Chapter 926: Winning Over

"Indeed, I went to seek Senior Six Flowers' advice on how to eliminate the Black Calamity Bugs. Fellow Daoist Chen, your information is quite timely." Han Li said with a calm expression, transmitting his voice.

"Fellow Daoist Li, please do not misunderstand. I, Chen, did not investigate your movements; I merely happened to learn of this matter. The Celestial Lin Meteorite can be found in the Great Ruins. If Fellow Daoist Li requires assistance, I will do my utmost to help." Chen Yang smiled and transmitted his voice.

"Thank you for your concern, Fellow Daoist Chen." Han Li replied noncommittally via voice transmission.

"Fellow Daoist Li, you have not been in the Jilin Void for long and have not explored secret realms like the Great Ruins. I, however, have visited them several times. In such secret realms, before great treasures, so-called friendships, camaraderie, and even the grudges between Xuan City and Puppet City are as thin as paper. Only interests are eternal. Fellow Daoist Li is an intelligent man; I need not elaborate on this principle." Chen Yang paused, then transmitted his voice again, a hint of cunning in his tone.

Han Li looked up at Chen Yang but said nothing.

"In my view, individual strength is not important in the Great Ruins. I have always admired Fellow Daoist Li. If you are willing to cooperate with me fully, I can at least guarantee to find you the Celestial Lin Meteorite. Please consider it carefully." Chen Yang gave Han Li a deep look, then closed his eyes.

Han Li narrowed his eyes and fell silent again.

As the day to enter the Great Ruins approached, not only would the seemingly cooperative relationship between Puppet City and Xuan City be broken, but even among the city lords under Xuan City, each harbored their own schemes. Although he was nominally under Chen Yang's command, he could largely disregard his orders.

He understood Chen Yang's intention, but he did not fully grasp the man's purpose. Under these circumstances, he did not want to agree rashly and decided it was best to wait and see.

The night passed quickly. By dawn, the howling wind outside the cave gradually weakened and dissipated. Although the bone-chilling cold still pervaded everywhere, it was much better than the previous night.

"Let's go. There's still some distance to our destination." After a brief rest, Chen Yang said and set off first.

Han Li took a deep breath of the cold air, his brow slightly furrowed.

Perhaps because he had kept watch last night, he felt somewhat fatigued and lacked strength in his body.

"Fellow Daoist Li, what's wrong? You don't look well?" Xuan Yuan Xing looked over and asked.

"Nothing. I guess I'm still not used to the environment here." Han Li shook his head, took a few deep breaths, and circulated the blood and qi in his body. The fatigue quickly disappeared, and he felt relieved.

"Good, nothing serious. Let's go." Xuan Yuan Xing nodded and moved forward.

Just as Han Li was about to follow, his expression changed slightly, and he looked to the left.

In a mountain range far from them, two figures swiftly passed by. One was Zhuo Ge from Puppet City, and the other, whom he had also seen before, was the dwarf man less than four feet tall.

"Hide!" Chen Yang also saw the two, his expression changing. He immediately hid behind a large rock.

Xuan Yuan Xing and Han Li also dodged and hid.

Zhuo Ge and his companion did not notice Han Li and the others. They advanced swiftly and soon disappeared into the distance.

Han Li and the other two slowly emerged.

"Why are people from Puppet City here?" Xuan Yuan Xing asked in surprise.

"The Ice Volcano Mountain Range harbors many treasures and is home to many strange scale beasts. It's not surprising that Puppet City people would take the opportunity to seek treasures. We have an important mission now, so let's not cause any trouble." Chen Yang said indifferently.

"That's true." Xuan Yuan Xing said.

"Fellow Daoist Chen, do you know those two? Are they very powerful?" Han Li asked.

"The taller one is called Zhuo Ge, and the dwarf is Wu Yun. Both are top experts from Puppet City. The combat power of Puppet City cultivators is the hardest to judge. Their strength lies not only in themselves but more importantly in the puppets they use. An ordinary Puppet City cultivator, if they obtain a powerful puppet, can increase their strength tenfold. You must remember this and never underestimate anyone from Puppet City." Chen Yang warned them.

Han Li and Xuan Yuan Xing nodded simultaneously.

"They should be far away now. Let's go." Chen Yang waited a moment longer, then said, leading the two forward.

Half a day later, the three arrived near a huge mountain basin area.

In this basin, rocks stood in chaos, and the cold wind howled through the stones, making a rustling sound like countless insects crawling.

At the bottom of the basin, there was also a faint blue mist that the wind could not blow away.

"This should be the place." Chen Yang took out a jade slip to confirm, then said.

Han Li looked at the basin before him. It was circular and vast, stretching beyond the horizon, exuding a sense of mystery.

Chen Yang walked forward first, with Han Li and the other following closely.

The basin was too large. After a brief discussion, the three decided to split up.

