Chapter 881: The Time Has Come

The arm emitted strands of white light, and wherever it passed, a white scar was drawn across the void, as if it were about to be torn apart.

Han Li took a palm strike to the chest, and a tremendous force surged into him. His body flew backward at several times its original speed, crashing heavily into the stone door behind him.

With a loud bang!

The stone door shattered on impact, sending碎石 flying.

Han Li's body slammed hard into the ground, creating a large pit.

His physical strength had greatly increased, so although he took the blow, he was not seriously injured. A slight dizziness washed over his mind, and he was about to flip over and rise.

At that moment, two sharp whistling sounds rang out, and two black shadows descended like lightning—two black chains swiftly coiled around his hands and feet, locking tight with a click.

The two black chains were extremely tough, and Han Li's body was instantly immobilized. His heart sank.

Before he could struggle further, a figure flashed and appeared before him. A hand shining with white light clamped around his throat.

"Stop struggling. You can't escape," the owner of the hand transmitted coldly. It was Chen Yang.

Beside the pit, two armored men in black robes now stood, each holding the other end of a black chain.

Han Li's face darkened, but he did not struggle further.

The Xuan Dou fighters in Zone Nine were greatly alarmed, but seeing it was Chen Yang and his men, they dared not say anything.

"How did you detect it?" Han Li looked at Chen Yang and asked slowly.

"Why bother detecting? Given your nature, you would never surrender obediently; you would surely make a move. It's laughable that Hu Ben and his people were completely unaware, leaving such a great merit to me." Chen Yang glanced at the nearby crowd and transmitted.

Han Li said nothing in response.

One of the black-robed armored men took out a set of shackles and placed them on Han Li.

"This man violated the rules of the Xuan Dou Arena. I am now taking him to the City Lord's Mansion to face punishment. Do not panic; this matter has nothing to do with you," Chen Yang said to the nearby crowd.

Hearing this, the crowd did not calm down much; they exchanged uneasy glances.

"Take him away!" Chen Yang paid them no further heed, turned, and walked outside.

At this moment, the Crab Immortal also came out and silently followed behind Chen Yang, not even glancing at Han Li.

Seeing this, Han Li frowned slightly.

The two black-robed armored men escorted Han Li, following behind, and soon left Zone Nine.

As their figures disappeared at the end, Zone Nine erupted like a boiling pot, buzzing with discussions about the cause of Han Li's capture.

Behind the crowd, a figure stood quietly—it was Chen Lin.

His eyes flickered, and after a while, he turned and walked into his own room.

...

Chen Yang and his party soon left the Xuan Dou Arena and entered Qingyang City.

The City Lord's Mansion was located at the highest point of Qingyang City. As Chen Yang escorted Han Li along the way, passersby frequently stared.

Han Li walked with his head down, his eyes shifting, thoughts churning in his mind.

"I know you have soul attack abilities, but this is Qingyang City. You can't escape. Don't waste your effort; it will only bring you more pain," Chen Yang seemed to sense Han Li's thoughts and said coldly.

Han Li's pupils contracted, and he gave a cold snort.

They soon arrived at the City Lord's Mansion. The mansion covered a large area but was not overly luxurious.

Chen Yang did not announce himself; he directly escorted Han Li inside.

Chen Yang walked at the front, his eyes deep, seemingly lost in thought.

The Crab Immortal followed behind him, also silent, not even turning to look at Han Li.

Han Li's hands were bound behind his back, and he was escorted by the two armored men, following Chen Yang all the way to the door of the City Lord's cave dwelling.

"City Lord, your subordinate Chen Yang requests an audience on a matter," Chen Yang walked up to the closed stone door and announced.

No one answered from within the cave dwelling, and the two closed stone doors showed no movement.

Chen Yang frowned slightly and was about to speak again when the heavy stone doors opened with a heavy grinding sound.

"Come in."

A voice came from inside, sounding somewhat suppressed with anger.

Chen Yang crooked his finger, and the two armored men brought Han Li before him, then withdrew with a farewell.

He glanced at Han Li, a pitying smile curling at the corner of his mouth. He raised his hand to press on Han Li's shoulder and pushed him into the main hall of the cave dwelling.

As they entered the hall, they found that besides City Lord Du Qingyang, there were four others present.

These four were the hunting team leaders who had been summoned by Du Qingyang together with Hu Ben earlier.

"Why have you brought him here at this time?" Seeing Chen Yang bring Han Li in, Du Qingyang's eyes showed a hint of displeasure as he asked.

"Reporting to the City Lord, today on my return from hunting, I happened to encounter this man attempting to escape from prison. I captured him and brought him here for your judgment," Chen Yang clasped his fist and bowed.

"Oh, is that so?" Du Qingyang's face grew even more grim upon hearing this.

The four beside him exchanged glances, each showing some fear.

