Chapter 1382: Provocation

"Don't worry, fellow Daoist," the white-browed young man chuckled, "our lives are precious, and we won't act rashly."

"So, what's your plan, then?" asked Long Dong.

"We can stealthily conceal ourselves and launch surprise attacks on the lizard and giant from two sides, making them think the other initiated the attack. Wouldn't that work?" The white-browed youth seemed to have already considered this and spoke without hesitation.

"That sounds simple enough," the young woman mused, shaking her head slightly. "But we don't know how powerful their spiritual senses are. If our stealth is detected, wouldn't the attacking Daoist immediately be in great danger? That's not very safe!"

"Regarding stealth techniques, I happen to have two 'Empty Clarity Charms'," the white-robed girl said with a faint smile, pressing her lips together. "If fully activated, even cultivators below the mid-stage of the Void Refinement realm would find it difficult to see through them. I can contribute those."

"'Empty Clarity Charms'? Those are a type of Silver Tadpole Spirit Talisman. They could indeed be effective against these two creatures. But to be safe, we don't need to expose our true bodies at first. I also have two silver flood dragon puppets." Long Dong's expression brightened with delight. "Each one can be used like a Nascent Soul cultivator. We can just attach the talismans to the puppets and have them launch the attack. That would be much safer."

"That's an excellent method. Even if the puppets don't succeed, we can still split into two groups and reveal ourselves in pairs to attract and distract them. Then, one Daoist with fast evasion techniques can remain hidden nearby, seizing the opportunity to strike and snatch the spirit fruit. Once the fruit is in hand, everyone can immediately use secret techniques to escape. These two creatures might be comparable in strength to Void Refinement cultivators, but if we are determined to flee, I don't think they can stop us. However, the Daoist tasked with snatching the spirit fruit must be exceptionally agile. Otherwise, with the mutated lizard's long tongue, it would be extremely dangerous," Xiao Hong said, her eyes shifting slightly.

"Fairy Xiao's words make sense. But the person who takes the fruit will be in extreme danger, and we also need to be sure they won't just escape with the treasure immediately afterward. Otherwise, this plan can't proceed," the white-browed youth said, a cold glint in his eyes.

"That's a valid point. Which fellow Daoist here is willing to be the one to make the final move? After securing the treasure, we'll need to regroup. Of course, this Daoist must also provide a method to reassure us," the white-robed girl said leisurely.

Upon hearing the girl's words, the other four exchanged strange glances. As the girl said, whoever ultimately plucked the Dragon Ganoderma fruit would likely face a furious interception from both monsters. The extreme danger was obvious, and who could trust another person to abscond with such a rare spiritual medicine? This dilemma was truly difficult to resolve.

"If it's acceptable to everyone, I am willing to be the one to make the final move," Han Li said with a sudden smile.

"Fellow Daoist Han, you're only at the mid-stage of the Core Transformation realm. Don't you think that's too dangerous?" Long Dong's eyes twitched, and he objected.

"That's right, Brother Han, your cultivation is indeed a bit low," the white-browed youth said, examining Han Li and shaking his head repeatedly.

"Although my cultivation isn't high enough, I possess a top-tier teleportation treasure that's close to a spiritual treasure, and my cultivation method is somewhat unique. I have some confidence in my ability to escape," Han Li said with a slight smile, appearing unconcerned.

"Oh, since Brother Han is so confident, entrusting it to you might be acceptable. But how can you assure us that you won't flee after acquiring the spirit fruit?" Long Dong's voice deepened.

"Well, I don't have any particular method to reassure you. But if you all feel I'm not suitable, you are welcome to volunteer yourselves for this important task. I have no objections," Han Li said with a chuckle, a half-smile on his face.

Hearing Han Li's words, the others were momentarily stunned. Although everyone desired the treasure, no one truly wanted to be the one to snatch food from the jaws of two Void Refinement-level beings. A slight misstep could lead to severe injuries, or even death.

"If Brother Han is willing to accept a restriction from me, I have no objections," the white-robed girl said directly.

"Indeed, I share that sentiment!" Xiao Hong gazed at Han Li for a moment and echoed.

Long Dong and the white-browed youth exchanged glances but said nothing.

"Placing a restriction on me is certainly possible! But you all must also accept the same type of restriction," Han Li's expression shifted slightly at the mention of "restriction" but then he coolly retorted.

"Hmph, what if you fail to retrieve the treasure and something unexpected happens? Wouldn't we be dragged down with you?" the white-browed youth scoffed.

"Heh heh, that's precisely my concern as well," Han Li replied without ceremony. In truth, even if these individuals agreed to his condition, he would likely never genuinely consent. The terrifying consequences of his previous mutual restriction with the Ice Phoenix, which resulted in his magic power being sealed and his Nascent Soul being destroyed, still haunted him. How could he willingly repeat such an ordeal?

Upon hearing Han Li's words, Long Dong and the others exchanged bitter smiles.

