Chapter 435

Han Li didn't need to think twice—he was certain the events described by the Bone Ascendant were almost certainly true.

After all, the Star Palace had stood unshaken in the Chaos Star Sea for so many years; it must have employed some methods. It certainly wouldn't have come here for no reason merely to supervise—most likely, it had its own agenda.

Thinking thus, Han Li's eyes flashed with cold light. Though he gave no reply to the Bone Ascendant, his vigilance toward the two white-robed elders immediately rose.

But in the following days, the two white-robed elders remained seated, utterly motionless, fully immersed in Qi Refining, never opening their eyes or uttering a single word.

Thus, in an eerie atmosphere, three more days passed.

Yet during these days, only three or four new cultivators arrived, and not a single Nascent Soul cultivator showed up.

Then, on the morning of the fourth day, sudden changes erupted.

After a series of booming sounds, a white jade gate descended without warning at the hall's entrance, sealing off the entire chamber.

The gate was shrouded in a pale, misty glow—clearly sealed with powerful restrictions.

Moreover, a distant thunderous crash echoed from the palace's main gate, as if it too had been sealed shut.

This caused some in the hall to reveal faint signs of panic. But upon noticing that all the Nascent Soul cultivators remained calm, they settled down, reassured.

At this moment, the two white-robed elders of the Star Palace calmly opened their eyes and suddenly rose to their feet.

Instantly, all other cultivators fixed their gazes on them—some who knew the situation showed understanding, while others wore traces of confusion.

The Nascent Soul cultivators, however, watched the two without expression, saying not a word.

The two walked calmly toward the front of the hall.

But before they reached their destination, a slight tremor shook the floor at the hall's far end, and several stone slabs suddenly emitted blinding white light.

Then, to everyone's astonishment, a small teleportation array, measuring about a zhang in diameter, appeared there.

None of the many cultivators in the hall had seen how the array had materialized—many self-proclaimed experts were utterly stunned.

The two white-robed elders, however, remained unruffled as they walked up to the array and bowed slightly to examine it closely.

After a long while, they exchanged glances and nodded.

"Alright, this teleportation array is functional. Beyond it lies the Outer Hall of the Xu Tian Palace. May you all proceed with caution."

With that, the two white-robed elders stepped onto the array, one after the other.

In an instant, two flashes of white light appeared—and their figures vanished without a trace.

This left the other cultivators in the hall staring at each other in silence.

Before they could react, Wan Wan Tianming, accompanied by the old Daoist and the thin, dark-skinned elder, leapt without hesitation from the jade pillar and stepped onto the array, being teleported away.

Only then did the cultivators realize what was happening. Those nearby rushed forward immediately.

Instantly, white light flickered continuously at the array, and in the blink of an eye, nearly half the cultivators in the hall had disappeared—including the Bone Ascendant, who had already left ahead of them.

Han Li's eyes flickered with unusual light. He couldn't help but glance toward Ji Yin Laozu and the others.

To his shock, Ji Yin Laozu was staring back at him with unmistakable intent—Han Li quickly averted his gaze, his unease deepening.

It seemed Ji Yin Laozu truly would not let him go!

Frustrated, Han Li stood up and walked forward without further hesitation.

Seeing Han Li's move, Ji Yin Laozu's lips curled into a sly, cold smile. This finally prompted the silent Wu Chou beside him to whisper:

"Master, you seem unusually attentive to that young man. Is there something unusual about him?"

Wu Chou was genuinely curious.

"Nothing much. He's simply of great use to me—I must rely on him in some way," Ji Yin Laozu replied dismissively, clearly not wishing to elaborate.

This left Wu Chou, long favored by Ji Yin Laozu, puzzled.

At that moment, the scholar-dressed "Qing Yi Qingyi Jushi" cleared his throat softly and spoke slowly:

"Shouldn't we be departing as well? There are hardly any cultivators left in the hall."

