Chapter 290: Watching Calmly

Han Li's expression relaxed, but he was also panting heavily, his chest heaving.

The situation just now seemed like he had killed the gaunt old man with lightning speed, but it was actually far more dangerous than it appeared. The crystal that had imprisoned him was extremely tough, and even with his physical strength combined with his immortal spiritual power, he could not break through it immediately; it would take at least five breaths.

Five breaths might be short, but it was enough to determine life and death.

If during that time, the old man's attack had truly come, he would have had no chance to dodge. Although his physical body was strong, the vital point at his brow could not withstand a blow from the opponent's magic treasure.

Even if his physical body survived by luck, he would have paid a terrible price.

Fortunately, at the critical moment, he used the "Dharma Word Heaven and Earth" technique to cause the opponent a moment of hesitation. Then, before the opponent could see through the flaw, he used "Descending Heavenly Fire" as a cover to secretly release the Essence Fire Bird mixed in, taking the opportunity to truly break the crystal's confinement and make the old man believe that his technique could truly control this realm.

Taking advantage of the old man's distraction and his desire to flee, he once again used the technique of Reversing the True Wheel, thus achieving a single strike success.

Now it seemed that all these cultivators who had reached the True Immortal realm had some trump cards. Even though he prided himself on having many techniques, he would have to be more careful in future encounters.

Thinking this, Han Li raised one hand, and a wisp of green light rolled out from his sleeve, wrapping around the old man's corpse to prevent it from falling into the sea. He then took out a pill, swallowed it, and closed his eyes to meditate on the spot.

At present, only over thirty Dao patterns on his True Word Wheel had been restored. Using the Reversing True Wheel repeatedly placed a great burden on his body and consumed an astonishing amount of immortal spiritual power.

After a moment, he opened his eyes again, looked at the gaunt old man's corpse, and began to search it.

Before long, he found a long, narrow green jade box and a blue tiger-head mask in the old man's chest pocket.

The jade box was sealed with several gold and purple talismans to conceal the spiritual medicine's aura inside. Han Li casually tore them off and opened the lid with a snap.

A crystalline purple spirit flower plant with intact roots lay quietly within a jade box, its entire body brimming with the spiritual energy of heaven and earth. Even a single whiff of it refreshed the mind and delighted the heart.

"It really is a Tuming Flower. Though its age is insufficient, it has already been over thirty thousand years. Not bad." Han Li rejoiced inwardly, murmuring to himself.

This Tuming Flower was a rare treasure seldom seen in the outside world, carrying a trace of law power. Not to mention aged ones, even its seeds were priceless and unavailable in the Everlasting Covenant. He had never expected that by coming here on a mission, he would happen to obtain one—truly an unexpected delight.

If not for this flower, he would not have bothered to expend effort chasing after them. His task was to guard the Sacred Puppet Sect; why would he care about an attacker fleeing? As for the fact that this person had once threatened Lin San, that was even more insignificant.

After closing the jade box, he reattached the original talisman, then took out two golden talismans, sealed it, and carefully tucked it into his bosom.

Then, he picked up the cyan tiger-head mask, brought it close to his eyes for a look, and saw the characters "Eleven" written on it—the same serial number as Bai Suyuan's mask. He knew that this person was most likely not a cultivator from the vicinity of Guyun Continent.

Light flickered in Han Li's hand. He had intended to destroy the mask, but on second thought, a hint of a smile appeared at the corners of his mouth. He had another idea, so he put the mask away as well.

Then, he unceremoniously collected all the treasures, including the gaunt old man's storage bracelet and the apricot-yellow banner, before rising on a beam of light and speeding back toward the island.

Not much time had passed between his departure and return, and the battle near the island had not yet ceased.

For some unknown reason, the Shifang Tower side had gained over a dozen Mahayana cultivators as reinforcements. Because Han Li and the other True Immortal cultivators were absent, the Sacred Puppet Sect members, who had gradually stabilized the situation after a fierce struggle, were once again suppressed and became precarious, on the verge of total annihilation.

From afar, Han Li had already taken in the entire situation with his divine sense. Therefore, upon flying back, without a word, he immediately charged into the battle formation. His figure darted back and forth across the battlefield without restraint, and with lightning speed, he killed over a dozen Mahayana cultivators on the spot, startling many nearby out of their wits as they scattered in all directions.

The Sacred Puppet Sect members, who had thought they were about to sacrifice themselves for the sect, were now overjoyed that Han Li had so easily reversed their decline. They fought even more fiercely against the Shifang Tower members and soon drove away all the remaining enemies.

Han Li's figure flickered and landed in the void above the head of the warrior puppet. His gaze swept around, and he saw Lin Jiu speeding back from afar, casually killing several Shifang Tower cultivators before landing before him in a few bounds.

Lin Jiu was now wounded in many places, his clothes tattered and torn. Clearly, the previous battle had not been easy for him.

