152: Another collaboration! Han Li is shocked!

Chapter 152: Cooperation Again! Han Li is Shocked!

After recuperating for a full three months.

Inside the temporary Immortal Cave, Lu Qiu slowly opened his eyes, his gaze deep and his aura as profound as an abyss.

He rose, removed the Restriction on the stone chamber, and went to the stone chamber where Han Li resided.

Moments later, Han Li emerged from his stone chamber.

"Junior Brother Han, how have you been recently?" Seeing Han Li, Lu Qiu got straight to the point.

Han Li led Lu Qiu into the Immortal Cave, a hint of relief and solemnity on his face: "Senior Brother Lu, it's fortunate you were recuperating during this time."

He meticulously recounted the major events that had occurred on Golden Drum Plain over the past three months.

As Lu Qiu had expected, the Six Demonic Sects had indeed made their move.

Just over a month ago, several Core Formation Cultivators from the Demonic Path suddenly joined forces, infiltrating the heartland of Yue Country to specifically hunt down the elite Foundation Establishment Disciples of the Seven Sects, intending to weaken the Seven Sects' middle-tier strength.

After this incident was exposed, the Seven Sects of Yue Country were enraged, and several Core Formation Elders launched a joint attack, engaging in fierce battles with the Demonic Path Core Formation Cultivators.

After both sides suffered the loss of several Core Formation combatants, they temporarily ceased hostilities under the intervention of higher authorities, and the intensity of the conflict was once again restricted to the Foundation Establishment level.

"Although the front lines are still constantly clashing, both sides' Core Formation Cultivators have tacitly agreed not to easily make a move, returning to the previous standoff."

Han Li sighed: "It's just that after this battle, the animosity between the two sides has deepened, and the war will likely not subside in the short term."

Lu Qiu felt a slight sense of relief upon hearing this.

Core Formation Cultivators no longer easily entering the fray was good for him.

With his current strength, as long as he wasn't besieged by Core Formation Cultivators, self-preservation on the Foundation Establishment level battlefield was more than sufficient, and he could even gain many benefits.

"It seems the time is right." A sharp glint flashed in Lu Qiu's eyes.

He bid farewell to Han Li and went directly to the Yellow Maple Valley Law Enforcement Hall.

He presented his identity token, registered his full recovery from injuries, and applied to return to the front line battlefield.

After the Law Enforcement Hall Deacon verified it, he quickly assigned him a new mission... A few days later, Golden Drum Plain, Yellow Sand Valley.

As its name suggested, yellow sand covered the ground here, and strong winds whipped up dust, obscuring the sky.

Sparse, drought-resistant plants stubbornly survived among the sand dunes, creating a complex terrain where visibility was easily obstructed, making it an excellent location for ambushes and counter-ambushes.

At the bottom of a sheltered sand pit, Lu Qiu and Han Li lay in ambush side by side.

Both were covered with a thin layer of yellow sand, their auras restrained to the extreme, blending in with the surroundings.

"Senior Brother Lu, how is that ancient teleportation array... being repaired?" Han Li asked via sound transmission, his voice carrying a subtle hint of inquiry.

Lu Qiu looked at the sand dunes ahead and replied via sound transmission: "It's with your sister-in-law. It should be almost ready."

The "sister-in-law" he spoke of naturally referred to Xin Ruyin.

Repairing a delicate task like an ancient teleportation array required a Formation Great Master, and Xin Ruyin was naturally the best candidate.

Han Li was silent for a moment, then asked, "Senior Brother, since you don't believe Yue Country can win, why did you... come back to participate in the war?"

Lu Qiu turned his head, glanced at Han Li, and said seriously: "If I told you I was doing my part for Yellow Maple Valley and the Yue Country Cultivation World, would you believe me?"

Han Li's mouth twitched imperceptibly, but he didn't respond.

For Yellow Maple Valley?

What nonsense is that?

