Chapter 179 Breaking the Ban
While the leaders of various factions were discussing the steps to open the forbidden area, Han Li continued to assess the elite figures of each faction.
For those experts who had reached the pinnacle of the thirteenth level in their cultivation, Han Li had made up his mind to evade or escape whenever possible, and if necessary, to strike from behind.
He was determined not to repeat the same mistake as his battle with "Senior Brother Lu," leaving himself with no mana left.
Because he knew that this time was different from the last, facing not just one opponent but a large group of frenzied cultivators. If he didn't reserve enough strength and maintain the ability to counterattack at all times, he would surely be among the first to be eliminated.
As he observed while pondering, Han Li suddenly felt like someone was staring at him. With a slight start, he couldn't help but look towards the gaze he sensed.
A female disciple of the Spirit Beast Sect was looking at Han Li with some hesitation. Recognizing her beautiful face, Han Li was surprised to realize she was familiar.
Han Li was taken aback and mentally reviewed all the girls he knew, and a slender figure emerged in his mind.
"It's her, the girl who sold me the Golden Bamboo Pen at the Tai Nan Conference. How did she end up joining the Spirit Beast Sect and participating in this bloody trial?" Han Li finally recognized the girl, who appeared even more charming than before, but he felt puzzled.
However, he still vividly remembered her easily blushing face from before, which had left a favorable impression on him!
With that thought in mind, he couldn't help but smile at the girl.
The girl seemed to notice clearly, and her cheeks flushed with a "swish," just like before, showing her easy shyness!
A man with sideburns stood behind the girl, seeming to notice the interaction between the girl and Han Li. His face darkened, and he suddenly reprimanded the girl with a harsh tone. The girl immediately paled, lowered her head, and dared not look towards Han Li again.
The man didn't let up, using a malicious gaze to glare fiercely at Han Li, his warning clear.
Han Li furrowed his brows. It seemed the girl was having a hard time in the Spirit Beast Sect, and this man with sideburns was one of the formidable figures he had noticed earlier, with cultivation at the thirteenth level.
The girl must have suffered quite a bit with someone like him keeping an eye on her.
However, Han Li, being not from the Spirit Beast Sect, and considering that once they entered the forbidden area, everyone would be enemies, didn't care about the man's threat. He suddenly made a face at the man, showing his indifference.
This action infuriated the man with sideburns, but he had no way to deal with Han Li and could only turn to the girl and growl a few more words, provoking the nearby disciples of the Spirit Beast Sect to cast disdainful glances at the girl.
Feeling angry on behalf of the girl, Han Li couldn't hear clearly what the man with sideburns said due to the distance between them.
To prevent the girl from being further aggrieved, Han Li decided not to provoke this insensitive brute any further. Otherwise, he was confident that he had enough means to make the man regret his actions.
At this moment, the patriarchs of each faction finished their discussion and returned to their respective groups. They then flew into the air with the younger disciples and headed towards the legendary forbidden area.
The journey was short, flying in the direction of the border of the Yuanwu Kingdom, and after a few hours, they landed in front of a wide expanse of yellow earth. Besides piles of rocks, not even a blade of grass could be seen. Everywhere was a vast expanse of yellow.
"Is this it?"
Han Li, like everyone else, was greatly surprised. This place didn't seem like it could nurture celestial treasures.
Several Nascent Soul stage experts gathered and exchanged a few words before the burly figure of the Giant Sword Sect's expert stepped forward alone. He walked a dozen steps forward before halting.
Extending his left hand, a yellow light surged, and he grabbed the ground, lifting up a mud stream that condensed into a giant mud sword in his hand.
With his other hand, his fingers lightly touched the hilt, and a white light followed his fingertips, turning the mud sword into a gray-white stone sword in an instant.
Not stopping there, he held the sword with both hands, his body swayed, and he shouted loudly, hurling the stone sword like a meteor towards the sky in front.
Then, a breathtaking scene unfolded. The stone sword flew only dozens of steps before it seemed to trigger something, suddenly vibrating. A vast expanse of blue light surged out of nowhere, covering the sky and earth, turning everyone's skin blue.
As everyone watched in awe, the blue light churned violently for no reason, forming countless wind blades that relentlessly swept through, creating a wall of wind blades that blocked all visibility. It extended endlessly in both directions, with a continuous howling sound.
It was believed that anyone entering the wall would immediately taste the agony of being torn apart and killed, shredded by countless wind blades.
This was the restriction here, truly astonishing. What kind of ancient cultivator with extraordinary abilities could set up such a vast and powerful array? Compared to the Guardian Formation of the Yellow Maple Valley, it was like child's play. Han Li couldn't help but sigh inwardly.
At this moment, the expert of the Giant Sword Sect shook his head and returned. The leaders of the other factions announced that the time was not yet ripe and instructed the disciples to rest for a while before opening the forbidden area later.
Thus, every hour or so, the expert from the Giant Sword Sect would perform the same action to test the strength of the restriction. It wasn't until the fourth stone sword was thrown out that the surge of blue light and the formation of wind blades significantly decreased.
Seeing this, the six other Nascent Soul stage cultivators simultaneously flew out and stood side by side.
Elder Li stretched out his hand, and a ruler-shaped object slowly emerged from his palm, emitting a silver light that shot out. The Taoist slapped the back of his head, opened his mouth, and sprayed out a foot-long green light that extended into a several-foot-long flying sword against the wind.
The five others also flew out dazzling items: a pink ribbon, a dragon-shaped cane, a black giant sword, a red-glazed long knife, and a shimmering yellow seal.
The seven people, along with their respective treasures, formed a circle, directly charging towards the wall of wind blades.
With a rumbling sound, the seven treasures clashed with the wind blades. Various colored lights splattered and shot out, occasionally emitting strange howls, making the onlookers nervous.
Elder Li's ruler spun incessantly, its silver light fluctuating, smashing countless wind blades.
The green flying sword transformed into a dragon several zhang long, each strike accompanied by a strange cry, terrifying the hearts and souls of the onlookers.
The other five treasures also displayed their extraordinary abilities. Especially the yellow seal of the expert from the Tianque Pavilion, with the most majestic momentum. Every time it struck down, it swelled like a small mountain, accompanied by thunderous sounds, but when it flew
back, it seemed a bit clumsy and slow.
Although the power of the seven treasures was astonishing, compared to the weakened wind blade formation, they were still struggling. With each step forward into the wall of wind, it took considerable effort, and after a short while, sweat appeared on their foreheads.
After three or four hours of fierce battle, the seven were sweating profusely, but their treasures finally gained the upper hand. They broke through the wall of wind blades and created a circular passage nearly a zhang high. Inside the passage was pitch black, and nothing could be seen.
"Quick, let's go in. We can't hold on much longer!" The Taoist shouted first, as he had the shallowest cultivation among the seven and was sweating the most.
Hearing this, the disciples of the seven factions didn't dare to delay. They all flew in batches into the passage.
At this moment, everyone fell silent, their expressions grim. Everyone knew that once they entered the forbidden area, they immediately became deadly enemies. Even fellow disciples from the same sect would become untrustworthy.
Han Li was in the middle of the queue, with disciples of the Giant Sword Sect in front of him and those of the Knife Transformation Pavilion behind him.
The passage was not long, only twenty zhang in distance, and in a flash, Han Li felt dizzy, his vision blurred, and then everything went black as he disappeared from the exit without a trace.