After encountering the first Wolf-Headed Puppet, the group came across several more of these constructs in succession. However, under the protection of the Barbarian Beard's absurdly defensive Heaven-Supporting Demonic Technique, these mechanism puppets were smashed to bits like they were made of clay, without Ji Yin or the Elder in Scholar's Robes needing to lend a hand.
This behavior naturally drew the sidelong glances of
The Barbarian Beard and his group, however, turned a blind eye to Han Li's actions.
It was obvious, though, that
But ever since they encountered the puppet guards, Ji Yin and the others had stopped moving in a straight line and began to zigzag.
However, one thing struck Han Li as strange.
He had no idea what basis Ji Yin's group used for navigation. To Han Li, every intersection looked identical, yet the three Nascent Soul old monsters leading the way hesitated not at all, turning left at one junction, right at the next, without a trace of doubt, looking supremely confident.
If it were just Ji Yin and the Elder in Scholar's Robes acting this way, Han Li wouldn't be too surprised. After all, the two had been to this inner hall before and might have exceptional memories for the path they took last time.
But the Barbarian Beard was clearly here for the first time, yet he marched boldly at the very front. Ji Yin and the Elder followed behind without objection, which left Han Li somewhat puzzled!
So, Han Li quietly observed during the subsequent journey, secretly searching for any differences between the intersections or signs that might mark the way.
But after passing several junctions, his efforts yielded nothing but mental fatigue.
Han Li had no choice but to give up reluctantly!
Along the way, the Barbarian Beard destroyed seven or eight Wolf-Headed Puppets with his bare hands, eventually bringing the group to a small teleportation array.
The array was situated in the exact center of a crossroads, emitting a faint, ethereal glow.
"The second floor is up from here. Who knows what methods Wan Tianming and those orthodox lot used; they're actually ahead of us," the Elder in Scholar's Robes complained upon seeing the teleportation array, though a hint of a smile still touched his face.
"Hmph! Let's go. Even if they're ahead, so what? The Xuantian Cauldron isn't that easy to take," the Barbarian Beard snorted coldly, indifferent.
He then swaggered into the teleportation array first.
The Recluse
After the Barbarian Beard teleported away, he and the Patriarch Ji Yin did not immediately follow. Instead, they exchanged a meaningful glance, their gazes landing pointedly on Han Li.
A chill ran down Han Li's spine.
Forced by their stares, he braced himself and stepped into the array, vanishing in a flash of white light.
When Han Li steadied himself and looked around, his expression froze.
The same crossroads, the same green stone corridors. If not for the Barbarian Beard standing ahead with his hands clasped behind his back, Han Li would have almost thought the teleportation had failed.
Just as Han Li was wondering, white light flashed repeatedly behind him as Ji Yin and the others teleported over one after another.
"What methods did those orthodox lot use? How are they moving so fast? We can't find them at all now," Patriarch Ji Yin muttered with a grim face immediately after appearing, scanning the surroundings.
"Forget it! Those orthodox scum suddenly proposed that ridiculous ceasefire outside—back then, I already found it suspicious! Now it seems they planned to scheme against us all along. Still, letting them try for the treasure first is fine. Relying solely on Wan Tianming's Golden Silk Silkworms to extract the Xuantian Cauldron, in my view, is pure fantasy. If they really get lucky and take the treasure, we can ambush them from the shadows to seize it later," the Elder in Scholar's Robes said from behind Ji Yin, a cold glint flashing in his eyes.
"Brother Qing makes a good point! However, we cannot delay much longer; we must speed up," Patriarch Ji Yin nodded, his expression improving slightly in agreement.
"Brother Barbarian, be careful! The snake-guard puppets on this floor are somewhat troublesome. Fellow Daoist Wu and I will also lend a hand. That way, we can conserve some magical power and time, preventing those orthodox folks from exploiting any gaps when we reach the fifth floor," the elder said solemnly to the Barbarian Beard.
"Snake-guard puppets? Sounds somewhat interesting! As you wish," the Barbarian Beard replied noncommittally.
The demonic faction continued their advance without delay.
Shortly, Han Li discovered the differences between the second and first floors.