"It seems the Xuan Dou Arena has been somewhat lax in defense lately. Your subordinate suggests increasing the guard to prevent similar incidents. Next time, I might not be so lucky to encounter it," Chen Yang said with a bow.

The square-faced young man standing beside Du Qingyang glanced at Chen Yang with a hint of jealousy in his eyes. He was responsible for the city defense of the Xuan Dou Arena, and Han Li's escape would largely be his fault.

"Good, you did well in this matter. You shall be credited," Du Qingyang said, though without a smile, his tone appreciative.

Hearing that the City Lord did not intend to pursue the matter, the square-faced young man breathed a sigh of relief.

"This is what a subordinate should do. If there is nothing else, I will take my leave," Chen Yang said, bowing.

Du Qingyang's gaze fell on Chen Yang, scrutinizing him with some hesitation, then he sighed lightly and said:

"Don't rush off. There happens to be a matter I want to discuss with you."

"The City Lord commands; your subordinate is at your service," Chen Yang immediately replied.

Du Qingyang beckoned him to come forward. Chen Yang handed Han Li over to the Crab Immortal and quickly stepped up.

"This morning, Hu Ben was found dead in his room," Du Qingyang lowered his voice and said.

Chen Yang's expression changed dramatically upon hearing this, full of shock. "Hu Ben is dead? What happened?"

"Unclear. There were no external injuries on his body, and no signs of a struggle in the room, only traces of blood in both ears," Du Qingyang shook his head slightly, seeing his reaction.

"Blood in the ears? Could he have been poisoned? But that shouldn't be—with Hu Ben's physique, what poison could work?" Chen Yang asked, greatly puzzled.

"We have no leads yet. With his death, the task I assigned him is left undone. Since you have rendered meritorious service in capturing the fugitive, you will replace Hu Ben and preside over the Gala Blood Array. How about it?" Du Qingyang said slowly.

"Thank you, City Lord. Your subordinate is willing to serve to the best of his ability," Chen Yang was overjoyed and quickly clasped his fist.

"Before the ritual, I need to go into seclusion for a while. The subsequent arrangements for the blood array will be your responsibility. As for Hu Ben's murder, I will have someone else investigate. You are to strengthen the defense and patrol within Qingyang City. For now, all matters revolve around the Gala Blood Array; ensure the ritual proceeds smoothly," Du Qingyang's gaze swept over the crowd.

"Yes," Chen Yang and the others clasped their fists simultaneously.

Afterward, Chen Yang, along with the Crab Immortal, escorted Han Li away. They did not return to the Xuan Dou Arena but directly locked him in a heavily guarded dungeon.

...

Time passed, and over a month went by.

In the pitch-black dungeon, the heavy cell door suddenly opened slowly, and two figures walked in.

"Fellow Daoist Li, long time no see. How have you been?" A familiar voice came—it was Chen Yang.

Following behind him was, naturally, the Crab Immortal.

"Has the time come?" Han Li, sitting in a corner of the room, slowly raised his head, glanced at him, and said indifferently.

Chen Yang was momentarily stunned, then smiled and said, "More or less."

Han Li said nothing. He stood up, brushed the dust off his clothes, and stepped out of the cell first.

Several armored men waiting outside immediately surrounded Han Li.

"Stand back," Chen Yang ordered.

The armored men immediately withdrew, and Han Li walked toward the corridor.

Chen Yang stepped forward and walked side by side with Han Li, while the Crab Immortal and others followed behind them.

"Fellow Daoist Li, we have known each other for a while. Do you have any unfulfilled wishes? Feel free to speak; perhaps I can help fulfill one or two," Chen Yang said with a smile, a hint of mockery in his tone.

"What if I ask you to let me go and escort me out of Qingyang City?" Han Li's expression remained unchanged as he asked calmly.

"That, naturally... is not possible. But if you are willing to teach me your cultivation technique, I wouldn't mind having your puppet collect your corpse intact, so at least you won't end up as food for the scale beasts," Chen Yang laughed.

Han Li responded with a cold sneer and said no more.

The group followed the corridor within the mountain, descending all the way, and soon arrived at a sizable underground space.

The space had a dome structure, appearing to be a naturally formed underground cavern. Before they even entered, a dry, hot air mixed with a sweet, fishy smell hit them, making even Han Li wrinkle his nose involuntarily.

As Han Li walked inside, he saw a strange stone platform shaped like a five-pointed star built on the ground of the cavern.

The stone platform was several tens of zhang in size and three feet above the ground. In the center were two grooves about a foot deep, and at the tips of the five points were five round platforms six feet high, each with a fist-sized beast core embedded in its groove.

The five beast cores shone with a bright luster, all of them being top-quality Earth-grade beast cores.

At this moment, Du Qingyang, along with the other four team leaders, were all standing by the stone platform, seemingly waiting for their arrival.