The Rong tribe's great Han was stunned, never expecting such a towering peak to vanish into the void and strike with instantaneous teleportation. In panic, he immediately saw the crimson lotus blossoms at his side retract their petals, layer upon layer of bloodlight coalescing into a seven-layer thick crimson light shield. At the same time, he struck his celestial crown with one hand, and a surge of crimson lethal energy erupted from his head, transforming into a massive, roaring crimson tiger that charged down the peak and slammed into it with a powerful paw. After the black peak pressed down with a thunderous roar, the tiger barely made contact before being crushed beneath the immense force. As the peak vanished and struck the bloodlight shield, the black light sank slightly, and a series of sharp cracks echoed. The bloodlight shield endured five consecutive impacts, and at the sixth layer, the light flashed wildly, just barely halting the downward momentum of the Yuanmagnetic Peak. The Han's face hardened, and with sudden resolve, he reached out with one hand to grasp the colossal axe in the air.
The massive silver axe spun once more, then surged downward as a thick bolt of lightning. Its target was Han Li, standing atop the black mountain peak. Han Li's eye suddenly widened—he remained motionless, not even flinching. A large silver fire sphere erupted from the surrounding void with a soft "pffft," shooting forth and striking the lightning formed by the axe with precise accuracy. "Boom!" As soon as the two met, the axe instantly reverted to its original form and was instantly engulfed by a surging wave of silver flame. Startled, the giant still hadn't reacted when, suddenly, the void behind him blurred and warped. A towering golden figure with three heads and six arms materialized—each of his six hands held a swirling orb of golden light that spun continuously. This was Han Li's Buddhahood Golden Body. As it emerged, all six arms simultaneously folded toward his chest, and the six golden orbs instantly merged into a single, swirling golden vortex the size of a human head.
At the same time, the golden form raised both heads and closed its eyes, simultaneously emitting two distinct sets of incantations from its mouth. A thunderous roar erupted within the vortex, subtly carrying the resonance of Sanskrit chants, which instantly expanded into a massive form, stretching several zhang in size. Such a commotion could not go unnoticed by the Huo ethnic Han warrior; his face instantly changed, and without hesitation, he suddenly swept one sleeve backward. A vast array of luminous blood filaments immediately materialized behind him, trembling and then rushing fiercely toward the golden form. The sky shimmered with blood-like brilliance, creating an astonishing display. Yet, upon impact with the golden form, thousands of these blood filaments flashed and instantly dissolved, utterly unable to penetrate or harm the form, which remained as solid and unyielding as a diamond. At that moment, an invisible, immense force surged forth from the golden vortex, swiftly drawing the Huo ethnic Han warrior, who was only a few feet away, into its embrace. He felt the air around him suddenly tighten, and his limbs became completely immobile.
"Ah!" The warrior of the Rong clan felt a sudden chill in his heart, instantly alarmed. With a flick of his divine awareness, he intended to summon back the massive blade locked in a fierce, indecisive battle with the silver-edged shadow. Yet, as the air above him, Han Li emitted a cold exhalation, the silver shadow suddenly dispersed like a celestial maiden's blossoms, flowing in swirling bands of silver light toward the blade. Though the black blade possessed formidable power, it could not withstand this relentless assault and was momentarily unable to break free. A powerful, irresistible suction suddenly surged behind the warrior. "Whoosh!" He was swiftly drawn into the immense vortex behind him, like an arrow shot from a bow. A cry of pain followed, then a thunderous explosion rang out. When the golden vortex gently trembled, the warrior of the Rong clan's breath and vitality vanished completely. As the golden form ceased chanting, he extended a finger and lightly touched the vast vortex. With a series of shimmering lights, the vortex rapidly contracted, shrinking back to its original size and then fading away in a single flash.
At that moment, the black great blade, now bereft of its master, emitted a mournful cry and suddenly transformed into a black dragon, violently spewing clouds and mist. It surged through the layered seals formed by the silver measuring rod, breaking through them and soaring skyward.
