Storms Brew Beyond the Seas; Dark Currents Run Deep

Yuan Yao’s eyes sparkled with a teasing light as she let out a soft laugh.

“What’s the matter, Brother Han? Don’t want it anymore? Or are you afraid the Soul-Collecting Bead I gave you is a fake?”

There was a faint thread of mockery in her words.

Han Li did not answer immediately. Instead, he fixed his gaze on the bead, studying it carefully for a long moment before speaking.

“Whether it’s real or not—I can tell from the ghostly aura alone. But my knowledge of the Crying Soul Beast is limited. I need to know: after refining this bead, will there be any harm to myself?”

When he said this, his eyes remained locked on Yuan Yao’s beautiful face.

“Harm? Why would there be? If there were any real danger, do you think I would have refined it myself? There might be some slight discomfort during the process, but once you endure it, everything will be fine.” Yuan Yao’s expression was calm, her tone light and dismissive.

“Discomfort?”

Han Li frowned. He looked at her for a moment, then back at the bead. He sensed that she was not being entirely truthful, but he could not detect anything obviously wrong with it either.

After a moment of deliberation, he decided to accept the bead for now and study it more carefully later.

If it truly posed a danger, he could simply choose not to refine it. As long as he had the bead, he could still command the Crying Soul Beast.

With that decision made, he carefully placed the bead into his storage pouch.

“Let’s go. For the rest of this Lava Path, I’ll do my best to keep you alive, Miss Yuan. But let me be clear: if we run into a danger that even I can’t handle, you’ll have to save yourself.” After securing the Soul-Collecting Bead, Han Li spoke to Yuan Yao in a calm, matter-of-fact tone.

He then pointed a finger at the Ice Pearl floating above his head. Instantly, a wave of yin-cold energy surged outward, enveloping her as well.

“Naturally. If that happens, I’ll accept my fate. But I have faith that with Brother Han’s golden-silver beetles, that scenario is unlikely.” The stunning woman wrinkled her nose and smiled softly.

Her smile was enchanting.

Han Li did not hesitate to appreciate the view for a moment before turning away and walking ahead without another word.

Seeing this, Yuan Yao smiled and stepped lightly to catch up, falling into step beside him as if they were close companions.

The closer she stayed to Han Li, the more she benefited from the cold energy radiating from the Ice Pearl, so she naturally positioned herself to stay as comfortable as possible.

“Speaking of which, this Ice Fire Path has been truly strange. Where did that black desert come from? And those flying ants were incredibly ferocious—they weren’t afraid of magical treasures at all. They could even spit black fire and combine into formations. If I hadn’t happened to have some Green Fire Thunder on me, I doubt I would have made it to meet you, Brother Han. And even so, they still managed to destroy one of my defensive ancient treasures.” Yuan Yao walked with a relaxed air, complaining softly.

Clearly, she had not recognized the origin of the Iron Fire Ants.

“The black desert has never appeared before?” Han Li was taken aback by her words and asked in a low voice.

He, too, felt that something as dangerous as the Iron Fire Ants appearing in this stage was unusual.

Apart from cultivators with special techniques or exceptionally powerful magical treasures, even a late Core Formation cultivator would be hard-pressed to escape the black desert unscathed.

“No, this is the first time the black desert has appeared on the Lava Path. In the past, those who crossed this stage only had to deal with high temperatures, dangerous terrain, and at worst, a few flame beasts. Such strange flying ants have never been seen before. If anyone had known about these things, very few cultivators would have dared to attempt the Lava Path. Most would have turned back after passing the Ghost Mist. No one risks their life for nothing.” Yuan Yao seemed genuinely knowledgeable and answered without hesitation, though her own brow was creased with confusion.

“So the Ice Fire Path is abnormal this time,” Han Li murmured, a thoughtful look flashing in his eyes.

…

“Abnormal is an understatement. Someone has definitely interfered.” Inside a forest of blood-red ice pillars on the Profound Ice Path, the Azure Robe Scholar stood with his hands clasped behind his back, gazing at the sky and saying the same thing.

Around him, countless inch-long azure threads of light swirled up and down, while a dense, black mass of several hundred silver-colored beasts pressed in from all sides.

These creatures looked like rats, but their fur gleamed like silver, and each one had a short, delicate silver horn on its head, making them appear almost dainty.

They surrounded the old man, repeatedly launching themselves at him like arrows, their silver horns striking his barrier with a thunderous roar. The spectacle was astonishing.

