Chapter 1229: Exposure

Lu Chuanfeng ignored the others in the hall, his gaze fixed on the white vortex of light in the center.

After a moment, the white vortex gradually weakened, slowing down until it dissipated into a patch of starlight, and Fengtian Immortal Envoy's body fell out from it.

Han Li suppressed his doubts and looked toward Fengtian Immortal Envoy.

His water armor had long since vanished, his robes were torn, and deep, bone-deep wounds were visible everywhere.

But more importantly, several vital acupoints, including his dantian, had been torn open by the burst of star power, with residual energy invading them, constantly eroding his acupoints like scraping knives, causing him immense pain.

Ah...

A suppressed, agonized roar escaped Fengtian Immortal Envoy's throat, his heart filled with extreme resentment.

He couldn't recall how many tens of thousands of years it had been since he last suffered such severe injuries. Today's sudden assassination attempt by Tianxing Venerable brought him not only physical pain but also spiritual humiliation.

I will hunt down every cultivator of the Sun and Moon Alliance across the entire Immortal Domain, Fengtian Immortal Envoy said hatefully.

Immortal Envoy, you should first tend to your injuries. Mountain Lord Huo has gone to pursue Tianxing Venerable. Once he is captured, we can decide on the punishment, Lu Chuanfeng said with a slight frown.

The Sun and Moon Alliance's influence was deeply entrenched, nearly rivaling the Golden Origin Immortal Palace, with countless cultivators under its banner. How could they all be hunted down?

No matter what, I will make Tianxing dog and the Sun and Moon Alliance pay a hundredfold, Fengtian Immortal Envoy said, his hatred undiminished.

As he spoke, his injuries flared up, twisting his face in pain. He glanced at the people from the twelve sects, feeling humiliated, and his resentment grew.

The twelve sect members dared not look directly at him; they exchanged uneasy glances, their expressions grim.

How did a simple decree ceremony turn into this... Zi Luo the Celestial sighed in confusion.

No, I think today's events are not simple. We can't stay here any longer, or something else might happen, a white-haired elder said with a frown.

Right, they've imprisoned us here, and the surrounding restrictions are broken. If something happens, we'll die first. We can't just wait for death, another whispered.

Let's go, let's leave this place of trouble first...

Someone called out, and everyone rose, intending to leave the hall.

Earlier, our temple master ordered that no one may leave the Jiuyuan Pavilion. You cannot go, the short, stout elder stepped forward again, blocking them.

Elder Yu, earlier you said the restrictions made the Jiuyuan Pavilion the safest place, so we agreed to stay. Now it's a dangerous place with leaks everywhere, and you still insist on keeping us here? Zhou Xianyang shouted.

Elder Yu knew he was in the wrong and was momentarily at a loss for words.

Elder Yu, instead of wasting time stopping us, you should quell the chaos in the temple. We just want to leave the Jiuyuan Temple, Luo Yuanshan also spoke up.

Very well, then I'll have temple elders escort you out. If anyone leaves on their own and wanders the Jiuyuan Temple, they will be killed as troublemakers. Do you understand? Elder Yu finally sighed and said.

Hearing the obvious warning, everyone's expressions changed.

But they all wanted to leave this place of trouble quickly, so they nodded in agreement.

Elder Yu then summoned several Jiuyuan Temple elders and ordered them to escort the twelve sect members out in groups.

Just as Han Li was thinking about how to find an opportunity to leave, Zhou Xianyang's voice suddenly sounded in his mind:

Fellow Daoist Han, our mission is complete. We can withdraw.

I still have other matters; I can't leave the Jiuyuan Temple yet, Han Li transmitted back.

Fellow Daoist Jiao San instructed earlier that if you refuse to leave, you should give me the Bodhi Token, and I will exchange it for what you want, Zhou Xianyang transmitted.

Without hesitation, Han Li turned his wrist, took out the token hidden in his sleeve, and handed it to Zhou Xianyang.

The latter, while taking the token, placed a jade pendant into Han Li's palm.

Fellow Daoist Han, I'll go first. This is not a place to stay long. Take care, Zhou Xianyang transmitted.

Then, he led his sect members out of the Jiuyuan Pavilion with the first group.

Han Li rubbed the jade pendant in his hand, pondering for a long time, but still couldn't find the right moment to leave.

As batch after batch of cultivators from other sects departed, the ruined hall grew emptier, until only a dozen or so elders from the Hushan Sect and Han Li remained.

You will escort these people out of the Jiuyuan Temple. No mistakes, Elder Yu glanced at Han Li and the others and instructed the last Jiuyuan Temple elder in the hall.

Yes, the elder nodded.

Then, he led Han Li and the others toward the hall's entrance.

