After nearly half a day's journey, Han Li finally arrived at the outskirts of the central area.
What greatly surprised Han Li was that the entire trip had been uneventful—he hadn't encountered a single ambush along the way!
Naturally, he had no idea that in this direction, those who had arrived before him had already been completely wiped out by the so-called "elites." And those who had come after him had been cleaned out as well, thanks to Feng Yue and Duo Bao Nü catching up from behind.
As a result, even the few who had slipped through the net knew full well that any hope of obtaining the treasures was lost. They had each found a hidden spot, concealed their traces, and tucked their heads into their shells like frightened turtles. This was the tried-and-true method for the weak to preserve their lives during the Blood Trial!
Han Li needed to obtain the three main herbs to refine Foundation Establishment Pills, so he naturally couldn't afford to imitate them. At this moment, he stood before a stone wall several zhang high, staring at it with a peculiar expression.
Not far to one side of the stone wall stood an ancient bronze gate, its surface inscribed with many archaic characters resembling decorative patterns—characters Han Li couldn't begin to decipher.
The bronze gate was currently thrown wide open, indicating that someone had already entered.
According to the knowledge in Han Li's mind, there should be four such bronze gates, each corresponding to one of the four cardinal directions, and they were the only entrances to the central area. Everywhere else was enclosed by what appeared to be a modest stone wall.
If anyone attempted to bypass the gate and jump over the wall into the central area, they would meet a terrible fate—sliced to pieces by the wind-element restriction sealed upon the wall.
Han Li was well aware of this and would never entertain the foolish notion of climbing over the wall. The reason he was staring so intently at the wall was because it was indeed rather extraordinary—there were several "things" upon it that an ordinary wall would not have.
Impaled upon the wall were three people in different attire, their limbs pierced through by massive ice spikes, pinned in the shape of a large character, hanging side by side. Their vital signs had clearly vanished—they had been dead for some time.
The blood flowing from their limb wounds had congealed into purplish-black clotted masses, splattered from the wall down to the nearby ground. From Han Li's estimation, these people had likely not been dead when they were first nailed to the wall, but had eventually bled to death in agony.
No clues or markings were left near the three corpses. But one didn't have to think hard to understand—this was someone killing the chicken to frighten the monkey, establishing dominance for those who came after, warning them not to enter this gate!
Han Li studied the agonized expressions of the three dead for a long while with great seriousness. Then he licked his slightly chapped lips and walked toward the bronze gate with an expressionless face, as though the wretched fate of those three had no effect on him whatsoever.
In truth, Han Li knew himself well enough—seeing that scene had indeed made his skin crawl! The manner of those three's deaths told him that whoever had done this was, nine times out of ten, someone whose mind was somewhat twisted. If he ever fell into this person's hands, it would probably be more merciful to just kill himself right away.
However, Han Li had already made it this far. He couldn't very well flee in panic over a mere threat like this. Even if there were mountains of blades and seas of fire ahead, he would grit his teeth and push through!
And so, his heart churning with unease, Han Li stepped through the gate. But outwardly, he appeared even more composed than before, strolling along as casually as if he were wandering through his own backyard.
The moment he entered, a breathtaking paradise unfolded before his eyes—exotic flowers, rare grasses, and countless strange trees of indescribable varieties were everywhere he looked. Silver chrysanthemums as large as bowls, a grotesque tree whose leaves were as red as blood, purple grass that emitted a peculiar fragrance, yellow bamboo as thick as a man's waist—all of these were rare treasures seldom seen in the outside world. And winding through this extraordinary vegetation was a narrow gravel path, stretching from where Han Li stood all the way into the distant foliage-shrouded horizon, with no end in sight.
At this sight, Han Li was momentarily stunned. But he immediately took a deep instinctive breath. What incredibly dense spiritual energy! This qi, thick with the rich scent of grass and trees, seeped into his very core, invigorating his spirit in an instant.
A blessed realm such as this—no wonder it could cultivate heaven and earth spirit herbs! Han Li marveled to himself.
"Boy, done looking yet?"
"Who?"
A hoarse, grating voice suddenly echoed through the air, startling Han Li. He couldn't help but call out, "Who's there?"
"Heh heh! Since you've had your look, you can go die now in peace!" The speaker ignored Han Li's question entirely, muttering to himself in a bizarre, rasping tone.
At the same moment, two green shadows shot out from the flower bushes at his side, hurtling silently toward Han Li's back.
