Chapter 1254: The Person in the Dream

At the same time the ancient mirror shattered, the woman in black's face flushed, and she spat out a small mouthful of blood. Her complexion turned deathly pale, as if the destruction of her lifebound immortal artifact had injured her true body.

However, the woman did not even glance at the shattered mirror; she quickly extended her right hand.

A stream of dark red light shot out from her palm, wrapping around the five-colored vial and snatching it into her hand.

Seeing this, Chi Meng and Huo Yuan were both enraged. Their auras suddenly flared, and they simultaneously formed hand seals and pointed.

The nine fire dragons and the hundreds of bolts of lightning and fire also brightened abruptly, their descent speed doubling as they surrounded the woman in black from all directions, raining down upon her head, accompanied by an immense pressure.

Already severely wounded, the woman in black was pressed down by the enormous pressure and fell to the ground with a thud, but her right hand still tightly gripped the five-colored vial.

The exchange between the three seemed complicated, but it took only a blink of an eye.

At this moment, Chun Jun Zhenren, Shi Kongmo, Wu Yang, and the others, who had been knocked back against the hall's walls, had just caught their breath and turned to look at the five-colored vial.

Seeing the woman in black in dire straits, Wu Yang and Jiao San's expressions changed drastically.

Ignoring their own injuries, the two transformed into streaks of light and rushed toward the entrance, as if determined to rescue the woman in black at any cost.

But they were too far away; it was clearly too late.

The woman in black's bamboo hat had been knocked off, and her veil had vanished, revealing a stunningly beautiful, lively young girl's face.

She looked up with difficulty at the terrifying attacks flying toward her from all directions, and a hint of despair appeared on her face beneath the veil.

But at that moment, the void around her rippled, and a figure appeared out of thin air—it was Han Li.

He flicked his sleeve, and a stream of substantial golden light surged out, flashing above the woman in black's head.

With a whoosh, the golden light spread out, transforming into a dense, thick golden auspicious cloud. Countless runes danced on its surface, and it emitted melodious sounds of chanting, enveloping both Han Li and the woman in black.

"This is..." Wu Yang's expression changed at the sight of the golden auspicious cloud, and his flying form paused.

Chun Jun Zhenren's expression also shifted upon seeing this.

The fire dragons and lightning and fire rained down like a storm, engulfing the golden auspicious cloud.

A thunderous roar erupted, mixed with the sounds of rolling flames, dragon roars, and tiger howls.

Flames churned, lightning flashed, and the void within dozens of zhang shattered completely. Spatial cracks interwove and cut through everything, while the spiritual energy of heaven and earth roiled violently like boiling water, presenting a scene of great destruction.

The entire hall shook incessantly, and golden light flickered on the floor and surrounding walls, as if they could not withstand the fierce power and were about to collapse.

After a long while, the raging flames and lightning subsided and dispersed, and the shattered void quickly healed itself, revealing the scene within.

The golden auspicious cloud appeared to have been shaved off a layer, but it still stood firm, its surface gleaming with dazzling golden light, without any trace of cracks.

Seeing this, Chi Meng and Huo Yuan both wore expressions of disbelief.

The attack just now seemed ordinary, but it was actually their full power, yet it could not break through this thin layer of golden cloud.

At that moment, two sharp whistling sounds suddenly arose, and two astonishing golden beams shot forth, slashing at Chi Meng and Huo Yuan.

The two's expressions changed slightly, and they quickly retreated, dodging the golden beams.

The golden beams forced them back but did not pursue; they immediately reversed course and vanished into Wu Yang's sleeve.

Wu Yang moved and landed near the golden auspicious cloud.

Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh!

Jiao San, Lu Chuanfeng, and even Shi Kongmo also flew over and landed near the golden auspicious cloud, subtly guarding it in the center.

The golden auspicious cloud rippled and spread out with a whoosh, revealing Han Li and the woman in black within.

Han Li waved his hand to withdraw the golden auspicious cloud, ignoring everyone else, and bent down to look at the woman in black.

"Wan'er..." His usual composure completely vanished from his face; he was entranced. His lips moved slightly as he softly called out.

This face, which had haunted his dreams and appeared countless times in his sleep, now appeared before him again, seemingly unchanged from when he first saw her many years ago.

Only now it carried a bit more immortal aura, more ethereal and heartbreakingly beautiful.

At this moment, nothing else existed in Han Li's mind—cultivation, realms, techniques, incantations—all were cast aside. His eyes saw only the delicate young woman before him. He wanted only to hold her in his hands and cherish her, but he feared that if he touched her, this dreamlike girl would vanish, and everything would be just an illusion.

An unprecedented emotion filled Han Li's heart, and his state of mind grew without end.

With a soft crack, a certain bottleneck shattered, and Han Li's state of mind reached a new level.

"Wan'er? Are you referring to me? Thank you for saving me, but my name is Rushuang, not Wan'er." The woman in black frowned slightly as she looked at Han Li, then stood up on her own, speaking coldly.

