Chapter 230: Too Many Words

Meanwhile.

Sun Ke and Bai Suyuan, a group of six, had also arrived deep within Pinecone Ridge.

This route had been the safest of the three all along, and most of the demon beasts they encountered were not very powerful. With the group already working in tacit understanding, their progress grew smoother and smoother.

"Senior Martial Brother Sun, according to the map, about a thousand miles ahead is the activity area of the Snow Dove Beast," Bai Suyuan said, flying side by side with Sun Ke, her gaze sweeping across the vast snowy plain ahead.

"Although this beast is not ferocious by nature, its strength should not be underestimated. It is said that there have been precedents of it actively attacking cultivators, so we must be cautious." Sun Ke nodded.

The moment his words fell, Bai Suyuan suddenly halted her遁光, staring warily at a grove of needle-leaf pines several hundred zhang ahead.

Almost simultaneously, Sun Ke also stopped his遁光, raising a hand to halt the four behind him.

Without a word, the four scattered, already summoning their respective magic treasures.

"Cough... cough, you little brats do have some skill."

Accompanied by a somewhat hoarse cough, a tall, gaunt old man with an ordinary face, dressed in a white snow robe, slowly rose from the pine grove.

"May I ask who you are, Senior, and why you are hiding in the shadows?" Bai Suyuan asked with great respect, though inwardly startled.

She could not discern the other's cultivation aura; had it not been for a rare treasure she carried, she would not have detected his presence at all. And since he was skulking about, his intentions were clearly not friendly.

Sun Ke and the others shared the same thought, exchanging glances as if considering a countermeasure.

"Who I am is not important. The key is that you are Bai Suyuan. Tsk tsk, what a fine flower, what a Moonlight Constitution. Enough idle talk—come with me, old man." The gaunt old man's gaze fell on Bai Suyuan as he spoke indifferently.

"A senior elder of our sect is nearby; do not act rashly!" Bai Suyuan's expression remained unchanged, but her heart tightened.

"Heh, little girl, don't try to bluff. The hidden guards your Candle Dragon Sect arranged have long been lured away by me, and now they can barely save themselves. Will you come quietly, or must I take you by force?" The gaunt old man sneered.

At these words, Sun Ke and the others were startled.

Although they had no major backing within the sect, having qualified for this trial, they each had their own circles and information channels, and had learned about the hidden guards in the trial before setting out.

This had been like a reassurance, allowing them to proceed with confidence. Now that they learned the guards seemed to be trapped by the opponent, they naturally felt a pang of panic.

"Senior, I have never met you before. Why do you insist on taking me with you?" Bai Suyuan's eyes darted around, but her expression softened as she asked.

"Hehe, haven't you always wanted to know the whereabouts of your ancestor, Bai? If you come with me, I will tell you where he is." The gaunt old man did not answer Bai Suyuan's question but instead smiled.

"You know my ancestor?" Bai Suyuan asked hastily upon hearing this.

"Elder Bai Fengyi, of course I know him." The old man said leisurely.

A look of hesitation appeared on Bai Suyuan's face. Clever as she usually was, her mind was now somewhat disturbed.

"Senior Martial Sister Bai, don't listen to him. That's just a trick to make you surrender willingly. Don't take it seriously." Sun Ke quickly reminded her.

"Right! If you know my ancestor, then produce a token!" Bai Suyuan said upon hearing this.

"You refuse a toast only to be forced to drink a forfeit. Since you are so ungrateful, my patience ends here! After all, too many words can ruin things." The old man's expression turned cold.

With that, he suddenly raised his hand, fingers spread, and pushed forward. A golden pellet shot out, reaching within a dozen zhang of Bai Suyuan in the blink of an eye.

The next moment, the pellet burst into brilliant golden light, transforming into a golden net that descended upon her head.

Startled, Bai Suyuan immediately tapped the ground with her toe and shot backward.

But the gap in strength was too great; even with her instant reaction, she could not evade at all.

As for Sun Ke and the others, they were too slow to make any move and could only watch helplessly as Bai Suyuan was about to be caught by the golden net.

But at that moment, a green light flashed without warning in midair, and a figure instantly appeared before Bai Suyuan, raising a hand and waving it forward without a word.

"Whoosh"

A mass of pitch-black liquid surged out and slammed into the golden net.

The golden net, which had been rushing forward swiftly, suddenly seemed burdened with a thousand jun weight upon being coated with the black liquid, plummeting heavily toward the ground.

"Impossible!" The gaunt old man's expression darkened.

"Elder... Li..."

Bai Suyuan, having barely steadied herself, recognized the figure before her and called out with a mix of surprise and delight.

The figure now standing between her and the old man was none other than Han Li.

