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

Chapter 77 The Beginning of Love, Hate, and Revenge

"Seize, immediately, detain, imprison, and lock!"

Vermilion Bird Ring, go.

Gan Rushuang clasped her hands together in a circle like a full moon and uttered a five-word incantation.

The next moment, a small ring flew out from the girl's sleeve, sparkling with fire, moving at incredible speed, and gradually enlarging. After passing through the faint protective dark clouds, it slammed into the mouth of the black dragon that was biting at the young cultivator of the Hidden Moon Sect.

To be precise, it hit Xiao Liu's chin.

"Ow..."

The magical Vermilion Bird Ring rapidly heated up during its high-speed flight, turning fiery red. Wherever it passed, the air twisted and sparks flew from the friction. When it struck Xiao Liu's chin, it burned Xiao Liu so badly it grimaced.

In theory, this would shift the focus of hatred.

However, to the surprise of everyone in the Hidden Moon Sect, especially Gan Rushuang, Mo Jiao not only did not change his main target, but instead relentlessly pursued the two disciples of the Hidden Moon Sect. It seemed that he was venting all the grievances he had suffered on the two junior disciples.

As a result, the two disciples were in deep trouble.

Even with a decent top-tier magic weapon by his side, how could he withstand the rampaging of the black dragon?

One was thrown back along with its magical shield and fell into the swamp below. The other was struck by a tail and exploded on the spot along with the light barrier erected by the defensive magical artifact.

"Junior Sister Zhang, Junior Brother Li...!"

The disciples of the Hidden Moon Sect were furious.

"Evil beast."

Gan Rushuang angrily flung her sleeves.

Her nose was slightly upturned.

His hands quickly formed hand seals again, and the Vermilion Bird Ring began to expand, with hundreds of fireballs the size of washbasins suddenly appearing around it.

Such a technique is definitely not something that someone in the Qi Refining stage can use.

"go."

One after another, blazing fireballs flew straight towards the black dragon.

Most of them were evaded by the black dragon using the terrain.

Xiao Ban was blocked by Xiao Liu's protective dark cloud.

The remaining bit landed on the scales, which tickled them for a while.

"this…"

The cultivators were greatly surprised.

Even Gan Rushuang was quite surprised.

Although she was only displaying the thirteenth level of Qi Refining at this moment, and the power of her magic weapon was limited by her magical power, making it difficult to unleash even a fraction of its full potential, the Vermilion Bird Ring was, after all, her natal magic weapon, and had been refined for over a decade, already possessing considerable power. Therefore, it shouldn't be something that a mere level 1 demonic beast could easily contend with, right?

The previous monster lairs also confirmed this.

Those top-tier level 1 demonic beasts couldn't stop her from fully activating the Vermilion Bird Ring.

Why did the Vermilion Bird Ring perform so poorly against this black dragon?

"No, it's not that the Vermilion Bird Ring is inadequate, but rather that this black dragon is no ordinary creature..."

The more the girl thought about it, the heavier her heart became.

Immediately, he unleashed the Vermilion Bird Ring, enlarging it to over ten feet wide. Then, with a whistling sound, it swiftly appeared above the black dragon's head. Before the giant mudfish could attack the Moon-Covering Sect disciple who had fallen into the swamp, the Vermilion Bird Ring slammed down, swiftly and accurately encircling the black dragon's body and rapidly shrinking. The shrinking ring tightened even more, causing the black dragon immense discomfort, and it immediately plummeted from mid-air. Then, flames blazed brightly on the Vermilion Bird Ring, the intense heat scorching the black dragon's scales until they glowed red, half its body illuminated by the flames.

"Ow..."

Upon seeing this, the disciples of the Hidden Moon Sect were both worried and delighted.

"What are you all standing there for? Hurry up and do it! I can't hold it for long. Something's wrong with this beast," the girl urged.

Upon hearing this, the cultivators perked up and flew towards the battle circle:

"To avenge my junior brothers and sisters..."

"To assist Master Gan..."

In the next instant, several beams of light, alternating between red and blue, attacked and landed on the black dragon's scales.

The sharp, hissing sound of air being torn apart sent shivers down Han Li's spine as he lurked in the shadows: if these attacks were aimed at him, the defensive light barrier he had created with just one mid-level defensive talisman would likely be insufficient to block them. He would need two or three to be safe.

