Chapter 403: Blockade

As the water-flying chariot carrying Han Li and the others advanced, the rumbling grew louder.

Before them, the seawater churned violently, and the passage beside them shook continuously, with rocks of various sizes raining down like a downpour.

In the passage ahead, multicolored lights flickered and fluctuated, extremely conspicuous, and within the light, faint sounds of shouting and clamor could be heard.

At the same time, streams of divine sense swept over from ahead, colliding and intertwining recklessly, creating a lively scene.

Han Li and the others exchanged glances; this scene was quite unexpected.

The blue chariot did not stop but sped forward, quickly reaching the end of the passage.

Before the passage lay a massive underground cavern, its ceiling covered with dense blue stalactites, appearing to be a huge natural cave, spanning a hundred miles in radius.

Inside the cavern, dozens of cultivators had already gathered, each driving their spiritual treasures to fiercely bombard one spot.

There, a thick black light screen had appeared, behind which a cave entrance could be faintly seen, with shadowy figures of cultivators standing deep within, though the black light screen was too thick to see clearly.

As spiritual treasures struck the light screen, it trembled continuously, its surface rippling, and occasionally scattered black spiritual light splashed out.

Whether the cavern had been set with restrictions or was inherently sturdy, it withstood the residual force of so many attacks, only shaking slightly without any other effect.

"Northern Frost Immortal Palace, you've got some nerve, sealing the entrance to the immortal mansion!"

"Thinking you can monopolize the chance to enter the Minghan Immortal Mansion? Dream on!"

"The Minghan Immortal Mansion is a treasure of the Northern Frost Immortal Domain, not your private property! Remove this restriction at once!"

The cultivators shouted angrily, their spiritual treasures never ceasing, raining down on the light screen.

Seeing this scene, especially the black light screen, Han Li and his group were delighted.

Hu Yan waved his hand and produced the Minghan Mountains and Rivers Map.

As soon as the map appeared, its blue light flared up, pointing remotely toward the black light screen, emitting a faint hum, as if it would have almost no reaction if placed farther away.

"So this is the place. That rumor seems to be true!" Hu Yan put away the map and gazed at the cave entrance with burning eyes.

Xu Yangzi and the others also looked excited.

Though Han Li felt some joy, he was not as overwhelmed as the others; he quickly calmed down and surveyed the crowd in the cavern.

There were thirty to forty people present, all at the True Immortal stage or above, and among them were some whose cultivation levels Han Li could not sense, their auras unfathomable.

These were clearly Golden Immortals.

The people present wore various attire, vaguely forming three small groups.

One group was the most conspicuous, standing at the edge.

There were eleven or twelve of them, all dressed in blue robes, led by a middle-aged man with a kind face.

Han Li's gaze narrowed as he recognized the man as Luo Qinghai, the palace master of Cangliu Palace, whom he had seen at the Candle Dragon Sect lecture assembly.

As for the others beside Luo Qinghai, except for a very delicate-looking youth, he had no impression of them.

The Cangliu Palace group seemed to be the strongest present; besides Luo Qinghai, four had unfathomable auras, clearly Golden Immortals.

Moreover, any one of them was at the mid-Golden Immortal stage like Xu Yangzi, while Luo Qinghai was at the late Golden Immortal stage, making their group a whole level above Han Li's party.

The rest were mostly at the late True Immortal stage.

After a few glances, Han Li dared not look further and shifted his gaze to the others.

Another group was entirely dressed in black robes, each embroidered with a skull pattern on the chest, exuding a sinister demonic aura, clearly not benevolent.

This group also had over a dozen people, led by a pockmarked old man, a veiled young woman with a petite figure, and a tall and a short man.

The pockmarked old man had a fierce look, and as his eyes moved, sharp glints flashed out.

The veiled young woman appeared to be in her thirties, surrounded by layers of crystalline blue light, looking unfathomable.

The tall man was over two zhang in height, with a massive, sturdy build like an iron tower.

The short man was less than five chi tall, with short limbs; though he looked somewhat comical, his body was thick with muscle, like an iron weight, not to be underestimated.

Despite their vast height difference, their facial features were very similar—small eyes, large mouths, and faces full of flesh—seeming to be brothers, though it was unclear why their statures differed so greatly.

These four were all Golden Immortals, with the pockmarked old man being the highest, presumably a mid-Golden Immortal stage cultivator, while the other three were likely early Golden Immortals.

The rest were naturally True Immortals.

The last group was similar in number to the previous two, but their attire was very strange; both men and women wore vest-like short shirts and wrapped their heads in black cloth, appearing as an alien tribe.

Among these aliens, there were also four Golden Immortals: a dark-skinned old man of advanced age, and a white-haired old woman with a wrinkled face.

The remaining two were yellow-faced men, stout but with wooden expressions, like puppets.

