101: Illusion Array Geng Jin

The barrier still existed; Zhou Yun's palm strike did not shatter it.

Just as Han Li was about to make his move, Yun Xi extended her palm, and the surrounding air was instantly compressed.

"Bang—!"

What seemed like a light palm strike contained infinite power, directly shattering the barrier on the Stone Gate.

The light dissipated, and Yun Xi pushed lightly, and the heavy Stone Gate was opened.

The scene behind the Stone Gate was also revealed to the three of them.

A smaller stone room, with only a skeleton, and nothing else.

Han Li looked at the skeleton in the stone room; judging from the color of the bones, it had been dead for an unknown number of years.

It was in a state of weathering.

It seemed that with a gentle touch, the skeleton would completely shatter.

The ground was also covered with a thick layer of dust.

"There's nothing..."

Zhou Yun looked disappointed.

Yun Xi, on the side, smiled, "How can treasures be so easily obtained?"

Han Li did not speak, looking towards the second Stone Gate.

Yun Xi and Zhou Yun's gazes also fell on the second Stone Gate. Han Li flicked his finger lightly, and an invisible True Qi shot out. In an instant, a layer of light emanated from the Stone Gate.

It was another barrier.

However, this time, there was no rebound attack.

Seeing this, Han Li punched the barrier of the Stone Gate.

"Bang!!"

The Stone Gate vibrated, the barrier shattered, and with a gentle push, the heavy Stone Gate opened.

A stone room the same size as the first Stone Gate.

And in the stone room, stood three figures.

Uniform silver skin, in the appearance of three youths.

However, there was no life Qi whatsoever.

They looked like Puppets.

"Hmm, this is... Silver Armor Puppets!"

Looking at the three silver-skinned figures in front of her, Yun Xi's eyes lit up.

Han Li's gaze shifted.

Silver Armor Puppets... he knew what Puppets were, a special kind of existence.

Different Puppets could unleash different strengths.

And Puppets also needed a special kind of energy to activate them to unleash powerful strength.

Usually, this energy was Spirit Stones.

"Silver Armor Puppets, these are comparable to Martial Artists of the Innate First Realm!"

Zhou Yun's eyes lit up.

Comparable to the Innate First Realm!

Han Li's heart skipped a beat.

These Silver Armor Puppets seemed extraordinary!

"Let's see if they're in good condition first," Yun Xi said, stepping into the stone room as she spoke.

Han Li and Zhou Yun nodded, and the two also stepped into the stone room.

They arrived in front of the three Silver Armor Puppets.

Han Li reached out and touched them; the material seemed to have the same feel as a real person.

Yun Xi stepped forward and patted the top of a Puppet's head. The next second, the Silver Armor Puppet's chest skin split open, revealing a groove.

The groove was not large, but it was just enough to fit a Spirit Stone.

Yun Xi took out a Spirit Stone and placed it into the groove. The Silver Armor Puppet's eyes instantly lit up.

A powerful Qi diffused out.

Successfully activating the Silver Armor Puppet.

"They're good," Yun Xi's face also showed a smile.

Feeling the power emanating from the Silver Armor Puppet, she was very satisfied.

Seeing this, Han Li and Zhou Yun also simultaneously patted the heads of the Silver Armor Puppets, revealing a groove in their chests. The two placed a Spirit Stone inside, directly activating the Puppets successfully.

All three Silver Armor Puppets were perfectly intact.

"Junior Brother, you really are a lucky star!" Zhou Yun said with a smile from the side.

Han Li smiled, "It should be our luck."

"Alright, let's perform the blood refinement first. We each get one, it's perfect," Yun Xi said.

Han Li and Zhou Yun nodded, then forced out a drop of fresh blood, which merged into the forehead of a Silver Armor Puppet.

At the same time, a connection was established.

Blood sacrifice!

After the blood sacrifice, the Silver Armor Puppets could be fully controlled.

Otherwise, anyone's Puppet could be used.

To sever control was also very simple, just erase the mark. Of course, this could only be done by the person controlling the Puppet; others could not force it out.

Like Spiritual Artifacts, they were inscribed with a mark and refined.

It was completed in an instant; all three Puppets were successfully blood-sacrificed by the three, and the inscription of the mark was completed.