This was, after all, an attack comparable to the combined attack of several Foundation Establishment cultivators.

The black dragon endured the entire round without much harm; only a small portion of its protective black cloud dissipated.

"Keep attacking, don't stop, this protective dark cloud won't last long," Gan Rushuang hurriedly ordered.

He was afraid that his disciples would lose their composure.

The disciples lived up to expectations, unleashing several beams of red and blue light in succession. Those without companions unleashed their top-tier magical artifacts or talismans at the giant mudfish. This caused the protective black clouds around the black dragon's body to rapidly diminish, quickly revealing its three- to four-zhang-long, pitch-black true form.

"Kill it."

After the protective dark clouds dissipated, the light pillars of the Yin-Yang Pulling Technique did not stop, and the ten disciples of the Hidden Moon Sect became even more energetic.

Using their combined attack technique, they left numerous large, bloody holes in the black scales of the Ink Dragon's body. The effect of penetrating its defenses far surpassed that of ordinary top-tier magical artifacts.

The sixth-generation black dragon was both shocked and furious after being inexplicably beaten. Having already been tormented by Han Li for so long, it was now facing a group of human cultivators attacking it, pushing its pent-up anger to its limit.

"Roar!"

A furious roar.

Then a huge jet of water shot out from Xiao Liu's mouth.

The members of the Hidden Moon Sect were forced to dodge, temporarily halting their attack.

A massive fireball, poised to finish off the black dragon, collided with the water column, instantly sending up a large amount of water vapor.

Upon seeing this, the girl, who looked only fifteen or sixteen years old, took out a mid-level defensive talisman and held it in front of her to deflect the aftershocks.

She cannot move at this moment, otherwise, if the Vermilion Bird Ring loosens, her side will surely suffer heavy casualties.

"Wait, something's not right..."

"Oh no, be careful! I can't hold this black dragon anymore!"

For some reason, the force of the counterattack transmitted from the Vermilion Bird Ring increased several times over, becoming unusually strong. The Vermilion Bird Ring, activated by her current magical power, simply couldn't withstand it.

"What? It can't be trapped?"

"how is this possible?"

The disciples of the Hidden Moon Sect were very puzzled.

But they all heeded the advice and moved away.

Then, just as the girl had said, the magical artifact, the Vermilion Bird Ring, suddenly swelled up, forcibly expanded by the Ink Dragon. The Ink Dragon then lashed out with its tail, striking the Vermilion Bird Ring, which was caught off guard, and sending it flying a great distance.

Despite taking the hit head-on, the Vermilion Bird Ring, being a magical artifact, was naturally unharmed. However, the Ink Dragon also took the opportunity to break free from the Vermilion Bird Ring, which was like a leech, and its figure disappeared into the spreading water vapor in the blink of an eye.

"Where have you gone?"

The group looked around cautiously, wary of the swamp below.

Gan Rushuang then released her divine sense and immediately discovered Han Li, who was cautiously and stealthily hiding and moving about.

A look of surprise flashed across the girl's face.

After pondering for a moment, believing that there were still some suspicious points regarding the treasure chest, he spoke up and revealed Han Li's whereabouts:
Where are you headed?

Upon hearing this, everyone turned to look in that direction.

At first, the disciples of the Hidden Moon Sect did not notice anything, but when the willful woman threw an unknown talisman in that direction, the high-level concealment talisman on Han Li's body immediately lost its disguise, exposing him to everyone.

"Huh? Is there anyone?"

"They are from Tianque Fortress."

"How come there are disciples of Tianque Fortress here?"

Everyone was extremely surprised.

"Could it be that this person beat us to it and took the spiritual herbs and the contents of the treasure chest?"

"Make him hand over the items. After all, we were the ones fighting the monsters, and we even lost Junior Sister Zhang, Senior Sister Xiao, and Junior Brother Li in the process."

“That’s right, we have to make him hand over what he’s gained here, otherwise we can’t let him leave.”

"Why say so much? Just kill him and take what's on him." The willful woman was still the fiercest of them all.

While the woman and the other disciples of the Hidden Moon Sect were talking, they had already flown towards Han Li.

At this moment, Han Li used the Luo Yan Wind Control Step to its fullest extent and headed straight for the only exit.

He didn't want to clash head-on with so many disciples of the Hidden Moon Sect.

Even if one can control the black dragon to fight, it's hard to guarantee that the handsome men and talented women on the other side won't capture the leader first.