Yet the azure threads before the old man did not waver. They held firm against the silver barrage, unshaken.

“Seeking death!” The Confucian-robed elder seemed to have grown tired of the creatures’ relentless assault.

He lowered his head, a cold light flashing in his eyes, and swept his wide sleeve outward. Instantly, the azure threads exploded with light, illuminating the area for dozens of zhang in every direction, blinding anyone who dared to look.

Moments later, the azure light dimmed.

The ground was littered with the corpses of silver-white beasts, each one impaled by a dense cluster of fine, blue-tinged needles that glowed with a cold, icy light.

The Azure Robe Scholar’s expression remained unchanged. This outcome had been well within his expectations.

He cast a cold glance at the ground, then stretched out a withered right hand and made a light grasping motion toward the air. The flying needles on the ground converged like a river returning to the sea, reforming into azure threads that flew back into his body and vanished.

“Silver Light Rats! How did such things appear on the second trial?” The old man’s face darkened as he pondered, standing motionless.

“Hmph. If the Profound Ice Path has produced Silver Light Rats, then the Lava Path must be just as abnormal. That brat surnamed Han is probably in deep trouble,” the Azure Robe Scholar muttered with irritation, his voice tinged with anxiety.

He let out a long sigh, and then, with a flicker of his form, he vanished from the spot.

All that remained among the towering blood-red ice pillars were the corpses of silver beasts scattered across the ground, lending the scene a certain eerie quality.

…

In a lightless corner of the great canyon, two voices conversed unhurriedly in the darkness.

“Wasn’t deploying the Iron Fire Ants and Silver Light Rats a bit too rash this time? We’ve tampered with previous treasure-hunting expeditions, but we’ve always kept it subtle. This time, the appearance of the black desert and the blood-ice forest is far too blatant. Aside from the few who never passed through those areas, most of the Core Formation cultivators from both the orthodox and demonic sects will likely die here. When the time comes to face Wan Tianming and Man Brutal Beard, I doubt we’ll be able to bluff our way through anymore.” The first voice sounded somewhat worried.

“Bluff? Do you really think the orthodox and demonic sects don’t know about the little tricks we’ve pulled in the Void Heaven Palace in the past? They’ve known all along. They simply chose to pretend ignorance because the Star Palace was too powerful. They also know that we can only manipulate some minor restrictions in the Void Heaven Palace—nothing that poses a serious threat. All we’ve done is make sure a few more Core Formation cultivators from their sects die during each expedition.” A second, colder voice replied, unhurried and steady.

“The black desert and the blood-light forest are the most powerful restrictions I can control. It feels like a waste to use them so openly,” the first voice said with a hint of regret.

“Not a waste at all.”

“With all the rumors flying around out there, the two Saint Masters are in a critical phase of seclusion and can’t be contacted. The entire Starfall Sea is in turmoil—even our own inner disciples of the Star Palace are starting to waver. The whole palace is being held together by us old relics. But both the orthodox and demonic paths are beginning to stir; we’re barely keeping the lid on. Facing either side alone, we wouldn’t be afraid. But if they suddenly join forces, that would be disastrous.”

“Right now, our only option is to take a hard line and deliberately weaken both sides. Make them hesitate and doubt their read on our true situation. We’ve ruled the Starfall Sea for generations—they can’t help but be cautious. If we can buy just a little more time, the two Saint Masters will emerge from seclusion. Then, even if the orthodox and demonic sects do ally, we won’t have to worry. That madwoman from the Ten Thousand Methods Sect and Six Paths from the Sacred Devil Island will have no choice but to retreat when faced with our Saint Masters’ Primordial Magnetic Light.”

“Deploying the Iron Fire Ants and Silver Light Rats was a necessary evil. No other restriction we control can inflict such devastating losses on Core Formation cultivators. Nothing else would send the same warning signal or convey our hard-line stance. As for worrying that they’ll use this against us—you’re borrowing trouble. Given the way both sides are positioning themselves, they’re almost certainly after the Void Heaven Cauldron again. They’re not losing their own personal disciples. They won’t waste their breath complaining. At worst, they’ll fume quietly.”

The cold voice let out a sneer as it delivered this lengthy explanation.

At that, the first voice let out a soft sigh and fell silent, apparently accepting the other’s judgment.

(There will be another chapter tonight, but it might be a bit late!)

(End of this chapter)