Daoist Xie's expression changed slightly upon seeing this, but he remained silent as he continued to follow along behind Han Li.
After that, the two of them didn't encounter any stemborers, and after a long while, they finally emerged from the passageway into a massive underground cave.
There was a layer of fine silver sand spread over the floor of the cave, but the roof of the cave was lined with razor-sharp stalactites.
Not far away from the opening of the passageway was a cloud of grey mist that was giving off a faint sandalwood aroma, and there were several humanoid figures currently hovering before the sea of mist, one of whom was none other than Bao Hua.
She was currently appraising the grey mist with a hint of bewilderment in her eyes, and there was an indistinct face within the mist that seemed to be communicating with Bao Hua through voice transmission.
Behind Bao Hua stood Hei'e and several other Grand Ascension Stage beings.
All of them were immediately alerted by Han Li and Daoist Xie's arrival, but their expressions quickly eased upon realizing that more allies had arrived.
"What's going on? Where are all our other fellow daoists?" Han Li asked as he swept his spiritual sense toward the cloud of grey mist.
"We're not too sure what's happened, either. Bao Hua is currently communicating with the spirit of the ancient seal to find out what's happening. As for everyone else, you two are the first to arrive," an ordinary-looking elderly man replied with a grim expression.
"Is that the spirit of the ancient seal?" Han Li asked as he cast a contemplative gaze toward the face within the mist.
Right at this moment, Bao Hua seemed to have concluded her communication with the face in the mist, and the latter quickly dissipated.
"I'm glad you're here, Brother Han, Fellow Daoist Xie; please lend me your assistance," Bao Hua said with a serious expression.
"You still haven't told me what's going on here, Fellow Daoist Bao Hua," Han Li said as he peered into the sea of mist.
"The power of the ancient seal has gone out of control. Both the power of the seal restricting the Stemborer Queen and the power trapping Fellow Daoist Yuan Yan and the others suddenly waned significantly, and not only is the awakening of the Stemborer Queen imminent, all of our trapped fellow daoists are also in great peril. The first thing that the Stemborer Queen is going to do after its awakening would definitely be to kill Yuan Yan and the others. Having lost so much energy, the ancient seal is about to fall apart, and the underground palace is also on the verge of collapse," Bao Hua sighed.
"What? How did this happen? We haven't done anything yet. Could it be that one of the groups of fellow daoists made an error while repairing their restriction?" a red-faced man asked with an alarmed expression.
"Did you find out what happened from the spirit of the ancient seal, Fellow Daoist Bao Hua? It should be aware of what led to this," the elderly man asked.
"I asked the spirit of the ancient seal about this, but it doesn't know what's going on, either; it could only sense that its power had been drawn away by something or someone. However, it's already agreed to teleport us to where the Stemborer Queen is residing so we can attack it before it awakens. In doing so, we'll be able to stall it and buy our other fellow daoists more time to save everyone that's been trapped. It looks like we'll have to abandon our original plan," Bao Hua said with a wry smile.
"What? You're saying we should go and attack the Stemborer Queen? Are you being serious, Fellow Daoist Bao Hua?" a black-robed woman exclaimed.
Everyone else's expressions also changed slightly upon hearing this.
"Rest assured, everyone, I'm proposing this for a reason. I learned from the spirit of the ancient seal that the Stemborer Queen had to pay a heavy price to trap Yuan Yan and the others. On top of that, it's being forced to awaken on this occasion, so it wouldn't have been able to recover much of its powers, and it'll be nowhere near as formidable as it would normally be. The spirit of the ancient seal has also promised me that it would use all of its remaining power to assist us. Additionally, prior to making this trip, I borrowed a Profound Heavenly Treasure that's particularly effective against insects, so there's a very good chance that we'll succeed," Bao Hua explained.
Everyone's concerns were slightly eased upon hearing this. However, this was a matter of life and death, so they were still quite hesitant to agree to this plan.