A Silver Armor Puppet with the strength of the Innate First Realm, this was truly invaluable.

Although the first stone room had nothing, this single harvest was astonishing enough.

Exiting the stone room, and placing the Puppets into their cosmos rings, Han Li and the other two looked towards the third Stone Gate.

Only the last Stone Gate remained.

As expected, this Stone Gate also had a barrier.

However, it was quickly broken.

The third stone room was empty, with nothing in it.

The ground was also covered with a thick layer of dust.

The three glanced at it, then stepped into the stone room.

And just as the three stepped into the stone room, the Stone Gate suddenly closed.

Darkness enveloped them, and the three were startled. The next second, light rose from the ground.

The three were enveloped by the light rising from the ground. The next second, Han Li only felt the scenery change before his eyes; he appeared in a vast grassland.

One second he was in the stone room, the next, he appeared in the vast grassland.

Could it be that there was a teleportation Formation in the stone room?

But where were Yun Xi and Zhou Yun?

They were gone?

Just as Han Li felt this was incredible, suddenly, a rumbling sound came from afar.

Rolling Demonic Qi spread out.

Han Li looked forward; over a dozen enormous savage oxen charged towards him.

Each one had blood-red eyes, and their Demonic Qi surged.

The dozen or so savage oxen were each two zhang in size.

As they ran, the ground trembled.

Their Qi was roughly at the Peak of the monster level.

Han Li quickly regained his senses. Sword shadows materialized behind him, and over a dozen sword shadows whistled out.

Carrying sharp Sword Qi, they tore through the air, and the dozen or so savage oxen were instantly annihilated.

Blood gushed out, and their heads were severed.

They were as dead as could be.

However, looking at the corpses in front of him, Han Li's gaze became solemn.

"This is an illusion Formation!"

Han Li looked at the corpses. In his mind, the demonic seed showed no change, and no blood Qi appeared.

Killing any living creature could yield blood Qi, yet the dozen or so savage oxen in front of him showed no trace of blood Qi.

There was only one possibility: this was an illusion, something conjured by an illusion Formation.

They were not real living beings, so naturally, there was no blood Qi.

And at this moment, the corpses on the ground also disappeared into thin air.

The next second, the scene changed abruptly.

He appeared in a world of ice and snow.

In the air, cold winds howled, and the temperature was very low.

Even though he knew it was an illusion Formation, the realistic environment still made it impossible to distinguish.

Han Li could only hold fast to his original intention; what was before him was merely an illusion constructed by a Restriction Formation.

And at this moment, from the ice and snow ahead, strong vibrations emanated.

Dozens of white snow monsters, each two zhang tall, appeared in his sight.

They exuded a ferocious Qi, roaring as they charged over.

"Since they are fake, then these demons in front of me should also be illusions, right?"

Watching the dozens of snow monsters charge over, a thought emerged in Han Li's mind.

"Let's try!"

Han Li's expression remained unchanged, making no defensive moves. However, his Overlord Body Golden Body was activated, just in case.

When the snow monsters swung their fists and smashed down, the Overlord Body Golden Body's defense automatically vibrated them away, but Han Li's body also slightly retreated a step.

These monsters, though fake, still possessed destructive power.

"I understand, killing these monsters is the way to break the Formation!"

Han Li's thought solidified, and the True Qi in his body erupted. The next second, dozens of sword shadows ascended into the sky.

"Slay!"

With a thought, dozens of terrifying sword shadows instantly struck out, piercing through the bodies of each snow monster.

They were annihilated with a single strike.

Their corpses fell in the snow, blood staining the ice.

After all were killed, the sword shadows dissipated.

Soon, the scene changed again, and Han Li appeared in an autumn mountain forest.

Without surprise, monsters soon appeared.

Han Li clenched his fist, the Dragon Elephant roared, and a punch erupted with divine light, transforming into a visible Dragon Elephant.

Dozens of monsters were directly sent flying, half of them killed.

Han Li struck again, surging with immense power, and the second strike erupted, successfully killing the remaining half.

The autumn mountain forest disappeared.

The next moment, Han Li appeared in an endless desert.

The desert exuded scorching heat, and the air almost became distorted.

Appearing in the desert, the sand dunes ahead surged, and giant scorpions emerged.

Each one was three zhang tall.

A full hundred of them.

