Chapter 2061: Crying Spirit Secret Vault

Throughout, the nearby demon guards failed to detect Han Li in the slightest.

Meanwhile, Han Li grew increasingly curious about the identities of the two individuals ahead. While he could bypass the city wall's restrictions due to his formidable divine abilities, the two individuals ahead, clearly far less powerful than him, also managed to pass through without triggering any of the restrictions. Evidently, they either possessed special treasures capable of bypassing restrictions, or they themselves had authority over these barriers, indicating they held a certain status within Blood Raven City.

As these thoughts raced through Han Li's mind, he shadowed the two escaping lights like a phantom, pursuing them for tens of thousands of miles until they arrived above a dark, chaotic pile of rocks.

Suddenly, the leading green light descended, vanishing with a flash amidst the rock piles. The gray escaping light closely trailing behind paused briefly, then descended without the slightest hesitation.

On a large boulder below, the escaping light receded, revealing an elderly man with silver eyes, dressed in a gray robe. He looked around with a sinister expression.

"Oh, isn't that the Blood Raven City Lord?"

Han Li silently materialized above the rocky terrain. As he observed the elder below, a hint of surprise flickered across his face.

The Blood Raven City Lord, naturally unaware of Han Li's concealed presence above, swept his gaze around. He then let out a cold snort, flipped his wrist, and a small black umbrella suddenly appeared in his hand. Chanting an incantation, he tossed it into the air.

With a whoosh!

The black umbrella instantly grew several meters wide, hovering in mid-air and emitting countless black rays, completely enveloping several acres of land below.

From behind another, smaller boulder several dozen meters away from the elder, a thud echoed!

A light blue figure, looking as if forcefully ejected, stumbled into view. It was an ordinary-looking middle-aged man in a blue robe, but his face remained expressionless, as if he had fully anticipated his exposure.

As Han Li clearly saw the middle-aged man's face, his eyes flickered slightly. This man was none other than "Yang Lao Er," the demon who had previously won the bid for that holy brick at the auction.

The moment the man was forced into the open, the Blood Raven City Lord let out a low growl and abruptly swept a hand through the air. A blood-red light, several tens of meters long, flashed and vanished, instantly cleaving the large boulder in front of Yang Lao Er into two with a resounding boom. However, the middle-aged man's figure blurred and instantly vanished from his position, causing the blood light to strike only empty air.

A massive ten-meter-long gully immediately appeared on the ground, an astonishing sight.

"Heh heh, for a mere external object, Fellow Daoist Bing, do you truly intend to take my life?" Yang Lao Er reappeared a distance away from the gully, arms crossed, a hint of mockery playing on his lips. He spoke with no apparent fear towards the Blood Raven City Lord, a Demon Venerable of the Body Integration stage.

"As expected, you intentionally lured me outside the city. If you have any accomplices, call them all out now," the Blood Raven City Lord said slowly, a cold glint in his eyes.

"Accomplices? Why would you say that, Fellow Daoist Bing? There's no one else here besides me," Yang Lao Er replied with a laugh.

"A mere Void Refinement cultivator like you, if no one is backing you, how dare you be so calm in front of me?" the Blood Raven City Lord retorted grimly, silver light swirling in his eyes.

"If you don't believe me, Brother Bing, there's nothing I can do. But I brought you here this time with no ill intent; I merely wish to discuss a mutually beneficial transaction with you." Yang Lao Er blinked, replying nonchalantly.

"Of course, we can discuss a transaction. But that depends on whether you have the standing to negotiate with me. If I kill you, I can simply take what I want, so why bother with a deal?" The Blood Raven City Lord roared with laughter at this, then suddenly took a large stride, his figure vanishing in a flash of blood-red light.

The next moment, a ripple appeared behind the middle-aged man, and the Blood Raven City Lord materialized like a phantom. His body swelled, and a colossal blood-red hand, accompanied by a foul stench, slammed down directly towards Yang Lao Er's head. The Blood Raven City Lord, without waiting to hear another word from his opponent, immediately unleashed a powerful divine ability, intending to strike the middle-aged man down with a single palm.

Yang Lao Er's eye twitched abruptly, but without turning his head, he too countered with a backhand palm strike. A piercing ghostly wail erupted, and an equally colossal, pitch-black hand materialized.

With an earth-shattering boom, both figures were simultaneously sent hurtling backward amidst a suddenly surging hurricane.

"Mid-Body Integration stage... you're not Yang Lao Er!"

Amidst the booming sound, the Blood Raven City Lord's startled and enraged cry echoed. As the dazzling light receded and vanished, his slightly pale face was revealed. At this moment, the middle-aged man opposite him, who had also stabilized his stance, exuded surging spiritual pressure, clearly indicating he was also at the mid-Body Integration stage.

"Does it matter if I'm Yang Lao Er? And besides, who ever said I wasn't Yang Lao Er?" On the other side, Yang Lao Er's face took on a strange expression.

"You went to such painstaking efforts to target me. Are you one of the Seven Fiends of Thunder Sea, or from Heavenly Abode Mountain?" the Blood Raven City Lord asked coldly, staring at Yang Lao Er's face for a moment.

