Chapter 1108: The Battle for the Array Diagram

"Go!"

Han Li's expression turned serious as his hands swiftly formed hand seals, and he let out a soft shout.

With a flick of his fingers, the countless sword qi and sword light surged forth, overwhelming the thousands of stone swords.

"Clang, clang, clang..."

Amid a dense series of metallic clashes, the sword lights and shadows from the Green Bamboo Cloudswarm Swords rapidly extinguished, requiring dozens of them to neutralize a single stone sword—and even then, only those formed from sword light.

Fortunately, the Green Bamboo Cloudswarm Swords' sword lights were denser and far outnumbered the stone swords, allowing them to hold the line for the time being.

Han Li remained solemn, his hand seals unceasing as he controlled the Green Bamboo Cloudswarm Swords to press forward, forming a net of sword light that forcibly drove the stone swords back.

Under the constant erosion of sword light, the Green Bamboo Cloudswarm Swords had lost nearly all their radiance, while the stone swords' sword light had been exhausted, leaving fewer than thirty.

The clash between the two sides remained fierce, with waves of sword light illuminating the sky and producing thunderous roars.

Han Li gritted his teeth, and beads of sweat as large as beans began to form on his forehead.

He suddenly let out a low shout, and his immortal spiritual power surged out like a tidal wave, causing the remaining Green Bamboo Cloudswarm Swords to erupt.

Golden light coiled around all the flying swords, and countless golden lightning bolts churned, instantly destroying most of the remaining stone swords, leaving only the original eight still suspended in the air, pointing at Han Li.

At the same time, the Green Bamboo Cloudswarm Swords' own sword light dissipated completely, leaving only over eighty swords.

Somewhat relieved, Han Li took a big step forward, intending to ascend the altar.

But at that moment, a sudden change occurred!

The yellow pebbles embedded at the edge of the altar suddenly flared with light, flashing brightly.

The eight stone swords in midair trembled violently, as if infused with a new surge of power. A bright yellow light burst from their blades, and they shot forth, directly tearing apart the remaining sword light of the Green Bamboo Cloudswarm Swords.

The true bodies of thirty-six flying swords took a heavy blow but still erupted with a dazzling display of lightning, intercepting seven of the stone swords. However, one slipped through, shooting straight at Han Li, less than ten feet from his chest.

At the critical moment, Han Li abruptly reversed the True Word Wheel within him, shifting his body to the side. The stone sword grazed past his ribs, tearing his robe at the waist.

Still shaken, Han Li quickly raised his hand to recall his flying swords and stepped back.

Then, a strange cracking sound was heard. The pebbles embedded at the edge of the altar simultaneously dimmed, emitted a popping noise, and shattered.

The remaining seven stone swords suspended in the air seemed to lose their spiritual nature instantly, clattering to the ground.

Seeing this, Han Li realized that the law power contained in the stones had been exhausted after too many years. Only then did he truly relax a little and stepped forward to ascend the altar.

But as soon as he took a step, his expression changed abruptly, and he quickly looked down at his waist.

There, at the torn part of his robe, blood was seeping out, though the wound was shallow, as if only the skin had been grazed.

However, when Han Li parted his clothes to look at the wound, he was astonished to find that it had turned a grayish white. Touching it, it felt as cold and hard as stone.

After a moment's thought, he understood. It was likely the earth-attribute law power from the flying sword that had caused the wound to petrify when it grazed him.

Fortunately, the wound was shallow and not pierced through, so the petrified area was less than an inch.

Thinking this over, Han Li used his fingers as a blade to cut away the piece of flesh. The new wound then began to heal on its own.

After dealing with it, he flicked his sleeve to put away all the Green Bamboo Cloudswarm Swords. Just as he was about to step onto the altar, he heard a rumbling sound in the distance, as if someone else had also found the array hub and was heading this way.

Without further hesitation, he stepped onto the altar in one stride. Green light enveloped his hands as he grabbed the octagonal jade plate and yanked it out of the altar.

Holding the jade plate, Han Li extended his divine sense and began to examine it.

After a moment, his eyes suddenly flew open, a flash of surprise and delight in them. The octagonal jade plate in his hand was none other than the legendary Tongtian Sword Array diagram, said to have been taken out of the Tongtian Sword Sect by the Grandsire Tai Sui.

The complexity and ingenuity of the sword array diagram far exceeded his imagination.

Even after a brief glance, he knew it was a rare and invaluable treasure, a stroke of fortune not to be missed. He carefully put it away.

The next moment, a thunderous boom came from high above.

Han Li instinctively looked up and saw the celestial gate hanging high in the sky slowly closing, its surrounding yellow clouds surging, the void growing increasingly blurred.

The giant yellow swords that had been falling moments ago had all vanished, and the entire grand formation had completely dissolved.

The oppressive force that had been weighing on them was gradually fading, though the chaotic mist gathered around had not yet dissipated, but the strands of earth-attribute law power within it could no longer be sensed.