"How about this: if you can leave some collateral, we might be able to trust you," the white-robed girl said, batting her clear, dark eyes, a hint of cunning suddenly appearing on her face. "For example, you could temporarily hand over your life-bound magic treasure to us and also accept a tracking mark. In that case, we wouldn't fear you taking the treasure and fleeing."

"A life-bound magic treasure with a unique mark? That method I can accept. However, we must also mark each other. That way, when we are concealing our movements later, I can also know the whereabouts of you all. Heh heh, if Brother Long's two silver flood dragon puppets are effective, perhaps I won't even need to take the risk," Han Li mused for a long moment before nodding slowly.

Mutual marking! Long Dong and the young woman's hearts stirred. They exchanged glances and finally nodded slowly. It seemed this was the most viable method. Of course, this was also because Han Li was only at the mid-stage of the Core Transformation realm and appeared to be the weakest among them, so they weren't afraid he would truly abscond with the treasure.

Immediately, the group discussed further in detail, finally settling on the specific steps of their plan. Han Li opened his mouth and spat out four golden rays, each several inches long. They circled his body briefly before transforming into four glittering golden miniature swords, which landed in the hands of the other four. Long Dong and the others didn't stand on ceremony. They either used secret techniques or directly applied talismans to restrict the small swords in their hands. With a flash of spiritual light, they each stored the swords in their storage pouches. Then, these four individuals each emitted a cluster of light points of various colors from their fingertips, which flashed and vanished into Han Li's body. Han Li had already used his spiritual sense to carefully examine these light points. They were indeed purely refined spiritual energy, containing no other restrictions, so he allowed them to exist within his body with peace of mind. Subsequently, Han Li also cast a spell, releasing four clusters of green light that entered the bodies of Long Dong and the other three. With this, everyone felt a sense of relief. After exchanging a few more whispered words, they dispersed, transforming into streaks of light and shooting off in all directions.

Han Li, transformed into a green rainbow, flew over a thousand *li* before his遁light receded, revealing his figure once more. He hovered in mid-air, scanning his surroundings briefly before gently closing his eyes and slowly releasing his spiritual sense. There was no abnormality nearby, and he felt no sense of being watched. He then sharply opened his eyes and formed a hand seal. Immediately, a thunderous sound rose behind him, and a pair of azure-white feathered wings appeared. Then, with a flip of his hand, a purple talisman emerged—it was the "Great One Cleansing Talisman." To seize treasure right under the noses of two Void Refinement-level beings, he dared not be careless in the slightest and naturally brought out this talisman. As he pressed the talisman onto his body, amidst a flash of purple light and silver runes, Han Li vanished from his original spot as if carried by the wind. Now in a void-transformed state, he returned along his original path. Although his escape speed was not as incredibly fast as when he arrived, it was by no means slow. In a short while, Han Li reappeared at his original location. The giant lizard and the Thousand-Eyed Giant were still locked in a standoff, unmoving.

With the naked eye, it was naturally impossible to detect the whereabouts of the others. Thus, Han Li let out a soft breath, and with a mental incantation, his spiritual sense immediately detected the locations of the marks he had placed. The others had indeed returned to the vicinity, all hovering high in the air, just like him. Two were above the giant lizard, and the other two were behind the Thousand-Eyed Giant. The places where they were hidden were also extraordinary; without sensing the marks, even Han Li's spiritual sense couldn't discover anything. Furthermore, he hadn't detected any trace of the two silver flood dragon puppets Long Dong had mentioned. He wondered if the Empty Clarity Charm was truly that miraculous, or if they simply hadn't been released yet. Han Li's mind raced, but his eyes remained fixed on the scene below.

Everything nearby became unusually calm, giving an eerie sense of the calm before a storm. A full meal's worth of time passed, yet there was still no change. Han Li's expression was unreadable, but he felt a hint of impatience. The agreed-upon time seemed to be drawing near.

Just then, the giant lizard seemed to feel a slight discomfort in one of its massive claws and instinctively lifted it slightly, only to immediately lower it again. But in that instant, as the claw descended, a silver light suddenly flashed in the mud beneath it. Immediately, a spray of silver threads shot out, heading straight for the Thousand-Eyed Giant opposite. It looked as if the lizard had secretly launched an attack with its own claw.

The giant, who was holding a huge club with one hand, paused. Then, with a roar of fury, a black shadow flashed in front of him, and a fierce wind erupted. He actually swatted away the silver threads that touched his front with a single palm, extinguishing them. But almost simultaneously, an unusually blurry object flashed past beneath the giant's large hand. Immediately, a silver light beam, as thick as a bowl, erupted from the void, moving with such speed that it instantly reached the giant lizard's enormous head. The lizard's deep green eyes rolled, and the crimson horns on its head flashed with light, emitting a crimson light beam of its own. With a deafening boom, the two light beams met and disintegrated, vanishing as if they had annihilated each other. But then, the lizard let out an earth-shattering roar. With a forceful push of its four limbs, its massive body, which had been lying prone on the ground, suddenly stood up. Its enormous mouth opened, revealing a mouthful of menacing fangs.