Chapter 1485: Blood Flame Mountain

“Seeking a junior member?” Han Li asked, a trace of surprise flashing across his face despite his premonition.

“Indeed, I have a matter to discuss with you. Have you forgotten my telepathic message from back then?” the blood-robed man's voice was harsh and metallic.

“Naturally, I haven’t forgotten. What are your instructions, Senior?” Though Han Li muttered inwardly, he naturally offered no denial at this moment.

“Mu Xianzi, did you hear that? Young Han himself agreed to help. You can’t decline now, can you?” The blood-robed man chuckled.

“What do I have to decline? However, Fellow Daoist Di Xue should be very clear about the importance of Han Daoist mastering the Evil-Warding Divine Thunder as quickly as possible. Three months, as you suggested, is absolutely out of the question. I can only give you a one-month deadline, otherwise, it will affect our crucial plans,” Mu Qing said calmly, sipping her fragrant tea.

“One month isn’t enough for my task at all. The puppets I need to refine are also incredibly important and cannot be delayed. How about this: lend him to me for two months; that should just about suffice,” the Old Monster Di Xue mused for a moment before suggesting.

“One and a half months! Not a day more,” Mu Qing stated coldly from within the black light, without any trace of politeness.

“Alright, one and a half months it is! However, I'll need to borrow Mu Xianzi's teleportation array for a while,” the blood-robed man’s eyes flickered several times before he actually nodded in agreement.

“Teleportation is no problem. I will send you directly to Blood Flame Mountain. I will also personally pick him up when the time comes,” Mu Qing’s voice softened, and she spoke with a hint of deeper meaning.

“Haha, that’s absolutely fine. Young Han, follow me,” the blood-robed man laughed heartily, rising to his feet.

Half a day later, in front of a dark, gnarled mountain on the fifth level of the Earth Measurement, a black light flashed on the surface of a teleportation array on a hidden stone platform, and two figures emerged.

It was Han Li and the blood-robed man.

As soon as Han Li recovered from the teleportation's dizziness and surveyed his surroundings, he was momentarily startled.

Beside the teleportation array, another blood-robed figure stood prominently.

Upon seeing Han Li look his way, this figure immediately let out a strange chuckle.

“Fellow Daoist Han, you’ve finally arrived. My four great purple blood puppets require the empowerment of your Evil-Warding Divine Thunder. Only then can they prove greatly useful in the Netherworld Land.”

“Purple blood puppets!” Han Li felt a jolt in his heart upon hearing this.

“Hehe, I’ll explain the specific details to you once we reach our abode,” the blood-robed man acted with unusual politeness, seemingly due to Han Li’s impending assistance.

Han Li naturally had no objections and followed the two figures as they flew towards the dark mountain.

The mountain stood approximately four to five thousand zhang high. The two blood-robed figures led Han Li directly towards the mountainside.

Eventually, an inconspicuous cliff appeared before them.

One of the blood-robed figures took a few steps forward, performed a hand seal with one hand, muttered an incantation, and suddenly raised his other hand. A scene that left Han Li dumbfounded unfolded.

The entire cliff began to tremble, emitting a thunderous roar. Amidst flashing black light, it transformed into an enormous stone dragon head, covered in moss and weeds. Its two enormous stone eyes suddenly blinked, opening to reveal a pair of blood-red eyeballs.

A chilling gleam swept over Han Li and the two blood-robed figures, after which the dragon head slowly opened its vast maw, revealing a passage glowing with white light. “Enter,” one blood-robed figure said expressionlessly, walking in alongside the other. Han Li’s expression of surprise faded. He narrowed his eyes, carefully studying the dragon head for a moment before stepping inside.

The passage within was exceptionally wide, spanning four to five zhang in height. The walls were lined with square black stones, and every so often, a thumb-sized luminous pearl was embedded, seemingly descending deep into the mountain’s core. The two blood-robed figures walked silently side-by-side ahead, having remained quiet since entering the passage.

However, after passing through the passage and reaching about a hundred zhang underground, an open area appeared ahead, featuring seven or eight identical entrances lined up in a row.

This sight surprised Han Li somewhat.

Yet, the two blood-robed figures showed not the slightest hesitation, casually entering one of the passages.

The entire mountain seemed to be hollowed out, a dense, crisscrossing maze of passages filling its core.

And within these passages, various types of puppets, wielding different large blades, could be seen patrolling back and forth.

Some of these puppets gleamed with golden light, crafted entirely from metal; others were shrouded in grey mist, formed from earth and stone; still others were agile, carved from entire pieces of spiritual wood.

Regardless of their type, all these puppets exuded astonishing spiritual pressure. A few uniquely shaped ones even possessed strength roughly equivalent to the Spirit Transformation stage. After observing several groups, Han Li was utterly astonished.

With his discernment, he could naturally tell that the Old Monster Di Xue’s mastery of puppetry was unfathomable, absolutely surpassing that of Great Yan Divine Monarch.

Of course, this wasn't to say that Di Xue’s inherent talent was vastly superior to Great Yan Divine Monarch's; rather, it was the cultivation level and experience of the Body Integration stage, combined with the abundant resources of the Spirit Realm, that made their respective circumstances incomparable.

