Chapter 674: Concerns
That gourd! Could it be...
A peculiar look flashed through Immortal Lord Hot Flame's eyes at the sight of the green gourd.
The azure-robed man quickly inspected his surroundings, then made a hand seal, and the rune on the mountainous azure hand lit up as it released a burst of tremendous law powers.
A loud thump rang out as the protective green light around the gourd was crushed, and the gourd's struggles instantly ceased.
An ecstatic look flashed through the azure-robed man's eyes as he made a beckoning motion to draw the green gourd back to himself.
The gourd was no more than several dozen feet away from the azure-robed man when a burst of spatial fluctuations erupted behind him, and Han Li appeared out of thin air in a stealthy fashion.
As soon as he appeared, he immediately swept both sleeves through the air, releasing a pair of giant azure swords that came crashing down upon the azure-robed man.
Radiant azure swordlight erupted out of the swords, and they were giving off tremendous power that threatened to slice the very heavens into two.
The azure-robed man's expression remained unchanged, save for a disdainful twitch of his lips, and it seemed that he had already anticipated such a sneak attack.
He made a hand seal with one hand, and the azure jade bead above his head freed itself from the green light released by the Profound Heavenly Gourd, then began to glow radiantly as it released two thick pillars of azure light that struck the pair of oncoming swords.
Two earth-shattering thumps rang out as the nearby space shuddered violently, and the pair of giant swords shrank down significantly while flying back through the air. The azure swordlight radiating from them had also dimmed significantly, as if their spiritual nature had been severely damaged.
Han Li's complexion paled slightly, and he stumbled back in retreat as if he had also sustained substantial internal injuries.
The azure-robed man turned to Han Li with a cold sneer, then turned his attention back to the green gourd.
From his perspective, his late-Golden Immortal Stage assailant clearly had a death wish, but at the same time, he had to thank him for fetching him this Essential Immortal Treasure.
The green gourd continued to fly toward him while locked in the grasp of the giant azure hand, but right at this moment, the gourd suddenly began to tremble violently once again.
At the same time, radiant green light erupted from its surface, while a burst of thunderous rumbling rang out within it.
The azure-robed man's expression changed drastically, yet before he had a chance to do anything, a burst of blinding golden light shot out of the gourd before striking the protective azure light barrier around him.
A resounding boom rang out, and despite the azure bamboo slip's indestructible appearance, the burst of golden light was able to pierce through it with ease before going on to punch a large hole into the chest and abdomen of the azure-robed man.
His entire body was almost split into two, but not a single drop of blood flowed out of the wound, and the edge of the hole was smooth and charred black.
All of this had taken place in the blink of an eye, and even Immortal Lord Hot Flame was astonished by what he had just witnessed.
A large torrent of blood gushed out of the azure-robed man's mouth as a shocked and enraged look appeared on his face.
If he hadn't managed to dodge slightly to the side just in the nick of time, the burst of golden light would've already pierced through his dantian and killed him on the spot.
Despite his bewilderment, he reacted very quickly, making a hand seal as he opened his mouth to release a ball of azure flames. The azure fire spread outward to encompass his entire body, and he fled the scene as an azure fireball, abandoning all of his immortal treasures with the exception of the azure jade bead.
However, right at this moment, several translucent chains appeared out of the space around him without any warning, and they pierced straight into his mind, with the protective light barrier around him unable to pose any resistance.
He was instantly completely immobilized, and the look on his face abruptly stiffened.
He was still flying forward, but his speed had been drastically reduced.
Immediately thereafter, Han Li appeared in front of the azure-robed man amid a flash of lightning.
His complexion had returned to normal, and he immediately threw a powerful punch forward, conjuring up an azure fist projection that struck the azure-robed man on the head, smashing it like a watermelon.
A translucent cage was revealed inside, trapped within which was an azure soul.
Han Li flicked a finger through the air, and an arc of golden lightning shot out of his fingertip and into the Spiritual Sense Cage, instantly destroying the soul inside it.
The Spiritual Sense Cage then reverted back into several translucent chains that vanished into his mind.
After that, he swept a sleeve through the air to capture the azure-robed man's remains and the immortal treasures around him before stowing them into the Flower Branch Space.
"There was no need for you to employ such underhanded tactics against a mere mid-High Zenith cultivator, Fellow Daoist Han," Mo Guang remarked in Han Li's mind in an unimpressed voice.
Han Li paid no heed to Mo Guang. He would've indeed been able to kill the azure-robed man with ease using his time law powers, but he didn't want to reveal too much to Immortal Lord Hot Flame for the moment.
He made a beckoning motion to summon his Profound Heavenly Gourd, the two Azure Bamboo Cloudswarm Swords, and the golden lock back to himself, then turned around to face Immortal Lord True Flame.
