However, it was already too late.
The black ax projection was indeed very powerful, but Lei Yunzi had already seized the initiative.
A cold harrumph rang out, and spatial fluctuations erupted from within the lightning formation, following which he and Han Li abruptly vanished amid a flash of silver lightning.
The black ax projection tore the lightning formation apart, but Han Li and Lei Yunzi were already nowhere to be seen at that point.
Bao Hua didn't stop the black-robed man from attacking, but she showed no intention of stepping in, either. She merely heaved a faint sigh before closing her eyes, as if she were sensing something.
An indignant look appeared on Hei'e's face at the sight of his failed attack, but he didn't dare to say anything in fear of disrupting Bao Hua.
After a long while, Bao Hua reopened her eyes, and said, "I'll have his lightning formation completely figured after five or six more times at most. I've already narrowed down a few possible teleportation destinations; let's go to them one by one."
"Yes, Mistress Bao Hua! Forgive me for prying, but how did your treasure fall into the hands of that man?" Hei'e asked in a curious manner.
"One of my Profound Heavenly Fortune Blade fragments was stolen by that devilish ape in the Golden Devil Mountain Ranges. When I awakened and tracked down the ape's hiding place, it had already been slain, so the blade fragment was naturally taken by the one who had killed the ape. During that period of time, many Heavenly Cloud beings had ventured into the mountain ranges, so it had to be one of them that killed it. At the time, I had an agreement with the grand elders of the 13 Heavenly Cloud Races, so I couldn't scour through their territory to recover the treasure; never did I think that it would've fallen into the hands of a human. I don't know how he managed to get into the Golden Devil Mountain Ranges back then, but there's certainly no reason not to take the treasure back from him," Bao Hua explained in a calm manner.
"I see. I faced some of those Heavenly Cloud beings in the past, but I didn't think that there was someone among them capable of killing that Body Integration Stage devilish ape," Hei'e said as a hint of lingering fear flashed through his eyes.
"Alright, that's enough talk about that matter; let's focus on securing the Celestial Cloud Flower now. Setting aside everything else, that flower alone would be able to repress some of my injuries, so we can't let it slip away. Also, the results of my divination indicated that the spirit medicine I'm searching for seems to be in this area as well. Make sure to keep an eye out, Hei'e. If you can help me find the spirit medicine I need so I can recover all of my powers, I'll be sure to reward you handsomely," Bao Hua promised.
"Rest assured, Mistress, I'll do everything in my power to help you track down that spirit medicine. It's a pity that you weren't able to determine exactly what this medicine is through your divination. Otherwise, things would be a lot easier," Hei'e replied.
"I've dabbled in some divination techniques, but I'm not exactly well-versed in this area. Unfortunately, both of my most trusted subordinates, Yun and Long, have perished in battle long ago. Otherwise, they'd be able to do all of this in my stead," Bao Hua said as a hint of dejection flashed through her eyes.
A solemn look appeared on Hei'e's face upon hearing this. "I've heard of Master Yun and Master Long as well. They're not Sacred Ancestors, but the abilities they possess make them a threat even to the average Sacred Ancestor. In particular, Master Yun is renowned as the second-best divination master in our holy realm; only Master Xuan Guang, who specializes in divination techniques, is superior in this area by a sliver."
"Hehe, so even you know of them. That's not all that surprising; they truly were once just as renowned as the average Sacred Ancestor," Bao Hua said as a reminiscent look appeared in her eyes.
Hei'e offered a respectful smile, but didn't dare to speak any further on the matter.
Not long after that, Bao Hua set her sights on the task at hand again. "Let's go. If we don't set off now, we might have some trouble tracking down that human."
Hei'e naturally had no objections to this. He gave an affirmative response while extending a respectful bow, then instantly flew onto the giant flower as well, standing around 10 feet behind Bao Hua.
Bao Hua swept a sleeve through the air, and the giant flower beneath her feet rotated on the spot, releasing countless bursts of pink light, as well as a peculiar fragrance.
The pink light then faded, and the giant flower was nowhere to be seen.
After that, the giant flower appeared in a few more places, only to disappear immediately thereafter each time.
When the giant pink flower appeared in the air above a dense forest around four hours later, Bao Hua suddenly let loose a faint cry of surprise.
