Just as Master Azure Dragon was departing from Heavenlean City with the best disciples of the four major sects using a secret formation, Han Li had fallen into a very perilous situation.
He was astonished to sense that his Armor Origin Talismans and Nine Palaces Heavenly Talisman had all been quickly destroyed by his pursuer, and his heart sank even further.
Han Li hadn't expected to completely trap Sacred Ancestor Xue Guang with those talismans, but never did he think that they would fail to stall him for even a short time.
Furthermore, both of these talismans had been destroyed virtually in the instant that they had been activated; even Han Li wouldn't be capable of something like this.
This meant that this clone of Sacred Ancestor Xue Guang that he was being pursued by was more powerful than him, and even if he were to use his most powerful trump cards, his chances of securing victory still definitely wouldn't exceed 50%.
As such, Han Li was naturally unwilling to engage his pursuer in direct battle. After all, defeat would result in death for him, and even if he were to win, he would only be ridding Sacred Ancestor Xue Guang of a clone. This was naturally not a trade that he was willing to take.
Thus, after realizing that his pursuer was far more powerful than he had imagined, he immediately began to ponder strategies that would allow him to escape.
He didn't know what Sacred Ancestor Xue Guang's sensory range was, but with the fearsome spiritual sense that Grand Ascension cultivators possessed, there was definitely no chance for him to escape Sacred Ancestor Xue Guang's tracking unless he could somehow open up a distance of tens of thousands of kilometers between them.
However, with how comparable their speeds were, there was no feasible way for Han Li to open up that much distance between them.
Unbeknownst to Han Li, Sacred Ancestor Xue Guang was also extremely stunned by this situation. The crimson canoe he was using was a vastly renowned flying treasure in the Elder Devil Realm, and at its top speed, it could even keep up with a Grand Ascension Stage being.
Due to the fact that this was a clone as opposed to his true body, he was unable to push the canoe to its top speed, but it was definitely still traveling far faster than a normal Body Integration cultivator. However, even after pursuing Han Li for such a long time, he still hadn't managed to close down the distance between them by much.
Thankfully, there were three of them, and they could take turns to drive the canoe on a rotating basis, so they didn't have to worry about exhausting their magic power. As such, even though the three of them were quite frustrated by this lengthy chase, they were still quite calm and confident.
In contrast, Han Li was naturally unable to keep this up for too long. Maintaining his Tian Peng Transformation and Thunderstorm Wings while flying at top speed was depleting his magic power at a rapid rate, and at his cultivation base, his magic power regeneration pills were no longer all that effective.
At this rate, even if he were to constantly take pills and absorb spiritual power from top-grade spirit stones, his magic power would still be completely exhausted in five to six days at most. As such, this was quite a concerning situation for Han Li.
All of a sudden, a thought occurred to Han Li, and his eyes immediately lit up. "Now that I think about it, Sacred Ancestor Xue Guang is pursuing me for that Devil Sealing Lock, so if I'm willing to discard this treasure, I may be able to shake him off my tail!"
However, his brows then furrowed slightly in hesitation. This was an incomplete Profound Heavenly Treasure, and if Che Qigong hadn't been lying to him, then the Chaotic Yin Yang Qi that he could secure using this treasure would be immensely beneficial to him. As such, he was naturally very reluctant to relinquish it.
Of course, his life was more important than this treasure, but he still wasn't in a completely dire situation yet, so he naturally didn't want to give up on such a precious treasure prematurely.
A contemplative look appeared on Han Li's face as he pondered his current situation, and another thought suddenly occurred to him.
Two identical Nascent Soul's one golden and one black, suddenly emerged from Han Li's body amid a flash of light. The golden Nascent Soul was shimmering with golden light that was tinged with faint hints of azure, and upon closer inspection, one would discover that the protective spiritual light around it was constantly transitioning between gold and azure in color.
As for the black Nascent Soul, it had a cloud of extremely dense devilish Qi around it. The golden Nascent Soul opened its mouth to expel a dozen or so five-colored beads, which began to revolve around its body.
Meanwhile, the black Nascent Soul lowered its head and made a hand seal while chanting an incantation.
The five-colored beads around it instantly transformed into five-colored eyes, which released thin beams of light that vanished into the black Nascent Soul's body in a flash.
The golden Nascent Soul's eyes lit up upon seeing this, and it instantly made a grabbing motion with one of its chubby little hands.
