Chapter 502: True and False Hard to Distinguish

## Volume 4: Winds Rise Overseas

"No wonder a spiritual spring was placed here; it was to nourish this wood. I want the ten-thousand-year spiritual milk, but I’m equally curious about this Soul-Nourishing Wood," Han Li slowly stated as he looked at Yuan Yao.

At his words, Yuan Yao’s expression instantly turned frigid.

"Don't worry. After so many years of nourishment, this wood must be quite large. I only need a small section of the root. I won't contend with Miss Yuan for the most important main trunk," Han Li said with a slight smile, seeing her expression.

"Only the root?" Yuan Yao was momentarily stunned, then her expression softened, though a hint of suspicion lingered in her beautiful eyes.

"Of course, as compensation, I still intend to claim the ten-thousand-year spiritual milk that Miss Yuan promised earlier," Han Li stated, his face turning serious again.

"Hehe! Fellow Daoist Han is quite calculating. Many sects would surely pay a fortune to acquire the root of that Soul-Nourishing Wood from you, wouldn't they? However, I agree to this matter." Yuan Yao, after a slight shift in her gaze, believed she had guessed Han Li's intentions and let out a charming, trembling laugh.

This seemed to put her at ease.

Han Li simply smiled faintly, offering no further explanation.

"Alright then, let's break the formation. I'll first share some of my previous insights on breaking it with you," Yuan Yao said, smiling brightly. She seemed even more impatient than Han Li.

"Not so fast. Miss Yuan, do you not wish to take this spiritual spring?" Han Li asked with a half-smile, pointing at the pool.

"Brother Han, are you joking? This spiritual spring was long ago integrated with the entire inner hall by the master of the Transcendent Temple using profound restrictions. If I possessed such great divine power, I would have directly claimed the Transcendent Cauldron. Why would I be stuck here?" Yuan Yao retorted playfully.

Hearing this, Han Li showed a hint of disappointment. But then, he thought better of it and laughed mockingly to himself.

He seemed to have become too greedy, immediately wanting to possess any treasure he saw. This was not a good sign. He didn't want to meet the fate of a person dying for wealth or a bird for food.

Thinking of this, Han Li silently warned himself. He then stopped bringing up the matter and instead spoke in a deep voice:

"Fellow Daoist Yuan, please hand over the spiritual milk to me first, then explain the formation. If we work together, we can certainly break this formation within two or three days."

Upon hearing this, Yuan Yao flashed a dazzling, alluring smile at Han Li, her beauty radiating. A white light flickered across the sea surface.

Then, the figures of a man and a woman appeared out of thin air, enveloped in light.

The man had an ordinary appearance. Aside from his clear eyes, there was nothing particularly remarkable about him. The woman was slender and as beautiful as a flower. Her bright eyes, when they moved, hinted at infinite charm.

The moment they appeared above the sea, both of them cautiously looked around. Seeing no other cultivators present, they seemed to breathe a sigh of relief.

They were Han Li and Yuan Yao, who had been teleported out after breaking the formation in the secret chamber.

"It seems the others are still trapped inside the Transcendent Temple. They won't be able to come out until the time is right," Yuan Yao said, her beautiful eyes flashing with an unusual light as she glanced in the direction of the Transcendent Cauldron.

"Will those Nascent Soul old monsters also be teleported out after taking treasures, like us?" Han Li asked, not letting his guard down, his brows furrowed.

"Don't worry. The location where one is teleported after acquiring a treasure is random. It could be near the Transcendent Temple, or it could be hundreds of miles away. No one could possibly monitor such a vast area simultaneously," Yuan Yao said softly, casually brushing aside a strand of hair.

"That's good!" Han Li nodded, feeling relieved.

"What's wrong? Did Brother Han offend those old monsters? If so, Fellow Daoist Han should really be careful," Yuan Yao asked, her beautiful eyes shimmering, with a hint of probing in her tone.

"You needn't concern yourself with that, Fellow Daoist Yuan. I have important matters to attend to, so I shall take my leave first." Han Li clasped his hands towards Yuan Yao with an indifferent expression. Then, without waiting for her reply, he unhesitatingly transformed into a streak of green light and flew away, showing no reluctance to linger.

Yuan Yao watched Han Li's departing escape light, a strange expression on her face. After a long moment, she gently shook her head. A flicker of black light appeared in her hand, revealing a foot-long, bizarre piece of wood.

The wood was charred black and rough, full of pits and extremely ugly.

However, as Yuan Yao looked at the wood, a trace of melancholy rose on her face.

"Sister Yan, please endure for a while longer. I will find someone to refine this wood into a Soul-Storing Box for you, so you can be completely free from the suffering of soul refinement," the woman whispered. Then, without further hesitation, she pulled her black robe over her head, concealing her astonishing beauty.

Next, Yuan Yao also transformed into a mass of black mist and shot off in another direction.

In a blink of an eye, silence returned to the sea surface.

Meanwhile, on the high platform on the fifth floor of the Transcendent Temple's inner hall, several people stood with grim expressions.

