Chapter 435: The Heavenvoid Cauldron and the Heavenmend Pill
"That might not be certain. I heard that the disciples of the Myriad Gates of Enlightenment have spent the past few years searching for Gold Thread Silkwords. But information regarding their search suddenly stopped, possibly from having found them. With the assistance of these exotic insects, it is quite possible for the master of the Myriad Gates of Enlightenment to acquire the Heavenvoid Cauldron." Grandmaster Zenith Yin frowned and unconsciously looked at Wan Tianming and the others with great worry.
The three Righteous Dao Nascent Soul cultivators were currently sitting down cross-legged on a single pillar as if they had no intention of speaking.
"Humph! Not only is it possible that Wan Tianming possesses Gold Thread Silkworms, I've heard that you, Zenith Yin, have acquired two mutant fire serpents from Li Fire Island. Your ambitions for this trip are also quite large!" Man Huzi shot Grandmaster Zenith Yin a glance and spoke without restraint. He appeared somewhat disdainful of Grandmaster Zenith Yin's stealthy actions.
When Grandmaster Zenith Yin heard this, his expression abruptly changed several times before he recovered his calm. However, he was profusely cursing in his heart. There was no question that his own confidants had divulged this information since it had been heard by Man Huzi.
It seems that in addition to acquiring the life prolonging fruit, Man Huzi wished to keep watch on Grandmaster Zenith Yin's actions along the way.
Despite feeling annoyed, Grandmaster Zenith Yin spoke with a blank face, "It seems my ineptitude has attracted your ridicule. I have truly acquired two mutant fire serpents, but their skills are shallow. As their odds of success are low, I require Brother Man's and Brother Qing's assistance."
The old Confucian scholar's heart stirred and he hesitantly asked, "Assist you? Do we get any benefits?"
When Grandmaster Zenith Yin heard this, he revealed a slight smile, choosing to continue with voice transmission rather than speaking, "According to the information left behind by the Heavenvoid Hall's master, there are several top grade desolate antiquities left behind from ancient times. Their power should undoubtedly be unmatched. Apart from the Heavenvoid Cauldron and a Heavenmend Pill, how about we evenly split the other items?"
The old Confucian scholar's face flashed with greed, but after some consideration, he took a look at Man Huzi before replying with a voice transmission, "I have no problem with this, but it will depend on Brother Man. After all, without Brother Man to pin down Wan Tianming, I wouldn't be able to brave the risk."
Grandmaster Zenith Yin wasn't surprised to hear this. He knew that this old Confucian by the name of Layman Qing Yi1 was truly an old schemer. If he didn't draw in Man Huzi, this matter would have no chance of success.
Thus, Grandmaster Zenith Yin turned his head to Man Huzi passed on his conditions to Man Huzi with a voice transmission, "Brother Man, what do you think of my proposal? Are you interested in cooperating? After all, Brother Man should clearly understand that I have no need for the Heavenmend Pill. It serves no other purpose I can think of apart from making up for the deficiency of five elements spiritual roots. Perhaps if Brother Man takes it, his cultivation will greatly progress and he'll be able to breakthrough the limits of his lifespan!"
Grandmaster Zenith Yin seemed not to mind the unsightly expression he had just shown and spoke excitedly.
"Humph! From your plan to acquire the Heavenvoid Cauldron with two fire serpents, I see that your mind is muddled! An unknown number of Nascent Cultivators have already scoured these halls, but they all returned with disappointment. Do you believe that your plan is so likely to be successful that is it worth braving these great dangers? The danger of the inner halls is far greater than the outer halls. Even if we go in as Nascent Soul cultivators, there is no guarantee we will come out unscathed. Every successive opening of the Heavenvoid Hall doesn't end with only one or two Nascent Soul cultivators disappearing." Man Huzi snorted and spoke with derision.
"Brother Man need not worry about this. Just let me ask, if Wan Tianming truly strived for the Heavenvoid Cauldron wouldn't Brother Man want to go and watch it?" Grandmaster Zenith Yin calmly asked.
Man Huzi's cold smile gradually disappeared after he heard Zenith Yin's question.
He narrowed his eyes and a cold glint flashed through his eyes before he slowly said, "If Wan Tianming truly wishes to brave the inner halls then I will travel with you without question. Even if our Devil Dao is incapable of obtaining the Heavenvoid Cauldron, we cannot allow it to fall into the hands of the Righteous Dao."