Bao Hua could see the concern in everyone's eyes, and she was forced to make a decision.
"I know you're all unwilling to take this risk, but you have to think of all of your trapped brethren. Fellow Daoist Copper Crow and the others are right near the place where Yuan Yan and the others have been trapped; even if we can't kill the Stemborer Queen, we can buy them some time to rescue everyone. On top of that, I have something for all of you. With these things in our possession, even if we turn out to be no match for the Stemborer Queen, we'll still be able to get away."
As soon as her voice trailed off, she raised a sleeve to send a streak of red light flying toward each of her companions.
Everyone reflexively caught the streaks of red light to discover that these were crimson formation plates with complex designs etched onto their surfaces.
Han Li could sense spatial fluctuations emanating from the formation plate in his hand, and after turning the plate over, he discovered that there was an extremely intricate and life-like feather pattern on the back.
"These are Treasured Phoenix Spirit Plates that can instantly teleport one hundreds of thousands of kilometers away! You must've been very fortunate to have obtained these treasures," the elderly man exclaimed as his eyes lit up with elation.
"Are these really Treasured Phoenix Spirit Plates? I've heard that they can only be refined using true heavenly phoenix feathers. They're capable of teleporting through all restrictions and formations, and they're essentially equivalent to extra lives!" the black-robed woman exclaimed.
"There's no mistaking it; I saw a Treasured Phoenix Spirit Plate once during an auction, and its appearance and aura were both identical to these ones," the elderly man confirmed.
"Alright, seeing as Fellow Daoist Bao Hua is willing to offer such precious treasures, I'll agree to this plan. Even if I don't end up using it, I'm not going to return it!" the red-faced man said as a hint of greed flashed through his eyes.
Chapter 2234: Earth Emperor Nail
"I'm giving these treasures to you all as gifts, so I'm naturally not going to take them back," Bao Hua said with a smile.
"With these treasures in our possession and the Profound Heavenly Treasure capable of suppressing insects, I'm sure we'll be able to handle the Stemborer Queen; I'll come as well," the elderly man said.
The black-robed woman also gave a slight nod after a brief moment of contemplation.
Bao Hua was ecstatic to see this, but Han Li was the one that she held in the highest regard here. "What about you, Brother Han?"
"I certainly can't back down now that everyone else has agreed to go," Han Li replied as he stowed his formation plate away.
With his current powers and collection of treasures, he would be able to ensure self-preservation even against a true immortal, let alone a severely debilitated Stemborer Queen.
"Alright, I'll get the spirit of the ancient seal to teleport us there right away. Our two fellow daoists from the Black Night Realm should also be in that area, and their inclusion will even further increase our chance of success," Bao Hua said with a smile.
Immediately thereafter, she cast an incantation seal into the grey mist up ahead, and the mist parted to reveal a path.
Bao Hua drifted into the path without any hesitation, and everyone else hurriedly followed along as well.
Shortly thereafter, everyone emerged into a spacious area with a grey teleportation formation on the ground.
A voice could be heard coming from all directions, as if someone were saying something to them, but only Bao Hua seemed to be able to understand what was being sa
id as she nodded before making her way into the formation with a solemn expression.
Everyone else hesitated momentarily before walking into the formation as well.
Once everyone had entered the formation, it was activated on its own, and the entire group vanished amid a flash of spiritual light.
......
Meanwhile, the inky-black bowl on the sacrificial altar within the mysterious stone forest suddenly tremored slightly, and a faint male voice rang out.
"So those people are planning to target that Stemborer Queen. Hehe, how foolish! They've completely overestimated themselves. I have to keep that brat alive somehow, so it looks like I'll have no choice but to use that thing..."
A forlorn sigh then rang out, as if an important sacrifice were being made.
A metallic clang then sounded in the air, and eight thin silver chains appeared above the altar.
One end of each chain was connected to the edge of the bowl, while the other ends were connected to the lamps atop the eight copper pillars.