However, he was quite far from the exit passage, even farther than the disciples of the Hidden Moon Sect.

"I should have chosen a small mound closer to the exit to hide."

Admittedly, with the help of the black dragon, he successfully lured the group from the Hidden Moon Sect to the center of the swamp area, away from the exit. However, in order to avoid being detected by the Hidden Moon Sect members' spiritual senses, he had deliberately hidden in a corner of the swamp area further away from the exit.

I was planning to sneak away in the chaos, but I didn't expect the female protagonist in the book to react so quickly.

"Where to go?"

"Stop running away."

"Leave your things behind."

The cultivators of the Hidden Moon Sect shouted as they flew on their swords.

Han Li, of course, turned a deaf ear to this.

According to his calculations, he would arrive at the passage exit faster than the disciples of the Hidden Moon Sect.

that's enough.

Of course, to be on the safe side, while fleeing for his life, he specially enhanced himself with a mid-level defensive talisman and threw out three mid-level explosive talismans, several high-level low-level talismans, and more than a dozen low-level mid-level offensive talismans.

He spent no less than seven hundred spirit stones in one go.

The scene that ensued was extremely horrifying.

Hundreds of fireballs the size of rice bowls, a large number of wind blades, a dense array of ice spikes, and a wind wall suddenly appeared.

Upon seeing this, the six cultivators from the Hidden Moon Sect felt a chill run down their spines. Five of them instinctively dodged to the sides or retreated quickly. They were as fast as they had come, and even faster in their escape.

"What is this man's background?"

"Where did he get so many talismans?"

To create such a stir, there must be quite a few mid-level talismans. Such a person likely has a powerful background.

However, seeing this, the unruly woman did not retreat but advanced:

"Want to go?"

With a soft hum, the woman reached into her storage bag and took out two talismans and a mirror.

The first talisman was a high-level beginner-level flight talisman, granting her the ability to fly through the air like someone in the Foundation Establishment stage, at a speed surpassing that of someone in the Qi Refining stage who could fly on a sword.

The second talisman was an offensive, mid-level Golden Wheel Talisman, which, when activated, could form a powerful rotating golden wheel. However, it wasn't thrown in the direction Han Li was currently facing, but rather towards the only exit. The intention was to blast and block the exit, trapping him like a turtle in a jar.

Then there's that mirror, which is the renowned top-grade magic weapon of the Hidden Moon Sect: the Azure Condensation Mirror.

The headstrong girl and her sister, Duobao, each have a distinct personality.

It's clear how much their Nascent Soul stage grandmother favored and doted on them.

The mirror light illuminated the talismans and spells Han Li had thrown out—spells released after activating various talismans. In the area specifically illuminated by the mirror light, all spells froze in mid-air. No matter how many spells followed, they would all be immobilized in that area by the light of the Azure Mirror. It was incredibly strange.

Han Li's pupils contracted upon seeing this.

The eyes of the members of the Hidden Moon Sect lit up:
"Well done, junior sister."

Upon hearing this, the spoiled girl's face showed a hint of smugness:

"Chase after him, or he'll get away."

Ahead, lacking the obstruction of a large barrage of firepower, the disciples of the Hidden Moon Sect easily bypassed the remaining firepower and even withstood the residual fire to continue their pursuit. The wind wall formed by Lu Chengfeng's low-level high-grade wind wall talisman was utterly ineffective in stopping the pursuers.

But what worried and angered Han Li even more was that the unruly woman wanted to collapse the passage and block the place.

This is completely leaving him no way out.

"Fine, fine, you insist on keeping me here, huh?"

With a clap of hands, the swamp area immediately stirred.

A figure shrouded in black mist burst forth from the mire, blocking the path of the talismanic spell aimed at the stone steps. The willful woman, wielding a golden halo from a mid-level talisman, slammed it into the figure enveloped in black mist.

"what?"

"It's that black dragon."

"How could it take the attack of Junior Sister Zhao's Golden Wheel Talisman head-on?"

"Yeah, why does it feel like we're helping that person from Tianque Fortress?"

At this moment, all of the Mo Jiao's injuries had vanished, and its body, which was three or four zhang long, had swelled to five or six zhang in length. Its entire body was shrouded in thick black clouds, a protective cloud several times thicker than before. Beneath the black clouds was a pure white body. Indeed, the Mo Jiao's true form was now a pure white, jade-like color.

