Chapter 1992: Underground Glacier

A flash of five-colored light in the black hole, and the giant Phoenix’s figure instantly vanished.

Given the Celestial Phoenix’s innate spatial abilities and Han Li’s past experiences repeatedly entering spatial rifts, this mere Demon Realm “node” was naturally not a concern for him. After all, even ordinary Demon Lords could break through the realms; passing through this node shouldn’t pose a problem for him. His only apprehension was the fear that a powerful demonic entity might be stationed on the other side of the node, leading to an unexpected collision. However, for such a small “node,” this possibility was negligible, almost non-existent.

Indeed, after the Celestial Phoenix flew against the demonic wind for a while, successively breaking through more than ten layers of barriers formed by spatial power, the path ahead suddenly brightened, revealing specks of light. Han Li was overjoyed. After vigorously flapping the wings of the Phoenix he had transformed into, a shimmer of light flashed across his body, and his figure became so faint it was almost invisible.

Outside the exit on the other side of the node lay an endless grey desert. Facing the node on the ground were two straight, black, watchtower-like structures, faintly garrisoned by dozens of demon guards who occasionally glanced towards the node. A few breaths later, the spatial energy receded, and the Celestial Phoenix silently flashed through the node. With another flicker, it instantly escaped over a hundred yards away, vanishing into the void. The demon guards in the two black structures, whose highest cultivation was only at the Nascent Soul stage, had long grown careless after years of uneventful duty, failing to notice any anomaly.

The Celestial Phoenix reappeared at the edge of the horizon. After a faint aura of light flowed around its body, it suddenly transformed into human form. Han Li let out a soft breath and turned to glance at the distant node exit, a strange expression on his face. This infiltration into the Demon Realm had gone unexpectedly smoothly; none of the backup plans he had meticulously prepared for contingencies were needed. He was naturally overjoyed.

Only then did Han Li have time to survey the surroundings, a place long rumored among humans to be a land of blood seas and blade mountains. He saw a faintly yellowish sky above, devoid of clouds, yet three blood-red suns hung there. Apart from that, all other scenery on the ground surprisingly resembled that of the Spirit Realm. If there were any subtle differences from the Spirit Realm, it was that the spiritual energy was significantly scarcer, and faint demonic energy drifted everywhere in the void. However, this demonic energy was not too noticeable; if one didn't pay close attention, it could even be ignored. This somewhat surprised Han Li.

However, his journey was not to research anything deeply within the Demon Realm, but for another important purpose. Therefore, after observing for only a moment, he muttered an incantation, and his demonic armor reappeared, gushing forth copious amounts of dark demonic energy that instantly enveloped his figure. Immediately after, he performed another incantation, and his human aura was completely concealed, not a trace remaining. Han Li let out another low cry. Faint golden scales appeared on his face and limbs, but the demonic energy on his body, after a swirl, turned a deep black. Simultaneously, a black glow flashed between his eyebrows, and his third demon eye shimmered with dark light, appearing forth. Han Li stretched his limbs, a faint smile playing on his lips. His current appearance and aura were exactly like those of a high-level demon. As long as he didn't encounter a Demon Lord of equal or higher cultivation, he believed no one could easily discern his human identity.

After completing his transformation, Han Li dared not linger. The demonic energy around him swirled, and he immediately transformed into a black wind, rolling away into the distance. A few moments later, he flew out of the desert region, appearing above a patch of hills covered in grey shrubs. Upon entering this area, the thin demonic energy surprisingly became slightly denser than before. Although the increase was minimal, it confirmed Han Li's earlier conjecture. The purity of the demonic energy in the Demon Realm was indeed, like spiritual energy, related to the region.

Han Li did not stop his journey, continuing to propel the black wind in the same direction. This way, he flew for a full day and night. He not only flew beyond the hilly region but also crossed a massive lake and several dark, continuous mountain ranges. He didn't know if it was because the Demon Realm was inherently desolate, or if he was simply heading in the wrong direction. Throughout this journey, apart from occasionally encountering some low-level demonic beasts, he hadn't encountered a single demon. While this eased Han Li's mind, it also prompted him to be slightly more cautious.

On the fourth day, Han Li finally encountered several horse-faced, human-bodied mid-level demon creatures fiercely battling each other at the foot of a small mountain. These demon creatures wielded wooden clubs, wore animal hides, and could leap over ten yards high. They were exceptionally ferocious and seemed to possess some level of intelligence. Near them, a black demonic beast resembling a saber-toothed tiger lay motionless. Clearly, these demon creatures were engaged in a life-or-death struggle over ownership of this prey.

