Chapter 726: Ring

The crimson full moon summoned by Nangong Wan clearly couldn’t keep up. The black and white streaks of light arced across the hall, instantly reaching the ceiling and striking it fiercely.

With a dull thud, the red light paused but didn’t penetrate through, only scattering some stone fragments.

The cold woman was startled. Before she could understand what was happening, a flash of light appeared on the ceiling, and swarms of three-colored flying insects burst forth. After a buzzing sound, they quickly gathered in the center, forming a massive three-colored shield.

The cold woman’s heart leaped in alarm. Without thinking, she flicked her hand, and a silver-patterned talisman appeared between her fingers.

Nangong Wan, seeing this from below, naturally understood her senior sister’s intention. Her beautiful face darkened. Instead of asking about the Reincarnation Divine Light, she touched her waist with one hand, and a small crimson flag appeared in her grasp. Without hesitation, she flung it vigorously towards the ground beneath her feet.

With a whoosh, the small flag transformed into a wisp of red smoke and quickly drilled into the ground.

At this moment, the cold woman waved her hand, activating the talisman’s power. She was enveloped in a ball of yellow light and shot upwards like a meteor chasing the moon.

A tearing sound followed as the yellow light effortlessly pierced through the giant shield, directly heading for the ceiling behind it.

But almost simultaneously, Nangong Wan’s incantations echoed, activating the hidden restrictions within the immortal cave.

The entire hall flashed with red light, and a dazzling red light barrier shimmered on the walls. Even the ceiling and the bluestone floor glowed intensely.

The red light seemed to be the bane of the yellow light the cold woman had transformed into. Upon colliding with the barrier, it couldn’t immediately escape. Instead, as the yellow and red lights intertwined, like magnets, a large mass of red light surged forward, completely enveloping the yellow light.

Nangong Wan’s senior sister was horrified. However, she was also a well-traveled person. After a brief moment of thought, she immediately recognized the type of restriction.

Within the yellow light, her face grave, she flicked a finger. An ice-cold, bone-chilling white sword beam shot out from her hand. As it rotated outside, the red light immediately scattered.

The cold woman was overjoyed. With a flash of yellow light, she broke free from the red light and directly vanished into the hall ceiling.

But just as her figure was halfway through, a purple light flashed before her eyes. Something suddenly descended, trapping her within it. With a sharp tug, she was forcibly dragged back from the hall ceiling.

Then, soft laughter followed. A white blur appeared, and a charming young woman in white emerged from the ceiling.

In one of her jade hands, she held an exceptionally clear purple thread. The other end of the purple thread was connected to the cold woman.

It was then that the grand elder of the Empyrean Moon Sect realized that what enveloped her was a net bag glowing with purple light.

This treasure seemed to exist and not exist, appearing and disappearing!

The cold woman was furious and alarmed. Without thinking, she continuously flicked her fingers, sending out more than ten black and white sword qi. Still not reassured, she opened her mouth, and a clump of strange, dark green flames spewed out, striking the purple net.

The faint purple light intensified. Neither the black and white sword qi nor the green flames affected the purple net, which remained completely unharmed.

At this, the cold woman finally showed panic. Just as she gritted her teeth, contemplating using some secret art that would heavily damage her vitality to escape, the white-clad young woman chuckled and tugged the purple thread in her hand. Her fragrant lips slightly parted, uttering the word "collect."

The slightly loose net bag immediately tightened, constricting her.

The person within the net was thoroughly immobilized, unable to move an inch.

The woman’s face was flushed crimson. Since forming her Nascent Soul, she had always been looked up to by other cultivators. Never had she encountered such a situation, let alone now as a mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivator.

In her shame and anger, a cold glint flashed in her eyes. The spiritual energy around her body suddenly surged, increasing by more than fifty percent. A faint reddish glow swirled within her eyes.

Upon seeing this, Yin Yue’s smile vanished. She knew something was wrong. Just as she was about to activate the "Jade Yang True Fire" contained within the "Purple Mace Pouch," Nangong Wan’s urgent voice came.

"Don’t kill her! Just hand her over to me!" As the voice rang out, a fiery red full moon leaped up from below, instantly enveloping the cold woman.

The full moon then spun rapidly, and rings of red aura rippled outwards from its center. Dazzling light and moon shadows filled the entire hall for a moment.

Han Li, observing the constantly shifting full moon from below, immediately felt his mind waver and his head spin. He was inwardly startled.

No wonder the cold woman was so wary of Nangong Wan’s so-called "Reincarnation Divine Light"; it truly seemed incredibly powerful.