"Fellow Daoist Bing is indeed remarkably sharp. I hail from Thunder Sea, but I am not one of the Seven Fiends; I am merely a rogue cultivator. Back then, you exploited the Seven Fiends and the people of Heavenly Abode Mountain by plundering the Crying Spirit Saint Ancestor's meditation grounds. You quietly stole three of the four holy bricks, instigating a fierce conflict between the Seven Fiends of Thunder Sea and those from Heavenly Abode Mountain, while you yourself came to such a distant place to become a City Lord. Tsk tsk, I wonder if the vast Saint Realm would still offer you refuge if the Seven Fiends of Thunder Sea and Heavenly Abode Mountain were to learn of this?" Yang Lao Er chuckled lightly.

"Hmph, you certainly know a great deal about my past. It appears the holy brick at the auction was also a deliberate fake you orchestrated," the Blood Raven City Lord asked, his mouth twitching.

"This item was appraised by the auction house on the spot; how could it be fake? I merely damaged a few crucial parts of the incantation within it. Didn't you pursue me here for this fourth holy brick?" Yang Lao Er said meaningfully, shaking his sleeve and revealing an emerald green wooden box in his palm.

The Blood Raven City Lord stared at the wooden box, his expression fluctuating, and only after a long pause did he speak again: "Regardless of your origin, I am indeed determined to obtain this fourth holy brick. Tell me how you propose to trade."

"Brother Bing is indeed a straightforward man. In that case, I shall also be direct. You and I both know well that these four holy bricks are connected to the rumored Crying Spirit Secret Map. Legend has it that if the Crying Spirit Saint Ancestor's four holy bricks can be brought together, one can not only acquire all of his divine abilities but also the secret treasure map he personally drew back then. Aside from the numerous rare treasures contained within, merely possessing the 'Ink Spirit Saint Boat,' a supreme flying treasure ranked among the top three in the Saint Realm, is enough to make countless individuals salivate. If we obtain it, even ordinary Saint Ancestors might not easily be able to slay us. I propose we work together to complete this secret map, and then jointly divide the treasure equally?" Yang Lao Er said with a slight smile.

"I possess three holy bricks, and you merely one. You still wish to divide the treasure equally? Don't you find that a bit preposterous?" The Blood Raven City Lord seemed to have anticipated this response, but he spoke grimly.

"I, Yang, however, believe there's no fundamental difference between one holy brick and three. If you, Fellow Daoist, could complete the secret map with just the three holy bricks in your possession, you wouldn't have cautiously remained in Blood Raven City for so many years. My demand to share the treasure equally is by no means excessive," Yang Lao Er stated with confidence.

"This matter is significant; I need to consider it before making a decision. Furthermore, before that, I need to examine the holy brick in your possession again," the Blood Raven City Lord said cautiously after some deliberation.

"How do you wish to inspect it? You're not planning to ask me to simply hand over the holy brick, are you?" Yang Lao Er was startled by the request and spoke with some caution.

"That's not it, Fellow Daoist. You merely need to take out the holy brick and activate it slightly with spiritual power; then I can directly verify its authenticity using a secret technique," the Blood Raven City Lord said calmly.

"If it's limited to just that, then it's acceptable. To earn your trust, I'll make an exception this one time." The middle-aged man seemed to hesitate for a long while before reluctantly nodding.

"You are indeed straightforward, Fellow Daoist, genuinely wishing to cooperate with me, Bing." The silver-eyed elder was naturally overjoyed to hear this. When he first proposed this condition, he had expected to engage in further debate, but he was surprised that the other party agreed so readily.

"Fellow Daoist, observe closely." Yang Lao Er tapped the wooden box in his hand. Immediately, a spiritual light flashed, the lid sprang open, and a crystal-clear rectangular brick slowly floated out, hovering steadily before the middle-aged man's chest. Yang Lao Er then lightly touched the crystal brick with a finger, instantly infusing it with a stream of pure magical power.

Seeing this, the Blood Raven City Lord dared not delay. He formed hand seals with both hands, his silver eyes glinting brightly, and stared unblinkingly at the distant rectangular crystal brick. Simultaneously, a powerful surge of divine sense emanated from between the elder's brows, instantly enveloping the crystal brick and attempting to probe its interior.

But at that very moment, a point of silver light suddenly flared brightly from the center of the crystal brick. With a crisp cracking sound, the brick unexpectedly shattered into countless points of white light. The silver light points then expanded and contracted, instantly transforming into a rapidly spinning silver halo that drew all the surrounding divine sense power inward, towards its center.

"Oh no!"

The Blood Raven City Lord cried out loudly as a layer of blood-red light suddenly flared across his body, which simultaneously leaned back slightly. With a tearing sound in the air, a spiritual light flashed above the elder's head. A golden light, several meters long, shot out from the void with a sharp screech, coiling around the Blood Raven City Lord's neck with lightning speed.

But to everyone's surprise, at the very same moment, a ripple appeared behind Yang Lao Er. A pale, ghostly hand silently materialized, blurring into existence directly behind the man, its five fingers like blades, reaching down in a vicious claw.