The Primordial Ancient Treasure

Seeing that the formation flags and plates were already in place, Han Li took a deep breath and was about to begin the spell when, unexpectedly, a whistling sound rapidly approached from afar. A blue rainbow shot across the horizon like a dragon emerging from the sea, arriving above them in the blink of an eye.

As the blue rainbow receded, a peculiar figure appeared in the air—a man with two swords strapped to his back.

When Han Li and the others below got a clear look at this person's appearance, they were all startled.

The man was gaunt, with a head of messy, shoulder-length white hair. He wore a short-sleeved black leather jacket, carried a strange basket at his waist, and had a face covered in ugly red spots. His vicious, triangular eyes revealed his cultivation level to be mid Core Formation.

When the strange man saw how many Core Formation cultivators were gathered here, he was momentarily taken aback. But when his gaze fell upon the red light barrier and Han Li's array equipment, his expression shifted dramatically.

"Do you little brats have a death wish? How dare you spy on what this Island Master guards while I was away! Get off this island immediately!" the stranger roared, his eyes flashing with murderous intent.

"Island Master?"

"Your things?"

Hu Yue and Jin Qing exchanged bewildered glances. Han Li and the others were equally confused.

Wasn't this an uninhabited, desolate island?

"Fellow Daoist claims to be the Island Master here?" Hu Yue furrowed his brows, asking calmly.

"This master has lived on this island for several hundred years, so of course I am its Island Master!" the stranger replied without any courtesy.

"But when Brother Jin and I visited last time, we didn't seem to see you," Hu Yue pressed on unhurriedly.

"What? You've been here before? Hmph! You must have come the same way—when this Island Master was away on business!" the stranger glared, his anger growing.

"So this island only has you, Fellow Daoist. You are merely a self-proclaimed Island Master," Hu Yue said with a cold smile, his lips curling with mockery.

With the restriction about to break, he naturally had no intention of entertaining this madman.

"Hmph, stop wasting words with me. Regardless, destroying this restriction is a capital offense! Since you don't want to leave, then stay here forever!" A strange yellow light gleamed in the stranger's eyes. He pulled the basket from his waist and suddenly hurled it downward.

The bamboo basket transformed into a stream of chilling white mist, shooting straight toward Hu Yue.

Han Li and the others were stunned.

Had this man lost his mind?

Couldn't he see so many Core Formation cultivators before him? Yet he started a fight without hesitation. Was he mentally unstable?

Seeing the man attack him, Hu Yue was both shocked and furious. He flicked his sleeve, releasing two streaks of red light that shot toward the white mist.

With a dull thud, the white mist was shattered, scattering in all directions.

"All bark, no bite," Hu Yue said, relieved, not bothering to hide his mockery.

"Gah, gah..."

The strange man didn't reply but let out a bizarre laugh. Hu Yue's heart tightened, and his expression suddenly changed.

"What? My flying daggers!"

The two daggers, having broken through the white mist formed from the basket, began to wobble unsteadily in place, as if they had malfunctioned.

Then, the scattered white mist quickly gathered again. With a flash of light, it reformed into the basket.

And the two flying daggers were now trapped inside the basket, wrapped tightly in a mass of white mist, unable to break free.

Seeing his magic tools restrained, Hu Yue looked utterly incredulous. Han Li and the others were visibly shaken.

But the strange man gave them no time to think. With a cold laugh, he shook his shoulders, and two gray sword beams descended from the sky, slicing straight toward Hu Yue.

Jin Qing, standing nearby, naturally couldn't stand by idle. He flicked his finger, and a thumb-sized white seal flew from his palm, expanding as it soared through the air, slamming heavily into the gray light.

A thunderclap resounded as the three magic tools clashed, their dazzling light intertwining.

At this point, the Jian family cultivator glanced at Han Li and Qu Hun, then silently raised his hand. A flying trident, shimmering with black and white energy, shot straight toward the strange man himself.

Han Li sighed inwardly.

Since a fight had broken out, he and Qu Hun couldn't very well stand idle. They had to join in and deal with this madman first.

With that thought, Han Li and Qu Hun released their "Chaos Yuan Bowl" and "Green煌 Sword," steering them into the fray.

