The Asura Flame’s Reckoning

Chapter 506: Storms Beyond the Seas, True and False Hard to Discern

“No wonder a spirit spring was placed here—it was to nourish this wood. I want the Ten-Thousand-Year Spirit Milk, but I am equally curious about this Soul-Nourishing Wood.” Han Li looked at Yuan Yao and spoke slowly.

As soon as he said this, Yuan Yao’s expression turned icy cold in an instant.

“Relax. After so many years of nourishment, this wood’s size must be considerable. I only need a small section of the root; I won’t compete with you, Miss Yuan, for the most important main trunk.” Seeing her expression, Han Li gave a faint smile and said.

“Only the root?” Yuan Yao was momentarily stunned, then her expression softened, but a trace of suspicion still lingered in her beautiful eyes.

“Of course. As compensation, I still want the Ten-Thousand-Year Spirit Milk that Miss Yuan agreed to earlier.” Han Li’s face stiffened again as he spoke.

“Hehe! Fellow Daoist Han is quite the schemer. I imagine many sects would be willing to pay a high price to purchase the root of the Soul-Nourishing Wood from you, Brother Han. But… I accept this condition.” Yuan Yao’s eyes darted slightly before she spoke, seemingly having guessed Han Li’s intentions, and then she let out a silvery, delicate laugh.

However, this reaction seemed to make her more at ease.

Han Li just smiled faintly and did not explain further.

“Very well, let’s break the formation. I’ll first share some of my insights on breaking it.” Yuan Yao said with a charming smile, appearing even more eager than Han Li.

“Not so fast. This spirit spring—don’t you want to take it away, Miss Yuan?” Han Li pointed at the pool and asked with a hint of a smile.

“Are you joking, Brother Han? This spirit spring was long ago fused with the entire inner hall by the master of the Void Heaven Palace using profound restrictions. If I had such great divine powers, I would have gone directly to take the Void Heaven Cauldron. Why would I be stuck here?” Yuan Yao said with a coquettish pout.

Hearing this, Han Li showed a flicker of disappointment. But after a moment's thought, he let out a silent, self-deprecating laugh.

He was becoming a bit too greedy; the moment he saw a treasure, he immediately thought of claiming it for himself.

This was not a good omen. He did not want to end up as one of those who die for their greed.

With this in mind, Han Li silently warned himself and then dropped the matter, speaking in a serious tone instead:

“Miss Yuan, first hand over the spirit milk, and then explain the formation. If we work together, it should take no more than two or three days to break it.”

Hearing this, Yuan Yao shot Han Li a brilliant smile, her radiance dazzling and her charm overflowing.

…

Two days later, a flash of white light flickered over the sea surface tens of miles from the Void Heaven Palace.

Then, the figures of a man and a woman appeared out of thin air, surrounded by light.

The man was ordinary-looking, with no outstanding features except for his relatively clear eyes. The woman was tall and slender, enchanting as a flower, with an air of infinite allure hidden in the shifting light of her bright eyes.

The moment they appeared above the sea, they both looked around with great vigilance. Seeing no other cultivators present, they both seemed to breathe a sigh of relief.

These two were none other than Han Li and Yuan Yao, who had broken the formation in the secret chamber and been teleported out.

“It seems the others are still trapped inside the Void Heaven Palace. They won’t be able to get out until the time is up.” Yuan Yao glanced in the direction of the Void Heaven Cauldron, a strange light flickering in her beautiful eyes.

“What about those Nascent Soul old monsters? Could they also take treasures and be teleported out like us?” Han Li was not letting his guard down, furrowing his brow.

“Rest assured. The place you’re teleported to after taking a treasure is random. It could be near the Void Heaven Palace, or it could be hundreds of miles away. There’s no way anyone could monitor such a vast area at the same time.” Yuan Yao lightly brushed a strand of her hair and said softly.

“That’s good.” Han Li nodded, feeling a bit relieved.

“What’s wrong? Did you offend some of those old monsters, Brother Han? If so, you really should be careful.” Yuan Yao’s beautiful eyes shimmered with a probing tone as she asked.

“That’s not something Miss Yuan needs to worry about. I still have important matters to attend to, so I’ll take my leave.” Han Li cupped his fist in a perfunctory salute to Yuan Yao, and without waiting for her reply, he transformed into a streak of cyan light without the slightest hesitation and flew away, showing no signs of lingering.

Yuan Yao watched Han Li’s departing light, a strange expression on her face.

After a long moment, she gently shook her head. With a flicker of black light in her hand, a foot-long piece of strange wood appeared.

The wood was blackened, rough, and pitted on the outside—truly hideous in appearance.

Yet, looking at this piece of wood, a trace of melancholy rose on Yuan Yao’s face.

“Sister Yan, bear with it a little longer. I will find someone to refine this wood into a soul-nurturing box and free you from the torment of being refined.” After whispering these words, the woman wasted no time. She pulled her black robe over her head, covering her strikingly beautiful face.

Then, Yuan Yao also transformed into a wisp of black Qi and shot off in another direction.

In the blink of an eye, the sea surface was once again silent.

