Chapter 1255: An Invisible Hand

"Indeed, Fellow Daoist Chi Meng and I saw these Reincarnation Palace people sneaking deep into Nine Elements Temple. Considering the friendship between our two sects, we feared they might do something unfavorable to Nine Elements Temple, so we followed them all the way here." Huo Yuan said solemnly.

Pure Venerate True Man snorted coldly, not believing a word of their words, but did not press them further.

Both Chi Meng and Huo Yuan had extremely deep backgrounds. Chi Meng, needless to say, held a pivotal position in the Heavenly Court and had behind her the Red Rong Dao Ancestor, known for protecting his own. Even if she had done something wrong, Pure Venerate True Man would not dare to do anything to her, at most reprimanding her a few words.

Huo Yuan was the current mountain master of Hundred Creations Mountain, whose influence spread across the various immortal domains of the True Immortal Realm. Although there was no Dao Ancestor backing them, they had a very close relationship with the Heavenly Court. Over the countless years, any force that dared to strike at Hundred Creations Mountain had met a miserable end, and many regarded Hundred Creations Mountain as a vassal of the Heavenly Court.

Nine Elements Temple was in a delicate situation at present. As the head of the temple, Pure Venerate True Man had to consider the overall situation and naturally had no intention of provoking a conflict between Nine Elements Temple and Hundred Creations Mountain. Moreover, if the two were pushed too hard and they joined forces with Reincarnation Palace, it would be disastrous.

"Very well, since you two have nothing to do with Reincarnation Palace, please stand aside and wait for a moment. After we deal with these Reincarnation Palace thieves, we will let you leave." Pure Venerate True Man then said.

Hearing this, Chi Meng and Huo Yuan secretly breathed a sigh of relief, nodded, and drifted to a corner of the hall.

Although they each had their backgrounds, they were currently inside Nine Elements Temple, and distant water could not quench a nearby fire. If Pure Venerate True Man really attacked them, they could only surrender.

"Mountain Master Huo Yuan, is that five-colored vial the thing refined by the previous mountain master of Hundred Creations Mountain, Hundred Refinement Immortal Venerable?" Chi Meng pursed her lips and transmitted her voice.

The two stood side by side, their expressions no longer hostile.

"That vial does indeed have the aura of Hundred Creations Mountain's refining techniques. It should be the thing refined by Mountain Master Hundred Refinement. However, back then, Mountain Master Hundred Refinement only refined an embryo. It seems Nine Elements Temple has undergone a secondary refining, making it vastly different from its original form. I almost didn't recognize it." Huo Yuan's eyes flickered as he transmitted back.

"This treasure does seem extraordinary... In Mountain Master Huo's opinion, what exactly does Nine Elements Temple intend to do by creating such a treasure?" Chi Meng's mind turned as she transmitted again.

"Heaven knows what tricks that old fox Pure Venerate is up to. Only by taking this thing and studying it can we know what Nine Elements Temple is plotting." After a moment's hesitation, Huo Yuan transmitted.

Hearing this, Chi Meng turned her head to look at the Reincarnation Palace people, her beautiful eyes flickering, as if pondering something.

Han Li saw that Pure Venerate True Man had dismissed Chi Meng and Huo Yuan with a few words and secretly thought him formidable.

He then frowned slightly, urgently thinking of a countermeasure.

If he used the Bottle Gourd to travel through time and space now, he could certainly escape this place, but Nangong Wan had completely forgotten him and seemed quite hostile towards him. She would most likely not be willing to leave with him.

With Wu Yang, Jiao San, and others present, they would obviously not allow him to forcibly take Nangong Wan away.

As thoughts turned in Han Li's mind, his brow suddenly moved as he looked towards Wu Yang.

Although Wu Yang's expression was stern at the moment, his lips were moving imperceptibly.

And beside him, Jiao San, Lu Chuanfeng, and others' ears were also twitching slightly, as if they were secretly conversing.

Shi Kongmo also looked at them, his gaze focused, clearly participating as well.

Seeing this, Han Li couldn't help but feel somewhat annoyed.

After all, he was also a member of Reincarnation Palace. When Jiao San, Wu Yang, and others discussed matters, they called Shi Kongmo, an outsider, but not him, clearly not considering him as one of their own.

Even so, he had no choice. After all, he had never truly regarded himself as a member of Reincarnation Palace. The communication and cooperation between the two sides were more based on a certain contract.

But he increasingly felt that since joining the Candle Dragon Sect and becoming entangled with this organization, an invisible hand had been pushing things in the dark, making him feel that he could never completely sever ties with it.

Especially when he saw Nangong Wan appear before him, this feeling grew even stronger.

It seemed that after this matter was settled, he must investigate thoroughly.

He was not someone who liked to be manipulated. His own destiny must be completely in his own hands.

Pure Venerate True Man saw Chi Meng and the other retreat to the side, snorted inwardly, and with an unchanged expression turned to look at Wu Yang and the others, about to say something more.

But before he could speak, the Reincarnation Palace people suddenly burst into action.

Shi Kongmo and Lu Chuanfeng transformed into a black and a blue light, rushing towards the three.

Shi Kongmo formed hand seals and waved, his ten fingers moving rapidly.

Dozens of black sword shadows shot out from his fingertips, slashing towards Pure Venerate True Man and the other two.

