Chapter 695

Han Li formed a hand seal with both hands, and the dozen or so flags facing the crystal wall began to float and shift.

After a moment, the flags arranged themselves into an odd formation—seemingly chaotic, yet seemingly concealing hidden mysteries.

Just then, a low, obscure incantation issued from Han Li's mouth, followed by a flurry of ten-odd hand seals he cast, each striking one of the flags precisely.

Instantly, the flags trembled, and multicolored light flared; threads of light shot out from each flag, linking them into a strange magical array.

Wang Wang Tiangu, Lord Lord Nanlong, and other cultivators skilled in arrays frowned at this sight.

They felt the array was vaguely familiar, yet had never seen it before, and silently pondered, trying to discern its secrets.

But Han Li seemed unwilling to let others study the array's arrangement further; with a low shout, his entire body suddenly erupted in blinding white light.

Those who had been intently watching the array, caught off guard, all shut their eyes.

Yet these elder cultivators simultaneously felt a jolt of alarm, injecting spiritual power into their eyes and immediately reopened them.

The result: each one's face showed astonishment.

The array of flags on the crystal wall had, without warning, seamlessly embedded itself into the wall—as if it had always been part of the stone.

At this, Lord Lord Nanlong and the white-robed elder both revealed expressions of great delight, their confidence in Han Li soaring.

Wang Wang Tiangu's expression shifted slightly, but quickly returned to normal.

Behind him, Wang Chan's mask revealed complex, startled eyes, frozen in place. Yan Yan Ru Yan, however, furrowed her delicate brows, glanced at the array within the crystal wall, blinked her beautiful eyes, and a faint look of confusion appeared on her jade-like face.

At this moment, Han Li stepped forward several paces to stand before the crystal wall. He pressed both hands against its surface, and ten fingers emitted a pale blue glow.

Simultaneously, the array within the crystal wall responded as if in echo—bursting forth with five-colored aurora light. The glow intensified, gradually filling the entire wall, dazzlingly magnificent.

While all present were entranced by the sight, Han Li withdrew his hands from the wall. With a flick of his body, he appeared before another crystal wall.

He gazed at it for a moment, then retrieved another set of flags and arranged them into an identical array. Again, a flash of white light enveloped him, instantly embedding the array into the crystal wall.

Because they were now prepared, even under the intense glare, Lord Lord Nanlong and the others, protected by their spiritual power, clearly saw Han Li's movements as he drove the flags into the crystal wall.

They murmured in admiration at how easily Han Li had broken the crystal barrier.

Han Li repeated this method on all four walls, a process that naturally took considerable time—fully half an hour.

The other cultivators showed no sign of impatience.

Everyone knew that dismantling such a wondrous ancient barrier naturally required time.

Of course, this was also due to Han Li's calm, unhurried demeanor, which gave the others great confidence; otherwise, Lord Lord Nanlong and the white-robed elder would never have allowed Han Li to waste so much time.

After completing all this, Han Li walked to the center of the hall.

He flipped his hand, revealing a Bi green array disc.

Without hesitation, he cast several complex hand seals into the disc; the disc and the auroras within the four crystal walls began to pulse, expanding and contracting irregularly at first, then gradually synchronizing—until all the auroras flared and receded in perfect unison, as if they were one entity.

"Break."

Han Li did not glance at the surrounding auroras; he lowered his head slightly and uttered a low, resonant "Break."

At the sound, the auroras surged violently, emitting a piercing hum that grew louder and louder, like ten thousand birds singing in unison.

With a thunderous "Boom!" the auroras shattered, plunging the entire hall into sudden darkness.

Only then did Lord Lord Nanlong and the others realize the crystal walls had vanished without a trace, replaced by ordinary green stone walls. On one of these stone walls stood a massive stone door, seven or eight zhang tall and three or four zhang wide.

"I never expected Han Dao You to possess such profound mastery of arrays—truly, you've broken this barrier! Hah! Excellent! As promised, my Yun Dao You and I will each choose one treasure first, then you may choose first." Lord Lord Nanlong's eyes gleamed with delight.

