A Mortal's Journey to Immortality: Wang Yu Transmigrates into a Book, the Dao Ancestor of Rein

Chapter 75 I've tolerated you twice already
The first day in the forbidden area passed just like that.

The next day, it was still dark.

Just as Han Li had been waiting for a long time, a large burst of light shot into the sky from the east of the forbidden area, like a small sun suddenly rising.

"coming."

A large number of cultivators from the seven sects who had been waiting for this moment appeared from their respective hiding places.

They witnessed the rise of the miniature sun, saw it fly straight from east to west into the depths of the central mountains, and saw the scattered points of light falling down in its path. They also noticed that the mist in the central area of ​​the forbidden zone immediately dissipated rapidly in clumps upon contact with those points of light.

Before long, the ring-shaped mountain range in the central area revealed its true form.

It was a huge mountain range that stretched for two or three hundred miles and formed a ring around the core area.

Some parts of the mountain range are only a few hundred feet high, resembling the entrances to canyons.

Some of the peaks soar into the clouds, reaching at least three thousand feet in height.

From the mountaintop, one can see startled birds in the distance.

Hundreds, in large groups.

Any unlucky soul who gets targeted by these flying monsters will definitely not have a good outcome.

The little sun came quickly and went quickly.

As the light dimmed, the fog inside the crater also dissipated to a great extent.

"Walk."

At this moment, all the cultivators from the seven sects who had entered the inner city wall moved.

They all rushed towards the mountain path entrances they had planned in advance.

Han Li was no exception.

Fortunately, the mountain path he chose wasn't a particularly good route for climbing; this area had more monsters than other places. As for the spiritual herbs, they were all seedlings that had been visited before and were still immature.

Therefore, there weren't many people who showed up with him; there were only three people in total, including him.

The three appeared: Han Li from Huangfeng Valley, a middle-aged Taoist from Qingxu Sect, and a young man from Tianque Fortress.

The middle-aged Taoist priest from Qingxu Sect had an unremarkable appearance, much like Han Li, but possessed a unique aura. He carried a simple, sheathed longsword on his back, wore cloth boots with black trim, and held a string of beads imbued with spiritual energy in his left hand. He looked like a formidable opponent.

This person is none other than the seed-level master of Qingxu Sect.

The young man from Tianque Fortress was handsome and refined, with an excellent appearance. At this moment, he held a cyan flying fork in one hand and a yellow bead in the other. Both objects shone with dazzling spiritual light, clearly top-tier magical artifacts, and even among the finest and rarest of top-tier magical artifacts.

They don't look like they're easy to deal with.

But Han Li knew that although this person had many treasures, he was no match for him or the middle-aged man from Qingxu Sect.

It's just that the boy had a good older brother standing behind him, a genius with exceptional spiritual root aptitude, known as the most likely candidate to form a core in the Yue Kingdom in the last hundred years.

Also standing there was a large family. The Ma family, one of the major cultivation families in Tianque Fortress, had produced more than one Core Formation stage cultivator in their ancestors.

In other words, the teenager was not to be trifled with either.

After realizing that the other two were at the thirteenth level of Qi Refining, the boy abandoned his intention to attack.

The middle-aged Taoist priest noticed the details of Han Li's footsteps as he moved, and his gaze sharpened. He suddenly thought of a certain friend, and his spirits lifted, no longer daring to underestimate him in the slightest. The reason was simple: he had discerned that Han Li possessed the most advanced mortal-level lightness skill, and had already combined it with immortal techniques to create a system perfectly suited to him.

Such people are one in a million; they are often the most outstanding among the outstanding.

When dealing with this type of person, it's never too much to be extra careful and pay extra attention.

However, a hint of indifference and disdain flashed in his eyes when he looked at the young man from Tianque Fortress: just a second or third generation of a cultivation family. He's been protected too much and hasn't seen many big scenes. He's still too naive.

Han Li, having discerned the two men's identities from their attire, also abandoned any intention to attack.

"Fellow Daoist from Yellow Maple Valley, please go first."

Suddenly, the middle-aged Taoist priest from the Qingxu Sect spoke up.