Each of the four held a golden staff covered with strange golden patterns, emitting astonishing auras that seemed to resonate with each other.

At the moment, only the aliens and the black-robed cultivators were attacking the black light screen.

The Cangliu Palace group stood by, watching coldly without taking action.

Luo Qinghai occasionally glanced toward the entrance of the underground space, as if waiting for something.

After their initial excitement, Hu Yan and the others gradually calmed down as they assessed the situation.

"Fellow Daoist Gu, should we reveal ourselves or continue to lurk here?" Xu Yangzi hesitated briefly and asked in a low voice.

"Since there's no trap here, it's better to show ourselves. If we're discovered, it would be hard to explain and might provoke hostility. But revealing ourselves here isn't ideal either," Hu Yan said, then a blue light flashed at his feet.

The blue chariot reversed from the cavern entrance, flying backward along the passage for some distance.

Hu Yan made a hand seal and waved; the blue chariot rapidly shrank with a flash of light and flew back into his sleeve.

The group's figures immediately became visible.

"Let's go." Hu Yan and Yun Ni led the way, flying forward, with Xu Yangzi and the others quickly following, soon arriving back in the cavern.

Everyone in the cavern immediately took notice, and even from behind the black light screen, a few gazes could be sensed.

Luo Qinghai glanced at the group, a hint of disappointment flashing in his eyes, then quickly looked away.

The other two groups also temporarily stopped attacking the black light screen and looked over.

Hu Yan and the others put on surprised expressions, not approaching too closely, stopping at a distance from the crowd.

"Who do we have here? If it isn't Fellow Daoist Xu Yangzi of the True Flame Sect. I didn't expect you to come. But these two friends look unfamiliar; may I ask your esteemed names?" The pockmarked old man put on an ugly smile and approached, first greeting Xu Yangzi and the other two, then fixing his gaze on Hu Yan and Yun Ni.

As for Han Li, a True Immortal cultivator naturally did not attract much attention from the old man.

The veiled young woman, the tall and short men, and the other black-robed cultivators also came over.

"Fellow Daoist Chen, long time no see. These two are friends of our True Flame Sect, here to explore the Minghan Immortal Mansion. Fellow Daoist Gu, this is Chen Pi, the sect master of the Ghost Cry Sect from Shang'a Continent." Xu Yangzi cupped his hands and introduced them.

Han Li raised an eyebrow. The Ghost Cry Sect was a force on Guyun Continent comparable to the True Flame Sect, specializing in various ghostly demonic arts. They were ruthless, often killing people and extracting souls to refine ghostly techniques, and had even annihilated some small sects, not recognized by the Candle Dragon Sect.

However, the sect was secretive, and its location was a natural stronghold. As long as they didn't provoke the Candle Dragon Sect, the Candle Dragon Sect naturally wouldn't bother sending a Golden Immortal Dao Lord to deal with them.

"So you are fellow daoists of the Ghost Cry Sect. I've long admired your reputation. I am Gu Yan, and this is my junior sister Gu Ni, both rogue cultivators from overseas." Hu Yan laughed.

Yun Ni merely nodded slightly to them without speaking.

"So you are Fellow Daoists Gu. A pleasure to meet you." The pockmarked old man laughed heartily.

He seemed intent on befriending Xu Yangzi and Hu Yan, speaking quite warmly.

Xu Yangzi and Hu Yan also appeared willing to cultivate good relations, and within moments, they had become familiar with each other.

As for the alien cultivators, they stood silently in place, occasionally glancing over but not approaching.

"Is that cave behind the light screen the entrance to the immortal mansion?" Xu Yangzi looked at the cave behind the black light screen, a sharp glint in his eyes.

"Exactly! The people of the Northern Frost Immortal Palace are all inside. They dared to set up a restriction to seal the entrance, trying to monopolize the treasures inside. Heh, others may fear the Northern Frost Immortal Palace, but I, Chen, do not! Your True Flame Sect's arrival is timely. Let's join forces, the three major powers, to break this restriction and teach the Northern Frost Immortal Palace a lesson!" The pockmarked old man glared at the black light screen and sneered.

"Three major powers? Including those alien cultivators?" Hu Yan glanced at the aliens and said.

"Indeed. Fellow Daoist Xu and Fellow Daoist Gu, please don't mind. Those people are cultivators of the Nanli Tribe from the far western border of the Northern Frost Immortal Domain. They are not used to dealing with outsiders and mean no disrespect." The pockmarked old man nodded.

Hu Yan smiled and didn't mind.

These alien cultivators had always been like that, very wary of outsiders.

But aside from that, there was nothing else; on the contrary, they were simple and honest, straightforward in word and deed, not as cunning as ordinary cultivators, so cooperating with them could be reassuring.