Chapter 2386: True Immortal Descends The Present World

"This… back then, my memory wasn't fully unsealed, which is why I mistook the Void Cauldron for the real key. But I can assure you, if this key truly can't open the Heavenly Cauldron Palace, I would never dare ask Senior to force his way in. However, if it does allow entry, I believe the treasures inside won't disappoint Senior Han," Blood Spirit said with some embarrassment.

Han Li watched Blood Spirit for a moment, then chuckled softly, "You've already told me a lot about what happened with True Immortal Tianding back then. As the immortal cave left by an ascended True Immortal in the lower realm, it's certainly enough to pique my interest. But even if it weren't for these treasures, since I promised to rescue your true form, I wouldn't easily go back on my word. Don't worry, with my current abilities, there's a slight chance I could force my way into the Heavenly Cauldron Palace even without any key. Now that we have the Void Cauldron as a key, our chances of getting in should be over ninety percent."

"Thank you for your great kindness, Senior Han. Once my true form is released, I will definitely..."

"Alright, save your thanks until Fellow Daoist Ice Spirit is truly rescued," Han Li said thoughtfully. "However, since there's more than one key to the Heavenly Cauldron Palace, and Fellow Daoist Ice Spirit and others once refined many replica keys using the secret art of the Golden Pagoda Jade Scroll, the number of powerful cultivators gathering in this mountain range will likely be considerable. I imagine the two I encountered in Blood Crane City, Madam Wanhua and her companion, sought out the Supreme Elder of the Blood Bone Sect for this very reason."

Blood Spirit's expression changed upon hearing this. "What? Senior has already met the Blood Bone Sect's Mahayana cultivator guarding Blood Crane City? I remember now, among those who broke into the Heavenly Cauldron Palace with my main body back then, there were indeed strong cultivators from the Blood Bone Sect. It's not surprising that the Blood Bone Sect still holds one or two keys. If the Blood Bone Sect mobilizes a large force into the Myriad Moon Mountain Range, that could be very troublesome."

Han Li shook his head. "The Supreme Elder in Blood Crane City doesn't seem like the type to widely invite his fellow disciples; otherwise, outside Mahayana cultivators wouldn't have sought him out. He's more likely to have concealed information about the Heavenly Cauldron Palace and the keys. Most others who possess keys probably have similar intentions. Therefore, apart from those who hold keys, most of the others who enter the Myriad Moon Mountain Range will likely be individuals who have only recently heard some rumors. Even if there are many of them, they won't be able to enter the palace, so they pose no threat to us."

Zhu Guo'er couldn't help but interject from the side, "But in that case, others probably won't willingly let those with keys easily enter the Heavenly Cauldron Palace."

Han Li instructed calmly, "Before entering the Heavenly Cauldron Palace, there will certainly be a struggle, but with me here, what is there to fear? However, there might be some risks inside the Heavenly Cauldron Palace itself. Hua Shi, you and Guo'er should stay here and wait for Fellow Daoist Blood Spirit and me to emerge. Be careful not to be discovered by others. Anyone daring to enter the Myriad Moon Mountain Range at this time is no ordinary person."

Zhu Guo'er and Old Ancestor Hua Shi's hearts trembled upon hearing this, and they immediately agreed respectfully.

"Fellow Daoist Blood Spirit," Han Li began, "According to you, the Heavenly Cauldron Palace should be opening soon. When it truly appears, the Void Cauldron will sense it and guide us to the exact location. Is that correct?"

Blood Spirit replied with certainty, "Senior is right. The reason even replica keys are contested is precisely because of this function."

"That's good then. All we need to do now is rest and conserve our energy, and quietly await the emergence of the Heavenly Cauldron Palace," Han Li said, nodding slowly.

As for Blood Spirit, she naturally had no objections and nodded repeatedly in agreement.

And so, Han Li and his companions temporarily settled down in the cave dwelling.

Days passed, and the Myriad Moon Mountain Range, which originally had few cultivators, gradually became bustling.

The news of the Heavenly Cauldron Palace's imminent emergence had truly spread throughout Blood Crane City.

Cultivators with some strength from the surrounding regions immediately heard the rumors and began gathering in the mountain range.

However, because Blood Crane City was the closest to the mountain range, most of the cultivators who entered early were from that city.

Disciples of the Blood Bone Sect accounted for a significant portion of them.

But as time passed, people from other regions gradually appeared near the mountain range, and with each passing day, the number of outsiders surged.

However, as one of the largest mountain ranges in the vicinity, the Myriad Moon Mountains were so vast that even a large influx of people went unnoticed, disappearing like mud oxen into the sea.

Yet, some overly confident and short-tempered individuals immediately began to slaughter those they suspected of possessing keys.

Although most of these fierce battles were futile, one day, after a medium-scale conflict, a victor truly found a small cauldron on his defeated opponent. This immediately ignited an even larger wave of killing and contention throughout the mountain range.