Han Li walked at the back of the group, his peripheral vision catching sight of Fengtian Immortal Envoy, who was enveloped in a faint blue light. Above his head floated a translucent blue crystal bead the size of a dragon's eye, emitting intense fluctuations of water-attribute law power.

Nourished by this layer of water-attribute law power, the horrific wounds on Fengtian Immortal Envoy's body had almost completely healed. However, his aura remained unstable, clearly indicating that the star power rampaging within him had not yet been cleansed.

Just then, Han Li's heart suddenly jolted, and a strong sense of crisis struck him.

He didn't bother to maintain his disguise; the time law power within him activated instantly, and his form blurred as he flashed from the very end of the line to the front.

But as he moved, the temperature in the surrounding void plummeted, and an extreme cold force swept through the entire Jiuyuan Pavilion in an instant.

In that process, Han Li watched helplessly as the Hushan Sect elders he brushed past were frozen into ice crystals one after another, and his own body was frozen in place just as he was about to step out of the hall.

In a daze, he even felt that time within a thousand zhang radius had been frozen.

Damn it...

Han Li cried out in alarm. The bone-penetrating cold caused the Great Five Elements Illusion World Art to stop operating, and his immortal spiritual power was completely frozen in that instant.

It was an eerie sensation, like when his soul had been sealed by the Soul-Separating Chains. Han Li couldn't mobilize a trace of his immortal spiritual power, and no technique could be cast.

Fortunately, his physical cultivation had reached great heights, and his physique was now far superior to before. He quickly activated the Heavenly Fiend Prison Suppression Art, mobilizing his star power.

As the art operated, all the acupoints on his body lit up, reflecting a white glow beneath the frost-emitting ice crystals, continuously impacting the blue ice encasing him.

However, under the assault of star power, the blue ice showed no signs of breaking. Instead, with each powerful impact, the extreme cold within it grew stronger, steadily eroding toward his internal organs.

Han Li could clearly feel his heart cooling down bit by bit, its beating slowing. He quickly summoned the Essence Flame Firebird to protect his heart meridian.

Meanwhile, the entire Jiuyuan Pavilion was sealed in ice, filled with pale blue mist. Human-shaped ice sculptures stood everywhere, both exquisite and eerie.

Fengtian Immortal Envoy was naturally not among the frozen. He also sensed the change and opened his eyes, looking at Golden Origin Immortal Palace Lord Lu Chuanfeng with some confusion.

Palace Lord Lu, what are you doing? Why have you released your Extreme Cold Spirit Domain? he asked with a frown.

Immortal Envoy, don't be alarmed. There's still a little rat from the Reincarnation Palace in this Jiuyuan Pavilion. Once I capture him, I'll dispel the domain, Lu Chuanfeng said with a smile, his gaze falling on Han Li.

Han Li felt his gaze and his heart tightened—it was indeed aimed at him.

But besides fear, he was also puzzled. He was wearing a mask, had not acted improperly, and had shown no flaws. How had Lu Chuanfeng discovered him?

Han Li fully activated the Heavenly Fiend Prison Suppression Art, trying to break through the extreme cold ice crystal seal, while directing the Essence Flame Firebird to fight the invading extreme cold force.

At the same time, he continuously contacted the spirit of the Vial of Time and Space with his divine sense. As a last resort, he could only use the small vial to perform a physical traversal to escape danger.

But if he did that, he would certainly have to leave the Jiuyuan Temple, making it even more impossible to rescue Gold Boy.

There's someone from the Reincarnation Palace among these people? Fengtian Immortal Envoy asked in surprise.

I wasn't sure before, but the moment I released my spirit domain, this person used the time technique Great Five Elements Illusion World Art from the True Word Sect of yore, confirming his identity as a Reincarnation Palace villain, Lu Chuanfeng laughed.

Let me see which Reincarnation Palace villain it is, Fengtian Immortal Envoy said, his gaze turning cold as he stood up.

He shook off the ice crystals on his robes, exhaled a puff of white mist, and walked over to Lu Chuanfeng.

If I'm not mistaken, this person is Han Li, a newly emerged and unusually active wanted criminal on the Immortal Slaughter List, Lu Chuanfeng said, pointing at Han Li.

Han Li... Fengtian Immortal Envoy paused slightly at the name.

After mulling it over for a moment, his expression suddenly changed, and he realized: It's him?

What, Immortal Envoy knows him too? Lu Chuanfeng asked.

Hmph, this man has repeatedly opposed our Heavenly Court. Previously, he even attacked the Lesser Golden Origin Immortal Palace, killing its lord, Dongfang Bai, before escaping. Even when the Heavenly Court sent Fairy Red Dream to personally pursue him, she returned empty-handed. I never expected him to appear here, Fengtian Immortal Envoy said, overjoyed.

So, this man is no ordinary person, Lu Chuanfeng mused.