On each sword shadow, black demon eyes flickered, emitting bursts of black light, looking extremely eerie.

The dozens of sword shadows flew, but not a single sound of sword howling was heard, as if these black swords were not solid.

Beside him, Lu Chuanfeng opened his mouth and spat out a ball of blue light, his hands moving like wheels.

Multicolored hand seals shot out from his hands, striking the ball of spiritual light before him.

The blue light instantly exploded, turning into countless foot-long slender blue ice needles.

"Go!" Lu Chuanfeng pointed with a hand seal and shouted loudly.

The sky-filling blue ice needles shot out all at once like arrows from powerful crossbows, emitting harsh screeching sounds as they rained down on Pure Essence True Man and his two companions, a terrifying sight.

"Hmph, a cornered beast's struggle!"

Pure Essence True Man, seeing their fierce assault, showed no sign of panic; instead, he sneered, rubbed his hands together, and then flung them outward.

Two beams of golden light flew from his hands, striking the left and right walls of the hall respectively.

Yang Junzi and Thunder Truth True Man immediately activated the tokens in their hands, from which streaks of golden light also shot out, merging into the golden light on the surrounding walls.

The layer of golden light within the hall immediately rippled violently, and from within shot out wisps of golden radiance, instantly forming a barrier before the three, then rolling like waves toward Shi Kongmo and Lu Chuanfeng.

The countless ice needles Lu Chuanfeng had sent struck the golden radiance and vanished without a trace, like clay oxen entering the sea.

Shi Kongmo's black sword shadows, formless and insubstantial, pierced through several layers of golden radiance, but the shadows rapidly dimmed.

"Oh, such a formidable soul-devouring禁制, it can even devour the law power within the Heart Demon Curse Swords," Shi Kongmo said in surprise, his face showing astonishment.

As he spoke, he changed his hand seal.

The black sword shadows transformed accordingly, turning into tangible black threads that pierced through layer after layer of golden radiance, continuing toward Pure Essence True Man.

Perhaps due to their reduced size, though the black threads still dimmed as they pierced the golden radiance, they did so much more slowly, soon closing in on Pure Essence True Man and his companions.

The three hastily retreated, urging the golden radiance around them to counter the attack.

Meanwhile, Lu Chuanfeng waved his hands repeatedly, blue light flashing around him as cold air radiated outward.

With cracking sounds, blocks of blue ice the size of houses shot from his hands, emitting terrifying screeches as they smashed like meteors into the encroaching golden radiance.

The golden radiance seemed much slower at devouring the spiritual power within solid objects, and was soon riddled with holes from the blue ice, unable to approach Shi Kongmo and Lu Chuanfeng for a time.

Meanwhile, Jiao San, Wu Yang, and the black-clad girl, the moment Shi Kongmo and the others flew out, turned and rushed toward one wall of the hall.

"Fellow Daoist Han, I have a way to break through this place; please lend me your aid," Jiao San's voice sounded in Han Li's ears almost simultaneously.

Han Li's eyes flickered, and he followed closely behind Jiao San and the others, landing before the hall wall.

Yang Junzi, seeing this from afar, changed expression and pointed a finger at the wall where Han Li and the others stood.

The golden light on the wall brightened instantly, and with a hissing sound, countless golden rays shot out, coalescing into numerous huge golden tentacles that swept toward the group.

"The three of us will hold off these tentacles to buy time for Jiao San!" Wu Yang shouted, charging forward and grabbing at the air with one hand.

With a sharp clang!

A golden greatsword appeared in his hand, its blade engraved on one side with mountains, rivers, and plants, and on the other with the stars of the heavens; the whole sword radiated golden light and auspicious vapors, appearing extraordinary.

Wu Yang swung the golden greatsword, slashing through the air.

A dazzling, golden sword aura a hundred zhang long shot forth, cutting into over a dozen tentacles.

With a tearing sound, most of the dozen tentacles were severed, but the sword aura also shrank considerably and its luster dimmed greatly.

The few tentacles that were not cut off coiled around with incredible flexibility, wrapping around the sword aura like spirit snakes.

The golden sword aura was also agile, moving left and right like a living thing, like a large fish caught in a net.

But those tentacles were very tough, not severed, and they frantically devoured the spiritual power within the sword aura.

The golden sword aura rapidly shrank, its struggles weakening until it completely merged into the golden tentacles.

"These tentacles can devour spiritual power and law power; be extremely careful," Wu Yang shouted in warning, slashing again at other tentacles.

The black-clad girl and Wu Yang acted together; her dark red ancient mirror had been destroyed, so she took out two serpent-shaped long blades.

The girl's arms blurred as she slashed repeatedly.

Crescent-shaped dark red blade beams shot out, cutting into the golden tentacles on the other side, severing seven or eight of them.

But these golden tentacles truly absorbed everything; the blade beams, imbued with the law of reincarnation, dimmed rapidly upon contact with the tentacles and were then devoured.

Seeing this, Han Li suddenly shook his hands.

Starlight flickered on his arms, and dots of starlight emerged—the opened acupoints.

Han Li's arms swelled considerably, his ten fingers also grew larger and longer, and then he flicked them rapidly.

With a series of sharp tearing sounds, white air blades shot out, cutting into the remaining golden tentacles.

With a sound of tearing cloth, all the golden tentacles were torn apart as if defenseless, easily swept away.