Chapter 1249: Someone Dearest to My Heart
Immortal Lord Miao Fa sped onto the scene, only to discover that Han Li and the others were nowhere to be seen, leaving behind only a scorched odor in the air.
A dark look flashed through her eyes as she continued in her pursuit.
Meanwhile, a silver lightning array appeared out of thin air above an octagonal pavilion deep within a dense forest close to a hundred kilometers away, and Han Li's group emerged from within it.
After taking a moment to steady themselves, they descended to the edge of the pavilion, where Han Li looked around momentarily to discover that there was only a small path leading to the point in the forest, and there were no auras of other people around.
"Jin Tong, can you tell where we are right now?" Han Li asked.
"Of course not! I didn't get to go on a scenic tour of this place, I was taken here as a prisoner! How am I supposed to know where we are right now?" Jin Tong grumbled.
"Perhaps we've already been teleported out of the Nine Origins Palace," Xiaobai said in a hopeful manner, and for his optimism, he received another slap to the head from Jin Tong.
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"Take a look at what's above our heads!" Jin Tong snapped as she pointed up at the sky, where it could be clearly seen that they were still encompassed within the golden light barrier.
"This light barrier has isolated the entire area under it into an independent small world. Not only is my lightning teleportation array unable to teleport through it, my teleportation range has also been severely reduced."
"You see? We should've just taken out that wench and been done with it!" Jin Tong grumbled in an indignant manner.
"The ancestral hall of the Nine Origins Temple is in the Nine Origins Palace, and according to what we heard earlier, there's a very good chance that Daoist Master Chun Jun is stationed there. If we cause too much of a commotion and attract him to the scene, then we would be in dire trouble," Han Li said, and Jin Tong's indignation instantly died down upon hearing this.
"There's no point in arguing over something like this now, let's try to orient ourselves and continue looking for a way out. If the Reincarnation Palace forces are driven back, then it'll become next to impossible for us to escape," Han Li sighed.
"Indeed, time is of the essence," Lan Yan hurriedly agreed.
Given the multiple major transgressions that she had committed, she could no longer remain in the Nine Origins Temple. At this point, all she could do was flee the sect, then find a way to go into hiding in a secluded lower realm with Lan Yuanzi.
"How are we supposed to find a way out if we don't even know where we are right now?" Jin Tong asked.
"It's fine. I made sure that we were teleported westward by the array, so all we have to do is make our way back eastward, and we should be able to get back to familiar territory," Han Li said.
"As expected of Master's brilliant foresight," Xiaobai praised.
"Why does it feel like you've become more of a sycophant since I last saw you?" Jin Tong asked as she approached Xiaobai with a threatening aura.
Xiaobai immediately backed away in a wary manner as he denied, "Not at all, Boss!"
With Han Li leading the way, the group traveled eastward, and after a few minutes, he suddenly raised a hand, gesturing for everyone to stop.
After that, he began listening intently for something.
"What's wrong, Fellow Daoist Han?" Lan Yan asked in an anxious manner.
Han Li remained silent as he continued listening for a moment longer, then explained, "It sounds like there's a large-scale battle taking place in the far distance up ahead, so we'll have to take a longer route and skirt around them."
"Really? Why can't I hear anything?" Jin Tong asked, and Lan Yan and Xiaobai immediately chimed in in agreement.
Han Li was rather perplexed to see this, but it then quickly dawned on him that this had to have been a result of the peculiar changes that had taken place in his body following his wicked corpse soul ordeal.
"In any case, let's go southeastward for now to make sure that we give them a wide berth," Han Li said, and with that, the group set off again.
However, they soon encountered several streaks of light flying through the forest in the opposite direction, followed by a group of around a dozen pursuers.
Han Li and the others completely concealed their auras as they carefully cast their eyes toward the streaks of light, upon which they discovered that it was a group of Reincarnation Palace cultivators being pursued by a collection of core elders and disciples of the Nine Origins Temple.
