Chapter 745: Desperate Fight

Yin Xu's pupils contracted slightly as he raised his hand and waved.

A black light flashed before him, rapidly growing visible in size, transforming into a black circular mirror that spun incessantly, emitting strange black rays that swept in all directions.

Where the black light passed, faint shadows emerged in the void, walking back and forth or darting past, seemingly figures who had passed through here in the past.

Some of these figures were distinct, others extremely blurry.

Among the figures, the forms of Han Li and his companions appeared, very clear, speeding toward a small path.

"After them!" Yin Xu and Gui Mu immediately flew in pursuit.

…

Deep within the black palace, Han Li and his group were advancing rapidly.

Scenery on both sides receded swiftly—endless palace walls, pavilions, and towers, resembling an imperial city.

None dared to fly high; they kept close to the ground, darting between these structures.

As they went deeper, the light grew dimmer, with faint black mist swirling in the void, blurring everything beyond thirty or forty zhang, and their divine sense could not extend far.

Even Hu San and the others could barely see a hundred zhang ahead.

Han Li shot two beams of purple light from his eyes, activating his Netherworld Pupils to peer ahead, barely discerning the path, but only up to about three hundred zhang.

Moreover, there seemed to be an indescribable immense spatial pressure in the void, which, though not harmful to cultivators of their level, greatly slowed their speed.

"What kind of place is this? I feel something's off. Fellow Daoist Ti Hun, have you noticed anything?" Hu San couldn't help asking as they sped along.

"No, this is my first time here too," Ti Hun shook her head.

"Since fierce battles are forbidden here, that works in our favor. Why not fight the pursuers here?" Hu San added.

"No. Despite the rule, in a life-or-death struggle, the opposing Daluo cultivators might not abide by it. The risk is too great. We can't bet on them keeping the rules. Even if we fight, we need a place absolutely advantageous to us," Shi Chuankong immediately shook his head.

"That makes sense," Hu San nodded.

"Eh!"

As Han Li advanced, he glanced around and suddenly let out a soft exclamation.

"Fellow Daoist Li, have you found something?" Shi Chuankong looked over.

"No, it's just that the layout of the surrounding palaces seems somewhat mysterious, like some kind of formation. The spatial pressure might be related to this..." Han Li said thoughtfully.

The arrangement of the palaces, pavilions, and other buildings appeared ordinary but actually followed certain patterns, and all bore many restrictive runes, with an indescribable connection between them.

"Now that you mention it, it does seem so. This place must be an important restricted area, but strangely, there's no one guarding it," Bai Liyan nodded.

"Not good, Gui Mu and the others have caught up, and fast!" Ti Hun's expression suddenly changed as she spoke.

The others were startled but didn't ask how Ti Hun sensed the situation behind; they immediately sped up.

However, their cultivation was far inferior to Gui Mu and the other's, and with the spatial pressure, despite their utmost effort, the distance kept closing.

"There's a passage leading underground ahead, with a peculiar aura. Should we go in?" Han Li looked in a certain direction and suddenly spoke.

"Let's go in and take the gamble!" Shi Chuankong gritted his teeth.

"What's in there that could be worse than the two fellows chasing us?" Hu San grinned.

"Right. We've come this far. Let's check it out. The only way now is to risk everything for a chance at survival," Bai Liyan steeled himself.

Ti Hun naturally followed Han Li's lead without a second thought.

"Follow me," Han Li veered slightly and flew toward the left front.

The others immediately followed, arriving at a huge rockery hundreds of zhang high, with an opening at its base.

The opening was quite large, three to four zhang high, with pale white rocks on both sides faintly emitting light, making the interior fairly bright.

The white light flickered pleasantly.

Inside was a long passage leading underground, with a warm current rushing out, slightly pungent, like the smell of sulfur and magma.

Without hesitation, they flew in, heading deeper.

Just as Han Li and the others disappeared into the underground passage, figures flickered at the entrance, revealing Gui Mu and Yin Xu.

"Damn it, they fled in there! Do they know the secret of this place? Impossible! Only the Domain Lord and us Daluo know about it, not even You Luo!" Gui Mu said with a grim face.

"Enough nonsense. Go in and catch them now," Yin Xu snorted impatiently and flew into the opening.

