Chapter 1303: The Palace Master Appears

Under Han Li and Jiao San's watchful eyes, the rolling dark red sun suddenly trembled violently.

The next moment, as if it had come to life, the sun began to expand and contract incessantly, its rhythm growing faster and faster.

Seeing this, Han Li's pupils abruptly constricted.

Almost at the same time, a vast white light burst forth from the sun's surface, and then the entire sun split in two, dissolving into streaks of fading light that drifted away.

The figure of Bone Emperor emerged, appearing completely unharmed, not even a tear in his long robe.

The soulfire in his eyes flickered wildly, but he did not attack again.

After several fruitless exchanges, he had clearly shed his contempt for the two humans he had previously dismissed.

Although both seemed to be only at the Da Luo stage, far inferior to him, the Wheel of Reincarnation Formation was so formidable that they could contend with him by relying on it.

At that moment, Blood Li, the dark-faced giant, and the black-robed specter flew over from afar and landed beside Bone Emperor.

“Lord Bone Emperor, are you all right?” the dark-faced giant asked with concern.

Bone Emperor did not speak. He raised his hand and waved, and a blinding white light suddenly burst from the palm of his bone claw.

“Rumble—”

The entire sky immediately churned and roiled again. Countless bone-white lights descended from the heavens, interweaving into a vast, towering wave that swept toward the gray stone hall with overwhelming force.

Rumble!

The gray stone hall and the surrounding dark red light shield trembled once more under the onslaught of this white light wave, like a lone boat in a storm, on the verge of collapse.

Han Li and Jiao San's expressions changed slightly. Without a word, they both raised their hands and activated the resonance of laws in an attempt to stabilize the Wheel of Reincarnation Formation.

However, after unleashing this awe-inspiring bone-white wave, Bone Emperor did not press the attack. Instead, he turned to the black-robed specter and said coldly, “Ghost Shaman, stop pretending. You have possessed the black-robed man’s body. Do you think I wouldn’t know?”

“Hehe, as expected, I cannot hide it from Senior Bone Emperor,” the black-robed specter chuckled. His body moved and rapidly shrank, transforming into a gray-robed man—none other than Ghost Shaman.

Blood Li and the dark-faced giant were startled at the sight.

“In the storm just now, a wisp of my remnant soul was about to be destroyed. To save myself, I had no choice but to possess Brother Black Robe’s body. I beg Senior Bone Emperor’s forgiveness,” Ghost Shaman said, bowing to Bone Emperor.

“You know I cannot use my full strength. Go kill that human cultivator for me, and I will forgive your possession. You have been by that human junior’s side for a long time. Don’t tell me you haven’t collected a seed of his aura,” Bone Emperor said coldly.

“Of course, no problem. Since that man has defected to King Wheel, he is an enemy of our Netherworld. Lord Bone Emperor has given me a new lease on life, so I naturally should share your worries,” Ghost Shaman said with a smile. Then he opened his mouth and spat.

A mass of gray light flew out, revealing a gray-black puppet only a few inches in size, exquisitely crafted.

But the puppet’s face had no features, making it look quite eerie.

Ghost Shaman flipped his hand and produced a gray talisman inscribed with a ring of circular runes, seemingly a sealing spell. In the center of the ring flickered a mass of golden light, radiating Han Li’s aura.

Ghost Shaman pressed the talisman onto the puppet’s blank face. With a “crackle,” the talisman shattered, and countless gray runes emerged, carrying the golden light as they merged into the puppet’s body.

The puppet trembled violently, as if about to come to life. Light flickered on its face, and a visage gradually appeared, vaguely resembling Han Li.

Inside the dark red light shield, Han Li suddenly looked up, gazing into the depths of the bone-white light with a puzzled expression.

“Since you’re walking right into the trap, don’t blame me for being ruthless.”

Ghost Shaman muttered to himself, a cruel smile curling at the corner of his mouth. He raised his other hand, and black light flashed in his palm, revealing seven black needles that glistened with an eerie sheen, sending chills down one’s spine.

Then, with a flick of his finger, the seven black needles shot out simultaneously, piercing through the puppet’s chest, solar plexus, brow, and four other spots, exiting from the other side.

Instantly, seven streams of blood spurted from the puppet’s body, splattering in all directions, and blood also flowed from its mouth.

Inside the light shield, with a “pfft,” seven blood holes burst open on Han Li’s body, and blood gushed out.

Not only that, but a sharp pain shot through his mind as seven blurry black needle shadows pierced his soul.

Han Li spat out a mouthful of blood with a “wah,” and his aura plummeted.

“Fellow Daoist Han, what’s wrong?” Jiao San, seeing Han Li’s condition, changed expression and exclaimed.

Han Li did not speak, his eyes tightly shut, his face contorted in pain.

At that moment, seven sinister and vicious forces rampaged through his mind, as if trying to annihilate his soul directly.

He felt his head swell with excruciating pain, as if it were about to burst at any moment. His sea of consciousness was in turmoil, an indescribable agony.

Fortunately, his soul was immensely powerful, and he did not collapse. Surging golden light erupted, instantly enveloping his body.

A vast power of the law of time then shrouded his body, stopping the bleeding from the seven wounds. The seven shadowy black needles in his mind also faded significantly, and the pain in his head eased considerably.

Han Li breathed a sigh of relief, opened his eyes, and raised his hand to wave lightly.

Silver light flashed beside him, and Ti Hun and the others materialized.

