Chapter 1018: Coming to the Door

"Reporting to the Immortal Envoy, after Elder Lu reported to me, I realized the gravity of the matter and immediately sealed off the news. Now, throughout the entire sect, only the two of us know. Moreover, to avoid alarming the enemy, we have even kept it from the other cultivators currently renting residences in the lake water mansion, not letting them leave early." The handsome young man, who was the sect leader of Shuliu Sect, quickly said.

"That's good. This way, we won't have to go through the trouble of annihilating the entire sect..." Dongfang Bai nodded and said thoughtfully.

Upon hearing this, the handsome young man and the round-faced old man frowned and exchanged glances, both suspecting they had misheard, their eyes full of doubt.

However, before they could think it through, they suddenly found their bodies stiffening, unable to move an inch.

Only their eyeballs could still turn, and as they looked at each other, they were horrified to discover that, at some point, a layer of green, slimy moss had grown on their bodies, from which a bizarre, large flower had sprouted without branches or stems.

"No..."

With a painful roar from the young man, the bizarre flower bloomed, its color turning blood-red, and even a few crystal-clear dewdrops condensed on its surface, making it look utterly enchanting.

In contrast, the two men wrapped in the moss seemed to have their life force drained away; the moisture left their skin, and in just a few breaths, they turned into two shriveled, ugly, and hideous mummies.

Dongfang Bai glanced at them expressionlessly, then turned his head and asked, "Elder Lü, is that person's aura still here?"

"Still here." The thin old man, who looked like a rat spirit, wrinkled his nose and said.

"As long as he's still here, that's good." Dongfang Bai smiled and nodded.

Tao Ji's gaze fell on the vast expanse of water in the distance, his eyes somewhat obscure, and for some reason, he felt a vague unease in his heart.

"Tao Ji, if you have something to say, just say it." Dongfang Bai, having noticed Tao Ji's change in expression, asked.

"Palace Master, judging from Han Li's past actions, he is by no means a careless person. Why would he leave such obvious traces this time, allowing us to track him here? I suspect there might be something fishy about this." Tao Ji replied.

"Elder Tao, could it be that you've been scared out of your wits by what happened last time? Why are you so cautious? Now that Palace Master Dongfang is personally taking action, how could he possibly escape?" The black-robed burly man sneered.

"Black Blade, what Elder Tao said is not without reason. Let's be cautious." Dongfang Bai waved his hand and said.

Upon hearing this, Tao Ji quickly bowed.

With that, Dongfang Bai waved his hand, and the white flying shuttle shot forth, instantly arriving above the Three Rivers Lake.

"That's the area of water," Lü Yun said, pointing to a spot on the lake.

"Palace Master, wait a moment. Let me split this lake open to force that fellow out," Black Blade said, unsheathing the ghost-head broadsword from his back and gripping it in his hand.

"No need. A guest should not start a fight before even entering the door," Dongfang Bai stopped him, saying with a faint smile.

With that, he raised a finger and tapped the void. A beam of cyan light shot from his fingertip and, in a flash, flew into the lake.

As the cyan light entered the water, it was like a dragon entering the sea, spiraling violently as it dove toward the underwater light curtain area.

The once calm lake water instantly stirred up towering waves, and a massive spiral cavity emerged in the lake, leading straight to the Ghost Sorrow Water Mansion at the bottom.

At the same time, a cyan spiritual domain enveloped the area, surrounding the turbulent waters like a cage, confining all disturbances within the domain.

Outside the spiritual domain, all remained calm. Even if curious onlookers gathered, they could not see clearly what was happening inside.

The dragon-like cyan light crashed into the white light curtain like an iron cavalry breaching a formation, emitting a thunderous roar. The white light curtain shattered with the sound, revealing the small hill where the Pure Essence Sect's Ancestral Hall stood.

At that moment, Han Li was sitting with Weeping Soul at a stone table in the courtyard. The wine cup in his hand trembled slightly, but not a drop of the amber immortal brew spilled out.

"Quite a display. It seems your earlier guess was correct—it's Palace Master Dongfang himself. But is he so arrogant just because he's at the peak of Taiyi Stage?" Han Li looked up and said with a smile.

With that, he poured out the wine in three streams, put away the cup, and stood up from the stone stool.

By then, the surrounding lake water seemed to be held back by a strange force. A whirlpool opened above the area around the small hill, spinning on its own without falling toward the center.

Dongfang Bai and the other three flew through the air and hovered above the courtyard, looking down at Han Li and Weeping Soul.

"Fellow Daoist Han, I've long heard of your name. It's a pleasure to finally meet you today," Dongfang Bai said, sizing up Han Li with a faint smile, seemingly finding nothing particularly remarkable about him.

"Tsk, tsk, when did Han become so famous that even the lord of a palace in the Golden Origin Immortal Domain would chase after him for so long? What an honor." Han Li said with a sneer, showing no courtesy.

"How dare you speak to Palace Lord Dongfang like that, you insolent wretch!" Black Blade, standing nearby, flew into a rage upon hearing this.

