Chapter 1002: Purple Mist

Inside the cave, the old man surnamed Fu and Bai Yaoyi were still sitting quietly in meditation.

Han Li had no intention of disturbing them. After a moment of hesitation, he slapped his storage pouch, and a stack of formation flags and plates appeared in his hand. Without any reservations, he tossed them into the air.

Immediately, spiritual lights of various colors shot out in all directions, quickly disappearing into the cave's surroundings, and a simple magic formation instantly took shape.

Besides providing concealment, this formation could also serve as a warning if any enemies attempted to invade the cave.

The other two paid no attention to Han Li's actions, remaining motionless where they sat.

Han Li smiled slightly at this, then sat down cross-legged in a corner of the cave and closed his eyes to rest.

After a day and a night, the old man surnamed Fu and Bai Yaoyi gradually recovered their spiritual power.

As the two stood up one after another, Han Li's expression shifted, and he opened his eyes.

"Have both of you fellow Daoists fully recovered your spiritual power?" he asked calmly.

"Thank you, Brother Han, for standing guard. Brother Fu and I have almost fully recovered," Bai Yaoyi replied with a charming smile.

"Brother Han, you went outside. Do you know where this place is?" the old man surnamed Fu asked, unable to resist, after glancing at the massive formation in the center.

"I'm not sure," Han Li replied candidly. "But we are inside a giant mountain, and the surroundings are protected by restrictions. It doesn't seem easy to leave."

"A giant mountain? Brother Han is from overseas, so it's normal that you're not familiar with the famous mountains and rivers of the mainland. However, I might be able to recognize it," the old man surnamed Fu said, his eyes lighting up with confidence.

"Heh heh! Is that so? Since Brother Fu says so, why don't you go out and take a look first?" Han Li chuckled, neither confirming nor denying.

"Judging by Brother Han's tone, is there something special about this mountain? Perhaps I should also go out for a look?" Bai Yaoyi immediately sensed something and said, her bright eyes flickering.

Han Li nodded, his expression unreadable.

His displayed abilities far surpassed those of the other two, making him the natural leader.

Thus, after exchanging glances, the old man and Bai Yaoyi immediately transformed into two streaks of light and flew out of the cave.

Han Li remained seated on the ground, but with a flip of his palm, the tracking magic compass appeared in his hand.

His gaze swept over the compass, where two distinct light points, one white and one black, were clearly visible.

Han Li narrowed his eyes, staring at the compass without speaking.

After an unknown period, he raised an eyebrow, and the compass vanished from his hand in a burst of radiant light.

Moments later, a flash of light at the cave entrance signaled the return of the old man surnamed Fu and Bai Yaoyi. However, their expressions were not pleasant as they reappeared before Han Li.

"Well? Did you two fellow Daoists discover anything?" Han Li asked, a half-smile playing on his lips.

Although he wasn't very familiar with the Great Jin, if such a large spiritual mountain truly existed, there was no way he wouldn't have known about it.

As expected, the old man surnamed Fu gave a bitter smile the moment Han Li finished speaking.

"Brother Han, please don't jest. Such a massive mountain, I haven't just never seen it; I haven't even heard of it. I'm not even sure if we're still within the Great Jin territory," the old man said, a hint of worry appearing on his face.

"Indeed. If such an astonishingly massive mountain were truly a spiritual mountain somewhere in the Great Jin, I couldn't possibly be unaware of it," Bai Yaoyi added, her delicate brows furrowed.

"Perhaps. Although I don't know what's going on with the external restrictions or the situation outside the mountain, this teleportation array was definitely set up by ancient cultivators. The array suddenly activated, transporting us and the Silver-winged Nightshade here. It might have been triggered by some restriction within the array during a battle, or there might be some other unknown reason. However, none of that matters now. Let's refine the Infant Nourishing Pill first, and then explore this mountain. What do you two fellow Daoists think?" Han Li said calmly.

"Brother Han speaks wisely. The spiritual energy here is so abundant that staying here for a long time won't be an issue. Moreover, even if there's something strange about this mountain, with Brother Han here, there's nothing to worry about. Perhaps this could even be some kind of fortunate encounter for us?" The old man surnamed Fu pondered for a moment before replying with a smile.

Bai Yaoyi also greatly desired the Infant Nourishing Pill, so she naturally wouldn't object. Therefore, she nodded.

"Brother Fu, you flatter me! You both must have noticed, perhaps due to the outer layer of restrictions, that our spiritual senses are greatly suppressed here. Our spiritual sense can only extend a few miles at most. And this mountain is so vast that even if all three of us worked together, who knows when we'd be able to explore it completely?" Han Li suddenly shifted the topic.

"Indeed. I noticed that long ago. Moreover, the mountain feels so eerily lifeless; it's quite strange. It's probably not a peaceful place either," Bai Yaoyi agreed.

"Regardless of the mountain's nature, the abundant spiritual energy here is greatly beneficial for refining spirit pills. Let us first refine the Infant Nourishing Pill," the old man surnamed Fu said with a dry chuckle.

Han Li and Bai Yaoyi naturally had no objections. So, the group immediately set up a spirit-gathering formation in the cave, and after adding several protective restrictions, the old man surnamed Fu began refining the Infant Nourishing Pill.