Han Li searched the left side of the basin, Chen Yang headed toward the center, and Xuan Yuan Xing went to the right, hoping to find the Ice Scale Armadillo as quickly as possible. They agreed to meet near the entrance after one day.

Half a day later.

A fist, carrying a whistling wind, descended from the sky and smashed into the head of a snow wolf scale beast.

With a "splat," the snow wolf's head burst like a watermelon. Its massive body crashed to the ground, twitched a few times, and soon stopped moving.

Han Li withdrew his fist, took a beast core from the snow wolf's head, and stored it away, but his brow was furrowed.

The spatial pressure in the Ice Volcano Mountain Range was even greater than in Xuan City. His divine sense could only extend thirty or forty li, making it impossible to probe far. After searching for half a day, he had found no trace of the Ice Scale Armadillo, only encountering many other scale beasts.

He looked ahead. The rocks ahead were even larger, some dozens of feet high, almost like small hills. The blue mist on the ground was thicker than before.

"This won't do..." Han Li thought to himself. After a moment's hesitation, he leaped onto a large rock.

Then, with a light tap of his foot, he sprang forward, leaping from rock to rock while spreading his divine sense to probe the surroundings.

There were many scale beasts in this basin, some of which Han Li found quite dangerous. Although leaping directly through the air was too conspicuous and would make him a target for many scale beasts, he had to take the risk to find the Ice Scale Armadillo quickly.

After dashing forward for a while and being attacked twice by scale beasts, Han Li's eyes finally lit up. He suddenly turned his head to look to the right front, changed direction, and flew there like lightning.

In a few breaths, he reached a dense stone forest. The stones here were surprisingly translucent and white, completely different from the other rocks in the Ice Volcano Mountain Range. They seemed to be some special ore, emitting a bone-chilling cold.

In the stone forest, a scale beast over one man tall was devouring the white ore.

The beast had a head like a rat, a blue-and-white crystalline horn on its forehead, and its body was covered in blue scales like armor, with a long tail trailing behind.

It was the Ice Scale Armadillo!

Hearing the noise, the Ice Scale Armadillo suddenly looked up. Seeing Han Li swooping down like an eagle, it let out a sharp cry like a baby's wail.

Its four hooves churned, and its body turned into a blue blur, darting forward at an astonishing speed.

"Trying to run!"

Han Li shouted softly. The acupoints on his legs suddenly lit up, emitting white light that formed a white nebula-like existence, lifting his body. At the same time, he stomped down in the air.

With a muffled "pop," the air suddenly vibrated, creating ripples of airbursts.

Leveraging the force of the stomp, Han Li's speed surged. He instantly shot above the Ice Scale Armadillo and grabbed down with five fingers.

The Ice Scale Armadillo shrieked, its long tail whipping the ground. Its fleeing direction changed without warning, darting left, narrowly dodging his grasp.

Han Li let out a soft exclamation. His body somersaulted in midair, the acupoints on his legs flashed, and he stomped again in the void.

With another muffled "pop," his direction also changed, continuing to chase the blue scale beast without falling behind.

At the same time, he waved his right hand and flicked his finger.

With two sharp "whooshes," two white finger beams shot out like lightning, striking the Ice Scale Armadillo ahead.

With a muffled "bang!"

The Ice Scale Armadillo was sent flying, tumbling in the air and crashing into a rock.

Seeming enraged, the beast rolled over and stood up, charging back at Han Li.

It let out a low roar, its blue-and-white horn glowing with crystalline light. White stripes appeared on its originally pure blue body, which swelled like inflating, becoming two to three times its original size. Its front claws lengthened by half, growing long sharp claws that trembled into countless claw shadows, slashing at Han Li.

At the same time, its blue tail quivered, turning into a blue blur like an arrow shot from a bow, stabbing at Han Li's face.

Han Li snorted lightly and slapped the air with one palm.

A series of sharp sounds erupted!

The countless claw shadows of the armadillo hit an invisible wall, all stopping there, then shattered and dissipated.

Its thrusting tail also stopped abruptly half a foot from Han Li's palm, then shattered inch by inch.

The next moment, with a "bang," the Ice Scale Armadillo's charging body was sent flying back even faster, crashing heavily into the ground. A series of crackling sounds came from within its body as countless bones broke.

The armadillo's swollen body returned to its original size, blue blood gushing from its mouth. It was clearly dying.

Han Li flickered and appeared beside the Ice Scale Armadillo. He examined the blue-and-white horn for a moment, nodded, and chopped it off with a wave of his hand.

One horn was not enough. According to Lady Six Flowers, at least five or six were needed. He wondered how Chen Yang and the others were faring.

Han Li stored the horn away, turned to look at the distant stone forest, and a look of realization dawned in his eyes.

"So the Ice Scale Armadillo likes to gnaw on this white crystal..."

After a moment's thought, he turned and dashed deeper into the basin.