Chapter 1585: Tian Xuan Compass

"Even with one foot in the door, we are not true Saint Race members. Our cultivation level is equivalent to a first-tier Saint Race, but we only managed to break through the magic power bottleneck by relying on a dozen elders who used secret techniques to infuse us in rotation. In terms of divine sense and cultivation methods, however, we are significantly lacking. Without diligently cultivating for several millennia, we simply cannot compare to genuine Saint Race beings. If it weren't for the current shortage of personnel, the elders would not have urgently summoned us here." The old man shook his head as he spoke.

"That's true," the middle-aged man nodded. "However, even then, if the two of us join forces, we should be able to hold our own against a true first or second-tier Saint Race member. The probability of a Saint Race member appearing in Greenlight City is extremely remote."

"Still, it's a shame about that child, Hong Mie!" The old man mused, a flicker of regret crossing his face as he recalled something.

"I heard that child possesses both Firemoon Race and our Horned Chi Race bloodlines, and the Horned Chi bloodline is specifically from your fire lineage. Could he be related to you, Brother Tu?" The middle-aged man asked with a sudden smile.

"You jest, Brother Ning," the old man chuckled. "To be frank, this child is indeed a descendant of someone with whom I have a distant connection. After we unexpectedly found him, we had him infiltrate the various Sky Cloud races. His cultivation talent is genuinely exceptional; there's a strong possibility he could reach our level someday. Our Fire Lineage elders were already prepared, waiting for his undercover mission to conclude so they could cleanse his blood and marrow, completely transforming his physique into that of a Horned Chi. But I never expected that just as this was about to be accomplished, something went amiss." The old man's expression turned grim.

"Heh heh, Brother Tu, there's no need for regret," the middle-aged man said with a smile. "We'll simply dismember the murderer who killed him. It's a shame that to prevent any suspicion, we didn't place a mark on him. Otherwise, we could have easily located the culprit. Still, it doesn't matter. We've already dispatched most of the personnel from the warship. They absolutely won't be able to escape this area."

"With the Heaven-Profound Compass personally bestowed by the Grand Elders, we naturally don't need to worry about them escaping. The only issue is that there's more than one of those items, and we don't know if they are still in the possession of the Myriad Ancient race members. We must also prevent them from destroying these items in desperation. The elders were very clear: we must bring the items back completely intact." The old man stated after some thought.

"I'm certainly aware of that," the middle-aged man replied, frowning. "Otherwise, why would we have remained hidden in the warship, not showing ourselves? Our intention was to first confirm the target, then swiftly seize the items with overwhelming force, giving them no chance to react! According to our prior plan, Hong Mie was supposed to confirm who possessed the item, leave a mark, and then notify us to act. Now that Hong Mie has fallen, it's unclear who holds the item. This does pose a slight problem!"

"It is indeed a bit tricky, but not unsolvable," the old man slowly analyzed. "Given the item's importance and our overwhelming military presence, it's highly improbable they would entrust it to someone with low cultivation. After all, we've deployed so many forces precisely to capture all the cultivators in Greenlight City in one fell swoop. Lower-tier cultivators stand no chance of escaping. If someone were truly foolish enough to hand the item to a low-tier cultivator, that would be convenient for us. In that case, the search radius would be significantly narrowed. I estimate it should be in the hands of a high-tier member of the noble families. Of course, if a true Saint Race member is present, the item would unquestionably be in their possession."

"That's true," the middle-aged man agreed with a nod. "If the search is narrowed to that range, the number of targets will be significantly reduced. The mid-tier noble family members can be handled by the Winged Dragons. As for those few top-tier individuals, we must personally intervene, with others providing support."

"Of the six squad leaders, have two remain to guard the warship, and dispatch everyone else," the old man murmured finally. "By now, the low-tier alien races outside should be largely dealt with. Without those low-tier interferences, using the Heaven-Profound Compass bestowed by the elders, we should be able to easily determine the approximate locations of the high-tier individuals."

Upon hearing this, the middle-aged man offered no immediate reply, but his eyes flickered with a thoughtful expression.

Meanwhile, in the vicinity of Greenlight City, after several sweeps by the giant eagles and the silver-armored warriors on the canoes, eight or nine out of ten alien cultivators flushed out of the city were either annihilated or captured. Only a few with more sophisticated concealment techniques remained hidden nearby, clinging to the hope of survival.

A few other, even higher-tier, beings had already escaped without a trace, relying on their profound magical power. However, the golden dragons with feathered wings pursued them relentlessly. Whether they would be caught remained to be seen.

However, observing that the armored warriors and twin-headed eagles were still merely circling and searching the vicinity, with no intent of assisting the spirit beasts, one could discern just how formidable those "Winged Dragons" truly were.