The white-robed elder, upon seeing the stone door, also wore a broad smile, his gaze burning with eagerness.

"Lord Lord Nanlong, let's see what treasures lie inside! Could there still be other barriers within?" the You cultivator asked, eager yet wary.

"Rest assured, there won't be. According to the last words of the Master Cangkun Cangkun Shiren, this mansion had only two layers of barriers." Lord Lord Nanlong spoke confidently.

Without further words, he strode forward, swept his long sleeve lightly against the stone door, and the door swung open effortlessly.

Seeing this, the last trace of doubt among the cultivators vanished; they all followed Lord Lord Nanlong into the doorway.

"What is this?" the old woman exclaimed in shock upon seeing the scene beyond the door.

Not just her—Han Li and the others also showed expressions of surprise.

Beyond the door lay another hall, several times larger than the previous one, but in its center stood a small, exquisite pavilion.

The pavilion was entirely carved from shimmering white jade, over ten zhang tall, with only two stories, yet exquisitely detailed.

Above its door, several zhang high, were written three silver characters: "Yùjī Pavilion."

Yet to build a pavilion inside a hall seemed utterly bizarre.

Before the "Yùjī Pavilion" stood an old, blackened and yellowed offering table, upon which rested a silver-white scroll, several feet long, glowing with radiant silver light—clearly no ordinary artifact.

The rest of the hall was empty, devoid of any other objects or doorways.

"Could the treasure be hidden inside the pavilion?" Everyone silently wondered.

Lord Lord Nanlong and the white-robed elder exchanged glances; Lord Lord Nanlong remained still, but the elder stepped forward cautiously, approaching the offering table.

The old woman, Wang Wang Tiangu, and others stirred with interest, yet no one intervened—only coldly observing the elder's actions.

The Yun elder did not reach out to take the scroll directly; instead, after a moment's hesitation, he spat out a cloud of white aura.

The aura wrapped the scroll and lifted it into the air, then rolled and unfurled with a sharp "Whoosh!"

Revealing an embroidered image of a Confucian scholar, back turned, sword on his shoulder, gazing upward.

"Is this the Master Cangkun Cangkun Shiren?" the cold-faced cultivator asked, studying the embroidered portrait with surprise.

"Perhaps. But since it's enshrined here, it must have some purpose—though it's unlikely to be a valuable treasure." Wang Wang Tiangu's eyes flickered as he glanced at the jade pavilion, his tone implying deeper meaning.

"Let this old man test it first!" the Yun elder said slowly after thinking.

He formed a hand seal, flicked his fingers, and sent several red hand seals striking the painting.

The embroidered surface glowed brightly with silver light for a moment, then returned to its original state—no anomalies appeared.

"Strange… but perhaps it's just an ordinary embroidered portrait," the Yun elder said, uncertain.

"Then let's temporarily store this item. Once we've found the other treasures, we can decide its ownership. Any objections, Dao friends?" Lord Lord Nanlong paused, then suggested.

"I have no objections—I agree with your suggestion," the old woman chuckled, glancing at the scroll.

The others, having yet to see any other treasures, naturally had no objections.

The Yun elder then carefully retrieved the scroll and stowed it in his storage pouch.

"Come! Let's go see what's inside the pavilion!" Lord Lord Nanlong said, his eyes gleaming with eagerness as he stared at the pavilion.

The group circled the offering table and arrived before the closed pavilion door.

This time, Lord Lord Nanlong pushed the pavilion door open eagerly—it creaked open with a "Squeak!"

Before Han Li and the others could enter, dazzling spiritual light blasted toward them, blinding them for several moments.

Inside the first floor of the pavilion stood three slender blackwood racks, each piled high with objects radiating dazzling, awe-inspiring light.

At this sight, whether Lord Lord Nanlong and the elder or Wang Wang Tiangu and the others, all faces lit up with joy.

Yet each of them was cunning and experienced—they would not make foolish, taboo moves that might invite deadly danger.

All of them forcibly suppressed their inner fervor, slowly entering the pavilion, then carefully examining the treasures on the racks.

Net