As she spoke, she took out a red pill and swallowed it. Her face flushed with red light, and her aura recovered somewhat.

"Rushuang..." Han Li's body trembled, and he regained his composure, but stood there dumbfounded.

"Fellow Daoist Han, thank you for saving Sister Rushuang. How did you come to be here?" Jiao San, seeing Han Li's actions, showed a hint of surprise in her eyes, then said.

Han Li glanced at Jiao San but paid her no heed, turning his gaze back to the woman in black.

The woman in black wrinkled her nose, then dodged behind Wu Yang, avoiding Han Li's gaze.

Han Li felt a pang in his heart. He looked at Wu Yang with a slightly cold gaze and unconsciously clenched his fists.

He and Wan'er had been husband and wife for many years, their hearts connected; he could not be mistaken. This woman in black was definitely his wife, Nangong Wan.

Although there were many doubts—why Nangong Wan was here, why she was a member of the Reincarnation Palace, and how her cultivation had reached the Da Luo realm—Han Li trusted his instincts.

"This is not the time for idle talk. Since we have the item, retreat immediately!" Wu Yang noticed Han Li's gaze, frowned slightly, and then said.

But before he finished speaking, a dull thud sounded, and the main gate of the hall suddenly closed, trapping everyone inside.

Everyone in the hall's expressions changed.

Chi Meng, being closest to the gate, immediately raised her hand, formed a seal, and waved.

Instantly, a sword-shaped crimson flame shot out, its internal fire law power rapidly spinning and contracting, striking the gate.

With a loud bang, the sword-shaped flame immediately exploded, turning into a crimson mushroom cloud. The fire law power within it also expanded and exploded violently, impacting the tightly shut gate.

A layer of golden light appeared on the gate, flickering gently.

The crimson mushroom cloud did not last long and soon dissipated.

The spot where the gate was struck was smooth as new, without any trace left.

Seeing this, Chi Meng's pretty face darkened.

"The gate has a restriction personally set by the founder. It takes some time to activate, but fortunately, we made it in time." At that moment, a cold laugh came from the side. Chun Jun Zhenren walked over slowly, his face expressionless, his gaze sweeping coldly over everyone present.

Yang Junzi and Lei Jun Zhenren stood behind Chun Jun Zhenren, each holding a golden token, forming seals and urging them continuously.

Circles of golden light waves flickered on the tokens, spreading outward.

With a hum, a layer of glass-like golden light spread over the nearby hall, enveloping the entire hall.

Han Li had now regained his composure. Seeing the surroundings, his expression changed slightly, then he looked at Yang Junzi and Lei Jun Zhenren.

No wonder these two had been staying inside the formation, using its power to resist Jiao San and the others; they had been secretly activating the hall's restrictions.

Judging from the effect of Chi Meng's attack just now, the restrictions here were exceptionally powerful.

Moreover...

Han Li glanced at the hall's ceiling and frowned slightly.

He had felt it when he used the Imperishable Golden Cloud to rescue the woman in black: an invisible force enveloped the hall, greatly affecting the operation of law power.

The battle between Wu Yang and the others was on a small scale, quite inconsistent with their Da Luo status. Even when unfolding their domains, they could only expand a few zhang, most likely for this reason.

Now that this layer of glass-like golden light had appeared around the hall, the invisible force had grown even stronger.

In such an environment, they could hardly exert their full strength, and escaping would likely be difficult.

Wu Yang and the others also looked grim, except for Shi Kongmo, who remained calm and leisurely examined the golden light around him.

Chun Jun Zhenren looked at the Reincarnation Palace group, his gaze pausing briefly on Han Li before moving on to Lu Chuanfeng.

"Lu Chuanfeng, what benefits did the Reincarnation Palace offer you that you would betray the Celestial Court and kill Immortal Envoy Fengtian?" Chun Jun Zhenren asked with a hint of confusion in his voice.

"I apologize, it's not collusion. I have always been a member of the Reincarnation Palace," Lu Chuanfeng said with a smile.

"I never expected... Very well. I didn't think the Reincarnation Palace's reach was so long. Since you are a mole, you won't leave this place alive today!" Chun Jun Zhenren was startled, but quickly regained his composure and said coldly.

"Fellow Daoist Chun Jun, if you have the ability, you can take my life anytime!" Lu Chuanfeng laughed loudly.

Chun Jun Zhenren snorted, ignored him, and turned his gaze to Chi Meng and Huo Yuan, saying coldly, "Fellow Daoist Chi Meng, Mountain Lord Huo Yuan, the two of you sneaked into the depths of my Nine Yuan Temple to seize its treasures. What is the meaning of this? Could it be that you are also colluding with the Reincarnation Palace?"

"Temple Master Chun Jun, please do not misunderstand. The Reincarnation Palace is evil. How could I and Mountain Lord Huo Yuan have anything to do with them? We were merely trying to prevent that treasure bottle from falling into the hands of the Reincarnation Palace. We had no intention of stealing your temple's treasures." Chi Meng's eyes twinkled as she spoke with a faint smile.