During this period, Han Li and Bai Yaoyi did not venture out again but remained nearby as protectors.

After all, the Infant Nourishing Pill was incredibly important to both of them. Even if there were other strange things about this mountain, they wouldn't be distracted for the time being.

While Han Li and the others were intently waiting for the Infant Nourishing Pill to be completed, a group of cultivators, including those from the Ye family, had gathered at a stone pavilion on the mountainside of the giant mountain.

Most of them were sitting cross-legged near the stone pavilion, holding a spirit stone in each hand, seemingly recovering their spiritual power.

The white-robed scholar, who was the Grand Elder of the Ye family, floated above the stone pavilion, gazing at a long stone staircase built into the mountain in the distance.

This staircase was entirely constructed from pure white stone, appearing from afar like a jade stairway to heaven.

But upon closer inspection, this white stone staircase was astonishingly wide, easily fifty to sixty *zhang* across.

Whether looking up or down, the staircase stretched far into a milky white mist, making it impossible to see anything beyond.

The scholar floated motionlessly in the air, his face devoid of expression.

Not long after, a spiritual light suddenly flashed across the sky, and a startling streak of rainbow light appeared, shooting down directly towards the stone pavilion.

Only then did the scholar's expression shift, and he looked towards the escaping light.

In a flash, the pale yellow streak of rainbow light arrived before the scholar.

The light receded, revealing a peculiar, large-headed grotesque figure—it was none other than the Ye family's "Seventh Uncle."

"Third Youngster, I've already investigated. After dozens of miles up the steps, there's an archway, which seems to be the renowned 'Gate of Ten Thousand Cultivators.' However, this archway is sealed by a restriction. We cannot proceed further without breaking this restriction," the grotesque figure said solemnly.

"The Gate of Ten Thousand Cultivators! Then it's correct. It's said that in ancient times, there were once as many as ten thousand cultivators living on Kunwu Mountain. Only by passing through this gate can one reach the dwelling places of the cultivators on Kunwu Mountain." The scholar exhaled a long breath, his expression relaxing.

"However, the restriction sealing this gate seems extraordinary. It would be best to act quickly! We don't have much time to waste," the grotesque figure said, frowning as he looked at the cultivators still recovering below the pavilion.

"I'm well aware of that. But the others have severely depleted spiritual power and must first recover. Even if Seventh Uncle and I are fine, this place is not entirely safe, and we must also guard the elders, so we cannot split up," the scholar said, somewhat helplessly.

"That's true! I didn't expect passing through the sealed rift to be so difficult. Fortunately, all who came this time are cultivators above the Nascent Soul stage; otherwise, some would surely have fallen," the grotesque figure sighed.

The scholar smiled upon hearing this and was about to speak again when his expression suddenly changed, and he sharply looked in a certain direction.

"What's wrong?" the grotesque figure asked, startled.

"It seems there's a sound coming from that direction," the scholar said gravely.

"A sound?" The grotesque figure was somewhat startled. As he circulated his spiritual power, he faintly heard a beast roar, seemingly like a lion or tiger, yet also like a dragon's cry, and the sound grew louder.

"What is that? Something really seems to be coming!" The grotesque figure's eyes flashed with cold light. With a flick of his wrist, a shimmering silver object appeared in his hand.

The scholar also looked into the distance, his eyes unblinking.

Moments later, a patch of purple mist appeared in the distance, shooting towards them, and the beast's roar emanated from within the mist.

In an instant, the purple mist flew close, stopping only about a hundred *zhang* from the stone pavilion.

The scholar and the grotesque figure could now faintly discern a dark, indistinct mass within the mist, with a pair of fist-sized crimson demonic eyes glaring at them, filled with bloodthirsty rage. It was clearly not something benevolent.

The grotesque figure's face sank, and he raised a hand.

A streak of silver light shot out from his hand and vanished in a flash.

But at that very moment, a gigantic, chicken-like claw shot out from the purple mist with a "bang," and silver light flashed on the claw.

A loud beast roar erupted from within the purple mist. The massive claw actually seized the silver light firmly, revealing its true form: a small, sparkling silver shuttle, only a few inches in size.

However, a few drops of green blood dripped from the giant claw, and the creature in the purple mist immediately let out a pained roar, its demonic eyes flashing ferociously.

The entire purple mist suddenly thinned and dispersed, vanishing into thin air in an instant. Only the two ferocious demonic eyes remained, which blinked a few times before also disappearing in a flash.

Seeing this, both the grotesque figure and the scholar changed expressions.

This was actually a monster skilled in stealth and escape techniques! Now that they were in this mountain, with their spiritual senses heavily suppressed, dealing with such a monster would be the most troublesome task.

After exchanging glances, the two simultaneously cast spells.

The grotesque figure opened his mouth, and a yellow flying sword shot out. After a turn, it transformed into a massive greatsword, about a *zhang* long. Then, the sword shone with brilliant spiritual light. After a brief dance in the air, countless blinding sword energies burst forth from it, instantly enveloping everything within several dozen *zhang* below.

Meanwhile, the scholar let out a cold snort, shook his sleeve, and a small green banner appeared in his hand. He then tossed it down, and immediately, a surge of green energy erupted from the banner, instantly forming a large cloud of mist that enveloped and protected the cultivators of the Ye family below the stone pavilion.