Han Li slowly stepped back from the altar, turned his palm over, and took out a medicinal pill.

Just as he was about to take it, he heard a voice behind him: "Heh, Fellow Daoist Han, you've worked hard breaking the formation..."

Han Li turned his head and saw Lei Yuce walking toward him with a smile on his face.

But as he approached, seeing the eight stone swords scattered on the ground, he raised his hand and swept his sleeve, calmly collecting them one by one.

"If not for all of you entering the formation to assist, how could I, Han, have achieved this?" Han Li said with a composed smile.

"Fellow Daoist Han need not be modest; the primary credit for breaking the formation goes to you," Lei Yuce continued.

"Fellow Daoist Lei, please stop flattering me. Even with my thick skin, I can't take much more," Han Li said, waving his hand.

Hearing this, Lei Yuce showed a flicker of hesitation on his face. After pondering for a moment, he still spoke:

"Fellow Daoist Han, I have a request to make, and I hope you will grant it."

"Fellow Daoist Lei, whatever it is, feel free to speak," Han Li said, though he had a guess in his mind, he pretended not to know.

"When you were breaking the formation, you should have seen a sword formation diagram. That is our Tongtian Sword Sect's long-lost supreme treasure. I hope you can return it to its rightful owner. Of course, our Tongtian Sword Sect will offer the utmost sincerity to compensate you," Lei Yuce said, cupping his hand in a salute.

Han Li frowned upon hearing this, a look of surprise appearing on his face, and asked:

"Since entering the sword formation, I have been trapped until now, only just managing to escape. I did not see any formation diagram."

"Fellow Daoist Han, although this sword formation is of extremely high grade, to you it is merely a powerful sword formation. But to our sect, it holds a very special significance. If you can generously return it, I am willing to offer a fifth-grade immortal artifact as thanks, and also invite you to serve as an unregistered patron of our Tongtian Sword Sect, enjoying the treatment of an inner sect elder," Lei Yuce said, seemingly having anticipated this, his expression unchanged as he continued.

Such a reward would be a tremendous fortune for anyone, especially the offer to serve as a patron of the Tongtian Sword Sect. Lei Yuce had indeed shown the utmost sincerity—being unregistered in the ancestral hall meant no responsibility for sect affairs, no exposure of Han Li's whereabouts, and a steady stream of elder benefits.

But all of this was like chicken ribs to Han Li. After this matter, he simply could not remain in the Jinyuan Immortal Domain, and he himself had no idea where he would go.

Most importantly, this Heaven-Piercing Sword Formation suited his tastes perfectly. If he could use his Azure Bamboo Cloudswarm Swords to deploy it, it would certainly be a great boon to him.

"I appreciate your kindness, Fellow Daoist Lei, but I truly have no idea what you mean by a formation diagram. Even if I covet the various benefits you've described, I simply cannot bring myself to shamelessly deceive you." Han Li said with a look of regret.

"Fellow Daoist Han, have you truly seen no formation diagram on this altar?" Lei Yuce asked, his brow twitching slightly as he frowned.

At the same time, doubt arose in his heart: could it really not be here?

"No. There were only eight stone swords on this altar, and before I could even examine them, you had already taken them all." Han Li said with a wry smile.

Lei Yuce's expression tightened slightly as he stared intently at Han Li, as if trying to discern something unusual from him.

But Han Li remained calm and composed, showing no sign of weakness.

"Fellow Daoist Lei, if there's nothing else, shall we first see if there are any other restrictions in this Hall of Years?" Han Li changed the subject.

Lei Yuce frowned deeply, nodded, and pondered for a long moment before suddenly forming hand seals and chanting an incantation.

As the sound arose, a white jade token at his waist suddenly lit up, revealing a complex runic pattern.

Han Li had already turned around when he suddenly felt a strange fluctuation behind him. Looking down, he saw that the storage ring on his hand was flashing with a brilliant light.

That octagonal jade plate was hidden within this storage ring.

"Fellow Daoist Han, do you truly refuse to return it?" Lei Yuce's voice came from behind.

"In a secret realm, one seizes treasures by one's own ability. My earlier refusal to contend with you for those stone swords was already a gesture of goodwill. Why must you press so hard, Fellow Daoist Lei? If you truly refuse to let this end amicably, you are welcome to try and take it by force. I wouldn't mind taking those stone swords back." Han Li said coldly without turning his head, only half-turning his body.

With that, he crossed the square and ascended the stone steps before the majestic hall, walking upward step by step.

Lei Yuce stood still, his expression grave, a complex look flashing in his eyes.

At this moment, the strange yellow cloud phenomenon on the square had begun to dissipate, and the figures of the others emerged from it, starting to hurry over.

Lei Yuce glanced at the group of demons led by Qimozi, sighed softly, and forcibly suppressed the anger in his heart.

After all, his coveting of the sword formation diagram was born of selfish motives. For him, there were more important matters awaiting him in this hall.