Seeing that the formation flags and formation disks were already set up, Han Li took a deep breath and was about to cast his spell when he suddenly heard a piercing cry approaching from afar through the sky. Then, a blue light flashed at the horizon, and a blue rainbow shot through the air like a dragon emerging from the sea. In the blink of an eye, it arrived above the group.
As the blue rainbow dissipated, a strange figure with two swords strapped to his back appeared in the air.
Below, Han Li and the others were startled upon seeing this person's attire.
The man was gaunt, with messy white hair that reached his shoulders. He wore a dark short-sleeved leather garment and had a peculiar flower basket hanging at his waist. His face was covered with strange red spots and bore a pair of fierce triangular eyes. Judging by the spiritual energy fluctuations, he was a mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator.
The strange man, upon realizing that so many Foundation Establishment cultivators were present, was also taken aback. But when his gaze fell upon the red light barrier and Han Li's formation tools, his expression changed drastically.
"You juniors are courting death! How dare you peek at what I, the Island Master, am guarding while I'm away! Get off this island immediately!" The strange man opened his mouth and bellowed with a fierce glint in his eyes.
"Island Master?"
"Your things?"
Hu Yue and Jin Qing exchanged bewildered glances, while Han Li and the others were even more confused.
Wasn't this supposed to be an uninhabited deserted island?
"Fellow Daoist, you're the master of this island?" Hu Yue furrowed his brows slightly and asked calmly.
"I've lived on this island for hundreds of years, so of course I'm its master," the strange man said rudely.
"But the last time Brother Jin and I came here, I don't recall seeing you, Fellow Daoist," Hu Yue continued unhurriedly.
"What? You've been here before? Hmph! You must have come when I was away on business, just like this time!" The strange man glared, his anger intensifying.
"So, you're the only one on this island. You've simply appointed yourself as the master, haven't you?" Hu Yue sneered, a hint of mockery at the corner of his lips.
With the restriction about to be broken, he naturally didn't want to deal with this strange man.
"Hmph, stop playing games with me! Either way, breaking the restriction is a death sentence! Since you won't leave, then stay here and never go anywhere again!" A strange yellow glow flashed in the strange man's eyes. He then plucked the basket from his waist and threw it downward with force.
Instantly, the bamboo basket transformed into a chilling white mist that shot straight toward Hu Yue.
This left Han Li and the other cultivators stunned.
Had this person lost his mind?
Did he not see that there were so many Foundation Establishment cultivators here? He attacked without hesitation. Was his mind not clear?
Hu Yue was both shocked and furious when the strange man attacked. He flicked his sleeve, and two red lights shot out, heading straight for the white mist.
With a muffled "bang," the white mist was shattered and scattered in all directions.
"His bark is worse than his bite. Turns out he's all show!" Hu Yue felt relieved upon seeing this and couldn't help but mock him.
"Ga... ga..." the strange man didn't say anything but let out a strange laugh.
This made Hu Yue's heart skip a beat, and then his expression suddenly changed as he cried out.
"What's happening? My flying knives!"
He watched as the two flying knives, after piercing through the white mist transformed from the flower basket, began to wobble in place, as if malfunctioning.
Then, the scattered specks of white mist quickly reassembled. With a flash of light, it restored the form of the flower basket.
And those two flying knives were trapped inside the basket, surrounded by a团 of white mist, unable to break free for the moment.
This scene of his treasure being restrained left Hu Yue with a look of disbelief, while Han Li and the others turned pale.
But the strange man didn't give them time to think. With a cold laugh, he shook his shoulder, and two gray sword lights descended from the sky, slashing directly at Hu Yue.
Standing near Hu Yue, Jin Qing naturally couldn't just stand by and watch. He flicked his finger, and a thumb-sized white seal flew from his palm, growing larger in the wind as it smashed toward the gray light.
With a thunderous crack, the three treasures emitted dazzling light as they clashed.
At this moment, after glancing at Han Li and Qu Hun, the cultivator surnamed Jian silently raised his hand, and a flying trident containing black and white qi shot straight at the strange man himself.
Han Li sighed inwardly!
Since they were already fighting, he and Qu Hun couldn't very well stand idle. They had to take action to deal with this strange man first.
With that thought, Han Li and Qu Hun each unleashed the "Primordial Bowl" and the "Green Radiance Sword," flying toward the battlefield.
