Chapter 1323: Qingming Guard

"You haven't taken the Dust-Extinguishing Pill to wash away the foreign aura of the lower realm, so the Small Heavenly Tribulation every three hundred years will be a two-colored thunder tribulation. Even if your divine abilities are astonishing, you absolutely won't be able to endure it. This time, we helped you disperse this Heavenly Tribulation, but the next Heavenly Tribulation will be advanced because of this. In a hundred-plus years, your second Small Heavenly Tribulation will immediately descend upon you. Only by taking one Dust-Extinguishing Pill every year can your aura be fused with our Spirit Realm, and the two-colored thunder tribulation won't appear. In our Heavenly Abyss City, every ascended cultivator is issued one Dust-Extinguishing Pill every year. The next two-colored thunder tribulation will be three times more powerful than this one." The older cultivator added.

"From what the senior said, the junior has to stay in Heavenly Abyss City for a lifetime?" Han Li's gaze flickered as he asked.

"Of course not. That Dust-Extinguishing Pill only works on you ascended cultivators. As long as you take it for three hundred years, you can thoroughly wash away the lower realm aura and leave Heavenly Abyss City freely." The fair-faced cultivator said calmly.

"Heavenly Abyss City gathers us ascended cultivators together; it won't give us the Dust-Extinguishing Pill for nothing, right? What do we need to do?" Han Li didn't want to beat around the bush anymore and asked the most critical question.

"Fellow Daoist is indeed intelligent. Although the Dust-Extinguishing Pill is only useful to you ascended cultivators, the materials required are rare to the extreme, and many must be found in the Savage World. To exchange for these pills naturally requires a certain price. However, this matter will be explained to you in detail when you arrive at Heavenly Abyss City. Now, Fellow Daoist, please board the flying boat first. Of course, if you refuse, the two of us won't force you. But you should be very clear about the consequences." The older cultivator stroked his goatee and said with a smile.

Han Li's expression changed slightly upon hearing this.

He pondered for a while, looked up at the cloudless high altitude, then looked at the strange golden boat at the feet of the two, and suddenly his figure swayed, and he was on the boat.

The two golden-armored cultivators saw this scene and smiled slightly, not feeling surprised at all. Anyone who saw the terror of the two-colored thunder tribulation would definitely only have this one path to take. Moreover, this person was only a Deity Transformation initial-stage cultivator; being able to hold on until they appeared under the two-colored thunder tribulation was already a miracle.

Arriving on the golden boat, Han Li swept his gaze and discovered that there was a small magic array inscribed in the center of the boat.

Just as he was examining it, the two golden-armored cultivators stepped into it first, and then greeted Han Li.

Han Li hesitated for a moment, then walked in as well.

As a result, the two golden-armored cultivators each performed a hand seal, and immediately the magic array beneath their feet buzzed, and a thick layer of light emerged, shrouding all three of them within it.

Then, the older cultivator flipped his palm, and a golden-bright round plate appeared in his hand, also inscribed with several Silver Tadpole Scripts.

This person patted the plate with one hand.

Immediately, golden light erupted from the plate, and at the same time, those few silver scripts emitted dazzling silver light.

At the same time, the golden boat trembled, and streaks of milky-white light emerged from the bottom of the boat. These light rays circled beneath the golden boat and actually condensed into the white light array Han Li had seen once before.

After the entire magic array erupted with light, the golden boat trembled slightly and vanished.

The magic array shattered inch by inch and dissipated.

Elder Huo and the several Core Formation cultivators in the distance had been watching all this, but ever since the two golden-armored cultivators appeared, they had instantly lost interest in talking, instead not daring to breathe loudly. Once the golden boat vanished, the few of them let out a long sigh of relief simultaneously and looked at each other, seeing a hint of luck in each other's expressions.

"Elder Huo, it seems the Heavenly Abyss Guards aren't as terrifying as the rumors say. Could it be that the rumors are inaccurate?" The yellow-robed youth hesitated but still asked.

"What do you know! Among the Three Realms and Seven Lands, the only place not under the jurisdiction of the Three Sacred Emperors and Seven Demon Kings is Heavenly Abyss City. The Heavenly Abyss Guards wearing golden armor are even higher-level existences of Heavenly Abyss City, each possessing the right to travel freely in various regions without restriction, and can openly kill any existence that poses a threat to the human and demon races. Their power is so great that even existences like the Three Emperors have to be wary of them. And once a war between foreign races breaks out, even the Three Emperors and Seven Demons have to obey the adjustments of the Heavenly Abyss City's Elder Council in name." Elder Huo hesitated but still revealed some secret information he knew.

"There is such a thing? I only heard my master mention the Heavenly Abyss Guards and was warned never to offend them. It seems that a long time ago, the Heavenly Abyss Guards once had a precedent of exterminating over a hundred cultivation sects in a month. But the specific reason was completely unknown to anyone. Even existences like the Three Emperors turned a blind eye to this." The yellow-robed cultivator's eyes widened, and after a long while, he said this.

"That's it. I don't know much about the news of Heavenly Abyss City either. But cultivators of this city generally don't appear in the human and demon race territories; they are specifically used to deal with foreign enemies. And even if they appear in the two races, only these Heavenly Abyss Guards wearing golden armor will appear." Elder Huo's brows furrowed into a ball.