"You... go and help Daoist Jiao Three hold the restriction!"

Han Li said quickly, then, unable to spare further attention for Jiao Three, immediately sat down cross-legged, activating the Great Five Elements Illusory World Art and the Art of Refining the Spirit to refine the seven sinister forces within his mind.

Without Han Li's time law assistance, the power of the Reincarnation Grand Formation greatly diminished, and the radiance emitted by the dark red light barrier suddenly dimmed, once again rumbling and trembling under the impact of the surrounding bone-white light streams.

Seeing this, Jiao Three hastily formed hand seals, striving to stabilize the light barrier.

However, waves of immense force transmitted from outside struck Jiao Three, causing her expression to rapidly turn grim.

Ti Hun and the others, unsure of what to do, could only block the infiltrating forces, sharing some of Jiao Three's burden.

Outside the light barrier, the Ghost Witch frowned deeply, staring at the puppet before him.

The blood on the puppet had stopped flowing, and the features of Han Li's face on it had dimmed considerably but had not disappeared.

"Eh, not dead? How peculiar," the Ghost Witch murmured.

Blood Fiend beside him let out a cold laugh, his tone dripping with sarcasm.

"Enough! Everyone attack together and break this Reincarnation Grand Formation in one go!" Bone Emperor bellowed, his tone urgent, seemingly anxious, as he swung his hand in a strike.

Behind him, a colossal mountain of white bones materialized in the void, apparently composed of countless ghastly skeletons, emitting waves of immensely powerful law fluctuations.

Then, a huge, pale bone claw extended from the bone mountain, grabbing onto the dark red light barrier.

Blood Fiend also let out a long howl, and endless blood light surged from his body, forming a blood cloud that blotted out the sky.

He swung the giant axe in his hand, and the vast blood cloud instantly converged into one place with his movement, forming a ten-thousand-zhang blood axe spanning the sky, with scorching electric sparks crackling wildly along its blade, appearing extremely terrifying.

As Blood Fiend's giant axe slashed through the air, the blood-colored giant axe in the sky also rumbled down, cleaving onto the light barrier.

Almost at the same time, the dark-faced burly man once again employed his previous divine ability, summoning the two-headed, four-armed ghost king.

The ghost king's four fists blazed with black light, then suddenly blurred.

Countless fist shadows emerged, striking the Reincarnation Grand Formation like a raging tide.

The Ghost Witch was not skilled in such physical attacks, but he also spat out a black beam that struck the dark red light barrier.

The attacks of the four landed simultaneously on the dark red light barrier, producing a thunderous, earth-shattering boom.

Jiao Three's delicate body trembled violently, and blood oozed from her seven orifices.

Yet her eyes were exceptionally bright as she fully activated the Reincarnation Grand Formation, showing no sign of retreat.

The dark red light barrier flickered violently, rapidly thinning until only a thin layer remained, on the verge of shattering.

Cracks also appeared on the palace below, as if it were about to collapse.

At that moment, a vast and boundless force emanated from the palace below, pouring into the nearly collapsing Reincarnation Grand Formation.

The Reincarnation Grand Formation erupted with towering dark red light, emitting sharp whistling sounds, as if cheering with immense joy.

The dark red light barrier instantly restored to its original state, becoming even thicker, while countless dark red beams shot out from within, and with a loud rumble, the attacks of Bone Emperor and the others were directly repelled.

Bone Emperor's body shook violently, and he staggered back two steps before steadying himself, his body flickering with light several times, revealing his inner shock.

Blood Fiend and the others fared even worse, directly sent flying backward.

Seeing this, Jiao Three finally relaxed her tense nerves, and all her accumulated injuries erupted at once. Unable to hold on any longer, her body went limp and she began to fall.

A mass of dark red mist appeared out of nowhere, catching Jiao Three's body, and a figure appeared beside her—none other than the Reincarnation Palace Master.

"Palace Master, your side... is it over?" Jiao Three's eyes lit up as she asked with difficulty.

"Jiu Zhen, you have worked hard. Rest well; leave the rest to me," the Reincarnation Palace Master said softly, raising his hand and waving.

Jiao Three felt a vast, warm current surge into her body, circulating once before disappearing.

Her injuries were completely healed, and nearly half of her consumed immortal spiritual power was restored. She stood up joyfully.

Ti Hun and the others, though not injured, were also alarmed by the Reincarnation Palace Master's imposing manner. They all flew to Han Li's side, on high alert.

Han Li's body shimmered with golden light, which then retracted, and he also stood up, staring blankly at the Reincarnation Palace Master.

The person before him had indistinct features, impossible to make out, but for some reason, Han Li felt a strange sense of familiarity.

The Reincarnation Palace Master glanced at Han Li, then quickly averted his gaze, looking at Bone Emperor as he spoke slowly:

"Bone Emperor, it has been many years."

"I have long wished to see you, but unfortunately, never had the chance," Bone Emperor said coldly.

"The timing now seems quite appropriate," the Reincarnation Palace Master said.

"Not just appropriate—it could be called a rare opportunity in ten thousand years! Hmph, your cultivation was originally inferior to mine, and now you are probably depleted in both qi and blood. Can you still be my match?" Bone Emperor said, his eyes' soul flames flickering.

"I didn't expect you to still act as always, even going so far as to use the power of laws despite being a Dao Ancestor. It seems the Six Paths Reincarnation Disk holds great temptation for you," the Reincarnation Palace Master said, moving his body and flying out of the dark red light barrier, speaking calmly.