The full moon rotated for a full quarter of an hour before finally coming to a halt, leaving Nangong Wan’s face pale.

Then, with a wave of her hand, a soft "bang" sounded, and the red moon dissipated into nothingness, scattering into countless specks of starlight.

Her senior sister’s figure reappeared, floating in mid-air.

She was still firmly restrained by the "Purple Mace Pouch," but the astonishing spiritual energy on her body had returned to normal. Her head was tilted, and she was unconscious, a peculiar smile on her face.

"What is this?" Han Li asked, a little surprised.

"Anyone trapped by my Reincarnation Divine Light cannot escape, even if their Nascent Soul attempts to depart. Furthermore, this divine light possesses extremely powerful abilities. My senior sister’s consciousness has been temporarily obscured by the divine light, which allows her to keep her life," Nangong Wan said with a smile, her face having regained some color.

"To prevent a cultivator’s Nascent Soul from escaping, no wonder your senior sister was so apprehensive about this technique. However, if you weren’t insistent on sparing her life, you could have easily used a swift and decisive method to kill her. Why go through such trouble?" Han Li said, touching his nose with a hint of helplessness.

"Killing my senior sister, the Grand Elder, is out of the question! Since I plan to go with you, the Empyrean Moon Sect’s strength will already be significantly diminished. If you were to kill her as well, our sect would surely be torn apart. The former Grand Elder of the Empyrean Moon Sect showed me kindness. While I won’t sacrifice myself for the sect, I also won’t allow the Empyrean Moon Sect to face genuine destruction," Nangong Wan sighed lightly, forcing a smile as she spoke.

"Heh heh! But your senior sister didn’t hold back when she attacked you and set those restrictions!" Han Li gave a wry smile and muttered.

"That doesn't matter. Sparing her life is my way of repaying the great kindness of my sect. After I leave with you, I won't feel overly uneasy. However, the fight just now was truly dangerous. I never knew Senior Sister possessed such a heaven-defying demonic artifact as the Blood Devil Sword. It almost caused a major incident for you. If I had known, I would have..." Nangong Wan’s beautiful eyes shifted, her face filled with apology.

But Han Li already understood her meaning. He smiled, unconcerned.

"It's nothing! The Blood Devil Sword can’t harm me. Let’s quickly retrieve the restriction token and leave the mountain as soon as possible!"

Nangong Wan nodded this time, offering no objection.

Yin Yue, standing nearby, obediently shook her hand. The "Purple Mace Pouch" immediately loosened, releasing the cold woman.

Nangong Wan took a few steps forward. Without ceremony, she repeatedly tapped the cold woman with her jade fingers, placing several restrictions on her. Only then did she reach out and retrieve a verdant storage pouch from the woman's person. She gently tilted the pouch opening downwards. After a flash of iridescent light, a large pile of items tumbled out.

Seeing this, Han Li also walked over curiously.

The token for the Soul Confinement Art was very easy to find; Nangong Wan immediately unearthed it and picked it up with a joyful expression.

As Han Li’s gaze swept over the pile of items, he suddenly reached out, and one object flew directly into his hand. It was a small, exquisitely crafted ring, dull black and lusterless.

Han Li frowned, holding the item before his eyes and examining it repeatedly.

"Why are you taking this? It looks like an ordinary magical artifact," Nangong Wan asked in surprise.

Han Li chuckled lightly at her words. He suddenly slapped his waist with one hand, and a jade box appeared out of thin air. With a flash of green light, the lid opened, revealing an identical dull black ring inside.

"Oh!" Nangong Wan exclaimed, her face showing surprise.

Han Li placed the two rings together and, after a brief comparison, found them to be exactly alike. He then put both rings into the jade box and placed it into his storage pouch.

Nangong Wan smiled sweetly, saying nothing. Instead, after a moment of thought, she ignored the pile of items and walked over to the motionless cold woman.

With a flash of red light in her hand, she bent slightly and deftly pressed a jade hand onto the woman's forehead. Then, she closed her beautiful eyes and fell silent.

Han Li, witnessing this scene, seemed to know what Nangong Wan was doing. With a faint smile on his face, he stood silently in place.

A moment later, Nangong Wan opened her beautiful eyes and raised her hand. In her palm, a blood-red small sword appeared—it was indeed the "Blood Devil Sword."

"This demonic artifact is too powerful and poses a significant threat to both of us. It's better to take it. I won't use this item, but seeing how the golden arc just now could restrain it, you should keep it for emergencies!" Nangong Wan merely glanced at the small sword in her hand, then shook her head and tossed the demonic artifact to Han Li.