Chapter 416: Joining Forces
"Don't fall for his attempt to drive a wedge between us, Fellow Daoist Cold Flame! I had no other intention than to take some precautionary measures in case enemies arrived on the scene while we were busy breaking these restrictions, and it seems that my efforts were very much necessary," Xiong Shan said.
Patriarch Cold Flame's expression eased slightly upon hearing this, but he was still looking rather hesitant about who to believe.
"Is that so? In that case, why did you summon the flag in secret without telling Fellow Daoist Cold Flame?" Han Li asked with a faint smile.
"That... was indeed an oversight on my part," Xiong Shan conceded in a slightly awkward manner.
He hadn't actually summoned the flag for the purpose of attacking Patriarch Cold Flame. Instead, it was just a hidden trump card that he could call upon to seize the initiative in the case of any mishaps. Of course, he was prepared to use it against Patriarch Cold Flame if necessary, but given the circumstances, things weren't so easy to explain.
"You're not to blame, Fellow Daoist Xiong. I was simply too gullible and susceptible to the words of others," Patriarch Cold Flame said in an indifferent voice.
Xiong Shan knew that he was at fault here, so he didn't dwell on the subject any longer.
"I would consider you to be an acquaintance of mine, Fellow Daoist Cold Flame. There are bound to be many precious treasures in this Light Frost Palace, it's sure to be a very dangerous place as well, so why don't we join forces and explore it together? You're aware of my powers, and I'm sure you know that I can be of great assistance to you," Han Li said.
Patriarch Cold Flame's brows furrowed slightly upon hearing this, and he offered no response.
"Rest assured, Fellow Daoist Cold Flame, I simply want to repay you for bestowing the Great Universe Origin Arts upon me. I'm no saint, but at the same time, I wouldn't stoop as low as to plot against my own allies," Han Li said as he took a subtle glance at Xiong Shan, in response to which Xiong Shan gave a cold harrumph.
Patriarch Cold Flame weighed up his options for a moment, then smiled as he said, "Alright, in that case, I'll be in your care, Fellow Daoist Han."
"Likewise, Fellow Daoist Cold Flame. Shall we break this final restriction first?" Han Li proposed with a smile.
"What is the meaning of this?" Xiong Shan interjected with a dark look on his face.
"Please don't misunderstand, Fellow Daoist Xiong. It's not like there's any vendetta between us, it's just that you attacked me without allowing me a chance to explain myself, and that resulted in a misunderstanding. In my opinion, let's leave this matter behind us. At the moment, all of us have a shared objective, so we should work together to break this restriction. Time is of the essence, after all," Han Li said as he turned to Xiong Shan.
Xiong Shan was silent for a moment, then smiled as he replied, "I agree, Fellow Daoist Han. Please forgive me for my earlier rash actions, Fellow Daoist Cold Flame. If we do find any treasures in the palace, you can have the first pick."
"There's no need to apologize, Fellow Daoist Xiong Shan. Now that Fellow Daoist Han and this fellow daoist have joined us, our chances of success will naturally be greater than before. By the way, may I know your name, fellow daoist?" Patriarch Cold Flame asked as he turned to Lu Yuqing.
Xiong Shan also turned his attention to Lu Yuqing upon haering this.
"You're far too kind, Senior. I wouldn't dare to regard myself as an equal to the two of you with my paltry cultivation base. I'm only accompanying Brother Han to broaden my horizons, and I would be more than satisfied if you could spare me a few treasures that aren't up to your standards," Lu Yuqing hurriedly replied.
It was clear that Han Li had presented himself under a different identity to Patriarch Cold Flame, so she had immediately made an adjustment and begun referring to Han Li as Brother Han instead of Brother Liu.
Both Patriarch Cold Flame and Xiong Shan's expressions eased slightly upon hearing this.
"The more time we waste here, the higher the likelihood that something could go wrong, so let's begin right away. Keep doing what you were doing before, and I'll also lend you my assistance to break this restriction," Han Li said.
Patriarch Cold Flame and Xiong Shan both nodded in response, and the latter swept a sleeve through the air to stow away his golden longsword and golden flag, then flew to the same position as before to resume his efforts.
Patriarch Cold Flame also sprang into action, and the five spirit treasures in the air lit up once again as the pillar of five-colored light re-emerged.
A layer of dazzling starlight emerged from the starry light barrier, and there were countless stars surging over its surface, presenting a profound sight to behold.
Balls of five-colored light flew out of the pillar of light before striking the starry light barrier, and a string of resounding booms rang out as the starry light barrier trembled incessantly.
Meanwhile, Han Li stowed his Seven Bright Star Rings away, then channeled his Great Universe Origin Arts with all his might, and radiant starlight instantly appeared over his arms.
Immediately thereafter, he lashed out at the starlight restriction down below with ferocious might, unleashing a barrage of fist projections that rained down upon the starry light barrier.