He smiled slightly at Han Li, extending goodwill.

Han Li didn't stand on ceremony. After choosing a direction according to the plan, he quickly disappeared ahead of the road.

Seeing that Han Li's chosen direction was not the same as his planned direction, the middle-aged man breathed a sigh of relief and nodded slightly to himself. He then ignored the young man from Tianque Fort and went straight to another direction.

The young man from the Ma family, who was left behind, felt ignored.

He was indeed ignored by the two of them.

"hateful."

Frustrated, he swung his throwing fork and pierced a large hole in a rock to the side.

"That guy from Yellow Maple Valley chose a direction that leads to a place I need to go..."

Therefore, after thinking for a moment, he chased after him.

...

Along the route Han Li chose, there were always traces of demonic beasts in the mountains and forests on both sides of the road, accompanied by strange insect chirps and fierce roars. Three mid-to-low-level demonic beasts even blocked his way.

He didn't attack these monsters himself, but instead had the Jade Mantis clear the area.

A mid-to-lower level 1 demonic beast is like a cultivator below the ninth level of Qi Refining facing an elite cultivator at the thirteenth level of Qi Refining.

He then put all the dead monsters into his medium-sized storage bag.

He quickly reached the mountain ridge.

Looking ahead from here, the view is very open, and you can see many basins of varying sizes. This is the ring-shaped mountain basin group.

Within a radius of hundreds of miles, countless opportunities and treasures are presented in the form of small basins, each a hundred feet in size.

"Walk."

He leaped down and disappeared into the hillside jungle.

Subsequently, with the help of the Jade Mantis, Han Li overcame all obstacles.

Any monsters that blocked the way were quickly harvested and then packed into storage bags.

After that, thanks to the Jade Mantis scouting ahead, he was attacked by monsters very rarely.

A stone house built along the mountainside, abandoned for many years and in a dilapidated state.

Inside the stone house, however, grows a spiritual herb called the Mingtan Flower. The Mingtan Flower matures after a hundred years of blooming, making it perfect for refining several ancient elixirs. It is a crucial auxiliary material in the refining of those ancient elixirs, and no substitute has been found in the outside world to date.

Therefore, a single mature flower is worth six hundred spirit stones. The older the flower, the greater its value. If it reaches five or six hundred years of age, it can even be used to refine elixirs suitable for Core Formation cultivators. At that time, the price per flower could reach an astonishing ten thousand spirit stones.

Upon entering the stone house, one finds a pool of water three zhang long and wide. The pool is deep and bottomless, and two toad-like monsters the size of washbasins float in it.

"A high-ranking demonic beast, the Yin Water Toad?"

Two appeared at one time.

Han Li stopped and did not approach any further, but continued to observe from a safe distance.

He discovered that the area behind the pond was an ideal location for the growth of the Mingtan flower.

At this moment, eight plants of various sizes, with a total of thirty-seven flowers, were blooming in that area.

Twenty-five of them were white, which meant that the spirit flower was not yet mature.

Two of them were pale yellow, with faint blue crystalline spots within the pale yellow. These two were the mature, century-old Mingtan flowers.

"Good luck."

Han Li was overjoyed.

He immediately gave the following order to the Jade Mantis:

"Kill those two fat toads."

Upon receiving the order, the jade mantis immediately flapped its wings and flew out at an astonishing speed.

The Ice and Fire Wolves stood guard nearby to prevent any fools from approaching.

Surprisingly, the two Yin Water Toads, located a dozen or so feet away, did not attempt a direct confrontation upon seeing Han Li and his group. Instead, they plunged into the unfathomable depths of the pool with a splash.

"what happened?"

Han Li was taken aback.

He knew very little about the Yin Water Toad, only having gleaned some information from fragmentary texts. Now, faced with the Yin Water Toad's proactive retreat as the guardian beast of spiritual herbs, he found himself in a dilemma.

Let's go in, I don't know if there are any pitfalls ahead.

Retreat? That's impossible.

He hadn't picked the two mature Mingtan flowers in front of him yet.

Sending the Jade Mantis into the pool to hunt down the Yin Water Toad would be using its own weakness to attack the enemy's strength. Regardless of whether it could win, why would it squander its own advantage from the outset?