They swarmed from all directions.

Han Li did not panic. He used his finger as a sword, True Qi erupted, and terrifying sword shadows materialized behind him.

A hundred sword shadows.

"Taiqing Demon Slaying!"

With one move, a hundred sword shadows tore through the air, charging towards each of the giant scorpions.

Without surprise, the Peak monster-level scorpions could not withstand his single strike and were instantly wiped out completely.

Han Li stood on the desert, calculating in his mind.

The illusion Formation seemed to manifest according to the cycle of the four seasons, and each type of illusion also featured different monsters.

Now, the monsters of the last season had also been annihilated.

Did that mean he had succeeded?

Just as the thought emerged, the desert scene suddenly vanished.

Han Li appeared in a white world.

It wasn't a winter scene, but simply pure white.

There was no change in color whatsoever.

Just as Han Li felt strange, not far away, a tall figure appeared.

Wolf head, human body!

It exuded a powerful Qi, the existence of an Elementary Demon King.

In its hand, it also held a giant axe, emitting a powerful spiritual might.

"Heh heh, intruder, die!"

This Demon King let out a sinister laugh, speaking human words. The next second, the giant axe in its hand directly slashed towards Han Li.

An axe tore through the air, and Han Li felt a powerful Qi.

He raised his hand, and a thunder seal materialized, directly striking out.

"Boom—!"

A powerful shockwave spread in all directions.

Han Li's figure remained motionless.

He successfully blocked the attack with one strike.

And the next second, this wolf demon directly charged forward fearlessly.

Han Li activated his Overlord Body Golden Body, and the Dragon Elephant Divine Fist was instantly unleashed. He lunged forward, and with one hundred and fifty thousand jun of force, he blasted the wolf demon flying, its chest directly pierced through, and it crashed to the ground.

But the next second, a bizarre scene occurred: a flash of white light appeared in the chest that Han Li had pierced through, and it actually healed instantly.

The wolf demon flipped over and stood up again, full of vigor.

What?

Watching this scene, Han Li was startled.

A single strike piercing through, and it could instantly revive. Was this guy an undying body?

However, this Demon King did not give Han Li time to think. Wielding its giant axe, it charged again.

Han Li ignored everything else, once again unleashing the Dragon Elephant Divine Fist, punching out.

The wolf demon directly used its giant axe to block, but it could not withstand Han Li's power.

The giant axe was directly shattered.

But the next second, the shattered giant axe regenerated.

"Damn!"

Watching this scene, Han Li wanted to curse.

If it's indestructible, then so be it. Dammit, Spiritual Artifacts are also indestructible!

This Supreme Paragon, who set up this Formation, must have been doing it specifically to trap people.

Han Li was annoyed, but he had no choice but to fight.

He directly confronted the Wolf Demon head-on.

“Boom, boom, boom!!!”

He unleashed a killing punch, but in the next second, the Wolf Demon's injured area instantly recovered.

Han Li's attacks were relentless; although he was dominating the fight, he felt no joy.

How could he kill this indestructible monster Demon King?

No matter how much damage he inflicted, it would instantly recover.

Half of its head was blown through, yet it recovered in a second.

Anyone would feel their mental state crumbling.

However, Han Li quickly adjusted his mindset during the battle.

While fighting, his mind raced.

“If injuries can recover, does that mean I need to kill it in one blow to completely eliminate this demonic creature?”

As the thought emerged, Han Li's eyes narrowed, and his body instantly retreated a hundred zhang.

Whether it was true or not, he had to try.

There had to be a way to break it.

After retreating a hundred zhang, Han Li immediately revealed his Zhan Ling Sword.

The True Qi within his body surged, and the sword body vibrated.

Sword shadows manifested one after another. The moment the Wolf Demon charged, Han Li fully unleashed the Taiqing Shadowless Swordplay, evolving it into the Taiqing Shadowless Sword Formation, and struck out with one blow.

At the same time, the Thunder God Avatar manifested, the Ben Lei Fist erupted to its extreme, evolving into a Thunder Seal, which instantly blasted out.

The Dragon Elephant Primordial Embryo vibrated, and the vast Dragon Elephant power instantly erupted, transforming into a nearly corporeal Dragon Elephant that charged forth.

