A World of One’s Own

Chapter 454: Stirs Beyond the Sea – The Space

When Han Li asked his first two questions, the woman’s eyes betrayed no change in expression, as if she had long anticipated them. But when she heard the last question, she was startled, and a trace of panic finally appeared on her face. She forced a smile and said:

“Fellow Daoist, what an interesting thing to say. What great trouble could I possibly cause? The reason I was so flustered earlier was only…”

“Miss Yuan, since you have no intention of telling the truth, there is no need to say more. I have no desire to listen to insincere words.” Han Li interrupted her with a wave of his hand, speaking flatly.

“You…”

Seeing that Han Li was impervious to both soft and hard approaches, Yuan Yao’s eyes finally showed a hint of anger.

She stamped her jade foot in frustration and walked away in a huff.

Han Li watched her departing back with no trace of any particular expression on his face.

Then, he glanced over at Fairy Zi Ling in the distance.

She was speaking calmly with the young male cultivator about something. When she noticed Han Li looking over, she gave him a light, graceful smile before turning her face back to continue her low conversation with the man.

Seeing this, Han Li withdrew his gaze with an unchanged expression. But before he could ponder anything further, the voice of the Profound Bone Saint transmitted into his ears.

“Your pace is far too slow! This Saint thought you couldn’t even make it through a mere patch of Ghost Mist! Did you run into a Ghost King by any chance?” The Profound Bone Saint’s voice carried a hint of dissatisfaction and confusion.

Hearing this, Han Li turned around and looked at the distant Ghost Mist. He replied in a calm, indifferent tone:

“I did encounter a fierce ghost on the way, but it was dealt with without much time wasted. However, I later ran into a large flock of Soul-Reaving Flying Spirits. It took considerable effort to shake them off.”

“Soul-Reaving Flying Spirits?” The Profound Bone Saint’s voice revealed a flash of surprise.

“Oh? Senior cultivates the ghost path, so wouldn’t you be afraid of such creatures?” Han Li asked impassively, a subtle hint of probing in his tone.

“How could this Saint be afraid of such things? I’m merely curious how the three of you managed to escape that calamity.” The Profound Bone Saint sidestepped the core of the question.

Han Li sneered inwardly but kept his reply light and dismissive.

“There’s not much to say, Junior was merely somewhat fortunate and narrowly escaped the ordeal.”

No sooner had Han Li said this than the Profound Bone Saint, without needing to ask, silently cursed the ‘little fox’ as well. But after a moment of silence, he had no choice but to continue transmitting his voice:

“Fine! Since you are unwilling to speak, this old man has no interest in pressing the matter. When we are teleported again, the two of us will act together. I will first take you to capture the ‘Nine-Turn Spirit Ginseng.’ Then, you will help me, and assist this old man in eliminating that rebellious disciple, Extreme Yin.”

“No problem! As long as you truly deliver the Nine-Turn Spirit Ginseng into my hands, I will take the risk and make my move.” Han Li answered without the slightest hesitation.

It seemed he had long made up his mind on this issue.

This clean and crisp reply greatly satisfied the Profound Bone Saint.

So, he gave a light chuckle and said no more.

But what he did not see was that, after saying this, a hint of a mocking sneer appeared at the corner of Han Li’s mouth. At the same time, his eyes, gazing into the distance, flickered with cold light from time to time.

Suddenly, Han Li sensed someone watching him. He casually turned his head to look.

As a result, he met the glaring, tiger-like gaze of Extreme Yin Patriarch and a glint of delight in his eyes.

Han Li turned his face back expressionlessly, and his expression immediately became a bitter smile.

It seemed that even if he wanted to avoid a final confrontation with this Extreme Yin Patriarch, he could not. The other party truly had some intention of clinging to him relentlessly.

He really had no idea why this man had set his sights on him.

However, Extreme Yin Patriarch also seemed to have his own concerns; otherwise, he would have begun to control Han Li back in the main hall, rather than biding his patience until now.

Feeling frustrated, Han Li sat directly down on a patch of grassy ground, crossing his legs in a meditative pose.

He had consumed a considerable amount of mana in the Ghost Mist, so he naturally needed to recover to his peak state as soon as possible to deal with the entanglements to come.

The black-robed woman, Yuan Yao, stood far off in the distance, still looking at Han Li with some unwillingness.

Her gaze held both anger and a sense of loneliness.

Fairy Zi Ling, under the ardent attention of the male cultivator, was speaking with a smile. But her gaze, whether intentionally or not, kept drifting toward Han Li for a glance or two, as if she had other matters on her mind.