"You come."

"Be careful not to contaminate the elixir."

Han Li recalled the Jade Mantis, then looked at the Icefire Wolf.

After understanding Han Li's meaning, the Icefire Wolf began to prepare its signature ice-based spell. Its entire body changed from the initial blue and red to pure snow white, and its white hair, no longer soft, became hard and cold, like ice needles.

The next moment, a chilling breath spewed out from its large mouth, heading straight for the pool.

In an instant, the water surface, which was three zhang long and wide, was frozen into a thick layer of solid ice.

"Keep going, don't stop."

Han Li instructed the Icefire Wolf to continue, while he led the Jade Mantis across the pool and began looting from the rear.

The focus is on those two mature, century-old Mingtan flowers.

at the same time.

Beneath the ice, a dozen or so water toads were in a state of utter fury.

It was blowing bubbles, and I don't know what it was trying to scream.

The three leading eagles on the upper level continuously launched their three-foot-long tongues to strike the ice surface above, knocking off chunks of ice.

However, the Ice and Fire Wolves continued to cast spells, and the waters three to five feet below the surface of the pool were all frozen.

No matter how many ice fragments the water toad knocks down, the pool of water will immediately form solid ice to block the hole.

This is an endless cycle.

Originally, the pool was the Yin Water Toads' home turf, their advantage, against the other demonic beasts. It was an excellent trap to ambush human cultivators who entered the forbidden area to gather spiritual herbs. But now, Han Li, through the Ice-Fire Wolf, has turned the tables and taken control.

Don't you guys like to hide below and launch sneak attacks?

Okay, then don't come up yet.

Just watch him pick the ripe Mingtan flowers.

"Quack, quack..."

After Han Li left, the ice on the pool lost its strength and was quickly shattered by the group of Yin Water Toads. One by one, the frogs jumped out of the water and onto the shore. When they saw that their medicine garden had been robbed by thieves, they were all so angry that they jumped ten feet high on the spot.

"Quack, quack..."

These creatures were cursing incessantly.

I bet the next herb gatherer will be targeted by these toads and then get their revenge.
but.

After noticing the presence of fragments of water-attribute spirit stones around the Mingtan flower bushes, the Yin Water Toads quickly quieted down again.

It turned out that before leaving, Han Li had deliberately taken a low-grade water-attribute spirit stone from his storage bag, crushed it, and tossed it into the flowerbed. The main focus was on sustainable development and utilization.

Another cave.

This is one of the production areas of Jade Marrow Ganoderma, one of the three main ingredients of Zhuji Dan.

There is a mature chalcedony fungus inside the cave.

Seven other plants were not yet mature.

Beneath the chalcedony fungus, a centipede about six feet long was resting.

Han Li appeared and lured it out of the cave. Then, using the Icefire Wolf's icy breath technique, he briefly froze the high-level centipede. He then unceremoniously took the mature Jade Marrow Ganoderma from inside the cave.

After finishing, instead of killing the centipede monster, they quietly continued to venture deeper into the crater basin.

Along the way, the traces of monsters decreased, but things gradually became more dangerous.

For example, the first underground stone palace encountered after venturing twenty miles into the ring mountain.

There are six mature spiritual herbs in this underground stone hall, but there is also a top-tier level 1 Azure Water Crocodile.

The Azure Water Crocodile is no ordinary level 1 top-tier demonic beast. Its thick hide and tough flesh make it extremely difficult to kill. It's incredibly fast underwater, and its leap is like an arrow released from a bow. Its attack power is also extremely high; a mere Qi Refining cultivator can be easily killed with a single bite. Even a light barrier formed by a low-level high-grade defensive talisman might not be able to withstand its bite force.

Compared to human cultivators, the Azure Water Crocodile, whether in the water or near the water's edge, can be considered a formidable opponent of seed level.

Of course.

The Blue Water Crocodile is not good at fighting on land.

If you bring it ashore, it will lose its speed and agility in the water, making it a sitting duck.

This is also the main reason why Han Li did not choose to rent a spirit beast at the beginning.