Seeing this, the strange man not only showed no fear but instead laughed wildly.
He opened his mouth, and a dark, blood-stained bead flew straight toward their treasures.
A deafening "boom" echoed!
To everyone's surprise, the moment the bead made contact with their treasures, it emitted a dark glow and exploded on its own, causing their treasures to lose much of their spiritual power immediately, their light dimming instantly.
The cultivator surnamed Jian felt great pain in his heart, his expression one of deep regret. He formed a seal with his hands, intending to retrieve his flying trident.
With just this single strike, his flying trident would need at least a year of recovery within his spiritual essence to return to normal.
However, it was too late for him to retrieve his treasure.
In the cold laughter of the strange man, the white light from the bamboo basket in the air flickered suddenly, and a large burst of white radiance shot out from within. In a sweeping motion, it immediately trapped all of their treasures inside.
"An ancient treasure! You're using an ancient treasure from the Primordial Age!" The cultivator surnamed Jian, upon seeing this scene, suddenly remembered something and cried out in shock.
These words stunned Han Li!
The so-called "ancient treasure from the Primordial Age" was actually a treasure forged by ancient cultivators. These treasures possessed singular powers but were generally far more powerful than ordinary modern treasures.
Moreover, the methods and materials used to forge treasures in ancient times were vastly different from those used today, making it impossible to store them within the body. They had to be carried and used like ordinary magical artifacts.
This was also the only way to distinguish an ancient treasure from a common one.
Now, seeing how bizarre this flower basket was, and recalling that it had been at the strange man's waist from the beginning, the cultivator surnamed Jian understood the true origin of this treasure.
Speaking of which, the "Gan Tian Ge" used by the Six Linked Temple to subdue the "Infant Carp" back then was also an ancient treasure from the Primordial Age.
Although Han Li was somewhat surprised by the existence of ancient treasures, and he still had several trump cards up his sleeve, he had no intention of taking the lead in front of so many people.
He always believed that the more hidden cards he kept, the more likely they would prove effective in times of danger.
Moreover, he knew very well that even if the opponent possessed an ancient treasure, he couldn't possibly gain any advantage against so many Foundation Establishment cultivators working together.
He only needed to perform at the level of an ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivator.
With that thought, Han Li simply focused on controlling the Green Radiance Sword, letting it dash left and right within the white mist, while he and Qu Hun did nothing special, coldly observing the others' actions.
He was confident that someone else would take the lead!
Sure enough, upon hearing that the flower basket was an ancient treasure, a hint of joy appeared on Hu Yue and the others' faces. Since this strange man had initiated the attack, it seemed only natural for them to join forces to eliminate him and seize the treasure.
After a brief hesitation, the cultivator surnamed Jian formed a hand seal, and three black lights shot out from his storage pouch—three black banners, each about ten feet tall, radiating a fierce aura.
He then opened his mouth and sprayed a stream of black qi onto the black banners. Immediately, the sound of ghostly wails and wolf howls filled the air, leaving the cultivators dizzy and their minds shaken.
At the same time, Hu Yue simply abandoned controlling his flying knives and rubbed his hands together, unleashing a series of blue thunderbolts.
Jin Qing raised his eyebrows and suddenly cast a spell on his own treasure. The white seal emitted a dragon-like roar, expanding several times in size, instantly suppressing the two gray flying swords beneath it.
Seeing the three of them unleash their power simultaneously, Han Li chuckled inwardly, estimating that the strange man was about to face serious trouble.
But when the strange man saw Hu Yue and the others' fierce attacks, his expression changed slightly, but he quickly恢复d his mocking smile.
He suddenly tore off his short-sleeved leather garment, baring his upper body.
Han Li took one look and was so shocked he almost bit his tongue.
On his withered chest, there were two skull heads, each the size of a fist, biting into him—one on the left, one on the right. The skulls were entirely black, with long, fluffy hair, and they writhed continuously on his chest as if they were alive.
At this moment, the blue thunderbolts and the three black banners had already reached the strange man. The strange man simply extended two fingers and gently waved them, murmuring a strange incantation.
The two skulls immediately let out a low, mournful wail and suddenly flew out from his chest, one after the other. They bit off the strange man's two fingers before eagerly flying to meet the incoming thunderbolts and black banners.