"Hehe, that's good. So long as Brother Man lends a hand when the time comes, my previous proposal will obviously hold. Naturally, if Lady Wen is willing to lend her assistance, she is more than welcome." Grandmaster Zenith Yin glanced at the beautiful woman with a slight smile.
"My purpose in coming here is to pick some spiritual herbs. The inner halls are too dangerous, so I will not be going."The beautiful woman surnamed Wen didn't bother to hear out his conditions and coldly declined.
A trace of disappointment flashed from Zenith Yin's eyes.
Although the beautiful woman was only at early Nascent Soul stage, her lord husband the Archsaint of the Six Paths was a towering, peerless figure amongst those that tread the Devil Dao. As he was unwilling to act shamefully in front of Man Huzi, he couldn't persistently ask her and could only wallow in his impotence.
However, he naturally didn't dare to force the woman along, even the Devil Dao looks down upon raping another cultivator's wife. All he could do was smile and drop the matter. After all, their group of three wasn't at a disadvantage against the Righteous Dao, and he was unwilling to offend the woman.
After the Devil Dao finished their discussions, Wan Tianming and the other two Righteous Dao cultivators continued openly meditating in silence. It was unknown whether they had finished their plans or if they had prepared countermeasures.
Han Li saw all of this while he was sitting in a corner.
Although he was quite far away and the majority of their speech was in sound transmissions, he could faintly guess from their occasionally malicious glances towards the Righteous Dao. They were likely discussing how to deal with the Sect Master of the Myriad Gates of Enlightenment and the others, much to Han Li's delight.
So long as the Nascent Soul cultivators were focused on each other, he could take advantage of the ensuing chaos to further ensure his safety. Best of all, Grandmaster Zenith Yin wouldn't be capable of attending to him!
As Han Li was thinking of what could possibly further increase the chaos, two white clothed old men appeared at the entrance of the hall. Their hair was silver, and their jackets were fluttering about, the exact image one would imagine of an Immortal.
As soon as the many cultivators saw the two and recognized them, their gazes revealed respect.
Their appearance had brought relief to a large portion of the cultivators in the room! As for the old eccentrics of the Devilish and Righteous Daos, they all revealed complicated expressions, containing envy, loathing, and even helplessness.
The old man with the friendlier appearance of the two smiled under the cultivators' many gazes and kindly said, "The reason why we didn't preside over this treasure hunt at the Heavenvoid Hall was because us two saints were in seclusion. But now, us two enforcement elders will be supervising this grand occasion on behalf of the Star Palace."
"The rules of this treasure hunt shall be the same as all the others. Those who casually bully the weak or kill others to seize their treasures will be stopped by us, and will be pursued and exterminated by our Star Palace. However, our supervision will be limited to the outer halls. We will neither enter the inner halls or be involved with any matters that take place there. Thus, if anyone feels uncertain, do not enter the inner halls . In addition, we will not assist any fellow Daoists with the dangers in the Heavenvoid Halls and will not bat an eye if you perish to them. With this, everyone should understand our intentions."
With that said, the white-clothed old man quickly swept their gazes past everyone in the hall like lightning. When the others felt their gaze upon them, they each turned their head away, but when Wan Tianming and Man Huzi felt their gaze sweep past them, they directly returned their gaze.
The white-clothed old man were initially startled before frowning. They couldn't help but mutter, "Why have these two eccentrics arrived? It seems that a bit of trouble is stirring."
The cold-faced old man at his side also had a change of expression, but after a sneer, his expression returned to normal.
Soon after, these two enforcement elders of the Star Palace sat down cross-legged at the sides of the entrance, not paying any attention to the uproar that had been caused by their words.
All of the other Core Formation cultivators had greatly varying expressions ranging from worry to joy.
When Han Li saw this, he couldn't help but find this odd. What did the Star Palace hope to gain by acting so benevolently? Could this be a display of the Star Palace's authority?
At that moment, he heard the voice of the Bone Sage, "Youngster, be careful. The Star Palace aren't flawlessly virtuous. To the best of my knowledge, when either the Devil Dao or the Righteous Dao obtains too much influence, the Star Palace would suppress the respective offender, denying either of the two sides from gaining too much power. In addition, every time the Heavenvoid Halls opens, quite a number of Righteous and Devil Dao cultivators die from mysterious causes, possibly from the machinations of the Star Palace. Although you don't belong to the Righteous or Devil Dao, you had best watch yourself. I don't wish for my plans to fail merely because I couldn't find another suitable partner."
