Chapter 308: Crisis

Volume Three

A Mortal's Journey to Immortality, Volume Three

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"Is it possible that Fifth Sister tipped them off, so they ran away, or is this a trap?" the middle-aged woman asked, looking worried.

"No, if they had truly set a trap, they would have sprung it as soon as we entered, when we were completely unprepared," Han Li said, shaking his head.

Hearing Han Li's words, the others relaxed a little, but still instinctively glanced around for a moment. Indeed, nothing unusual occurred.

"Senior, what should we do now? Should we retreat first and act another day?" the Second Brother asked hesitantly.

"Let's go after Manager Wang first! If he's not here either, we'll call off today's operation and retreat immediately," Han Li said coldly.

After hearing Han Li's words, the Four Friends of Mount Meng exchanged glances and nodded silently.

Han Li cast several spells to retract the barrier, then led the way, stealthily moving towards another part of the Wang Manor. The others followed closely behind.

Although Manager Wang's residence wasn't a grand pavilion like the Little Prince's, it was still a small, exclusive courtyard.

As Han Li and his group approached, they noticed a faint light emanating from one of the rooms, suggesting the occupant was still awake.

Han Li raised an eyebrow. It seemed their trip wouldn't be in vain this time.

With this thought, Han Li gestured to the others to remain hidden and alert. He immediately activated the newly learned anonymous Qi Concealment Art, and the spiritual energy around him vanished without a trace, making him appear like an ordinary mortal.

Han Li's body flickered a few times, and he suddenly appeared at the base of the wall of the lit room, pressing his ear tightly against it.

Because Manager Wang had given Han Li a very strange feeling before, Han Li did not recklessly extend his spiritual sense to probe the room, fearing he might be detected.

However, after listening for only a moment, Han Li's expression changed, and he shot back, immediately concealing himself behind a large flowering tree.

This sight greatly surprised the Four Friends of Mount Meng, who were observing nearby. Then, Han Li's voice echoed in their ears:

"Be careful, the Little Prince is also inside. Act according to the situation!"

These words immediately sent a chill down their spines. They collectively held their breath, carefully watching the door, not daring to make a sound.

With a creak, the door opened. A young man dressed in a light green brocade robe stepped out; it was indeed the Little Prince of Xin Manor.

He turned back and quietly exchanged a few words with someone inside, then walked a few steps into the courtyard. The door automatically closed behind him.

A moment later, the light from the paper windows flickered a few times before extinguishing completely, indicating that the person inside was settling down for the night.

Han Li watched the other party's every move with an expressionless face. What puzzled him was that there was still no visible sign of magical power on the Little Prince. Yet, the faint sense of danger he felt after the Little Prince appeared was undeniable, suggesting he was likely a disciple of Black Fiend.

Perhaps because he was still within his own manor, the Little Prince was not in a hurry to return. Instead, he stretched like an ordinary person, gazed at the bright moon in the sky, and suddenly sighed.

He then began pacing back and forth in the small courtyard, his face clouded with worry, as if burdened by some difficult problem.

It seemed he wouldn't be leaving anytime soon. This left the Four Friends of Mount Meng feeling quite helpless.

Attacking now was out of the question, as Manager Wang was in the adjacent room. Even a slight struggle would undoubtedly wake him, causing significant trouble.

The best approach was, of course, to wait until the Little Prince returned to his own residence and then deal with them individually.

Fortunately, they were all cultivators and possessed sufficient patience. They remained perfectly concealed, showing no weaknesses.

After about the time it takes to eat a meal, the Little Prince finally stopped pacing and exited the courtyard.

The concealed group felt a surge of joy!

However, the next sight greatly surprised them, then immediately filled them with fury.

Just as the Little Prince stepped out of the courtyard gate, he suddenly, as if by illusion, pulled out a set of clothes from nowhere and swiftly changed into them. In an instant, he transformed into the masked figure clad in blood-red robes – the very person who had ordered them to ambush and kill Han Li.

Although the elder and the others were seething with rage, they understood the gravity of the situation and managed to maintain their composure. It was only now that they truly believed Han Li's words, realizing they hadn't chosen the wrong target.

The Little Prince, now in his new attire, exuded a faint, sinister aura and a considerable surge of spiritual power, indicative of an eleventh-level Qi Condensation cultivator. Instead of returning to his residence, he tossed a long, blood-red magical artifact into the air, then flickered and soared away on it.

Seeing this, a cold glint flashed in Han Li's eyes. He immediately transmitted a message to the other four:

"Follow him. No matter where he goes, intercept him halfway and capture him."

