195: The Soul-Searching Golden Horn and the Long-Lost Vermilion Bird Ring

Guanghan Realm, the edge of an unnamed deep pit.

The air was thick with the smell of gunpowder and blood. The power of that 'Five Elements Mountain Pressing Down' palm strike was truly immense; the ground for ten miles around had turned into glass-like crystals.

Zhou Wannian hovered cross-legged above the pit, holding the still-trembling golden horn in his hand.

"Soul Search."

His powerful Divine Sense pierced like a needle into the remnant spirit within the golden horn.

"Aaaah—Lower Realm ant! You dare desecrate the noble Jiao Chi Clan..."

The remnant Soul of the Golden Horn Young Lord let out a shrill curse, but under Zhou Wannian's cold gaze, the voice quickly turned into a plea for mercy before finally falling into dead silence.

A moment later.

Zhou Wannian opened his eyes and casually tossed the now-lifeless golden horn to the drooling Ti Hun Beast nearby (as a chew toy).

"So that's how it is."

A sharp light flashed in Zhou Wannian's eyes.

"Deep within this Guanghan Realm, near the 'Guanghan Palace,' there is a nest of 'Green-Eyed True Toads.' Every three thousand years, the True Toad secretes a spiritual substance called 'zhenchan liquid'."

"This item not only cleanses the marrow and refines the body, but it also has a Heaven-Defying effect—when applied to the whole body during Ascension Undergoing Tribulation, it can resist the cutting of spatial storms, increasing the chance of Ascension by thirty percent!"

"Thirty percent!"

Hearing this, Liu Shuier and Purple Spirit's breathing quickened.

At the Late Nascent Soul Stage, Ascension is the only obsession. Increasing the chance by thirty percent is enough to make any Soul Transformation Cultivator kill until rivers of blood flow.

"This thing, we're taking it."

Zhou Wannian stood up and cast his gaze toward the distant horizon.

"Besides the zhenchan liquid, this Golden Horn Young Lord's memory also mentioned that the forces descending upon the Guanghan Realm this time are complex and intertwined."

"Besides the Jiao Chi Clan, there's also the trial team from Tianyuan City, one of the Three Great Imperial Cities of the Spirit Realm's Human Race."

"Tianyuan City..."

Zhou Wannian muttered to himself. That was the base of the Spirit Realm's Human Race and the first stop for all ascended Cultivators.

"Let's go."

"To the Guanghan Palace."

"Regardless of who it is, those who block my path shall be killed without mercy."

...The central region of the Guanghan Realm.

The environment here was even harsher; pitch-black spatial rifts would even flash across the sky from time to time, and one could be swallowed up if not careful.

Zhou Wannian led the two women, flying at a low altitude using their escape lights.

Suddenly.

"Boom! Boom!"

From the frozen forest ahead came a series of intense Spell explosions.

Accompanied by crisp shouts from a woman and the angry roars of men.

"Is someone fighting?" Purple Spirit scanned with her Divine Sense. "Husband, it's a group of Human Race Cultivators being besieged by a swarm of 'Six-Winged Frost Centipedes'."

"Six-Winged Frost Centipedes?"

Zhou Wannian's heart stirred. Those were ancient exotic insects; if he could capture a few to cultivate, they would be excellent combat assets.

"Let's go take a look."

The three of them silently approached the battlefield.

In the snowy forest below, seven or eight Cultivators wearing uniform silver battle armor were formed into a circular array, struggling to hold on.

Besieging them were over a hundred giant centipedes, each about ten feet long with six wings on their backs and completely transparent bodies. These centipedes spat out extreme cold poison mist, causing the protective spiritual light of the Cultivators to sizzle as it corroded.

"Senior Sister! We can't hold on! There are too many of these beasts!"

A young male Cultivator shouted in despair, "The captain's Formation Plate is about to shatter!"

The one called "Senior Sister" was a female Cultivator in red standing at the center of the array.

She wasn't wearing armor but a red dress that looked like fire. Although her face was covered by a veil, it didn't hide her elegance; instead, it added a hazy, otherworldly beauty.

At this moment, she was gritting her teeth, her hands quickly forming seals as she controlled a crimson ring Magic Treasure.

"Vermilion Bird Ring · Fire Phoenix Scorching the Plains!"

Buzz!

The ring Magic Treasure expanded rapidly, transforming into a fire phoenix with a wingspan of thirty feet. It let out a clear cry and slammed into the centipede swarm, instantly incinerating a large area.

However, there were too many centipedes.

"Hold on! The reinforcements will soon..."

The red-clothed female Cultivator's voice trembled slightly; she was clearly suffering from severe mana exhaustion.

On a distant treetop.

Zhou Wannian, who had originally planned to save them casually and catch some insects, was struck like a bolt from the blue the moment he saw that crimson ring and heard that voice.

He froze on the spot as if struck by lightning.

That ring... that unique method of controlling flames... and that voice that had haunted his dreams for hundreds of years... "Vermilion Bird Ring..."

Zhou Wannian's Dao Heart, which had long been as firm as a rock, trembled violently at this moment.

"Nangong... Wan?"

He couldn't believe it.

She's in the Spirit Realm? How could she be here?

While Zhou Wannian was in a daze.

The situation on the battlefield changed abruptly.

The largest centipede, an "Eight-Winged Frost Centipede King" (equivalent to the Early Soul Transformation Stage) that had already evolved eight wings, suddenly lunged from underground, its sharp fangs heading straight for the red-clothed female Cultivator's back!

