The Warning on the Wall

Han Li traveled for over half a day before finally reaching the outskirts of the central area.

To his great surprise, the journey had been completely uneventful. He had not encountered a single other ambush.

He was, of course, unaware that in this direction, those who had arrived earlier had already been slaughtered by the so-called “elites.” As for those who came after him, they had been swept clean by Feng Yue and the Multi-Treasure Girl, who had overtaken them.

Thus, even if a few stragglers remained, they were well aware that they had no hope of seizing the treasures. They had each found a hidden spot, concealed their tracks, and pulled their heads in like turtles. This was the unspoken secret to survival for the weak in the Blood Forbidden Trial!

Since Han Li needed the three main ingredients to refine the Foundation Establishment Pill, there was no way he would follow their example. So now, he stood before a stone wall several zhang high, staring at it with a peculiar expression on his face.

Not far from one side of this wall stood an ancient bronze gate, its surface engraved with many archaic characters that resembled patterns, which Han Li could not understand at all.

The bronze gate was now wide open, indicating that someone had already entered.

According to the information in his mind, there should be four such bronze gates, each corresponding to a direction. They were the only entrances into the central area. Everywhere else, the seemingly low stone walls encircled the area.

If anyone thought they could bypass the bronze gate and cleverly jump over the stone wall to enter the central area, they would be in for a terrible misfortune. They would be sliced to pieces by the wind-element restriction enchantment attached to the wall.

Han Li, of course, knew this and had no intention of trying such a foolish trick on the wall. The reason he was staring at it with such a strange expression was entirely because this particular wall was indeed a little different. There were some “things” on it that ordinary walls did not have.

On this wall, three people in different attire were pinned in a large “大” character pattern. Thick ice spears had been driven through their limbs, hanging them side by side. They appeared completely lifeless, having died some time ago.

The blood that had flowed from the wounds on their limbs had congealed into purplish-black solid patches, covering the wall and the ground nearby. Han Li deduced that these people had likely not yet expired when they were pinned to the wall, but had later bled out and died miserably on it.

There were no clues or marks left near the three corpses. But anyone who thought about it for a moment could understand. Someone was killing the chicken to scare the monkey, showing off their power to those who came later, threatening them not to enter this gate!

Han Li stared at the three men’s agonized expressions before death for a very serious moment, then licked his slightly dry lips and walked expressionlessly toward the bronze gate. It seemed that the miserable fate of these three men had not affected him at all.

But in truth, Han Li knew his own mind well. After seeing that scene, it had indeed made his skin crawl. From the way those three had died, it was clear that the person who left this method was ten to one someone with a somewhat twisted psychology. If he really fell into this person’s hands, he would be better off committing suicide quickly for a happier fate.

However, since Han Li had already come this far, there was no way he would flee in panic because of a little intimidation like this. Now, even if there were truly a mountain of blades and a sea of fire ahead, he would have to steel himself and push through!

And so, with a stomach full of unease, Han Li stepped through the gate. But on the surface, he became even more inscrutable, as carefree as if he were strolling in his own backyard.

As soon as he entered, a fairy-tale scene of birdsong and fragrant blossoms unfolded before his eyes. Strange and exotic herbs and countless nameless, peculiar trees met his gaze everywhere. There were silver chrysanthemums as large as a bowl, strange trees as red as fresh blood, purple grasses that gave off a captivating fragrance, and yellow bamboo as thick as a man’s waist. These were all rare sights rarely seen in the outside world. Among these rare and precious plants, a winding gravel path stretched from where Han Li stood, leading all the way into the distance, hidden by the foliage. At a glance, it seemed to have no end.

Seeing this, Han Li was momentarily stunned, but then he immediately took a deep breath. What dense spiritual qi! This qi, mixed with a rich scent of vegetation, penetrated straight to his heart and lungs, involuntarily refreshing his spirit.

Such a paradise of caves and heavens! No wonder it could nurture the spiritual medicines of heaven and earth! Han Li sighed with great emotion.

“Boy, had your fill of looking?”

“Who?”

A voice like a cracked gong suddenly rang out, startling Han Li, who could not help but call out in question.

“Heh heh! Since you’ve had a look, now you can die in peace!” This person completely ignored Han Li’s question, instead muttering to himself in a strange tone.

At the same time, two green shadows shot out from the thicket on one side, silently rushing toward Han Li’s back.

Although his back was to the green shadows, it did not escape the vigilance of Han Li’s Divine Sense, which had long been on guard. Han Li’s expression darkened, and while his upper body remained completely still, his body itself shifted sideways several chi, allowing the two green shadows to brush past him, one after the other.

