Chapter 646: Greasing the Wheels

"I wonder if Fellow Daoist Fox Three has any more Netherworld Pills, or the recipe for them? I would be willing to purchase them at a high price, or trade something else for them." Han Li looked at Fox Three and said.

"That's a tough one! I obtained them only by chance, let alone the recipe." Fox Three shook his head, somewhat helplessly.

"Could you tell me where you got this Netherworld Pill?" Han Li pressed, unwilling to give up.

"Before I broke through to the Tai Yi realm, at an underground exchange, I saw someone bid a thousand immortal spirit stones for a bottle of Netherworld Pills. I helped myself to it and found two pills inside. I used one, and this is the remaining one. As for where the medicine came from, I have no idea." Fox Three spread his hands.

Han Li lowered his head and fell silent.

"In any case, thank you for the Netherworld Pill, Brother Fox. Here are five hundred immortal spirit stones." He quickly looked up, took out a storage device, and handed it to Fox Three.

"I already said it was a gift. This isn't very sporting of you." Fox Three waved his hand, refusing the storage device, and stood up.

"Just take it. That's his nature—very casual." Shi Chuankong said with a slight smile.

"Then thank you, Fellow Daoist Fox Three." Han Li didn't decline further and cupped his hands.

"I've been to Liuyun City many times. Don't worry about the legitimate identity issue; give me a few days, and I'll handle it. But the Celestial Mirror Array will be up to you three. I'll only say this: don't harbor any illusions." Fox Three said solemnly, then his form blurred into a silvery light and vanished without a trace.

Han Li and the other two exchanged glances, their expressions somewhat heavy.

They didn't linger and soon left the tavern, returning to the inn.

...

Half a month later.

All three of Han Li's group were in Fox Three's room. Fox Three had just returned, looking somewhat tired but excited.

"It seems you three are well prepared." Fox Three looked at them and nodded with a smile.

Compared to three days ago, aside from their unchanged faces, everything else about Han Li, Shi Chuankong, and Re He Zun Zhe was completely different, including the auras they emitted.

Shi Chuankong now wore a white robe and held a paper fan, looking like a mundane young master.

The demonic aura on him had vanished, replaced by a pure, yang-aligned energy fluctuation.

Re He Zun Zhe had also transformed into a gray-haired old man holding a purple staff, with occasional purple arcs of lightning flickering across it.

The flame power within him had turned into lightning energy, subtly resonating with the purple staff, leaving no flaw.

Han Li had also changed his attire, his body slightly taller, his skin fair and clean.

Water-attribute fluctuations emanated faintly from within him, and if one listened closely, the sound of surging waves could be heard from inside his body.

During this period, he had stayed in the inn without stepping out, fully refining the Netherworld Pill. He had finally managed to completely suppress the baleful aura within him and had also removed anything that might reveal his identity: the Azure Bamboo Cloudswarm Swords, the jade gourd, the Crab Daoist, the Essence Flame Boy, and even his usual storage devices, all stored inside the Flower Branch Space.

Although the contents of the Flower Branch Space should not be detectable from outside, Han Li still went to great lengths to set up a formation space within it, covering everything, including Mo Guang.

"Brother Fox spoke so seriously before; we wouldn't dare be careless." Re He Zun Zhe laughed.

Fox Three nodded and took out three identity tokens, handing one to each of Han Li's group.

The tokens were shaped like plaques, yellowish, seemingly made of some kind of dried wood.

Han Li examined the wooden token. One side bore his name—still surnamed Li, but the given name had changed again.

The other side had a pattern of a six-petaled flower, seemingly the emblem of some family or sect.

"Our current identities are outer elders of the Heavenly Sand Sect from Liusha Continent. We are here on the sect master's orders to purchase a batch of cultivation materials in the Black Earth Immortal Domain." As Fox Three spoke, a layer of blurry white light emerged on his body, flickering and twisting.

Amid the twisting white light, his body slowly transformed, and after a few breaths, he became a white-haired youth, his aura completely different from before.

Han Li and the others showed surprise in their eyes, then nodded.

The four then left the room, turning into four streaks of light flying toward the white giant peak in the city, soon arriving again at the entrance of the Immortal Ascension Hall.

It was the same as before, with many cultivators coming and going, a scene of bustling activity.

Fox Three didn't enter through the main gate but led Han Li and the others through a side door next to it, where there was an upward staircase.

The four stepped onto the staircase and ascended.

"Give me two hundred immortal spirit stones each." Fox Three suddenly turned and said to the other three.

Han Li and the others were taken aback.

"What for?" Shi Chuankong asked curiously.

"To reduce some trouble, naturally." Fox Three chuckled.

The remark was somewhat cryptic, but none of the three suspected anything, each taking out two hundred immortal spirit stones and handing them to Fox Three.

They soon passed the staircase and arrived at a white hall.

