When they saw this, the burly man and the others' expressions shifted slightly. The four of them huddled together and began whispering in low voices.
At that same moment, a voice transmission from the elder surnamed Fu sounded in Han Li's ear:
"It seems that now that the formation is broken, our temporary alliance has come apart. Brother Han, what are your plans going forward?"
Han Li glanced at the old man not far away, pondered for a moment, then similarly moved his lips to send a transmission back.
"There are so many places accessible from here. I plan to act alone going forward. As long as I avoid the particularly conspicuous destinations, there shouldn't be any real danger."
"I see! But I wouldn't dare move alone. If that Silver-Winged Yaksha or the Lion Beast were to ambush me, I'd have no means of self-defense. I'll take the same stone stairway as Fellow Daoist Bai. Whether we find anything will depend on our respective fortunes." After a brief silence, the old man replied with a bitter smile.
This elder from the Nine Abyss Sect bore no grudge. After all, with so many people searching for treasure, it really wasn't practical for a large group to explore the same location. Otherwise, if some rare treasure actually appeared, a fierce scramble would be unavoidable.
Moreover, Han Li's abilities were clearly a full tier above his and Bai Yaoyi's. It was better to split up right here.
"Brother Fu, Fellow Daoist Han! We'll be heading out." Over there, it seemed they had finished their discussion as well. The burly man called out, and the group split into pairs, circling briefly around a few stone tablets before flying off along two separate stone stairways.
Before long, their figures vanished into the distant spirit mist without a trace.
By then, Old Man Fu and Bai Yaoyi had also finished their private exchange. After bidding Han Li farewell, the two of them selected a stairway that no one else had taken and, unable to wait, activated their movement techniques and departed.
The vast plaza, in just a moment, had been left with only Han Li alone.
Looking around at the deserted surroundings, a faint cold smile appeared on Han Li's face as his gaze swept across the stone tablets.
Aside from the ones the previous groups had taken and destinations like "Kunwu Hall" and "Demon Suppression Tower" — places that obviously sounded like important sites on Kunwu Mountain — the rest were all ambiguous locations that gave no clear indication of what lay within.
"Huiming Pavilion, Auspicious Cloud Hall, Hook Jade Pool... Spirit Forging Hall. Could be related to artifact refining." Han Li's gaze paused on one particular stone tablet.
He knew that places like Kunwu Hall and the Spirit Treasure Pavilion were more likely to yield valuable treasures. But plenty of cultivators would be heading there, and he had no interest in risking his life over it.
Since he had already obtained the Infant Nurturing Pill, his top priority now was simply to escape this place safely.
Han Li considered, feeling that the Spirit Forging Hall was unlikely to attract anyone yet still piqued his interest. His figure flickered and he stepped onto the stone stairway behind the tablet, heading up the mountain.
Shortly after Han Li's figure disappeared, a yellow glow flashed at the center of the plaza. The Silver-Winged Yaksha, the Ugly Woman, and the Lion Beast materialized simultaneously within the light.
"Earth Escape Technique — I can only bring us this far. Any further and we'd trigger the underground restrictions." The Silver-Winged Yaksha withdrew the glow, turned to look toward the stairway leading to Kunwu Hall, and spoke slowly.
"The residual spiritual energy fluctuations here are quite strong. It seems those human cultivators just broke through those formations." The Ugly Woman put her hands on her hips as she spoke.
Just then, the Lion Beast suddenly let out two low growls. Spreading its wings, it swooped into the air, circling several times around a few stone tablets before flying back.
"Several of these places already have visitors! Tsk, tsk — Fellow Daoist Lion's nose is truly sharp." The Silver-Winged Yaksha was briefly startled, then broke into a laugh.
"That works out perfectly. If those human cultivators split up, it'll be even easier for me to seize the Life Token. However, if the cultivators heading for Kunwu Hall don't have strong enough abilities, I'm afraid they won't be able to break through the hall's restrictions." The Ugly Woman furrowed her brow and began to worry again.
"Hmph, no matter. If these humans can't manage it, I'll lend them a helping hand from the shadows. As long as we steer clear of the restrictions that specifically counter us, we should have a fair chance of breaking through the rest." The Silver-Winged Yaksha spoke with full confidence.
"Then let's go. First, let's find out exactly which cultivators took this stairway. Brother Yaksha, of the three of us, your concealment technique is the finest — you'll have to mask our forms." The Ugly Woman said casually.
"Understood." The Silver-Winged Yaksha agreed without the slightest concern.
With a gentle shake of the wings on its back, a surge of silver radiance poured forth, sweeping all three of them up together. With a flash of light, the three monsters vanished without a trace.
At that moment, at the stone pavilion halfway up Kunwu Mountain, a Five-Colored Peacock was only just emerging halfway through the light barrier...
Han Li, of course, knew nothing of all this.
He was at this moment lightly touching the tips of his toes to the ground, his body drifting forward several zhang as though weightless. After a few turns, the white jade plaza had long since been left without a trace.
On both sides of the stone stairway stood towering spirit trees, some of which Han Li recognized and others he had never seen before.
He regarded them with some interest.
These trees on Kunwu Mountain had been growing for who knew how many tens of thousands of years. Even originally ordinary spirit wood had now become excellent material for artifact refining.
But Han Li naturally wouldn't slow his pace for such things. After walking for roughly a quarter of an hour, the view suddenly opened up, and in the distance, he could just make out a large complex of buildings.