Ji Yin Laozu paused, glanced around at the sparse few remaining cultivators, and smiled faintly in reply:

"Of course. If we don't leave now, the array will vanish. It won't reappear for another month."

No sooner had he spoken than Ji Yin Laozu grabbed Wu Chou and transformed into a dark cloud, drifting gently downward.

Qing Yi Qingyi Jushi and the bearded barbarian, seeing this, floated down from the jade pillar with equal leisure.

The beautiful woman had already left earlier—clearly, she had no intention of associating with Ji Yin Laozu and his group.

…

After a wave of dizziness, Han Li found himself standing on a desolate little hill. He glanced around and was stunned.

For not far from him, only two men and one woman remained—the rest of the cultivators had vanished entirely.

The female cultivator among them, upon seeing Han Li appear, showed a look of delighted surprise—it was Zi Ling Shi Xianzi.

Without hesitation, she walked toward him with a warm smile.

The two men who had been with her had clearly been teleported elsewhere, leaving Han Li to sigh inwardly—he felt yet another trouble looming.

The other two were an elderly man in gray robes and a masked figure clad in black.

The old man was unremarkable, but the black-robed figure was wreathed in emerald-green mist—clearly a demonic cultivator.

They stood apart from each other, clearly not on good terms.

As Zi Ling Shi Xianzi approached Han Li, the two drew attention to him and studied him in turn.

The old man's gaze was gentle, even offering Han Li a friendly smile. The black-robed man's eyes, however, were icy and devoid of any emotion.

Han Li met their gazes calmly, showing no sign of unease.

At that moment, Zi Ling Shi Xianzi reached Han Li's side and smiled lightly:

"I never expected to be teleported alongside Elder Han. I'll surely need your protection, Elder Han—otherwise, I won't even make it past the first trial!"

As she spoke, she slightly pursed her lips, looking slightly embarrassed.

Han Li frowned, didn't reply immediately, but asked in a puzzled tone:

"Your cultivation has advanced greatly—you've reached Foundation Establishment's late stage. That's commendable. But why are you here? This is far too dangerous. Even Core Formation cultivators can barely protect themselves in the Xu Tian Palace." Though Han Li knew little of the Xu Tian Palace, he could still judge the peril of this journey—and he couldn't help but feel confused.

Hearing this, Zi Ling Shi Xianzi's delicate face darkened with bitterness. She sighed helplessly:

"I didn't want to come either. But you can see—I'm currently at the False Core stage, about to attempt Core Formation. My talent isn't good, and I have almost no auxiliary pills to aid me. So I spent a fortune buying a fragment of the Xu Tian Map, hoping to get lucky. I've heard the Xu Tian Palace holds many spiritual herbs—perhaps heaven will smile upon me and let me find a few that greatly aid Core Formation! I've already decided: I'll only attempt the first trial, then leave. I won't even try the second!"

Her expression grew gloomy, her brow heavy with despair.

Han Li sighed inwardly and fell silent.

Had he not cultivated the "Threefold Reversal Primordial Art" and the "Great Expansion Scripture," and had he not possessed abundant spiritual herbs to forcibly boost his chances of Core Formation, he might have been even more hopeless than Zi Ling Shi Xianzi.

Thinking of this, he felt a pang of sympathy for her.

Then he recalled: the Thunder Bamboo had originally come from her, and the Miaoyin Sect had sent him a steady, if small, supply of spirit stones every year—he owed her a favor. Why not repay it now?

With this thought, his expression softened slightly. He spoke in a detached tone:

"Since we've been teleported together, I'll offer you some minor protection. But if I ever find myself unable to protect myself, you must find your own way out."

"Thank you, Elder Han. I understand perfectly—I won't hold you back," Zi Ling Shi Xianzi said, her face lighting up instantly, her beauty radiant—Han Li stared, momentarily stunned.

Realizing his lapse, Han Li turned away, his cheeks slightly warm, refusing to look again.

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