Chapter 739: Escape |
"Master, I know your mind might be set, but I still want to remind you that right now, all of the monarch and most other Great Encompassment Stage Infernal beings are currently at the Fallen Lake Area, so the security on the outskirts of Asura City is likely to be as loose as it'll ever be. If you want to leave Asura City, I can act as your guide, but time is of the essence, so we must set off right away. If we miss this opportunity, it'll be very difficult to get away," Weeping Soul said.
Han Li took a glance at Shi Chuankong and the others to find that they were all in very bad condition, and his brows became tightly furrowed upon seeing this, but a determined look then quickly appeared on his face.
"We've already made it so far, if we turn back now, then we would've suffered for nothing. Besides, given the urgency of my baleful decay, I can't afford to turn back. If any of you don't want to continue, then you can leave now," Han Li sighed.
"My condition isn't any better than yours, so I can't afford to turn back, either," Baili Yan said with a wry smile.
"I don't have a habit of doing things halfway," Fox 3 chuckled, then immediately grimaced in pain.
"Our Vast Origin House never accepts losses, and backing out now would be accepting a huge loss. I'll make these people pay for what they've done," Shi Chuankong chimed in with a determined expression.
Mo Guang didn't say anything, and he still looked as nonchalant and aloof as ever.
"In that case, I won't try to dissuade you any further, Master," Weeping Soul said with a nod.
"It would be rather inconvenient for us to travel in such a large group, so before we reach the karmic fire crater, I'll get all of you to stay in my domain treasure," Han Li said, then conjured up a door of silver light, which led straight to the first floor of the bamboo pavilion.
"Is this the domain treasure from the Jade Kun Pagoda auction? I recall that it was purchased by an elder of the Hundred Creations Mountain at the time, was it not?" Fox 3 asked with a surprised expression.
"No, this is a different domain treasure that I obtained from elsewhere. Please get in the domain treasure for now. The world's origin qi in the bamboo building is very abundant, so just stay in there and rest and recuperate for now," Han Li said.
Mo Guang stepped into the bamboo pavilion first, and everyone else quickly followed suit.
All of the restrictions in the entire domain had been activated, while the bamboo pavilion had also been sealed, but these safety precautions were understandable in the eyes of Shi Chuankong and the others.
At the moment, all of them were stunned by the abundance of spiritual qi in the bamboo pavilion, and they quickly sat down with their legs crossed to rest and recuperate.
After closing the Flower Branch domain, Han Li suddenly grimaced in pain.
Even with his physical constitution, the torment that he had endured earlier had taken a heavy toll, and that wasn't even to mention the damage that he had sustained to his soul from the Infernal Soul Bug.
"Are you alright, Master?" Weeping Soul asked in a concerned voice.
Han Li made a reassuring gesture, then took a golden pill and closed his eyes to rest for a short while.
Moments later, he reopened his eyes, then forced a smile onto his own face as he said, "I'm fine. Let's go."
"This is going to be a very perilous journey, Master. Will you really be alright to go in your current condition?" Weeping Soul asked.
"The longer I stay in the Gray Realm, the more baleful qi infiltrates my body. I have a feeling that if I don't get to the Baleful Cleansing Pond soon, then I won't be able to suppress my baleful decay, and once that happens, I'll be doomed anyway," Han Li replied with a wry smile.
"The Soul Cleansing Area is a very special area that can only be accessed by Infernal beings. Even as the regional monarch's disciple, I can only enter the area with his accompaniment, so if you want to enter the Soul Cleansing Area, then you'll have to take the path that you originally planned out," Weeping Soul said.
"Won't we trigger the restrictions again if we try to go through that karmic fire passageway?" Han Li asked.
"You can leave that to me, Master. However, once you get to the Soul Cleansing Pond, I don't know what'll await you on the other side," Weeping Soul replied.
"At this point, I can only take things one step at a time," Han Li sighed.
Weeping Soul nodded in response, then said, "I'm sorry to have to do this, Master, please brace yourself."
She then raised a hand to release a bright red chain, which pierced through Han Li's shoulder.
Han Li's brows furrowed slightly, but he didn't utter a sound.
With that, Weeping Soul escorted Han Li up the staircase.
Due to her special status in the Infernal Tribe, even the average Great Encompassment Stage Infernal being had to be wary of her, let alone normal Infernal Servants, so the journey was very smooth, and not even a single Infernal Servant dared to approach her to ask what she was doing.
Before long, the two of them had made it out of the infernal prison, and they quickly arrived at the karmic fire crater.
After walking over a long passageway, Han Li spotted a tall and imposing figure standing next to the entrance of the karmic fire passageway, and it was none other than Su Liu.