The three strongest ultimate techniques erupted simultaneously, and lightning and sword shadows engulfed the Demon King.

“Boom—!!!”

A powerful shockwave spread, and the Demon King's body was directly destroyed.

When the fluctuations subsided, the Demon King's figure had vanished.

Han Li gasped for several breaths, and seeing the Demon King's figure disappear, he showed joy.

Indeed, his guess was correct; only a single, decisive blow could slay the Demon King.

And at this moment, golden light flashed in the sky, and an object fell from above.

“Clang—!”

Han Li caught it casually, and a platinum stone appeared in his hand.

It was about the size of a fist; although small, it was surprisingly heavy.

Before Han Li could fully recover, the scene before him vanished, and he reappeared in the stone chamber.

Looking down, the platinum stone in his hand was still there.

This was… a reward?

Han Li was stunned, looking at the stone in his hand.

A stone as a reward… you're too stingy!

“No, this is…”

“Gengjin!”

Han Li took a closer look, his pupils contracting.

The fist-sized stone was platinum in color, exuding a sharp aura.

This was a piece of Gengjin.

It was a rare and precious treasure of heaven and earth.

It was an excellent material for Artifact Refining.

Gengjin was extremely rare.

Such a lump of Gengjin had an unimaginable value.

It couldn't be bought with mere silver.

It was extremely uncommon.

Gengjin possessed powerful forging properties; forging a divine weapon with it would provide a significant increase in power.

Spiritual Artifacts infused with Gengjin could contend with Spirit Treasures.

At the same time, it could enhance the attributes of Spiritual Artifacts.

Gengjin, naturally containing the sharp Qi of metal, when added to offensive treasures and divine weapons, would make them even more invincible.

“It's not too stingy after all…”

Looking at the lump of Gengjin in his hand, Han Li put it away.

Then, he looked to the side.

Yun Xi and Zhou Yun stood motionless, as if frozen.

“They must also be trapped in a Formation…”

A thought surfaced in Han Li's mind.

His gaze swept around; the Stone Gate, which had been closed, was now open.

“It might not be good for me to just leave alone… But how long will it take them to pass the Formation?”

Han Li frowned, and at that moment, Yun Xi suddenly made a sound.

Han Li looked at her; blood was trickling from her mouth.

The next second, Yun Xi opened her eyes, and at the same time, an item appeared in her hand—also a piece of Gengjin.

A clear reward.

However, her face was pale, as if she had been injured.

Seeing this, Han Li took out a recovery Medicinal Pill and handed it to Yun Xi.

“Thank you.”

Yun Xi weakly uttered two words, then swallowed the Medicinal Pill.

A hint of color returned to her pale face.

And while Yun Xi was recuperating, the last one, Zhou Yun, suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood, and her delicate body collapsed to the ground.

She looked dispirited, and her Qi had dropped significantly, as if she had suffered a severe injury.

However, there was no Gengjin in Zhou Yun's hand.

Seeing Zhou Yun fall, Han Li immediately went forward to help her up, took out a Medicinal Pill, and had Zhou Yun take it.

After taking the Medicinal Pill, Zhou Yun didn't have time to say much and quickly began to recuperate and recover.

Han Li also let go and looked at Zhou Yun.

“She's so severely injured, and there's no Gengjin reward. Could it be that Senior Sister Zhou failed the challenge?”

A thought appeared in Han Li's mind.

Judging by Zhou Yun's condition, this was likely the case.

He wasn't sure if what the two of them encountered was the same as his.

But intuitively, he felt it was probably very similar.

Yun Xi was injured, but she successfully obtained the reward.

Zhou Yun was miserable, losing both her 'wife' and 'soldiers'.

Not only was there no reward, but she also suffered severe injuries.

Among the three of them, his situation was the best.

Han Li stood aside without speaking. After the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, Yun Xi was the first to get up, having recovered a lot.

Zhou Yun also opened her eyes, but her expression remained dispirited.

Her Qi was very unstable.

Her face was still pale.

“Senior Sister Zhou, are you… alright?” Han Li asked.

“I'm fine. It's good enough to be alive,” Zhou Yun said, shaking her head.

“Junior Brother, you didn't encounter the Formation?” Yun Xi asked, looking at Han Li.

“I did, but I didn't have any major problems,” Han Li nodded.

