Chapter 677: Remains

About half a month later.

Han Li and the other figure flew above a shimmering lake.

The two suspended themselves in midair, their gazes fixed ahead, frowning deeply.

There, the void was fractured again, shattered by countless dense spatial rifts. Even the lake below was split in two, its edges blocked by an invisible barrier, forming a towering wall of water.

On the other side of these spatial rifts, floating lands of various sizes and massive solitary peaks hung suspended, densely dotted with white jade palaces. Most showed signs of damage, some even collapsing half a mountain wall, yet the former splendor was faintly visible.

Han Li gazed at the floating peaks and white plazas, a strange sense of déjà vu rising in his heart. As he was lost in thought, he heard Re He Zunzhe suddenly speak:

“Fellow Daoist Li, it seems we can’t go forward. We’ll have to find another way.”

“Fellow Daoist Re He, what was that land originally? Do you remember?” Han Li did not answer him but instead asked.

“That seems to be Senior Martial Uncle Mu Yan’s Two-Life Palace, one of the most important places in the entire sect besides the Patriarch’s True Word Palace. But now the whole space is shattered and chaotic... I can’t say for sure.” Re He Zunzhe was momentarily startled, then gazed intently for a moment before hesitantly replying.

Hearing this, Han Li confirmed in his heart that this was the place where he had witnessed the fall of the True Word Sect through time travel and where he had hidden Mu Yan’s corpse.

“Since it’s an important place, we must go have a look. What if the ‘Great Five Elements Illusory World Art’ is hidden here?” Han Li said after a moment’s deliberation.

“That may be, but we can’t get through here. Let’s look elsewhere; perhaps there’s a passable path.” Re He Zunzhe said hesitantly.

“No need for such trouble. Though the spatial rifts here are dense, they’re not entirely impassable. Look over there, isn’t there a passage connecting to that land?” Han Li’s gaze swept upward again, examined for a moment, shook his head, and pointed in a direction.

Re He Zunzhe followed his finger and saw, at the edge of the lake several hundred zhang away, a water column about a zhang in diameter extending outward like a water bridge, connecting to a landmass over ten li away.

“Fellow Daoist Li, are you joking? That water flow is surrounded by spatial fissures; one misstep and we’ll be swallowed. Moreover, its end is also cut off by a spatial barrier, not truly connecting to that area. Even if we manage to cross safely, it’s a dead end. Why take such a risk for nothing?” Re He Zunzhe asked, puzzled.

“Risk we must. Finding another path now may not be possible, and it would waste too much time. Going through here is the most expedient.” Han Li’s gaze sharpened as he said slowly.

He had already succeeded in crossing different lands using this method before, so he had some confidence.

Seeing his expression, Re He Zunzhe knew persuasion was useless. After a moment’s thought, he did not voice further objections, but his look at Han Li still held some hesitation.

“We’ll swim through the water. When we reach the edge, I’ll find a way to break the spatial barrier, and we’ll charge through in one go.” Han Li instructed.

“Fellow Daoist Li, are you truly confident you can break the barrier and let us through without affecting the spatial rifts?” Re He Zunzhe raised an eyebrow, somewhat skeptical.

“The spatial barrier here is far weaker than in the outer Immortal Domain. Breaking it is not difficult. As long as we’re fast enough, there’s at least a seventy percent chance.” Han Li’s lips curled into a smile.

“This…” Re He Zunzhe was left speechless.

But since it had come to this, he could only follow Han Li and take the gamble.

After preparing, the two shot down into the lake below, swimming like two fish through the water channel toward the opposite land.

Once inside the channel, both hearts raced. They moved extremely slowly, suppressing their spiritual power fluctuations to the utmost, afraid to disturb the spatial fissures and cause disaster. They were like ordinary mortals, swimming forward slowly.

A mere dozen li took them over an hour to traverse.

Near the barrier, Han Li’s eyes flashed purple. He flipped his hand and took out the green gourd, tilting its mouth forward, then turned to Re He Zunzhe, mentally reminding him to prepare.

Then, he formed a hand seal and slapped the bottom of the gourd heavily. The mouth burst with towering green light, and a thunderous roar came from within.

Immediately, a Green Bamboo蜂云 Sword shot out from the green vortex at the gourd’s mouth, transforming into a blurred green sword shadow that instantly pierced the spatial barrier ahead.

“Rumble—”

A violent roar sounded. The spatial barrier had not yet broken, but the lake water in the channel was violently churned by the impact, sending two strong waves crashing to the sides.

The surrounding space seemed to be torn by this immense force. The already fragile balance was instantly broken, and several spatial rifts around expanded, devouring the lake water and pressing toward Han Li and the other.

Seeing this, Re He Zunzhe’s expression changed drastically. He quickly summoned the golden ancient mirror and activated it with full force.

A flood of golden light burst forth, expanding a golden area around the two, slowing the expansion of the spatial rifts but not stopping them completely.

Just then, the rumbling before the spatial barrier ceased, followed by a cracking sound. After the Green Bamboo蜂云 Sword pierced through, a spatial passage only half a man’s height appeared.

Han Li’s eyes flashed. He grabbed Re He Zunzhe by the collar, leaped, and passed through the passage in an instant.