At the same time, on the high platform of the fifth floor of the Void Heaven Palace’s inner hall, several people stood with gloomy expressions.

Everyone had a terrible look on their faces. They were none other than Extreme Yin’s group and the other orthodox and demonic Nascent Soul cultivators. Man Brutal Beard also stood coldly among them.

It seemed some agreement had been reached, as no one was attacking him anymore.

“We’ve searched every corner from the third to the fifth floors of the inner hall together. The number of restrictions we’ve broken and puppets we’ve destroyed is countless, yet we still haven’t found them. Extreme Yin, two of the three missing people have a significant connection to you. Are you sure you didn’t instruct them to take the treasure and flee?” Wan Tianming said with a grim face.

“Hmph! Sect Leader Wan, you’ve asked that question several times now. I’ve already told you, my beloved grandson has met with misfortune. I personally detected this with my secret technique; there can be no mistake. If this ‘Heavenly Dipper Shield’ hadn’t blocked all my senses, I would have known the moment my grandson died. I wouldn’t have let those two brats take the opportunity to escape with the treasure.” Extreme Yin’s face twitched, his expression twisted as he spoke.

“Speaking of which, I find Brother Man the most suspicious. Why is it that just during the time you led us away, Brother Man, was the Void Heaven Cauldron taken? And you have refused to clarify the background of that junior. Could it be that you were in collusion with that young man?” Extreme Yin’s tone shifted suddenly. He stared at Man Brutal Beard and said, his voice dark and sinister.

“Ridiculous! Who does Man need to answer to? What does the Void Heaven Cauldron being taken have to do with that brat, and what does it have to do with me? At that time, I was being chased everywhere by all of you. It’s not like the treasured cauldron fell into my hands, is it? As for you claiming that Wu Chou is dead, who knows if that’s true or false? Maybe you’re secretly overjoyed!” Man Brutal Beard glared back and retorted without the slightest courtesy.

“You—” Extreme Yin was so furious he was practically fuming.

His beloved grandson had already met a tragic end! And now he had to bear a huge black pot like this. It was something Extreme Yin absolutely could not accept.

Immediately, his face filled with rage as he opened his mouth to argue further.

But the old man in the Confucian scholar’s robe chose this moment to step in and mediate.

“Brother Man and Brother Wu, there’s no need to argue. The ones who took the treasure are no more than these three. Whether it’s one of them or another, what does it matter to us? That is secondary. What is most important now, regardless of whether these three are alive or dead, is to find them. When we were chasing Brother Man, we chased him all the way to the entrance of the third floor. Even if they moved fast, they couldn’t have escaped below the third floor. And now, we have set up several formations together at the entrance to the third floor. It’s impossible for them to sneak away. As for being teleported out from a secret chamber, that’s even more impossible. Remember, they are all only early Core Formation cultivators. Even working together, there is absolutely no way they could pass through any secret chamber on the third floor or above. Unless they have truly lost their minds and want to commit suicide.” The old man in the Confucian scholar’s robe analyzed calmly.

“But we have searched every inch from the third to the fifth floor. There is no trace of them.” Wan Tianming said coldly, his face full of suspicion.

In fact, it wasn’t just him. The three people from the orthodox path were all half-doubtful.

They had already communicated secretly several times and all felt it was highly likely that the three old demons had put on a clever act together. They had deliberately lured them away, then had their juniors retrieve the Void Heaven Cauldron.

Thus, while Wan Tianming and his two companions were inwardly regretful, they watched Extreme Yin and the others’ every move like hawks, absolutely refusing to leave the old demons’ side within the Void Heaven Palace.

Extreme Yin and the Confucian scholar naturally saw the intentions of Wan Tianming and his orthodox path group. But they were also burning with anxiety and couldn’t be bothered with it.

All they wanted was to quickly find Han Li and the Profound Bone Saint’s group and take back the Void Heaven Cauldron.

A group of Nascent Soul cultivators had fought a great battle within this inner hall, and in the end, the treasure had been stolen by Core Formation cultivators fishing in troubled waters. If word of this got out, the trouble for them would be immense!

Besides, how could they be willing to let the Void Heaven Cauldron truly fall into the hands of Han Li and the others?

Man Brutal Beard was also puzzled. The Profound Bone Saint’s actions seemed somewhat different from what they had agreed upon.

Could he really have taken the cauldron and fled?

If it were an ordinary Core Formation cultivator, perhaps they could not get past the secret chamber’s restrictions on the third floor. But for the Profound Bone Saint, who had re-cultivated the ghost path, that was truly hard to say.

Although doubts were swirling in his mind, Man Brutal Beard showed nothing on his face. Instead, with other thoughts in mind, he was determined to muddy the waters.

So Man Brutal Beard also spoke coldly:

“What do you say to the possibility that the two old masters of the Star Palace never left? That they have been hiding nearby all along, and when they saw us all chasing out, they came back, killed those three, and took the Void Heaven Cauldron?”

Hearing Man Brutal Beard’s words, the others exchanged glances. But soon, each wore a look of thoughtful contemplation.

(Hehe, there will be another chapter tonight. Everyone, please vote more recommendation tickets!)