Chapter 973: The Pursuit

Gu Qianxun watched Han Li's approaching figure, her expression shifting between overcast and clear, lost in thought.

"You can let go of that thing in your hand. There's no need to go down together with me, is there?" Han Li glanced at her and said.

Upon hearing this, Gu Qianxun's whole body relaxed, and she seemed to regain some strength.

She tucked a white jade pendant into her sleeve, fell backward, and sat down瘫坐, pulling her calves out of the ground with her hands.

"We were already at odds before. Why did you save me?" Gu Qianxun took out a beast pill and swallowed it, asking.

"I met Lady Liuhua earlier, and she helped me remove the Black Calamity Insect infestation. Saving you now is also a way to repay her kindness." Han Li saw that although her injuries were severe, they were not life-threatening, and said slowly.

"You saw him? How is he?" Gu Qianxun asked urgently upon hearing this.

"He is fine. He was taken away by E Kuai earlier, perhaps to where the Saintly Skeleton is." Han Li said slowly.

Gu Qianxun's expression eased, and she felt somewhat reassured.

"Who exactly are you?" Han Li suddenly asked.

"You probably already know, right? Yes, I am indeed a pawn left by the Third Prince in the Scale-Scale Void Realm. If he hadn't arranged protection back then, I would have died along with my mother at the hands of Du Qingyang. Growing to this day and finally avenging my mother are all thanks to him. So this time, when he ordered me to eliminate the First Prince and the Thirteenth Prince, I had no choice but to obey." Gu Qianxun hesitated briefly and replied.

"I was truly blind before, unable to see through it..." Han Li sighed, recalling the various details of his past meetings with the Third Prince Shi Pokong, unable to find many faults.

Gu Qianxun thought Han Li was referring to her, and a bitter smile appeared on her face as she said:

"If it were possible, I really wouldn't want to be your enemy."

"You can kill the First Prince; I wouldn't mind helping if necessary. But if you later make a move against Shi Chuankong, don't blame me for disregarding old ties and killing you." Han Li frowned and said.

Gu Qianxun's gaze was complex, and she remained silent for a long time.

"After waiting this long, Shi Zhanfeng probably won't come back. Take care of yourself." Han Li said, stepping past her, leaping into the air, and descending into the distance.

Gu Qianxun stood speechless, silent for a long time before slowly standing up.

She walked unsteadily to the side, bent down to pick up her white bone spear, took a deep breath, and chased straight after Han Li in the direction he had left.

Han Li's figure rose and fell among the architectural ruins, moving very swiftly.

At this moment, his brows were slightly furrowed, and his mind was somewhat disturbed.

This trip to the Scale-Scale Void Realm had taken far too long. He had originally thought he would find Zi Ling quickly and return immediately, but instead, he had fallen into the chaotic struggle between the two cities of Xuan and Wei.

The deception between the two cities was already enough to make one's head spin, and now it was clearly evident that the First Prince Shi Zhanfeng and the Third Prince Shi Pokong were also involved, making the situation increasingly complex.

Compared to Shi Zhanfeng's personal involvement, Han Li was more concerned about Shi Pokong's remote布局. From Gu Qianxun, it was clear that Shi Pokong had been operating in the Scale-Scale Void Realm for quite some time.

And both sides were so interested in this Scale-Scale Void Realm, which had always been regarded as a barren land. The reason could only be related to the Saintly Skeleton in the Great Ruins, right?

Thinking of this, Han Li's heart tightened slightly. Could it be that Shi Chuankong had taken the initiative to follow him here for this very reason?

"Rather than guessing this, it's better to think about what's going on with the Crab Immortal..." Han Li laughed at himself.

Ever since entering the Scale-Scale Void Realm, he had felt that the connection between him and the Crab Immortal was becoming increasingly weak. It wasn't that the soul bond between them had been severed, but rather, psychologically, he felt that the Crab Immortal was becoming more and more unfamiliar.

Recalling the contents recorded on the jade slip the Crab Immortal had given him, Han Li grew even more curious about the Crab Immortal's true purpose.

He even wondered if the master the Crab Immortal spoke of was the Saintly Skeleton itself, or the former master of the Great Ruins. Otherwise, how could the jade slip record the exact location and method of obtaining the hollow sphere?

And the route he was now pursuing was also roughly mentioned in that jade slip.

After traveling another several hundred li, large areas of collapsed and destroyed ruins began to appear along the way, mostly fresh traces, covering a wide area, seemingly left behind by the earlier chase between E Kuai and Sha Xin.

Han Li stopped occasionally to investigate briefly, then continued his pursuit.

...

Time passed, and another half month went by.

After continuous pursuit, Han Li finally arrived at a vast white stone square.