Further away from the mountain range, even more Blood Heaven cultivators who had caught wind of the news were on their way to the Myriad Moon Mountain Range.

However, these individuals were too late.

Just a month and a half later, a mysterious five-colored light suddenly shot up from an unnamed pool in the Myriad Moon Mountain Range, then transformed into countless runes and vanished into thin air.

Almost simultaneously, Han Li, who was cultivating with his eyes closed in a secret chamber within the mountain, suddenly stirred. With a flick of his sleeve, a small cauldron glowing with dazzling green light flew out.

Han Li watched the newly appeared mysterious runes on the surface of the green cauldron and unhesitatingly transmitted a message outwards: "Blood Spirit, get ready. It's time to depart."

Blood Spirit, who was meditating in another room within the cave dwelling, immediately stood up, her face filled with pleasant surprise.

Moments later, a green rainbow over ten zhang long shot out from the mountain's depths, heading straight for a certain location in the Myriad Moon Mountain Range.

Similar scenes unfolded in over thirty other hidden locations throughout the mountain range.

From these places, loud whooshing sounds erupted as one, a few, or even dozens to hundreds of escape lights flew out simultaneously, soaring wildly in the same direction.

These undisguised actions naturally alerted more Blood Heaven cultivators hidden within the mountain range, who unhesitatingly followed suit.

Some individuals with exceptionally fast escape speeds even caught up to the front-runners, and extremely fierce battles erupted.

Han Li, feeling that Blood Spirit's escape speed was too slow, had long ago wrapped her in his own escape light, transforming into a single streak of green light that sped away.

Given its incredible speed, it was nearly impossible for anyone nearby to spot its escape light and give chase.

Most people only saw a flash of green light in the sky, and the green rainbow had already darted from one end of the horizon to the other. With another blur, it vanished without a trace, leaving only the lingering sonic boom echoing in the high sky.

Everyone who witnessed this scene was greatly alarmed, immediately casting aside any other thoughts and quickly seeking other targets.

However, in the bold and daring style of the Blood Heaven Continent, there was never a shortage of those who were audacious and highly conceited.

As the green rainbow was just passing over an unusually wide gorge, a loud humming sound suddenly erupted from below. Countless Sanskrit characters surged out, rapidly forming an incredibly profound light array as they flashed.

"Fellow Daoist, please wait. I have something I'd like to discuss with you," a rumbling voice simultaneously emerged from the light array.

The speaker's words were polite, but their previous actions showed no hesitation. As the light array spun, an astonishing suction force immediately shot out from it, sharply pulling towards the green rainbow.

Han Li snorted lightly, a flicker in his eyes, but he showed no intention of stopping. He simply extended a finger from within the green light, and a blinding five-colored light, carrying immense power, burst forth like a raging flood.

With an earth-shattering "boom," not only were the suction force and the light array instantly shattered, but an entire section of the gorge, several miles long, collapsed abruptly.

The powerful cultivator who had been hiding within, far surpassing his peers, was unable to dodge in time and was crushed into a blood mist. Even his Nascent Soul could not escape, self-destructing and dissipating.

The green rainbow high in the sky did not pause at all, flashing directly over the gorge and disappearing into the distant sky.

Moments later, from a small mountain near the collapsed gorge, several streaks of bloody light suddenly shot out. After circling once, they all flew above the gorge, revealing numerous illusory figures.

They were a group of people in various attires, including men, women, old, and young, totaling seven or eight individuals. Each of them exuded an extraordinary aura.

At this moment, their expressions were quite grim as they looked down at a certain blood-stained spot below.

"What do we do now? Should we chase after him and avenge Fellow Daoist Ya?" a young woman in a green robe suddenly asked.

"Don't be ridiculous. Fellow Daoist Ya chose the wrong opponent; he actually picked a Mahayana Ancestor. We can't blame anyone else for that," a disheveled man said without hesitation.

"Exactly. Brother Ya's cultivation wasn't below ours, so logically, he should have been able to hold on for a moment or two even against a Mahayana Ancestor. The fact that the opponent could instantly kill Fellow Daoist Ya suggests he's a top-tier existence even among Mahayana Ancestors, and dealing with us would take no effort at all. If Fairy Ye wants to avenge him, she can go alone. My brothers and I will absolutely not get involved in this," another ugly-looking old man said, his facial muscles twitching.

"I was just saying," the young woman replied with a dry chuckle. "If even you all dare not provoke such a formidable enemy, I certainly wouldn't seek trouble for myself. But now that things have turned out this way, we can no longer wait here. We must quickly rush to where the Heavenly Cauldron Palace appears and see if we can fish in troubled waters there."

After a brief discussion, these individuals also transformed into streaks of light and shot off in the same direction.

With a muffled "bang," a giant man several zhang tall, who was blocking their path, had his head and the Nascent Soul within it explode with a "hum" as Han Li pointed a finger from his escape light.

The headless corpse immediately swayed and plummeted from the sky.