Chapter 2422: Demonic Hunt

Upon hearing Wen Xinfeng's question, a hint of surprise flickered across Biying's face. After a brief moment of contemplation, he sighed and replied, "Fairy Wen, you are not mistaken. What was destroyed was not Daoist Xuesha's true body, but merely a clone he cultivated. I only received this news shortly before entering this world. Daoist Xuesha encountered some unexpected trouble during his previous exploration. Although he himself is safe, his vital energy was severely depleted, which is why he sent this clone, whose power is not inferior to his true body. This clone was refined by Daoist Xuesha for ten thousand years. Now that it has been destroyed in the battle of the strong, I don't know how I will explain this to my old friend when I return."

"However, a destroyed clone is infinitely better than Daoist Xuesha's true body perishing. I believe that once you return, Brother Bi, if you offer Brother Xuesha ample compensation, he should be appeased," the silver-armored man said, retracting the silver lightning arcs from his body and standing up. At this moment, his complexion was much better than before.

"I hope so. Brother Lei, are you truly alright? Do you need my assistance?" Biying shook his head, looking with some concern at the several black ghost heads still biting firmly onto the silver-armored man's shoulder.

"I'm fine. These demonic heads cannot be removed immediately, but once I return, I can spend more time to refine them directly with my True Life Fire. However, this battle did result in the loss of several precious artifacts I had originally kept for self-preservation," the silver-armored man said with a bitter smile.

"Daoist Lei, what kind of divine ability did your opponent use to force you to such an extent?" Han Li finally asked out of curiosity.

"The other divine abilities of that woman were nothing special, but there was one secret art that allowed her to manipulate ghostly shadows, and that was truly troublesome. These ghost shadows were not only formless and intangible but could also directly attach themselves to her, instantly virtualizing her body so it became immune to any harm. I tried every secret technique and cultivation method, but I couldn't break through this divine ability. That's why I reluctantly conceded defeat and fled," the silver-armored man said with great unwillingness.

"Ghost shadows, it seems the cultivation methods of this so-called Underworld truly have their unique aspects. Brother Lei, it's understandable that you would be defeated when encountering such an eerie divine ability for the first time," Wen Xinfeng said gently, offering comfort.

The silver-armored man shook his head and said nothing more.

"The victor has been decided, and there's no need for us to remain here. Let's return to the stronghold immediately. Now, we just need to wait a few days to see if these ghosts truly abide by the agreement. Let's go."

Biying called out to everyone, instantly put away the chessboard in front of him, and was the first to fly back into the air. The others naturally followed, soaring into the sky.

A month later. At a very secluded lake, the seemingly mirror-like emerald surface suddenly parted, and a giant black boat shot out from within. After a few flashes, it appeared at the edge of the sky. After another blur, it vanished without a trace.

On the giant black boat, fully armed, tall puppets patrolled back and forth along both sides of the hull. Deep within the giant boat, in a secret chamber protected by layers of restrictions, Han Li sat cross-legged on a futon, holding a pale silver jade slip in his hand, lost in thought.

Shortly after the battle of the strong concluded, he returned with the others to the Scripture Repository at the Merchant Alliance headquarters, where Biying finally handed him an immortal secret art, as promised. This immortal secret art, named "Primal Aura Shield," was his final choice after hearing a brief introduction from the other party.

Compared to the other offensive immortal secret arts, Han Li knew he already possessed the Vanish Spirit Divine Ability and the Dark Heaven Spirit-Severing Sword, so he wasn't lacking in offensive methods. The Primal Aura Shield, despite its simple name, was actually a special technique for manipulating the world's primal energy to form a defense. Although he didn't know its exact power, as an immortal secret art, it certainly had its unique qualities.

The only somewhat troublesome aspect was... Han Li's gaze flickered. He held up the jade slip in his hand and touched it with a finger. Immediately, the jade slip hummed, and golden characters floated out from it. After a swift rotation, they formed a densely packed scripture in the void before him. These golden characters appeared and disappeared, expanding and contracting with flashes, as if possessing a hint of sentience. They were clearly the unique golden seal script of the Immortal Realm.

Han Li narrowed his eyes, and after observing the scripture for a moment, he frowned and shook his head. Although he recognized most of these golden seal characters, when put together, they were exceptionally obscure and difficult to comprehend. He estimated that fully understanding them would be impossible in a short period.

With these thoughts, Han Li tapped the jade slip again with his finger. With a soft sound, the golden scripture in the air blurred and vanished into nothingness.

Han Li pondered for a moment, then, with a flick of his wrist, another crimson jade slip appeared in his hand. He ran his fingers over the jade slip twice, a hint of joy appearing on his face. This jade slip was precisely what he had obtained that day in the Heavenly Cauldron Palace, from the treasured inheritance of the True Person Heavenly Cauldron. He had originally just intended to copy the cultivation method recorded inside, but Bingpo, grateful for his assistance in retrieving the treasure, directly gifted him the jade slip. The jade slip also contained a profound cultivation method: the secret art for refining lightning power that True Person Heavenly Cauldron had obtained back then. Han Li himself possessed the highest-tier lightning ability, the Evil-Warding Divine Lightning, so this cultivation method was perfectly suited for him. Compared to the immortal art "Primal Aura Shield," understanding this cultivation method was much simpler.

