Chapter 413: Rumors

Lu Yuqing's cultivation was far inferior to that of Han Li and the Flame Ancestor, so to avoid making too much noise, her speed naturally lagged far behind.

"Get on the spirit boat." Han Li raised a hand and summoned the Azure Kite Spirit Boat.

Lu Yuqing thanked him and flew onto the boat.

Han Li also floated onto the Azure Kite Spirit Boat, then muttered incantations and raised a hand. A mass of black water flew out from his sleeve, transforming into a layer of dim light that spread outward, soon enveloping the entire boat.

Once the boat was shrouded in the dim light, all the spiritual light fluctuations emanating from it vanished like snow meeting fire, turning into a barely perceptible shadow that emitted no aura.

Han Li nodded slightly. This was a concealment technique he had created in recent years by comprehending the laws of water and combining them with the heavy water he had condensed. It seemed to work well.

As he pondered, he tapped the boat's surface with his foot, and a flash of green light appeared on his foot.

The boat shot forward instantly, turning into a blurry shadow that chased after the Flame Ancestor and the other man, soon catching up to them.

Han Li did not approach too closely, hanging far behind beyond the range of their divine sense.

"Brother Liu, why are we following these two?" Lu Yuqing asked softly.

Her cultivation was weak, and she had not dared to extend her divine sense to probe, so she had not heard the conversation between the Flame Ancestor and the other man.

"From what they just said, they came here during the last opening of the Immortal Mansion and now seem to be heading to some treasure site. Since this is our first time at the Minghan Immortal Mansion and we know little about this place, and this area isn't marked on your map, it's better to follow them than to wander aimlessly," Han Li said, briefly repeating their conversation.

"We're quite lucky. Although these two are strong, with Brother Liu's abilities, they are no threat. If there really is a treasure, we can play the role of the oriole," Lu Yuqing said with a wink and a smile.

Han Li gave a noncommittal smile, then composed himself and focused on tracking the two ahead.

The Flame Ancestor was not a concern, but Xiong Shan was skilled in cultivation and alert. Although Han Li's strength had greatly increased, he did not dare underestimate him.

Seeing Han Li focused on piloting the boat, Lu Yuqing did not disturb him. She walked to the side, sat cross-legged, and closed her eyes to rest.

...

Meanwhile, somewhere in the Immortal Mansion.

This was an endless ice plain, dotted with hills of varying heights, with only a solitary snow-white peak standing in the center, piercing the clouds.

Apart from the occasional howling wind, the surroundings were quite quiet.

Just then, in a certain spot before the solitary peak, ripples appeared in the void, and a translucent white misty vortex materialized.

Once the vortex converged, a ten-zhang-long jade flying carriage appeared.

The carriage was long and narrow, exquisitely carved like a jade ruyi. On it stood a tall, slender man, with two golden-armored puppets holding long halberds standing at the front and back.

The man was shrouded in a layer of white glow that swirled continuously, making his features somewhat hazy, but one could vaguely discern his distinct facial features.

As soon as he appeared, he scanned the surroundings, his gaze finally landing on a certain direction.

"It seems I'm not too late."

After muttering to himself, the surface of the jade flying carriage beneath his feet glowed with a layer of green light. With a sound of breaking air, it turned into a green light and sped forward, disappearing beyond the horizon after a few flashes.

...

The Flame Ancestor and the other man flew forward without stopping, covering three or four days in the blink of an eye.

The ground below gradually changed from an endless ice plain to a mountainous region, with peaks rising abruptly, all covered in thick, glittering snow, quite beautiful.

The crystal-clear snow peaks rose one after another, creating a magnificent sight.

Among the snow peaks, one or two palace complexes occasionally appeared. Some, when swept with divine sense, even emitted faint spiritual power fluctuations, suggesting they contained something.

But the Flame Ancestor and the other man paid no attention to these structures below, flying straight ahead.

Although Han Li wanted to go down and investigate, seeing the two ahead, he had to give up.

"It seems that place is quite far. I hope it doesn't disappoint us," Lu Yuqing said with a light sigh.

"Let's wait and see," Han Li nodded.

Thus, the two groups flew one after the other for another three or four days, covering who knows how many thousands of miles.

The Youhan Realm was so vast that after flying for so long, there was no sign of reaching the end.

A hint of surprise flashed in Han Li's eyes. He had originally thought this was just an immortal mansion, but the Youhan Realm alone was so large, probably no smaller than the Black Wind Sea. If the other realms were added, it might rival some small planes.

The Flame Ancestor and Xiong Shan showed no intention of stopping, continuing to fly forward.

In the blink of an eye, another two or three days passed.

The snow peaks below gradually disappeared, and a vast sea appeared ahead, boundless and immense, like an endless starry sky.

The seawater here was pitch black, giving a very viscous feel. The wind howled in the air, and snowflakes flew, but the black sea surface barely stirred.

The entire sea looked like a giant black mirror, giving a very eerie feeling.

