Chapter 387: Chaotic Situation

Millions of li away, above a once calm and waveless sea, a thunderous sound suddenly rang out from the void. Then, under a flash of golden light, streaks of golden lightning appeared, intertwining and weaving to form a mysterious lightning array.

The golden array flickered and vanished, and at its center, Han Li's figure materialized.

As soon as he steadied himself, he released his spiritual sense.

After confirming that there was nothing unusual within ten thousand li, he relaxed slightly, then turned his head to look in the direction of Black Wind Island, his gaze flickering.

Lu Yue's arrival in the Black Wind Sea Region this time should have been for some other purpose, most likely not to find him. Although he was on the North Cold Immortal Palace's wanted list, he was only a True Immortal realm cultivator, so it was unlikely that they would dispatch a Golden Immortal level existence specifically to deal with him.

Even so, Han Li dared not be careless in the slightest. Although he now believed he had the ability to protect himself against a Golden Immortal realm cultivator, if the other party learned that he was in the Black Wind Sea Region, it would cause no small trouble.

Moreover, judging by how Lu Yue had directly entered Black Wind Island, this person seemed to have some connection with the island.

At this thought, Han Li couldn't help but recall the strange group of people he had encountered when he first returned to the Black Wind Sea Region. They also seemed to have a close relationship with Black Wind Island.

Could those people also be from the North Cold Immortal Palace?

As these thoughts raced through Han Li's mind, he flipped his hand and took out a black array plate. He formed hand seals and urged it with his magic power.

The array plate immediately emitted a large amount of light, and clusters of black light emerged from it, converging to form a sound transmission array.

Han Li moved his lips slightly, sending a message, and then waited quietly.

After a full quarter of an hour, the sound transmission array only flickered faintly, with no other reaction.

Seeing this, Han Li frowned slightly.

This communication array plate was given to him by Jiao San when he left the secret realm of the Reincarnation Palace. He had intended to use this person to indirectly inquire about the current situation in the Black Wind Sea Region.

But this person seemed to have no response to his message.

Han Li shook his head, put away the array plate with a single hand, and gazed at the calm sea before him, his mind turning.

The current Black Wind Sea Region was like this sea surface—calm and unruffled on the surface, with the conflict between Black Wind Island and Qingyu Island temporarily ceasing, but beneath it, there were hidden currents stirring.

First, there was the Reincarnation Palace, a mysterious force that was a sworn enemy of the North Cold Immortal Palace. It had suddenly appeared in the Black Wind Sea Region and, using both soft and hard tactics, had recruited him to refine strange pills, plotting some unknown scheme. Now, people from the North Cold Immortal Palace had also appeared here, and they had an unclear relationship with the largest force in this sea region, Black Wind Island.

With such a puzzling and chaotic situation, staying here was truly of no benefit to him. It was best to leave this place of trouble as soon as possible.

However, the teleportation array connecting Black Wind Island to the outside world had been closed, so the only way to leave was to cross the Desolate Wind.

With his spiritual sense, bolstered by the Wind-Calming Pearl, he was confident he could manage.

Speaking of which, he had always been somewhat curious about the depths of the Desolate Wind, so this was a good opportunity to explore.

Having made up his mind, Han Li let out a light breath. A green light flashed on his body, and he was about to shoot off, but then his figure halted. He turned his head to look in a certain direction.

After a moment's deliberation, green light appeared on his body, transforming into a green rainbow that shot off in that direction.

At that moment, in a deep and secluded hall within the Island Lord's Mansion of Black Wind City.

This hall was only four or five zhang wide but twenty to thirty zhang deep, with dim lighting. On both sides of the hall's depths were wooden racks with burning red candles, emitting a strange, faint fragrance.

The dim candlelight did not illuminate the dark hall but instead made it appear even more profound.

At the end of the hall was a three-step platform, and on the main seat of the platform sat a man in white robes—Xiao Jinhan.

His eyes were tightly shut, as if in cultivation. Wisps of black light and mist emanated from his body, spreading to a range of three zhang around him.

A strange aura enveloped the entire hall, making it hard to breathe, as if an invisible ferocious beast was moving about within.

Two people stood below, precisely Lu Yue and the young woman.

Their expressions were extremely reverent, faint sweat visible on their foreheads, and they did not dare to disturb.

After a long while, Xiao Jinhan opened his eyes, and the black light mist around him immediately vanished into his body, causing the strange aura in the hall to disappear.

Lu Yue and the woman relaxed their expressions and straightened up slightly.

"How are things progressing?" Xiao Jinhan asked.

"Rest assured, Palace Lord, everything has been handled according to your instructions. The Eight Desolates Wandering Array has also been reinforced, and the entrance will never be sensed by those from Cangliu Palace or Fuling Sect," Lu Yue replied respectfully.

"Our main enemy is the Reincarnation Hall." Xiao Jinhan narrowed his eyes, a lightning-like gleam flashing within.

