Chapter 283: Ancestor of the Bai Clan
Shortly thereafter, Han Li's trio arrived in the air above a circular island before descending toward it.
The island wasn't very large, with a radius of only several hundred kilometers, and the only noteworthy landmarks on it were several short mountains and a small lake, giving it a slightly barren appearance.
Some sparse red buildings could be seen on those mountains and beside the lake, and the ground at the central area of the island was quite uneven, riddled with troughs that were each around 10 feet wide.
These troughs were interconnected with one another to form a complete set of patterns, at the center of which stood a round white pagoda that was around 1,000 feet tall with the same patterns engraved on its surface.
The old man with the white beard led Han Li's duo to the pagoda, which was surrounded by over 100 cultivators that were split up into three teams to patrol the area in shifts, and all of those cultivators stopped in their tracks to extend respectful salutes at the sight of the old man.
At the entrance of the pagoda was a semi-transparent light barrier, and the bearded old man pulled out a Holy Puppet Sect badge to release a burst of white light. Only then did the light barrier fade away, granting the trio entry.
Only after entering the pagoda did Han Li come to discover that it was larger than it appeared on the outside.
The entire interior of the pagoda was hollowed out, and there were around a dozen massive water-droplet-shaped runes engraved onto the surrounding walls. At the center of each rune was embedded a translucent blue spirit stone, all of which were high-grade spirit stones or above.
All of the runes on the walls were connected to a square stone platform that was around half the height of a grown man situated at the center of the pagoda on the ground. There was an array plate engraved onto the platform's surface, and it was giving off a gentle white glow.
Around the stone platform were eight shorter stone platforms situated right up against the walls, upon each of which sat a Grand Ascension cultivator. All of these Grand Ascension cultivators were seated with their legs crossed and their eyes closed, displaying no reaction to the arrival of Han Li's trio.
Beside the main stone platform was a young man dressed like a lumberjack. He seemed to have also been a Grand Ascension cultivator, and at this moment, he was staring at the array plate with his brows tightly furrowed and a rather dazed look on his face. Only upon sensing the arrival of Han Li's trio did he return to his senses before asking, "What are you doing here, Elder Chu? Aren't you overseeing the restricted area behind the mountain?"
"Elder Qi, these two fellow daoists are allies recruited by our deputy sect master. They'll be stationed here with you, and I was instructed to bring them here," the bearded old man replied.
"I see," the young man replied with a nod.
With that, the bearded old man departed, while the young man extended a salute toward Han Li's duo as he said, "My name is Qi Heng. May I ask your names, seniors?"
"I am Qilin 9," Qilin 9 replied as he pointed at the number on his mask.
Han Li also responded in kind. "I am Wyrm 15."
He had actually already been looking at this young man for quite some time, and he felt a very faint sense of familiarity at the sight of him, but he was unable to recall whether they had ever met before.
The three of them briefly exchanged some small talk, following which Qi Heng said, "There are some vacant cave abodes beside the lake on the island that the two of you can stay in. During your time here, you can go anywhere on the island as you please, but do take care not to trigger any of the restrictions. I still have to keep an eye on things over here, so I won't accompany you to the lake."
Han Li's duo nodded in response, then departed from the pagoda to make their way to the lake together.
In the end, they intentionally chose cave abodes quite far away from one another's, with one situated to the west of the lake, while the other was in the east.
The eastern side of the lake was slightly more abundant with vegetation, and a courtyard with red walls and black roof tiles was situated there. Upon arriving at the entrance of the courtyard, Han Li discovered that there were runes engraved onto the gates, clearly indicating that there were restrictions set up here as well.
However, the fact that Qi Heng hadn't accompanied them here indicated that they should've been able to bypass these restrictions without assistance. With that in mind, he made his way over to the gate before pushing on them, and sure enough, they swung open without posing any resistance.
Upon entering the courtyard, Han Li discovered that its furnishings and layout weren't much different from mortal courtyards, but there were some tiny arrays littered throughout the courtyard in discreet places.
For example, there was a small cleansing array beneath the stone table at the center of the courtyard, and it would be activated on its own every once in a while to clear up all of the dust and the fallen leaves and branches in the courtyard.
Inside the hall was a pair of servants, one male and one female. Both of them appeared to have been quite young with delicate skin and rosy lips, presenting a very pleasant sight to behold, but Han Li could tell just from a single glance that they were just puppets rather than living people.
They were just a pair of servants, so they naturally weren't puppets of a particularly high caliber, but there were still some unique aspects in the way that they were crafted that were quite intriguing to Han Li.
He was already quite an expert in the art of puppetry, but most of his knowledge in this field had been accumulated in the Spirit Realm. The puppets of the Immortal Realm were quite different from those of the Spirit Realm both in terms of the materials used and the craftsmanship, so this was a good opportunity for him to learn some new things.
