Stirring the Seas from Afar, The Anomalous Ancient Treasure

Chapter 478: Stirring the Seas from Afar, The Anomalous Ancient Treasure

There was no need to ask. Beyond this square passage lay the Ultimate Illusory Mirage.

With his mastery of the Great Derivative Art and the Brahmaloka Pearl Bracelet temporarily lent to him by Extreme Yin, passing this trial would be trivial.

With this thought, Han Li stopped paying attention to the passage and focused his mind on studying the two ancient treasures in his hands.

He had to understand their functions first, or he would not be able to wield them effectively when the time came.

A flash of blood-red light, and the cloak vanished from his hand, leaving only the set of five bronze rings strung together.

Each ring was about as thick as a man's arm, covered in mysterious runes that gave them an arcane air.

Han Li picked up one ring by itself and gave his wrist a light flick. The rings shimmered with shifting, kaleidoscopic light, and a faint sound like a phoenix's cry emerged from within.

His eyes gleamed sharply as he lowered his head in thought, then fed his spiritual power into the rings through his fingertips.

He did not blink. His face was utterly serious.

A flash of light, and the five bronze rings in his hand vanished without a trace.

Han Li was startled, but he immediately recalled something and snapped his head upward.

There, not far above his head, the five rings floated, flickering in and out of visibility like phantoms, erratic and somewhat ominous.

He frowned. Raising a hand, he struck out with a blue spell seal.

The rings spun rapidly for a moment, then suddenly shot toward the stone wall beside him.

A few dull thuds. White light flashed on the wall, leaving it completely unharmed. The five rings rebounded a great distance.

It seemed these rings were not meant for direct attack.

Han Li’s expression did not change. He beckoned with one hand, summoning them back above his head, then without hesitation, spat a mouthful of refined essence onto them.

The rings suddenly swelled, transforming instantly into five enormous hoops, their surfaces wrapped in blazing light, runes drifting in the air, too dazzling to look at directly.

If a ring-type magic tool was not meant for direct attack, it was usually used for trapping or defense.

Han Li had some experience with this.

He glanced at the now-imposing giant rings, tilted his head, and slowly uttered a single word: “Bind!”

The moment the command left his lips, the giant rings plunged downward with a whoosh. They stacked on top of each other, encircling Han Li within.

Then the rings began to spin in place, faster and faster.

In a blur, they formed a five-colored light barrier, completely shielding Han Li.

A faint smile appeared on Han Li’s face.

So the bronze ring did possess defensive abilities. As for its actual effectiveness, that could only be tested in battle.

With this thought, he flicked his finger, sending a spell seal into the light barrier.

Instantly, the barrier shattered, reverting to its giant-ring form.

But after a violent tremor, the rings flashed once more and vanished from beside him.

This time, Han Li unhurriedly extended his palm. A five-colored light flickered, and the five rings, now only palm-sized, obediently appeared in his hand.

He stared calmly at the rings, his eyes lost in thought, as if weighing something.

Soon, a string of obscure incantations emerged from his mouth. The five rings eerily vanished from his hand, only to reappear the next instant around his limbs and neck. They suddenly constricted with a burst of blinding light.

Han Li lost his balance and toppled stiffly backward like a log.

Fortunately, he had anticipated this. He immediately sent a mental command, and the rings loosened.

After steadying himself, he rubbed his neck—slightly sore from the constriction—and an undisguised excitement flickered in his eyes.

This ancient treasure was perfect for ambushes and sneak attacks. Truly impossible to guard against.

Even with his powerful divine sense, he had only sensed something was wrong in the very instant the rings trapped him. There was no time to react.

Han Li was confident that even late Core Formation cultivators, or even Nascent Soul cultivators, could very well fall prey to his ambush if they were not on guard.

Of course, how long the five rings could actually hold an opponent was another matter.

Even so, the treasure’s power far exceeded his expectations, and he was secretly delighted.

Satisfied, Han Li stored the rings back into his storage pouch and took out the dark red cloak.

Testing this ancient treasure was naturally much simpler.

He simply put it on and infused it with a bit of magical power.