Although Han Li's back was turned toward the green shadows, his spiritual sense—ever vigilant—detected them immediately. His expression darkened. Without moving his upper body at all, he sidestepped several feet in a flash, letting both green shadows streak past him one after the other.
In that brief, frantic instant, Han Li caught a glimpse of the shadows—they were slender and straight, like chopsticks, entirely green with faint black markings. Their appearance was quite peculiar.
However, in the midst of the chaos, Han Li had no time for deep thought. Even though he had easily deflected their attack, his face remained grave, not daring to let his guard down for even a moment. The horrifying sight of those three corpses outside the gate was still vivid in his mind—he had no intention of meeting the same fate.
With a dark expression, his eyes flickering as he scanned the surroundings in every direction, Han Li searched for the enemy hiding nearby. At that moment, a sudden series of eerie, hissing whistles erupted from the unseen person's mouth, sending an unpleasant chill through anyone who heard them.
Han Li's expression shifted slightly as he pondered the opponent's intentions. But then his face changed dramatically—incomprehensibly, he shot backward at full speed. This time, Han Li flew a full several zhang before finally halting.
What had prompted such a drastic reaction were those two green shadows that had already passed him and moved ahead. For not far in front of Han Li, their bodies had suddenly twisted into motion and unfurled a pair of pale green, semi-transparent wings.
They were none other than two winged flying serpents! During their earlier attack on Han Li, their bodies had been held perfectly rigid, which had tricked Han Li into thinking they were inanimate objects. Now, with a single gentle flap of their wings, they executed a sharp 180-degree turn with lightning speed—a swiftness that matched even Han Li's Smoke-Walking Steps.
The two flying serpents raised their heads, their four small green eyes gleaming with a cold, sinister chill, baring their fangs at Han Li as they prepared to attack once more.
"Boy, you're pretty fast! But no matter how fast you are, can you outrun these two Primordial Flying Serpents? Just stand still and let my beloved serpents take one little bite, and all your suffering will be over!" The hoarse voice was somewhat surprised at Han Li's speed. But clearly, he had even greater confidence in his flying serpents, which was why he spoke those mocking words.
"Bullshit!"
Those were the words Han Li hurled inwardly—he didn't say them aloud. Not because he feared the enemy enough to hold his tongue, but because the two bizarre serpents had already transformed into twin streaks of green light, trailing afterimages as they charged forward.
Mid-flight, the pair suddenly split apart, curving in opposite arcs to flank him from both left and right.
Seeing this, Han Li naturally had no time for verbal sparring. After cursing silently a few more times, he hurtled backward at a speed barely slower than the green shadows. In the blink of an eye, he had circled this confined space several times, the serpents trailing close behind, never daring to slow his steps for even an instant.
Right now, he was relying entirely on the spiritual boots on his feet for his speed. He had not employed the Smoke-Walking Steps or the Wind-Riding Art.
This wasn't because Han Li was being arrogant or underestimating his opponent. After two fierce battles in succession, plus the extreme testing he had done when he first obtained these boots, his physical stamina had yet to fully recover. Unless death was imminent, Han Li was unwilling to use the stamina-draining Smoke-Walking Steps again. The same logic applied to the Wind-Riding Art—already enhanced by the spiritual boots, layering the Wind-Riding Art's acceleration on top would place far too great a burden on his body, which would be extremely detrimental to his recovery.
Of course, Han Li wouldn't let these two flying serpents keep pestering him indefinitely.
Though he didn't dare casually activate a protective barrier and slow himself down just to test whether it or the serpents would come out on top, he had plenty of means to dispatch two small snakes! The issue was that he had been devoting most of his attention to the serpent master who remained hidden and refused to show himself, which was why these two creatures had been able to tail him until now. But now that Han Li saw the opponent had clearly decided to rely solely on these two flying serpents to kill him, he was done being polite.
Having made up his mind, Han Li flipped his wrist, and a Fire Serpent talisman appeared in his hand. He held the talisman between two fingers, ready to activate and hurl it—a good way to roast some wild game!
"Treading Cloud Boots?"
"Stop! I have something to say!"
The hoarse voice suddenly recognized the spiritual boots on Han Li's feet, his tone filled with disbelief and astonishment. He immediately shouted to call a halt to the fighting. Using some unknown method, he also commanded the two green shadows to stop. The serpents froze mid-flight, then darted back the way they had come, vanishing into the undergrowth without a trace.
Han Li frowned at these words. After a moment of hesitation, he decided not to throw the talisman after all—but his other hand remained cautiously pressed against his storage pouch.