Chapter 2448: True Immortal Descends Beyond the Heavens

Han Li’s expression remained unchanged. He simply stood still, calmly gazing towards the source of a distant roar.

On the distant horizon, the earth suddenly churned, forming a massive, dragon-like wave of soil that rapidly spread, as if some immense creature was racing underground towards Han Li.

Han Li’s expression flickered slightly at the sight. Before he could react, a silver giant, dozens of yards tall, suddenly burst forth from the yellow dust that followed the earth dragon.

The giant had long emerald-green hair, a lion’s mouth, and ox-like eyes. Its upper body was mostly bare, with a blue leather skirt around its waist. Its muscles bulged and intertwined, gleaming with a metallic silver sheen as if forged from silver. With a single stride, it covered several hundred yards, causing the ground nearby to tremble violently.

The giant’s body seemed incredibly heavy.

As Han Li got a clear look at the silver giant, a hint of surprise finally flashed in his eyes.

Just then, the giant had caught up to the front of the earth dragon in a few large strides. After a low growl, it suddenly slammed both palms onto the nearby ground.

Two earth-shattering roars, "Boom! Boom!", echoed.

With the giant at the center, the ground within a several-mile radius instantly collapsed and caved in, forming a small, hundred-yard-deep basin.

A sharp shriek pierced the air!

A somewhat blurry, yellow giant beast suddenly burst out of the basin, desperately fleeing towards the Direction of Mournful Howls.

However, the silver giant seemed to have anticipated this. With a loud laugh and a flicker of its body, it instantly appeared above the beast, raising a massive foot and stomping down fiercely.

"Thud!"

The moment the yellow giant beast and the silver foot made contact, the beast shuddered and plummeted from the sky.

With another dull thud, the beast’s lower half was forcibly stomped into the ground by the giant foot.

It was then that Han Li finally discerned the true form of the yellow giant beast: an earth-yellow giant tortoise, sixty to seventy yards long. Its tough shell was half a yard thick and covered with yellowish scales. Its single-horned head was pinned firmly by the silver foot, and despite its desperate struggles, it couldn't retract into its shell.

Without another word, the silver giant swung its arms again, its two massive fists transforming into a blur of silver, hammering down relentlessly.

In an instant, bursts of silver light erupted across the yellow giant tortoise’s body. Waves of astonishing shockwaves swept out in all directions.

Although the yellow giant tortoise’s defense was formidable, after just a few breaths, its entire head was pounded into pulp by the flurry of fists, and its shell shattered into pieces amidst the silver light.

"Thump!"

One of the silver giant’s large hands finally pierced directly through the tortoise’s body. After retracting, a yellow, head-sized spherical bead suddenly appeared in its grasp.

Seeing the bead, the giant immediately let out a wild laugh. With a flick of its wrist, it tossed the bead into its mouth and swallowed it whole.

A yellow light momentarily flickered across the silver giant’s body, but after it formed a hand seal with one hand, it returned to normal.

At that moment, the giant suddenly turned its head and glanced towards Han Li. Its eyes were glaring silver-white, seemingly devoid of pupils.

Han Li’s eyes narrowed at the sight.

The silver giant, however, immediately moved its feet and strode towards Han Li, laughing like thunder even before it drew close. It said, "Might I ask if you are also a fellow Daoist attending the Heavenly Beyond Heaven gathering? I am Yin Gangzi of the Heavenly Taboo Clan."

"So it is a fellow Daoist from the Heavenly Taboo Clan. I am Han Li of the Human Race, pleased to make your acquaintance." Han Li exhaled lightly and offered a fist salute from a distance.

"You are Daoist Han, from the Human Race, who slew the Mother of the Spirit Devouring Bugs in the Demon Realm! What a coincidence! I have long heard of your name." The silver giant’s face showed a flash of surprise upon hearing this, but it immediately formed a hand seal. Its body rapidly shrunk, transforming in an instant into a silver-skinned man roughly Han Li’s size.

"Brother Yin, you flatter me. My ability to slay the Mother of the Spirit Devouring Bugs was merely a coincidence. However, the reputation of the Heavenly Taboo Clan has long been legendary to me. Your transformation just now must be the Heavenly Taboo Clan's renowned Creation Body, whose power is truly unfathomable," Han Li said with a polite smile.

The Heavenly Taboo Clan was also a renowned race on the Fengyuan Continent. Although their numbers were not large, every member possessed astonishing talent, and their cultivation speed far surpassed that of other ordinary races. If they could cultivate to the high-tier level capable of manifesting the Creation Body, their power could instantly multiply. For this reason, the Heavenly Taboo Clan was known as one of the Four Great Mystic Clans of the Fengyuan Continent. High-level members of their clan rarely appeared before others, so encountering a Heavenly Taboo Clan member of the Mahayana stage here greatly surprised and astonished Han Li.

"Hehe, Daoist Han is truly too modest. The inner core of this earth tortoise beast I encountered on the way is quite useful to me, which is why I had to transform and chase it all the way here. Since we've met, why don't we travel to the Heavenly Beyond Heaven together?" Yin Gangzi chuckled.

"Given Brother Yin's invitation, I naturally have no reason to decline." Han Li yawned, showing no intention of refusing.