Lu Yuqing was also doing what she could to help, summoning an azure feather fan that she swept through the air to send countless azure blades of wind hurtling toward the starry light barrier.
Their combined efforts were extremely formidable, and the starry light barrier was unable to withstand the assault, quickly being stripped down to only a thin layer.
However, right at this moment, the sky above the island suddenly began to rumble, and the white mist up above began to swirl, forming an enormous vortex.
Han Li's brows furrowed slightly as he looked up into the sky, while Xiong Shan yelled,
"The restriction is trying to draw upon starpower from the heavens to replenish itself! If we can't destroy it now, it won't be long until it makes a full recovery, so it's now or never!" Xiong Shan yelled.
"That's right, we can't allow it to recover!" Patriarch Cold Flame chimed in.
The two of them made a rapid series of hand seals, and the pillar of five-colored light brightened considerably as countless balls of five-colored light shot out from within, then converged to form another enormous ball of light in the blink of an eye before descending toward the starry light barrier.
Han Li also responded to the call, taking on his Giant Mountain Ape form amid a flash of golden light.
At the same time, 18 specks of starlight appeared on his chest and abdomen to complement the golden light radiating from the rest of his body.
The Giant Mountain Ape pounded its own chest with its fists, then let loose a thunderous roar before swinging its fist viciously through the air.
An enormous golden fist projection instantly appeared with streaks of starlight revolving around it, and the fist projection fell upon the starry light barrier.
Lu Yuqing also renewed her efforts as her azure feather fan began to radiate dazzling azure light, and it released an azure wind dragon that swooped down with ferocious might.
Several earth-shattering booms rang out in succession, and a series of cracks finally began to spread over the starry light barrier.
With one final resounding boom, the starry light barrier exploded into a vast expanse of starlight, but instead of dissipating, all of the starlight rapidly converged to form an enormous vortex that was releasing indescribably formidable suction power.
Han Li and the others didn't have any time to react before they were sucked into the vortex, and Han Li was instantly overcome by a rush of dizziness as the entire world transformed into an indistinguishable blur.
Upon recovering his vision, he found himself standing on a spacious stone platform. Patriarch Cold Flame and the others were also nearby, but their eyes were tightly shut, seemingly still yet to regain consciousness.
The stone platform was quite antiquated in appearance. It had a dark azure hue and was over 1,000 feet in size.
Beneath Han Li and the others was a teleportation array that was still operating and radiating bursts of white light.
Han Li was still feeling a little dizzy, and he shook his head vigorously to clear away the dizziness before inspecting his surroundings.
At this moment, he was situated in a blue space with a sun up above. There were white clouds drifting through the sky and a light breeze blowing through the air, in stark contrast with the misty and forbidding black sea from before.
This must be the real Light Frost Palace.
Around half a kilometer ahead of the stone platform was a mountain with a summit that was concealed within the clouds, indicating that it had to have been at least 40,000 to 50,000 feet tall.
The mountain was extremely steep and entirely silver in color.
There was a ball of faint purple light situated on the mountain summit, and Han Li could see the outlines of a purple palace within the ball of light.
A steep staircase extended straight from the purple palace to the foot of the mountain, and the staircase was a sparkling purple color, presenting a spectacular sight to behold, as if it were a staircase to heaven.
Han Li's brows furrowed slightly upon seeing this.
For some reason, this environment struck him with a sense of familiarity.
He inspected his surroundings once again while trying to recall when he had seen this place before, but to no avail, so he could only set aside that train of thought for now as he prepared to leave the teleportation array.
However, as soon as he attempted to leave the array, a burst of tremendous force surged out of it, locking his body into place and rendering him immobilized.
He immediately cast his gaze toward the white light around him, and a contemplative look flashed through his eyes.
Before long, Patriarch Cold Flame, Xiong Shan, and Lu Yuqing also regained their consciousness one after another, and Lu Yuqing began to look around with an awestruck expression.
In contrast, Patriarch Cold Flame and Xiong Shan completely ignored their surroundings as they turned to stare at the purple palace on the mountain summit with a fervent look in their eyes.
However, neither of them moved.
"So this is the Light Frost Palace... It really is a spectacular place," Lu Yuqing praised as she tried to take a step forward, only to find herself also locked into place, just like Han Li.
"The teleportation array is still operating. We'll only be able to get out once it completely ceases operation," Patriarch Cold Flame explained.
Lu Yuqing turned to him with a grateful nod upon hearing this, while Han Li also took a glance at him in silence.
He had intentionally driven a wedge between Patriarch Cold Flame and Xiong Shan in order to recruit the former to his side, and he had done this because Patriarch Cold Flame had already entered this place once.
Having explored many secret areas in the past, Han Li knew how much an asset having an experienced guide could be.
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