"Yes. Those from the Reincarnation Hall are probably running around like headless flies now, utterly unable to find the true entrance." Feeling an immense pressure bearing down, Lu Yue's face turned pale as he quickly spoke.

"You must be extremely careful with this matter; no mistakes are allowed!" Xiao Jinhan nodded in satisfaction and said solemnly.

"Please rest assured, Palace Lord!" Lu Yue immediately replied.

Xiao Jinhan's expression relaxed, and he silently waved his hand.

Lu Yue and the woman bowed and withdrew, not relaxing their tense minds until they were far from the palace.

"The Palace Lord's cultivation grows ever more unfathomable. If this operation goes smoothly, the Taiyi realm may not be far off," the young woman said.

"Precisely for that reason, this plan must succeed and cannot fail," Lu Yue said slowly.

"Of course, I understand," the young woman immediately nodded.

The two quickly walked away, their figures soon disappearing into the distance.

On a distant pavilion, two figures stood by the window watching Lu Yue and the woman leave; they were Lu Jun and Lu Yuqing.

"Father, this immortal mansion..." Lu Yuqing's jade lips moved as she began to speak.

Lu Jun's expression changed slightly, and he quickly shot Lu Yuqing a glare to stop her words, then closed the window and turned to walk deeper into the pavilion.

Lu Yuqing silently stuck out her tongue and followed behind.

Lu Jun stopped in a room deep within the pavilion, waved his hands, and cast a series of hand seals.

Layers of restrictions appeared around the room, as many as seven or eight, tightly sealing the place.

Lu Jun slapped a wall, and with a cracking sound, the wall split open to reveal a hidden door.

The two entered, and the hidden door immediately closed.

Behind the hidden door was a small room, its walls built from a kind of black crystal stone, emitting a layer of dark light.

Upon entering this room, it felt as if one had entered another space, completely isolated from the outside.

"Qing'er, I have told you many times: those people have extremely high cultivation, and no one knows the extent of their divine sense. You must be extremely careful in every word and action. Throughout the entire Island Prince's Mansion, only this Black Seclusion Room is relatively safe," Lu Jun said solemnly.

"Yes, daughter understands." Lu Yuqing nodded.

Only then did Lu Jun's expression relax; he patted Lu Yuqing's shoulder affectionately and sat down at a table in the room.

"Father, our Black Wind Island has devoted people and resources to the North Cold Immortal Palace for years... Not to mention, in the struggle with Qingyu Island, nearly half of the thirty-six outer islands have been reduced to ruins. Now that the immortal mansion has emerged, can we truly not be given a single spot?" Lu Yuqing asked indignantly.

Lu Jun's face twitched, and he said in a hoarse voice, "The North Cold Immortal Palace is an existence of such stature that our mere Black Wind Island doesn't even register in their eyes."

Upon hearing this, Lu Yuqing's face grew even angrier.

"Forget it, there's no point in hoping for such things. I only hope that once this matter is over, the North Cold Immortal Palace will fulfill its promise and no longer interfere in the affairs of our Black Wind Sea region," Lu Jun sighed.

...

Half a month later.

Above a sea area tens of thousands of li from Wumeng Island, amidst flashes of golden lightning, Han Li's figure emerged from a lightning formation.

He swept his gaze around and then flew toward Wumeng Island.

A moment later, the void near Wumeng Island flickered, and Han Li's figure appeared.

Looking down at the intact Wumeng Island, he felt a slight relief, as the previous frequent and strange natural disasters had apparently not affected it.

The entire island was still in a state of closed isolation, with all its restrictions still operational.

After a moment's thought, Han Li took out a storage bracelet.

He waved his hand, sending out a stream of green light that enveloped the storage bracelet, which then vanished in a flash.

In a secret chamber on Black Wind Island, Luo Feng sat cross-legged, his body surrounded by clear light that swirled like smoke, constantly shifting into various shapes, as if he were cultivating a secret technique.

At that moment, a mass of green light appeared before him, containing a storage bracelet.

The green light flickered and dissipated, and the bracelet fell to the ground with a soft clatter.

The clear light on Luo Feng's body trembled, then completely dissipated, and he opened his eyes.

Seeing the storage bracelet on the ground, he was slightly startled, and then Han Li's voice came to his ears:

"For the remaining hundred years, continue to seal the island and recuperate."

"Yes!" Luo Feng quickly stood up, cupping his fists respectfully.

But aside from the earlier voice, there was no other sound.

After waiting for a while, Luo Feng picked up the storage bracelet from the ground, released his divine sense into it, and a look of joy appeared on his face.

Inside the storage bracelet was a large batch of spirit stones and materials, enough for Wumeng Island's use for several hundred years.

At this moment, Han Li had already arrived at the place where the Earthly Immortal Avatar was cultivating in seclusion.

His detour back to Wumeng Island this time was not primarily to check on the island, but to retrieve the heavy water that the Earthly Immortal Avatar had been refining over the years.

Han Li hovered in mid-air, looking down at the massive whirlpool rumbling on the sea surface below, a hint of surprise in his eyes.

The whirlpool spanned a full thousand li, churning up waves that formed towering billows over a hundred zhang high, spreading outward in rings with astonishing momentum.

Such a commotion had never been seen before.

"Could it be..." Han Li suddenly thought of something and, without a word, dove straight down into the whirlpool.

On the seabed platform, the Earthly Immortal Avatar emitted a dazzling blue light, which swirled around it, forming a massive blue light sphere dozens of zhang in size.

In addition, a blue light thread hovered above the avatar's head, twice as thick as before, with countless blue runes dancing around it.

A vast aura emanated from its body, having clearly reached the late True Immortal stage.

Han Li's eyes flickered with delight at the sight, but he was not particularly surprised.

This avatar had already reached the mid-stage of the True Immortal realm. Although he had been busy cultivating over the years, he had still occasionally condensed some crystal grains and sent them back for his cultivation. As long as there was a sufficient supply of crystal grains, advancing to the late stage in a few hundred years was not a difficult task.

After all, the heavy water condensed in what seemed like just a few hundred years was equivalent to the amount other cultivators would produce over millions of years.

As he pondered, the blue light around the Earthly Avatar fluctuated, then converged into his body like a whale drinking water. He then stood up and turned his gaze toward Han Li.

“Give me all the heavy water you have,” Han Li said directly.

Hearing this, the Earthly Avatar turned his hand and produced two black pouches, which were exactly the Heavenly Water Pouches Han Li had previously purchased from the Wuchang Alliance.

Han Li swept his divine sense over them and took a deep breath.

One Heavenly Water Pouch was full, and the other was about half full. It seemed that as his cultivation improved, the avatar's speed in condensing heavy water had indeed increased considerably.

He formed hand seals, and a layer of starlight emerged on his body surface as he reached out to take them.

Although he had been prepared, his arms still sank slightly upon receiving the two pouches. A shimmer of starlight flickered in his abdomen, faintly revealing eighteen starlight points, which allowed him to easily lift the two pouches.

Seeing this, Han Li wore a satisfied expression.

These two pouches of heavy water, together with the previous one, were enough to be effective in battle.

He put away the two Heavenly Water Pouches, then turned his hand and produced three empty ones, handing them to the Earthly Avatar. After instructing him to continue condensing heavy water, he did not stay long and silently flew off into the distance.

After flying a certain distance to avoid attracting attention, he immediately used a lightning array teleportation to hasten his journey.

That set of Lightning Restraining Wood teleportation arrays, which happened to be along his route to Wumeng Island, had also been collected.

More than half a month later, somewhere on the border of the Black Wind Sea.

A cyan rainbow shot over from afar with incredible speed, flashed down, and revealed Han Li's figure.

Ahead was the region of Desolate Wind, where streaks of black yin wind connected the sky and earth, toppling mountains and overturning seas.

Han Li glanced at the endless yin wind ahead, flipped his hand to offer up the Wind-Ding Pearl, and then plunged headlong into the boundless yin wind.

The surrounding yin wind immediately surged in, but after being weakened by more than half by the Wind-Ding Pearl, it could no longer affect him much.

After initial attempts and adjustments, finding no major issues, Han Li began to gradually increase his speed and fly forward.

Since the spiritual energy of heaven and earth was obstructed here, which significantly affected the replenishment of immortal spiritual power, he had spent quite a few immortal spirit stones before coming here to buy a batch of recovery pills from the Wuchang Alliance, preparing very thoroughly.

Time passed bit by bit, and in the blink of an eye, Han Li had been advancing through the overwhelming Desolate Wind for four or five days.

The depth of penetration into the Desolate Wind in this area had already far exceeded that of the secret realm in the Reincarnation Palace.

The surrounding Desolate Wind was no longer in the scattered state it had been before, but had coalesced into massive black wind pillars tens or hundreds of zhang tall, like countless black dragons howling back and forth.

As the massive wind pillars rushed in, although their power was greatly reduced upon entering the range of the ripples emitted by the Wind-Ding Pearl, the force of these wind pillars was still extraordinary, almost comparable to a full-force strike from a Mahayana-stage cultivator.

At this moment, Han Li's entire body shimmered with silver light, condensing into a translucent layer of True Extremity Membrane on his skin. One after another, wind dragons slammed into him, but like waves crashing against a reef, they instantly shattered and dissipated.

He was not particularly concerned about the power of these yin winds, but the low, rumbling howls emitted from the mouths of these wind dragons were soul-shaking and mind-startling, ten times more formidable than when he first entered the Desolate Wind.

Although these strange sounds were also weakened by more than half by the Wind-Ding Pearl, they were still far from comparable to the initial ones.

For this reason, Han Li had to slow down his forward speed and began to activate the Soul-Refining Art to withstand it, thus enduring it.

At this moment, he had transformed into a streak of black light, like a small boat, swiftly shuttling forward through the endless yin wind.