"Senior Han doesn't seem to be doing well — he's been completely motionless for so long now. What if something has happened to him?" On a distant hilltop, Zhu Guo'er licked her somewhat dry lips and asked with a note of worry.
"Don't worry. With Han's powerful spiritual sense and iron will, passing through this Heart Demon Tribulation shouldn't be a problem. It's just that the sheer number of Heavenly Fiends he's drawn during his tribulation is something none of us expected. Still, there's nothing we can do to intervene. But I'm sure his precautions against the Heavenly Fiends aren't limited to just this — he must have other means he hasn't deployed yet. There's no need to worry so much." Silver Moon bit her lower lip gently, her eyes flickering, even as her words offered reassurance.
Although Zhu Guo'er knew that "Senior Linglong" standing beside her was just as worried about Han Li, hearing this answer still eased her heart slightly. But then something suddenly came to mind, and she abruptly turned her head to glance toward another hilltop — only to let out a soft "Hm?"
"What happened? Where did Senior Crab go?"
Silver Moon heard this without any surprise, simply saying without turning her head: "A couple of powerful figures approached just now — even I wasn't confident I could drive them off, so Daoist Crab went to intercept them on his own. As for me, I need to go deal with another group of uninvited guests. I'm afraid even more people will be heading this way, and Daoist Crab and I may not be able to return. Everything here is temporarily in your hands. But if anything happens in the basin, send word to us right away."
The moment her words fell, Silver Moon flipped her palm, and a formation plate appeared in her hand, its surface flickering with a string of faint silver characters.
They were warning messages from Xu Qianyu's group being sent to Silver Moon.
"Rest assured, Senior. This junior will do her utmost." Zhu Guo'er's expression turned solemn, and she answered without hesitation.
"Very well. Then I'll be going." Silver Moon nodded, and without further hesitation, threads of silver light shimmered across her body as she transformed into a silver rainbow and broke through the air.
Tens of thousands of li away, high in the sky, Crab Daoist stood suspended in the void with his hands clasped behind his back, gazing placidly at two Body Integration stage cultivators before him.
One was a burly, bearded man wearing a golden robe, his hair tied into an unusual double-horned topknot. Most of his face was concealed behind a thick black beard and hair, but the deep yellow eyes hidden within gave anyone who looked into them a dizzying sensation.
The other was a woman with slender brows, phoenix eyes, a delicate nose, and cherry lips — clad entirely in black robes, with faint wisps of dark radiance seeping from her body. Both of them emanated a subtle demonic aura. They were yao cultivators at the Body Integration stage.
The black-robed woman, in particular, had reached the peak of late-stage Body Integration.
Yet these two peak yao cultivators, standing face to face with Crab Daoist, found their robes fluttering wildly under the terrifying pressure bearing down on them. Their faces had gone deathly pale, and a trace of fear crept into their eyes.
The sudden appearance of Crab Daoist had placed them under crushing pressure — he felt even more terrifying than Ancestor Aoxiao they had encountered before.
To them, there was no doubt that this young man dressed as a Daoist standing across from them was a Mahayana stage old monster whose cultivation far surpassed their own — one they could never hope to contend with.
"This is the first time this junior has met Senior, and I'm not sure how we may have offended you. Please forgive us, Senior." After her expression shifted several times, the black-robed woman finally clasped her hands in a respectful bow and asked.
Although she was startled that a being as terrifying as Crab Daoist had suddenly appeared before her and blocked their path, the fact that he carried not the slightest trace of devil energy put her mind slightly at ease.
Otherwise, if she had identified him as a Devil Clan Holy Sovereign, the two of them would have turned tail and fled without a second thought — as far and as fast as they could!
"You haven't offended me, but from this moment on, you must stay here. If either of you dares to leave a single step without my permission, I'll kill you both immediately." The terrifying spiritual pressure emanating from Crab Daoist hadn't diminished in the slightest, and his voice was flat and wooden.
"Stay here? Don't tell me that celestial phenomenon earlier was related to you, Senior?" The burly bearded man blurted out in surprise.
"You don't need to know about that!" Crab Daoist's gaze sharpened, and he spoke again, expressionless.
"If Senior gives an order, this junior naturally has no choice but to obey. Rest assured, Senior — until the celestial phenomenon over there has ended, the two of us won't stir a muscle." The black-robed woman's thoughts raced, but her words came without the slightest hesitation.
Hearing the woman's response, Crab Daoist shifted his gaze slightly, letting it fall upon the burly bearded man.
"If it's Senior's wish, this junior naturally wouldn't dare disobey." After his expression shifted several times, the burly bearded man managed a bitter smile and answered.
Crab Daoist nodded, then retracted the terrifying aura about his body — though he remained in place, showing no intention of leaving.
The black-robed woman and the burly bearded man exchanged a glance. One summoned a black dharma wheel, while the other produced a yellow gourd.
With a flicker of movement, each mounted their respective treasure and sat cross-legged upon it, behaving themselves.
But secretly, these two yao cultivators were communicating through an exceedingly rare secret technique of divine sense.