A burst of unintelligible chanting rang out from within the bowl, and the chain that was connected to the only lit lamp began to tremor slightly.
All of a sudden, countless tiny golden runes emerged on the lamp before being rapidly funneled over to the altar along the chain, then disappeared into the black bowl.
The black mist around the bowl began to become denser, and an extremely fearsome aura that was only becoming more powerful abruptly erupted forth.
......
"So this is where the Stemborer Queen is residing," Han Li mused as he inspected his surroundings with a surprised expression.
All of the other Grand Ascension Stage beings aside from Bao Hua were also quite stunned by what they were seeing.
They were currently situated on a boundless ocean that stretched as far as the eyes could see in all directions.
"This isn't an illusion! What's going on? Is this a place in the underground palace?" the elderly man asked with furrowed brows.
"Of course not; the underground palace is nowhere near large enough to contain such a massive body of water," Bao Hua replied with a shake of her head.
"Then what is this place? Have we been teleported out of the original sealed site?" the red-faced man asked.
"I don't think so. Otherwise, our spiritual sense would no longer be restricted," the black-robed woman said, clearly having already tried out her spiritual power here.
All of a sudden, Han Li said in a calm manner, "Everyone, please look up."
"Up? I already had a look; there doesn't seem to be anything amiss," the elderly man said as he looked up at the grey sky again.
The black-robed woman and red-faced man also looked up with perplexed expressions.
However, a hint of enlightenment appeared in Bao Hua's eye as she looked up into the sky, and right at this moment, Han Li swept a finger upward, releasing an azure sword projection that was several thousand feet in length.
The grey light in the entire sky began to surge violently, and a piercing screech suddenly rang out.
It was as if the azure sword projection were threatening to cleave the entire sky apart, but after the azure light faded, the sky remained intact, but an inky-black formation that encompassed virtually the entire sky had appeared up above.
The formation was comprised of countless black runes of different sizes, and at the center of the formation was a motionless white insect that was the size of a mountain.
The insect had a pristine and flawless white body, and its head was buried deep into its own body, making it impossible to glean its appearance. However, with its rotund frame, it was looking like a massive silkworm.
Strangely enough, even though the giant insect seemed to be in a deep slumber, there were golden runes surging slowly around its body.
"That's the Stemborer Queen!" the black-robed woman exclaimed.
The red-haired man and elderly man were also very alarmed to see this, and they immediately adopted defensive stances.
In contrast, Bao Hua was very calm as she said, "There's no need to be alarmed, fellow daoists; it'll still take some time for this insect to awaken, so we won't alert it as long as we don't do anything rash. Looks like this is a spatial rift that the Stemborer Queen opened up, so our fellow daoists from the Black Night Realm won't be able to join us here."
"With the Stemborer Queen's power, it would indeed be able to open up a spatial rift. That explains why this place is still affected by the power of the seal," the elderly man said as his expression eased slightly.
"Without the assistance of our fellow daoists from the Black Night Realm, I feel like we're a little short on numbers. How about we find the exit of this place and bring those two fellow daoists in as well?" the black-robed woman suggested.
"That won't do. The Stemborer Queen is about to awaken; if we enter and exit this space so recklessly, it'll most likely awaken right away. I'm sure that's why our fellow daoists from the Black Night Realm refrained from entering this space. After all, they don't have the advantage of being able to teleport themselves into this space using the power of the ancient seal like we do," Bao Hua said.
Right at this moment, Han Li suddenly said, "Let's cut the chatter and make haste while the Stemborer Queen is still in its slumber. If we can severely wound it here, that would be the best outcome."
"Are you looking down on us, Fellow Daoist Han? If we combine our powers, even a true immortal would most likely be felled if they were caught off guard," the black-robed woman said with a hint of displeasure in her eyes.