Seeing this, the strange man showed no fear. Instead, he let out a wild laugh.

He opened his mouth, and a black, bloodstained bead shot forward to meet their magic tools.

A thunderous roar echoed!

Contrary to their expectations, the bead, upon the slightest contact with their tools, emitted a dark flash and exploded on its own. The explosion drained the spiritual nature of their weapons, causing their light to immediately dim.

The Jian family cultivator felt a sharp pang of regret, his face twisting with pain. He quickly formed hand seals, intending to recall his flying trident.

That single strike meant his trident would need at least a year of nurturing in his primordial spirit to recover.

But it was too late to retrieve his weapon.

With the strange man's cold laughter, the bamboo basket in the air flickered with white light. A great burst of radiant white mist erupted from it, rolling outward and instantly trapping all of their magic tools within its grasp.

"An ancient treasure—you're using a Primordial Ancient Treasure!" the Jian family cultivator exclaimed, his eyes widening as realization dawned.

This surprised Han Li.

So-called "Primordial Ancient Treasures" were simply magic tools refined by ancient cultivators. These treasures had singular functions but generally possessed immense power, far beyond ordinary modern magic tools.

Moreover, ancient refining methods and materials were vastly different from modern ones, making it impossible to store these treasures within the body. They had to be carried and used like standard implements—the only way to distinguish Primordial Ancient Treasures from ordinary magic tools.

Now that the Jian family cultivator had witnessed the basket's eerie capabilities and recalled he had seen it hanging at the stranger's waist earlier, he immediately understood its true origin.

Speaking of which, the "Qian Tian Spear" used by the Six Serenity Hall to subdue the Koi Infant Beast was also a surviving Primordial Ancient Treasure.

Han Li was a bit taken aback by the mention of "ancient treasure," and he still had several killing moves up his sleeve. But with so many people present, he had no intention of standing out.

He firmly believed that the more trump cards he kept hidden, the more effective they would be in times of danger.

And he was well aware that even if their opponent possessed an ancient treasure, he couldn't possibly gain the upper hand against a joint force of Core Formation cultivators.

He only needed to display the level of an ordinary Core Formation cultivator.

With that in mind, Han Li focused on controlling the Green煌 Sword, letting it charge and collide within the white mist, without making any special moves for himself or Qu Hun. He watched the others' performances with cold detachment.

He trusted that someone would take the lead.

Sure enough, upon hearing the basket was an ancient treasure, Hu Yue and the others showed a glimmer of greed.

Since the strange man had started the fight, it was only natural that they join forces to eliminate him and seize his treasure.

After a moment's hesitation, the Jian family cultivator formed hand seals. Three streaks of black light flew from his storage pouch, revealing three black banners, each over three feet tall, exuding a murderous aura.

He then opened his mouth, spitting a stream of black energy onto the banners. Instantly, a cacophony of ghostly wails and howls erupted, making the cultivators dizzy and destabilizing their minds!

At the same time, Hu Yue abandoned controlling his flying daggers. He rubbed his hands together, and a series of green thunderbolts shot forth one after another.

Jin Qing raised an eyebrow and suddenly cast a spell seal onto his weapon. The white seal emitted a faint dragon's roar, expanding several times in size, immediately pressing down on the two gray flying swords.

Seeing the three unleash their fierce attacks simultaneously, Han Li felt a wry smile inside. He figured the odd man was in for a bad time.

But the stranger, though his expression changed slightly, quickly returned to a mocking grin.

He suddenly ripped off his short-sleeved leather jacket, baring his upper body.

Han Li only took one look and was so stunned he nearly bit his tongue.

On the gaunt man's chest, one on each side, were two fist-sized skulls, biting firmly into his flesh. These two skulls were pitch black, with disheveled, long hair, and they writhed against his chest as if alive!

By this time, the green thunderbolts and the three black banners had already reached the stranger. The man extended two fingers and gently flicked them, muttering an extremely strange incantation.

The two skulls let out a low, mournful wail. They flew forward, one after the other, from his chest. Swiftly, they bit down, each severing one of the man's fingers, before excitedly charging toward the approaching thunderbolts and black banners.