Under the meticulous, inch-by-inch search conducted by these twin-headed eagles and armored warriors, streaks of escape light would occasionally erupt from hidden spots within nearby hills or dense forests. Immediately, large groups of twin-headed eagles or several canoes would swarm forward, followed by a scream as various attacks engulfed the fleeing lights, leaving no trace.

At this very moment, Han Li was already seventy to eighty li away from Greenlight City.

His recent intense battle with the Firemoon spy appeared quite fierce and created a significant commotion. However, in reality, due to the containment of the subtly deployed Spring Dawn Sword Array, not a single spiritual energy fluctuation escaped beyond the array's confines.

Even the astonishing sound wave unleashed by the Firemoon individual using a bronze bell was effortlessly absorbed and dissipated by the Spring Dawn Sword Array's profound power.

Consequently, even though their struggle occurred extremely close to Greenlight City, the Horned Chi individuals detected absolutely nothing from start to finish.

The moment Han Li destroyed the Firemoon individual's primordial spirit, he immediately searched their body, retrieving another jade box and the golden blood pellet.

He then incinerated the corpse, reducing it to ash.

He then retracted his treasures and the sword array, activated a Grand Unity Cleansing Talisman, and quietly departed.

Such was the potent true-spirit power of the Grand Unity Cleansing Talisman that even individuals at Han Li's cultivation level would find it exceedingly difficult to detect his trace.

Thus, the Horned Chi pursuers, searching far and wide, naturally stood no chance of breaching the talisman's miraculous effect.

As a result, Han Li casually drifted past on several occasions, right under the twin-headed eagles and single-eyed boats soaring overhead.

Yet, these Horned Chi pursuers remained completely oblivious.

As for Big Head and the green-skinned man, by the time Han Li had delayed even a little, their whereabouts were already unknown.

However, since they needed to conceal their presence, their escape speed would naturally be limited; they were most likely still within a few hundred li.

Han Li pondered these thoughts, yet showed no inclination to stop. He continued to observe his surroundings carefully while flying toward the direction with the fewest pursuers.

After a short while, Han Li was already several hundred li away from Greenlight City, with no enemy figures visible within his sight.

He let out a faint sigh of relief but still dared not deactivate the Grand Unity Cleansing Talisman. Who knew if the Horned Chi people possessed any special secret arts or peculiar treasures that could extend their detection range beyond a thousand li.

Han Li was unaware that his caution had, in fact, not been in vain.

Just as he observed himself moving further and further from Greenlight City, six dark figures hovered in the sky above the massive silver-green island.

Two of them were unmistakably the old man and the middle-aged man who had conversed earlier in the island's grand hall.

The other four varied in height, build, and stature, seemingly individuals of equally extraordinary standing.

At the center of the six figures, a golden artifact resembling a compass floated in the void, slowly but continuously rotating.

At the center of this artifact, a several-inch-long arrow expanded and contracted, flickering erratically. The disk was engraved with circles of strange, scale-like patterns, while golden runes emerged from its surface, swirling and dancing.

Under the unblinking gaze of the six, the arrow rotated for several turns before suddenly quivering and coming to a halt.

Its tip expanded and contracted momentarily, then settled between two peculiar markings, faintly glowing.

"All right, the fourth powerful being has been located," the old man instructed coldly, shifting his gaze from the compass. "The four of you will move in pairs and search the vicinities of the two coordinates I've provided. The remaining two targets will be handled by the two of us. Judging by the intensity of the reaction, they should be top-tier existences among the noble families. However, once you find your targets, try to hold back from engaging immediately. Wait until we've dealt with our two, then we'll immediately come and rendezvous with you. Remember one crucial point: if they attempt to destroy anything, you must stop them at all costs. Each of you four will take two Winged Dragons as an escort. That way, it will be foolproof."

"Yes!" The four quickly bowed, responding in unison with utmost respect.

"Excellent. Now that you've noted your coordinates, begin your operation immediately," the middle-aged man added. "Even the closest target is several hundred li away."

The four naturally nodded repeatedly in assent. Then, the old man suddenly let out a long whistle, and instantly, a golden light flashed upon the massive silver island below. Over ten more golden Winged Dragons soared out in one breath, and after a few swift movements, they arrived above the six, circling erratically.

With an expressionless wave of the old man's hand, the four figures beside him instantly transformed into streaks of escape light and shot away. Eight of the dozen or so Winged Dragons also departed, accompanying these four.

Only two Winged Dragons remained behind, docilely staying put.

As soon as he saw his subordinates set off, the old man cast a glance at the compass before him, a peculiar expression suddenly appearing on his face. He then swiftly formed a hand seal and shot a red light into it.

The red magical incantation flashed and vanished into the compass, causing the central pointer to unexpectedly resume its rotation. However, after the artifact slowly turned twice, the pointer stopped, pointing in a specific direction.

The direction the arrow pointed was precisely Han Li's escape route!