"You really do talk too much. And I was clearly on the sidelines, yet you said I had left. If these juniors report to the sect, I'll have merit points deducted." Han Li did not look back at Bai Suyuan, but stared coldly at the gaunt old man opposite, speaking slowly.

"No wonder that figure earlier had the same aura as you, but something felt off... But do you, a mere early True Immortal, think you can stop me?" The gaunt old man's pupils contracted as he sneered.

As his words fell, he raised a hand, and seven gleaming flying swords materialized out of thin air. After a brief hover, they formed a sword array and shot toward Han Li.

The runes on the flying swords blazed brightly, emitting clusters of white flames. From a distance, the seven swords looked like a huge fiery kite spreading its wings.

Seeing this, Han Li raised both hands, and a surge of black heavy water gushed out, transforming into a zhang-long black flood dragon in midair that charged toward the white fiery kite.

"Boom, boom, boom..."

A series of explosions rang out in the air. Countless white flames scattered and splashed onto the surrounding snow, immediately producing a hissing sound and billowing white steam.

The snow on a dozen or so needle-leaf pines melted rapidly, while the trunks were ignited by the blazing flames, rising into a raging fire.

"Senior Martial Sister Bai, who is this elder?" Sun Ke looked at the figure ahead with a strange glint in his eyes, approaching Bai Suyuan to ask.

"He is Inner Sect Elder Li Feiyu of our sect." Bai Suyuan, focused on the battle between the two, did not notice Sun Ke's peculiar expression and answered casually.

Sun Ke was naturally astonished.

This Elder Li shared the same surname and given name as the person he had met on the跨海雷舟. Most importantly, he sensed a somewhat similar aura from both.

The auras were close, but their momentum and cultivation were worlds apart. Could they really be the same person?

Just then, the gaunt old man let out a loud shout!

The white fiery kite formed by the flying swords spread its wings, its flames suddenly intensifying, forcing Han Li's black flood dragon back step by step.

Seeing this, Han Li formed a hand seal and chanted softly.

A black disk, about a foot in size, covered with complex and dense spiritual patterns and openwork designs, suddenly appeared behind him, emitting a strong water aura—it was the Heavy Water True Wheel.

"Go!"

He gave a low shout.

A loud buzzing sound, like a spinning bamboo top, immediately filled the air.

The Heavy Water True Wheel blurred, spinning rapidly as it shot toward the white fiery kite.

As it neared the kite, the water dao patterns on the wheel blazed with blue light, emanating waves of water law aura.

The gaunt old man's expression shifted slightly. He flicked his wrist, and a golden talisman shot out, flashing into the fiery kite just before the Heavy Water True Wheel collided with it.

With a loud "boom,"

the white fiery kite, driven by the golden talisman, suddenly rolled up, transforming into a blazing white orb that heavily collided with the Heavy Water True Wheel.

"Boom"

A vast surge of air waves spread from the center of the collision, a half-hot, half-cold hurricane sweeping in all directions, churning snow and snapping trees wherever it passed.

Sensing danger, Sun Ke and the others had already retreated far behind, taking cover hundreds of zhang away.

In the mountain forest, a loud clanging sound arose.

The Heavy Water True Wheel, like a black sun, spun madly, clashing violently with the white sun formed by the flying swords, locked in a temporary stalemate.

Seeing this, Han Li waved his hand, and the black flood dragon that had been repelled earlier coiled up again and charged toward the white orb.

With a dull "thud,"

the black dragon that rushed into the white light was directly shattered by the sharp sword light released from the seven flying swords.

Large patches of black exploded and splattered in all directions.

At that moment, the water dao patterns on the Heavy Water True Wheel suddenly blazed with light, generating a strange attractive force.

The black liquid splashing around was drawn in, all absorbed into the wheel.

Han Li's heart stirred. He felt the Heavy Water True Wheel become somewhat heavier, and its impact force when spinning also increased, pushing the white orb slowly backward.

The gaunt old man, his view blocked by the orb, did not notice the change. Thinking Han Li had merely increased his magical power, he too took a deep breath and fully urged the white orb, gradually reversing the decline.

Han Li waved his hand again, and a black light flashed in midair as a larger black flood dragon emerged.

This time, however, it did not head for the white light but charged straight at the Heavy Water True Wheel.

With a soft "plop,"

the black flood dragon, like a clay ox entering the sea, plunged directly into the wheel.

The Heavy Water True Wheel shone with black light, its size expanding by an inch, becoming even heavier.

The gaunt old man's heart tightened. He felt a vast, rolling water vapor rushing toward him, as heavy as a mountain pressing down, making it hard for him to breathe.

He quickly formed hand seals, pushing the white orb with all his might to prevent an immediate collapse, while opening his mouth to spit out a golden puppet the size of a thumb.