All of a sudden, a shimmering golden "brick" emerged, and the golden Nascent Soul pointed a finger toward the brick, upon which countless arcs of lightning were stripped away from the surface of the golden brick amid a string of loud crackling.
In the blink of an eye, a white wooden box that was inscribed with golden and silver runes had emerged. This was none other than the Devil Sealing Lock.
As soon as the Devil Sealing Lock appeared, the black Nascent Soul shot forth into the wooden box as a streak of black light.
In the next instant, Han Li appeared in the air above a grassland that resembled a green ocean.
"It's still the same place as last time," Han Li murmured to himself as he looked around with blue light flashing in his eyes.
As soon as his voice trailed off, a green-robed elderly man appeared in mid-air, and he smiled as he said, "Of course, did you think I was lying to you, Fellow Daoist? If you're able to break these final few restrictions, I would be more than happy to receive your assistance."
Han Li wasn't surprised by the elderly man's sudden emergence at all, and he replied in an indifferent manner, "If it weren't for the fact that entering the Devil Sealing Lock could result in the destruction of this spiritual sense clone of mine, I really would be very interested to see the true interior of this Devil Sealing Lock."
"Even I was trapped in there for so many years; there's no way your spiritual sense clone would be able to escape if it enters that space. Alright, let's do away with all the errant chatter; have you come in here to give me your reply to the collaboration I proposed last time?" Che Qigong cut straight to the chase.
"I'm naturally extremely tempted by the prospect of being able to secure Chaotic Yin Yang Qi, but I'm here for another reason," Han Li replied with a shake of his head.
Che Qigong was very disappointed to hear this, and his expression darkened as he said, "I don't want to discuss any matters outside of that."
"Oh? So you aren't even interested in a matter concerning Sacred Ancestor Xue Guang?" Han Li asked with a smile.
Che Qigong faltered slightly before asking in a serious manner, "Xue Guang? What do you mean by that? Have you met him?"
"I haven't met his true body, but I'm currently being pursued by one of his clones. This clone is more powerful than I am, and I wanted to ask you for advice," Han Li explained.
Che Qigong was rather taken aback to hear this, but he chuckled coldly, "So you're being pursued by a mere clone? Why should I save you?"
"Of course, you can choose not to help me, but in order to ensure my own survival, I may have to abandon the Devil Sealing Lock. Sacred Ancestor Xue Guang is most likely pursuing me for this treasure, so if I no longer have it, then he won't have any reason to continue to pursue me," Han Li said in a composed manner.
Che Qigong immediately flared up with rage. "Are you threatening me? Don't forget that you killed three of Xue Guang's subordinates to get this Devil Sealing Lock; do you really think Xue Guang will just let you get away? Even if you give up this treasure, you'll definitely still be killed!"
"I won't know if I'll succeed unless I try. Of course, if you're willing to offer me some guidance, then I won't have to do that. I'm sure you wouldn't want this treasure to fall into Sacred Ancestor Xue Guang's hands again, would you?" Han Li asked with a hint of a smile on his face.
Che Qigong's expression darkened even further at the sight of Han Li's composed display, and he began to contemplate the situation in a brooding silence.
Han Li merely waited patiently and seemed to be in no rush at all.
After a long while, Che Qigong finally broke the silence. "Hmph, how do you know that I'll be able to help you? I do know about some of Xue Guang's abilities, but it's been many years since we last met, so perhaps the same methods that I used against him in the past will no longer be applicable."
"Perhaps Sacred Ancestor Xue Guang may have attained some new abilities, but this is still only a clone of his, after all. I'm not actually fearful of this clone; it's just that he's carrying two extremely powerful treasures that pose a very serious threat to me. As long as you can tell me a way to counter those two treasures, I'll be able to take care of the rest on my own," Han Li said with a smile.
"Two treasures? Are you referring to the two incomplete Profound Heavenly Treasures, the Purple Word Cauldron and the Rainbow Light Pagoda?" Che Qigong asked.
"The two treasures are indeed comprised of a small purple cauldron and a rainbow pagoda." Han Li had already guessed this to be the case, but he was still quite stunned upon hearing confirmation from Che Qigong that these two treasures were incomplete Profound Heavenly Treasures.
"So it really is those two treasures. I do indeed have a way to counter those two treasures, and if you're lucky, you may even be able to take one of them for yourself," Che Qigong said as a peculiar look appeared on his face.