"Hmph, if the Stemborer Queen were that easy to kill, the true immortals would've already killed it rather than sealed it away; I always prepare for the worst in everything that I do," Han Li replied in a cold voice.
The black-robed woman's expression darkened upon hearing this, and she was just about to respond again when Bao Hua interjected, "Let's not argue among ourselves, fellow daoists. All we can do is attack with all our might, and the rest will be down to luck. Having said that, it's better to be safe than sorry, so not only do we have to all attack at once, I'm going to use that Profound Heavenly Treasure that I borrowed as well. If any of you have any powerful trump cards up your sleeves, now would be the time to use them; perhaps the Stemborer Queen will only give us this one opportunity."
"You're right, Fellow Daoist Bao Hua," the elderly man said as he nodded in agreement.
No one else had any objections, either.
Thus, Bao Hua took a deep breath before making a hand seal, and a massive pink floral tree projection appeared behind her amid a flash of pink light.
At the same time, she slowly raised a hand, then parted her fingers to summon a huge rusty yellow nail.
The nail was only around half a foot in length, and its surface was riddled with pits and bumps, as well as some indistinct spirit patterns.
Judging from how dilapidated it appeared, it looked as if it had been buried in the ground for countless years.
However, Bao Hua was holding the object in a very careful manner, and she said in a solemn voice, "This Earth Emperor Nail contains the power of the laws of earth of a realm. Anyone struck by this nail would be unable to use any earth-attribute abilities, and if I recall correctly, the Stemborer Queen's essential power is of the earth attribute. If I successfully strike the Stemborer Queen with this nail, it'll be unable to use most of its powers."
Chapter 2235: Combined Attack
"In that case, it'll only be able to withstand our attacks with its physical body, and there's no way that'll end well for it," Bao Hua paused momentarily before continuing, "However, the Stemborer Queen would've most definitely mastered the earth-attribute laws of heaven and earth as well, so I can't say for sure how long the Earth Emperor Nail will be able to restrict it for. As such, once I unleash this treasure, please attack without any hesitation."
"Rest assured, Fellow Daoist Bao Hua; our lives are on the line as well, so we definitely won't treat this lightly," the elde
rly man replied.
Everyone else also chimed in in agreement.
"Alright, as a safety precaution, I'll contact the spirit of the ancient seal first and get it to focus all of its power here, both to restrict the Stemborer Queen and to disguise what we're doing here," Bao Hua said.
She then made a strange hand seal and began to chant something, and the face within the mist suddenly appeared once again without any warning.
Bao Hua's lips tremored as she communicated with the face through voice transmission, and shortly thereafter, the misty face vanished again.
Almost at the exact same moment, Han Li and the others were suddenly struck by an indescribable sense of pressure.
They hurriedly examined themselves, and were relieved to find that this pressure wasn't affecting them in any substantial way.
At this moment, countless grey runes had appeared around Bao Hua, and they quickly enveloped her, leaving only a blurry silhouette of her body visible from the outside.
Strangely enough, as soon as the grey runes surrounded Bao Hua, her aura completely vanished.
She was still standing on the same spot, but she was completely undetectable through spiritual sense, as if she had fused as one with this entire space.
"The power of the ancient seal has completely concealed my aura, so no matter how close I get to the Stemborer Queen, it won't be able to detect me. I'm going to attack now; please get ready, everyone," Bao Hua said.
The elderly man nodded before summoning a white jade badge, which appeared amid a flash of spiritual light.
The surface of the badge was extremely intricate with countless spirit beast images engraved onto its surface.
"That's the Myriad Beast Badge! According to legends, this is a treasure that fell from the True Immortal Realm in ancient times. Back then, many Grand Ascension Stage beings had fought over this treasure; I didn't think that it would be in your possession," the black-robed woman exclaimed.
"Hehe, I was quite fortunate to have obtained this treasure," the elderly man said in a slightly smug manner.
A Record of a Mortal’s Journey to Immortality c1-2248 Page 1280