passed or not, so I have to go on ahead now," the slightly disheveled man replied in an ambiguous manner before hurrying downstairs without any hesitation.
As such, the other people who intended to ask him questions could only sit back down in a sheepish manner.
A short while later, the other person also walked down the staircase in a dejected manner.
In contrast with the one who had emerged before him, this being of a lower cultivation base remained completely unscathed, but he seemed to be in low spirits.
He didn't pause even for a single moment on the third level before continuing downstairs.
After witnessing such a bizarre scenario, everyone suddenly became rather reluctant to take the examination early, and they all glanced at one another with hesitant expressions on their faces, clearly hoping that others would take the plunge before them.
"I'm ready for the next two people!" Enforcer Min urged from upstairs.
Han Li looked around to find that no one had risen to their feet, so he stood up with a smile and headed directly toward the staircase.
However, after taking a few steps, he heard the sound of footsteps behind him, indicating that someone else was also following him.
Han Li seemed to be aware of who it was that was behind him, and without even turning his head, he said, "There's no need to be in such a hurry, Fellow Daoist; you can wait for a while and better prepare yourself before taking the examination."
"Rest assured, Senior, I've done some research on this examination, so I've come prepared," Xian Xian replied from behind him.
Chapter 1619: Entering the Golden Devil Mountain Ranges
"You sound quite confident; it looks my concern was unnecessary," Han Li chuckled before making his way up the staircase without any further delay.
Xian Xian pursed her lips with a smile as she followed along behind him in an elegant manner.
At the entrance to the fourth level was a faint red light barrier, and Han Li's body swayed as he passed through the light barrier, following which he appeared in an entirely blue place.
The walls and the ceiling of the room were all translucent and shimmering with a faint blue light, and there was a massive white spell formation underfoot that took up an area of over 200 feet. At the very center of the formation was a man standing in silence while appraising Han Li and Xian Xian.
Han Li focused his gaze on the man to find that he had a scholarly appearance with a yellow book in one hand and a golden formation plate in the other. He appeared to be a being at the pinnacle of the Spatial Tempering Stage, and a peculiar look appeared on his face as he said, "So it's you."
"Do you recognize me, Fellow Daoist?" Han Li asked with a smile.
"Even if I didn't recognize you before, after that spectacular display earlier, I certainly do now. It's quite extraordinary that you were able to crush a ninth-tier upper race being so easily," the scholar mused with a hint of intrigue in his eyes.
"You're far too kind, Fellow Daoist. May I ask what kind of examination I'll be undertaking?" Han Li asked in a nonchalant manner.
"Examination? With your powers, there's no need for an examination. You get an automatic pass!" the scholar chuckled.
Both Han Li and Xian Xian were rather surprised to hear this.
"What? Do you really think I'm such a dogmatic person that I refuse to do anything outside of the rules and regulations? Even eight-tier upper race beings can be exempt from the examination, so you certainly don't need to undertake one. Here's your Lightningwield Umbrella." As soon as the scholar's voice trailed of, silver light flashed from the book in his hand, and an object flew out from within, heading straight toward Han Li.
Han Li made a grabbing motion to draw the object into his grasp, and he found that it was slightly cold to the touch.
He looked down to discover that it was a small silver umbrella that was only around several inches in size, but it was an extremely intricate object, upon which was carved many profound runes.
"There are some things that I need to tell you, Fellow Daoist; you must conduct the master recognition ceremony with the Lightningbane Umbrella in my presence to prevent it from being taken by others. Also, after completing the master recognition ceremony, the umbrella will only be effective for a month. After that, it will expire and become a useless object, which means that you must come out of the Golden Devil Mountain Ranges within a month. Otherwise, the devilish Qi in there will make you undergo devilfication, and you'll be transformed into a true devilish being," Enforcer Min cautioned in a diligent and detailed manner.
"Thank you for your words of caution." Han Li nodded before tossing the umbrella up into the air, then opening his mouth to expel a small ball of blood essence, which quickly transformed into a cloud of blood mist that enshrouded the silver umbrella within.
After that, Han Li began to chant something as he made a hand seal, then flicked his 10 fingers rapidly through the air in quick succession.
A series of incantation seals of different colors surged forth in a frenzy, all of which disappeared into the blood mist.
The small silver umbrella instantly swelled to three feet in size as a result.
At the same time, a rumbling sound rang out from within the blood mist, following which the mist condensed into a series of crimson runes of different sizes. The runes revolved around the silver umbrella before disappearing into it in a flash, and a film of crimson light emanated from it before instantly fizzling out.
After that, Han Li waved a hand through the air, and the silver umbrella shrank at his behest before flying up his sleeve.
The entire master recognition ceremony was completed in what seemed like the mere blink of an eye.
A hint of surprise appeared on Enforcer Min's face, clearly shocked that he was able to perform the master recognition ceremony so quickly.
However, he quickly recomposed himself, then turned to Xian Xian with furrowed brows as he said, "I can see that you're a Crystal being, and your cultivation base is quite low. If you were to enter the Golden Devil Mountain Ranges, there's a very high likelihood that you'll perish in there. I suggest that you refrain from entering the mountain ranges for your own safety."
"Thank you for your
concern, Senior, but I have to enter the Golden Devil Mountain Ranges on this occasion. Please commence your examination, Senior," Xian Xian insisted after extending a respectful curtsey toward the Enforcer Min.
"In that case, then I won't try to dissuade you any further. There are two types of examinations; one of them is to last an hour inside an illusionary realm conjured up by this formation, and the other one is to battle and defeat my two beast puppets. As long as you can do either of those, you'll get a pass," Enforcer Min introduced.
Xian Xian seemed to have expected this answer in advance, and she immediately replied, "I choose the first type of examination!"
"Alright, then please take three steps forward," Enforcer Min instructed with a quick nod.
Xian Xian did as she was told, and Han Li discovered that after taking those three steps, she just so happened to be standing on top of a certain massive rune on the formation.
However, before he had a chance to think anything of this, Enforcer Min suddenly said, "You can go downstairs now. I don't want to have anyone spectate my examinations, and I'll have to ask you to refrain from revealing any details about the examination."
"Of course. I'll be taking my leave, then." Han Li nodded in response before making his way downstairs.
In the instant that he reached the opening leading to the staircase, a burst of restriction fluctuations suddenly erupted behind him alongside a faint buzzing sound.
Han Li turned around in a nonchalant manner to find that the entire formation on the ground had been completely activated. Layers of white light appeared, completely encompassing Xian Xian and Enforcer Min within, making it impossible to see them from the outside.
Han Li's expression changed slightly upon seeing this, but he continued through the light barrier without pause before walking down the staircase.
As soon as he emerged on the third level, everyone turned toward him, and he merely smiled before continuing down the staircase without any delay.
A Record of a Mortal’s Journey to Immortality c1-2248 Page 921