Chapter 1246: A Scene from the Past Reappears

"Ao..."

Qu Lin suddenly let out a sharp screech, and dense golden light dots emerged on the carapace on his back.

With a series of "puchi" sounds, these golden dots flickered and instantly grew countless sharp golden spikes, making him resemble a hedgehog and leaving Han Li with no easy way to strike.

All the afterimages conjured by Han Li vanished in a flash, leaving only his true body, which suddenly grabbed with one hand.

A golden light flashed in his palm, and nine Azure Bamboo Cloudswarm Swords shot out, merging in midair into a single hundred-zhang-long golden giant sword, which struck heavily on Qu Lin's back with a mass of golden thunder.

"Boom!" A blinding golden light burst forth, mixed with rumbling thunderclaps.

Qu Lin was sent flying, most of his golden spikes shattered, hurtling backward like a meteor, blood gushing from his mouth, and the domain around him collapsed with a bang.

Although the golden spikes were shattered, his body had withstood the slashing force of the Azure Bamboo Cloudswarm Swords and appeared uninjured on the surface, but how could the Divine Thunder of Dutian contained in the swords be taken lightly?

The flesh of a Da Luo stage Metal Devouring Beetle was indestructible, comparable to top-tier immortal artifacts, but once the flesh was breached, it lost its most proud protection.

The power of the divine thunder entered his body and immediately surged and agitated within.

Qu Lin already had hidden injuries in his body, and now, stimulated by the Divine Thunder of Dutian, they erupted, throwing the circulation of his immortal spiritual power into chaos, and he could no longer maintain his domain.

A trace of despair welled up in his heart, but he immediately pulled himself together, striving to calm the disordered immortal spiritual power in his body, intending to counterattack again.

But at that moment, a substantial golden light mass descended from the sky, moving so fast that he had no time to dodge before being enveloped.

Qu Lin's body was wrapped in golden light and immediately felt as if trapped in a quagmire, unable to move.

Almost in the next instant, two long crystal beams shot out from within the light mass and struck Qu Lin's body.

Qu Lin's body proved incredibly fragile before the crystal beams, and with a "ripping" sound, it was easily cut into three sections, golden blood splattering everywhere.

The golden light mass suddenly rolled and churned, with countless golden insects tumbling within, which were none other than countless Metal Devouring Beetles!

Moreover, all the Metal Devouring Beetles were solid entities, not conjured by divine abilities!

As for Jintong, she had somehow disappeared without a trace.

Seeing this, Han Li's heart stirred, and a thoughtful expression appeared in his eyes.

Those Metal Devouring Beetles swarmed around Qu Lin's three severed body parts, devouring them madly.

The three parts of Qu Lin's body shrank rapidly, but suddenly golden light flashed on them, and they exploded and disintegrated, also transforming into countless tiny Metal Devouring Beetles that shot away in all directions.

Seeing this, Han Li raised both hands, and the golden light within his domain flowed around his body, forming a huge golden vortex.

Han Li's domain power was immense, and as one of the three supreme laws, the Law of Time reigned supreme over all laws. The tiny Metal Devouring Beetles transformed from Qu Lin were swept into the domain vortex and could only drift with the current, unable to escape.

The tiny Metal Devouring Beetles transformed from Jintong were unaffected and continued to pounce on the beetles transformed from Qu Lin, biting and devouring them.

Unable to escape, the beetles transformed from Qu Lin had no choice but to turn around and engage Jintong in battle again.

The two swarms of Metal Devouring Beetles collided like two golden torrents, intertwining and biting, emitting piercing screeches.

Watching this scene, Han Li felt an indescribable emotion well up in his heart, as if he had returned to a long, long time ago, when he was a small cultivator who had just obtained Metal Devouring Beetles and was overjoyed to discover they could advance by devouring each other.

Qu Lin was first injured by Han Li, then ambushed by Jintong, adding injury to injury. Although he was stronger than Jintong, he now found himself at a disadvantage.

However, Qu Lin's cultivation was still a notch higher, and although Jintong had the upper hand, she could not completely defeat Qu Lin for the time being.

Han Li's thoughts were pulled back to reality. He sighed softly, formed a hand seal with both hands, and the golden light in his domain intensified, the power of the Law of Time rippling.

The speed of the beetles transformed from Qu Lin suddenly slowed tenfold.

"Uncle, thank you!" Jintong's buzzing voice came from the swarm, and then she immediately surged forward.

With Han Li's help, Jintong gained an overwhelming advantage, and the swarm transformed from Qu Lin rapidly diminished, on the verge of being completely devoured.

The swarm transformed from Qu Lin let out squeaking screams and converged toward one point, as if trying to coalesce into one body.

"As you said, you were originally one, and in the end, you must return. Why struggle any further?" Han Li murmured to himself, then flicked his sleeve.

More than a dozen thick golden lightning bolts shot from his hand and struck the convergence point of the swarm in a flash.

"Boom!" A thunderclap exploded, and a golden thunderbolt sun burst open!

The swarm that had barely gathered was instantly blasted apart, scattering in all directions.

This slight delay allowed the swarm formed by Gold童 to surge forward and immediately engulf the Devouring Gold Beetles transformed from Qu Lin.

After a moment, the Devouring Gold Beetles quieted down and converged toward one spot.

