Chapter 1043: Joint Effort

"I didn't expect Fellow Daoist Han to dare show up here. I, Xu, am rather impressed," the young man surnamed Xu sneered. He raised his hand, and a silver light shot out, smashing a stone figure facing him to pieces. He was the first to speak.

"Why wouldn't I dare come? With a spiritual treasure right before us, do you still have the mind to trouble me?" Han Li retorted, his gaze sweeping over calmly.

He saw that the shattered remains of the stone figure, with a flash of white light from the altar, reformed as if new. It then continued to wield its golden blade, unleashing blade light towards the sky. He felt a little surprised.

Hearing Han Li's words, the Grand Immortal Master of the Tianlan Grasslands' face darkened with a hint of menace. Just as he was about to say something more, the Silver-winged Yaksha in the distance spread its wings in the air and said faintly:

"Have you perhaps forgotten the grudge between us? Though a treasure is before us, I don't mind settling some personal scores first."

As soon as these words fell, the Lion-Roc Beast nearby also let out a low growl, its menacing intent unmistakable.

"Is that so?" Han Li heard this and, without surprise, began to laugh.

The Gui Ling, who was nearby, let out a breath. It took a step forward and stood shoulder-to-shoulder with Han Li.

This scene caused the Silver-winged Yaksha's expression to subtly change.

"Fellow Daoist Gui, what is the meaning of this? Why are you with this human cultivator?"

"Meaning? Do you really know, or are you just feigning ignorance? This old woman was severely used by you! You only cared about your own Spirit Tokens and completely disregarded my life or death. Now my Spirit Token is in someone else's hands. If I don't want my soul to scatter, then naturally I can only obey orders!" A fierce glint flashed in Gui Ling's eyes. It suddenly pointed at the distant Silver-winged Yaksha and began to curse loudly.

This left all the cultivators dumbfounded.

The Silver-winged Yaksha showed a hint of extreme awkwardness. The Lion-Roc Beast, which had been growling nearby, immediately closed its mouth.

Speaking of which, these three demons had a deep history together. They naturally shared some past camaraderie. If possible, the two demons would have liked to help the ugly woman retrieve her Spirit Token.

However, the situation at the time was truly unique. It was already extremely fortunate for them to have snatched back their own Spirit Tokens, so they truly couldn't spare a thought for Gui Ling's token. Moreover, Han Li was exceedingly cunning. The moment he got the treasure, he immediately slipped away, while they were trapped by the power of the Four Symbols Ruler and could only watch helplessly as Han Li escaped.

"Fellow Daoist Gui, rest assured. The two of us will certainly help you retrieve your Spirit Token." The Silver-winged Yaksha's expression instantly returned to normal. It stared at Han Li and said grimly.

"At this point, what good is saying all that? This old woman now has no choice but to obey orders. If I end up facing you, don't blame me for showing no mercy!" Gui Ling, however, showed no appreciation at all, and glared as it spoke.

The Silver-winged Yaksha forced a bitter smile upon hearing this and said nothing more, but it glared fiercely at Han Li twice.

Han Li, however, remained expressionless and acted as if he hadn't seen it. At the same time, he made up his mind: if the Silver-winged Yaksha truly sought trouble with him, then he might as well let Gui Ling deal with it.

"Fellow Daoist Han, I wonder what the outcome of your battle with Old Demon Qian was. That old demon hasn't appeared yet. Could it be that he met his end at your hands?" Madam Mu of the Immortal Transformation Sect suddenly smiled charmingly and asked.

The content of these words startled all the other cultivators.

"So it was truly you, Madam, who was secretly observing our battle in the Northern Extreme Primordial Light. I haven't yet had the honor of asking for your esteemed name." Upon hearing the woman's ill-intentioned question, Han Li's eyelid twitched. He then calmly swept his gaze over her and the beautiful woman beside her, and asked.

"It seems Brother Han is probably the only one here who doesn't recognize the two of us. This humble one hails from the Immortal Transformation Sect of the Southern Border, so I could be considered half a host here. However, Brother Han's face is quite unfamiliar. Are you not a cultivator from our Great Jin?" Madam Mu's alluring figure trembled slightly. A hint of charm appeared on her ordinary face, yet deep within her pupils, there was an icy chill.

"My origins seem to have no bearing on the current matter. However, when I was in Kunwu Hall, I received quite a bit of attention from the two of you, Fellow Daoists. As for Brother Qian, we merely sparred a bit, and of course, we went our separate ways afterward. Why hasn't Fellow Daoist Qian arrived yet? I thought he would have come first." Han Li spoke nonsense effortlessly, his expression unchanged. This made Gui Ling, who was standing nearby, roll its eyes internally, utterly speechless.

Although Madam Mu harbored some doubts, she didn't truly believe that Han Li had killed the infamous Old Demon Qian. So, after hearing Han Li's unfriendly reply, she covered her mouth and smiled, saying nothing more.

The other few unfamiliar cultivators, seeing how many people were paying attention to the newly appeared Han Li, exchanged glances, then retreated a little and stopped attacking the stone puppets in the formation.

Among them, a white-robed Confucian scholar at the late Nascent Soul stage, his eyes flashing, his lips moving slightly, transmitted a message to Han Li:

"Fellow Daoist, it seems you have some grievances with others here. I am the Great Elder of the Ye family, in charge of the Great Jin Imperial Lineage. Are you interested in joining forces with the Ye family? Our Ye family only desires this Eight Spirits Ruler; all other treasures within the palace will belong to you. What do you think, Fellow Daoist?"

