Chapter 417: Pursuers

The teleportation formation under Han Li and the other three continued to operate slowly, but grew increasingly sluggish, the white light it emitted rapidly weakening.

During this time, the four said nothing and did not move an inch, though their eyes occasionally scanned their surroundings, with most of their attention focused on the silver-white, straight mountain peak ahead.

The fiery look in Leng Yan and Xiong Shan's eyes grew stronger, while Han Li remained expressionless. Lu Yuqing's beautiful eyes roved around, occasionally stealing glances at the other two.

After a moment, the teleportation formation finally came to a complete stop, and the white light it emitted dissipated.

The four relaxed and stepped out of the formation.

"Let's go!"

As soon as Leng Yan and Xiong Shan stepped out of the teleportation formation, they quickly descended the stone platform and hurried on foot toward the long staircase at the base of the silver-white mountain peak ahead, without taking flight.

Seeing this, Han Li said to Lu Yuqing, "Follow them, and don't fly either," then quickly descended the stone platform.

As a result, the four had not gone far, two in front and two behind, when the platform behind them suddenly trembled violently. The teleportation formation, which had just stopped, once again blazed with white light and hummed as it began to operate.

Startled, Han Li and the others paused mid-step and turned to look.

In the teleportation formation, a flash of light appeared, and six or seven figures materialized.

These people were all dressed in black robes adorned with a skull pattern—they were precisely the cultivators from the Ghost Cry Sect. The one in the lead was the pockmarked old man.

"Xue Han!" Leng Yan's expression changed as he recognized the newcomer.

Hearing this, Han Li quickly sized up the pockmarked old man, a hint of surprise flashing across his face.

He clearly remembered that this pockmarked old man's name was Chen Pi.

Moreover, if he remembered correctly, the name Xue Han should belong to a Golden Immortal elder of the Ten Directions Tower. During the battle at the Sacred Puppet Sect, he had seen this person from a distance.

Inside the teleportation formation, the pockmarked old man was momentarily dazed from the teleportation but quickly recovered.

He looked around, glanced at Han Li and Lu Yuqing without much interest, then shifted his gaze to Xiong Shan and Leng Yan, who were farther away.

Xiong Shan and Leng Yan met his gaze, and their pupils constricted.

A smile flickered across the old man's lips. His eyes soon fell on the purple palace at the mountain's peak, and his face lit up with ecstasy. He laughed heartily, saying, "Just as I thought!"

"Xue Han, why are you here?" Leng Yan asked, a trace of fear on his face, but he couldn't help asking.

"Heh, Leng Yan, did you think you had shaken us off? I knew all along that you had ulterior motives for entering the immortal mansion and deliberately let you leave! We've been following behind all along. But what I didn't expect was that you knew the location of this Youhan Palace. Good, very good. Haha!" As the pockmarked old man spoke, he burst into laughter again.

Han Li frowned upon hearing this.

These people had been following behind, yet he had been completely unaware of them from start to finish.

However, given the pockmarked old man's Golden Immortal cultivation and some special concealment methods, it was possible that he hadn't noticed. It seemed he had still underestimated the strength of these Golden Immortal cultivators who had long since entered that realm.

Cold Flame Ancestor and Bear Mountain looked extremely grim.

They had thought their journey here was completely unnoticed, but who would have expected that two groups were tailing them without their knowledge.

The two exchanged a glance and simultaneously turned to rush toward the staircase.

Han Li exchanged a look with Lu Yuqing, and the two immediately followed.

"Heh, run? Where can you run to!" The pockmarked old man sneered at the sight, not particularly worried.

Before a Golden Immortal like him, what waves could four True Immortal cultivators stir? Besides, this place was clearly a sealed secret realm—where could they flee?

He moved his foot, about to give chase.

Suddenly, white light flickered around him, and a powerful binding force surged from all sides, tightening the nearby void. Even the pockmarked old man, with his Golden Immortal cultivation, found himself completely unable to move.

He let out a low shout, and black light burst from his body as he struggled with all his might.

But no matter what techniques the pockmarked old man employed, he remained utterly immobile, and his expression changed.

Meanwhile, the Ghost Cry Sect cultivators who had come with him also woke up one after another, only to find themselves unable to move as well.

Han Li and the other three took the opportunity to swiftly cross to the silver staircase beneath the silver-white mountain.

"Hurry!"

Cold Flame Ancestor shouted in a low voice, then stepped onto the staircase with Bear Mountain. They wobbled slightly but quickly steadied themselves and began climbing upward at a rapid pace.

Han Li watched the two, his eyes narrowing slightly as he stepped onto the staircase.

A faint, barely perceptible yellow light emerged on the step beneath his feet. A powerful suction force enveloped his body, and his shoulders immediately sank as his body became ten thousand times heavier.

"So that's how it is..." Han Li raised an eyebrow.

Lu Yuqing stepped onto the staircase, her pretty face changing as her delicate body shook violently.

She furrowed her brows slightly, and a layer of green light emerged from her body, transforming into the phantom of a soaring crane, as if about to flap its wings and take flight.

But no matter how the green crane flapped its wings, the powerful suction beneath Lu Yuqing's feet did not diminish in the slightest.