Although the Bone Sage's voice was indifferent, his words stirred great alarm in Han Li.
Well, everyone technically is the MC of their own story.
His specific title is Householder. ↩Chapter 436: Another Encounter with Fairy Violet Spirit
Without even the slightest deliberation, Han Li was completely certain that what the Bone Sage had said was true.
After all, for the Star Palace to tower over the Scattered Seas for so many years, they must've resorted to using at least a few tricks. They certainly hadn't come to supervise the Heavenvoid Hall today for an empty reason. They most likely held their own plans.
With that thought, Han Li's eyes coldly glinted. Although he didn't reply to the Bone Sage, he immediately became increasingly vigilant of the two white-clothed elders.
In the following moments, the two white-clothed old men sat still and sank into a state of Qi Refinement. Their eyes remained closed, and they didn't speak another word.
This strange atmosphere continued for three days. However, only four new cultivators arrived during that time. None of them were Nascent Soul cultivators.
Then, a sudden change occurred on the morning of the fourth day. A series of booms echoed throughout the hall. Without any warning, a white jade stone door descended, sealing off the entire hall.
The gate was covered in a layer of white mist, an obvious indication of its formidable restrictions. Soon, there was a faint boom of palace gates closing from a distance far away.
A few cultivators in the hall couldn't help but express alarm. But after discovering that the Nascent Soul cultivators appeared calm, they felt relieved.
At that moment, the two white-clothed elders from the Star Palace calmly opened their eyes and stood up.
Suddenly, the other cultivators in the hall gazed at them with either confusion or realization. As for the Nascent Soul cultivators, they expressionlessly gazed at the two's actions in silence.
The two calmly calmly walked towards the front of the hall.
But before they arrived, the end of the hall lightly trembled to soon reveal several stone slabs releasing a dazzling white radiance. Under everyone's amazed gazes, a three meter wide transportation formation had suddenly appeared.
Those among the many cultivators that had yet to see a transportation formation were awed at its appearance, leaving many arrogant cultivators in amazement.
The two white-clothed elders walked to the front of the transportation formation and bowed over it before carefully examining it.
A while later, the two glanced at each other and nodded.
"Alright, there are no problems with this transportation formation. You will arrive at the outer halls of the Heavenvoid Halls through this. Conduct yourselves well." With that said, the white-clothed old men stepped into the transportation formation. With two flashes of white light, they disappeared without a trace.
Afterwards, the other cultivators in the hall unconsciously looked at each other in dismay.
But without waiting to see anyones reaction, Wan Tianming dropped down from the jade pillar with the old Daoist and the dark, thin old man, walking into the transportation formation without hesitation, disappearing with three flashes of white light.
By the time the others reacted, those that were relatively closeby rushed forwards.
Suddenly, the transportation formation started flashing without end. In the blink of an eye, nearly half of the cultivators in the hall had disappeared. The Sage of Bones suddenly stepped forward from the crowd.
Han Li's eyes flashed with a strange expression. He unconsciously turned his gaze towards Grandmaster Zenith Yin to discover that Grandmaster Zenith Yin was looking at him with an unknown intent. Greatly frightened, Han Li hastily turned his gaze way with great unrest in his heart.
It seemed that Grandmaster Zenith Yin wasn't about to let him go!
In his gloom, Han Li bluntly stood up and walked forward.
When Grandmaster Zenith Yin saw Han Li's actions, his mouth formed a strange sneer. This caused the nearby Wu Chou to break his silence, unable to restrain himself from asking, "Venerable Ancestor, you seemed to be greatly interested in that youngster. Is there something strange about him?"
Wu Chou felt truly curious.
"That person will prove extremely useful to me. I merely require a bit of his aid." Grandmaster Zenith Yin shook his head and spoke indifferently as if he was unwilling to inform Wu Chou.
Wu Chou, who had always received Zenith Yin's favor, felt quite puzzled.
At that moment, the Confucian-robed "Layman Qing Yi" lightly coughed and slowly said, "We should set off. There aren't many people left in the hall."
Zenith Yin paused for a moment before sweeping his gaze past the few cultivators left in the hall. He replied with a faint smile, "Naturally. If we don't leave soon, the transportation formation will disappear. It will only reappear again a month from now."