Originally, he planned to lure the blue crocodile ashore before attacking it.

However, this beast is very cunning and refuses to come ashore.

Furthermore, the spiritual herb grows on an island in the lake within the underground river area of ​​the stone palace where the Azure Water Crocodile is located, around a pavilion on the island, which is twenty or thirty feet away from the shore, making it even more difficult to reach. Moreover, once the Azure Water Crocodile hides underwater, it only needs to slightly stir up the water, making it difficult for even a Qi Refining stage cultivator's divine sense to track it.

After weighing his options, he left.

Admittedly, the total value of six medicinal herbs over a hundred years old is at least several thousand spirit stones, or even several thousand or tens of thousands of spirit stones. There's also the iron box placed on the floor in the pavilion on the island in the lake; the box radiates spiritual light, and it likely contains items left behind by ancient cultivators.

The temptation is considerable.

But he didn't want his team's condition to decline too much or even be forced to lose members before reaching their actual destination.

So he left.

The kind that doesn't even look back.

An hour after he left, two disciples of the Qingxu Sect at the thirteenth level of Qi Refining arrived here.

“Junior brother, I’ll keep this beast in check. You go and pick those spiritual herbs on the island, how about it? As agreed, we’ll split the profits afterward.”

"Okay," the junior brother readily agreed.

This solution is indeed the best.

"With my senior brother keeping that beast in check, it won't take long; a few breaths will suffice. By then, I will have already finished picking the medicinal herbs."

Soon, a senior disciple from the Qingxu Sect intervened and lured the Azure Water Crocodile out of the water.

The two fought on the shore.

The Azure Crocodile doesn't go ashore, and neither does my senior brother.

The junior brother, however, used a high-level concealment talisman to lightly skim the surface of the lake and reach the island in the middle.

With several precious mature spiritual herbs right in front of him, how could the junior brother possibly resist?

He picked the first plant in less than a breath.

Moreover, when this plant was harvested, it did not seem to attract the attention of the Azure Water Crocodile that was fighting with his senior brother.

Seeing this, the junior brother felt even more reassured.

Reflected in the water, on the stone wall behind him, was his right hand reaching out to the next spiritual herb.

What he didn't notice was that beneath the sand of the beach he was stepping on, patches of Azure Water Crocodile scales were exposed. Just as he was about to pick the second one, the beach suddenly exploded, and a second Azure Water Crocodile leaped out.

Moreover, its aura was even stronger than the first one.

It is also a level 1 top-tier beast.

Caught off guard, and in order not to attract the attention of the Azure Water Crocodile in battle, the junior brother did not wear any defensive talismans.

therefore.

On the stone wall reflected in the water, a dark shadow flashed by. The figure of the Qingxu Sect junior brother, who was standing in place, had vanished halfway through his body.

"Junior brother!"

The senior brother was shocked, never expecting that the monster had prepared such a trap.

He wanted to avenge his close junior brother, but his strength wouldn't allow it. Previously, he had barely managed to restrain one top-tier Azure Water Crocodile; to deal with two, and even kill both, would be impossible even for top-tier experts from various sects. Unless they cooperated.

go.

This is a place we can't stay for long.

He put away the top-tier magical artifact he had previously unleashed, showing no lingering attachment to the place.

...

We ventured thirty miles into the ring-shaped mountain range.

Inside a small canyon.

A small patch of purple monkey flowers grows here. If you count carefully, there are at least thirty flowers. Most of them are pale blue and immature, but there are two that are over three hundred years old. Their petals are an extremely bright and dazzling purple, and they emit a very strong and exotic fragrance.

In front of these two mature purple monkey flowers, a strange deer with a single fiery red horn lay decapitated in a pool of blood. It was the infamous Blazing Horned Deer, a demonic beast from the forbidden area.

The creature lying in the pool of blood, though only a high-ranking scorched-horn deer, was only a hair's breadth away from becoming a top-tier level 1 demonic beast.

It is comparable to the twelfth level of Qi Refining among human cultivators.

This is why this beast was able to guard this patch of purple monkey flowers.

The young man who killed the scorched-horned deer was none other than Han Li.