Based on his understanding of Lu Qiu, this Senior Brother's actions appeared casual, but in reality, every step was calculated. He would never put himself in danger for the sake of so-called Sect righteousness.

He returned either for another purpose or because he had already prepared a retreat, using this war to gain resources or achieve some goal.

Thinking of that ancient teleportation array, Han Li's heart was filled with worry.

During this time, he had consulted a large number of ancient texts and knew that even if the teleportation array could be repaired, without the matching great teleportation token to stabilize the spatial channel, forced teleportation would be certain death.

But the great teleportation token was an ancient item, long extinct. Where could he find one?

After Lu Qiu's last assertion that Yue Country was bound to lose, Han Li had been secretly searching for a way out, but he had found no clue.

He looked at Lu Qiu, who was calm beside him, his thoughts churning.

He knew that this Senior Brother Lu harbored many secrets, far more complex than he appeared on the surface.

But based on his understanding of Lu Qiu's style, since he dared to return, he must have already prepared a fallback.

Perhaps... he could start from this angle? Han Li secretly pondered.

Just as he was distracted in thought—

"Don't get distracted, someone's coming." Lu Qiu's calm sound transmission suddenly rang out.

Han Li was startled, immediately composed himself, and extended his Divine Sense to its fullest.

However, with the howling wind and shifting sand dunes, he didn't perceive any abnormal auras.

He immediately realized—it wasn't that there were no enemies, but that they were still far away, or their stealth techniques were superior, and his Divine Sense detection range... was inferior to Senior Brother Lu's!

"Senior Brother Lu's Divine Sense is actually far superior to mine?" Han Li was shocked.

He had diligently Cultivated the Great Evolution Art to the point of breaking through to the first level of Perfection, and his Divine Sense intensity was comparable to a Late Stage Foundation Establishment Cultivator, confident that he was among the top of his peer group.

But Senior Brother Lu could detect threats he was completely unaware of in advance... "Could it be... Senior Brother Lu has already Cultivated the Great Evolution Art to the second level?!" This thought sent a tremor through Han Li's heart.

The second level of the Great Evolution Art was the threshold for Core Formation Stage Divine Sense!

Beyond the shock, there was deep admiration.

Whether it was the speed of his cultivation progress, Divine Sense Cultivation, or the endless array of powerful techniques, he always seemed to be a step behind this Senior Brother.

He suppressed the distracting thoughts in his mind and remained fully alert.

After about half a cup of tea's time, three faint Escape Lights appeared from the distant horizon, like circling vultures, hovering over Yellow Sand Valley for a moment before slowly descending towards the area where Lu Qiu and Han Li were lying in ambush.

The Escape Lights receded, revealing three Cultivators dressed in black, with a ferocious ghost head embroidered on their chests.

Two of them had Middle Stage Foundation Establishment auras, while one had a profound aura, clearly a Late Foundation Establishment Stage Cultivator!

After landing, the three did not relax their vigilance. The Late Foundation Establishment Stage Cultivator among them sharply scanned the surroundings, a small black banner clutched in his hand.

"Now!" The moment Lu Qiu's sound transmission fell, his figure burst out of the sand pit like a leopard!

He didn't choose the easier-to-deal-with Middle Stage Foundation Establishment Cultivators, but instead directly pounced on the strongest Demonic Cultivator, the Late Stage Foundation Establishment Cultivator!

"Enemy attack!" The Late Stage Foundation Establishment Demonic Cultivator reacted extremely quickly, shouting sharply. The small black banner in his hand shook violently, and a large expanse of gray-black ghostly mist surged out, transforming into several ferocious ghosts with bared fangs and claws that lunged at Lu Qiu, while his body rapidly retreated.

The other two Middle Stage Foundation Establishment Demonic Cultivators also immediately unleashed their Magical Artifacts; a blood-colored flying knife and a white bone nail whistled as they shot towards Lu Qiu's flank.

