Chapter 1158: Chaos Erupts

Volume Six: Heavenly Spiritual Treasures

Han Li chuckled, saying nothing more. He shook the jade slip in his hand and swept his spiritual sense into it.

However, after reading only a few sentences, Han Li's expression drastically changed. First, he looked surprised, then incredulous, and finally, delighted.

Seeing this, Barbarian Hu's Nascent Soul felt rather perplexed.

Still, he hadn't tampered with the incantation at all, so there was nothing to worry about.

After the time it took for a stick of incense to burn, Han Li finished reading the jade slip at a pace much slower than Barbarian Hu had anticipated. He withdrew his spiritual sense, but his expression became uncertain.

"Brother Barbarian, where did you learn this 'Heaven-Supporting Demonic Art'? Does it have any particular origin?" Han Li slowly asked.

"Origin? This demonic art is a renowned cultivation method in the Starfall Sea. It has been circulating for a long time, and its fame is comparable to the Six Paths' Six Extremes Demonic Art. However, this cultivation method has always been passed down through a single lineage; I only learned it after meeting my master. What's wrong with this cultivation method?" the Nascent Soul asked, puzzled.

"Nothing!" Han Li's eyes flickered as he shook his head. With a flip of his hand, the jade slip vanished.

"If Brother Han is too busy to cultivate this art, you can simply pass it down to a disciple. As long as the Heaven-Supporting Demonic Art's lineage isn't truly severed, that would be fine." Barbarian Hu, having witnessed Han Li's earlier unusual reaction, wouldn't believe his words. He merely spoke indifferently, showing no intention of pursuing the matter.

For him, devouring Grand Exorcist's Nascent Soul was naturally the top priority. Thus, he immediately continued:

"Since you've reviewed the cultivation method, Fellow Daoist, may I proceed?" As he spoke, the Nascent Soul's eyes flashed with red light, and a faint murderous aura appeared on its face.

"Of course. However, Brother Barbarian, you seem a bit weak now. Would you like me to lend a hand?" Han Li glanced at the ice-bound Grand Exorcist, then asked with a smile.

"Thank you for your kindness, Fellow Daoist, but there's no need. Although my magic power is not even a tenth of what it used to be, it's more than enough to deal with an immobilized cultivator." Barbarian Hu shook his head, speaking with unusual confidence.

"Then I'll leave it to you, Brother Barbarian. I'll wait outside." Han Li smiled faintly and said nothing more. With a flicker of his figure, he arrived at the entrance and slowly walked out of the stone chamber.

Immediately, only Barbarian Hu's Nascent Soul and the ice-bound Grand Exorcist remained inside.

Barbarian Hu stared at Grand Exorcist with a sinister expression. Grand Exorcist couldn't move, but his eyes simultaneously revealed extreme fear. Han Li stood in the corridor outside the stone chamber, idly toying with the jade slip in his hand, lost in thought.

The stone chamber remained unusually silent, with no sound at all. After a full quarter of an hour, a somewhat tired voice finally came through.

"Fellow Daoist Han, you may come in now." It was Barbarian Hu's voice, though slightly hoarse.

Han Li raised an eyebrow. With a clasp of his hands, the jade slip in his grasp vanished without a trace again.

He then turned and walked back into the stone chamber.

He saw that the massive blue ice block still stood intact, but Grand Exorcist inside had lifeless, fish-like eyes and was completely devoid of breath.

The Nascent Soul, however, hovered above the blue ice. Its body was subtly larger than before by nearly half, and it appeared vibrant, without its previous weakness. Yet, its small face was filled with extreme fatigue. "Thank you, Brother Han, for this time. I have temporarily recovered most of my vital essence, and I must immediately cultivate Nirvana while I have the chance. Otherwise, all my efforts will be in vain. The address of my secret cave dwelling is..." The Nascent Soul saw Han Li and immediately began to speak, but by the end, its voice lowered, and it transmitted the message directly.

Han Li listened intently for a few moments, then nodded, his expression unchanged.

"Alright, my great revenge is avenged. I shall cultivate Nirvana here. Fellow Daoist Han, please make yourself at home." The Nascent Soul let out a long breath and spoke calmly. Then, its figure flickered, and it shot directly to a corner of the stone chamber, sitting down cross-legged.

Dazzling golden light illuminated the Nascent Soul's body, and its aura began to fluctuate, becoming intermittently strong and weak.

Han Li smiled faintly, likewise paying no further attention to Barbarian Hu's act of cultivating Nirvana. Instead, he rubbed his hands together and then raised them.

With a clap of thunder, several thick golden arcs shot out, striking the giant ice block. They exploded in a flash of golden light. Instantly, the ice shattered into countless fragments amidst a myriad of fine electric sparks, turning Grand Exorcist's physical body inside into shattered remains as well.

Han Li glanced, and after confirming that there were indeed no split souls or second Nascent Souls inside, he nodded in satisfaction before turning his head back.

Just then, as spiritual light circulated on the Nascent Soul's surface, faint cracks began to appear. Golden light shimmered within the cracks, as if golden liquid were about to seep out.

Han Li narrowed his eyes, staring intently at Barbarian Hu's Nascent Soul, remaining silent.

After a soft "thump," the entire Nascent Soul disintegrated, transforming into specks of golden light that vanished into thin air.

Witnessing the Nirvana of Barbarian Hu's Nascent Soul, Han Li sighed softly. He raised his hand and flicked his finger towards the remains on the ground.