Just as Han Li was panting heavily, looking quite exhausted, yet still intending to squat down and pick two ripe purple monkey flowers, a blurry figure silently darted out from the bushes beside him, heading straight for his back.

In the right hand of this figure, a gleaming throwing fork was held.

In his left hand he held a bead that emitted a pale yellow light.

As it approached Han Li from behind, the flying fork showed no mercy, aiming to pierce Han Li from behind. At that moment, the figure wore a broad, triumphant smile.

"After following you all this way, we've finally got our chance."

This person thought to himself.

However, the smug smile on his face froze the next moment.

Because his throwing fork clearly pierced Huang Fenggu's back, but the feel was completely wrong.

Before he could think any further, the yellow bead in his hand suddenly and spontaneously protected its owner! It swiftly erected a nine-foot-diameter light shield to protect him within.

This is a rare top-tier magic artifact called "Dustfall Pearl," which contains the essence of three Wind Feather Birds as its spirit. It can be activated spontaneously to protect its owner when the holder is attacked.

Originally, this item was the famous magic weapon of Ma Yunlong, a pseudo-core stage genius from Tianque Fortress, in his early years.

Before the Blood Trial, he entrusted it to his younger brother, whom he trusted and was closest to the most.

That is the young man from Tianque Fortress.

"Do you know? I've already let you off twice, but once is one thing, twice is another, but not a third time." Han Li's calm voice came from behind the boy.

Han Li's figure had already vanished before the young man.

In other words, what the boy just pierced with the top-grade magic weapon flying fork was merely an afterimage left behind by Han Li.

As for why I spoke up to remind them at this moment?

Because the battle is over!

On the boy's chest, the tip of a gray sword, dripping blood continuously, was visible.

It was the gray sword talisman that had been concealed by the fragments of the silk handkerchief magic treasure.

"I actually died here? My brother is..."

The young man from the Ma family slumped to the ground, barely clinging to life.

The sound of the Dust-Falling Pearl and the magic weapon Flying Fork hitting the ground together made him feel utterly powerless.

He could clearly feel the sword energy of the gray sword talisman ravaging his body, and his life force was being rapidly extinguished, but he could do nothing and was powerless to do anything.

A growing desire for life gradually appeared in his eyes.

His eyes, straining to look at Han Li, were filled with hope, longing, and pleading.

He wanted to be treated; he didn't want to die.

“I know your brother is Ma Yunlong, so I tolerated you twice.”

Upon hearing this, the boy's eyes slowly widened.

"The first time, you lay in ambush outside a stone house, but you saw that there was a top-level demonic beast beside me, so you didn't take any action."

"The second time, by that underground river, you were planning to wait until I was locked in a fierce battle with the Azure Crocodile and unable to attend to anything else before launching a sneak attack on me, right? Unfortunately, I didn't even bother to fight the Azure Crocodile to the death, and your little scheme failed again."

"This third time, however, Han has no intention of tolerating it!"

Han Li said coldly.

If this guy hadn't been following him the whole time, he would have already gone to the underground stone palace where the black-scaled python was.

Upon hearing this, the young man from the Ma family looked utterly desperate: This person had just deliberately retrieved the Jade Mantis into his spirit beast pouch? Was he intentionally trying to lure him into making a move?
"I don't know how I offended you, or why you hold a grudge against me. But since you've decided to kill me, letting you leave this forbidden area would be a huge threat. So, I won't hold back. I can only ask you to die."

Han Li sighed.

Ignoring the regret and pleas in the boy's eyes, he took the boy's treasures and storage bag, picked the ripe purple monkey flowers, and then casually cast a fireball spell.

It's not that he didn't care about the Ma family and Ma Rulong at all.

On the contrary, it was precisely because of concerns about that side that they had to kill to silence them.

That's why they wanted to destroy the evidence.

Unlike the old man surnamed Li from Huadaowu and the middle-aged man from Qingxu Sect in the original storyline, who clearly offended this young man from Tianque Fortress but still let him go despite harboring resentment, claiming it was because they didn't want to provoke Ma Yunlong.