"What, did I say something wrong? Then you tell me, how should Han speak to a domain lord who is insane and murders innocents?" Han Li gave him a cold glance and said indifferently.

A cold glint flashed in Black Blade's eyes, and he was about to step forward.

Dongfang Bai merely glanced at him sideways, and the latter gritted his teeth, suppressing his impulse.

The slender Lü Yun narrowed his eyes slightly, looking at Han Li with a contemplative expression.

Han Li's gaze fell on the handsome young man beside him, and he said with some surprise, "Elder Tao, I didn't expect we'd meet again so soon. But since you managed to escape by a fluke, you should cherish your life..."

Tao Ji noticed Han Li's gaze on him, swallowed hard, feeling his mouth dry. A fierce light flickered in his eyes, but he said nothing more.

"Fellow Daoist Han, with our status and position, why bother about the lives of those ants? Let's get back to business. If you hand over that thing, I can consider letting you off, and even recommend you to join the Nine Yuan Temple. What do you say?" Dongfang Bai laughed heartily, revealing the purpose of his visit.

As soon as Han Li heard the words 'Nine Yuan Temple,' he immediately understood what 'that thing' referred to.

His pupils contracted slightly, and he didn't bother to hide the fact that he possessed the Bottle Gourd of Time. After all, he had no intention of letting any of these people go today; otherwise, if even a hint of it leaked out, the troubles that followed would be endless.

Previously, due to various concerns, he hadn't wanted to confront these immortal palace forces directly, but that didn't mean he was truly afraid. Now that they had repeatedly crossed his bottom line and pursued him relentlessly, he had no choice but to settle accounts with them.

"I advise you, fellow Daoist, not to oppose the Heavenly Court. After all, a toast is better than a penalty. If you are willing, you can rest easy from now on and cultivate in peace. With your talent, as long as you have enough resources, reaching the Da Luo stage is only a matter of time..." Dongfang Bai said, seeing Han Li lost in thought.

"It seems you not only like chasing after people but also talk a lot of nonsense, like farting. Han doesn't know what you want, nor does he care. Besides, although Han enjoys wine, I won't drink any wine from you." Han Li interrupted Dongfang Bai, speaking lazily.

"It seems you are determined to oppose the Heavenly Court. A pity, a pity... Since you don't like the toast, I'll have to force you to drink the penalty." Dongfang Bai sighed, not without regret.

As soon as his words fell, Black Blade, who had been holding back for a long time, shot out with a series of afterimages. The ghost-headed longsword in his hand was unsheathed in an instant, and blood-red runes on the blade blazed brightly. A patch of gloomy dark clouds surged out from it, hurtling down toward the Ancestral Hall.

With a clang, the ghost-headed blade shot out a dazzling thousand-zhang sword aura that tore through the sky and fell straight down.

Rolling dark clouds surged down, and from within emerged hideous and terrifying giant ghosts, all in a frenzy, eager to drink blood, covering the sky as they enveloped Han Li and Ti Hun.

Han Li ignored Black Blade's imposing attack, merely turning his head to glance at Ti Hun, unable to hide a smile at the corner of his mouth.

"Since waking up, I've felt somewhat empty in my stomach. I didn't expect that the Immortal Palace would have a ghost cultivator of this level. What a... feast." Ti Hun licked his lips, eager to try.

"Don't eat too fast; mind your digestion." Han Li nodded with a smile.

Ti Hun responded, and his figure shot up like a meteor, charging straight into the seemingly unstoppable sword aura of ten thousand ghosts, plunging into the dark clouds and disappearing.

The momentum of the falling sword aura suddenly halted, and then there was no further movement.

Dongfang Bai's eyes flickered slightly, looking at the black-robed man with some confusion.

"This..." The latter was also bewildered; he had never seen anyone court death like this.

Before he could figure it out, his expression suddenly changed, and his face became extremely terrified.

Dongfang Bai also sensed something strange at this moment, looking into the dark clouds.

The ghosts that had been so ferocious just moments ago now seemed to have seen a ghost themselves, struggling desperately to escape from the cloudy sword aura. However, they were bound to the blade itself and could not flee.

Then, from within the rolling dark clouds, two strange horns pierced out, followed by a huge giant ape's head. Its fangs were bared, and the flesh on its brow split open, revealing a third blood-red demonic eye. Behind it, three pitch-black bone spikes protruded, its black fur stood on end like steel needles, and its whole body exuded a chilling aura.

Compared to those man-eating ghosts, this strange beast before them looked far more like a demon.

"No! This is... a Punishment Beast!" Dongfang Bai's eyes flashed, and he exclaimed in shock.

By now, Black Blade had also recognized it, and his heart was filled with bitterness. He had never expected to encounter such a natural nemesis.

He quickly formed a hand seal to sheathe the ghost-headed blade.

However, the Punishment Beast was not about to let go. The vertical eye on its brow blazed with blood-red light, spewing out a beam of blood-red radiance that transformed into a massive blood-colored chain, shooting toward those ghosts.