A fireball shot forth, engulfing everything on the ground in flames.

Han Li didn't even look at the flames. He transformed into a streak of clear light, circled once in the stone chamber, and then shot out from the entrance. In a blink, his escape light flashed in the corridor and disappeared without a trace.

Because Han Li no longer had any misgivings upon exiting, he unleashed his full escape speed, reaching the end of the corridor in mere moments.

A stone wall, flickering with spiritual light, blocked his path.

Han Li didn't hesitate. With a raise of his hand, golden light immediately flickered from his fingertips; he was about to unleash sword qi to cut open the stone door.

But at that very moment, a tremendous, earth-shaking roar suddenly echoed. The entire corridor trembled violently, emitting rumbling reverberations.

Han Li paused, slightly startled, but his hand movements didn't stop at all. With several overlapping golden lights crossing and slashing, the stone door instantly shattered into pieces.

With a flicker of his figure, he appeared outside the stone door.

Outside was the first floor of the pavilion, and this stone door was merely a secret entrance in one corner of the building.

However, as soon as he exited the corridor, the tremendous roars and tremors increased several-fold. From outside the pavilion's entrance came sounds of wild laughter, furious shouts, and intermittent whistling explosions, as if Stone Peak had instantly become a battlefield where people were casting spells and fighting.

Han Li frowned. Just then, a red light shot in from outside the pavilion. Before the person inside could clearly see who was in the pavilion, they shouted loudly:

"This is bad! The demonic beasts of Iron Stone Peak suddenly... Huh! Who are you? Where's Elder Wu?" Upon seeing the person standing in the hall was not Grand Exorcist as he had expected, the cultivator was startled and blurted out in alarm.

But Han Li sneered. He opened his mouth, a golden light flashed and vanished, and immediately a scream came from the opposite side.

The cultivator in the red light was instantly decapitated by sword light that strangely appeared around him, and two broken crimson swords fell to the ground.

This Core Formation cultivator from the Anti-Star Alliance was truly unlucky; he hadn't even clearly seen Han Li's appearance before foolishly losing his life.

However, Han Li did understand a few things from the other party's brief words: it seemed the sea beasts had suddenly launched a sneak attack on the Anti-Star Alliance.

Although he had some doubts, he had no intention of getting involved in the matter. Immediately, he formed a hand seal, retracted his aura, and then with another flicker of his figure, he completely concealed his presence. Only then did he leisurely float towards the outside of the pavilion.

However, before he could float to the main entrance, he heard a thunderous roar reverberating from the sky:

"Fellow Daoist Tang, our sea race has dispatched so many transformed tribesmen this time. Your Anti-Star Alliance will definitely be unable to resist. If you're sensible, obediently hand over that top-tier supreme-grade spirit stone immediately."

"Our sea race might even spare your lives."

The speaker's voice boomed, yet his cultivation was astonishingly high. The lower-ranked Anti-Star Alliance cultivators outside the pavilion were directly shaken by these few words, their bodies becoming weak and their spiritual power momentarily sluggish and ineffective.

Upon hearing the words "supreme-grade spirit stone," Han Li's heart skipped a beat. Almost instinctively, he shot out from the pavilion's main entrance.

He followed the sound and looked up into the sky.

Outside, chaos reigned. Spiritual lights flickered everywhere, explosions were incessant, and dozens of cultivators and strange-looking demonic beasts were locked in fierce combat. High in the sky, pale blue mist almost entirely obscured the heavens.

And beneath the mist, several battle groups were in a stalemate. Among them, a thin, blue-robed old man held a clear mirror in one hand, emitting countless dazzling blue lights, while with the other, he wielded a blue flying sword, like a flood dragon emerging from the sea.

His opponent was an incredibly fat monk, exceptionally tall, wearing a golden ring on each arm. He held a round alms bowl and spewed forth bursts of blue mist, actually blocking the thin old man's attacks. And that thunderous roar came from this monk's mouth.

Han Li's blue light flickered as he gazed at the monk. On his neck, he noticed several shimmering silver scales.

As for the other locations, a man and a woman were jointly battling a scholar with a pair of short horns on his head. Another gray-robed old man used a gourd to unleash bursts of chilling wind, locked in a stalemate with a figure enveloped in crimson flames. And in a slightly more distant spot, a large mass of bloody mist churned, with faint roars and explosions emanating from within. It seemed someone was fighting fiercely there.

It seemed impossible to tell who was winning or losing at the moment. It appeared the Anti-Star Alliance had indeed done the right thing by withdrawing other island's Nascent Soul cultivators early.

Otherwise, with Stone Peak's usual defenses, it would have been breached in a single assault.

"What supreme-grade spirit stone? Did I mishear? Where would I have any supreme-grade spirit stones?" The thin old man's expression remained unchanged as he increased the power of his magic treasure, but he spoke indifferently.

"Brother Tang, are you not being ridiculous by still trying to cover your ears while stealing a bell?" The fat monk laughed heartily, spewing out plumes of blue mist from his mouth, a look of disdain on his face.

"So, Fellow Daoist, you've only heard rumors. How could supreme-grade spirit stones still exist in the Human Realm? On the contrary, you came to the peak for no reason and killed so many cultivators of our alliance. I, Tang, will certainly not let this matter rest." The thin old man chuckled in reply, his expression turning cold.