38: Chapter 38: Han Li

Xiao Ran understood immediately.

"The Disciple shall take on the identity of a Loose Cultivator, fleeing across various regions of the Northern Territory, leading the Shiyin Sect to track step by step, and ultimately..."

"Ultimately leading them to the battlefield we have chosen."

Mo Yuan continued.

"I will set up the Nine Nether Devil Refining Array there in advance; even a Soul Transformation Late Stage Cultivator who enters the array will find it hard to escape death."

What a ruthless scheme!

First offer a taste of sweetness, then give them hope, and finally lure them into the trap!

"And Wu Yuan..."

Xiao Ran thought of that insidious Loose Cultivator.

"He will be the first fish to take the bait."

"The remnants of the Shiyin Sect act cautiously; they will surely send an undercover agent like him to investigate first."

"You need not hold back when you encounter him, but you must narrowly escape, allowing him to confirm that you truly possess the remnant pages of the Ten Thousand Corpse True Scripture."

Mo Yuan sneered.

As expected of an old Devil Head; he could think of a scheme to entrap someone with just a simple thought.

"This Disciple understands."

Xiao Ran immediately cupped his hands and agreed.

"Go."

"In three days, the plan will commence."

"During this time, prepare well. I will send someone to deliver a new identity, Cultivation Technique, and Magical Artifact. Since you are to pose as a Loose Cultivator, you must act the part convincingly."

Mo Yuan waved his hand.

"Yes!"

Xiao Ran bowed and exited the main hall.

As he walked out of the Deacon Hall, he looked up at the gloomy sky and let out a long breath.

Playing a game against a Void Refining expert is like walking on thin ice at every step.

But correspondingly... the rewards far exceed imagination.

"Shiyin Sect, Wu Yuan..."

Cold light flickered in Xiao Ran's eyes.

"This time, let's see how you die."

...

Three days later, in the Northern Territory black market.

A piece of secret news quietly spread.

It was said that a Loose Cultivator had discovered the Immortal Cave where a Shiyin Sect Elder had passed away a thousand years ago deep within the Netherworld Ancient Path, obtaining three treasures from it.

The main stem of a thousand-year-old Corpse Yin Grass, an Elder's command token, and what was suspected to be a remnant page of the Ten Thousand Corpse True Scripture.

The news spread with vivid detail.

Some even claimed to have seen those three items briefly appear in the black market before being bought at a high price by a mysterious Loose Cultivator.

That Loose Cultivator's surname was Han, and his given name was Li.

No one knew his cultivation level, nor what Spells he excelled in.

Only that he acted extremely low-key.

After buying the treasures, Han Li vanished without a trace.

It was said... he had gone to the Bone Wasteland.

For a time, undercurrents surged throughout the Northern Territory.

The undercover agents of the Shiyin Sect remnants, spread everywhere, all sent the news back.

...

Seven days later, deep in the Bone Wasteland.

Xiao Ran, now using the alias Han Li.

He was wearing a tattered gray robe, and his face had been slightly altered with a Spell, making him appear more ordinary.

The kind that would be inconspicuous even if thrown into a crowd.

He was currently standing in front of a hidden cave, deliberately leaving a few traces of hasty Restrictions, before flashing inside.

The cave was dim, and the air was permeated with a faint scent of corpse evil.

Xiao Ran sat cross-legged, took out the three treasures from his Storage Pouch, and examined them carefully in front of him.

Of course, these were all imitations.

The real treasures were still in Mo Yuan's hands; these were just high-quality replicas, but they were enough to deceive Cultivators below the Soul Transformation stage.

He deliberately let a trace of the treasures' aura leak out.

Then he began to heal and regulate his breath.

Half an hour later.

A faint sound of breaking wind came from outside the cave.

Three figures landed quietly, forming a triangular formation to block the cave entrance.

The leader was none other than Wu Yuan!

The current Wu Yuan no longer had his previous gentle disguise.

His face was pale and greenish, his eye sockets were sunken, his body was surrounded by corpse Qi, and his cultivation level was clearly at the last stage of Golden Core!

The two people behind him were also at the last stage of Golden Core, with cold, sinister auras.

"Han Li... finally found you."

Wu Yuan gave a cold, sinister smile, his voice hoarse.

Xiao Ran woke up abruptly, his expression changing drastically as he hurriedly put away the three treasures and summoned an ordinary Flying Sword.

"Who are you?"

"Shiyin Sect, Wu Yuan."

Wu Yuan walked into the cave step by step.

"Hand over those three items, and I can leave your corpse intact."

"Dream on!"

Xiao Ran shouted angrily and attacked Wu Yuan with his Flying Sword.

The sword light was sharp, but it was shattered by a casual palm strike of corpse evil from Wu Yuan.

"So you are only at the Middle Stage of Golden Core; you dare to resist with just this?"