The Flame Ancestor and the other man did not hesitate, heading straight into the depths of the black sea.

Han Li frowned slightly but stopped at the edge of the black sea.

The Flame Ancestor and the other man had been flying without stopping, which might mean they had already discovered them and were deliberately leading them on, possibly even setting a trap ahead.

Deep in the Immortal Mansion, one could not afford to be careless.

He looked at the black sea before him, his eyes flickering a few times, and asked Lu Yuqing, "Miss Lu, do you know anything about this black sea area?"

"The information from Black Wind Island still doesn't mention this black sea," Lu Yuqing shook her head.

Han Li frowned upon hearing this, falling silent in thought.

"Brother Liu, should we continue following them?" Lu Yuqing looked around and asked.

After chasing for several days, she too was feeling uneasy.

"We've come this far; it would be a pity to give up now. I want to see where exactly they are going," Han Li said after some consideration.

He formed a hand seal and urged the Azure Kite Spirit Boat forward.

Although the Flame Ancestor and the other man were now out of sight, the spiritual traces left by their flight were still there, so there was no worry of losing them.

Han Li increased the speed of the Azure Kite Spirit Boat and soon caught up with the Flame Ancestor and the other man.

The two groups flew forward one after the other for another day.

Han Li frowned slightly. Although he didn't know how vast this black sea was, after flying for so long, they must be deep into it.

How much longer would these two fly?

They had been following them for nearly ten days. If they had been searching for treasures normally, they should have gained something by now, but they had gotten nothing.

He hoped these two were really heading to some treasure site, or else he would have lost out.

As Han Li thought about these things, his gaze suddenly sharpened, and he let out a soft exclamation.

"Brother Liu, what's wrong?" Lu Yuqing couldn't help asking.

As soon as she spoke, white mist suddenly appeared in the empty sea ahead.

The mist faintly emitted white crystalline light, looking quite peculiar.

Biting cold air emanated from the white mist, causing the temperature in the surrounding sea area to drop sharply.

"This is..." Lu Yuqing was startled, a thoughtful expression on her face.

The Flame Ancestor and the other man ahead saw the white mist and stopped their flight, their faces showing great joy.

"Great, we finally found it," the Flame Ancestor said excitedly after letting out a long breath.

Xiong Shan also showed a delighted expression and nodded.

The two looked around and cast spells to check if anyone was following.

Han Li had also stopped his boat. Hearing their conversation, his eyes lit up.

Finally arrived!

Seeing them casting spells to probe, he quickly moved the boat back a bit further.

The Flame Ancestor and the other man detected nothing unusual and soon flew forward again, disappearing into the white mist at a faster speed.

Han Li formed hand seals, and the Azure Kite Spirit Boat also accelerated, flashing into the white mist.

The Azure Kite Spirit Boat traveled through the white mist sea, with waves of cold air seeping in.

This cold air was very peculiar, like needles, with strong penetrating power. Even though the boat was wrapped in heavy water, cold air still seeped in, and the boat's protective spiritual power could barely withstand it, with a layer of frost slowly forming on the boat's surface.

Han Li frowned slightly and waved his hand in a hand seal.

Several dozen blue lights shot out from his sleeve, which were blue flags that landed on the edges of the boat and quickly seeped in.

A layer of blue light emerged, enveloping the Azure Kite Spirit Boat, immediately isolating the cold air outside.

"Ah!" Lu Yuqing suddenly exclaimed.

"What's wrong?" Han Li asked.

"Brother Liu, I just remembered a rumor about the Youhan Realm. It's said that there is a Youhan Mist Sea within the Youhan Realm, containing extremely strong cold air. Hidden within the mist sea is a Youhan Palace, the greatest treasure of the Youhan Realm. But throughout history, no one who entered the Minghan Immortal Mansion has ever found it. Could this be..." Lu Yuqing said excitedly.

"Youhan Palace!" Han Li's eyes also lit up.

He recalled the conversations between the Flame Ancestor and Xiong Shan; both had been very excited. All signs pointed to Lu Yuqing's guess being highly likely.

With this thought, Han Li took a deep breath and quickly urged the Azure Kite Spirit Boat to closely follow the two ahead.

The further they went, the thicker the white mist became, eventually connecting heaven and earth, making it extremely difficult to discern direction.

The Flame Ancestor and the other man turned left and right in the mist, seemingly very familiar with the route.

After flying for over an hour, they suddenly stopped.

Han Li had been constantly monitoring the situation ahead, so he stopped as well, hiding the boat in a patch of white mist and looking forward.

A hint of surprise appeared in his eyes. Ahead in the sea sat a black island, not very large, only about twenty or thirty li in size.

The entire island was shrouded in a layer of black glow, fine and dense like countless tiny black needles.

The black glow flowed like liquid, giving a very mysterious feeling.

Within the glow, one could vaguely see a huge palace, though not clearly, it was still quite magnificent.