Chapter 2290

"Who knows? Perhaps he had long planned it, truly possessing the exact coordinates of a lost interface, or perhaps he merely encountered some accident and unwittingly fled into it. But back then, that traitor could so easily escape our Nine Origins Observatory's pursuit with treasures in hand—clearly someone was pulling the strings behind the scenes. Otherwise, even with a hundred times his courage, he would never dare betray our observatory." The black-faced Daoist priest seemed to have thought of something, speaking as if pointing indirectly.

"What's there to guess? Most likely, that person behind the scenes is one of those few who personally moved to block your ancestral master." The woman then let out a cold laugh.

The black-faced Daoist priest nodded, obviously sharing the same view.

"Alright, matters of your grandmaster's level are not for us to interfere with. I'd rather know: if there truly is a way to send someone to the lost interface, which disciple would the observatory send down? Junior Nephew Li, are you interested in this?" The purple-clad woman suddenly chuckled and asked.

"Uncle, you jest! My cultivation is nowhere near sufficient for such a heavy task. Besides, those junior brothers who are unworldly would hardly be suited for this either. That traitor's cultivation is no small matter—he was among the top peers in the observatory before. Now, down in the lower realm, he seems unable to protect himself, but we cannot rule out the possibility that he's feigning weakness to deceive. Moreover, if he truly is suppressed down there, it's not a good sign—it suggests that interface harbors extraordinarily powerful beings. Ordinary disciples going down, if lacking in scheming or cultivation, would certainly fail to intimidate those strong ones and succeed in this task." The black-faced Daoist priest waved his hands repeatedly.

"Oh, if you say so, then only those disciples who often travel outside can be chosen. Nephew Zhu and Nephew Wu are both outstanding among them—likely strong candidates." The purple-clad woman spoke with a half-smile.

"Nephew Zhu is steady and composed; Nephew Wu is resourceful and adaptable—both are excellent choices. But compared to another person, they still fall short." The black-faced Daoist priest's eyes flashed as he spoke with a hint of strangeness.

"Another person—you mean...?" The purple-clad woman paused, startled.

"Uncle, you may not know yet—Martial Brother Ma has already broken through his seclusion." The black-faced Daoist priest said slowly.

"What? That scoundrel Ma Liang has finished his punishment? I haven't heard a word about it." Upon hearing this, the purple-clad woman's smile vanished completely from her face.

"I only learned this a few days ago when I met a fellow observatory disciple outside. Actually, very few people know this now. Given Martial Brother Ma's cultivation and methods, it's highly likely the elders have assigned him this important task." The black-faced Daoist priest said solemnly.

"Hmph, not necessarily. Though Ma Liang's strength is decent, his temperament is too extreme. Back then, just to forge a treasure, he once performed a blood sacrifice on over a hundred million lives in a small lower-realm nation. Who knows how much trouble he's brought upon our observatory? If not for your ancestral master, who pitied his talent and acknowledged his multiple great contributions to the observatory, he would not have been let off after merely ten thousand years of facing the wall. To truly send him again to the lost interface, where no one can interfere—fearful that it would invite even greater disaster." The purple-clad woman spoke coldly.

"What you say makes sense, but Uncle, don't forget: that item in the traitor's possession is of utmost importance to our observatory and your ancestral master. Simply to recover it, the elders might well send him down to capture the traitor." The black-faced Daoist priest chuckled.

"With those old-timers' dispositions, such a possibility is indeed real. If Ma Liang truly goes down, even if his cultivation and magic power are suppressed, his methods would make retrieving that item a certainty. Forget it—this is not for us to meddle in. You're merely a minor affairs disciple, and I'm only an honorary palace master. Still, no matter which disciple is sent to the lower realm, the ancestral master must personally approve it. When the time comes, who knows what changes might arise? But if you truly obtain accurate news of the traitor's whereabouts in that interface, don't forget to inform this palace." The purple-clad woman pondered, then spoke thus.

"Yes, I will do my utmost." The black-faced Daoist priest replied respectfully.

"Anything else? If not, I'll go rest." The purple-clad woman asked indifferently. "Today, I came only to inform you of this matter, with nothing else. Junior Nephew, you may take your leave." Upon hearing this, the black-faced Daoist priest immediately rose and bowed.

The purple-clad woman merely nodded, seeming to have completely lost interest in speaking.

The black-faced Daoist priest then, after bidding farewell, turned and walked straight toward the gate.

The instant his feet stepped out of the gate, spatial fluctuations arose—his entire body vanished into thin air.

The next moment, the black-faced Daoist priest only felt his vision brighten—he had reappeared on a patch of grass, the surrounding trees and strange flowers unchanged as before, but behind him lay an empty expanse, with not a trace of the palace or the purple-clad woman.

The black-faced Daoist priest glanced behind him twice, then without hesitation lifted his leg and walked back along the path he had come.

After the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, a dragon's roar echoed before the massive hall gate of the Golden Radiance Immortal Palace—a blue ice flood dragon rose into the sky again, flickered a few times, then vanished behind the mountain peaks.