Upon hearing Han Li's command, the Four Friends of Mount Meng eagerly mounted their artifacts and pursued him.

Han Li, who had remained behind to monitor Manager Wang, deliberately waited a bit longer in place.

Seeing no unusual activity inside the room, he hesitated, then, still feeling uneasy, launched his Divine Wind Boat and followed.

Han Li's Divine Wind Boat was far superior in speed to the artifacts of the Four Friends of Mount Meng. A short while later, Han Li, following their lingering spiritual energy traces, caught up with them above a dilapidated temple outside Yuejing City.

The Four Friends of Mount Meng were hovering mid-air, looking disheveled and agitated, clearly at a loss. Upon seeing Han Li, they greeted him with surprise and relief.

"What's going on?" Han Li asked slowly, his brow furrowed at the sight.

"We tracked him here, and just as we were about to act, that brat, perhaps sensing us, suddenly slipped into this ruined temple. The temple is protected by a restriction, seemingly a formation. We tried to force our way in but suffered a slight setback, so we immediately retreated, not daring to go back in, fearing other ambushes inside," the black-faced elder explained, sensing Han Li's displeasure.

"A formation?" Han Li felt a headache coming on after hearing that.

Han Li was not proficient in formations either. Nevertheless, in front of the others, he calmly said:

"Let me take a look first!" After speaking, he activated his Heavenly Eye technique and carefully looked downwards.

Indeed, abnormal spiritual energy fluctuations emanated from around the dilapidated temple. However, once Han Li saw clearly, he let out a sigh of relief.

It was merely a very simple Rockfall Array, one of the most basic earth-attribute formations. While it might be tricky for rogue cultivators and Qi Condensation realm practitioners, Han Li, even without knowing the specific disarming method, could easily break such a low-level formation with brute force alone.

With this thought, Han Li silently reached into his storage pouch, then simultaneously flung both hands forward. Instantly, four tall, beast-like puppets appeared before him. This caused the black-faced elder and the others, who had previously experienced the might of Han Li's puppetry, to instinctively take a few steps back.

Ignoring their astonished expressions, Han Li controlled the puppet beasts as they simultaneously opened their mouths, unleashing several massive, bowl-sized beams of light directly towards the ruined temple.

Just as the light beams were about to strike the temple, a thin, colossal, semi-circular light shield suddenly appeared above it, radiating a faint yellow glow and completely enveloping the small temple.

The light beams struck directly onto the shield.

Immediately, the yellow shield began to tremble like rippling water, firmly resisting the onslaught of the light beams.

But at that moment, Han Li, without hesitation, raised his hand, and a pair of "Black Dragon Claws" flew out. They rapidly expanded to a length of over ten feet and savagely shot downwards, also striking the light shield.

A crisp cracking sound echoed, and the light shield, finally unable to withstand the continuous powerful attacks, completely shattered. The "Rockfall Array" vanished into thin air.

Witnessing this, the Four Friends of Mount Meng gasped.

They weren't entirely ignorant of what it meant to break a formation with sheer brute force.

It meant that Han Li's offensive power had to be at least several times greater than the formation's protective strength. Otherwise, ordinary attacks would simply be dissolved by the formation's clever restrictive principles. Having just suffered a bit from this very formation, they couldn't help but regard the Rockfall Array with newfound respect.

"Go down! We absolutely cannot let him escape!" Han Li said, his face like frost.

By this point, the Four Friends of Mount Meng were completely convinced of Han Li's capabilities, and they immediately plunged downwards in response.

But at that moment, a mocking laugh came from behind Han Li and the others.

"Looking for me? This temple is merely a temporary base for our sect; there's no one here now!"

This voice instantly startled the Four Friends of Mount Meng, who were halfway down, almost causing them to fall from their artifacts. They quickly turned their heads and instantly, their faces turned ashen.

Dozens of feet behind Han Li and his group, the Little Prince they had been tracking stood with another lean, gaunt individual dressed similarly. They were accompanied by over a dozen other masked figures in black, clearly Black Fiend Sect outer disciples under control, just like the Four Friends of Mount Meng used to be.

However, the most striking figure was a bald, browless, muscular man standing behind the Little Prince.

He wore similar blood-red robes, but his face was uncovered. He stared at them with murderous intent, exuding a bloodthirsty, fiendish aura.

This man was actually a Foundation Establishment cultivator, just like Han Li!

Upon seeing this, the Four Friends of Mount Meng simultaneously felt as if they were facing a life-or-death situation.