His arms were crossed in front of his chest, and he was staring blankly ahead in a completely expressionless manner. Even though Han Li had already seen them once before, the sewn scars on Su Liu's body still presented a harrowing sight to behold.
He certainly didn't feel any affection for this former immortal envoy, but given that they were both from the True Immortal Realm, he couldn't help but feel a sense of pity for Su Liu.
Right as they were about to pass Su Liu by, he suddenly uncrossed his arms, then stepped to the side to block Weeping Soul's path.
Weeping Soul's brows furrowed slightly upon seeing this, and she raised a hand to summon a badge that was giving off wisps of black baleful qi, which hovered in the air momentarily in front of Su Liu before returning to her grasp.
Su Liu immediately returned to his original position upon seeing this.
Han Li and Weeping Soul stepped through the entrance to find that the bridge was completely deserted, and the cage that Immortal Lord Hot Flame and Chi Rong were held captive in was still hanging under the bridge.
As they approached the cage, Han Li stopped in his tracks.
"What's wrong, Master? Do you know them?" Weeping Soul asked as she took a glance down at the cage.
"Are you able to undo the restrictions on their bodies?" Han Li asked after a brief moment of contemplation.
"That's not a difficult task. With my infernal badge, it'll only take me a few seconds, but these two have already been scorched by karmic fire for too long, and they're already close to halfway to becoming gray immortals. My concern is that if I remove the restrictions in their bodies, they'll immediately go insane and embark on a rampage," Weeping Soul replied.
"Alright, in that case, release them from the cage for now, and we'll undo the restrictions another time," Han Li said.
Weeping Soul did as she was told, flying down to the cage before releasing a string of incantation seals into it.
A series of peculiar patterns instantly appeared on the cage before vanishing after a flash of dark red light, following which the cage was opened.
Immortal Lord Hot Flame was leaning against a corner of the cage, completely oblivious to what was happening. In contrast, Chi Rong turned his gaze to Han Li and Weeping Soul, and a hint of befuddlement and panic flashed through his eyes, but he didn't move or say anything.
"It looks like you're still lucid. I'm afraid I can't remove the restrictions on your body for now, but if you can stand up, then come out on your own," Han Li said.
Chi Rong remained still for a moment, then slowly rose to his feet and helped Immortal Lord Hot Flame up from the ground as well.
Han Li conjured up the same door of silver light, then continued, "Get in there."
Chi Rong didn't understand why Han Li was saving him, but he still did as he was told, stepping into the bamboo pavilion with Immortal Lord Hot Flame, following which Han Li closed the Flower Branch domain again.
As the two of them reached the end of the bridge, Weeping Soul said, "Please wait for a moment, Master."
After that, she descended into the karmic fire and vanished out of sight.
Around half a minute later, the black flames down below suddenly reared up slightly, and Weeping Soul reemerged as she declared, "It's done. The restrictions in the crater and in the karmic fire passageway have been temporarily sealed by me, so you can go now."
"Thank you," Han Li replied with a smile and a nod.
Right at this moment, a cold voice suddenly rang out.
"You Luo, do you understand what you're doing right now?"
Han Li hurriedly turned to discover a tall and thin middle-aged man stepping onto the bridge, holding a small furry white beast in his arms.
It was none other than Gui Mu, the Great Encompassment cultivator that Han Li had encountered earlier!
Behind him were dozens of puppets and Infernal Servants, with Su Liu standing among them.
"Elder Gui Mu, I'm here under instructions from my master to subject this man to karmic fire refinement, and I'll take him back to the infernal prison soon," Weeping Soul explained in a calm manner.
Gui Mu took a glance at the bright red chain in Weeping Soul's hand, the other end of which was pierced through Han Li's shoulder, and he said in a cold voice, "Prior to going into seclusion, Elder Yin Gua requested me to look after the Rashom Area in his absence, and he specifically told me not to report this matter to the regional monarch for now, so how could you possibly have received such instructions from him?"
Weeping Soul knew that she wouldn't be able to bluff her way through this, so she withdrew her chain from Han Li's body, and the hole left behind by the chain quickly healed.
"Do you insist on betraying the regional monarch?" Gui Mu asked with tightly furrowed brows.
A hesitant look flashed through Weeping Soul's eyes, following which she replied, "I'm willing to accept any punishment from my master for my transgressions, but if you can let us go today, I'll be sure to provide you with satisfactory compensation."
"It seems like I'll need to beat some sense into you!" Gui Mu harrumphed coldly as he set down the furry white beast down beside his feet.
The little beast rubbed itself against Gui Mu's leg for a moment, then turned to Han Li and bared its fangs in a menacing fashion before scurrying away.