Chapter 272: Big Relocation Command and Ancient Teleportation Array

Han Li had never heard the term "Great Teleportation Token" before. However, witnessing Lu Tianmeng's ruthless willingness to eliminate others for it immediately revealed its immense value.

Yet, confronted by the eerie appearance of the five-colored skeleton, Han Li was hesitant to act impulsively. He carefully drew a golden blade and cautiously touched the skeleton. Seeing no reaction, he felt reassured and approached to examine the token more closely.

The token gleamed with a faint blue light, emitting a soft glow. Its ancient patterns and archaic inscriptions clearly marked it as a relic from antiquity. Beyond that, Han Li didn't detect any unusual properties, and its spiritual energy was not particularly high.

Han Li pondered for a moment, then used his golden blade to gently prod the token, easily picking it up. When he pinched it, he realized it wasn't the metallic texture he expected; instead, it felt soft yet firm, as if crafted from a type of wood.

After examining it for a while, Han Li attempted to infuse some spiritual power into it. However, a powerful suction force immediately emanated from the token, drawing a large amount of spiritual power from his body. Startled, Han Li quickly severed the flow of spiritual energy, and the suction instantly ceased.

Having learned his lesson, Han Li no longer dared to experiment recklessly. He carefully placed the token into his storage pouch.

Next, he circled the unidentified teleportation array multiple times, intensely curious about its destination. Naturally, Han Li wouldn't rashly attempt to use it. Moreover, even if he were foolish enough to consider it, he couldn't. A corner of the teleportation array was damaged; though the damage wasn't extensive, it was sufficient to render the array inoperable.

Han Li blinked, then suddenly produced a jade slip. He began meticulously copying the array's design and patterns, intending to consult others to see if it could be repaired. He harbored great expectations for this possibility.

After completing these tasks, Han Li searched the vast cavern thoroughly, checking for any overlooked items. Behind a thick stone pillar, he discovered two crystal-clear, spherical eggs, each roughly the size of a fist. Upon seeing them, Han Li was exceptionally delighted, recognizing them instantly as the eggs of the spider demon beast. Han Li had personally experienced the formidable power of this spider demon beast. Presented with such an opportunity, he wouldn't let it slip away. He immediately retrieved a specialized spirit beast skin bag from a Spirit Beast Mountain cultivator's storage pouch, carefully placed the spider eggs inside, and then tucked the bag into his waist.

Buoyed by this discovery, Han Li meticulously combed through the remaining areas. Unfortunately, he found nothing else. However, Han Li, now satisfied, didn't mind. He used fireballs to incinerate the bodies of Xuan Le, Lu Tianmeng, and the others, burying their ashes on the spot. When he encountered the five-colored skeleton, Han Li casually tossed several small fireballs at it, intending to destroy it completely. To his surprise, after the intense flames subsided, the skeleton had condensed into seven or eight small, colorful beads. Naturally, he collected them out of curiosity.

Han Li was now ready to depart. To prevent others from discovering the teleportation array, as he left the cavern, he simply used his Azure Essence Sword-light to thoroughly obliterate the entrance, completely blocking it. Of course, he also made some secret marks nearby, allowing him to find the spot again later. Following the direction of the draft within the stalactite cave, Han Li found an extremely well-hidden exit several hours later. He finally emerged onto the surface.

Fearing that the demonic cultivators might still be lurking nearby, Han Li dared not linger. He immediately piloted his Divine Wind Boat and fled towards Taiyue Mountain. The journey was uneventful.

Seven or eight days later, Han Li returned to Yellow Maple Valley. After providing a redacted account of his experiences to the duty steward, he went back to his cave dwelling to await further orders. By then, he knew that the second phase of the war had begun. In its initial stages, with strong support from two other nations, the Seven Sects seemed to be gaining the upper hand against the Six Dao. This significantly lightened the mood within Yellow Maple Valley, dispelling the pessimism that had prevailed at the war's outset.

Upon his return, seeing everything in his cave dwelling undisturbed, Han Li breathed a sigh of relief. While returning to the sect might not be the wisest move, as he would likely be conscripted, the Seven Sects were now extremely strict in punishing disciples who shirked their duties or fabricated excuses to avoid conscription. Minor offenses incurred spiritual stone penalties, while severe ones resulted in crippled magical power—they showed no mercy. Furthermore, he heard that nearly a hundred individuals within the Seven Sects had already received punishments of varying degrees. To prevent evasion of combat, disciples who had no current assignments or had completed their missions were required to report back to their respective sects within a specified timeframe. Failure to return by the deadline without a valid reason would result in being judged as avoiding duty and subject to penalties. Of course, simply hiding and never reappearing, or directly fleeing to another country, carried even more dire consequences: facing a lifelong pursuit by the Seven Sects. As long as the Seven Sects endured, the chase would never cease.