Gui Mu's face turned cold, a flash of anger in his eyes.

Just then, the white cat in his arms looked up at its master and let out a soft cry.

Gui Mu stroked the cat's head, took a deep breath, regained his composure, and flew in as well.

Han Li and the others advanced at full speed along the passage. It was straight with few bends, and the light grew brighter as they went deeper, making progress fairly smooth.

But there was no joy on their faces; such a straight path favored the pursuers behind.

Suddenly, all their expressions changed, and they halted.

The passage ahead widened into a large square space, like a great hall, about thirty to forty zhang in size.

But this was the end. On the far wall was a tightly shut massive stone door, and the spatial pressure here had reached a terrifying level.

The stone door was densely inscribed with runic patterns, emitting lights of several colors, each radiating powerful energy fluctuations—clearly formidable restrictions. Among them, a silver light was the most dazzling, forming a silver light screen covering the door.

Silver light, like rippling waves, flowed and flickered across the screen, quite splendid.

The other walls of the hall also bore similar array patterns, connected to the restrictions on the stone door, forming a unique barrier.

Everyone looked around, seeming to realize something, their expressions turning grim.

Hu San gritted his teeth, raised his hand, and a dazzling white light shot out—a foot-long, snow-white conical immortal artifact.

Judging by its aura, it was at least seventh-grade.

The white cone was wrapped in white arcs, emitting thunderous roars, and instantly turned into a blurry white phantom, stabbing fiercely at the stone door.

Just before impact, Hu San formed hand seals and muttered, "Go!"

The moment he spoke, a deafening thunderclap exploded!

Then a dazzling scorching white sun emerged, bursting violently, sending countless blinding white arcs shooting in all directions, engulfing the stone door and obscuring the view.

Seeing this, Han Li's eyes flickered with purple light, and he frowned.

The dazzling white sun quickly faded, revealing the scene.

The white cone immortal artifact struck the stone door, but the door's multicolored restrictions merely flickered faintly, leaving not a single mark.

Everyone's expression changed again.

The white cone's power was evident to all, yet it couldn't leave a trace on the stone door.

"I'm sorry for leading everyone into such a place. It seems we're in big trouble," Han Li said with a bitter smile.

"Fellow Daoist Li, don't blame yourself. We all decided to come here, so we'll share the consequences. Besides, fleeing all the way might not have been good. Since we're caught, there's no choice but to fight with all we've got," Hu San said, recalling the white cone to hover above his head, turning to face the direction they came from with a faint smile.

"Well said. Those people dare not engage in fierce battles here, but we have no such scruples. We might not lose," Bai Liyan laughed heartily and turned around.

A sharp glint flashed in Han Li's eyes, and he also turned to face the direction they came from, golden light flickering on his body.

Ti Hun glanced at Han Li and stood by his side.

Shi Chuankong, however, did not join them to face the enemy. Instead, he flew to the stone door, formed hand seals, and waved.

A silver light flashed before him, revealing a silver ancient mirror. With a flicker, it emitted a silver beam that shone on the stone door.

The restrictions on the door immediately fluctuated, especially the silver light screen, which buzzed and trembled.

"Fellow Daoist Shi, can you break these restrictions?" Bai Liyan asked with joy.

"These restrictions are very sophisticated. I can't guarantee success; I need time to study them carefully," Shi Chuankong shook his head noncommittally.

"Alright, Brother Shi, focus on your research. We'll handle the pursuers and buy you as much time as possible," Hu San laughed.

Shi Chuankong nodded and then ignored the others, concentrating on the stone door's restrictions.

Han Li glanced at Shi Chuankong, then quickly turned his gaze to the passage ahead.

"They're here!" Ti Hun said softly.

Figures flickered in the passage, revealing Gui Mu and Yin Xu.

"A few rats, quite fast at running!" Yin Xu glanced around the hall, his expression relaxing slightly as he said coldly.

"If you know what's good for you..." Gui Mu sneered, about to say more.

"Boom!"

A thunderous explosion rang out as the white cone above Hu San's head, wreathed in white lightning, shot out toward Gui Mu.

"If we're fighting, let's fight. Why waste words!"