Han Li placed the jade slip on his forehead and began to quietly comprehend it, just as he had done before. Over the past year or so, he had already comprehended most of this cultivation method. He estimated that in another six months, he would fully grasp it and could then begin refining the Evil-Warding Divine Lightning. As these thoughts crossed Han Li's mind, his spiritual sense focused on scanning the jade slip. At the same time, he slowly closed his eyes and continued his comprehension.

Meanwhile, the giant black boat sped off in a predetermined direction.

At the same time, in a grand hall at the bottom of the great lake, Biying sat on a chair, his face deep in thought, pondering something. Before him were four Merchant Alliance elders, each dressed in different attire. Wen Xinfeng was among them and was slowly speaking: "So, the Bloodbone Gate and their allies acted quite quickly this time; they pinpointed that fiendish demon remarkably fast."

"Yes, I heard that several major sects, led by the Bloodbone Gate, have assembled a total of twelve Mahayana cultivators. They plan to set up a Demon-Trapping Grand Formation along the fiendish demon's path, then lure it into the formation and collectively eliminate it. However, for some unknown reason, they sent me an invitation, specifically inviting me to witness this demon-subduing battle. Oh, and I also heard that Master He from Fallen Heaven Valley and Lady Lingyun from Ten Thousand Gu Mountain have also been invited," Biying said, his expression unchanged.

"Hmph, what other purpose could there be? These major Blood Dao sects have always been wary of us. Most likely, they want to display their strength to our Alliance during this battle. Otherwise, Elder Jun has already gone, so why bother personally inviting Brother Bi to make this trip?" a green-robed elder beside him snorted.

"Regardless, the Bloodbone Gate and other major Blood Dao sects are still nominally the largest powers on this continent, and we can hardly refuse them. Brother Mu, how did Fallen Heaven Valley and Ten Thousand Gu Mountain handle this matter?" Wen Xinfeng asked, her delicate brows furrowed.

"According to the intelligence we've gathered, Master He and Lady Lingyun have both agreed to go and observe the battle," the green-robed elder replied without hesitation.

"Since those two have already agreed, I can hardly refuse. Otherwise, it would greatly diminish our Alliance's prestige in the eyes of others. Very well, arrange a teleportation array; I'll depart in a few days to take a look. I'm also somewhat curious about what extraordinary methods this fiendish demon, who sacrificed countless lives, possesses, daring to commit such an act that enrages both gods and men," Biying said, after pondering for a while, finally slapping the armrest of his chair with one hand.

"Since Brother Bi has made his decision, we can hardly stop you. But to be safe, please exercise extra caution," Wen Xinfeng said, nodding and then adding a grave reminder.

"Don't worry. For the battle of the strong, I had prepared several life-saving measures, none of which were used in the previous great battle. Even if I encounter great danger there, escaping will be more than sufficient," Biying replied with a slight smile.

Hearing Biying say this, Wen Xinfeng and the others finally felt completely at ease.

Afterwards, Biying discussed the utilization of small world resources with the elders of the Alliance. The others then took their leave and exited the main hall one by one. Only Biying remained, sitting quietly in his chair. However, at this moment, the old man's smile completely vanished, replaced by an unpredictable, shifting expression.

"Since the 'Shattered Heavenly Secret' has appeared, the great calamity shouldn't be far off. I originally thought it must be related to the Ten Kings of the Underworld, but I've returned unscathed from the battle of the strong. Has the great calamity not yet arrived, or has my previous caution subtly resolved it?" Biying raised his head, gazed at the void above, murmured a few words to himself, and then fell back into contemplation.

Half a month later, Han Li appeared amidst a pile of rubble, watching a group of puppets carefully clearing a dilapidated altar deeply buried underground. At the same time, Biying, accompanied by several Merchant Alliance guards, had already appeared in a large city at the other end of the Blood Sky Continent. Not far from this city, in a mountain range, Six-Wings and Bingpo were hidden inside a small mountain, sitting cross-legged facing each other on two futons, meditating to recover their vital energy. Every so often, Six-Wings would take a small bottle from his pocket, drip an unknown spiritual liquid into his mouth, then close his eyes and quietly refine the medicinal power. Although both appeared completely unharmed, the exhaustion on their faces was evident to anyone. It was no wonder they wore such expressions; anyone pursued by an irresistibly powerful enemy for such a long time would likely feel overwhelmed, both in terms of true essence and spirit.

"Daoist Six-Wings, how much longer do you think we can keep this up?" Bingpo suddenly asked, opening her beautiful eyes.