Chapter 679: The Ethereal Bamboo Melody

"After this, the item naturally belongs to Fellow Daoist Rehuo." Before Rehuo Immortal Venerable could finish speaking, Han Li took over the conversation and said with a smile.

"Fellow Daoist Li is noble and righteous; I admire you." Rehuo Immortal Venerable bowed respectfully to Han Li and said sincerely.

Han Li waved his hand, picked up the jade slip, pressed it to his brow, and immediately immersed his divine sense into it.

Then, his brow slightly raised.

Within a hazy green light, tiny golden characters emerged. Upon closer inspection, they formed a somewhat obscure and difficult cultivation technique, but it was not the "Great Five Elements Illusory World Art"—rather, it was a technique called the "Eastern Yi Scripture of Withering and Flourishing."

After a moment, Han Li memorized all the characters, took down the jade slip, and handed it to Rehuo Immortal Venerable.

Rehuo Immortal Venerable quickly took it and carefully examined it.

Han Li watched as his expression shifted from joy to disappointment, then to resignation, and a smile curled at the corner of his mouth.

This "Eastern Yi Scripture of Withering and Flourishing" comprised nine volumes, also a technique related to the laws of time. At first glance, it seemed to share the same origin as the earlier "Water Evolution Four Seasons Art" and "Illusory Time Classic," with countless connections.

"Fellow Daoist Li, although this technique is not the 'Great Five Elements Illusory World Art,' it is still a secret of our sect that must not be passed on. I hope you will not spread it." Rehuo Immortal Venerable put away the jade slip, sighed, and said solemnly.

"Naturally... Fellow Daoist Rehuo, if you have no further use for this remnant of the Two-Life Tree, could you let me have it?" Han Li changed the subject and said.

"Your earlier strike was extremely fierce, severing the life force of this immortal plant. What use could it still have?" Rehuo Immortal Venerable asked with a surprised expression.

"Alas... I was thinking that if there were even a ten-thousandth chance to revive this Two-Life Tree, my calamity of decay might be overcome." Han Li said with a bitter smile, inwardly planning to try using the green liquid from the small bottle to revive it.

"I see. Then take it, Fellow Daoist." Rehuo Immortal Venerable suddenly understood and said with a smile.

"By the way, do you know how Senior Mu Yan used the Two-Life Tree to overcome the decay calamity back then?" Han Li asked while carefully collecting the remnant of the Two-Life Tree.

"This... concerns Uncle-Master Mu Yan's cultivation, so I am not clear. However, I imagine it was not beyond the method of drawing out decay and storing it in an external object." Rehuo Immortal Venerable shook his head and said.

"I think so too. This would explain why Senior Mu Yan's corpse suddenly turned into decay—most likely because a large amount of decay energy was already stored in this Two-Life Tree." Han Li nodded.

After tidying up, the two did not leave immediately but waited until the wound on Rehuo Immortal Venerable's arm had mostly healed before leaving the underground palace together.

"If it's not here in the Two-Life Palace, there are few places left. If the Hidden Truth Valley hasn't separated from this continent, it's not too far. Let's go there first." Back on the square, Rehuo Immortal Venerable looked at the distant sky and said to Han Li.

"May I ask what the Hidden Truth Valley you mentioned originally was in your sect?" Han Li asked with some confusion.

"The Hidden Truth Valley was where the Ancestor usually went into seclusion. Except for giving lectures or handling important sect affairs, he spent most of his time there. So it is also a possible hiding place for the 'Great Five Elements Illusory World Art.'" Rehuo Immortal Venerable explained.

"Alright, let's go there first." Han Li nodded.

Then, the two boarded the flying boat and, guided by Rehuo Immortal Venerable, sped toward the Hidden Truth Valley.

During the flight, looking down from the high altitude, the land was devastated, covered with traces of terrifying powerful forces.

Seeing this, Han Li couldn't help recalling the scenes he witnessed during his穿越, especially the shocking palm strike descending from the sky, which still made him shudder.

At this thought, he couldn't help but look up toward the distant sky, where it was clear and azure, with no more smoke rising.

About three quarters of an hour later, the flying boat crossed a vast expanse of ruins and arrived above a wide plain, slowing down as it advanced.

"Fortunately, the Hidden Truth Valley hasn't collapsed and is still connected to the Wood Emperor Domain." Rehuo Immortal Venerable gazed at a green valley in the distance, a smile curling at the corner of his mouth.

Light flickered in Han Li's eyes as he also surveyed the valley. The peaks on both sides were not too high, and the terrain inside was quite flat, bathed in sunlight without appearing deep or cramped.

"At first glance, the Hidden Truth Valley doesn't seem like a vital stronghold. There must be some special禁制 inside, right?" Han Li asked with some doubt.

"Haha, Fellow Daoist Li, you've misunderstood. The Hidden Truth Valley is indeed not the place with the richest天地灵气 in the sect, nor have I heard of any secret禁制 being set up. The Ancestor chose this place for seclusion simply because he liked the ethereal bamboos in the valley." Rehuo Immortal Venerable said with a smile.