Immediately thereafter, Hei'e and Bao Hua re-emerged from within the flower.
"Have you tracked down those two, Mistress?" Hei'e asked in an elated manner.
"No, but we seem to have bumped into a few unexpected guests," Bao Hua replied as she cast her gaze into the distance.
"Guests?" Hei'e was naturally quite perplexed, and he also hurriedly cast his gaze toward the same direction, but saw nothing for his efforts.
However, in the next instant, spiritual light flashed in that direction, and two balls of white light appeared without any warning before arriving in the nearby space, traveling at an incredible speed.
"Those are the All-encompassing Plate and Stone Devil Hall!" Hei'e immediately exclaimed upon catching sight of the two massive objects within the balls of white light, and a peculiar look appeared on his face.
Bao Hua was also appraising the two treasures with a complex expression, but there was a distinctly cold look in her eyes.
The people within the two treasures had naturally also noticed Bao Hua, and their expressions changed drastically as they hurriedly brought their treasures to a halt. Immediately thereafter, spatial fluctuations erupted, and four humanoid figures emerged.
They were none other than the clones of Yuan Cha and Xue Guang, and they were all appraising Bao Hua with strained expressions.
"Sister Bao Hua, I didn't expect to meet you here!" Yuan Cha said in a rather stiff and uncomfortable voice.
"Yuan Cha? I didn't think I'd see you again, either, especially in this Spirit Realm; looks like the sacred sacrifice has already begun. However, I don't think it's appropriate for you to refer to me as sister," Bao Hua said in a calm voice.
Yuan Cha's face immediately turned deathly pale upon hearing this.
The three Xue Guang clones were already cursing their bad luck as soon as they identified Bao Hua, and as Bao Hua cast her frosty gaze toward them, they could only force smiles onto their faces while of them said in a respectful manner, "Xue Guang pays his respects to Mistress Bao Hua!"
"Hmph, you seem to have become more powerful; it's quite impressive that you were able to cultivate so many clones. I just so happen to be missing a few servants; you three will suffice," Bao Hua said in a cold voice.
The three Xue Guang clones' faces also turned deathly pale upon hearing this.
They glanced at one another and seemed to have instantly arrived at a decision, immediately hurtling back into the jade plate as three bursts of black Qi.
A clear ringing sound erupted from the All-encompassing Plate, and black and white Qi erupted from the treasure in a frenzy, forming a giant taichi diagram that vanished in a flash.
"The All-encompassing Plate is indeed a very powerful treasure, but unfortunately, your true body isn't here, and you're not the owner of this treasure; don't you think it's too naive of you to harbor hopes of getting away right under my nose?" Bao Hua's expression darkened as she made a grabbing motion with one hand.
All of a sudden, one of the seven scorching suns in the sky abruptly began to expand at a rapid rate. The sun warped and blurred slightly, following which a white sun with a diameter in excess of 10,000 feet emerged out of thin air.
The white sun radiated scintillating light, as well as scorching heat that instantly raised the surrounding temperature by more than tenfold; it was as if she had truly drawn a sun to her from afar.
"Great Illusionary Sun Technique!" Yuan Cha exclaimed as her expression changed drastically.
Bao Hua cast a cold glance toward her, but remained silent as she pointed a finger at the giant sun in the air.
A resounding boom rang out as the sun slowly rotated, releasing countless white threads of light that pierced through space and encompassed the entire area in sight.
Yuan Cha raised a hand to summon an antiquated black mirror, which transformed into a translucent light barrier that shielded her within. The light barrier managed to keep the threads of light at bay, but judging from the strained expression on Yuan Cha's face, it was clear that she wouldn't be able to keep this up for long.
Over 10,000 feet away, the threads of light pierced through space in a certain area, and a resounding boom rang out, following which a giant jade plate tumbled out of thin air.
The surrounding threads of light all changed directions and converged toward the jade plate in a torrential downpour; it was as if they had a mind of their own.
The entire jade plate was instantly surrounded by countless threads of light, and it was on the verge of being inundated.
A roar of fury from Xue Guang rang out, and the jade plate rotated on the spot as it released black and white Qi in a frenzy, forming a giant taichi diagram again that managed to temporarily keep the oncoming attacks at bay.