Chapter 1014: 群魔隐现

The spiritual energy here is abundant, so why should I leave? Even though I don't know what the world outside is like now, I doubt the human realm could offer a more suitable cultivation spot than this. I’ll cultivate here until the day I ascend.” The ugly woman’s expression changed the moment the Silver-Winged Yaksha mentioned the 'life token', and her tone grew even more rigid.

“Fellow Daoist Gui, you know perfectly well that the seal is broken. Staying here to cultivate is impossible, so why persist with this stubborn talk? Besides, we share a considerable connection; we should be joining forces to overcome this difficulty, shouldn't we?” The Silver-Winged Yaksha frowned.

“There is indeed some connection. You are a spirit cultivated from a human cultivator’s physical body, while the Lion-Beast and I were the spiritual beasts and birds that person raised in the past. We were also sealed together in the Spirit-Trapping Formation by those cultivators.” The ugly woman did not deny it; her expression softened slightly as she nodded.

“That’s precisely why the three of us can join forces. The Kunwu Hall has restrictions specifically designed to suppress us, making it impossible to approach it normally. Now that human cultivators are paving the way for us, we just need to sneak in behind them. When the time comes, we can strike together, and seizing the life token will be effortless.”

“Hmph! You make it sound easy. But I heard the Lion-Beast say that both groups of cultivators are quite numerous, and some late-stage cultivators are leading them. Oh, and that very troublesome cultivator you mentioned, who seems to possess a Heaven-Reaching Spirit Treasure, appears to be with them too. At that point, we might not get the life token and instead get ourselves trapped. I'm tired of being imprisoned. I'd rather not have the life token. At worst, I'll just burrow deep into this mountain's spiritual veins and sleep for another thousand years. Even if they have the life token then, I simply won't meet them. What could they do to me?” The ugly woman was swayed internally, but she still wouldn't concede easily.

“Fellow Daoist Gui, don't forget that I'm also skilled in earth evasion techniques.” The Silver-Winged Yaksha seemed to lose patience, his face darkening.

“What do you mean by that?” The woman glared at the Silver-Winged Yaksha, her eyes chilling.

“It's simple. If these humans get the life token and inquire about related matters, I certainly won't be able to refuse to tell them about you. Do you think these cultivators would easily let go of a Level 10 Profound Rock Turtle's demon core? At that point, I'd undoubtedly be sent to hunt you down!” The Silver-Winged Yaksha said calmly.

“In that case, you and I will simply leave together.” The ugly woman grunted a few times, a hint of anger showing on her face.

“I won't miss this excellent opportunity to seize the life token, nor do I intend to be trapped in this mountain for life. You see, without absorbing the essence of the yin moon from outside the mountain, I can never evolve into a Golden-bodied Moon Corpse.” The Silver-Winged Yaksha stated bluntly.

“Hmph. Are you threatening me?!” The woman suddenly leapt several feet high, pointing at the Silver-Winged Yaksha and cursing loudly.

“Heh heh. Whether it's a threat or not, Fellow Daoist Gui can judge for yourself. Don't forget, you still owe me a favor. When those ancient cultivators placed the Bloodlust Curse on us, making us mindless brutes, it was I who secretly gave you a Purity-Void Pill. Otherwise, you would have long ago become a bloodthirsty madman, instead of being able to take on human form today.” The Silver-Winged Yaksha fanned his silver wings behind him. He said with a chilling tone.

“I certainly remember that favor.” Upon hearing about the Bloodlust Curse, the woman's arrogance immediately diminished considerably.

“But don't forget, there should be a fourth creature that was brought here besides us. We haven't met it yet, and we don't know if it's a ghost or a demon. If we could join forces with it, I might consider it.” The woman said, her tone relaxing after a moment of silence.

“I've already searched everywhere. I haven't found the fourth Spirit-Trapping Formation, nor have I discovered any other demon or ghost traces. Perhaps the fourth one wasn't so lucky. It's very possible it's long gone. After all, it didn't have a Purity-Void Pill to maintain its sanity. The likelihood of a bloodthirsty madman still existing after so many years is quite low. Even if it does exist, we don't have time to search for it thoroughly.” The Silver-Winged Yaksha shook his head.

The ugly woman’s expression fluctuated between dark and bright upon hearing this.

After a long pause, she finally let out a sigh and said fiercely:

“Fine. Since you've brought up the Purity-Void Pill, I'll help you one more time. But, as agreed, once we get that life token, we leave immediately. I won't stay in this dilapidated mountain anymore. I'll go find a deserted place outside and cultivate in seclusion from now on.”

“That's more like it. With our cultivation levels and freedom, there's nowhere in the world we can't go.” A hint of joy appeared on the Silver-Winged Yaksha's face. The woman, transformed from a Profound Rock Turtle, possessed even slightly stronger abilities than he did, making her a powerful ally.

“Before we act, however, we should plan carefully. Since those cultivators already know about the two of you, we must be cautious not to fall into their trap instead.” After the ugly woman agreed, she surprisingly became extraordinarily calm.

“Naturally!” This time, the Silver-Winged Yaksha agreed without hesitation.