"So it seems I was overthinking it..." Han Li said, slightly taken aback.

As they spoke, the two had already arrived at the mouth of the valley.

Before they could land, they heard a series of "ding-dong" sounds mingled with sharp whistles, forming an ethereal and pleasant melody that drifted out from the valley.

"This is..." Han Li, hearing this sound, suddenly felt a clarity in his ears and couldn't help murmuring.

"This is the Hollow Bamboo Melody, formed by the sound of mountain wind blowing through the hollow bamboos inside the valley, mixed with the sounds of the bamboo bodies colliding with each other. It is said to have the effect of clearing the mind and brightening the will." The Flame Immortal explained leisurely after closing his eyes to savor it.

"No wonder Patriarch Myriad Spikes chose to go into seclusion here. Truly a wonderful place for quiet cultivation." Han Li couldn't help but praise.

"This is just the valley mouth. Inside, there is a kind of spirit bird called the Windbell Magpie, whose singing is melodious and moving. When combined with the Hollow Bamboo Melody, it becomes a truly wondrous sound of the world." The Flame Immortal said with some pride.

Entering the valley, before long Han Li saw clusters of verdant, slender bamboos scattered on the slopes on both sides. The bamboo stems were thin and straight, appearing quite ethereal, colliding with each other under the gentle mountain breeze, producing "ding-dong" sounds with a hollow tone.

The deeper they went, the denser the bamboo groves became on both sides, almost occupying all the space in the valley, leaving only a six-foot-wide stone path for Han Li and the other to walk, winding its way deep into the bamboo forest.

Listening to the hollow bamboo sounds echoing around, Han Li's mind gradually calmed, and he actually felt a bit of comfort.

The Flame Immortal beside him seemed to be the same; his brows, which had been tightly furrowed for days, finally relaxed a little.

After advancing inward for more than half an hour, a mist began to rise in the bamboo forest, obscuring the surroundings with a hazy veil, causing the sounds of the Hollow Bamboo Melody to become sparse and faint.

Han Li looked at the increasingly thick gray-white mist deep in the bamboo forest, suddenly frowned, and felt a sense of unease in his heart.

A purple light flashed in his eyes as he scanned the surroundings, only to find that his vision was limited to a distance of no more than a hundred zhang; beyond that, it was as gray and indistinct as what the naked eye could see.

What surprised him even more was that the hollow bamboos deep in the thick fog, whether stems or leaves, had turned a strange gray-white, and when they swayed and collided, they barely made any sound.

"Fellow Daoist Flame, this mist seems a bit off. It suppresses spiritual sense extremely strongly and seems to contain some baleful aura. Did we inadvertently trigger some restriction in the valley?" Han Li composed himself and asked with a slight frown.

"Back then, the Patriarch decreed that no restrictions be placed in the Valley of Concealed Truth, nor were disciples barred from entering it, so I too have visited here many times. Occasionally, mist would gather in the mornings, but it was always thin, ethereal spiritual mist. I have never seen such strange fog as this before... Could it have appeared only after the sect's upheaval?" Hot Immortal also felt some discomfort and spoke.

"Regardless, having our spiritual sense suppressed to such a degree is definitely not a good thing. We must be fully alert." Han Li frowned and said.

As soon as his words fell, a sudden explosive sound of something breaking through the air rang out.

From within the thick fog deep in the bamboo grove, hundreds of faint green lights suddenly lit up, shooting in from all directions like ghost fire.

"Watch out..."

Han Li gave a low shout, then flipped his right hand. A flash of golden lightning appeared in his palm, and the Green Bamboo蜂 Cloud Sword materialized in his hand, its surface crackling with golden electric arcs.

With a swing, the golden lightning immediately coalesced into a beam, sweeping outward like a long whip.

Beside him, Hot Immortal took out the golden ancient mirror with one hand, and before activating it, he grasped a large crimson banana fan with the other, fanning it toward the dozens of green ghostly flames directly ahead.

"Zizi..."

The long whip formed by the Exorcist Divine Lightning traced a golden arc in front of Han Li, instantly sweeping through the clusters of ghostly flames, emitting a series of rumbling sounds.

The hundred-odd clusters of ghostly flames burst apart like ripe watermelons, but they did not dissipate; instead, they scattered into countless green fireballs the size of fists, their momentum slightly slowed, yet they still flew toward this side.

"Hula" "Hula"

Clusters of fire patterns lit up on the crimson plantain fan, and bursts of crimson fireballs, comparable in size to the green flames, shot out, colliding heavily with the green flames in midair, both scattering apart.

The sparks from the crimson and green flames mingled together, showing a tendency to cancel each other out, as their lights dimmed and they all vanished.

"Fellow Daoist Li, these things seem to be restrained by the crimson flames!" the Fire Venerate exclaimed loudly.

Han Li had naturally already sensed this, and with a thought, a silver light lit up on his shoulder, followed by the emergence of a palm-sized silver flame figure.

The little figure first stretched its arms lazily, then tilted its head slightly, rolling up its sleeves and making gestures toward the surrounding green flames, as if ready for a great battle.