"Haha, Brother Han, you are truly forthright! Let's set off then. We can discuss the matter of that blood-sacrificing immortal on the way. The message that old fellow Ming Zun sent me earlier was very brief, and I could use some more details." Yin Gangzi seemed very pleased to hear this.

"I did meet Daoist Ming Zun once, and I do have some information. If you wish, I will certainly tell you everything truthfully," Han Li said with a smile, without hesitation.

"Then I thank you in advance! I have a Jade Wave Chariot here; perhaps Daoist can join me for the journey." Yin Gangzi replied, overjoyed at Han Li’s words. He then opened his mouth and spat out a stream of verdant light. As the light swirled, the air above rippled, and a thirty-yard-long emerald-green flying chariot materialized.

The chariot was triangular, exquisitely carved, and emitted a faint, refreshing fragrance. Four silver-armored puppets stood motionless, two at the front and two at the back.

Han Li did not decline. With a movement of his body, he drifted onto the chariot alongside Yin Gangzi.

A moment later, the Jade Wave Chariot emitted a whoosh as it cut through the air, transforming into a green streak of light that vanished into the desolate black-green landscape. After a few more flashes, it disappeared completely into the horizon.

Half a day later, in the center of the Direction of Mournful Howls, amidst a vast sea of dark, misty wind, the Jade Wave Chariot rapidly pressed forward against the fierce gales.

Suddenly, the dark wind ahead abruptly thinned, and a strange new realm materialized out of nowhere. The void before them, several thousand yards high, suddenly split into two, forming a world of black and white. The lower half remained a world of black wind-sea, while the upper sky was a hazy white light curtain. Within it, countless massive boulders, varying in size, vaguely floated motionless in mid-air. The smaller boulders were no larger than houses, while the larger ones resembled colossal mountain islands, with faint structures like halls and pavilions discernible upon them.

"This is the Heavenly Beyond Heaven; truly fascinating," Han Li remarked, marveling at the scene from the front of the Jade Wave Chariot.

"This place is indeed quite unique! It's said that this was once a forbidden land for a powerful ancient clan, but then something unknown happened. Not only did the clan vanish without a trace, but dense malevolent qi erupted from underground, turning this place completely devoid of life," Yin Gangzi, standing beside Han Li, said, shaking his head.

Earlier, after some conversation in the chariot, Han Li and Yin Gangzi had gotten along well, feeling as if they had known each other for a long time.

"To make an entire race vanish, it seems that clan must have provoked an irresistible natural disaster at the time. If it were a man-made calamity, it probably couldn't make a whole race disappear so silently," Han Li said, his gaze flickering.

"Hehe, perhaps so. Oh, it seems the people from the Merchant Alliance are here to greet us," Yin Gangzi chuckled, then let out a light "Hmm?"

A spiritual light flashed in the light curtain above, and a white flying boat pierced through it, shooting directly towards their chariot.

Han Li and Yin Gangzi exchanged a look, then naturally stood still at the front of their chariot, waiting. The chariot beneath them silently came to a halt in the wind.

A moment later, the white flying boat arrived nearby with a few flashes, then gathered its spiritual light and docked beside their chariot. On the flying boat, a man in a blue long robe swept his gaze over Han Li and Yin Gangzi on the chariot. A hint of surprise flickered across his face, but he quickly bowed respectfully, not daring to be neglectful, and said: "Are you Senior Han Li of the Human Race and Senior Yin Gangzi of the Heavenly Taboo Clan? This junior has been dispatched by Lord Ming Zun to specifically welcome both seniors into the Heavenly Beyond Heaven."

"You recognize me? It seems Daoist Ming has told you juniors all about our appearances. In that case, lead the way," Yin Gangzi instructed impassively.

Han Li, meanwhile, maintained a noncommittal expression.

"Yes, Seniors, please follow us," the blue-robed man replied respectfully, naturally not daring to disobey. His flying boat then turned around and immediately began to lead the way.

Propelled by Yin Gangzi, the Jade Wave Chariot followed closely behind, maintaining a steady pace.

After the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, the Jade Wave Chariot finally landed on a floating boulder, several miles in size, within the Heavenly Beyond Heaven. On this massive boulder stood a colossal, milky-white hall, with two rows of fully armored Merchant Alliance guards stationed at its entrance.

After retracting his chariot, Yin Gangzi and Han Li confidently strode towards the hall's interior. The armored guards remained stoic, not even glancing sideways, with no intention of questioning or blocking them.

As soon as Han Li and Yin Gangzi entered the hall's doorway and passed through a short corridor, they found Ming Zun, the Merchant Alliance's manager, in a gigantic hall dozens of yards high.

"Daoist Han, Brother Yin, I am truly surprised to see both of you arrive at the same time!" Ming Zun, who had been seated in the main position, conversing with several distinguished-looking individuals nearby, immediately rose with great joy to greet Han Li and Yin Gangzi as they entered.

The other individuals remained seated but eyed Han Li and Yin Gangzi with varied expressions.

"Haha, Daoist Han and I happened to meet at the edge of the Direction of Mournful Howls, so we naturally came together. Brother Ming, it's been thousands of years, but your complexion is as good as ever!" Yin Gangzi laughed heartily, looking straight ahead as he spoke.

Han Li, meanwhile, simply offered a polite greeting with a smile, then observed the other individuals seated in the hall with keen interest.