A bloody light blazed forth. A scorching heat spread through Han Li’s body, and at the same time, his spiritual power began to drain wildly into the cloak.

Startled, Han Li quickly cut off the flow. The cloak’s light dimmed, returning to normal.

He paused, then took off the cloak and examined it again, frowning deeply.

After a moment, he put it back on and carefully trickled his spiritual power into it.

The same violent drain occurred again. But this time, prepared, Han Li was not alarmed. Instead, he narrowed his eyes and carefully observed the cloak’s transformation.

Now, dozens of outer feathers on the cloak had simultaneously transformed into blood-red long plumes. The entire cloak was shrouded in a thick, bloody light.

After staring at it for only a moment, Han Li waved his arms and floated slowly into the air. He glanced around, then vanished from sight without a trace.

But the next instant, a muffled boom rang out.

A mass of blood-red light exploded on the right stone wall. Han Li’s figure flew backward from the impact, staggering a few steps before nearly falling to the ground.

Shock was written all over his face.

He had not even used his full strength—just the most ordinary levitation technique. Yet he had teleported straight into the wall. This horrified him.

In disbelief, Han Li tried a few other movement techniques. Without exception, after a single flash, he crashed head-first into the wall, dazed and disoriented, completely unable to control his trajectory.

It seemed that once he wore this cloak, he could only move at this astonishing speed—there was no way to slow down.

Han Li stood in silence, utterly perplexed.

This cloak was far too anomalous. In terms of pure speed, it was undoubtedly a top-grade life-saving ancient treasure.

Han Li believed that even if a Nascent Soul cultivator were chasing him, he could use this cloak to escape for a time, making it impossible for them to catch up immediately.

But the cloak’s flaws were equally significant.

Not to mention the horrifying drain on his spiritual power, but the complete loss of control—like a wild horse with no reins—filled him with regret.

Clearly, this cloak was a flawed top-grade ancient treasure; otherwise, it would not have appeared in the outer hall.

Still, it would certainly be useful in a desperate flight for survival.

With mixed feelings, Han Li put the cloak away. He let out a bitter laugh, then sat down cross-legged, closed his eyes, and began circulating his qi to recover.

In that short time, the ancient treasure had consumed a considerable amount of his magical power. He was not about to leave the stone chamber like this.

Han Li rested for most of the day.

When he felt he had replenished the spent mana, he opened his eyes, looked at the square passage, and stood up with a serious expression.

He touched the Brahmaloka Pearl Bracelet on his wrist, let the Great Derivative Art circulate through his body once more, and then slowly walked into the passage.

Once inside, Han Li realized that this square passage was quite short.

After turning a corner, he was already at the exit.

A flash of light, and he found himself in an open-air corridor. The corridor was exquisitely ornate, incredibly refined, and stretched endlessly into the distance, its true length unknowable.

Outside the corridor, white clouds drifted, ethereal music played, and one could faintly make out the shadows of jade towers and pavilions, like a celestial paradise.

Seeing this, a cold sneer curled at the corner of Han Li’s mouth. Without hesitation, he strode boldly onto the corridor.

The moment he stepped onto it, he tried to channel his magical power. As others had said, this trial also forbade the use of flight techniques. He could only walk, step by step.

Han Li did not mind this. Instead, he took a deep look outside the corridor.

The ethereal music seemed a little clearer now that he was inside the corridor.

With an expressionless face, Han Li listened intently to the so-called celestial music for a while. Soon, a trace of mockery appeared on his face.

He clicked his tongue twice, then clasped his hands behind his back and walked forward slowly.

His pace was unhurried, as if he were taking a leisurely stroll in his own garden.

But the celestial music outside the corridor grew clearer, more beautiful and alluring, making one want to stop and listen. At the same time, white cranes with elegant forms began to appear in the white clouds, raising their necks and dancing gracefully to the melody, impossible for anyone to ignore.

(Sorry, after staying up late for a few nights, I’m feeling a bit unwell. It looks like this is all I can do for today. Everyone, get some rest early! I’ll continue writing tomorrow!)