To be honest, that young man could have wiped out the two of you after he reached the Foundation Establishment stage. Why would he need Ma Yunlong to make a move?
If we're going to learn, we should learn from Feng Yue.

The scheme against Duobao Girl took her flight immediately.

Feng Yue may be a bit arrogant, but his thinking is the clearest.

If he hadn't run into the original owner of this body and been caught off guard, Feng Yue would definitely be a remarkable person.

His temperament and strength, especially his temperament, far surpass those of the so-called seed-level masters such as the eldest son of the Chen family, Han Tianya, Zhong Wu, the old man surnamed Li, the middle-aged man of Qingxu Sect, the barefoot giant, and the Twin Heroes of the Hidden Moon.

"By the way, you thought you did a great job of tracking and hiding along the way, right?"

Han Li took out a soul tablet and whistled. In the distance, on the edge of a cliff, a Wind Howling Eagle let out a long cry and took flight. In a few breaths, it flew to the flower bushes and finally landed on Han Li's shoulder.

"I am indeed a cultivator from Yellow Maple Valley, but that doesn't mean I don't know the ways of Spirit Beast Mountain."

The reason he switched back to wearing the yellow silk robes of the Yellow Maple Valley disciples was perhaps to mislead his opponents into noticing that he might possess a top-tier spirit beast.
When the people of the seven sects see that their opponent is a cultivator dressed in the attire of the Spirit Beast Mountain, they will instinctively pay attention to the situation of the surrounding demonic beasts, in order to prevent those demonic beasts from being the spirit beasts of the Spirit Beast Mountain disciples and thus being outmaneuvered.

Han Li deliberately changed back into his yellow silk robe so that people would recognize him as a disciple of Yellow Maple Valley and wouldn't pay too much attention to the surrounding demonic beasts.

The chances of Wind Howling Eagle being taken seriously have decreased considerably.

This is what is commonly known as "stereotype".

As a result, the young man from the Ma family in Tianque Fort didn't notice the Wind Howling Eagle that had been roaming nearby.

Of course, those old scoundrels who have entered the forbidden area many times and dealt with cultivators from various sects would probably not miss this detail.

Unfortunately, there are no "what ifs," and the young man was ultimately an inexperienced newcomer.

"Go in peace."

The fire went out, leaving only a pool of ashes.

When the wind blows, it dissipates, leaving only a faint outline.

...

The rare, top-tier magic artifact, the Dust-Falling Pearl, would be worth at least 1500 spirit stones if auctioned in other countries.

The top-tier, high-quality magic weapon, the Qingfeng Fork, is guaranteed to sell for 5 spirit stones at a discount.

One spare ordinary top-tier magic ring, three spare fine high-tier magic artifacts, and some magic artifacts gathering dust in a corner. The total value is about seven or eight hundred spirit stones.

There are three intermediate-level talismans, eight basic and advanced-level talismans, and over thirty basic and lower-intermediate-level talismans. You can keep them for your own use.

Five mid-grade spirit stones and dozens of low-grade spirit stones.

Pills and other miscellaneous items can also be worth some spirit stones.

Total earnings will be no less than 3,500 spirit stones.

"Tsk tsk, little fat sheep."

It can only be described as "Little Fat Sheep".

Compared to the truly wealthy and powerful like the Twin Heroes of the Moon, the young man from the Ma family's family is undoubtedly much less well-off.

The two prodigies, Duobao and Diaowang, each possess a top-grade magic artifact, the Qingning Mirror. A single Qingning Mirror is worth more than everything the young man from the Ma family owns.

"It's getting late, we should go check out the Black Scale Python's lair."

One of the three black-scaled python dens in his proposed plan was located nearby.

Continue walking seven or eight miles deeper into the crater and you will reach it.

...

Half an hour later.

In an underground stone palace marked in red on the map, where black-scaled pythons were said to roam, Han Li killed the top-tier level 1 black-scaled python and took an iron box from a pavilion, as well as four mature spiritual herbs from the surrounding area.

Another half hour passed, and he arrived at a ring-shaped basin covered with dense stone forests.