Han Li was not yet willing to abandon Yellow Maple Valley and flee Yue State, so he dutifully returned to await orders. In fact, he estimated that with the simultaneous expansion of both the Demonic Dao and the Righteous Dao, there would be no truly peaceful place left in the entire Tiannan region. Immortal cultivation realms everywhere would inevitably be drawn into the conflict; it was merely a matter of time. Given this, it might be better to remain in Yue State, as it was difficult to abandon one's homeland.

The first thing Han Li did upon returning to his cave dwelling was to immerse the pair of spider eggs in the Spirit Eye Spring, allowing the spiritual energy to slowly nurture their incubation. He then immediately entered seclusion for two days, during which he finally mastered the first layer of the Grand Evolution Art. Perhaps coincidentally, the Azure Essence Sword Art, which had shown no progress for a long time, simultaneously broke through to its fifth layer, elevating Han Li to the mid-Foundation Establishment stage. Han Li was overjoyed by this breakthrough! After all, every increase in cultivation at such tumultuous times meant a greater chance of survival.

What puzzled Han Li, however, was that several days after his return, the sect still hadn't assigned him any tasks, which made him feel uneasy. In his experience, abnormal situations often signaled impending trouble and danger. However, Han Li then reconsidered: in the ongoing conflict with the Six Dao, what tasks could possibly be safe? Even guarding a spiritual stone mine had nearly cost him his life, so the nature of any assigned task became irrelevant.

After this reflection, Han Li regained his calm composure. He decided to use this brief period to research what exactly the "Great Teleportation Token" was. As for his master Li Huayuan and Hong Fu, there was no need to explain the matter concerning Dong Xuan'er, as both were Core Formation cultivators who were already on missions and not within the sect.

After two days of extensive searching in Yellow Maple Valley's Heavenly Knowledge Pavilion, Han Li finally found a brief introduction to the "Great Teleportation Token" in a book titled "Dongxuan Solution." According to the book, this brilliant blue token was an essential magical artifact for ancient cultivators undertaking ultra-long-distance teleportation; without it, their safety during transit could not be guaranteed. Only by possessing a "Great Teleportation Token" could ancient cultivators avoid being crushed to death by the spatial pressure generated during such immense distances. For short-distance teleportation, spatial pressure was naturally negligible, much like the small teleportation array in and around Yuelu Hall, where Han Li had felt no discomfort.

The book did not elaborate on how the Great Teleportation Token ensured the user's safety. Furthermore, the method for crafting "Great Teleportation Tokens" had been lost long ago during ancient cultivation world upheavals. The few existing "Great Teleportation Tokens" had also gradually vanished, becoming legendary artifacts that no one had ever heard of anyone possessing. However, for the current cultivation world, this was largely irrelevant. This was because ancient teleportation arrays themselves had become legendary even *before* the "Great Teleportation Token." While he couldn't speak for other regions, on the surface, not a single one could be found in the Tiannan region. Whether any still existed in remote, uninhabited places or within a sect's or family's secret stronghold was uncertain. Currently, the furthest a teleportation array could transport someone in the cultivation world was only about a hundred li, which was utterly incomparable to ancient arrays capable of spanning tens of thousands of li. Even these limited arrays were so exorbitantly expensive that a single sect or family could, at most, afford three or four; acquiring more would be a severe financial strain.

After Han Li understood the purpose of the Great Teleportation Token, his first thought was, "Could that underground teleportation array actually be an ancient one?" This speculation made Han Li's heart pound; he knew the possibility was extremely high. If this were true, then with the Great Teleportation Token and the repaired array, he could instantly travel at least tens of thousands of li away. He wouldn't have to wade through the turbulent conflict between the Seven Sects and Six Dao anymore; he could simply go to a new place and continue his cultivation.

With this thought, Han Li could no longer restrain himself. He began searching for books related to ancient teleportation arrays, hoping to find a method to repair the underground array. Han Li spent several more days in the Heavenly Knowledge Pavilion, which housed a vast collection of books. Although he consulted numerous array formation texts, he found no information whatsoever about ancient teleportation arrays. This greatly disappointed Han Li.

At this point, Han Li remembered someone who might be able to help him repair the array.