Around the square stood four nine-story pointed pagodas, one at each corner.

In the very center of the square stood a magnificent glazed-treasure-roofed hall, whose scale far exceeded any other hall or building he had seen in the Great Ruins.

Unlike the ruins and debris seen along the way, this round, domed glazed palace was extremely well-preserved. Whether it was the glazed tiles on the roof or the giant pillars reaching the ceiling around the hall, all were as bright and new as ever, without any trace of age.

Looking from afar, Han Li saw that the two large carved hollow doors of the hall facing him were wide open. Above the high lintel hung a gold-inlaid horizontal plaque inscribed with three ancient seal-script characters.

"Thousand Mechanism Hall..." Han Li murmured, suddenly recalling that Shi Zhanfeng had mentioned this name before.

Thinking of this, he frowned, suppressed his aura fluctuations, and quickly approached the hall.

Approaching the hall, Han Li noticed that the stone bricks on the ground were covered with a large number of star runes, spreading over an area of several thousand zhang around the hall, clearly a very complex runic array.

When he reached the corridor steps below the hall, the runic patterns changed again, forming another runic array.

Near the hall entrance, Han Li saw that the open doors were covered with scorch marks, and the original禁制 had been completely destroyed.

He did not rush into the hall but leaned in from the side to look inside.

Inside, the hall was in chaos, with stone shelves, tables, and chairs scattered everywhere, some completely shattered into powder, clearly the result of a considerable fight.

Han Li held his breath and listened quietly for a moment, finding the hall silent, with no sound at all.

He then flickered and entered the hall.

The hall was empty, with no sign of E Kuai and his group, nor of Sha Xin and the others, only scattered fragments of tables and chairs and tall bone-armored puppets.

Han Li frowned and carefully examined the hall.

After some inspection, he found that these bone-armored puppets seemed to be of the same origin as those seen in other ruins in the Great Ruins, not the puppets controlled by Puppet City. They were likely the original puppets guarding this hall.

Just then, he suddenly noticed that beside a pile of shattered tables and chairs at the back of the hall, an unremarkable black stone chair stood intact in its place.

He walked over, circled the stone chair, and a smile curled at the corner of his mouth.

Han Li grabbed the back of the black stone chair with both hands and suddenly twisted it to one side.

A scraping sound arose, and a dark passage appeared beside the stone chair, extending underground.

After a moment's hesitation, Han Li jumped into the hole and descended along a stone staircase inside.

After advancing several hundred zhang in the darkness, the stone staircase ended at a door opening about one person's height, from which came wisps of wind and indistinct voices.

Han Li first slowed his pace to minimize noise, but when he neared the door, he activated the Feather Transformation Ascension Technique, flickered, and entered the door opening.

Once inside, Han Li relaxed slightly; there was no ambush in the cave.

He hid behind a half-man-high strange rock and cautiously looked ahead.

In front of the strange rock was a huge blood lake covering an area of several thousand zhang, filled with crimson blood that rippled gently like lake water.

A layer of blood-colored霞光 hung over the lake, flickering amidst a朦胧 blood mist.

After scanning the lake surface for a long time, Han Li's gaze suddenly flickered as he spotted a crystal coffin floating in the center of the lake.

The crystal coffin was wide at the top and narrow at the bottom, over ten zhang in size, completely transparent without any flaw, engraved with a very complex runic pattern.

Upon closer inspection, Han Li found that although the runes were intricate, their core was a pentagram, embedded with at least five other runic arrays, interlocking with each other in a very exquisite manner.

Inside the crystal coffin, Han Li saw a skeleton over ten zhang tall, with bones as white and smooth as jade.

Judging by its appearance, it was clear that its skull had sharp bones, its mouth had protruding long teeth, and its bones seemed covered with layers of scale-like patterns—it was a demon skeleton.

Just then, Han Li's heart stirred. In a faint manner, his soul experienced a slight fluctuation, as if he sensed the Crab Immortal's aura, but he could not pinpoint the Crab Immortal's location.

After a moment's thought, he immediately closed his eyes and began to sense carefully with his divine sense.

However, after only a few breaths, Han Li opened his eyes again, a look of surprise and uncertainty on his face.

He was astonished to find that the soul connection between the Crab Immortal and himself seemed to be gradually weakening.

"You traitor and scum, will you persist in your delusion?" Just then, a furious shout came from the opposite shore of the blood lake.

Han Li composed himself and quickly looked over, seeing the people from Puppet City, led by Sha Xin, confronting E Kuai.

Lady Liuhua stood behind E Kuai, while Shi Chuankong lay瘫倒 at his feet, whether still unconscious or restrained by some禁制 from E Kuai.