Chapter 739: Breaking Free

"Master, although your mind is made up and unlikely to change, I still want to remind you that the Domain Lord and other Great Luo-level Netherworld Clan cultivators are currently in the Fallen Lake area and have no time to attend to this place. Right now, the outer defenses of Rakshasa City are at their weakest. If you wish to escape Rakshasa City, I can lead you out, but time is short, and we must leave immediately. If this opportunity passes, it will be very difficult for you to leave later." Ti Hun looked at Han Li, hesitated slightly, and then spoke.

Han Li's gaze swept over Hu San and the others, seeing them all covered in wounds and looking dispirited. His brows were tightly knit, but soon his gaze became resolute.

"Since we've come this far, if we turn back now, wouldn't all this suffering be in vain? Besides, given my condition, I cannot afford to retreat. If any of you are unwilling to continue, you may leave now on your own." Han Li sighed and said.

"My condition is worse than yours, and I would be unwilling to back out now either." Bai Li Yan laughed heartily.

"I don't have the habit of giving up halfway." Hu San smiled, but seemed to pull at his internal injuries, his mouth twitching slightly.

"Guangyuan Zhai doesn't do losing business. If I quit now, wouldn't that be a huge loss... Besides, I must settle this score." Shi Chuankong also nodded and said.

Mo Guang said nothing, maintaining his usual indifferent demeanor, though his gaze occasionally flickered toward the girl-like Ti Hun.

"Since you are determined, Master, I will take you there." Ti Hun nodded and said.

"Our numbers are too great, which makes movement inconvenient. Before we reach the Karmic Fire Pit, please stay within my cave-heaven treasure for now," Han Li said after a pause.

Immediately after, a flash of floral shadow flickered on his finger, and a silver light gate about ten feet high materialized.

Where the silver light gate opened, it faced the first floor of the bamboo building, from which dense celestial spiritual energy flowed out, refreshing Hu San and the others, who had long been deprived of spiritual energy.

"This... could it be the one from the Yukun Tower auction? I recall it was bought by an elder of the Hundred Creations Mountain..." Hu San first frowned at the sight, then said with some surprise.

"It's not that one; this item was obtained elsewhere. Alright, please enter first. This bamboo building is where the cave-heaven's spiritual energy converges, as rich as any ordinary celestial cave paradise. You may rest and recuperate here for a while, but do not wander elsewhere," Han Li said without further explanation.

Upon hearing this, Mo Guang stepped into the bamboo building first, while the others clasped their fists slightly toward Han Li and also entered.

Within the entire Flower Branch Cave Heaven, all restrictions were activated simultaneously, and the bamboo building was sealed off. Hu San and the others were naturally aware of this, but they were merely amazed by the abundant spiritual energy inside the building. One by one, they sat cross-legged, focusing on healing their injuries without any superfluous movements.

After closing the cave heaven, Han Li relaxed his expression and let out a suppressed groan.

The successive torments akin to torture had been hard to bear even for someone with a physique as strong as his, not to mention the indescribable damage to his soul from the fierce erosion of the Nether Soul Insects.

"Master, are you all right?" Ti Hun asked with some concern.

Han Li waved his hand, flipped his palm to produce a golden pill, and swallowed it, then closed his eyes to regulate his breathing.

"I'm fine. Let's go." After a moment, he opened his eyes, forced an unpleasant smile, and said to her.

"This journey is fraught with uncertainty. Are you really sure you're okay in your current state?" Ti Hun still seemed uneasy.

"The longer we stay in the Grey Realm, the more severe the corrosion from baleful aura becomes. I have a feeling that if we don't reach the Cleansing Pool soon, the baleful decline will be impossible to suppress and erupt. By then, even if no one else makes a move, I'll be beyond saving." Han Li gave a bitter laugh and spoke thus.

"The Cleansing Soul Zone is a special place for the Netherworld Clan; no one outside the clan may enter. Although I am valued by the Domain Lord, I can only enter with him and am not allowed to linger there ordinarily. So to enter the Cleansing Soul Zone, we still have to take the path you used before." Ti Hun nodded and said.

"If we take that path of karmic fire, won't we still trigger the restrictions inside?" Han Li asked with some doubt.

"That's no problem. Leave it to me. But what the situation is like inside the Cleansing Soul Zone, I don't know." Ti Hun showed a slight smile and said.

"As things stand, we can only take it one step at a time. Let's go there first and then see." Han Li sighed lightly and said.

"Master, bear with it a moment. I'll take you out now." Ti Hun nodded and said.

With that, she flicked her wrist, and a blood-red chain materialized out of thin air. With a "puff," it pierced through Han Li's shoulder.

Han Li only furrowed his brows slightly, making no sound.

Thus, Ti Hun escorted Han Li, moving outward from the ninth level of the Nether Prison all the way.

Her status in the Netherworld Clan was special; even ordinary Netherworld Clan Tai Luo cultivators had to be somewhat wary of her, let alone ordinary Netherworld slaves. Hence, the journey went smoothly, with not even a single person daring to come forward to inquire or investigate.

Before long, the two left the Nether Prison, wound through the underground passages several times, and arrived outside the Karmic Fire Pit.

After walking down a long corridor, Han Li saw at a glance that beside the doorway leading into the fire pool stood a tall, burly figure—it was Su Liu, who had already been refined into a puppet.