Having arrived here with utmost caution, he passed through the outer stone forest and, upon seeing a massive stone palace within the basin, was both amazed and delighted:
"Is this it?"

In the center of this basin, which is over a hundred feet wide, stands a huge, ancient stone palace.

Upon closer inspection, one could see faint spiritual light flowing across the walls of the stone hall, clearly indicating that ancient cultivators had inscribed arrays and restrictions upon it, which were still functioning even after sixty to seventy thousand years. These arrays could not only block the divine sense of those in the Qi Refining stage, but also easily blocked the divine sense of Nangong Wan, who was in the Core Formation stage.

This is another major reason why this place has remained untouched by high-level cultivators to this day.

Only by seeing it can one confirm that there is a stone palace within this small basin that even the divine sense of a high-level cultivator can slip through.

The stone hall reached an astonishing height of over twenty zhang (approximately 33 meters).

Using "zhang" (丈) to describe it might not be intuitive enough, but using "seventy or eighty meters" would surely give people a sense of its overwhelming grandeur.

This stone hall is quite magnificent, but the entrance is pitifully small, only about ten feet wide.

It seems that the ancient cultivators were trying to prevent some large entity from entering through the portal, or perhaps they wanted to restrict some large entity from leaving.

Following the stone steps, long since untouched by dust, Han Li slowly and steadily descended to a depth of over a hundred feet. The damp, sweltering underground fumes blew against his face, but he remained silent throughout. To avoid leaving any trace of his presence, he even used a green leaf magic artifact to float in the air, then patiently moved forward, almost skimming the stone steps.

The main approach is to be slow and steady.

Finally, all light disappeared ahead.

Darkness descended.

He activated his Spirit Eye, and the darkness dissipated, revealing a clear view through the Spirit Eye's perspective.

At the end of the passage lies an underground swamp.

The swamp was three or four miles in size.

In the middle of the swamp stands a simple white jade pavilion.

Inside the pavilion, a wooden box about ten feet long, emitting a faint golden light, is suspended in the air.

"That's it!"

It must be this!

Proceed according to plan.

He maintained his invisibility and concealment talismans, and took out the fragment of the silk handkerchief magic treasure, the gray sword talisman treasure, and the only intermediate-level talisman in his hand: the Golden Thread Talisman.

Then, the fragment of the magic weapon was placed on top of the gray sword talisman to activate it.

One breath, two breaths, three breaths…

As soon as the third breath arrived, the gray sword talisman grew to a foot in length, far exceeding the concealment limit of the silk handkerchief magic weapon fragment.

But even then, there was no movement from the underground swamp.

"Is it still asleep, or is it preparing a big surprise for me?"

Han Li murmured.

This underground stone palace is very special; the surrounding walls are faintly glowed with a protective aura. It is used not only to isolate external divine sense probes but also to prevent the demonic beasts inside from escaping.

Although the restrictions on the wall weren't particularly strong, they were still extremely troublesome for cultivators who had only reached the Qi Refining and Foundation Establishment stages. Even powerful talismans would need to attack continuously for several hours to break through the hundred-zhang-high stone wall above and create a passage.

"Come out, Ink Dragon."

Since the big loach doesn't want to come out on its own, we have to make some noise to attract it.

A dozen or so rudimentary fireballs immediately flew from his hand, crashing into the swampy surface ahead, causing quite a commotion. To be on the safe side, he also summoned the Jade Mantis from his spirit beast pouch as a guard. However, the Jade Mantis seemed to feel an inexplicable unease as soon as it appeared. But this feeling was something Han Li, who wasn't bound by a blood pact, couldn't sense.

In addition, he removed the invisibility talisman and the concealment talisman and replaced them with a defensive talisman.

The next instant, the surrounding air suddenly became eerie.

Han Li also stopped throwing fireballs.

A dozen or so breaths later, a mudflat a hundred feet to the side began to churn and swell, its influence spreading over an ever-expanding area and rising to an ever-increasing height.

Immediately following, a jet-black python, three or four zhang long, emerged from the swamp with its triangular head.