The intermediate-level talisman struck the protective dark cloud, only creating slight ripples, like water droplets falling on the surface of water, but failing to penetrate the surface and reach the bottom. In other words, it failed to break through the defense.

“This black dragon has changed.”

"His aura has become much stronger..."

"Be careful, it has advanced! A level 2 black dragon is no less powerful than most level 3 demonic beasts. Be careful, this beast is not something you can handle."

Gan Rushuang felt heavy-hearted.

The Vermilion Bird Ring has been retrieved and used again to prevent the disciples chasing Han Li from being targeted by the Ink Dragon and suffering misfortune.

Han Li's gaze was cold and indifferent.
"Fortunately, we fed Xiao Liu a Foundation Establishment Pill, which accelerated its advancement and transformation. Otherwise, Xiao Liu's advancement would theoretically have to wait until the day after tomorrow. Even if we forced it to advance, it would still have to wait until the day after tomorrow. If we don't make it in time, we might really be in trouble this time."

Immediately afterwards, he took out more than twenty talismans without hesitation.

They are all aggressive.

Three intermediate level cards, six beginner-advanced level cards, and eighteen beginner-intermediate level cards:

"go."

This move threw the pursuers into a panic:

"What's wrong with this guy? He seems to have an even deeper financial background than Junior Sister Zhao?"

"Is he really someone important?"

These words from her fellow disciple caused the headstrong girl, who had been relentlessly pursuing him after receiving the Qing Ning Mirror, to catch her breath, and her smug expression became even more rigid.

As he looked at Han Li, who was about to escape into the passage, his hostility inexplicably intensified by three points.

This time, she took a deep breath and then activated the life-saving trump card her grandmother had given her—a mid-level, mid-grade Golden Protection Talisman. She then charged headlong into all the talisman attacks. Facing all the talismanic spells, she neither dodged nor evaded; the word "reckless" hardly does it justice. As she passed the Ink Dragon, she even threw out a mid-level, low-grade Slowing Talisman for it. This talisman, when it acted on the Ink Dragon, caused the flowing protective ink clouds around it to pause for a moment.

The Vermilion Bird Ring seized the opportunity to disappear into the dark cloud, expanding and shrinking again before precisely locking onto the neck of the Ink Dragon.

It can only be the neck.

As it tried to continue downwards, it was firmly grabbed by the black dragon's two claws.

At this moment, a bulge appeared on the forehead of the black dragon—a dragon horn. A pair of claws grew from its front abdomen, and a pair of large bumps appeared on its lower abdomen—another pair of claws that were developing. The reason they hadn't fully formed yet was because the black dragon's advancement was still ongoing and hadn't ended.

"Roar…"

The black dragon roared, desperately wanting to remove the Vermilion Bird Ring from its neck.

"Xiao Liu, keep up!"

Inside the passage, Han Li transmitted his voice from the very front.

Upon receiving the order, the black dragon coldly swept its gaze over the members of the Hidden Moon Sect in the swamp area. Then, enduring the lingering effects of the Vermilion Bird Ring and the Slowing Talisman, it pursued Han Li into the passage. After its advancement, its speed was already far superior to most Qi Refining cultivators, even ranking among the top in the Foundation Establishment stage—a testament to its innate talent. However, due to the interference of the Vermilion Bird Ring and the intermediate-level Slowing Talisman, it couldn't accelerate as quickly as it wanted.

The Vermilion Bird Ring, in particular, is so annoying.

"What's going on? Why did the black dragon chase after us?"

Behind the willful woman, her prospective Daoist partner's senior brother felt his mouth go dry.

It turned out that Han Li was not alone in the passage at this time; there were two other people inside.

One was naturally a spoiled girl, and the other was the prospective Daoist partner that the spoiled girl looked down upon.

The specific situation is as follows.

Han Li was the first to squeeze into the passage, and then he made a desperate escape.

The willful woman and her Daoist brother followed closely behind, relentlessly pursuing her.

Han Li couldn't possibly abandon the Mo Jiao that he had painstakingly subdued, so he let the Mo Jiao follow behind, dangling behind the two unruly women.

"Damn beast."

The unruly woman's face turned slightly pale.

She thought it was the trouble caused by the talisman she had casually cast earlier.

outside world.

"not good!"