Han Li was slightly startled upon hearing this, but no unusual expression appeared on his face, nor did he reply.

"Fellow Daoist, don't think our Ye family is greedy. Even if you are lucky enough to obtain such a supreme treasure, you would never be able to keep it for long, being isolated and weak." The Confucian scholar, seeing Han Li's cultivation and that he could even command a high-level demonic beast like Gui Ling, felt a strong urge to win him over.

Han Li's eyebrow twitched slightly. He finally spoke as well, transmitting his voice:

"As the foremost aristocratic family in Great Jin, why would your Ye family need assistance from an outsider like me? And didn't two Grand Cultivators from your family enter this mountain? Where is the other Fellow Daoist?" As Han Li's eyes flickered, he clearly observed the few unfamiliar cultivators. None of them seemed to be disguised Ancient Demons. Although he felt a slight relief, he grew even more wary.

"I didn't expect Brother Han to even know who from my Ye family has arrived. To be frank, Fellow Daoist, my elder should also be in this tower. Although I haven't contacted him, I believe he will certainly make a move at a crucial moment. Perhaps he has already sneaked into the palace!" The Confucian scholar's heart jolted, but he chuckled.

"Is that so? If the palace turns out to be empty, wouldn't I have wasted my effort and completely offended everyone else?" Han Li was silent for a moment before replying.

"That's simple. I previously obtained several powerful treasures in other parts of Kunwu Mountain. If Fellow Daoist truly gains nothing, I am willing to offer all of them to Brother Han as gifts. If Brother Han is afraid of offending others, our Ye family can also, afterwards, accept you as an honored elder, or pay you a one-time sum of a million spirit stones." The white-robed Confucian scholar, seeing that Han Li was somewhat swayed, quickly laid out all the conditions he had prepared.

One should know that because the Big-Headed Eccentric and several other Ye family cultivators had inexplicably disappeared, he was feeling greatly anxious, believing things were spiraling out of his control. Naturally, he spared no expense to win over Han Li, a cultivator who seemed to be from outside Great Jin.

"As for an honored elder, let's forget it. However, I am very interested in those million spirit stones. At worst, after this, I'll just immediately leave Great Jin." Han Li pondered for a moment, then chuckled softly and agreed.

"That would be for the best. Then I, Ye, consider it settled with you, Fellow Daoist. In a moment, Fellow Daoist just needs to act as the situation dictates." The white-robed Confucian scholar seemed very pleased.

"What? Are you really going to let someone else have this Eight Spirits Ruler?" Silvermoon, as Han Li's soul-linked artifact spirit, had clearly heard Han Li's conversation with the Confucian scholar. It couldn't help but ask.

"Let them have it? Of course not. He and I have merely reached a verbal agreement. An agreement like this, with no guarantee, neither he nor I will take seriously. It's just that the Ye family now feels they are at a disadvantage, and I also need someone to help me keep others in check. That's all." Han Li said leisurely to Silvermoon.

"I suppose so! As long as the great formation can be broken, whoever obtains the Eight Spirits Ruler then will still depend on their individual abilities." Silvermoon said with a sigh.

Han Li smiled faintly and said nothing more, because at this moment, the white-robed Confucian scholar infused his magic power and spoke loudly to the others.

"Fellow Daoists, since Fellow Daoist Han has also arrived, we should have a better chance of breaking this ancient great formation. Our previous agreement should also be valid for Fellow Daoist Han, correct?"

"Hmph! Just us here are already enough to break this formation. Why do we need to add anyone else? Let's just take it." The young man surnamed Xu snorted coldly.

"Take it? Brother Xu, are you perhaps joking? If Brother Xu can achieve it by himself, I naturally have no objections. Moreover, the seal outside is constantly weakening. Do you think we still have time to dilly-dally here?" The white-robed Confucian scholar's face darkened, and he said grimly.

"That statement is indeed true. Xuan Qingzi of the Grand Unity Sect has already arrived outside, and I've also heard that True Master Qimiao of the Heavenly Demon Sect is coming here. We have at most one more day to retrieve the treasure. Otherwise, by then, if someone from the top Orthodox or Demonic sects arrives, do you think this Eight Spirits Ruler will still be ours?" Madam Mu brushed away the strands of hair from her forehead and surprisingly said.

Grand Unity Sect! Heavenly Demon Sect!

Aside from the three demonic beasts, all the cultivators, including Han Li, were greatly startled. Especially the Great Elder of the Ye family, whose face instantly paled a few shades.

The young man Xu and Lin Yinping exchanged glances. Their expressions were not much better.

Although their Tianlan Holy Temple had some dealings with the Heavenly Demon Sect, they would never believe that the other party would share the Kunwu Mountain treasures equally with them.

"Alright, let him also join the ranks of breaking the formation. However, once the great formation is broken, whoever obtains this Heaven-reaching spiritual treasure will rely on their own abilities!" The young man surnamed Xu, truly worthy of being a Grand Cultivator, immediately made his decision.

The others, including the Silver-winged Yaksha and other demonic beasts, all harbored their own ulterior motives, but no one objected further.

Seeing this, Han Li's lips curled into a slight smile. He then shook his sleeve, and over ten golden flying swords shot out. Without another word, they attacked the stone puppets below. The others, also unwilling to delay, once again fiercely attacked the great formation.

The puppets below, which had been motionless, immediately became active again. They wielded their golden blades with no signs of weakness, attacking the cultivators in the air.

Immediately, blade lights crisscrossed, and roars resounded once more!