Chapter 1096: Each with Their Own Schemes

"I happened to overhear your conversation just now. You wish to rescue the other three of the Cangshan Five Kings, but fear releasing the Black Heavenly Demon Ancestor. I have a method that can help you rescue your brothers while dealing with the Black Heavenly Demon Ancestor." Qimozi spoke again.

"Is that true?" The White Bone Demon's body trembled upon hearing this.

The Bronze Lion Demon's expression also changed, looking at Qimozi with a slight shift in his gaze.

"Naturally. Once the Black Heavenly Demon Ancestor emerges, I too will not escape death. How would I dare boast about this matter?" Qimozi said with a smile.

The Bronze Lion Demon said nothing, only looked at the White Bone Demon, clearly leaving the decision to him.

"What method do you have that dares to claim it can deal with the Black Heavenly Demon Ancestor? Please explain clearly." The White Bone Demon's expression was impassive, but sharp light shot from his eyes.

Qimozi smiled faintly, his lips moving slightly as he said a few words.

Upon hearing this, the White Bone Demon and Bronze Lion Demon's expressions first changed slightly, then surprise appeared in their eyes simultaneously.

"So that's it. In that case, there is indeed a high chance of dealing with the Black Heavenly Demon Ancestor." After pondering for a long time, the White Bone Demon slowly nodded and spoke.

The Bronze Lion Demon also nodded thoughtfully.

"Rest assured, both of you. Since this concerns my own life, I naturally would not speak falsely." Qimozi laughed.

"Good. Since Fellow Daoist Qimozi truly has a way to deal with the Black Heavenly Demon Ancestor, there's no harm in us joining forces. However, Fellow Daoist Qimozi must have conditions, so please speak plainly." The White Bone Demon said decisively.

"Haha, since Fellow Daoist White Bone is straightforward, I won't beat around the bush. After you rescue your other brothers, I need your help to seize that Lamp of Time, and then help me kill that Han Li." Qimozi laughed heartily, but there was no smile in his eyes, only cold killing intent.

"Kill that Han Li? No problem. I already have a grudge with him. But after he's killed, the treasures on him must belong to us." The Bronze Lion Demon's eyes lit up, and he immediately said.

"You can have the immortal artifacts and materials on Han Li, but I need to take a cultivation technique manual from him. Everything with writing on it belongs to me." Qimozi waved his hand and said.

"Agreed. I only want his immortal artifacts; you can have everything else." The Bronze Lion Demon only cared about the emerald gourd and the set of lightning attribute flying swords; he didn't care about the rest.

"Fellow Daoist White Bone, what say you?" Qimozi looked at the White Bone Demon.

"Good. I agree on behalf of my brothers. However, that Han Li's methods are extraordinary. At most, we five brothers will assist from the sidelines; you'll have to handle the direct confrontation yourself." The White Bone Demon said with flickering eyes.

"No problem." Qimozi nodded without hesitation, which surprised the White Bone Demon slightly.

But since both sides had reached a consensus, the White Bone Demon didn't ask further.

With the main matters settled, they discussed the specifics and quickly reached an agreement, then immediately set off.

Shortly after the three figures disappeared ahead, a flash of green light appeared near another cliff, revealing three more figures: Qu Lin, Li Qima, and the green-robed middle-aged man.

"I never thought the new Warden of the Immortal Prison would also come here. The situation is becoming more complicated." The green-robed middle-aged man murmured.

"Although Qimozi is the Warden of the Immortal Prison, from what they just said, he's not here to reinforce the seal but to seize that Lamp of Taisui. His appearance might be beneficial to us." Qu Lin's pupils suddenly turned golden, emitting two beams of golden light as he spoke.

"Not necessarily. Qimozi's appearance certainly increases the chances of breaking the seal, but this man's cultivation is profound, having reached the Da Luo realm, and he cultivates time laws. Not to mention Hu San and the others, even the three of us are no match for him. If he tries to seize our life-bound tablets, Hu San and the others may not be able to stop him... Moreover, that Taisui bastard has cast a spell linking our life-bound tablets to the Lamp of Time. As soon as we approach the Lamp of Taisui, our tablets will be attacked by the Taisui Flame. That's why we have to rely on Hu San, Han Li, and the others to retrieve the tablets. If they fail and the tablets fall into Qimozi's hands, we may never recover and will be under his control forever." The green-robed middle-aged man shook his head and said coldly.

Qu Lin and Li Qima hadn't thought that deeply. After hearing this analysis, they realized the severity of the problem and their expressions changed.

"Then, Brother Liu, what do you think we should do? Should we intercept Qimozi before he reaches the Taisui Hall and buy some time for Han Li and the others?" Qu Lin asked urgently.