Gan Rushuang's divine sense intercepted Han Li's last message and witnessed the black dragon's subsequent actions, causing her expression to change drastically. Only at this moment did she realize that although the black dragon was wild, it had already been subdued by the young man wearing a mask from Tianque Fortress.

"No wonder, no wonder this child was able to take away the treasure chests and spiritual herbs here..."

"But how is that possible? That's a level 2 black dragon."

Even though it had never advanced before and was only a top-tier level 1 demon beast, the strength of the Ink Dragon was no less than that of those combat-type level 2 demon beasts.

How did the Qi Refining stage kid from Tianque Fort tame a black dragon comparable to a level 2 demon beast? Gan Rushuang couldn't figure it out, but she was already certain that the treasure chest in the pavilion was definitely fake.

It's most likely a trick played by the brats from Tianque Fortress ahead.

"Chase."

Upon receiving the order, the disciples of the Hidden Moon Sect all entered the only stone staircase passage.

Three were closely following the Ink Dragon, only seventy or eighty feet away.

Gan Rushuang and the others arrived much later, with a difference of more than 150 zhang. After all, they were the furthest away and were among the last to enter.

...

At the forefront, Han Li was the fastest, and he also widened the distance between himself and the two unruly women.

His "Royal Smoke Wind-Riding Steps" are the most useful in the current environment.

As soon as he exited the passage, he immediately summoned the Jade Mantis, the Ice and Fire Wolf, and the Ganglie Boar.

The intermediate-level defense rune remains in place, and an additional top-tier rare Rainbow Cloud Shield has been added.

He has a dozen offensive talismans in his hand that he can activate at any time.

He would not be careless in the slightest when facing one of the Twin Heroes of the Moon.

The headstrong girl and her Daoist partner, who were close behind, were anything but calm. Cultivators from Tianque Fortress were in front, and a level 2 ink dragon was chasing them from behind. Even though their sect members and grandmaster were not far behind, they were in a state of utter panic and confusion.

This is the normal psychological state of a cultivator who has not experienced great trials and tribulations.

In the face of life and death, it's possible for the mind to go completely blank. The fact that they could still think of anything at all is already quite remarkable.

"How to do?"

Daoist Brother's heart pounded, and his hands and feet were ice cold.

He was the closest to the black dragon.

You could almost smell the blood emanating from the black dragon's gaping maw.

Therefore, he was the most nervous.

"It's alright, get out of the passage, I have a plan."

As she spoke, the spoiled girl took out a small Five Elements talisman and held it in her hand:
"You beast, come and catch up, you'll get what's coming to you soon enough."

As soon as they rushed out of the passage, they started throwing talismans in Han Li's direction. Various offensive talismans rained down, in an attempt to prevent Han Li from launching a sneak attack.

Fortunately, they had this trick up their sleeve, otherwise Han Li would have really succeeded.

In the empty space between the two sides, various talismans and spiritual lights were now exploding wildly. Flames and lightning collided, exploded, and splashed; wind blades and water tornadoes roared; ice spikes and earth spears clashed, so densely packed that there was hardly an inch of room to stand. From a distance, the scene looked like a shower of flowers from the sky.

Moreover, the willful woman not only threw offensive talismans here, but also activated a small Five Elements talisman and threw it into the stone stair passage.

Han Li saw it clearly, and his pupils contracted sharply:

"Stop! You crazy woman, don't you care about the lives of the rest of the Hidden Moon Sect?"

The Lesser Five Elements Talisman can trigger another ancient restriction within the stone palace passage.

To everyone's surprise, the unruly woman from the Hidden Moon Sect, upon hearing this, not only did not stop, but her eyes lit up and she became even more energetic.

"Xiao Liu, hurry up, hurry up!"

Come out now!
Upon receiving Han Li's urgent telepathic message, the Ink Dragon gripped the Vermilion Bird Ring even more desperately with its claws, and used the protective ink cloud to reach the exit even faster. Just before the Lesser Five Elements Talisman landed on the stone steps and before the Lesser Five Elements Sumeru Forbidden Array was activated by the talisman, its triangular head emerged first.

"Roar…!"

As soon as half of the black dragon's body appeared, it lunged at the unruly woman.

It sensed the intense malice emanating from the woman.

This bite startled the unruly woman, who retreated repeatedly, her face changing drastically.

"Don't attack yet, come out quickly."

Han Li, however, was in a great hurry and called for a halt.

