At that moment,
The long-haired man from the
A tremendous boom erupted!
The barrier of light flickered wildly several times, yet remained perfectly intact.
The long-haired man's expression shifted slightly. With a cold snort, he prepared to strike again.
But at that moment, the aged Confucian scholar Cangxing of the Spirit Clan said mildly, "Leave this to me," and with a flick of his sleeve, seven or eight talismans of varying colors shot forth, vanishing in a flash as they sank into the black light.
The next instant, a deep rumble emanated from the barrier that had seemed utterly impregnable. Its surface trembled violently, then shattered inch by inch, a massive hole materializing before the group out of thin air.
The sight gave the long-haired man a start, and he swept a surprised glance toward the old scholar.
It seemed Qianqiu Saintess's earlier introduction had not been empty words after all — this elderly Confucian called Cangxing truly did possess mastery over formation restrictions, for there was no way he could have broken through the barrier so easily otherwise.
The feather-robed young woman and the other human cultivators were also somewhat taken aback, but under the present circumstances there was no time for such contemplation.
Every member of the group flared with spiritual light on their bodies, transforming into streaks of light that shot through the hole in a flash.
Only then did the opening in the black barrier seal itself shut once more.
However, this brief delay was enough for some demon guards who had been patrolling nearby to swoop in with menacing intent.
Without anyone needing to issue orders, the ten Body Integration stage cultivators simultaneously activated their techniques. Their originally scattered streaks of light merged together as one, forming a hundred-zhang-long seven-colored rainbow that swept into the ranks of the demon guards.
The demon guards opposite were struck with panic, yet utterly unable to dodge. Wherever the rainbow swept past, they were annihilated in blinding radiance, reduced to nothing but ash.
The other demons that had been swarming in from the surrounding area turned pale with shock and involuntarily halted in their tracks.
The seven-colored rainbow then flashed forward in an unstoppable momentum, smashing through seven more layers of restrictions in succession, and in an instant arrived beneath the dark clouds hovering over the fortress, plunging straight in without a shred of courtesy.
But at that moment, a furious roar erupted from within the clouds, and thunder boomed from deep inside.
Amid flickering bolts of lightning, arcs of electricity the size of bowls sprang forth from the clouds like silver serpents dancing in frenzy.
The intertwining silver light coalesced into a heaven-spanning net of thunder that formed within the dark clouds, hurtling downward toward the group below.
Were ordinary Body Integration cultivators to face such a devastating restriction bearing down upon them, they would likely have no choice but to retreat, lest both sides suffer grievous harm.
Yet among Han Li's party alone, four were at the late-stage Body Integration level, each wielding extraordinary powers. How could they possibly fear something like this thunder net?
Ancestor of the Long Family let out a cold snort immediately.
"Trivial parlor tricks, and you dare show them off before me!"
With a casual raise of his hand, a pale silver bottle flew from his palm. It swelled with the wind to about a foot in size.
The bottle's mouth hummed, and a jet of white vapor shot forth, instantly transforming into countless densely packed threads of light that coiled skyward.
Something bizarre occurred!
The sky full of lightning arcs, once swept up by that unassuming white vapor, began tumbling downward into the silver bottle one after another.
In the blink of an eye, every last arc of lightning had been consumed clean by the silver bottle, and the void was cleared in an instant.
"The Thunder Purification Bottle! You're from the Long family of the human race!"
The demon who had just growled from within the clouds spoke with a voice suddenly overflowing with fury and shock, apparently recognizing the silver bottle in Ancestor of the Long Family's hand.
"To think you recognize our Long family's clan-guarding treasure. You must be one of the Demon Venerables then. No matter — let's simply charge straight in." Ancestor of the Long Family remarked with utter nonchalance, waving his hand to recall the small bottle into his sleeve.
Han Li and Qianqiu Saintess naturally had no objections. The ten of them combined their Magical Power and drove the rainbow forward, plunging into the dark clouds with overwhelming momentum.
Whatever other restrictions remained within the clouds, they crumbled before the combined might of the ten cultivators like rotten wood before a gale, shattered one after another. In several flashes, the seven-colored rainbow appeared before a passage glowing with an eerie gray light.
But standing before the passage, several hundred elite demon soldiers were arrayed in a line, flanking a towering demonic shadow.
Though the shadow was wreathed in swirling black qi that obscured its features, a pair of luminous, massive eyes fixed upon Han Li and so many other Body Integration cultivators betrayed an unmistakable expression of utter disbelief.
"Hmph — a Demon Venerable indeed!"
The rainbow dispersed, and Ancestor of the Long Family, Qianqiu Saintess, and the others revealed their true forms one after another. After sweeping their gazes over the demonic shadow, Qianqiu Saintess furrowed her brows and spoke.