A golden light flashed, and a slender, graceful golden-haired young girl gradually materialized—it was Gold童.

She had grown considerably compared to before, her features even more exquisite and unparalleled, yet her expression remained icy cold, making her hard to approach.

Gold童 revealed herself but did not speak; instead, she immediately sat cross-legged, a golden light rising from her body, and dense golden spots appeared on her skin, over six hundred in number.

Seeing this, Han Li knew that Gold童 had devoured Qu Lin, greatly increasing her vital energy, and needed to refine it through cultivation. He waved his hands.

One after another, green formation flags flew out and landed around the two, forming several layers of green light barriers.

Golden light churned on Gold童's body, flowing like tides, and the golden spots on her skin increased rapidly one by one, soon reaching over seven hundred, while her aura continuously rose.

Han Li felt secretly delighted at this sight.

They were in a dangerous place now, and if Gold童's strength could increase, it would naturally benefit them greatly.

He did not remain idle either; he took out a pill and swallowed it, silently beginning to refine it.

Time passed bit by bit, and the immortal apertures on Gold童's body opened more and more, soon reaching over eight hundred, approaching the limit of the early Great Luo stage.

Han Li was astonished at how abundant Qu Lin's vital energy was—could it allow Gold童 to break through to the mid Great Luo stage in one go?

The immortal apertures on Gold童's body flickered, and when they reached eight hundred and thirty-nine, the churning golden light slowly calmed, finally all converging back into her body.

Han Li frowned slightly; he clearly sensed that there was still considerable vital energy unused within Gold童, but then his brow relaxed.

To break through to the mid Great Luo stage, it was not enough to merely open immortal apertures; the most important thing was to sever the evil corpse. Gold童 clearly lacked full confidence in that aspect, so she chose to stop.

Gold童 restrained her aura and stood up.

"Gold童, seeing you safe puts my mind at ease," Han Li said, also forming hand seals to withdraw the surrounding restrictions, looking her over.

"Uncle, it's been such a long time! By the way, how did you end up here?" Gold童 asked, her beautiful eyes flickering.

"Naturally, I came to rescue you. Not just me, but Xiao Bai is here too," Han Li said calmly, raising his hand and waving.

A white light flashed, and Xiao Bai's figure materialized, already transformed into his Pixiu form.

"Boss, I've missed you so much!" As soon as Xiao Bai appeared, he pounced toward Gold童 with claws and teeth bared, tears and snot streaming down his face.

"Stop!" Gold童 stretched out her long leg, blocking Xiao Bai's head to keep him from getting close, lest dirt get on her.

"Uncle, it was my carelessness back then that got me captured by the Nine Yuan Temple, causing you trouble," Gold童 said softly, glancing at Xiao Bai and Han Li, a hint of emotion flickering in her beautiful eyes.

"We are companions, having come this far together over the years. Why say such things?" Han Li waved his hand and said.

"That's true. I was being too attached," Gold童 said with a faint smile, like a hundred flowers blooming.

Seeing this, Han Li's eyes brightened as well, and he silently praised Gold童's current elegance. In terms of appearance alone, among the female cultivators he knew, almost none could compare with her, and she even seemed to rival Zi Ling.

"Boss, it's really great that you're okay!" Xiao Bai finally recovered from his excitement, rubbing his big head against Gold童 and mumbling.

"Gold童, according to the intelligence I obtained, you were captured by the Nine Yuan Temple and imprisoned in Ghost Valley. How did you end up here?" Han Li asked.

"Hmph! That Ghost Spirit locked me in a Jadeite Cage, planning to send me to the Heavenly Court during the Bodhi Banquet. But a few days ago, he suddenly left, and I took the opportunity to bite through the cage at the cost of damaging my vital energy and escaped. However, I'm not familiar with this place and stumbled here by mistake," Gold童 said indignantly.

"I see. Although we are temporarily safe, leaving the Nine Yuan Temple safely will not be easy," Han Li said slowly, nodding.

……

The Nine Yuan Palace, the core within the core of the entire Nine Yuan Temple, had always been regarded as a forbidden area within the sect. The Ancestral Hall, the most important place of the sect, was located in the middle-rear of the entire Nine Yuan Palace.

But now, this central area of the sect was also under fierce attack by the Reincarnation Hall.

The spatial restrictions around the Nine Yuan Palace had long been activated, the entire area enveloped by a golden barrier of light, with thousands of core elders and disciples of the Nine Yuan Temple guarding the perimeter.

This place seemed to be a key target of the Reincarnation Hall's current operation, as it gathered several times the number of cultivators compared to the Nine Yuan Temple's elders and disciples, all wearing various masks, madly charging toward the Nine Yuan Palace.

At first, the stationed elders and disciples of the Nine Yuan Palace relied on the barrier to fight desperately against the Reincarnation Hall cultivators.

But soon, they suffered heavy casualties and, unable to hold on, retreated one after another back inside the barrier, putting up a stubborn resistance while waiting for reinforcements from other parts of the sect.

However, the Reincarnation Hall's large-scale attack on the Nine Yuan Temple was clearly long-planned and fully prepared. Before attacking the Nine Yuan Palace, they had already pinned down a large number of Nine Yuan Temple cultivators elsewhere and set up ambushes on the necessary paths for reinforcements.

It could be said that the Nine Yuan Palace, isolated and without support, had temporarily become a dead end.