"If Qimozi hadn't allied with the White Bone King and Bronze Lion King, the three of us might have had a chance to hold him back. But now it's too late." The green-robed middle-aged man sighed and said.

Qu Lin and Li Qima's expressions darkened upon hearing this.

"Is there really no way?" Li Qima couldn't help but ask.

"There is a way, but it involves some risk." The green-robed middle-aged man was silent for a moment, then took out a foot-tall puppet.

The puppet looked like a young woman with delicate features, wearing a fluffy long skirt. Her eyes sparkled, and her body occasionally twisted as if trying to escape from the man's hand, as if alive.

Moreover, the left side of the puppet's body was pure white, and the right side pure black. The same applied to its face: half white, half black.

The white half of the face had an elegant expression and gentle eyes, like a refined lady, while the black half was gloomy and fierce, with a sinister and venomous look in its eyes that sent chills down one's spine.

Li Qima's expression shifted slightly upon seeing the puppet, then quickly returned to calm, as if he had seen it before.

"This is..." Qu Lin, seeing it for the first time, showed surprise.

"This is a puppet I crafted from special materials, named 'Good and Evil Two Minds.' To retrieve our life-bound tablets, this is the only way." The green-robed middle-aged man looked at the puppet with a complex expression, then said seriously.

"What do we need to do?" Qu Lin's spirits lifted, and he immediately asked.

The green-robed middle-aged man waved his hand, opening a gray-white barrier that enveloped the three of them.

After a moment, the gray-white barrier vanished with a flash, and the three figures reappeared, then flew forward.

...

Han Li and the others flew on, unable to probe too far with their divine sense, so they dared not fly too fast.

After advancing for over an hour, they suddenly stopped and looked ahead with bright eyes.

Ahead, on a relatively flat area within a mountain peak, lay a white jade square covering dozens of acres. The ground was paved with long strips of white jade, from which wisps of white mist emerged, forming a shallow sea of clouds over the square, creating a breathtaking scene as if floating among the clouds.

Around the white jade square were tall trees of an unknown species. Both leaves and trunks were a gleaming white, emitting a white fluorescence, looking extremely magnificent.

After a thorough inspection confirming no traps or restrictions on the square, the group landed on it. But instead of admiring the scenery and the white trees, they gathered at the front of the square.

From the white jade square, three narrow paths wound outward in different directions.

Beside each path stood a white jade stele, inscribed with the names "Fire Yuan Palace," "Qian Earth Hall," and "Wood God Tomb."

After their previous experiences, the group immediately understood what these places were upon seeing the three steles.

Hu San, Jiao San, and the others' eyes lit up, each looking toward a different path, eager to set off.

At that moment, three beams of light shot over and landed on the three paths, revealing Wen Zhong, Lei Yuce, and Su Qianxi, blocking the way.

"Now that two array eyes have been broken, if the remaining three are also broken, the Black Heavenly Demon God will surely emerge, and we will all die without a burial place. I have said my piece; you must be cautious!" Lei Yuce raised his hand in a salute and said gravely.

But before he finished speaking, a whistling sound arose as Hu San and Jiao San soared into the air, flying toward the central Qian Earth Hall, seemingly oblivious to Lei Yuce's words.

"Fellow Daoists, please stop, or I will be forced to take offense!" Lei Yuce shouted sternly, waving his hand.

Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh!

Several dozen golden flying swords shot out from his sleeve, blocking the path of Hu San and the others.

Han Li's pupils contracted slightly upon seeing this.

There were sixty to seventy flying swords, each emitting strong fluctuations of the metal law, all at the eighth-grade immortal artifact level. A few swords emitted particularly dazzling golden light, reaching the seventh-grade immortal artifact level.

The combined aura of several dozen powerful sword energies caused the void within several hundred zhang to tremble violently, rumbling like drums.

Hu San and Jiao San paid no attention to the flying swords and showed no intention of stopping.

Seeing that the two disregarded him so blatantly, Lei Yuce's anger flared. He formed a hand seal and pointed.

The sixty to seventy flying swords immediately blazed with sword light, spinning and converging to form a golden sword array—the same Tongtian Sword Array he had used before.

But before the array could fully form, a dazzling dark red light burst from Jiao San's body, engulfing the golden sword array.

The light on the golden sword array suddenly faltered, then began to dissipate rapidly. The nearly formed array showed signs of collapsing.

At that moment, blood light flashed in Hu San's palm, and the Tianhu Blood Transformation Blade appeared in his hand. He slashed through the air.

"Rip!"

A dazzling blood-colored blade light erupted, filling heaven and earth in an instant. It seemed that at that moment, all things lost their color, leaving only this piercing, viscous blood red.