The Xiao Ding spun once and resumed its form as a cluster of emerald light. Han Li swept his sleeve over it, and the green glow vanished in an instant. Only then did Han Li turn his gaze to the other direction. The silver great axe had already been consumed by the Shisi Ling Heavenly Fire, turning into a pool of molten silver, slowly being absorbed by the flames and soon to vanish entirely. As for the other three members of the Rong clan, they had now realized that Han Li had slain the Rong clan warrior. In shock, they all simultaneously abandoned their opponents, their body lights flickering and surging, transforming into streaks of brilliant light that shot straight toward the entrance. They were well aware that such a swift and decisive victory over the Rong warrior—something no three of them could achieve individually—meant that they could only stand a chance if they combined forces with the others. Yet Han Li was far from content with their hopes. A flash of sternness crossed his face, and with a flick of his wings behind him, he dissolved into a strand of pale green light, vanishing into the void.
The golden form, with six arms and three heads, also took a great stride, its figure flickering and suddenly vanishing. The two shadow puppets and the spirit puppets—resembling children—naturally rose into the air, following closely behind. A moment later, a sharp cry from the young man suddenly rang out outside the cave, followed immediately by the disappearance of his vital energy. Then, a series of explosive sounds, roars, and howling winds echoed continuously outside the cave, and within just a short while, the cries of the elder and the elder woman were heard one after another. After that, silence settled completely. It wasn't until several cups of tea's worth of time had passed that a tremendous crash and the sounds of fierce combat suddenly erupted at a distant underground intersection, only to fade away again after some time. Meanwhile, a flash of light streaked through the cave entrance, and Han Li entered, his aura of intense anger radiating. His expression remained calm and neutral, and upon a single glance, his eyes settled on the silver light shield at the center of the cave.
After a fierce battle outside the previous cave, where he joined forces with the Golden Form and the Puppet, he swiftly eliminated the remaining three members of the Rong race through his great divine powers and immediately proceeded to the magical array at the crossroads. As expected, the other four Rong race members were indeed trapped within the Nine Palaces Tianqian Seal and its restrictions. Naturally, Han Li entered the array right away and engaged them in battle. Yet the outcome proved surprising. Though he successively defeated three of them, the last, a dark-skinned Rong warrior, suddenly employed an elusive and unprecedented evasive technique—when Han Li had just caught his breath—explosively bursting through his own body, transforming into dozens of streaks of crimson light that swiftly vanished through the seal. Although Han Li managed to pursue and eliminate most of these fleeing streaks, two escaped too far, beyond the reach of his spiritual awareness and spiritual vision. With no choice, he had to return immediately.
Though he managed to save this person's life, the two spectral remnants—without physical form—might have been casually devoured by some fierce beast somewhere, and thus need not be overly concerned. Moreover, he had no intention of staying long here; once the current seal was broken and he obtained the final portion of the Golden Cursive Script, he would immediately depart. However, he was not entirely confident whether he could truly penetrate this seal, as the silver glow before him seemed to baffle even a dozen members of the Rong clan. Han Li narrowed his eyes, his blue pupils flashing, and slowly advanced toward the light shield. Indeed, this seal appeared quite exceptional—though its surface shimmered with a silvery luster, upon closer inspection, a variety of colorful characters surged and danced within the shield, and the shield itself was exceptionally dense, its light steady and concentrated, giving off a crystalline, tangible solidity.
However, while the Rong clan members could not forcibly break this seal, it did not mean they were incapable of doing so. Frowning slightly, he suddenly flicked his finger from within his sleeve, sending out a flash of pale green swordlight that instantly materialized upon the luminous shield. With a crisp "thud," the swordlight bounced off the shield with full force, utterly unable to penetrate it in the slightest.
Although the silvery light shield could not withstand the laws of the Xiantian treasures, as soon as it began to crack under a single strike, the stone walls within the shield suddenly emitted a resonant hum and began to reveal cracks of their own.
Han Li was startled and immediately dispersed the attack of the Xiantian fragment, which in turn caused a reversal of his inner qi, nearly injuring his vital energy.
As a result, he abandoned his intention of summoning the Jinyin Bugs and simply settled into a meditative posture, beginning to study the array beneath the silvery shield and the symbols shimmering on its surface.
This was thanks to Han Li's solid mastery of array techniques, as well as the earlier mention from the Rong clan people of the Guanghan Command.
After meditating deeply in the cavern for one full day and night, he finally gained a few insights into how to resolve the situation.
Han Li burst out in a joyful laugh, stood up, and with a swift movement of his sleeve, a luminous orb of silver and gold shot forth from within.
After a flash, the glow condensed into an ancient token about half a foot long, hovering motionless in the void.