Chapter 792: Sword Formation Initially Established

Suddenly, a bizarre scene unfolded. The transparent liquid gradually began to split and deform on its own, surprisingly forming six thumb-sized silver beads that slowly rotated in the air.

Han Li took a deep breath, suddenly bit his tongue, and spat out a mouthful of vital blood. As soon as the vital blood touched the surface of these beads, every single drop was completely absorbed. Immediately, the beads' color drastically changed, turning golden yellow, as if forged from pure gold.

Seeing this, Han Li's spirits lifted. He opened his mouth again, and a streak of green light shot out. After a quick circling maneuver, it stopped in front of Han Li. It was a miniature green sword, about an inch long, glowing with spiritual light.

Han Li pointed his finger at one of the golden beads, which had been formed from Geng essence. Instantly, the golden bead transformed into a beam of golden light and shot directly onto the small sword, then melted and enveloped it, coating the flying sword's surface with extreme evenness. Immediately, the small sword became sparkling gold and dazzling to the eyes.

Han Li raised an eyebrow, then pointed his finger at the ground a few times. Several auxiliary materials flew one by one onto the flying sword, mysteriously merging into it. Then Han Li beckoned to the flying sword. In an instant, the sword flew into his palm. With a soft whoosh, a cluster of green Nascent Soul flame appeared out of thin air, enveloping the flying sword. Han Li slowly closed his eyes, controlling the Nascent Soul flame with his divine sense, and began the refining process.

Only when the Geng essence, infused with his vital blood, completely integrated with the flying sword, becoming one inseparable entity, could the refining be considered complete.

Days passed. Han Li continuously refined the Azure Bamboo Cloudswarm Swords in the secret chamber, one after another, without even a moment's rest. If Han Li hadn't possessed the Ten-Thousand-Year Spirit Liquid, which allowed him to swiftly recover his expended magic power, he truly wouldn't have been able to endure for such a short period.

Outside the cave mansion, as the date set by the black-robed man drew near, and Han Li still hadn't emerged, some people who knew about the situation began to grow anxious. Among them, the silver-haired old man was naturally the most anxious. Just yesterday, someone had used a flying sword to deliver a message, sending a jade slip into the Falling Cloud Sect. It contained the exact location for the meeting with Han Li.

The location was not only treacherous, but also very far from Cloudmist Mountain. If Han Li didn't come out of seclusion soon, it would be too late.

Just as the silver-haired old man restlessly paced in the side hall of the main council chamber, Han Li's figure silently appeared at the entrance of the hall.

"Junior Brother, you've emerged from seclusion! Is the magic treasure refined?" the old man exclaimed in surprise as he turned his head, having sensed Han Li at the entrance.

"I've finally managed to finish refining them," Han Li replied, his expression calmer than a month ago. "Senior Brother, I heard that person sent another jade slip, containing the meeting location. Is that true?" he asked in a deep voice.

"That's right, he wants to meet you at the summit of Heavenly Pillar Mountain. Here's the jade slip he sent; take a look." The silver-haired old man nodded, tossing over a green jade slip.

Han Li took the jade slip, immediately immersing his divine sense into it and quickly scanning its contents.

"Hmph! He wants me to go alone and specifically bring the Golden Lightning Bamboo magic treasure," Han Li snorted coldly, a hint of severity flashing across his face. "It seems he's investigated me thoroughly and knows something about Wan'er and me. Otherwise, he wouldn't be so confident."

"Given his powers, it would indeed be an easy matter for him to discreetly investigate Junior Brother and Fellow Daoist Nangong's affairs. After all, low-level cultivators cannot keep anything secret before such a powerful demonic cultivator. But Junior Brother, I can't let you go alone to face such a risk. I've already arranged for five or six trusted fellow Daoists, including the Fire Dragon Child, to join us. You'll go ahead first, and the rest of us will follow behind. As soon as he appears, we'll launch a combined assault. We must capture him and let him know that our Xi State is not a place he can just waltz in and out of as he pleases," the silver-haired old man said with sudden resentment.

"Senior Brother's method is good," Han Li said after a moment of thought, then nodded in agreement. "However, he's likely prepared for such a thing. Still, it's good for you and the others to follow. Should he be careless or overly arrogant, it might be a divine retribution for him." Having some help was, naturally, something he couldn't ask for more.

"Alright, it's settled then," the silver-haired old man instructed. "Although Heavenly Pillar Peak is incredibly tall, to cultivators like us, it's practically flat ground. I'll place a mark on Junior Brother for tracking. If the opponent truly proves to be unbeatable, Junior Brother, just stall for time. My friends and I will arrive in time."

"I'm troubled to have Senior Brother go through so much trouble for this," Han Li said, words he rarely spoke as he seldom accepted favors easily. "I, Han, will surely repay this kindness."

"Haha, Junior Brother, you're also a part of our Falling Cloud Sect. There's no need to speak so formally," the silver-haired old man chuckled, then said, as if it were of no concern. "It's getting late. Junior Brother Han, you should make your preparations quickly. You must depart tonight to reach Heavenly Pillar Mountain on time."

Han Li nodded, then immediately took his leave and returned. Watching Han Li's departing back, the silver-haired old man let out a soft sigh, a knowing smile appearing on his face. To have Han Li say what he just did, his efforts hadn't been in vain. He presumed that after his own lifespan ended and he passed away, Junior Brother Han would remember this favor and fully support the Falling Cloud Sect.