Lu Qiu's expression remained unchanged, as a white light suddenly flashed between his eyebrows!

Spirit Shocking Thorn!

The formless yet incredibly sharp Divine Sense attack struck first, ignoring the ghostly mist and protective spiritual light, fiercely piercing into the Sea of Consciousness of that Late Stage Foundation Establishment Demonic Cultivator!

"Ah!" The Late Stage Foundation Establishment Demonic Cultivator screamed, clutching his head and staggering backward, his eyes instantly bloodshot. His Divine Sense suffered a severe blow, and his control over the ghostly mist immediately became chaotic.

In this flash of lightning, a golden light suddenly appeared from Lu Qiu's sleeve!

A golden plume, as slender as a hair yet as fast as lightning, shot out. It was precisely the top-grade Magical Artifact—sky burning gilded plumes!

The golden plume expanded with the wind, transforming into a ten-foot-long, scorching golden rainbow, carrying terrifying high temperatures that burned everything in its path. It instantly tore through the chaotic ghostly mist and accurately pierced through the chest of the Late Stage Foundation Establishment Demonic Cultivator!

"Pfft!"

The protective spiritual light shattered like paper. The Late Stage Foundation Establishment Demonic Cultivator looked down at the bowl-sized, charred hole in his chest, his eyes filled with incredible horror and despair. His aura rapidly extinguished, and his corpse fell to the ground.

From Lu Qiu's sudden attack to the death of the Late Stage Foundation Establishment Demonic Cultivator, only two or three breaths had passed!

On the other side, Han Li had already engaged in battle with the two Middle Stage Foundation Establishment Demonic Cultivators.

He dared not be careless, immediately unleashing four Tier 2 Puppets to charge forward, while simultaneously activating a top-grade Magical Artifact of his own.

Although he wasn't at a disadvantage for the moment, quickly dealing with two Middle Stage Foundation Establishment Cultivators who cooperated well was quite strenuous.

The two Demonic Cultivators were horrified to see their leading Senior Brother instantly killed. Their attacks became even more fierce, attempting to force Han Li back and escape.

However, Lu Qiu had already dealt with the strongest opponent.

His figure flickered, and he had already entered Han Li's battle.

Fifteen golden plumes transformed into a sky full of shooting stars, instantly swirling towards the Demonic Cultivator controlling the blood-colored flying knife.

At the same time, he pointed his fingers like a sword, and a supremely condensed Scarlet Firmament True Essence went straight for the back of the other Demonic Cultivator controlling the white bone nail.

Under Lu Qiu's Core Formation Stage Divine Sense lock and fierce attacks, the two Middle Stage Foundation Establishment Demonic Cultivators, who were already flustered, immediately found themselves struggling.

"Clang!" The blood-colored flying knife was sent flying by the sky burning gilded plumes.

"Pfft!" The Scarlet Firmament True Essence pierced through the protective spiritual light, bringing out a spray of blood.

Han Li seized the opportunity, and the Magical Artifact in his hand transformed into a black light, fiercely chopping off one Demonic Cultivator's head.

The other Demonic Cultivator was also caught by Lu Qiu's sky burning gilded plumes. A red light flashed, and his head was separated from his body.

The battle started quickly and ended even faster.

Three Foundation Establishment Demonic Cultivators, including one Late Stage Foundation Establishment Cultivator, were all annihilated within ten breaths under the combined ambush of Lu Qiu and Han Li.

Han Li looked at the three rapidly cooling corpses on the ground, then at Lu Qiu, who was calmly collecting the spoils of war, and a storm surged in his heart once again.

Instantly killing a Late Stage Foundation Establishment Cultivator of the same rank!

This level of strength far exceeded the scope of ordinary Late Stage Foundation Establishment Cultivators!

What was Senior Brother Lu's true strength?

He silently put away his Puppets and Magical Artifacts, then stepped forward to help clean up the traces of the battlefield.