"That woman had many tricks up her sleeve. It took me considerable effort to destroy her physical body, but in the end, her Nascent Soul still managed to escape." Lin Jiu sighed, speaking with some regret.

"Haha, with so many tricks up your sleeve, your family background must be substantial. Fellow Daoist Lin Jiu, I imagine your gains have been considerable?" Han Li said with a smile.

"Hehe, I do have some magical treasures and spirit materials, but nothing of great value—just so-so," Lin Jiu said with a dry laugh, brushing it off.

As the two were speaking, they suddenly heard a thunderous boom from the eastern sea region, causing the void to hum.

Immediately after, the layer of colored light screen that enveloped the main island flickered several times before collapsing with a roar, transforming into specks of colored starlight that eventually vanished.

The round tower beside them, which had been emitting a dazzling white light, also flickered and gradually dimmed.

"This time, the Ten Directions Tower has come with great force and thorough preparations. Although we have held our ground here, other array islands have been breached," Lin Jiu said with a light sigh.

"The situation is indeed unfavorable," Han Li nodded.

"Do you think we should do something?" Lin Jiu said, his eyes flickering.

"Our duty is to guard this array island. It seems we have not received any other instructions, have we?" Han Li said.

"Haha, indeed! We were hired to be here, and we have already fulfilled our duty by holding the position. It's best not to abandon our post and instead wait and see how things unfold," Lin Jiu said with a chuckle.

Han Li nodded noncommittally, a blue light flickering in his eyes as he looked toward the main island.

The Ten Directions Tower cultivators, who were engaged in battle with the Sacred Puppet Sect disciples and puppets, saw the formation above the main island dissipate. Their fighting spirit surged, and after a brief reorganization, they advanced toward the main island in small groups.

After all, that was where the Sacred Puppet Sect's foundation lay; to obtain benefits, they could not afford to linger on the periphery for too long.

After a brief lull, an even more intense clash erupted than before.

The sky above the main island was filled with deafening collisions and roars, with dazzling multicolored spiritual light flaring up everywhere. The main island itself trembled incessantly under the tremendous noise, as if it might collapse at any moment.

Due to the uneven distribution of power on the battlefield, areas where Ten Directions Tower cultivators held the advantage were quickly breached. Figures wrapped in various colored遁光 fell toward different parts of the main island.

Apart from those with insufficient cultivation who dared not advance recklessly, some who prided themselves on their boldness and skill directly bypassed the outermost ring of islands and landed in the dense forests of the second or even the main island.

Soon, explosions began to erupt from various parts of the forests. Traps laid on the islands were triggered, and hidden beast puppets swarmed out, stirring up clouds of dust throughout the woods.

Meanwhile, the black spirit boats in the dark clouds above began to descend rapidly toward the island.

As for the mechanical flying boats that had attacked them earlier, due to their weak defenses and monotonous attacks, they had only managed to destroy two black spirit boats before being completely annihilated themselves, their wreckage floating on the sea surface.

Two black spirit boats descended with a roar to the low altitude above the main island, heading toward a wide river. Before they even touched the water, the river below churned with turbid waves as if boiling.

At that moment, over a dozen thick black chains burst out of the river from various points, clattering as they shot toward the two spirit boats. The massive iron anchors at their tips pierced through the protective light shields on the boats' surfaces and plunged straight into the vessels.

Then, the sound of mechanisms grinding came from deep within the riverbed. The two spirit boats trembled violently, their surfaces blazing with runic light as they struggled to ascend and break free.

But a blue light suddenly appeared on the chains, and a series of dense, tiny runes emerged from them. A vast, overwhelming force arose, merging the chains with the entire river, as if it were not the chains but the whole river that was dragging the two spirit boats.

The sound of mechanisms continued unabated. The two spirit boats descended inch by inch, eventually plunging into the water. With a series of thunderous explosions, they shattered into fragments that floated to the surface one after another.

Not far away, a dozen giant turtle puppets lined up in a row, their shell patterns glowing brightly. They raised their heads high, spewing blue light beams from their mouths, bombarding the descending spirit boats and Ten Directions Tower cultivators in the sky...

The entire island was now engulfed in chaos. The Sacred Puppet Sect cultivators who had been fighting in the high sky also descended to reinforce the main island.

On the main island's plaza, dozens of Ten Directions Tower cultivators, led by two True Immortal realm cultivators, were locked in battle with the Sacred Puppet Sect disciples who had remained behind.

Bai Suyuan, whose cultivation was not high, stayed behind the crowd. In one hand, she held a silver-white longsword; in the other, a life-saving talisman given by her master Yun Ni. She watched her surroundings warily.

After entering the main island for battle, the Sacred Puppet Sect's defensive measures and additional puppets joined the fray, greatly outnumbering the Ten Directions Tower cultivators. For a moment, it seemed they might even turn the tide and counterattack.