Chapter 2450: Xuan Jiuling

Chapter 2411: Xuan Jiuling

Early the next morning, Patriarch Huashi respectfully appeared in the first-floor hall of the pavilion and reported to Han Li the messages he had relayed to Ice Phoenix earlier.

"So, Ice Phoenix was indeed abducted by that Six-winged Frost Centipede, and it seems he still holds considerable animosity towards me?" Han Li stroked his chin, asking thoughtfully.

"Indeed, Fellow Daoist Ice Phoenix said so. And the reason Six-winged agreed so readily to act as bait was because Senior Mingzun promised to persuade you, Senior Han, not to trouble him for a thousand years, as a condition." Patriarch Huashi replied truthfully.

"I see. By the way, were the protective treasures I asked you to take safely delivered to Fellow Daoist Ice Phoenix?" Han Li asked again, his expression unchanged.

"Your disciple has already delivered them."

"Good. You may leave for now. When the great battle begins, you should hide as far away as possible." Han Li nodded with satisfaction.

Patriarch Huashi respectfully acknowledged the command and then left the pavilion.

For the following days, Han Li remained quietly in the pavilion, cultivating and recuperating, showing no intention of going out.

During this time, other Mahayana cultivators arrived one after another at Heaven Beyond Heaven. Furthermore, members of the Merchant Alliance began to set up the Two Extremes Dust Annihilation Array within the Land of Resonant Malevolence.

Dense layers of restrictions were placed around the two Profound Heaven Treasures that served as the array's core. No one, apart from Mingzun and a few Merchant Alliance elders, was permitted to approach them in the slightest.

However, the True Spirits Mingzun had mentioned remained unseen. It was unclear if they were hidden or if they intended to summon them on the day of the battle...

Over half a month later, as Han Li sat quietly in the pavilion, a ripple suddenly appeared before him. A crimson fireball shot forth, instantly bursting into a shower of sparks.

A faint voice immediately echoed throughout the room.

"Fellow Daoist Han, that person is not far from the Land of Resonant Malevolence. We must begin our actions soon. Please come quickly to the main hall where we held our last discussion."

Upon hearing these words, Han Li's expression hardened. He formed a hand seal with one hand, transforming into a streak of green light that shot out. With a single flash, he pierced through the roof and vanished.

After the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, streaks of escaping light continually converged from all directions in front of the main hall where everyone had last gathered, landing one by one inside.

When Han Li's light converged and he appeared in the hall, over a dozen Mahayana cultivators had already gathered. Among them were familiar faces like Lady Wu and Silversteel, but also several unfamiliar ones.

A pair of male and female cultivators with strikingly similar features immediately caught Han Li's attention.

Both appeared to be in their twenties; the man was handsome and cold, the woman beautiful and charming. Yet, a layer of purplish-red malevolence emanated from their bodies, and the void within several yards of their standing point occasionally twisted and blurred, making them appear incredibly eerie.

Silversteel and the others also regarded the pair with a subtle hint of apprehension.

Mingzun remained seated in the principal position, listening to a middle-aged man's report.

"Fellow Daoist Six-winged has, as agreed, lured the fiendish demon to the edge of the Land of Resonant Malevolence. At the current speed, it will enter the Two Extremes Dust Annihilation Array's controlled area in two to three hours at most. All Alliance disciples and several elders have already departed and taken their positions. The spirit-summoning ritual is also fully prepared; those True Spirits can be summoned here at any moment..."

"Good. In half an hour, begin the spirit-summoning ritual. As for the Two Extremes Dust Annihilation Array, no one is to activate it without my command. Other matters should be handled according to the original plan for now. Soon, I will join the other fellow Daoists at the prepared ambush site; at that time, everything will be under my command." Mingzun instructed with a satisfied expression after hearing the report.

The middle-aged man nodded in affirmation and swiftly departed with a flash of light.

"Fellow Daoists, you've heard. Our Alliance is fully prepared. When the time comes, as long as all of you act together, we will surely suppress this True Immortal. However, let me be frank: if anyone retreats during the battle or harbors other intentions, do not blame me for turning ruthless and disregarding our past connections." Mingzun stated, his expression stern as he addressed the assembly.

"Heh heh, Brother Ming, rest assured, at this point, who would retreat from battle?"

"Indeed, should anyone truly jeopardize this endeavor, we will all move to strike them down."

Some of the Mahayana cultivators immediately spoke, sounding nonchalant.

The others also concurred.

"Fellow Daoist Ming, my sister and I have arrived, but why haven't we seen Xuan Jiuling? He wouldn't have suddenly changed his mind and decided not to get involved in this mess, would he?" The man from the newly appeared pair asked coldly.

Hearing this, Silversteel and the others showed a slight change in expression.

"Fellow Daoist Yun Dan, rest assured, Fellow Daoist Xuan Jiuling arrived two days ago. However, he needed to temporarily refine a powerful secret technique and was also entrusted with another important task, which is why he hasn't appeared yet." Mingzun replied with unusual politeness.

This pair of cultivators was indeed "Yun Dan and Yue Shu."

"I see. My sister and I have long heard of Xuan Jiuling's great reputation for being able to slay True Spirits single-handedly. We've always wanted to meet him but haven't had the chance." The woman named Yue Shu said with a light chuckle.