Each of them looked displeased. They were the Ancestor Extreme Yin and a group of righteous and demonic Nascent Soul cultivators, with Barbarian Hu standing coldly among them.

It was unclear what agreement they had reached, but no one was attacking him anymore.

"We have jointly searched every corner of the inner hall from the third to the fifth floor. Countless restrictions have been broken, and puppets destroyed, but we still haven't found them. Extreme Yin! Two of the three missing individuals are closely connected to you. Are you truly certain you didn't instruct them to take the treasure and escape?" Wan Tianming asked, his face ashen.

"Hmph! Sect Master Wan, you've asked that countless times. I've already told you, my beloved grandson, Wu, has met with misfortune. This was personally detected by my secret art; there's no mistake. If it weren't for this Heavenly Gang Shield blocking all my senses, I would have known the instant my grandson died. Nor would I have allowed those two youngsters to seize the opportunity to escape with the treasure," Ancestor Extreme Yin said, his face twitching and distorted.

"Speaking of which, I find Brother Man the most suspicious. Why was the Transcendent Cauldron taken precisely during the time Brother Man led us all away? Brother Man has also refused to clearly explain the origin of that junior. Could he have colluded with that youngster beforehand?" Ancestor Extreme Yin's tone shifted, and he suddenly stared at Barbarian Hu, his voice eerie.

"Joke! What do I need to explain to you? Even if the Transcendent Cauldron being taken really has something to do with that youngster, what does it concern me? I was being chased by all of you, fleeing in disarray. It's not as if the precious cauldron fell into my hands! As for you claiming your grandson Wu Chou is dead, who knows if that's true or false? Perhaps you're secretly overjoyed!" Barbarian Hu retorted, his eyes wide, showing no politeness.

"You..." Ancestor Extreme Yin was enraged at these words.

His beloved grandson had died tragically! And he was also being saddled with such a huge accusation. This was something Ancestor Extreme Yin absolutely could not accept.

Immediately, his face showed anger, and he was about to argue further.

But the old man in the Confucian robe beside him spoke up to mediate at this moment.

"Brother Man and Brother Wu, there's no need for any dispute. The ones who took the treasure are nothing more than these three. As for which of them, and what connection they have to us, those are secondary matters. The most important thing now is to find them, regardless of whether these three are dead or alive. When we pursued Brother Man, we chased him all the way to the entrance of the third floor. No matter how fast they are, it's impossible for them to escape below the third floor. And now, we have jointly set up several formations at the third-floor entrance, so it's impossible for them to escape by seizing the opportunity. As for being teleported out of the secret chamber, that's even more impossible. Remember, they are only cultivators in the early Core Formation stage. Even if the three of them worked together, they absolutely couldn't pass through any secret chamber above the third floor, unless they truly went mad and wanted to commit suicide." The old man in the Confucian robe analyzed calmly.

"However, we've searched all the way from the third to the fifth floor. We simply found no trace of them," Wan Tianming said coldly, his face full of suspicion.

In fact, it wasn't just him; the three righteous path cultivators were all half-believing, half-doubting.

They had already secretly discussed several times through voice transmission, all believing it was very likely a well-orchestrated play by the three old devils, deliberately luring them away and then having their juniors retrieve the Transcendent Cauldron.

Therefore, while Wan Tianming and the other two felt deep regret, they also watched the actions of Extreme Yin and the others like tigers eyeing their prey, refusing to leave the old devils' side by even half a step within the Transcendent Temple.

Extreme Yin and the old man in the Confucian robe naturally saw through the intentions of Wan Tianming and the righteous path cultivators. However, they were equally anxious and could not concern themselves with this matter.

They only wanted to quickly find Han Li and the others, and retrieve the Transcendent Cauldron.

A group of Nascent Soul cultivators had fought fiercely within this inner hall, but the treasures had been stolen by Core Formation cultivators who had fished in troubled waters. If word got out, they would become a huge laughingstock!

Moreover, how could they willingly allow the Transcendent Cauldron to truly fall into the hands of Han Li and the others?

Barbarian Hu was also internally surprised, as Xuan Gu's actions seemed somewhat different from what had been agreed upon beforehand.

Had he truly absconded with the cauldron?

If it were an ordinary Core Formation cultivator, they might not be able to pass the restrictions of the third-floor secret chambers, but for Xuan Gu, who had cultivated the ghostly path, it was truly hard to say.

Although his mind was filled with doubts, Barbarian Hu showed no trace of it on his face. Instead, due to his other thoughts, he had the intention of stirring up trouble.

So, Barbarian Hu also spoke in a cold voice:

"What if the two old fellows from the Star Palace didn't leave and have been hiding nearby all this time? Seeing us all chase each other out, they came out again, eliminated those three, and then took the Transcendent Cauldron!"

Hearing Barbarian Hu's words, the others exchanged glances, then all showed thoughtful expressions.

(Hehe, there's another chapter tonight. Please cast more recommendation votes!)