With that said, Zenith Yin turned into a black cloud and carried off Wu Chou with him.
When Layman Qing Yi and Man Huzi saw this, they leisurely flew off the jade pillar.
As for the beautiful woman, she had already jumped off. It appeared that she had no intention of mingling among their group.
……
Once Han Li entered the transportation formation, he immediately appeared above a small, barren hill. After looking around, he couldn't help but be amazed. He only saw two men and woman not far away from him. There was no trace of any of the other cultivators.
When the female cultivator caught sight of Han Li, she revealed pleasant surprise.
Fairy Violet Spirit walked over to Han Li with a beaming smile. The male cultivator she was travelling with was transported to an unknown location. Han Li couldn't help but bitterly laugh at his terrible luck for having trouble placed on him.
As for the other two, one was a grey-clothed old man while the other was a masked man covered in black robes.
The old man plainly stood by while a dark green mist spiralled around the black-robed man's body. It appeared the masked man was a Devil Dao cultivator. The two stood apart as if they found each other unpleasant to the eye.
Fairy Violet Spirit was now walking towards Han Li. This naturally aroused the two's attention and they couldn't help but size up Han Li.
The old man's gaze was friendly and he gave Han Li a kind smile. As for the black-robed man, his gaze was ice-cold and didn't hold the slightest emotion.
Han Li calmly returned their gaze without the slightest change in expression.
At that moment, Fairy Violet Spirit had already arrived in front of Han Li. She said with a slight smile, "I didn't expect to arrive together with Senior Han. It seems I will have to trouble Elder Han to watch over me for a bit. Otherwise, it would prove quite difficult for me to pass through this trial by myself."
With that said, Fairy Violet Spirit closed her lips, appearing somewhat embarrassed.
Han Li frowned and didn't immediately reply. After a moment of thought, he doubtfully asked, "Lady Violet Spirit's cultivation has made great strides. Congratulations on reaching late Foundation Establishment. But why has Fellow Daoist Violet Spirit come to this place? This place is truly dangerous. After all, even Core Formation cultivators would find it difficult to survive in the Heavenvoid Hall." Although Han Li had only an inkling of knowledge about the Heavenvoid Halls, he understood the severity of the dangers that lay within.
After hearing Han Li's question, Fairy Violet Spirit's beautiful face revealed a trace of bitterness. With a helpless tone, she said, "This woman also didn't wish to come here. But as you see, I am currently in False Core Stage, and I want to attempt Core Formation as soon as possible. However, my own aptitude is poor. The supplementary medicine pills I was able to gather together are pathetically few. In fact, I had to pay a great price to purchase a Heavenvoid map fragment from someone else, so I could come here to test my luck. After all, I've heard that spiritual medicines are abundant in the Heavenvoid Hall. Perhaps the Heavens would watch over me and have me run across some spiritual medicines that hold great effects towards Core Formation. Besides, I've already made up my mind to only attempt this first trial! I will not attempt to go through with the second!"
Fairy Violent Spirit's expression then grew dim, appearing to be in low spirits.
Han Li inwardly sighed and grew silent.
Had he not practiced the "Three Essence Revolutions Technique" and the "Great Development Technique" and possessed so many medicine pills that forcefully raised his odds of Core Formation, he suspected his own chances at Core Formation would've been even lower than Fairy Violet Spirit's. With that thought, Han Li developed a feeling of empathy towards this fellow sufferer.
After some further thought, his Heaven Lightning Bamboo had come from her despite the conditions and her Exquisite Sound Sect does send him a certain amount of spirit stones every year. Although it wasn't much, he does owe her a favor. It would be best to take advantage of this situation to repay it!
With that in mind, Han Li's expression relaxed, and he said with an indifferent tone, "Since I can travel together with Fellow Daoist Violet Spirit, I can afford to offer some care. However, if I were to truly run into a helpless situation, Fairy Violet Spirit had best come up with her own plans for escape."
"Many thanks to Elder Han. Violet Spirit naturally understands how things stand. I definitely won't slow down Elder Han." Upon seeing Han Li agree, Fairy Violet Spirit's soft beauty flourished and her eyes became radiant, stunning Han Li.
Soon after, Han Li realized he had lost his self-control and hurriedly turned his head away. With a hot face, he didn't dare to further look at her.
Plot, go!
Hey, our MC just chooses to ignore his emotions!