At the same time, in the mysterious hall, the purple-clad woman remained seated, composed, for a good while before letting out a cold laugh and muttering to herself:

"Lost interface, Ma Liang, hehe, this is good too..."

As the woman spoke, her voice gradually faded into inaudibility, and after a rosy light swept over her body, her form blurred and vanished.

……

In the Spirit Realm, a forbidden zone on Mount Fuling.

The white-robed elder, Han Li, Mo Jianli, and Xue Ran—great Bucket Vehicle cultivators—stood before a massive ** formation.

This formation spans several mu, its entire body inscribed with gold and silver spirit patterns, and at each corner, inlaid with countless top-grade spirit stones—actually numbering over a hundred.

Further back, eight bald-headed Spirit Tribe cultivators at the Harmonious Body stage stood respectfully in place.

Han Li and the others mostly observed the great ** formation silently with their eyes, while only the white-robed elder raised his gaze to the sky, one hand holding a mirror-like dharma instrument, the other flicking his fingers intermittently, as if calculating something.

"The time is nearly right. If we depart now, the hour will be exact." The white-robed elder's expression shifted, his fingers pausing as he spoke.

"Good, Mo and the others won't stand on ceremony." Upon hearing this, Mo Jianli's spirit stirred, and he strode forward into the formation.

Han Li smiled faintly, then followed.

But after the white-robed elder deeply glanced at the two, he spoke again in a cautionary tone:

"The spatial coordinates sent back have all been set by you fellow cultivators yourselves—just crush the Asura Heart when the time comes, and you can return to the Spirit Realm on your own. Still, I must remind you: do not wait until this object's energy is completely exhausted, down to the last drop, before doing so. If there truly is no Asura Heart energy left, you may be permanently stranded in the Minor Asura Realm."

"Thank you for the reminder, Elder Spirit—I will be extra careful." Mo Jianli stood in the formation, his expression shifting, then replied with a smile.

Han Li bowed slightly to the elder with his usual expression, also expressing some gratitude.

Xue Ran laughed heartily, then, carrying his black scales, walked over—and at the moment just before entering the formation, turned his head to ask the elder:

"Spirit Brother, you may entrust the threads of time to my brothers without worry. But when we truly bring this thing back, will you not suddenly regret it?"

"Rest easy, Spirit Brother—I need the threads of time for great use; how could I break my word?" The white-robed elder heard this, did not anger, and replied calmly.

"With those words from you, Spirit Brother, that's enough." Xue Ran showed a satisfied expression, shrugged his shoulders, and appeared beside Han Li and Mo Jianli.

The white-robed elder hesitated no longer—he raised the dharma instrument in his hand, and a beam of white light shot out, flashed once, then vanished into the formation without a trace.

The massive formation immediately buzzed loudly, as gold and silver light clouds rolled out, and simultaneously, countless runes surged from within the spirit stones.

A thunderous boom!

The figures of Han Li and the others vanished in a flash within the formation.

The white-robed elder stared unblinkingly at the center of the formation until the others truly disappeared, then finally let out a breath—but after thinking, he turned and instructed the eight Spirit Tribe sages:

"Listen well, you few—from now on, take turns guarding this formation; if there is the slightest abnormality, immediately send word to me."

"Yes, Spirit King, my lord!" The eight Harmonious Body-stage Spirit Tribe cultivators naturally replied in unison.

The white-robed elder nodded, shook his wide sleeve, and instantly white light coiled into a long rainbow that pierced through the sky and departed.

The remaining eight Spirit Tribe cultivators then conferred, after which six departed one by one, leaving only the bald-headed man and another Harmonious Body-stage Spirit Tribe cultivator.

These two sat cross-legged without ceremony, closed their eyes, and each released a vast divine sense, layer upon layer enveloping the formation below.

Under these conditions, if the formation had even the slightest fault, it could not escape their senses.

And while these two great sages kept their eyes closed, their breath gradually smoothed and slowed—they truly entered deep meditation.

……

Han Li shook his head, and only then did he feel his originally somewhat heavy skull lighten somewhat.

This discomfort from transmission—he truly hadn't experienced it in a long while.

Of course, this is because this transmission was a rare cross-realm transfer—even with his great strength, it's impossible to have absolutely no anomaly.

After Han Li fully regained clarity, he naturally lifted his gaze and swept his eyes around.

I saw that all around were white trees as thick as a bowl's mouth, while the ground was interwoven with various low shrubs, wild grasses, and the like, but the branches and leaves were all somewhat scorched yellow and withered, giving a somewhat desolate feeling.

However, there was no trace of Mo Jianli, Blood Ran, and others.

Han Li's expression did not change in the slightest!

This situation, he and Mo Jianli had already anticipated somewhat before coming here, and had made some arrangements.

He immediately raised his head to look up into the sky, and as a result, his expression changed slightly.

(Last night, don't even mention it! I wrote a manuscript all night, but because I clicked the wrong place at the end, the whole thing was scrapped. I fiddled with it for a long time but couldn't find a way to recover it, so I had to rewrite it from scratch. Sweat, it seems the newly written chapter differs greatly in content from the original one. After finishing it, even I was left speechless, looking up at the sky in despair!)