After flying forward for the time it takes an incense stick to burn, turning this way and that through the winding passages, Han Li’s eyes brightened. He had finally exited the maze, and before him lay a crimson lake. A wave of scorching heat washed over him. It was, in fact, a natural underground lava pool! Floating on the surface of this lava lake was a blood-red palace. The palace was not particularly large, but it still spanned over a thousand zhang.

The entire palace exuded a strong scent of blood, yet it was exquisitely built. A massive, several-zhang-large, blood-red crystal was embedded at the very top of the palace, emitting an eerie crimson light. Han Li was startled upon seeing this!

Such a large crystal immediately reminded Han Li of the strange crystal on the Spirit Sealing Tower in the Heavenly Peng tribe's holy city, which was equally enormous and unusually mysterious.

It seemed there must also be extremely powerful restrictions here.

The blood-robed figures led Han Li to the edge of the lava lake, where they descended their escape light.

Then, a clinking sound came from one figure's sleeve, and a yellow bell immediately flew out, landing in the blood-robed man's hand. A flash of yellow light, and a crisp ringing emanated from the bell! As the sound entered his ears, Han Li felt his divine sense blur, and his entire body instantly felt weak. He was greatly alarmed, and his Great Evolution Art rapidly circulated within him, his divine sense immediately clearing. He then quickly stepped back, his gaze fixed on the two blood-robed figures ahead.

Although he didn't believe they would suddenly attack him here, his vigilance remained unwavering.

Then, one of the blood-robed figures suddenly turned, coldly scrutinizing Han Li. Seeing that he remained conscious, a flicker of surprise crossed his eyes.

Just then, the crimson lava in front of the palace suddenly churned violently, and a giant beast, ten zhang long, emerged from below.

Its body was shelled, resembling a massive turtle, but it possessed three long, slender necks and three bizarre, deer-like heads, each adorned with coral-like crimson horns.

The beast seemed to have been summoned by the sound of the bell. As soon as it surfaced, it immediately cleaved through the lava, swiftly swimming towards Han Li and the others.

“This is my guardian beast, the Chaos Turtle Beast. This beast is a naturally born fire spirit, capable of simultaneously releasing three distinct spiritual flames. In a lava fire spirit environment, its power is exceptionally great; even I expended immense effort to subdue it. And to enter my Blood Flame Palace, one must pass through this beast,” one blood-robed figure said with a chuckle, addressing Han Li.

“Senior’s divine abilities are truly vast; I am deeply impressed!” Han Li said, his mind stirring. He then looked up towards the sky above the lava lake. A blue light flashed in his eyes, and his expression drastically changed.

Through his heightened perception, he saw countless transparent, intricate silk threads floating in the air ahead, densely woven together, covering the entire surface of the lake.

One end of each thread was concentrated on the giant crystal at the very top of the palace.

Any uninformed individual attempting to fly directly across the lake would undoubtedly face a grim fate.

Han Li’s mouth twitched, and he drew a sharp breath.

At that moment, the Chaos Turtle Beast swam to the shore with remarkable speed. Its three heads simultaneously rose and let out a unified call towards the two blood-robed figures, a strange, frog-like croak.

Upon seeing this, one blood-robed figure raised his hand, and a fist-sized, dark black spherical object shot out, trailing a foul odor.

One of the beast's heads merely flickered, and a gush of crimson mist erupted, instantly engulfing the black sphere into its mouth and swallowing it.

The three heads let out a few more low chirps. The beast seemed unusually joyful, then it turned, and a thick, long tail swung out and settled onto the shore.

The two blood-robed figures calmly walked onto the beast’s back. Then they turned, their four eyes simultaneously fixing on Han Li. Han Li sighed inwardly. With a shift of his body, he too landed on the beast’s back.

The blood-robed figure in possession of the bell made it ring crisply once more, and the Chaos Turtle Beast immediately carried the three of them, swimming swiftly towards the Blood Flame Palace in the center of the lake. The lava lake was not particularly vast, and in a short while, the beast carried them to the palace entrance.

The three of them immediately launched into the air, flying from a low altitude to the palace entrance.

The moment Han Li’s feet touched the ground, the palace gate, previously sealed shut, suddenly began to open slowly from the inside, and two teams emerged from within.

One team wore red helmets and armor, each holding a flaming halberd, their entire bodies enveloped in flickering flames. The other team was comprised of swirling grey mist, within which faint black shadows flickered in and out of sight, appearing to be empty-handed.

Han Li’s spiritual sense swept forward; these two peculiar teams exuded faint traces of life, suggesting they were not puppets. Upon emerging, both teams immediately bowed deeply to the two blood-robed figures. “Open the Yin Fire Hall; I wish to properly entertain Fellow Daoist Han!” one blood-robed figure commanded.

Upon hearing this, the two teams silently began to busy themselves. A majority of them immediately returned inside the palace gates, while the other half respectfully lined up on both sides. All of them remained silent, as if they were utterly incapable of speech. Han Li showed no unusual expression, but felt another wave of surprise and suspicion in his heart.