This pair of cultivators, surprisingly, seemed to harbor a subtle hostility toward Xuan Jiuling.

Mingzun could only offer a wry smile, finding it difficult to respond further.

Fortunately, Yun Dan and Yue Shu did not press further, instead engaging in a silent conversation between themselves.

Mingzun felt a wave of relief and immediately gave the others some important instructions.

Just then, a ripple appeared by Han Li's ear, and Mingzun's telepathic voice suddenly sounded.

He only heard a few sentences, and a hint of surprise appeared on his face, but after a moment of thought, he slowly nodded.

Seeing this, a hint of joy flashed across Mingzun's face.

A short while later, many Mahayana cultivators departed the main hall, riding streaks of light, and hurried towards the pre-arranged ambush site.

In the blink of an eye, only Mingzun, Han Li, Yun Dan, and Yue Shu remained in the hall.

After the pair looked at Han Li with a hint of surprise, the man plainly addressed Mingzun:

"Fellow Daoist Ming, do you truly wish for my sister and me to guard the Profound Heaven Treasures within the array? This is a significant responsibility; should anything go wrong, my sister and I fear we might not be able to bear the consequences."

"Heh heh, you two are far too modest. If your brother and sister cannot manage this, then perhaps no one else is better suited for the task. The Two Extremes Dust Annihilation Array is crucial to the success of this battle. As long as the two Profound Heaven Treasures are safe, both array cores will remain intact, and the entire array will continue to operate ceaselessly." Mingzun replied with unusual politeness.

"My sister and I have always advanced and retreated together, so we can only be responsible for one of the array cores. It seems the other array core will be entrusted to this fellow Daoist. Can he truly handle this responsibility without jeopardizing the entire endeavor?" After the man nodded, he suddenly pointed directly at Han Li and spoke impolitely.

Han Li merely smiled slightly at this, offering no reply and showing no sign of anger.

"Rest assured, both of you. Fellow Daoist Han is a cultivator of immense divine abilities, so I naturally have absolute faith in entrusting him with this task." Mingzun yawned, vaguely taking over the conversation.

"Since Brother Ming has said so, my sister and I are relieved. We will follow your arrangements, Fellow Daoist." The woman named Yue Shu, after curiously glancing at Han Li again, suddenly smiled charmingly and said.

"Excellent! I will arrange someone to guide you both to the array core." Mingzun was overjoyed upon hearing this and then lightly clapped his hands.

Immediately, a Merchant Alliance guard entered from outside the hall and respectfully led the brother and sister out.

"Fellow Daoist Han, the other array core of the Two Extremes Dust Annihilation Array is entrusted to you. There shouldn't be any issues, right?" Mingzun then turned to Han Li, his expression becoming solemn, and asked.

"Brother Ming truly thinks highly of me. Since that's the case, I can only risk my life to undertake this task." Han Li pondered for a moment, then calmly replied.

"Haha, this task can only be taken on by those capable. With you, Fellow Daoist, and the Yun Dan and Yue Shu siblings jointly guarding the array cores, the Two Extremes Dust Annihilation Array will be completely foolproof." Mingzun said with a laugh.

Han Li smiled faintly, saying nothing further.

Just then, another guard entered. After bowing respectfully to Han Li, he also led him out of the hall.

As soon as Han Li's figure vanished from the hall entrance, Mingzun's smile disappeared, replaced by a deep frown and a thoughtful expression.

"Are you certain this True Immortal genuinely possesses a method to escape the power of the realm's laws and temporarily restore his full strength from the Immortal Realm? Otherwise, your entire scheme would be utterly pointless." Suddenly, an unfamiliar male voice emanated from behind Mingzun. Then, the shadow beneath his feet blurred, and another unfamiliar figure slowly emerged from it.

Mingzun showed no surprise whatsoever. Instead, he calmly replied without turning his head:

"Don't worry. Although the combat footage I received from Xutian was incomplete, showing only blurry images, the golden deity form he assumed at that time sufficiently indicates that he did indeed recover his true immortal strength. Otherwise, cultivators like Green Shadow wouldn't have been so vulnerable against him. The true key to victory or defeat in this battle will still hinge on whether your strike succeeds. Otherwise, our fate will be no better than theirs."

"As long as the opponent truly recovers his True Immortal body, how can he possibly withstand the Nine Calamity True Annihilation Strike without any precautions? This cultivation method is a genuine Immortal Realm secret technique passed down by our ancestors, specifically designed to dismantle a True Immortal's body. Although I had to refine nine True Spirit souls to unleash this single strike, it is more than sufficient to deal with an incarnated True Immortal." The blurry figure chuckled, then replied with great confidence.

"Indeed. Even if that True Immortal is formidable, the preceding arrangements will be sufficient to exhaust most of his strength, making it highly unlikely he can evade your strike. An immortal whose True Immortal body has been broken will only be slightly stronger than an ordinary True Spirit and will no longer pose a significant threat." Mingzun said slowly.

"But others are unaware of your plan. It's hard to say how many will survive afterward. Those four True Spirits are likely nothing more than cannon fodder, are they not?" The blurry figure said grimly.

"There's no other way. How can one contend with an Immortal in their prime without paying some price? Besides, I have already repeatedly warned them that this Immortal is formidable and advised them to exercise extreme caution during the engagement." Mingzun replied noncommittally.