Han Li, however, acted as if he did not see the two women’s actions at all, focusing solely on his meditative breathing and cultivation.

Time passed quickly. Another whole day went by.

Just as many were beginning to grow impatient, a blinding white light flared up in the center of the area surrounded by several jade pavilions, on a bare stone slab, drawing the gazes of all the cultivators.

Having already experienced this at the very beginning, these cultivators did not show any particular surprise.

As expected, after the white light faded, a teleportation array appeared on the flat ground. Its shape and size were identical to the one before.

This time, it was still the same two white-robed elders from Star Palace who unhurriedly walked over. After performing a brief inspection, the one with the kind, benevolent expression spoke slowly to the crowd:

“This teleportation array is the only path to the next trial, the ‘Path of Ice and Fire.’ Before entering the second trial, everyone still has some time to gather spirit herbs and spirit fruits as a reward for passing the first trial. If anyone feels the next trial is too dangerous, you may also teleport back here and wait patiently. In one month, a teleportation array that will return you directly to the main hall will appear on its own, and you can return at your leisure.”

“However, whether you intend to challenge the second trial or are content to stop here, you only have a single day to gather medicinal herbs. If you exceed this time and remain inside out of greed, you will be permanently trapped. As far as I know, of the cultivators who have been locked inside, none have ever been seen again when the Void Heaven Palace opened on a later occasion. As for the reason for their disappearance, no one knows to this day. Therefore, I urge you all not to harbor any侥幸心理 and intentionally remain behind.”

The white-robed elder’s voice was not loud, but it rang clearly throughout the entire area, allowing every cultivator to hear it distinctly.

Among the crowd, those who already knew this information looked indifferent, while those who did not showed expressions of surprise.

As soon as the elder finished speaking, he stepped onto the teleportation array with the other Law Enforcement Elder and vanished.

This time, the other cultivators did not hesitate any longer and surged forward.

After all, time was limited. The more time one had to search for spiritual objects, the greater the chance of a harvest.

Following a subtle glance from the Profound Bone Saint, Han Li mingled with the crowd and hurriedly teleported through as well.

But in the instant before the teleportation took effect, Han Li once again sensed Extreme Yin Patriarch’s tiger-like, predatory gaze.

This left Han Li both uneasy and deeply enraged. His face turned grim and fierce in the moment the white light surged.

After all, knowing full well that someone harbored ill intentions toward him but being utterly powerless to do anything about it—this feeling of helplessness stirred up a long-forgotten fierceness in Han Li’s heart.

After the light converged, Han Li subconsciously stepped out of the teleportation array. He took a few steps forward before looking around to survey his surroundings.

The sight before him left Han Li dumbfounded.

A sapphire-blue sky, patches of white clouds, an endless expanse of verdant grassland all around, distant mountain ranges faintly visible on the horizon, and the scent of grass wafting in the breeze.

This was no longer the interior of the Void Heaven Palace at all—it was clearly a scenic locale on some continent!

Han Li stared blankly for a long while without uttering a word.

At that moment, the Profound Bone Saint also slowly walked out of the teleportation array. Seeing Han Li so stunned, he could not help sneering and saying:

“What, surprised? When I first came to this place myself, I wasn’t much better off than you. However, this is no illusion; it is a very real Heaven and Earth. From the look of it, it shouldn’t be some location from the outside world. Not only is the spiritual energy here extremely abundant, but it also has an indescribably fresh quality.”

After saying this, he took a deep breath of the air, savoring its taste as he spoke.

“This should be a small pocket dimension created by a great ancient cultivator from the primordial age. It’s a pity that these heaven-and-earth-shattering great powers can no longer be reproduced by any of us later generations.” The Profound Bone Saint could not help sighing, a look of reverence for the ancients appearing in his eyes.

“Creating a world from nothing!” Hearing this, Han Li showed a look of shock, as if unable to believe it.

Perhaps sensing Han Li’s thoughts, the Profound Bone Saint calmly continued:

“What’s so strange about that? The power of the ancient cultivators was far beyond what we later generations can imagine, let alone compare to. The only question is why these ancient cultivators all vanished without a trace at some point in time. It is only since then that our cultivation world has become so degenerate!”

Han Li did not argue further, but his eyes fell upon a small path in front of him.

The path was overgrown with unknown weeds, making it appear somewhat indistinct, winding its way into the far distance beyond the horizon.

For him, the mystery of the ancient cultivators’ power and their disappearance had nothing to do with his present concerns.

It was better to handle the matters at hand first before worrying about ancient cultivators!