Chapter 882: Abyss of Demonic Energy

"Hmph! Brother Wei, why pretend you don't know? I refuse to believe you aren't at least a little wary. He's so young yet already reached the mid-stage Nascent Soul, possessing several formidable divine abilities. Once he reaches the late-stage Nascent Soul, where will we stand in Tiannan?" the black-robed man said coldly.

"Heh heh! My opinion differs somewhat from Brother Hehuan's," Wei Wuyai said with a half-smile, glancing at Old Devil Hehuan.

"What's different? Brother Wei, perhaps you can elaborate. Do you still believe you can suppress him even after he reaches late-stage Nascent Soul?" Old Devil Hehuan said gloomily.

"Suppress him? Why would I do that? I am the eldest of the three great cultivators; at most, I have a century left before my cultivation ends. Even if he were an immortal reincarnated, he wouldn't reach another stage within a century, would he? If that's the case, what does it matter to me if his cultivation becomes heaven-defying and he sweeps through all of Tiannan?" Wei Wuyai said indifferently.

"Brother Wei, are you truly willing to let the forces you've painstakingly built fall into his hands? If you agree to join forces with me, I would even be willing to make some concessions," Old Devil Hehuan said, narrowing his eyes.

"I have no interest in causing trouble! Besides, Brother Hehuan, don't you think it's too late for such considerations? Had this person been in the early Nascent Soul stage, and you offered enough, I might have been tempted. But now, his cultivation is nearly on par with ours, and his divine abilities are not significantly weaker. I have no desire to make an enemy of someone at my level, nor do I wish to bring endless calamity upon my sect. Fellow Daoist Hehuan, don't forget, it's nearly impossible to completely eliminate cultivators of our caliber. Even with the most meticulous planning, there's a high chance of failure. Of course, if we could assemble the same force used against the ancient devils, that would be another story. But in my opinion, you should cease these futile attempts; they will only provoke his hostility. After all, even if he truly unifies Tiannan, it won't last long. Don't forget the fate of the Deification-stage cultivator who once dominated all of Tiannan," Wei Wuyai said with a cold smirk.

Old Devil Hehuan paused, startled by these words, then fell silent in contemplation. It was unclear if he had truly taken Wei Wuyai's words to heart.

Meanwhile, Han Li and Reverend Zhiyang had already descended thousands of feet beneath the vortex.

Under the immense spiritual pressure, they naturally couldn't fly straight to the bottom, but could only descend slowly.

Han Li had already deployed his Blue Light Shield, which transformed into a protective blue light barrier around him. Simultaneously, over thirty golden flying swords became a flurry of sword shadows, rapidly swirling around his body as he steadily descended.

Reverend Zhiyang, however, was even more astounding. From the very beginning, he had relied on a single misty white flying sword, which transformed into a dazzling rainbow circling around him. This allowed him to effortlessly cut through layers of white spiritual energy, descending alongside Han Li.

Watching this, Han Li felt a secret admiration.

These old monsters at the late Nascent Soul stage were indeed extraordinary.

With this thought, Han Li extended his divine sense downwards again. However, after penetrating only about ten feet, it was repelled, completely ineffective.

His Bright Clarity Spirit Eyes, however, could penetrate a greater distance, reaching thirty to forty feet, yet everything still appeared as a misty white expanse. Nevertheless, the spiritual energy vortices that appeared from time to time could not escape the Spirit Eyes' divine ability; Han Li spotted them all in advance and deftly evaded them.

His ability to consistently anticipate and avoid these hidden spiritual energy vortices naturally caught Reverend Zhiyang's attention. The Taoist priest, while secretly marveling at this, became even more resolute in his desire to recruit Han Li.

As for Han Li advancing to the late Nascent Soul stage and unifying the major forces, the old Taoist priest had no worries whatsoever.

He was certain he hadn't misjudged; Han Li was a diligent cultivator solely focused on pursuing the Great Dao. If a matter didn't concern him, he would simply cultivate in peace, never bothering with such arduous tasks. Otherwise, with Han Li's divine abilities, controlling not just the Falling Cloud Sect but the entire Xi State would be effortless.

Moreover, previous reports from the Righteous Dao Alliance's informants in Xi State indicated that this young cultivator showed no such tendencies, neither in his early Nascent Soul stage nor after advancing to the mid-stage.

This revelation further reassured the old Taoist priest.

After about the time it takes to eat a meal, Han Li estimated they had descended over ten thousand feet and couldn't help but glance upwards.

Above them, the spiritual energy formed a similarly misty white expanse, obstructing their view.

The immense pressure transmitted through his surrounding flying swords made him realize that reaching such depths truly required at least mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivation. Had it not been for his Azure Essence Sword Art, which inherently provided him with much deeper magical power than cultivators of the same stage, he would likely be struggling right now.

While Han Li was contemplating, Reverend Zhiyang suddenly spoke up from beside him, offering a reminder:

"Fellow Daoist Han! We're nearing the bottom; exercise caution."

"Thank you for the warning, Brother Dao!" Han Li quickly focused his mind and peered downwards.

True enough, after descending another few dozen feet, a dazzling, milky-white light appeared deep beneath them, resembling a thick, luminous curtain.

