"Bao, there's no need for pleasantries. Why don't you tell us first whether those two treasures capable of countering the self-detonating Mo Insects have been forged? Several of our fellow Daoists donated quite a few rare materials to you for the purpose." A clear, resonant voice drifted from a man shrouded entirely in a golden halo.
Judging by his tone, he seemed quite familiar with Bao.
"So it's Fellow Daoist Li Miao from the Cold Moon Realm. Rest assured—since I dared to accept those materials from our fellow Daoists in the first place, I naturally had an eighty to ninety percent confidence in successfully forging those two extraordinary treasures. Please, everyone, take a look!"
With a soft laugh, Bao raised one delicate jade hand, and from her palm, one black and one white sphere of light drifted forth.
At the center of each orb hung a banner embroidered with countless silver stars and a pale, luminous mirror inscribed with the image of a winged white tiger, respectively.
"These two treasures are supposed to be able to deal with those self-detonating Mo Insects? They don't look particularly special to me," rasped another powerhouse from a foreign realm, wreathed in coils of green mist, his voice clearly tinged with skepticism.
"Heh, Fellow Daoist Green Stone, you may have misjudged these. Though they appear ordinary, they may well be connected to the legendary Star-Moon Banner and Illusory Heaven Mirror—two Profound Heavenly Treasures. Could they perhaps be imitation sacred treasures fashioned after those two?" A middle-aged man dressed in imperial attire took a deep, appraising look at the two treasures within the orbs before speaking with a measure of gravity.
"The Star-Moon Banner… the Illusory Heaven Mirror…"
At the mention of those names, a stir rippled through the assembled Mahayana cultivators, and many took another surprised look at the two treasures in Xie Lian's hand.
Hearing this, Bao simply gave a faint, composed nod:
"Brother Yu Jian is quite right. These two treasures are indeed imitations of the Star-Moon Banner and the Illusory Heaven Mirror. I've named them the 'Star-Falling Banner' and the 'Lesser Illusory Heaven Mirror.'"
"I've long heard that the Star-Moon Banner, among the Profound Heavenly Treasures, is one of the rare artifacts capable of harnessing the power of the stars, while the Illusory Heaven Mirror possesses the supreme ability to blot out the sky and conceal the sun. I wonder how many percent of those two treasures' true powers Fellow Daoist Bao's Star-Falling Banner and Lesser Illusory Heaven Mirror can replicate." Another flat, emotionless voice suddenly echoed through the great hall—and oddly enough, no one could discern which person had spoken.
"That would be our fellow Daoist from the Dark Night Realm, I presume. Having come all this way, you're still being this cautious. Truly befitting of one who cultivates the dark arts." Bao paused briefly before continuing, "As for how much of the originals' power these two treasures can unleash—surely you jest. The Star-Moon Banner and the Illusory Heaven Mirror are supreme treasures that rank among the very top even within the Profound Heavenly Treasures. If the Star-Falling Banner and the Lesser Illusory Heaven Mirror can bring even five or six percent of their power to bear, that would be quite impressive. But according to my calculations, that should still be more than sufficient to deal with those self-detonating Mo Insects."
"If Fellow Daoist Bao is this confident in the two treasures, then there should be no issue. Now that the self-detonating Mo Insects have been dealt with, perhaps we should also discuss a plan—once we enter the Land of the Original Seal, how exactly are we going to suppress the Mo Insect Mother?" After a brief silence, the voice from the Dark Night Realm once again echoed emotionlessly through the hall.
"Since none of our fellow Daoists find any fault with these two treasures, then naturally the next matter to discuss is how to deal with the Mo Insect Mother. Otherwise, even though we have considerable numbers, if we each go our own way after entering the Land of the Original Seal, I'm afraid we may end up falling prey to that creature instead." Bao nodded, her luminous eyes sweeping across the assembly.
"Is the Mo Insect Mother truly that terrifying? The last group of fellow Daoists who entered the Land of the Original Seal outnumbered us here by a great deal. Among them were even Ancestor-level existences like yourself, Fellow Daoist Bao, yet they were still trapped by that monstrous insect. Fellow Daoist Bao, I've heard you were the last to receive news from the Land of the Original Seal. Could you recount the contents for those of us who arrived later?" The first speaker, Li Miao of the Cold Moon Realm, furrowed his brow and spoke slowly.
"Regarding the news I previously received from the Land of the Original Seal, I expect many of our fellow Daoists would like to see it for themselves. In that case, I shall make the message public here so that everyone may examine it with their own eyes and put their minds at ease." Bao did not seem the least surprised by Li Miao's request. She finished speaking calmly, then gave her sleeve a flick, and a crystal-black orb flew out, spinning rapidly through the air.
With a muffled pop, countless multicolored runes of light surged forth from its surface, swirling around before coalescing into a fragmentary passage of text.
Every Mahayana cultivator present—whether a Holy Ancestor of the Demon Realm or an old ancestor from a foreign realm—felt a chill run through them as they swept their gazes over the incomplete words.
Han Li likewise focused his attention.
Sure enough, the contents of the message matched what Xie Lian had described earlier. It was indeed a transmission from Yuan Yan, who had hurriedly relayed the predicament of those stranded within the Land of the Original Seal and issued a plea for reinforcements. The missing portions left certain details hazy, but a careful reading revealed unmistakable undertones of warning.
After all the Mahayana Ancestors had finished reading, their expressions varied widely.
"It seems the information Fellow Daoist Bao shared earlier was not fabricated. Then let us begin discussing our countermeasures." After a long pause, an elegant and beautiful woman in resplendent attire spoke up in a calm voice.
"Countermeasures? With a hundred fellow Daoists here, there will surely be a hundred different plans. In my view, since this gathering was convened by Fellow Daoist Bao, and her abilities rank among the very best of us all, we should hear her opinion first." Someone waved a dismissive hand.
"And who says Fellow Daoist Bao's powers are definitely the greatest here? If you say something like that, what does that make of our Heaven Crow Realm?" A middle-aged Mahayana cultivator from the Heaven Crow Realm curled his lip and cut in.
At the same moment, the vulture-faced elder who had been sitting with eyes half-closed suddenly snapped them open, and a flicker of lightning flashed through his pupils.
The faces of the other Mahayana Ancestors shifted subtly upon hearing this.
Bao glanced at the vulture-faced elder, her gaze swirling with thought, then spoke in an unhurried tone: