But the burly man's move came far too late!
Although the black axe radiance appeared overwhelmingly imposing, Lei Yunzi was several beats faster.
With a cold snort, the lightning formation rippled, and in a flash of surging silver electricity, he and Han Li vanished without a trace.
The black streak subsequently swept through and tore the lightning formation to shreds, but it failed to so much as singe a single hair on either of them.
Bao, the woman, had not stopped the big man's attack, nor had she made any move to intervene herself. After a soft sigh, she slowly closed her eyes, as though sensing something in silence.
The burly man beside her, seeing his attack had been ineffective, wore a disgruntled expression on his face. But the moment he noticed Bao's demeanor, he immediately clamped his mouth shut and stood guard at her side without uttering another sound.
After an indeterminate stretch of time, the woman's lashes fluttered and her beautiful eyes opened once more. She spoke in a calm, level tone:
"At most five or six more times, and that man won't be able to escape even with wings. I've already identified several possible coordinates from the last transmission. Let us head to them one by one right now. The next time we cross paths with him, it will be within a quarter of an hour at most."
"Understood, Lady Bao! How could these Spirit World outsiders possibly grasp your true power? But — how did your treasure end up in that person's hands just now?" The black crocodile hurried forward with a flattering remark, though he also sounded genuinely puzzled.
"What is so strange about it? Years ago, a fragment of my Profound Heaven Ruyi Blade was stolen by that Demon Ape. By the time I awoke again and tracked down the ape's hiding place, it had just perished. The stolen treasure fragment naturally fell into the hands of whoever slew it. During the period before my awakening, quite a few Tianyun cultivators had intruded into the mountain range. The one who killed the ape was among them. I had assumed it must have been one of the Tianyun folk. But since I once had an agreement with several of their Grand Elders, I did not pursue the matter further. What I never expected was that the Profound Heaven fragment would end up in the hands of a human cultivator. I have no idea how he managed to infiltrate the Demon Spirit Mountain Range back then, but now that it has come to light, I naturally intend to reclaim my treasure," the woman said placidly.
"So that's how it was. Your subordinate once encountered those Tianyun people as well, but I never imagined any of them could have killed a Body Integration stage Demon Ape." The burly man's expression shifted, and he could not help feeling a lingering chill of fear.
"Enough — we'll set that matter aside for now. Seizing the Celestial Apricot takes priority. Setting everything else aside, this substance can suppress part of my injuries, so we absolutely cannot let it slip away. Moreover, according to my divination from a few days ago, the truly useful spirit herb I am searching for should also be in this region. Black Crocodile, keep your eyes open as well. If you help me find the herb and restore my Magical Power to its full extent, your rewards will naturally follow," the woman said, a glint passing through her eyes.
"Rest assured, my lady — Black Crocodile will do everything in his power to assist you in finding that spirit herb. It is only a pity that even you yourself do not know what the herb from the divination actually is. Otherwise, things would be considerably simpler," the burly man said hastily, pledging his loyalty.
"I know a thing or two about divination, but I am hardly an expert in the art. If only Yun and Long, the two generals who once served at my side, had not perished in battle so long ago. Had they still been here, there would have been no need for me to take to the field personally." A flicker of solitude crossed the white-robed woman's beautiful eyes.
"I have heard the names of General Yun and General Long in the past. They were said to possess abilities that even ordinary Sovereigns had to treat with caution, despite not being Sovereigns themselves. General Yun's divination arts in particular were hailed as second only in all the Holy Realm — the only one who could marginally surpass him was Lord Xuanguang, who advanced through divination." When Black Crocodile heard the names the woman mentioned, a look of solemn respect appeared on his face.
"Heh heh — even you know their names! That is hardly surprising, I suppose. Their fame back in those days was indeed no less than that of any ordinary Sovereign," the woman said with a faint laugh, then let her gaze grow distant as she sank into contemplation.
The burly man offered a conciliatory smile but dared not say anything more.
Before long, clarity returned to the woman's eyes, and she issued her instruction:
"Let's go. If we delay any longer, catching up to that fellow will take considerably more effort."
The burly man had no objections whatsoever. He bowed at once in acknowledgment, shifted his form, and in a flicker appeared atop the giant petal, standing respectfully about a zhang behind the woman.
Bao swept her sleeve, and the enormous petal beneath her spun around with a whirring motion. Countless pinkish rays of light unfurled outward in every direction, while a peculiar fragrance wafted from within.
With a muffled pop, the pink radiance scattered and vanished, and the enormous petal disappeared without a trace.
Over the following stretch of time, the giant petal materialized in three or four different locations, only to flicker eerily into view and then rotate away again each time.
Two hours later, when the petal reappeared above a dense forest amid a ripple of spatial fluctuations, a low, soft "huh?" suddenly emanated from within.
Then the pink light on the petal contracted, the enormous petals unfurled, and Bao along with the ugly burly man appeared in the open.
"What is it, my lady? Have you found those two?" Black Crocodile started in surprise, then immediately broke into a delighted grin.
"No. It appears we have encountered some unexpected guests," the white-robed woman said, gazing toward the distant horizon with a hint of surprise on her face.
"Guests?" Black Crocodile was utterly bewildered. He hastily turned his head to look in the same direction but could not see a thing, and inwardly he began to grumble in confusion.
But in the very next instant, two orbs of white light flashed into existence at the edge of the sky without the slightest warning. With a few flickers they came howling through the empty air to a point nearby.
Their speed of travel was nothing short of inconceivable!
"Heaven and Earth Disc — the Stone Demon Palace!" The burly man had not paid much attention at first, but once the white light drew near and he made out the two massive silhouettes enveloped within, he blurted out in shock, his expression turning thoroughly strange.
Inside the white light sat a stone palace and a colossal jade disc!