His eyes were vacant, staring straight ahead, his hands crossed in front of him, with the double-bladed axe and meteor hammer connected by chains in his palms crossed behind his back. The stitched wounds on his body, even upon Han Li's second look, still struck him as shocking.

He had little fondness for this former Celestial Court Inspector, but after all, they were both from the Immortal Realm. Seeing him end up like this, he couldn't help but feel a sense of sorrow at the fox's death.

Han Li, escorted by the Soul-Devourer, arrived before the gate and was about to enter when Su Liu suddenly pulled with both hands, the black chains drawing the giant axe and meteor hammer into his grasp. He shifted his body to the side, blocking the path.

Seeing this, the Soul-Devourer frowned slightly. With a wave of his hand, a token radiating wisps of black baleful qi materialized, hovered for a moment before Su Liu's face, then flew back into his hand.

At this, Su Liu put away his weapons, retreated to the side, and returned to his original wooden state.

Han Li and the Soul-Devourer entered the gate and found the bridgehead empty. The cages imprisoning the Fire Heat Immortal Venerable and Chi Rong still hung beneath the bridge.

Approaching, Han Li stopped.

"What's wrong? Master, do you know them?" the Soul-Devourer asked, glancing down at the bridge.

"Do you have a way to remove the restrictions on them?" Han Li asked after a moment's thought.

"Removing their restrictions is not difficult. With my Nine Nether Token, it would only take a few breaths. However, these two have been tormented by karmic fire and tainted by baleful qi for too long, and are nearly half-gray-immortal. Once the restrictions are lifted, they might lose control of their minds and go berserk," the Soul-Devourer said after thinking.

"Then rescue them first. Put aside the lifting of restrictions for now," Han Li nodded and instructed.

"That's easy."

With that, the Soul-Devourer flickered and flew down, his hands forming incantation gestures as he tapped the iron cage more than ten times.

Immediately, traces of runic patterns emerged on the cage. A dark red light flickered briefly and then vanished, and the closed cage door swung open.

The Fire Heat Immortal Venerable, leaning in a corner of the cage, was completely unaware and unmoved. On the other side, Chi Rong slowly raised his head, looked at Han Li and the Soul-Devourer with a flicker of confusion and panic in his eyes, but did not move.

"You haven't lost your mind, but your restrictions cannot be lifted yet. If you can stand, come out on your own," Han Li said, his expression unchanged.

Chi Rong was silent for a moment, said nothing, slowly stood up, and helped the Fire Heat Immortal Venerable to his feet.

"Go inside. We'll talk about everything later."

Han Li waved his hand casually, and a silver light door appeared before the two.

Chi Rong gave him a deep look, still puzzled as to why he was saving him, then supporting the Fire Heat Immortal Venerable, stepped into the bamboo building.

Soul Devourer flew down beside Han Li and saw him turn his wrist, closing the Flower Branch Cave Heaven.

"Master, wait a moment." The two walked to the end of the broken bridge, and Soul Devourer spoke.

As she spoke, a dark red light flashed on her body, and her figure dropped downward, falling into the karmic fire and disappearing.

After about thirty breaths, the black flames in the fire pool suddenly leaped upward, and a figure flew out—it was Soul Devourer.

"Alright, the restrictions at the bottom of the pool and the entrance have been temporarily sealed by me. Now we can safely leave." She clapped her hands, speaking crisply.

"Much obliged." Han Li nodded and smiled.

"You Nether, do you know what you're doing?" Just then, a harsh shout came over.

Han Li's heart tightened. Turning to look, he saw a thin, middle-aged man with narrow eyes and a pale, water-ghost-like complexion walking out from the doorway, holding a furry white beast shaped like a civet cat in his arms.

It was Guimu, the Great Luo-level cultivator previously seen in the Puppet Castle!

Behind him stood dozens of oddly shaped puppets and nether slaves, among them Su Liu, who had already been turned into a puppet, holding a double-edged great axe and a meteor hammer in his hands.

"Elder Guimu, I am following my master's orders to bring this person for karmic fire refinement. After a short while, I will take him back to the Nether Prison." Soul Devourer said unhurriedly upon hearing this.

Guimu squinted his narrow eyes, glanced at the crimson chain in Soul Devourer's hand, and seeing it piercing through Han Li's chest, his brow involuntarily lifted slightly. He said slowly:

"The Domain Lord is currently focused on the Fallen Lake area. Before Elder Yin Gua went into seclusion, he specifically instructed me to look after the Luosheng Area and made it clear that this matter should not be reported to the Domain Lord for now. So where did you get the Domain Lord's orders?"

Knowing she couldn't deceive him, Soul Devourer simply withdrew her hand and pulled the crimson chain out of Han Li's body.

The two blood holes left on Han Li's body quickly closed and healed as before.

"Are you really going to betray the Domain Lord and refuse to turn back?" Guimu frowned and said.

"After this matter is over, I will naturally confess my guilt to my master. If Elder Guimu is willing to let me off today, I will surely repay you handsomely in the future." A trace of hesitation flickered across Soul Devourer's face as she spoke.

"Hmph! Obstinate and unrepentant. Words are useless." Guimu snorted coldly, bent down, and placed the white beast at his feet.

The little creature first rubbed against his leg, then stood upright like a human, its eyes rolling as it bared its teeth at Han Li in a threatening manner, before turning and darting toward the doorway.