"You've saved me yet again, Fellow Daoist Li. I really don't know how to thank you," Immortal Lord Hot Flame said in a grateful voice as he flew over to Han Li.
"There's no need to thank me, Fellow Daoist Hot Flame. We agreed to forge an alliance, so it's only right that I do what I can to help you. Having said that, I certainly wasn't expecting to run into you here. Where are Fellow Daoist Fox and Fellow Daoist Shi right now?" Han Li asked.
"I'm afraid I don't know. We were all separated by the spatial turbulence, and initially, upon being teleported here, everything was going quite smoothly for me, but I encountered that immortal envoy not long ago. If you hadn't arrived when you did, I would've most likely died here,"Immortal Lord Hot Flame sighed.
"I've also encountered some outsiders during my time in these ruins, not just from the Heavenly Court, but from some other powers as well," Han Li said.
Immortal Lord Hot Flame was very surprised to hear this, and he immediately asked, "Were you able to determine where those people had come from?"
"As far as I'm aware, there was a member of the Robe Change Order and a devilish being from the Devil Realm," Han Li replied.
"The Robe Change Order? How did they find an entrance to these ruins? And a devilish being as well?"
Immortal Lord Hot Flame's brows furrowed tightly as he fell into deep thought.
Han Li waited for Immortal Lord Hot Flame to process this information, but after some time, the latter was still silent, so Han Li called out to him.
"Fellow Daoist Hot Flame..."
"My apologies, I got too caught up in my own thoughts. Back when our True Mantra Sect was destroyed by the Heavenly Court, Patriarch Miro had used his unfathomable power to transfer our entire sect into the boundless expanse of spatial turbulence, so there shouldn't be anyone aside from me who knows the location of the entrance.
“Could it be that we've been followed this entire time without our knowledge?" Immortal Lord Hot Flame mused with tightly furrowed brows.
"Those people have already made it in here, so there's no point in thinking about them. There are many treasures in these ruins, so let's focus on exploring this place and improving our chances at self-preservation," Han Li said, and Immortal Lord Hot Flame nodded in agreement.
"There's most likely no one nearby, but we did cause quite a commotion just now, so we should leave this place as a safety precaution, then think about what we want to do next," Han Li said.
Immortal Lord Hot Flame nodded in response, and the two of them departed.
"You were a disciple of the True Mantra Sect, so you must be very familiar with everything here, right, Fellow Daoist Hot Flame? I'm sure you must've reaped a lot of rewards already. I recall that you entered these ruins for the Great Five Elemental Illusion Mantra, right? Have you found it yet?" Han Li asked.
"I'm afraid not. My luck has not been great, and I didn't get much of a chance to do any treasure-hunting before I ran into that immortal envoy. As for the Great Five Elemental Illusion Mantra, I don't even know where it's hidden, so how could I possibly have found it?" Immortal Lord Hot Flame sighed with a wry smile.
"Oh? You're also unaware of where the cultivation art is hidden? That's a bit of a problem," Han Li said with a slightly surprised expression.
"If the Great Five Elemental Illusion Mantra remains permanently lost, then that would be fine, but I'm worried that the Heavenly Court or some other power could get their hands on it," Immortal Lord Hot Flame sighed with a concerned expression.
Han Li offered no response to this.
"Right now, it seems like there are many powers in the True Mantra Sect ruins. If the Great Five Elemental Illusion Mantra emerges, I'm doubtful of my ability to secure it on my own, so I hope that you can help me secure it. I'll be sure to compensate you for your help," Immortal Lord Hot Flame said as he turned to Han Li with a serious expression.
"At the moment, it's unclear how many powerful cultivators are currently in the True Mantra Sect ruins, so I can't make any promises, but as long as my life doesn't come under threat, I'm willing to lend you my assistance," Han Li replied.
"You have my thanks, Fellow Daoist Li," Immortal Lord Hot Flame said with an elated expression.
"Speaking of which, what exactly is this Great Five Elemental Illusion Mantra? You mentioned that it's a cultivation art?" Han Li asked.
"That's right. The Great Five Elemental Illusion Mantra is a time-attribute cultivation art. As I'm sure you're aware, there are many time-attribute cultivation arts in the True Mantra Sect, and the Great Five Elemental Illusion Mantra is the most confidential one," Immortal Lord Hot Flame explained.
"I see. In that case, we really do have to ensure that it doesn't fall into the hands of any outsiders," Han Li replied with a nod.
Immortal Lord Hot Flame was secretly observing Han Li's expression, and he was quite relieved to see that there was no greed on Han Li's face as he spoke of the Great Five Elemental Illusion Mantra.
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