Its entire body was jet black, covered with glossy black scales. Its forehead was slightly bulging, and there were two small protrusions on its upper abdomen. This python was mistakenly identified as a top-tier Level 1 Black Scale Python, but it was actually a top-tier Level 1 Ink Dragon, evolved from a python.

"Compared to those black-scaled pythons, this thing is covered in scales, has a tendency to grow horns on its forehead, and seems to be growing claws from its belly..."

"Good, good, good, it really is the Black Dragon."

"Judging from its current form, it has not yet entered the second stage! It has not yet reached level 2!"

Han Li was secretly overjoyed.

As long as it's not level 2, he has a good chance of subduing it. Of course, even if it's level 2, with the forced contract item bestowed by Fairy Hongfu, he can still subdue the bound Ink Dragon.

The prerequisite is that the Ink Dragon must be brought under control.

On the other side, the black dragon was extremely displeased, and it let out a roar filled with foul breath:
"Roar…"

It was woken from its sweet dream and was in a bad mood.

"Come on, if you've got the guts, come here."

Come here.

Han Li stood rooted to the spot and shouted loudly.

However, he was also prepared to escape into the passage behind him if he was outmatched.

Although the passageway is wide enough for the black dragon to pursue, it is quite narrow inside. If the black dragon were to squeeze through, it would inevitably be restricted by the surrounding walls and encounter great resistance. At that point, even the fastest speed might not be able to keep up with its speed.

Mo Jiao didn't understand Han Li's words, but he did understand Han Li's provocative gesture of turning around, sticking out his buttocks, and patting them left and right.

How could a mighty black dragon tolerate this?

He immediately squinted his vertical eyes and sped over.

Surrounding its body were black demonic clouds, the protective black clouds of the Ink Dragon. This was an innate divine ability of its bloodline, capable of defending against various attacks below the Foundation Establishment stage. The protective black clouds also served as a support for the Ink Dragon during its flight. It was precisely because of the existence of these protective black clouds that the Ink Dragon, with its level 1 cultivation, was able to achieve flight—a feat typically reserved for level 2 non-avian demonic beasts.

Two hundred zhang, one hundred zhang, fifty zhang...

The black dragon was rapidly approaching, while the jade mantis beside it began to flap its wings uneasily.

Although both are top-tier level 1 monsters, there is a clear difference between them.

If it weren't for the soul tablet still forcibly controlling this jade mantis, the little guy would probably have abandoned him and run away on his own long ago.

"Buzzing..."

The sound of the jade mantis flapping its wings grew stronger as the black dragon approached.

At this point, Han Li stopped holding back.

Seeing that the black dragon had closed to within thirty feet, it would be risky for him not to make a move.

So, the fragment of the silk handkerchief magic weapon was removed, revealing the already activated intermediate-level control talisman below: the Golden Thread Talisman.

According to Tian Buli, the manager of Wanbaolou, this talisman came from a talisman master at the Core Formation stage.

It is a work of conscience from the other party.

"Lock it for me!"

A finger imbued with magical power touched the back of the golden thread talisman.

The next moment, a sudden change occurred. Countless golden threads shot out from the floating talisman, rushing straight towards the level 1 black dragon that was about fifteen feet away. The speed of each golden thread was so fast that the black dragon was caught off guard and had no time to dodge.

In just a few breaths, golden energy threads were hanging everywhere within a range of several dozen feet in front of them.

The black dragon, which had been touched by some of the gold threads, was spontaneously entangled, bound, and tied up by the gold threads, and became unable to move in the blink of an eye.

The black dragon tried to struggle and resist, but there were too many golden threads binding it, and even more were being added to bind it. Each golden thread, as thin as a cow's hair, seemed to have the binding power of a thousand pounds.

that's the truth.

"Did you succeed?"

Han Li, who was always ready to run away, narrowed his eyes, looked at the golden thread talisman exerting force in mid-air, and then at the black dragon struggling desperately but to no avail. His eyes gradually brightened.

After taking a deep breath, he sent the Jade Mantis forward to test the waters. As expected, the Ink Dragon could only take the hits and could not fight back.

They could only stare helplessly, unable to mount any further counterattack.

Even opening your mouth to call out is not allowed.

(End of this chapter)