Chapter 1637: Initial Entry into Demon Gold

“Since you say so, it seems you are quite confident,” Han Li chuckled softly. “It seems I was overthinking things.” Without hesitation, he then walked up the stairs.

Qianqian smiled faintly and gracefully followed behind.

At the staircase exit on the fourth floor, there was indeed another layer of faint red light barrier blocking the way.

Han Li smiled faintly, and with a flicker of his body, he passed through the light barrier.

His vision brightened, and he found himself in a world of blue.

Both the ceiling and the surrounding walls were crystal clear, emitting a faint blue glow.

Beneath his feet, a colossal white formation covered almost the entire ground, spanning over twenty zhang. In the center of this formation, a person stood quietly, observing Han Li and Qianqian.

Han Li's gaze flickered, clearly discerning the other person's face.

The person was dressed as a scholar, a stern-faced man holding a yellow book in one hand and a light gold formation disc in the other. His cultivation level appeared to be at the peak of the Void Refinement stage. "So, fellow Daoist has arrived!" the scholar said, a strange expression appearing on his face. "Oh? Do you know me, fellow Daoist?" Han Li asked with a smile.

"Even if I didn't recognize you before," the scholar tutted, "your display of power downstairs makes it impossible not to recognize you now. Your ability to suppress a ninth-tier entity is truly remarkable."

"You flatter me, fellow Daoist," Han Li asked indifferently. "But how will you test my qualifications?"

"Test? With such formidable abilities, what is there to test?" the scholar laughed. "You've naturally passed directly!" Hearing this, both Han Li and Qianqian were taken aback.

"What's wrong? Do you truly believe I'm someone who doesn't adapt? Since even the entity downstairs was exempted from the test, you too don't need any testing. Here, catch this, it's your Lightning-Averting Umbrella!" As soon as the scholar finished speaking, the book in his hand suddenly flashed with silver light, and an object flew directly from it, shooting towards Han Li.

Han Li looked down to see a small, pale silver umbrella, only a few inches in size but exquisitely crafted. Its surface was engraved with intricate runes.

"I have a few points I must remind you about," the attendant, Elder Min, explained very thoroughly and responsibly. "The Lightning-Averting Umbrella must be acknowledged as yours in my presence, to prevent others from snatching it. Furthermore, after it acknowledges you, it will only be effective for one month. After this period, it will become useless. This means you must emerge from the mountain range within a month, or else you will be corrupted by demonic energy inside and become a true demonic creature."

"Thank you for the reminder, fellow Daoist," Han Li nodded. He tossed the small umbrella in his hand into the air. Then, a small ball of his vital essence blood transformed into a blood mist and sprayed out, instantly enveloping the silver umbrella. Following this, Han Li chanted incantations, formed hand seals, and continuously flicked his fingers towards the sky. Streams of magic spells, each of a different color, surged forth and merged into the blood mist.

The silver umbrella rapidly expanded, instantly growing to three feet in size.

At the same time, rumbling sounds emanated from the blood mist. As the mist condensed, it transformed into numerous blood-colored runes of varying sizes, which spun around the silver umbrella before quickly vanishing into it. In an instant, the entire silver umbrella glowed with a layer of blood-red light, but it quickly dissipated, and the umbrella returned to normal. Han Li beckoned with one hand, and the silver umbrella, having shrunk, flew into his sleeve. The entire process of having the umbrella acknowledge him as its master was completed in mere moments.

A hint of surprise appeared on Elder Min's face, evidently astonished by how quickly Han Li completed the acknowledgment process for the Lightning-Averting Umbrella.

However, in the next moment, his expression returned to normal. His gaze shifted to Qianqian, and he said with a raised eyebrow:

"This fairy is a member of the Crystal Race, and her cultivation is rather low. Entering the Demonic Gold Mountain Range carries a significant risk of death. I advise you to reconsider entering, fairy, otherwise your chances of falling will be very high." "Thank you for your kind intentions, senior," Qianqian insisted, curtsying to Elder Min, "but I must enter the Demonic Gold Mountain Range this time. Whatever test you have, please begin."

"Since the fairy insists," Elder Min said slowly, "I won't try to dissuade you further. I have two types of tests. One is to endure for half an hour in the illusion array I cast. The other is to directly fight and defeat my two puppet beasts. If you can pass either of these, the fairy will have passed."

"I choose the first option!" Qianqian said without hesitation, as if she had already anticipated it.

"Then, fellow Daoist, just step forward three paces," Elder Min nodded. The Crystal Race woman, upon hearing this, indeed took three steps forward as instructed. Han Li's eyes flickered from the side. He noticed that she had stepped precisely onto a large part of the ground formation. His thoughts swirled for a few moments, but before he could ponder it further, Elder Min suddenly spoke to him again: "You may go down first, fellow Daoist. I prefer no spectators during my tests. And regarding the test content, please do not reveal it to others."