Hearing this conversation between the two, the several Core Formation cultivators, although they also knew some things about the Heavenly Abyss Guards, didn't know as much as these two, and all looked at each other in horror.

At this moment, Han Li's golden boat had already appeared in a teleportation array in a secret room of an unnamed city.

One golden-armored cultivator jumped off the golden boat, replaced several flashing high-tier spirit stones on the teleportation array, immediately returned to the golden boat, and performed hand seals to urge the magic array.

Han Li saw those crystals and felt a jump in his heart. These crystals were actually high-tier spirit stones worth ten thousand. His thoughts had only just turned when the golden boat was submerged by white light and teleported out again.

The place where it appeared this time was actually an underground cave, and beneath the golden boat was another similar teleportation magic array.

The same act of replacing spirit stones, the same teleportation, and the golden boat vanished again.

Under Han Li's cold gaze, the golden boat teleported more than twenty times in succession.

Back then, when Han Li teleported to the Chaotic Star Sea, he only used mid-tier spirit stones once and teleported from Heavenly South to the Chaotic Star Sea. But now, the teleportation magic array used by the golden boat used high-tier spirit stones and teleported so many times; the distance of the teleportation was something Han Li couldn't even imagine.

With a "Pfft—" sound, after the golden boat teleported one more time, it appeared in a magic array again.

But this time, Han Li swept his gaze, felt a chill in his heart, and immediately knew that he had finally arrived at the so-called Heavenly Abyss City.

Because this time, the teleportation magic array was actually built on a giant platform that looked like an altar, and beneath the platform, which was over ten zhang high, four cultivators wearing black battle armor were standing there.

The style of these black battle armors seemed simpler than the golden battle armor of the two cultivators with Han Li, but their surfaces were also inscribed with silver runes.

This place was a giant hall a hundred zhang wide and over ten zhang high. Apart from the giant platform, the surroundings were completely empty, with nothing else existing.

The moment the golden boat appeared, the four black-armored cultivators immediately revealed expressions of vigilance and looked over. Upon seeing the golden-armored cultivators, their expressions relaxed, but they immediately moved and floated directly onto the stone platform.

Among them, a burly man with emerald green eyes stepped onto the top of the stone platform, walked over in a few steps, and bowed respectfully to the two golden-armored cultivators:

"Greetings, Heavenly Guards!"

Han Li swept his gaze over these people, and his gaze stirred.

These four people were actually all Nascent Soul cultivators, one at the late-stage Nascent Soul perfection, one at the mid-stage, and two at the initial-stage.

"Rise. This is a newly arrived ascended cultivator. I remember your small team seems to be missing one Qingming Guard, hehe. Perhaps he will become your captain. Take him to the Flying Spirit Hall to rest for the night first. My companion and I still have to report to the Elder Council and will see him again." The older golden-armored cultivator ordered indifferently.

"Yes!"

This burly man had long since seen the existence of Han Li, this Deity Transformation cultivator. Now hearing this, he didn't show any surprise, just bowed slightly to Han Li and answered.

"You follow them to rest for the night first. If there's anything, we'll talk about it tomorrow." The fair-faced cultivator said this to Han Li.

Han Li nodded, having no objections.

Thus, the three of them walked down the high platform and headed straight for the hall door. Han Li noticed that only the burly man with emerald eyes followed them closely, while the other three remained honestly guarding beneath the high platform.

It seemed the teleportation array and the golden boat were still quite important things in this place, actually requiring four Nascent Soul cultivators to guard them here.

Once out of the hall door, a giant walkway four or five zhang wide appeared before them.

On both sides of the walkway were blue-gray stone walls, but every distance, these stone walls were bound to be inscribed with a Silver Tadpole Script symbol, making the entire stone wall appear mysterious to the extreme.

The passage was circular and gradually deepened downward.

Seeing this scene, Han Li raised his brows, but before he could think about it,

The two golden-armored cultivators walked upward, while the black-armored burly man took Han Li and walked downward.

In the giant walkway, every few hundred zhang, a hall door identical to the one Han Li and the others came out of would appear. Some hall doors were tightly closed, while others were wide open.

Those that were open could naturally see everything inside clearly.

Inside, most were identical high platforms, teleportation arrays, and golden boats, and there were also several Nascent Soul cultivators guarding them. The other small half were completely empty, with nothing existing.

As for those tightly closed hall doors, although Han Li swept them with his spiritual sense, as expected, he couldn't penetrate those mysterious walls mixed with Silver Tadpole Scripts at all.

From time to time, other cultivators walked toward them in the walkway. Most were black-armored Nascent Soul cultivators, but they also bumped into three or four cultivators wearing cyan-ghostly battle armor. These cyan-armored cultivators all had Deity Transformation cultivation; clearly, they were the so-called "Qingming Guards."

These cultivators, upon seeing Han Li, an outsider, although they looked at him with curiosity, didn't have anyone come forward to ask anything, and all acted in a hurry, appearing as if they were well-trained.

Han Li saw this scene, and his brows furrowed.

(End of Chapter) ===== CHAPTER 1324 =====