The silver-haired old man felt a sense of relief. But after a moment's thought, he slapped his storage pouch with one hand. Several talismans appeared in his hand. He then tossed them into the air, and they immediately transformed into several streaks of red light and shot out of the side hall. These transmission talismans were sent to his friends who had arrived days ago and were staying in the Guest Reception Pavilion. They would probably gather here in a few moments. The old man sat motionlessly in his chair, a thoughtful expression on his face.

After informing the silver-haired old man, Han Li left Cloudmist Mountain, heading directly for Heavenly Pillar Mountain, which was a day's journey away. An hour after Han Li departed, the silver-haired old man, along with the Fire Dragon Child and several other Nascent Soul cultivators, also left the Falling Cloud Sect, secretly following behind.

To conserve magic power, Han Li's evasive light traveled at only an average speed. As Han Li flew forward in his evasive light, he toyed with a two-to-three-inch-long golden miniature sword. It was one of the thirty-six Azure Bamboo Cloudswarm Swords, into which Han Li had integrated Geng essence. For some reason, after the Geng essence was incorporated, the flying swords had completely transformed into a pure golden color. If he remembered correctly, during the refining process, Geng essence would indeed alter the spiritual color of a magic treasure's surface. However, once the refining was complete and the Geng essence truly permeated the treasure's interior, it should revert to its original color. Yet these thirty-six flying swords had retained their golden hue until the very end, without it fading away. This left Han Li slightly surprised.

The power of these flying swords was not affected. In fact, Han Li vaguely felt that the Geng essence seemed even more effective than rumored. After his tests, it had boosted the flying swords' power by nearly thirty percent, and in terms of sharpness, they far surpassed their previous state. Han Li believed that if magic treasures made of slightly inferior materials were to clash with these flying swords now, they would likely be rendered useless with a single strike from these swords.

Han Li was overjoyed but also had some lingering doubts. Finally, he considered the Golden Lightning Bamboo, the main material of the flying swords, and another precious material he had previously incorporated: Refining Crystal. These materials were all exceptionally rare. Could incorporating Geng essence have triggered some unexpected changes? Han Li pondered for a long time but could only offer himself this explanation. Since things were developing positively, he didn't want to bother studying the matter further, instead focusing entirely on the Grand Geng Sword Formation.

This divine ability hardly required any special cultivation from Han Li; he could unleash it with ease. Han Li briefly tested a small portion of the sword formation's power in the secret chamber. The result left him dumbfounded! The immense power of this sword formation confirmed that the golden page had not exaggerated in the slightest. Although he could currently only form a simpler version of the Grand Geng Sword Formation, the profound aspects of this sword formation had already left Han Li in awe, greatly increasing his confidence for this journey. Otherwise, Han Li wouldn't have so readily gone to meet the opponent.

Nangong Wan's Soul Sealing Curse absolutely had to be lifted, but without the Grand Geng Sword Formation, Han Li would certainly not have gone meekly to his death, allowing himself to be manipulated. Of course, as to whether he could handle a late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator, Han Li had never truly fought one, so he had no basis for comparison. But for a mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivator, once trapped within this sword formation, Han Li was at least confident that he could trap and even kill them. With this divine ability, at the very least, facing a late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator, self-preservation would be more than sufficient.

However, figuring out how to get the method for lifting the Soul Sealing Curse from the opponent was indeed somewhat troublesome. Han Li would just have to meet the black-robed man and improvise as the situation unfolded.

After a soft sigh, a golden light flashed in Han Li's hand, and the small sword vanished. He then swept his divine sense backward. He didn't discover the whereabouts of the silver-haired old man and the others, but Han Li wasn't surprised. Fearing the black-robed man might secretly spy on them, they would definitely hide far away, relying solely on secret techniques to track him. After all, the opponent could be a late-stage Nascent Soul demonic cultivator. They naturally had to be extremely cautious to avoid revealing their presence and thus spoiling their plans.

Heavenly Pillar Mountain was located west of Cloudmist Mountain. It was a solitary, steep peak, towering over ten thousand zhang high, hence its name, "Heavenly Pillar." From a distance, a third of the mountain was shrouded in clouds, appearing incredibly majestic and perilous. The area around the mountain was entirely low-lying hills. Standing at the mountainside, one could survey everything nearby. This was likely one of the black-robed man's intentions for choosing this location.

However, when Han Li flew within a hundred li of the mountain, he immediately felt a divine sense wrap around him. This divine sense seemed quite powerful, yet it only appeared to be at the level of a mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivator. However, Han Li dared not let his guard down. Who knew if the opponent was deliberately concealing some of his strength to create a false impression? Therefore, Han Li pretended not to notice this divine sense probing him, and continued to fly unhurriedly towards the summit of Heavenly Pillar Mountain.

Almost simultaneously, on a certain green stone at the summit of Heavenly Pillar Mountain, a black-robed man opened his tightly shut eyes and coldly gazed in the direction Han Li was flying from.

"You've finally arrived," he murmured to himself. "It seems the intelligence I received wasn't wrong after all. Your relationship with that female cultivator is indeed extraordinary!"