Several Celestial Court cultivators stood inside, speaking softly. When they saw Han Li's group enter, the nearest, a silver-haired youth, immediately approached with a smile and asked, "Seniors, are you looking to use the cross-domain teleportation array?"

The others showed some regret but did not step forward.

"That's right." Fox Three nodded.

"Please follow me." The silver-haired youth, delighted, led the way through the hall into a larger chamber.

Inside the chamber was a stone table, behind which sat a broad-faced, wide-nosed man in a dignified posture. Beside him stood a white-bearded elder, reporting something in a low voice.

The broad-faced man was a Golden Immortal, and his golden robe was more ornate than those of the silver-haired youth and the white-bearded elder, with a golden dragon pattern on the chest.

Hearing footsteps, the broad-faced man turned to look, and the white-bearded elder stopped speaking.

"Steward Fang, these seniors wish to use the cross-domain teleportation array." The silver-haired youth reported softly.

The broad-faced man nodded, looked at Han Li's group, and said slowly, "You must all know the rules for using the cross-domain teleportation array, but I'll repeat them: the fee is one thousand immortal spirit stones per person. But before that, we first verify your identities, then you must pass through an inspection array to check your bodies, and only then can you use the teleportation array."

Han Li frowned inwardly upon hearing this.

Fox Three hadn't mentioned the fee before; he hadn't expected the teleportation to be so expensive. A thousand immortal spirit stones could buy a low-grade immortal artifact, albeit the lowest grade.

"We know the rules. Here are our identity proofs." Fox Three said with a smile, taking out the wooden token and handing it over.

Han Li and the others also took out their identity tokens and gave them to the broad-faced man.

The man took out a golden jade slip from his bosom and waved it over the four wooden tokens.

A golden light flew out from the jade slip, enveloping the four tokens.

The golden jade slip then glowed with a layer of golden light, and lines of text appeared along with images.

"So you are four elders of the Heavenly Sand Sect. What business do you have in the Black Earth Immortal Domain?" The broad-faced man scanned them with sharp eyes and asked.

"We are under orders from the sect master to purchase alchemy materials." Fox Three stepped forward and discreetly slipped a storage ring into the man's hand.

The broad-faced man probed the storage ring with his divine sense, and his expression softened considerably.

"I see. You four have come all this way to the Black Earth Immortal Domain to buy materials—truly hardworking. Your identities are in order. Please follow me." The broad-faced man stood up, returned their identity tokens, and led the way inside, with the silver-haired youth and white-bearded elder following behind.

Han Li's group followed, and they soon arrived at another hall.

This hall was built entirely of silver-white jade, emitting a layer of fluorescence, its material unknown.

At the center of the hall was a circular golden array several tens of zhang in size, densely inscribed with countless array patterns, interwoven in extreme complexity.

Around the golden array stood eight golden stone pillars, each as thick as a man's embrace and several zhang tall, carved with array patterns connected to the array below. On each pillar sat a golden-robed cultivator in meditation, all with eyes closed.

The walls were also inscribed with complex array runes, linked to the golden array.

Directly above the golden array floated a huge golden circular mirror, facing downward.

The air near the array hummed and vibrated, with faint sounds like hymns echoing in the hall.

"So this is the Celestial Mirror Array..." Han Li looked at the scene, a hint of surprise in his eyes.

"Activate the array and inspect thoroughly, leaving no detail unchecked." The broad-faced man now wore a serious expression and said sternly to the eight on the pillars.

The eight opened their eyes, chanted incantations, and struck golden hand seals.

The golden array suddenly erupted in dazzling golden light, mixed with countless golden runes, forming a substantial golden pillar of light that merged into the golden mirror above.

Golden lines immediately lit up on the mirror, spreading rapidly until they covered the entire mirror.

These golden lines formed strange patterns, resembling countless eerie golden eyes that blinked gently.

Golden ripples emanated from these eyes, enveloping the golden array below.

"Four fellow daoists, please walk through the array one by one." The broad-faced man turned to Han Li and the others and said.

The four exchanged glances, and Fox Three stepped forward first, entering the golden array.

Buzz!

The golden array pulsed again, and the runes within the golden pillar of light transformed into countless golden threads, like countless tentacles, gently touching Fox Three's entire body.

The golden ripples from the eyes on the mirror also brightened, merging into ring-shaped golden light waves that enveloped Fox Three's body.

Fox Three's expression remained calm as he walked forward slowly, soon exiting the array without any anomaly.

Seeing this, Han Li breathed a slight sigh of relief, his mind racing as he observed the various changes in the golden array.

"Next." The broad-faced man gestured to Han Li's group.

Shi Chuankong cupped his hands to the man, stepped forward, and entered the golden array.

The golden threads immediately converged, touching his body, and the golden ripples from the mirror also descended.

Shi Chuankong's body stiffened slightly, then he continued forward, soon passing through the golden array safely.

Before the broad-faced man could speak, Han Li stepped forward calmly and entered the golden array.