Chapter 479: Observing from the Shadows
"Everyone else is busy with other things. That's none of your concern, Fellow Daoist Feng," Xiao Jinhan replied in an indifferent voice.
"I don't mean to pry. It's just that you're normally always surrounded by your subordinates, so it's rather strange to see you alone," Feng Tiandu said.
"To be honest, I prefer being on my own. Sometimes, when there are less burdens and hindrances around, it makes it easier to do what needs to be done without any unnecessary qualms. Wouldn't you agree, Fellow Daoist Feng?" Xiao Jinhan asked.
"I'm not as much of a free spirit as yourself, Fellow Daoist Xiao. I still think having more people around makes things easier," Feng Tiandu replied with a smile.
"It does appear as if you have a numbers advantage over everyone else. Have you already decided to claim this High Zenith Palace as a territory of your Dawn Fall Sect, Fellow Daoist Feng?" Xiao Jinhan asked as he raised an eyebrow.
"Of course not, Palace Master Xiao. No one has any right to claim ownership over the High Zenith Palace, and anyone can come and go from the palace as they please. In particular, now that you're here, I feel much more at ease," Feng Tiandu replied with a shake of his head.
A faint smile appeared on Xiao Jinhan's face as he took a glance at the people behind Feng Tiandu, then suddenly turned to the white stone wall before raising a hand.
A streak of white light flew out of the palm of his hand, transforming into a translucent arrow that struck the light barrier with a loud crack.
The arrow was instantly shattered, while the light barrier only flashed momentarily before immediately returning to normal.
"What a sturdy restriction," Xiao Jinhan exclaimed as a grim look flashed through his eyes.
"The Dawn Fall Sect cultivators have already tried to break this restriction through their collective power just now, but they were unable to make any progress, so it looks like breaking this restriction definitely won't be an easy task," Ouyang Kuishan informed through voice transmission.
Xiao Jinhan gave a slight nod upon hearing this.
"Having said that, there's no need to be overly concerned, Palace Master," Ouyang Kuishan continued. "The white light barrier over this stone wall was previously twice as thick as it is now, but for some reason, it's constantly been getting thinner over time. I'm sure this trend will continue to hold true, and perhaps the restriction will eventually even disappear altogether. When that time comes, we should be able to bypass it with ease."
"Oh? Is that true?" Xiao Jinhan asked as his expression changed slightly.
"I wouldn't dare to lie to you, Palace Master. If you don't believe me, just take some time to observe the restriction and see for yourself," Ouyang Kuishan hurriedly replied.
Xiao Jinhan took a long glance at Ouyang Kuishan upon hearing this, and the latter hurriedly lowered his head and averted his gaze. With no better course of action to pursue for now, Xiao Jinhan made his way over to a large rock off to the side, then sat down onto it and closed his eyes to rest.
Feng Tiandu took a brief glance at Xiao Jinhan before also looking away, while the rest of the Dawn Fall Sect cultivators behind him exchanged a few glances before sitting down with their legs crossed.
Everyone else present quickly followed suit as well, and a tense silence descended upon the entire scene.
Time slowly passed by, and before long, it had already been close to an hour.
Xiao Jinhan inspected the white light barrier briefly to find that it had indeed become a little thinner than before.
......
Meanwhile, in a discreet cave far away from the valley, Han Li and Jin Tong were standing next to each other in a completely still manner.
They had used some type of secret technique to completely conceal their auras, so even if someone were to sweep their spiritual sense over them, it would appear as if they weren't there.
Through a gap between a pair of large rocks, Han Li was observing everyone in the distance with blue light flashing in his eyes.
He had been quite close to the stone wall when the phenomenon had taken place, so he had actually only gotten here a little later than Ouyang Kuishan and the others.
However, as soon as he spotted Ouyang Kuishan's trio, he immediately concealed himself and Jin Tong using a secret technique.
There are more and more people arriving on the scene... Judging from what they said earlier, this place is the entrance of a so-called High Zenith Palace. What is this place, and why is it garnering so much attention from the likes of even Xiao Jinhan and Feng Tiandu? Could it be...
Additionally, Daoist Hu Yan and Yun Ni were also present, and that was quite a relief for him.
Daoist Hu Yan was somewhere between a friend and a teacher for him, and Han Li had been quite concerned for him this entire time, so it was definitely a good thing to see him here safe and sound.
Jin Tong was standing beside him with a bored look on her face, and she suddenly tossed something into her mouth before chomping down onto it. The sound that was produced wasn't very loud, but it gave Han Li quite a fright, and he hurriedly cautioned through voice transmission, "Be quiet! We'll be in trouble if those people discover us."
Thankfully, the secret technique being used by Han Li concealed both sound and auras, and were quite far away from Xiao Jinhan and the others. Additionally, everyone's attention was focused on the stone wall, so no one noticed Han Li and Jin Tong in the distance.
"Hiding here is so boring, Uncle! How much longer do we have to keep hiding?" Jin Tong complained through voice transmission with a displeased pout.
"Be patient," Han Li replied.