"The gravity restriction on these steps cannot be resisted with immortal spiritual power or any spiritual treasure; only physical strength can be used to climb. Given the current circumstances, you two must fend for yourselves." The voice of Cold Flame Ancestor sounded in Han Li and Lu Yuqing's ears.

Upon hearing this, Han Li's gaze flickered, but his expression remained unchanged.

Lu Yuqing's expression, however, changed, her pretty face turning somewhat pale.

As Cold Flame Ancestor transmitted his voice, he climbed rapidly. He too had cultivated the "Great Cycle Star Origin Art," granting him formidable physical strength, and he had already ascended thirty or forty steps.

Although Bear Mountain did not possess the powerful physique of Cold Flame Ancestor, he was clearly well-prepared. Spiritual light swirled around his boots, and his climbing speed was not much slower than Cold Flame Ancestor's.

Han Li turned his head to glance at the pockmarked old man and the others still bound by the restrictions on the steps, his brow slightly furrowed.

The white light emanating from the teleportation array dimmed rapidly, seemingly on the verge of disappearing soon.

"Let's go quickly!" he said, and swiftly began ascending.

Lu Yuqing waved her hand to disperse the green light around her, took a deep breath, and also began to climb.

Although the gravity restriction on the steps was formidable, her cultivation had reached the early True Immortal stage. Though she was an Earth Immortal, her physical body had still improved considerably, so her speed was not too slow.

The pockmarked old man watched the four climbing the steps swiftly, a look of anxiety appearing on his face.

He had roughly guessed the situation with the teleportation array by now and ceased his futile struggles.

As time passed, the white light from the teleportation array grew increasingly dim. After a few flickers, it finally vanished completely.

"Hmph, after them!"

The pockmarked old man felt his body relax and was overjoyed. He immediately shot forward, darting like lightning in the direction of Han Li and the others.

The other Ghost Cry Sect cultivators followed closely behind.

But just as the pockmarked old man and his group flew out of the stone platform's range, their bodies suddenly jolted and plummeted toward the ground.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The group fell like stones dropped from a great height, crashing heavily into the ground, creating several large pits and producing a dull roar that shook the nearby earth.

The Ghost Cry Sect members scrambled to their feet. Though not seriously injured, they were covered in dust and dirt. Several had landed squarely on their backsides, dazed and utterly disheveled.

The pockmarked old man, though he hadn't fallen, wore a face of iron-gray anger.

Seeing the old man's expression, the other Ghost Cry Sect members fell silent, not daring to speak.

"It seems there's a flight prohibition here; we can't leave the ground. Hmph, let's see how far you can go. When I catch you, I'll grind your bones to dust!" the pockmarked old man said coldly, murderous intent flickering in his eyes.

With these words, his figure flickered, and he strode quickly toward the steps.

The others followed suit.

The group soon arrived at the foot of the silver steps and, without pausing, stepped directly onto them.

The pockmarked old man's body sank, his brows furrowing, and the fury in his eyes subsided somewhat.

"It seems the restrictions here are no small matter. All of you, be careful," he said, taking a deep breath.

"Yes," the other Ghost Cry Sect members replied in unison, their expressions changing as they too set foot on the steps.

The pockmarked old man looked ahead at Han Li and the others, let out a cold laugh, and a layer of spiritual light appeared on his body as he began climbing with large strides.

His speed was astonishing, as if the gravity restriction had little effect on him. In the blink of an eye, he had left the others far behind, rapidly closing in on Han Li and his group.

Han Li and the others had now ascended four or five hundred steps. Among the four, Cold Flame Ancestor and Bear Mountain were almost neck and neck, leading the way.

Han Li did not try to catch up with them; he and Lu Yuqing walked almost side by side, a short distance behind.

Noticing the situation below, Cold Flame Ancestor's expression tightened. A faint starlight appeared on his body, and his climbing speed immediately increased.

Bear Mountain also frowned. Without any visible spellcasting, a layer of golden light emerged on his body, and his pace quickened accordingly.

Lu Yuqing was now drenched in sweat, her chest heaving. With each step, her delicate body trembled slightly.

The higher the steps went, the more the power of the gravity restriction increased with each step. At first, it was barely noticeable, but cumulatively, it was now three or four times stronger than at the start.

Lu Yuqing's face was pale. She looked toward Han Li, who was not far ahead, and was momentarily stunned.

Han Li's expression was calm, showing no signs of strain.

However, his demeanor was somewhat peculiar—extremely placid, his eyes even vacant and distant, as if his mind were elsewhere.

"Liu... Brother Han," Lu Yuqing called out.

Han Li's expression shifted slightly as he snapped back to attention and looked over.

"What is it, Miss Lu?"

"This gravity restriction is too powerful. I can't go on. Brother Han, you don't need to accompany me anymore. Please go ahead," Lu Yuqing said with a forced smile.

Han Li said nothing, turning to look behind them.

The pockmarked old man was climbing the steps rapidly, leaping from one step to the next almost without touching the ground, quickly catching up.

The distance between them was shrinking fast. At this rate, they would be overtaken before long.

Meanwhile, Cold Flame Ancestor and the other man ahead were climbing faster and faster, already far ahead.