The spiritual light of the Lesser Five Elements Sumeru Forbidden Array within the passage has already begun to emanate, a sign that it has been activated. Xiao Liu's lower body absolutely cannot remain inside the passage.

Upon receiving the order, the black dragon ceased its attack and instead struggled to push its way out of the cave.

"Senior, quickly retreat to the swamp area. Your disciple has activated the Lesser Five Elements Sumeru Forbidden Array. Senior, you'd better pray for your own good fortune."

Han Li believed that someone's consciousness had been following him all along.

You'll definitely hear what he says at this point.

really.

Upon hearing this, the girl, who was almost at the middle of the passage, which was also the most dangerous area, suddenly felt a jolt.

He was only surprised for a moment, then immediately took out several level-two talismans and affixed them to himself and the disciples behind him, before retreating into the underground swamp at top speed:

"Go back! Quickly! Quickly!"

The Lesser Five Elements Sumeru Forbidden Array is not something an ordinary cultivator could know about.

If the other party can speak fluently and confidently, then it's better to believe it than not.

The speed of the level-two escape talisman was indeed fast, helping the group fly thirty feet in a short time. If the two who were dragging their feet hadn't been lingering around Gan Rushuang, unwilling to retreat, and instead trying to use the power of the escape talisman to continue chasing, the group's formation wouldn't have broken down, and they could have retreated several more feet, or even more than ten feet.

But at that moment, the stone staircase passage shook violently.

The stone steps beneath their feet began to twist and deform, and the surrounding walls seemed to come alive, closing in to completely seal off the passage. This sight stunned the disciples of the Hidden Moon Sect.

Upon seeing this, Gan Rushuang's heart skipped a beat, and cold sweat broke out on her forehead.
"It truly is a Lesser Five Elements Sumeru Forbidden Array!"

"Quick! Quick!"

She ignored the two burdens behind her and led the rest of the group towards the swamp at top speed. This time, she used her movement techniques and escape talismans to get to the front of the group, showing no intention of yielding to the group of hindrances.

She is now trapped in a predicament and can hardly protect herself.

"Whoosh whoosh..."

Several streaks of light headed straight for the exit leading to the swamp area.

The group felt the twisting speed beneath their feet and watched as the stone walls on either side rapidly closed in. Panic gripped them, their limbs going weak. Fortunately, they had mid-level escape talismans protecting them. They were also thankful to have retreated a considerable distance earlier; otherwise, they certainly wouldn't have made it in time.

Finally, before the writhing stone staircase passage completely closed, Gan Rushuang was the first to rush out. Three other disciples also rushed out.

As for the other disciples?

"Grandmaster, save..."

Before the plea for help could be finished, the passageway completely closed.

The four of them turned around, feeling a chill run down their spines and a wave of lingering fear.

Nothing more. The original stone steps had vanished, replaced by a seamless passage. In the place where the passage had been, a hand was reaching out from inside the wall, desperately trying to grab something in front of it. The next second, the outstretched arm fell down with a thud, hanging precariously on the wall.

"Clatter clatter..."

"Gulu..."

Upon seeing this, one of the three disciples' teeth chattered, while another swallowed hard.

What a close call! My goodness, he was just a hair's breadth away from being in trouble too.

Fortunately, I listened to my master's words and didn't delay.

Those who didn't listen or reacted too slowly all became meat patties in the tunnel.

Gan Rushuang was equally relieved!

She was thankful she had heeded the warning from that junior from Tianque Fortress, and thankful her judgment was correct. Otherwise, she would have had to forcefully restore her cultivation level, relying on her Core Formation stage cultivation to withstand the killing intent of the Lesser Five Elements Sumeru Forbidden Technique. As the creator of the technique, she could certainly manage that.

It's easy to break through someone's defenses, but difficult to conceal one's cultivation level again. It's hard to imagine what the experts from the six major sects would think if they saw her, a Core Formation stage cultivator, leaving the forbidden area.
Is this going to be another repeat of the scene from hundreds of years ago when the six major sects stormed the Hidden Moon Sect to force its abdication?

Furthermore, no level four or higher demonic beasts have ever appeared in this forbidden area, so it's hard to guarantee that there aren't other terrifying restrictions targeting cultivation levels. She simply didn't trigger them. Once she did, the consequences would be equally unpredictable.