Han Li was delighted. The black wind descended immediately, and he casually released a few golden electric arcs, stunning the demon creatures. With a grab of his large hand, one of the demon creatures was instantly pulled into his grasp, and his five fingers firmly pressed onto its crown. He narrowed his eyes, and with black light flashing from his fingers, he immediately performed the soul-searching technique to probe the demon creatures' minds. It was just as he had expected. These demon creatures had only just barely begun to gain intelligence, and they were muddled about most things, offering very little to extract. Fortunately, what he wanted to find was merely information about the nearby area, and he did locate a suitable place that didn't seem too far.

Han Li let out a soft breath. With a crackle of golden arcs in his hand, the demon creature he held was instantly enveloped by electric light and reduced to ashes. Not only that, but the golden arcs bounced off, and after a burst of thunder, the other stunned demon creatures on the ground and the demonic beast's carcass were also annihilated. As the black wind rose, Han Li changed direction, rolling away to one side.

Several hours later, the mountain range suddenly disappeared, and a gigantic canyon, whose ends were invisible from sight, appeared ahead. The black wind dispersed, and Han Li's figure appeared above the canyon, where he cast a glance downwards. He saw that the canyon below was hundreds of yards wide, with howling winds at its bottom, where flying sand and rolling stones created a yellow haze, its depth unknown.

Han Li flicked his sleeve, and with a flash of grey light on his body, he fearlessly plunged towards the bottom of the canyon. As soon as the strong winds touched the grey light on his body, they instantly dissipated. However, the deeper he went, the more sharply the temperature dropped, and the cold was so intense that even the canyon walls on both sides were covered in white frost. Han Li was naturally unafraid of this cold. He descended a thousand yards deep into the canyon in one go, finally reaching its bottom.

At the bottom, an expanse of blue light revealed a long, narrow blue ice river. Logically, at such an icy temperature, an ordinary river should have long been completely frozen solid. Yet, the river's surface showed no signs of freezing; it merely quietly reflected a faint blue light, while its banks were entirely crystalline, covered in thick layers of blue ice. A dozen yards above the ice river, however, fierce winds howled, as if the area had suddenly become two distinct worlds.

Han Li hovered motionless several yards above the ice river, his gaze sweeping downwards as if it could penetrate the entire river, a trace of surprise appearing on his face. "Tsk, tsk, this river is indeed strange. So calm on the surface, yet raging like a torrent or waterfall beneath. It must lead directly to a river deep underground. The peculiar cold here also seems to be quite remarkable," Han Li mumbled to himself after a good while, finally withdrawing his gaze.

Just then, a shriek suddenly came from the howling winds above, and two streaks of blue light shot out with incredible speed, reaching Han Li in a flash. They were two crystalline blue flying serpents, with triangular heads and black crests, clearly extremely venomous creatures. Han Li's expression darkened. His body remained still, but with only a blurry movement of his two arms, he seized the two blue flying serpents and, without hesitation, mercilessly squeezed their vital points with his fingers. The two flying serpents died instantly without a sound. Han Li shook his arm again, and the serpent corpses were immediately thrown into the water.

An astonishing scene unfolded: the two small serpent corpses were instantly encased in a layer of blue ice with a crisp sound, then slowly sank downwards, vanishing into the depths in the blink of an eye. Seeing this, Han Li closed his eyes and again used his spiritual sense to probe the depths of the water. Moments later, a satisfied expression appeared on his face. "Good, they were indeed swept away. Although I don't know where it leads, I imagine anything thrown in here would be incredibly difficult for anyone to find again."

Han Li murmured, then suddenly flipped his single hand. With a flash of spiritual light, a pure white, jade-like wooden box instantly appeared in his palm. Han Li looked at the wooden box with some reluctance, but ultimately gritted his teeth and threw it downwards. The same scene unfolded. The wooden box's surface was instantly covered by a layer of blue ice, and it then sank into the water. Han Li then gazed silently into the river's depths.

After a full half-hour, he finally let out a soft breath and withdrew his gaze, his expression noticeably more relaxed. By now, the wooden box had long been carried by the underground ice river into the depths below, vanishing without a trace. Although it was a bit regrettable, with those two old demons inside the Demon Subduing Lock, it was better to dispose of it quickly. While he didn't know if the two old demons would truly have a chance to see the light of day again, from now on, they would have no further connection to him. However, the Demon Realm was not a place to linger; it would be best to return to the Spirit Realm as soon as possible. Pondering this, Han Li no longer hesitated. His figure spun rapidly, and with a surge of grey light from his body, he shot upwards into the howling winds.

At the same time, within the wooden spatial artifact drifting in the deep underground ice river, Che Qigong sat cross-legged in a cave-like secret chamber, his hands forming incantations, black and white light flickering on his body as he cultivated. In a mysterious stone hall elsewhere within the space, Feng Xie sat on a meditation mat, performing the same actions. Both were clearly oblivious to everything happening outside the wooden box; otherwise, they would likely be stamping their feet and cursing Han Li in a rage.