After all, if he wanted to restore Daoist Xie to its former state, his current puppetry expertise most likely wasn't going to be enough.
…..
Over two years passed by in the blink of an eye.
During this time, everything was quite peaceful in the Holy Puppet Sect, and no enemies showed up. However, the entire sect was still in a state of high alert, but the mindsets of all of the Transient Guild members had already somewhat changed.
Han Li and Qilin 9 were walking side by side on the small path along the lake, making their way toward the nearby mountain.
"It's been over two years, yet nothing has happened. Perhaps we'll be able to complete this mission with unexpected ease, Fellow Daoist Wyrm 15," Qilin 9 said in a relaxed voice with a smile on his face.
"It would naturally be ideal if the rest of the mission duration can pass by just as peacefully," Han Li replied with a smile of his own as he took a glance up at the clear, blue sky.
During these past two years, he had explored every single inch of this entire island, tracking down all of the hidden arrays and puppets before carefully examining them multiple times.
He would also occasionally go to the round pagoda to observe the runes on its surface. As a result, he had become quite familiar with Qi Heng, and the two of them would discuss some matters related to puppetry from time to time.
Qi Heng's cultivation base wasn't particularly advanced, but he was quite an expert in the art of puppetry, and he was happy to speak to Han Li, but he was extremely tight-lipped when it came to any matters that were related to the secrets of the sect.
Meanwhile, in a secret chamber on the main island of the Holy Puppet Sect.
The deputy sect master was seated on a stone chair in a blue palace dress. The veil on her face had been removed to reveal her gorgeous features, and there was a gentle look in her eyes.
Seated before her was none other than Bai Suyuan, but she had removed her rabbit mask as well to face the deputy sect master in her true appearance.
"Suyuan, you may think that I'm cruel for abandoning our clan, but I have my reasons. Ever since I left the Blaze Dragon Dao and the Ancient Cloud Continent, I had cut all ties with everything there, and I haven't been back even once all this time," the deputy sect master said with a hint of apology in her voice.
"If you've cut off all ties, then why did you send someone to come after me?" Bai Suyuan asked in an indifferent voice.
It had been revealed to her that this woman was none other than her ancestor, Bai Fengyi, but she couldn't bring herself to feel any intimacy toward this person. Whenever she thought of how her grandfather had been killed by that heavenly devil so she could escape, she would find herself struggling to forgive Bai Fengyi for abandoning their clan.
If Bai Fengyi hadn't disappeared without a trace, perhaps she would've been able to save their clan and prevent all of the tragedies that had ensued.
Right at this moment, Qilin 3, who was also present in the room, heaved a faint sigh. "Fengyi is not to blame for all of this. The circumstances that led to her departure all those years ago were very complicated, and as her mistress, I should bear the brunt of the blame."
Just like Bai Suyuan, she had also removed her Transient Guild mask to reveal her stunning features, and she was none other than one of the 13 Golden Immortal Stage dao lords of the Blaze Dragon Dao, Yun Ni.
"Mistress..."
Both Bai Fengyi and Bai Suyuan called out in unison.
"How foolish you are, my disciple. You thought that the two of us would come together after you left, but you failed to account for the fact that he's a bastard and a coward. I asked him to come with me to help you on this occasion, but he said that he didn't know how to face you and didn't dare to come and see you," Yun Ni said with a wry smile.
"That does seem like something he would do," Bai Fengyi chuckled.
"Who are you talking about, Mistress?" Bai Suyuan couldn't help but ask.
"He was once a dashing and handsome immortal, but now, he's nothing more than sloppy old drunkard, so there's no need to waste our time talking about him," Yun Ni scoffed, but there was the faintest trace of a smile playing on her lips as she spoke.
Despite what she's saying, she still can't help but smile whenever she thinks of him. Looks like Mistress's feelings toward him haven't changed at all, Bai Fengyi sighed to herself upon seeing this.
"By the way, it's already been over two years, yet nothing has happened. Could it be that something's changed?" Yun Ni suddenly asked.
"The information that we received is definitely reliable. I fear that the longer the enemy spends in preparation, the more ferocious their assault will be when they do finally come," Bai Fengyi replied as her brows furrowed slightly.
"If they happen to attack exactly a year later, you most likely won't be able to assemble so many True Immortal cultivators on such short notice, even through the Transient Guild. What will you do then?" Yun Ni asked.
"Our sect master should be back by then, and with his cultivation base and that immortal puppet, we should be able to deal with this crisis even without the assistance of the Transient Guild," Bai Fengyi replied.
Yun Ni nodded in response, and she was just about to say something when her expression suddenly changed slightly.
Immediately thereafter, a resounding boom rang out, and the entire secret chamber began to tremble violently.
Yun Ni and Bai Fengyi exchanged a glance, and the former immediately put on her Transient Guild mask. Bai Suyuan hurriedly did the same upon seeing this, and the three of them rushed out of the secret chamber together.
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