Han Li was surprised to discover that the two figures at the forefront of the Reincarnation Palace group were none other than Wyrm 3 and Wu Yang.
Trailing along right behind them was a man wearing a rabbit mask and a woman with a veiled hat on her head, both of which struck Han Li as somewhat familiar, but they were out of sight before Han Li had a chance to get a closer look at them.
As for the one that was bringing up the rear, he had made no attempt to disguise himself, and there was a casual smile on his face as he occasionally unleashed an attack or two to impede their pursuers.
It was none other than Lu Chuanfeng, and Lan Yan was stunned to see that the Reincarnation Palace cultivators had already infiltrated the Nine Origins Palace.
Han Li and the others were only able to catch a fleeting glimpse of them before they vanished out of sight.
After waiting for a moment, Han Li prepared to set off again, but right at this moment, he suddenly detected a burst of familiar aura fluctuations up ahead, and his entire body instantly stiffened as he stopped cold in his tracks.
The image of the woman wearing the veiled hat resurfaced in his mind, and his heart began to race.
Is it her? Is it really her?
He turned to the direction that the Reincarnation Palace cultivators had departed in, seemingly transfixed.
"What's wrong, Fellow Daoist Han? We have to go!" Lan Yan urged.
Jin Tong was also very surprised. He had never seen such a complex mixture of emotions on Han Li's face, one that encompassed excitement, befuddlement, reminiscence, and many more unidentifiable emotions...
"There's something that I have to confirm, so I'm not going to leave for now," Han Li declared with a serious expression.
"What? Why?" Lan Yan exclaimed in shock.
"It's a private matter of mine, and it's a long story. If you don't wish to remain here, then this is where we part ways," Han Li replied in a concise manner.
Lan Yan hesitated momentarily in contemplation, then replied, "I was hoping to be able to repay you for everything that you've done for me and my brother, but it seems like the best way for me to repay you right now would be to leave so that I'm no longer a hindrance to you."
"Lan Yuanzi's soul has already mostly recovered. You can enter the Flower Branch domain now, and Weeping Soul will tell you what more needs to be done on your end," Han Li said, then swept a sleeve through the air to conjure up a door of silver light.
Lan Yan extended a grateful curtsey toward him before stepping into the Flower Branch domain.
"Why have you suddenly decided to stay, Uncle?" Jin Tong asked.
"I sensed the aura of an... acquaintance among those Reincarnation Palace cultivators. It's very different from when I last saw her, but even if it's not her, it's definitely someone with some type of connection to her," Han Li replied.
"Who is she? It must be someone very important to you for you to be willing to take such a huge risk," Xiaobai said.
"She's someone dearest to my heart," Han Li replied with a faint smile, while Jin Tong's eyes widened in shock.
Once again, Han Li was displaying an expression that she had never seen before.
"In that case, let's go after them and take a look," Jin Tong said.
Right at this moment, two more streaks of light suddenly flashed past overhead, and Han Li hurriedly looked up to discover that it was Huo Yuan and Chi Meng.
However, both of them also seemed to have had their attention focused on Wyrm 3 and the others, so they failed to notice Han Li's group down below.
"Why are they here as well?" Xiaobai asked once the two of them were far away in the distance.
"It looks like they're following Wyrm 3 and the others, but they don't appear to have any intention of helping the Nine Origins Temple cultivators. Instead, it seems like they have some type of ulterior motive," Han Li mused.
All of a sudden, he seemed to have been alerted by something, and he swept a sleeve through the air to conjure up a door of silver light, out of which Lan Yan emerged with an uneasy look on her face.
"Ready to go?" Han Li asked.
"Yes. Words cannot express my gratitude to you, Fellow Daoist Han," Lan Yan replied as she extended another grateful curtsey.
"It's fine," Han Li said with a wave of his hand. "Just keep going in the original direction that we were traveling toward, and you should be able to reach the edge of the Nine Origins Palace."
"Thank you, Fellow Daoist Han. May we meet again," Lan Yan said in an earnest manner.