In the flurry, Han Li caught a glimpse of the green shadows. They were slender, chopstick-like objects, completely green with some faint black patterns. Their appearance was rather strange.

But in the midst of the commotion, Han Li had no time to think it through. Even though he had easily neutralized the opponent’s attack, his face remained solemn, and he did not dare to be the least bit careless. The miserable image of those three men outside the gate was still vivid in his mind. He did not want to end up in the same state.

So, with a dark expression, Han Li’s eyes flickered restlessly, constantly scanning his surroundings, trying to locate the enemy hidden to one side. But at that moment, a strange, hissing whistle suddenly came from the man’s mouth, a sound that made one’s heart feel extremely uncomfortable.

Han Li was momentarily stunned upon hearing this, about to ponder the opponent’s intention, when his expression suddenly changed drastically. His entire body shot backward in an almost inconceivable manner. This time, Han Li retreated a solid several zhang before stopping.

The cause of Han Li’s reaction was actually the two green shadows that had flown not far past him! Because, not far in front of him, their bodies suddenly twisted and came to life, while simultaneously unfolding a pair of pale green, translucent wings.

They turned out to be two winged flying snakes! When they had attacked Han Li earlier, their bodies had been stretched taut, leading him to mistake them for inanimate objects. Now, with a gentle flap of their wings, their bodies executed a sharp one-hundred-and-eighty-degree turn, their speed like a flash of lightning, no slower than Han Li’s Smokescreen Step. How could Han Li not treat them with utmost seriousness?

Now, these two flying snakes raised their heads, their four small, green eyes filled with a cold, chilling malevolence. They bared their fangs at Han Li, assuming a posture ready to attack again.

“Boy, you run fast! But fast as you are, can you outrun these Desolate Mountain Flying Snakes? Be a good boy and let my darlings take a bite. Then all your pain will be gone!” The cracked voice was a bit surprised at Han Li’s speed, but obviously, he had even more confidence in his flying snakes, so he spoke with a sneering, sarcastic tone.

“Bullshit!”

These two words were the curse Han Li uttered in his heart, but he did not say them aloud. It was not that he was too intimidated to speak, but that the two strange snakes had already transformed into two streaks of green light, charging forward with several afterimages.

Midway, they suddenly split apart, diverging in two arcs to flank him from left and right.

Seeing this, Han Li naturally had no time for verbal sparring. Besides cursing a few times in his heart, his body shot backward at a speed not much slower than the green shadows. In the blink of an eye, he led the green shadows in circles around the small area several times, not daring to pause for a single breath under his feet.

At this moment, he was relying purely on the spirit boots on his feet to sprint, using neither the Smokescreen Step nor the Wind Riding Technique.

This was not because Han Li was being arrogant or deliberately underestimating his opponent. Rather, after two consecutive fierce battles, coupled with the extreme practice session he had just put the boots through, his stamina had yet to recover. So, unless it was a life-or-death crisis, he was unwilling to use the stamina-draining Smokescreen Step for now. The same logic applied to the Wind Riding Technique. With the boots’ boost already active, adding the acceleration of the Wind Riding Technique would place too great a burden on his body, making it extremely difficult to recover his stamina.

Of course, Han Li was not about to let the two flying snakes pester him indefinitely.

Although he did not dare to casually activate a protective barrier, which would slow him down and test which was stronger—the barrier or the strange snakes—he still had plenty of methods to deal with the two little serpents. It was just that, until now, he had been focusing most of his attention on the flying snakes’ master, who remained hidden to one side and never showed himself. That was why he had let these two long worms chase him this long. Now that Han Li saw this person seemed determined to rely entirely on these two flying snakes to kill him, he naturally would not be polite any longer.

With his mind made up, Han Li flipped his hand, and a Fire Serpent Talisman appeared in his palm. He pinched the talisman between two fingers, ready to activate it and throw it, roasting the wild game!

“Cloud Treading Boots?”

“Stop! I have something to say!”

The cracked voice suddenly recognized the spirit boots on Han Li’s feet, an incredulous surprise in his tone. He immediately called out, demanding a halt to the hostilities. Using some unknown method, he halted the two green shadows. The snakes’ bodies paused for a moment, then flew back the way they came, burrowing into the thicket and vanishing from sight.

Seeing this, Han Li frowned slightly. After a moment of hesitation, he did not throw the talisman in his hand, but kept his other hand cautiously resting on his storage pouch.