The Lion-Beast nearby also let out a low growl, raising its neck.

Immediately, the three demonic beings began to confer in low voices beneath the giant tree. After roughly the time it takes to eat a meal, all three suddenly rose into the air and swiftly vanished towards the stone steps.

In an instant, the area beneath the giant tree became exceptionally quiet, with only the occasional whisper of wind.

After an unknown period, another seemingly ordinary large tree near the giant tree suddenly trembled, then rapidly shrunk from large to small. Enveloped in a burst of green light, a part of the tree's surface bulged, and suddenly two massive, verdant green eyes appeared.

These eyes were unusually crystal-green. With a slight turn, they coldly gazed in the direction where the Silver-Winged Yaksha and the others had vanished, seemingly devoid of any emotion.

This tree was actually a transformation of an unknown demonic creature. Despite their astonishing divine abilities, the Silver-Winged Yaksha and the other two demonic beings had failed to detect this demon right beside them. It was truly an incredible oversight.

The demon's eyes stared directly into the sky for a moment. Then, with a flash of green light around its body and a 'whoosh,' the tree it had transformed into burrowed into the ground and vanished without a trace.

Only then did the area truly become quiet and deserted.

Meanwhile, elsewhere, after the Lion-Beast disappeared, Han Li and the others had no intention of lingering in the stone hall. Instead, they quickly fled from it.

As soon as they emerged from the hall, they naturally encountered the same anti-flight restriction that the Ye family cultivators had, causing them to fall from the sky.

While startled, they were also greatly pleased. They naturally understood that they had finally reached a crucial area of Kunwu Mountain.

“What is that?” Bai Yaoyi cried out softly, her jade-like face filled with shock as she stared intently at the distance beyond the stone steps.

The others paused in surprise, then quickly looked over. Only then did they discover that a few miles away, the stone steps wound their way into a vast forest of towering purple bamboo.

This forest was entirely composed of dense, massive purple bamboo, so thick that it would take a person's embrace to circle one, covering almost everything as far as the eye could see. The White Jade Plaza, which should have been there previously, was completely obscured by the bamboo forest, leaving no trace.

Faint purple energy permeated the forest, and the faint but astonishing spiritual pressure emanating from it made Han Li and the others' hearts clench.

“This formation seems far more powerful than the Ice-Flame Bipolar Array. However, this should be the last restriction set up by that group of people. Once we break this formation, we can catch up to them.” Hua Tianqi said gravely after a careful observation.

“In that case, what are we waiting for?” Old Devil Qian let out a burst of maniacal laughter, and his Five Demon Minions transformed into a colorful glow, sweeping directly towards the bamboo forest.

Hua Tianqi hesitated briefly, then also drifted towards the purple bamboo forest with a few members of the Poison Saint Sect.

“Let's go too. Hmm, Brother Han, what's wrong?” The old man named Fu called out, and as he was about to move, he suddenly noticed Han Li's extremely troubled expression beside him, as if something was amiss, which startled him.

“It's nothing, let's just go.” Han Li took a deep breath, and his expression instantly returned to normal. Then, with a flicker of his body, he drifted several tens of feet away without another word, as if unwilling to explain further.

The old man stroked his chin. Although startled, he managed to suppress his thoughts and quickly followed.

The old man named Fu naturally didn't know that just moments ago, dozens of flying swords within Han Li's body had trembled inexplicably at the same time. This startled him, and he immediately realized that the Ancient Demon was also on this mountain.

How could Han Li's expression possibly remain calm after that?!

Could the Ancient Demon be among the cultivators ahead? How could this demonic overlord have infiltrated them and come to this mountain? Is there something here that the Ancient Demon values, or is there some other conspiracy at play?

A series of thoughts instantly surged through Han Li's mind, completely disorienting him and making it impossible for him to maintain his composure.

This wasn't to say that Han Li, now possessing the Three-Flame Fan and a late-stage Nascent Soul puppet, still feared the Ancient Demon excessively. Rather, the timing of this demon's appearance was simply too bizarre.

For him to repeatedly encounter this demon in the vast Jin Dynasty, coupled with the fresh memory of the Myriad Devil Abyss in Tiannan, was unsettling. This gave Han Li a deeply unsettling feeling.

At this moment, Old Devil Qian, driving his Five Demon Minions, had reached the bamboo forest. Bursts of grey cold air spewed forth from the white shadows, rushing towards the embroidered forest.

Then, the purple bamboo forest hummed, and seven consecutive pillars of purple light suddenly shot up into the sky from various parts of the bamboo grove. Immediately after, the purple energy within the embroidered forest seemed to come alive, transforming into purple waves that instantly resisted the grey cold air, intertwining and tearing at each other like two monstrous beasts.

Seeing this, the four elders of the Poison Saint Sect and the big man, along with other cultivators who had just arrived, immediately unleashed their divine abilities without hesitation. Various treasures transformed into colorful glows, fiercely sweeping towards the bamboo forest.

Just as Han Li silently unleashed several flying swords, joining the attack absentmindedly, outside the seal, by the underground passage that had been resealed after the illusory array's self-destruction, several more uninvited guests arrived.