Hearing this, Yun Xi's heart tightened.

“It seems Junior Brother Han's strength is unfathomable…”

“Having a piece of Gengjin is not bad,” Yun Xi said, looking at the Gengjin in her hand.

“I have nothing, and I was beaten half to death,” Zhou Yun said miserably.

“…”

“This is a test, and the situations are different. Senior Sister will definitely have good luck next time,” Han Li said, comforting her.

“I hope so,” Zhou Yun sighed.

“I wonder how Elder Bai and the others are doing,” Yun Xi said.

“This passage has been explored, Senior Sister Yun, should we leave?”

Han Li asked.

“Hmm, let's leave first. After we exit this passage, we'll contact Elder Bai and the others again.”

Yun Xi nodded.

Immediately, the three of them stepped out of the stone chamber and returned the way they came… Stepping out of the Xuan character passage, Elder Bai and the others were not there.

Yun Xi took out her sound transmission bell to communicate, and after a moment, she received a response.

They were currently also in a Formation, seemingly encountering some resistance.

However, they didn't say much, only telling Yun Xi to be careful.

“There's also the Di character passage and the Huang character passage. Which one do we take?” Zhou Yun asked from the side.

“Junior Brother Han, what do you think?” Yun Xi pondered for a moment, then looked at Han Li.

“…The Di character one, I don't think there will be too many problems,” Han Li thought for a moment and said.

“Then the Di character it is!”

Yun Xi nodded and strode towards the Di character passage.

Before entering, she once again used her sound transmission bell to communicate with Elder Bai, receiving a response that urged them to be careful.

Han Li and Zhou Yun also followed into the Di character passage.

—

The Di character passage looked no different from the Xuan character passage.

Yun Xi held a luminous pearl and walked at the very front, Zhou Yun was in the middle, and Han Li followed at the very back.

The passage was over a zhang high and several chi wide, allowing for easy passage.

After proceeding about thirty zhang, Yun Xi suddenly stopped.

Han Li looked over.

Two forks appeared ahead.

One to the left, one to the right.

“How can there be a fork?”

“Senior Sister Bai, this… which way do we go?”

Zhou Yun asked.

Yun Xi's brows were tightly furrowed. She looked at the two forks, pondered for a moment, and then looked back at Han Li.

“Junior Brother, do you have any insights?”

“I don't have much intuition either; both left and right seem fine,” Han Li said.

He hadn't expected a passage to have two forks.

Now, they could only see what happened.

Yun Xi's delicate brows furrowed as she pondered for a while, then said, “Then let's go left.”

Immediately, she stepped into the left passage entrance, with Zhou Yun and Han Li following closely behind.

Entering the left passage, the group remained highly vigilant.

Here, anything could happen.

The three walked along, and after advancing a hundred zhang, they stopped once again.

Ahead, a half-open Stone Gate appeared in their line of sight.

It was half-open.

“Could it be that others have already entered here?” A thought surfaced in the minds of the three.

Thinking about it, it wasn't impossible.

The three sects each possessed some information about the Underground Palace Secret Realm.

It wasn't impossible for there to be overlaps.

However, there was also a possibility that this situation occurred during the last opening of the Underground Palace Secret Realm.

Their nerves were taut, with no slackening.

Yun Xi went forward first and pushed the Stone Gate completely open.

A vast spatial environment appeared before them.

It was as if they had returned to the center of the Underground Palace.

The three stepped inside, looking at the environment before them.

A space several hundred zhang in size.

It was very vast.

Some pearls were embedded in the ceiling, emitting light.

Their gaze swept around; in the central area, there was a ten-zhang tall statue.

The statue was carved very clearly; even after the erosion of time, it was still clearly visible.

It was the likeness of a middle-aged man.

With distinct features.

All three of their gazes fell upon the central statue.

Han Li shifted his gaze to the side of the statue.

A one-zhang tall platform, with a two-zhang tall stone pillar at each of its four corners.

However, compared to the ten-zhang tall statue, they seemed quite ordinary.

Besides the statue and the platform, there was also a pool in this space.

Over ten zhang long and two to three zhang wide, the pool contained no water.

Other than that, nothing else could be seen.

As the three entered, Han Li looked at the pool without a drop of water.

His gaze once again turned to the statue and the platform stone pillars beside it.