Therefore, she felt less hostility, or even none, towards the masked young cultivator from Tianque Fortress, and instead felt more understanding and gratitude.

"Repaying evil with kindness? I owe you a favor, little fellow."

Gan Rushuang muttered to herself.

Therefore, she felt less hostility, or even none, towards the masked young cultivator from Tianque Fortress, and instead felt more understanding and gratitude.

But then, her expression changed drastically the next moment:

"No! That's not right! My Vermilion Bird Ring!"

Her natal magic weapon was still wrapped around the neck of the black dragon:
"You little thief, give me back my Vermilion Bird Ring..."

...

The stone hall above.

The black dragon glanced at the closed stone staircase behind it, then at its missing tail, and immediately turned around, its gaze fixed even more furiously on the unruly woman:

"Roar…!"

It's all because of those two human cultivators! It's all those damned two-legged sheep's fault that it lost half of its tail:

Waaaaah, is it alright for a black dragon to cut off its tail to survive?

Give it back its tail!

"Roar…"

With a yank of the Vermilion Bird Ring that had gone out of control from around his neck, the Ink Dragon lunged straight at the two members of the Hidden Moon Sect.

"Junior sister, what have you done? Where is the passage?" Where is that passage, which is more than ten feet wide?
"Grandmaster and the others...they..."

The Daoist brother looked utterly hopeless.

"I...I don't know either. I just lost a small Five Elements Talisman." The spoiled girl was also on the verge of tears.

She never imagined that her sure-fire plan would lead to such a terrible disaster.

A sect's Core Formation stage master was killed here by his own hand?
Upon seeing the Vermilion Bird Ring, a magical artifact, slip out of control and easily removed by the Ink Dragon, she realized the gravity of the situation. She also realized what she would face next:
"Senior brother, what should we do?"

Daoist Brother: "...?"

Aren't you always so opinionated and assertive? Why are you so subdued now?

Why don't you be assertive this time?

"Heh, you're having fun chasing me, aren't you?"

Han Li, who was standing behind the many spirit beasts, grinned:
"Next, we should do some serious calculations."

It's a coward not to seek revenge.

The black dragon made its move.

...

The battle ended quickly.

The protective black cloud withstood the barrage of talismans from the unruly woman, and then spat out a mouthful of liquid pills! As soon as the liquid pills came out, they broke through the seemingly solid defense line formed by the intermediate-level defensive talisman and a top-level defensive magic weapon, killing the woman first.

Han Li did not immediately end the life of his fellow Daoist brother, but instead asked him a question:
"Who is the person leading your team? Why do you call her Master Gan?"

Not Master Nangong!
The person's answer was also very straightforward.

The general details of Gan Rushuang's background were revealed.

After listening to the male disciple's words, Han Li remained silent for a long time.

It's not Nangong Wan, but Gan Rushuang?
Why is it Gan Rushuang instead of Nangong Wan?
The Hidden Moon Sect doesn't even have a person named Nangong Wan?
How can it be?

what happened?

A deep sense of doubt lingered in his mind, leaving him completely perplexed.

"Forget it, who cares who she is. Without the magic treasure Vermilion Bird Ring or the talisman Golden Light Brick, we're trapped in this underground stone hall with no way out. We don't even know if we can get out before the forbidden passage closes."

Thinking of this, he felt at ease.

After cleaning up the battlefield, casting a few fireball spells, feeding the black dragon healing medicine and putting it into its spirit beast pouch, they immediately left the area.

Half an hour later, he found a deserted place and used a sinkhole talisman to dig a hole to live in temporarily.

Then, they began to take stock of the spoils.

Xiao Liu is a reliable person. He ambushed and killed three disciples of the Hidden Moon Sect, obtaining the storage bags of two of them. He had kept them hidden in his stomach until the end of the battle, when he finally spat them out.

Although the two storage bags were a bit dirty, the spiritual herbs, spiritual stones, magical artifacts, talismans, and so on inside were all clean.

"The two storage bags, excluding the six spiritual herbs, have a total value of about two thousand four hundred."

In other words, a single cultivator from the Hidden Moon Sect provided him with a gain of 1,200 spirit stones. Even with a discount, he would still have earned 1,000 spirit stones.

"As expected of the Moon Concealment Sect's fat sheep, they are much richer than the disciples of other sects."

This is even with top-tier magical artifacts lost and talismans consumed during the battle; otherwise, it could have provided him with even more spoils.