Wu Yuan sneered.

Then he raised his hand and grabbed at the air; five pitch-black chains appeared out of thin air, winding towards Xiao Ran!

Xiao Ran was beaten and forced to flee everywhere for a moment.

He could only use escape techniques to dart left and right within the cave, while constantly throwing out Talismans and Magical Artifacts to create chaos.

After a fierce exchange, he was accidentally struck in the back by a chain, vomiting blood as he flew backward.

The Storage Pouch in his bosom happened to fall out!

Wu Yuan's eyes lit up, and he grabbed at it from a distance.

Xiao Ran's eyes were splitting with rage; he burned his essence blood to perform a secret technique, turning into a streak of blood light that scooped up the treasures, broke through the blockade at the cave entrance, and fled desperately into the depths of the wasteland!

"Chase! Absolutely cannot let him run away!"

Wu Yuan shouted sharply, and the three of them pursued him urgently.

One fleeing, three chasing; a life-and-death pursuit was staged on the Bone Wasteland.

Xiao Ran's injuries became increasingly severe, his aura grew weaker, and his escape speed gradually slowed down.

But whenever Wu Yuan was about to catch up, he always managed to escape narrowly.

Either by utilizing the terrain or by throwing out his last resort to block the enemy.

He acted this scene extremely realistically.

Three days of pursuit, crossing three thousand miles of wasteland.

Finally, Xiao Ran was exhausted and ran into a gloomy, Yin Qi-filled valley.

Wu Yuan and his two companions followed closely inside.

Deep in the valley, Xiao Ran leaned against a huge rock, on the verge of death, clutching the three treasures tightly in his hand.

"Run, why aren't you running anymore?"

Wu Yuan sneered as he approached.

Xiao Ran's face was deathly pale at this moment, as if he had been pushed to a dead end.

"Even if I die, I will not hand the items over to you!"

He made a move to destroy the treasures.

"Stop!"

Wu Yuan shouted urgently, raising his hand to cast a Restriction of corpse evil, temporarily immobilizing Xiao Ran's movements.

Just as he was about to succeed.

A trace of mockery suddenly flashed in Xiao Ran's eyes.

"Idiot."

As the words fell, the three treasures in his hand exploded simultaneously!

Not a self-detonation, but the triggering of a hidden Teleportation Talisman!

"What?"

Wu Yuan's expression changed drastically.

The next moment, Xiao Ran's figure disappeared from the spot.

Only his last words remained in the valley, echoing in the air.

"Since ancient times, treasures are obtained by those with ability; do not force it, everyone."

The voice dissipated.

Wu Yuan stood in place, his expression terrifyingly gloomy.

He checked the fragments of the exploded treasures.

Although they were destroyed, the remaining aura confirmed they were real.

Especially the aura of that Ten Thousand Corpse True Scripture remnant page; it could not be fake!

"Han Li, don't let me catch you..."

"You cannot escape."

Wu Yuan muttered, a trace of killing intent flashing in his eyes.

Just during the fight earlier, he had already placed a Corpse Guiding Curse on Han Li.

As long as Han Li was still in the Northern Territory, he would know wherever he ran.

"Send a message back to the Sect."

"Discovered clues to the Ten Thousand Corpse True Scripture remnant page; target has fled to the Nine Nether Soul Burial Valley; request the Sect to dispatch experts for support!"

Wu Yuan said to the two people behind him.

"Yes!"

One person immediately took out a communication Talisman and injected it with demonic essence of corpse evil.

The message turned into a streak of black light and broke through the air, heading away.

Wu Yuan looked towards the direction of the Nine Nether Soul Burial Valley and licked his lips.

"Ten Thousand Corpse True Scripture; if I can get both of these, my status within the Sect will be unrivaled!"

He did not hesitate any longer and took the two people with him to pursue in the direction of the Corpse Guiding Curse.

Little did he know that he was stepping step by step into a death trap that had been carefully woven for ten days.

The true Void Refining killing formation had already been quietly laid out.

...

In another place, the Nine Nether Land.

Mo Yuan stood with his hands behind his back on an altar in the valley, with nine towering Devil Pillars standing all around, their surfaces carved with dense Seal runes.

Eighteen Elders of the Law Enforcement Hall at the Nascent Soul Stage each guarded one side, expressionless.

Further away, three thousand Golden Core Deacons formed a massive array, sealing every inch of space in the entire valley.

A net cast from heaven and earth, just waiting for the fish to arrive.

Xiao Ran's figure appeared below the altar, bowing to salute.

"Hall Master, the fish has taken the bait."

Mo Yuan nodded slightly, looking towards the distant horizon.

"Pass down the order; proceed according to the plan."

"Shiyin Sect... since you dare to show your head, then be completely buried in this Nine Nether Land."