"Watch out!!!" Her teammates cried out in horror, but they were unable to rescue her in time.

Sensing the killing intent behind her, the red-clothed female Cultivator's eyes flashed with despair.

"Husband... it seems Wan'er won't be able to wait for you..."

She closed her eyes.

However.

The expected pain did not come.

"Buzz—"

A dull vibration, as if from the dawn of creation, echoed behind her.

Immediately after.

A warm aura, so familiar it made her Soul tremble, enveloped her entire body.

She snapped her eyes open.

A slender, powerful hand had appeared out of thin air, grabbing the terrifying Eight-Winged Frost Centipede King by the neck.

The insect king, which had been so ferocious just a moment ago, was now like a dead loach, struggling desperately in that hand but unable to move an inch.

Behind her.

The green-robed man was looking at her with an incredibly complex gaze, one she had never seen before.

"Silly girl."

"Why close your eyes during a fight?"

Zhou Wannian's (Han Li's) voice was somewhat raspy, yet filled with endless doting.

"Crack."

He applied a slight amount of pressure with his palm.

The Eight-Winged Frost Centipede King at the Early Soul Transformation Stage didn't even have time to scream before its head was crushed.

Green insect blood splattered, but it was blocked three feet away by a layer of green light, not a single drop touching the red-clothed female Cultivator.

The entire field fell into a dead silence.

The besieging centipede swarm seemed to sense some great terror; they instantly stopped their attacks and began to tremble.

The trial Disciples from Tianyuan City all stood with their mouths agape, staring at this mysterious expert who had suddenly appeared.

An instant kill?

Crushing a Soul Transformation-level insect king with one hand?!

What kind of monster is this?! A Senior at the Void Refining stage?!

The red-clothed female Cultivator stared blankly at the man before her.

Although his appearance had changed (Zhou Wannian's current face) and his temperament had changed (he was more domineering).

But those eyes... those eyes that remained as deep as the starry sky, no matter how many years passed or how many bodies he inhabited.

How could she possibly mistake them?

"You are..."

Nangong Wan's voice trembled, and tears instantly blurred her vision.

"Han... Li?"

Zhou Wannian smiled.

He reached out and gently removed Nangong Wan's veil, revealing the exquisite face he had missed for hundreds of years.

"It's me."

"Wan'er, I've come to get you."

... "Presumptuous!"

Right at this deeply moving moment of reunion, an extremely ill-timed roar rang out.

The young male Cultivator (the Tianyuan City Disciple) who had been scared witless just moments ago now saw that the crisis was over. Seeing Zhou Wannian getting touchy-feely with their "Goddess Captain," he was instantly consumed by jealousy.

"Where did this Lower Realm native come from! How dare you desecrate our Tianyuan City's Fairy Nangong!"

"Take your filthy hands off her this instant!"

In his view, although Zhou Wannian was powerful, he was still just a Lower Realm Cultivator. They were from the Spirit Realm's Tianyuan City and held a noble status; even a Soul Transformation Cultivator from the Lower Realm would have to bow and scrape before them.

Zhou Wannian paid no mind to that fly.

He simply wiped the tears from the corners of Nangong Wan's eyes with tenderness.

Then.

Without even turning his head.

He calmly uttered a single word.

"Begone."

Boom!

An invisible wave of Yuan Ci repulsive force erupted.

The shouting male Cultivator, along with the dozens of Tianyuan City Disciples around him, were like leaves caught in a giant wave, instantly blasted hundreds of feet away, crashing into the snow in a daze.

"You..."

The male Cultivator scrambled up in terror, "You dare strike an envoy of the Upper Realm?! Do you no longer wish to Ascend?!"

Zhou Wannian turned around.

Those eyes, which had been gentle, now became bone-chillingly cold.

"Upper Realm envoy?"

Zhou Wannian walked toward the group step by step.

With every step, the phantom of the Yuan Ci Five Elements Mountain behind him solidified further. The terrifying gravity made their bones creak, forcing them to lie on the ground, unable to even lift their heads.

"In my, Han's, territory."

"Whether you're from the Spirit Realm or the Immortal Realm."

"Only I..."

...am the law."

Zhou Wannian looked down at the male Cultivator.

"Say one more word."

"And I'll feed you to the insects."

Having said that.

Zhou Wannian flicked his sleeve.

The Six-Winged Frost Centipedes that hadn't yet fled seemed to receive an order, instantly surrounding the group of Tianyuan City Disciples. Although they didn't attack, their hideous mouthparts were only inches from their faces.

"Aaaah! Senior, have mercy! Senior, have mercy!"

Everyone was scared out of their wits.

Zhou Wannian didn't bother to spare them another glance.

He turned back to Nangong Wan and reached out his hand to her.

"Let's go, Wan'er."

"There are too many flies here."

"Let's find another place... to catch up."

Nangong Wan broke into a smile through her tears; that smile was like the melting of ice and snow, causing the world to lose its color.

She took his hand without hesitation.

"Mm."

"I'll listen to my husband."

In the distance, Purple Spirit and Liu Shuier watched this scene.

Liu Shuier said with some envy, "Is that Brother Han's Dao Companion? She is indeed peerless."

Purple Spirit curled her lips, a hint of jealousy flashing in her eyes, but it was mostly replaced by a sense of relief.

"The Principal Empress has arrived."

"It seems the days ahead... will be even more lively."