Then look at that fellow Daoist's storage bag.

Common magical artifacts and talismans, etc., are worth more than four thousand spirit stones. Plus a small hammer talisman.

With such background and experience, he's definitely a top contender in his respective faction. His skills are indeed impressive; otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to keep up with the headstrong woman's speed.

Unfortunately, they encountered a level 2 Ink Dragon.

Even three or five more wouldn't be enough to overwhelm the Ink Dragon.

And most importantly, this guy actually had a Foundation Establishment Pill! That's right, this guy had a Foundation Establishment Pill! This was something he never expected!

"What is this guy's background?"

Regardless of all that, the contents of this person's storage bag alone, even without counting the five spiritual herbs that are at least a hundred years old, are enough to make up for all his wartime losses.

At last.

The spoiled girl's storage bag.

What kinds are there?

Han Li rubbed his hands together and opened the blind box.

[Regarding ritual implements]:
The finest magical artifact, the Azure Condensation Mirror.

This is a fine item. In the eyes of someone who knows its value, this mirror would be worth at least three to five thousand spirit stones.

A top-tier, rare magical artifact: the Dragon Flame Pearl. It contains the essence of a level 3 demon beast as its spirit, allowing it to be summoned to fight. Depending on the strength of the magical power provided by the user, the spirit can unleash its full power, comparable to that of a level 3 demon beast in its lifetime.

There are also three other top-tier magic artifacts: a common top-tier magic artifact, a fine top-tier magic artifact, and a high-quality top-tier magic artifact. These are the Gale Sword, the Fragrant Silk Handkerchief, and the Fine Steel Bracelet.

There were over a dozen high-grade magical artifacts, all gathering dust in a corner. Some were stained with blood, clearly the spoils of murder and robbery. The fine steel bracelet was one of them, stained with blood.

"How many of his unlucky bastards has this woman killed?"

[Regarding talismans]:
A talisman with a design of a silk handkerchief!
Eight mid-level lower-tier talismans!
34 beginner and advanced talismans.

There are nearly six dozen, totaling over one hundred, basic and intermediate-level talismans.

"hiss…"

This configuration is no worse than his, and even more extravagant.

[Spiritual Herb]:
There are six plants that are over a hundred years old. Among them, there are two of each of the three main ingredients for the Foundation Building Pill, totaling three.

[Other aspects]:
Nine mid-grade spirit stones and over four hundred low-grade spirit stones. Various miscellaneous items can also be sold for a few hundred to a thousand spirit stones.

Furthermore, this woman also had a bright blue Foundation Establishment Pill in her storage bag!

This is hardly a fierce and unruly woman; she is clearly a gentle and understanding maiden who brings wealth.

"If all the unruly girls with the surname Zhao are like this, what about the other girl from the Zhao family, Duobao?"

That's probably just as fat a sheep, isn't it?

"Speaking of which, at this point in time, has Feng Yue succeeded?"

We've run into each other, should we pull off a heist?
At last.

It is very worth mentioning.

It is a magic weapon of the Core Formation cultivators of the Hidden Moon Sect: the Vermilion Bird Ring.

Although he cannot refine and activate this magic weapon now, it doesn't mean he can't use it for other things.

last of the last.

That golden treasure chest.

"Let me see what good things the ancient cultivators left behind." I hope they are the ones I set out in the initial draft.

The treasure chest was opened, and the spiritual light on it continued to flow.

Inside the treasure chest were eight boxes of various sizes.

The largest item was a box that was about ten feet long, five feet wide, and two feet high.

Inside the box were five square, floor-like objects. Some were yellowish-brown, some were gleaming white, and some were pitch black. These five stones occupied most of the chest's interior space. At just one glance, Han Li took a deep breath, his heart pounding faster than ever before. His previous composure vanished, replaced entirely by excitement.

There was no other reason than that he recognized what the five stones actually were:
"The finest of metals?!"

Also known as the Five Treasures of the Dharma.

That's right, the five stones represent the five metals of the magic weapon: gold essence, silver essence, copper essence, iron essence, and tin essence.

Each piece is ten feet long, one foot wide, and two feet thick, perfectly square and weighing several thousand kilograms.

Of these five magical artifacts, Li Huayuan could never master any of them in his entire life.

"Ancient cultivators, what a grand gesture..."

(End of this chapter)