"Of course," Han Li nodded calmly. "I shall take my leave then." Just as he entered the staircase entrance, a ripple of restrictive energy came from behind him, accompanied by faint, clear humming sounds.

Han Li casually glanced back.

He saw that the formation on the floor had now fully activated. Layers of white light appeared out of thin air, completely engulfing the Crystal Race woman and Elder Min, making them impossible to see.

Han Li's expression shifted slightly, but he continued without pause, passing through the light barrier and descending the stairs.

As soon as he appeared on the third floor, he saw many people looking in his direction. Han Li smiled, but did not linger on the third floor, continuing down the stairs.

A moment later, Han Li appeared outside the pavilion's main entrance. After a slight pause, he turned and looked up at the pavilion.

This pavilion had five stories. What could be on the fifth floor?

For some reason, this strange thought suddenly popped into Han Li's mind. But he immediately shook his head with a carefree smile and slowly walked forward along the street.

He estimated it would be some time before Yue Zong's test was also completed. He would explore the town first. The town wasn't large, so he could get a general idea of it in a short while.

Moreover, he was somewhat curious about the Saint Race member who had put a bounty on the Spirit Ganoderma. Although he hadn't intended to interact with them, taking a look from afar shouldn't be difficult.

With these thoughts in mind, Han Li continued walking along the street.

There weren't many shops along the street, and most of them sold demonic beast materials. These shops were small and looked somewhat dilapidated, clearly showing their age. However, fortunately, there were indeed some low-tier cultivators moving about on the street. They occasionally entered and exited these shops, meaning business was barely sustained.

As Han Li walked through most of the street and passed a larger estate, his eyes suddenly narrowed, revealing a grave expression.

When he had just swept the area with his spiritual sense, he was blocked by a peculiar restriction. This restriction was exceptionally sophisticated; even if he tried to forcibly break in, it wouldn't be possible in a short time. It seemed this was where the Saint Race entity resided. Han Li thought to himself, couldn't help but take a few more glances at the place.

Unfortunately, the estate's main gate was tightly shut, and the restrictions were severe, making it impossible to see anything inside. He didn't know if the Saint Race entity was currently there. Han Li didn't linger there; he merely glided past the entrance seemingly unconcerned. After continuing for another half an hour, Han Li had thoroughly explored the town and returned to the pavilion.

When he arrived, he found Qianqian and Yue Zong standing there, with no one else nearby. "What? Brother Yue, did you pass directly without a test?" Han Li asked from afar, seeming to have realized something.

"What Senior said is correct," Yue Zong said, bowing deeply, clearly showing even greater deference towards Han Li. "When I went up, Senior Min said my reputation was already great enough and there was no need for any tests. Otherwise, even though I followed you upstairs closely, I wouldn't have been able to come out so quickly. I still haven't properly thanked Senior for your assistance."

"It's nothing," Han Li waved his hand. "Your presence is indispensable for this trip, fellow Daoist. Fellow Daoist Qian, you should have also received your Lightning-Averting Umbrella, right?" he then asked Qianqian.

"Of course," Qianqian said lightly. "Although that illusion array was powerful, I happened to have cultivated several secret arts for purifying the mind and calming the spirit, so enduring for a while was not a problem."

"In that case, let's depart immediately. Our time isn't exactly ample." "I was just thinking the same thing!" Qianqian laughed. Yue Zong also nodded solemnly.

So the three of them no longer hesitated. Their escape lights flared, and they left the town, continuing forward. They flew only a few miles before disappearing into the green mist again.

After flying for over twenty miles, the mist ahead gradually thinned. However, the deafening thunder, which had been continuously rumbling from the front, now rolled towards them.

As the three streaks of escape light shot out from the mist, Han Li couldn't help but gasp when he clearly saw the situation ahead.

He saw that for hundreds of zhang ahead, the air was filled with flickering blue electrical light, while thunder rumbled from all directions, seemingly endless. The world they were about to enter contained nothing but lightning. "Let's go,"

Yue Zong whispered, then opened his mouth and spat out the small silver umbrella. With a shake, it transformed into a ball of silver light, completely enveloping him. He then flew towards the side.

Han Li and Qianqian also performed the same spell, releasing their own Lightning-Averting Umbrellas and following closely behind.

An hour later, when the three balls of silver light burst out from the other end of the lightning world, they appeared above a dark, towering mountain. As the light receded, Han Li and the other two reappeared, suspended high in the air. "This is the Demonic Gold Mountain Range!" Han Li murmured, his eyes sweeping across the surroundings.