"Are those people your enemies?" Jin Tong asked as her brows furrowed slightly.
"Some of them are," Han Li replied in an ambiguous fashion.
"Which ones?" Jin Tong asked as she prepared to rush out to face them.
Han Li hurriedly grabbed onto Jin Tong's arm as he urged, "Wait! There are too many of them and only two of us, so we'll be at a disadvantage in a direct battle. On top of that, it's clear that all of them are plotting against each other as well, so perhaps they'll start fighting even before the restriction is broken."
"You're right!" Jin Tong exclaimed as a hint of excitement surfaced in her eyes. "If they don't start fighting among themselves, then we'll wait until they split up and hunt them down one after another. Aren't I smart?"
"You're a genius, Jin Tong," Han Li praised as he patted Jin Tong on the head.
"Fine. In that case, I'll wait for a bit longer," Jin Tong said as she sat down and rested her head on her folded arms.
Han Li heaved an internal sigh of relief as he continued his observation.
Several hours passed by in the blink of an eye, and Jin Tong had already fallen asleep.
At this point, all that remained of the light barrier over the stone wall was a thin layer, and no one else arrived during this time.
Furthermore, everyone, including Xiao Jinhan and Feng Tiandu, had already risen to their feet, and they were staring intently at the white stone wall.
The light barrier on the stone wall was still slowly becoming thinner and thinner, and everyone was already channeling their immortal spiritual power with tense looks on their faces, bracing themselves to strike as soon as the light barrier reached its most fragile state.
At the same time, they were also making sure to keep tabs on one another.
"The restriction has already become very thin, Senior Martial Brother. If all of us attack it at once, we should be able to break through it. Should we strike now?" Qi Tianxiao asked through voice transmission.
"Let's wait a bit longer until the restriction is reduced to its weakest state. After all, we also have Xiao Jinhan to worry about on top of this restriction," Feng Tiandu replied.
"You're right, Senior Martial Brother," Qi Tianxiao said with a nod.
In the distant cave, Han Li was also staring intently at the stone wall with blue light flashing in his eyes.
Right at this moment, the white light barrier, which had become as thin as a sheet of paper, suddenly flashed momentarily, and countless thin strands of white light appeared over its surface as it abruptly began to thicken again.
Everyone's expressions instantly changed drastically upon seeing this, and they all lashed out in unison.
With a sweep of his sleeve, Xiao Jinhan released a streak of piercing white light, which contained what appeared to be a sharp spike.
It was an immortal treasure that had white lightning flashing over its surface, releasing a burst of loud crackling and thunderous rumbling as it pierced viciously toward the white light barrier.
Ouyang Kuishan's trio also sprang into action, with each of them summoning a golden flying sword, on the hilt of which was a beastly head that seemed to belong to a dragon, but was also somewhat different.
On one side of the sword's blade was engraved a piece of scenery, while on the other side was etched a vast starry sky.
The three flying swords were arranged in a triangular formation, and they gave off dazzling swordlight as they swept toward the white light barrier.
At the same time, the two elderly Golden Immortals of the Southern Dawn Race pointed their golden canes forward, and radiant golden light erupted out of their canes, transforming into a pair of golden dragons in a flash.
Both dragons were glowing radiantly, looking as if they had been forged out of pure gold, and they were giving off a peerlessly sharp aura as they swooped toward the white light barrier.
Daoist Hu Yan and Yun Ni also summoned immortal treasures of their own, namely a crimson flying sword and a blue flying wheel. They didn't appear to be immortal treasures of a particularly high caliber, but they were also sent flying toward the light barrier with ferocious power.
However, out of all of the people present, the collective assault unleashed by the Dawn Fall Sect's cultivators was the most formidable one.
At this moment, all of the Dawn Fall Sect cultivators were gathered around in a loose circle, but there was a method to the way in which they were arranged, and it seemed that they had formed an array.
All of them began to glow with radiant black light, which converged to form a series of thick beams of black light that connected together before surging into Feng Tiandu's body.
As a result, Feng Tiandu swelled noticeably in size, and his skin bulged as a countless thick green veins emerged over his body, wriggling and writhing like worms.
The aura that he was exuding instantly swelled drastically to completely exceed that of everyone else present, and even Xiao Jinhan's expression changed slightly upon sensing this.
Immediately thereafter, he took a deep breath as he began to chant a rapid incantation, and hsi body took on a drastic change, becoming withered and yellow and reverting back into what resembled a dried corpse in the blink of an eye.
A string of loud clangs rang out from within his body, following which a series of thick black chains numbering in the dozens shot out of his robes, swaying from side to side around him like a mass of tentacles.
Every single chain was riddled with countless tiny black runes, which were flashing incessantly and giving off tremendous law power fluctuations.
Han Li's pupils contracted slightly as he witnessed this from afar.
Even though they were situated quite far away from one another, he could clearly sense that the aura being emitted by the black chains summoned by Feng Tiandu was identical to that of the two Origin Separation Law Chains in his possession.
With that in mind, Han Li immediately realized who Feng Tiandu was.
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