Upon seeing this, Han Li slowed his descent. Moments later, he and Reverend Zhiyang simultaneously stopped five or six feet above the light curtain.

With the aid of his Spirit Eyes, Han Li could clearly discern countless tendrils of demonic energy constantly wriggling behind the dense light curtain, forming a dark, oppressive mass.

"So, this is the suppressed demonic energy? It certainly appears to be quite a problem," Han Li murmured, staring at the light curtain.

"Indeed, the demonic energy below is so immense it has formed a deep abyss, its true depth and breadth unknown. To be frank, Fellow Daoist Han, relying on my cultivation art, which possesses some demon-warding properties, I once ventured into it myself. However, after penetrating just a hundred feet, I knew I couldn't remain long and immediately retreated. These demonic energies, both in their malevolent nature and sheer quantity, are simply beyond what ordinary cultivators can endure. Even demon cultivators who practice ancient demonic arts, though their cultivation might surge within it, would undoubtedly be overwhelmed by the demonic energy, losing their sanity," Reverend Zhiyang explained to Han Li.

Han Li nodded, listening to these words, then gazed silently at the demonic energy behind the light curtain, deep in thought.

"Brother Zhiyang, please wait here for a moment. I'll go in and see just how formidable this demonic energy truly is." A moment later, Han Li finally spoke.

"Then, Fellow Daoist Han, be careful!" Reverend Zhiyang had anticipated Han Li's decision, so he showed no surprise.

Han Li wasted no more words. After a few blurs of movement, he appeared right beside the light curtain. With a light tap of his toe downwards, a foot-long azure sword energy shot forth, instantly penetrating the light curtain and vanishing into the demonic energy.

Han Li's face showed a momentary surprise. But he immediately understood: this light curtain was a restriction effective only against demonic energy, saving him the need to use a secret art to breach it.

As this thought crossed his mind, a thunderous roar erupted from the golden sword shadows swirling around him.

Streaks of golden electric arcs leaped from the flying swords, forming a vast net of electricity that materialized around Han Li.

His comprehension and mastery of the Demon-Ward Amulet Thunder had long reached an incredible level. With a quick hand seal, the electric net rapidly shrank and deformed, instantly adhering to the light barrier created by the Blue Light Shield, forming a massive sphere of electrical netting.

Meanwhile, with a thought, the flying swords shrank to a few inches in size and swiftly entered his sleeves, stored within his body.

At this point, Han Li's figure silently descended into the light curtain, entering the demonic energy without any impediment.

A sudden thunderous roar erupted. The moment he descended, dense black demonic energy surged forward en masse. However, amidst the thunderous sound, the dark demonic energy was dispersed, but more followed, continuously rushing forward.

Han Li did not act immediately. He simply stood there, observing as clumps of demonic energy were dispersed by the golden arcs, only to re-coalesce and rush towards his shield.

Han Li frowned, estimating the consumption rate of his Demon-Ward Amulet Thunder, and gained a clearer understanding of its limits.

After tilting his head and pondering for a moment, he finally flew deeper into the demonic energy.

At this moment, Han Li dared not extend his divine sense beyond the shield. The demonic energy here was so dense that its malevolence could likely corrupt even a cultivator's divine sense. He had no desire to invite disaster through carelessness.

His only reliance now was, of course, his Bright Clarity Spirit Eyes. However, in this ink-black abyss of demonic energy, even the Spirit Eyes could only perceive a few feet ahead, obscuring everything else, and his movements were naturally extremely slow.

He didn't venture very deep, though. After flying just over two hundred feet, Han Li halted and surveyed his surroundings for a moment.

A moment later, without a second thought, he turned back along his original path.

"The Demon-Ward Amulet Thunder is truly formidable. Fellow Daoist, to have remained in there for so long and emerge completely unharmed... it certainly lives up to its great reputation." As Han Li emerged from the light curtain, Reverend Zhiyang praised him with a smile.

"It's nothing," Han Li replied with a calm smile. "This is also because the demonic energy is unmanipulated, which allows them to be dispersed so easily. For now, let's return to the surface and discuss further there."

Reverend Zhiyang asked no further questions, immediately nodding in agreement.

Withdrawing his golden arcs and then releasing his flying swords once more, Han Li and Reverend Zhiyang ascended.

"So, how was it? With Fellow Daoist Han's Demon-Ward Amulet Thunder, you should be unharmed by the demonic energy, correct?" Wei Wuyai calmly inquired as Han Li and the Taoist priest emerged from the vortex, appearing near the others outside.

"It appears I can give it a try. However, before I agree, I wish to ask where you fellow Daoists intend to bury that formation disc. If it's too deep within the demonic energy, I fear my Demon-Ward Amulet Thunder might not sustain such consumption," Han Li replied without hesitation after a brief consideration.

"Regarding the exact location, let's discuss it back at our cave mansion. That formation disc is currently still with the formation masters. We'll retrieve it first, and only after a thorough discussion can we truly send Fellow Daoist Han down. After all, this formation disc was not easy to create, and it must not be lost," Old Devil Hehuan said calmly.