After passing through, Han Li did not stop. He recalled the Green Bamboo蜂云 Sword and continued forward for over a thousand zhang before halting and looking back.

The spatial passage they had opened remained agape, not immediately closing. The water channel inside had been completely swallowed by spatial rifts, and strands of black fissures extended into the passage’s mouth.

Fortunately, the cracks that extended inward were all extremely tiny fissures, not enough to widen the passage.

After a moment, Han Li saw the opening of the passage slowly close and eventually seal completely, and he breathed a sigh of relief.

"Thanks to Fellow Daoist Rehuo for holding out that moment..." He put away the Profound Heaven Gourd and smiled at Rehuo Zunzhe.

"I can see now that Fellow Daoist Li's impressive abilities and endless treasures are no accident." Rehuo Zunzhe, still shaken, his face pale, gave a bitter laugh.

"Fellow Daoist Rehuo flatters me. It was merely a matter of timing." Han Li smiled.

After resting a while, the two walked along the white square strewn with rubble and soon saw a vast expanse of palace ruins.

Unlike the ruins they had seen before, most of the palaces here showed severe signs of burning, with many surviving walls having bricks and stones melted by flames, but no corpses were visible, as if they had all been incinerated.

"I wasn't mistaken earlier; this is indeed the ruins of the Twin Life Palace. Most of the sect's affairs were handled by Uncle Mu Yan, so his Twin Life Palace was the busiest place in the sect, yet now it seems the most damaged." Rehuo Zunzhe looked around for a moment and sighed.

Han Li vaguely remembered that when he witnessed the great battle, the Time Dao Ancestor's earth-shattering strike was not too far from here, and he figured the center of the battlefield must have been nearby, so the severe damage here was not surprising.

Approaching the palace, Han Li looked around, carefully searching based on the remnants of his memory.

After a while, his gaze fell on a high pile of scattered bricks and stones, and he stopped.

Then, a purple light flickered in his eyes as he examined it closely.

Seeing this, Rehuo Zunzhe also stopped, waiting quietly for his discovery.

"Fellow Daoist Rehuo, there seems to be something under this mound..." Han Li said, feigning contemplation.

"Something? Could it be a hidden underground palace?" Rehuo Zunzhe raised an eyebrow and asked.

"Not likely... We'll know once we dig down." Han Li said.

With that, light shone from both of them as they dug deep into the mound.

After a long while, the two figures flew out from underground and landed on the ground.

Han Li's hands were empty, but Rehuo Zunzhe carried a corpse on his back.

The corpse wore a tattered yellow robe, was tall and thin, with straw-like yellow hair on its head, and its skin was furrowed like a tree-man of the Wood Spirit race—it was Mu Yan!

Compared to when Han Li had seen Mu Yan during his time travel, the corpse was almost identical, except the yellow robe was decayed, and the body's color was more withered, looking like a piece of sun-dried wood.

"Fellow Daoist Li's clairvoyant divine ability is truly remarkable. To detect Uncle Mu Yan's corpse buried so deep is astonishing." Rehuo Zunzhe straightened the corpse's clothes and said.

Han Li thought to himself that if he hadn't known the corpse was hidden there, given the suppression of divine sense in these ruins, he would never have discovered Mu Yan's body, which he had buried deep underground back then.

"I don't know why, but when I arrived here, I suddenly felt a connection and instinctively probed that spot." Han Li said, feigning confusion.

"Then it must be fate." Rehuo Zunzhe said.

"So, is the 'Great Five Elements Illusory World Technique' on Senior Mu Yan?" Han Li asked, knowing it was impossible.

"Of course not. It might be hidden in his Twin Life Palace." Rehuo Zunzhe glanced at the completely collapsed palace in the distance and said.

With that, he hoisted Mu Yan's corpse onto his back again and headed with Han Li toward that great hall.

In the severely damaged hall, all wooden structures were gone, and the remaining bricks and broken walls had been melted and deformed beyond recognition.

Rehuo Zunzhe went to a half-wall in the rear hall, raised a hand to sweep away the ash and dust, revealing a strange pattern like tree rings, and exclaimed in surprise, "There really is..."

Seeing Han Li's puzzled look, he explained, "This is a secret chamber mark. My master's Flowing Fire Palace had one too. I didn't expect Uncle to have one here, even in the same position."

"Were they close?" Han Li asked casually, his gaze slightly lowered.

"Well... Uncle Mu Yan had a fiery temper and actually got along worst with my master. But compared to the other uncles and masters, their bond as fellow disciples was still good." Rehuo Zunzhe said.

Han Li nodded silently and said nothing more.

Rehuo Zunzhe took one of Mu Yan's hands and pressed it against the ring pattern, channeling his immortal spiritual power into it. A green light lit up on Mu Yan's withered gray hand, restoring some color as if spring had returned to a withered tree.

Soon, the ring pattern glowed brightly, and a green light door as tall as a person opened from it.

Seeing this, Rehuo Zunzhe stopped channeling his immortal power, and the withered hand returned to its gray color.

Then, he looked back at Han Li, signaling him to follow, and carrying Mu Yan's remains, stepped into the light door.

Han Li hesitated for a moment, then followed closely into the light door.

After a brief dizziness, their figures appeared in a huge underground palace.