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Chapter 573: Intense Pursuit
Chapter 573: Intense Pursuit
Chapter 573: Intense Pursuit
Not long after Han Li vanished from the spot, a loud whooshing sound rang out in the distant sky, following which a speck of golden light appeared before rapidly expanding as it approached.
The ball of golden light was as blinding as a second sun, and none of the living creatures nearby dared to gaze upon it.
The edge of the golden light was as sharp as a blade, and all of the space in its wake was rippling incessantly, as if it were about to be torn apart.
Finally, the ball of golden light drew to a halt where Han Li had been just a moment ago.
As the golden light faded, a massive golden beetle was revealed, and it was none other than the High Zenith Stage Gold Devouring Immortal.
It was clearly a little smaller than before, perhaps because it had burned through some of its essential power, or perhaps because it was still yet to make a full recovery from its battle against Jiu Ling. However, the fury in its eyes was burning brighter than ever.
Not long ago, it had just received word from the Insect Race army that the Beast Race army had suddenly retaliated in full force, led by King Yohu and all of the true spirits, and the Insect Race army had suffered a catastrophic defeat and extremely severe casualties.
What remained of the Insect Race army had already begun a full retreat, and it was inevitable that the Beast Race was going to be claiming a lot of territory in the wake of this battle. The Insect Race had been in prime position to win the war, but the tables had been completely turned.
Even so, the Gold Devouring Beetle still had no intention of returning to the Insect Race.
In other words, the survival of the Insect Race wasn't as important in its eyes as the hunt for the other Gold Devouring Immortal.
After sensing the residual lightning aura in the air, the Gold Devouring Immortal stopped in its tracks and took some time to rest. In its past experience, it was a far better course of action to continue its pursuit once its target reappeared, as opposed to going in the wrong direction and having to double back.
On top of that, it was confident that this type of spatial teleportation technique couldn't be used for long, and eventually, it was going to be able to capture its target.
......
At the same time.
A burst of violent spatial fluctuations suddenly erupted forth in the sky above a certain mountain, and countless arcs of lightning sprang out of thin air to form a massive silver lightning array.
Immediately thereafter, Han Li appeared within the array, and after taking a moment to compose himself, he swept a sleeve through the air to summon a beast hide map, which he began inspecting carefully.
Moments later, he stowed the map away, then pulled out another map before closely inspecting it as well.
After inspecting several maps in a row, he began inspecting his surroundings with a contemplative look on his face.
Shortly thereafter, he seemed to have decided on the direction that he wanted to go in, and he summoned his flying carriage once again before setting off as a streak of green light.
Around an hour later, the flying carriage drew to a halt, following which he summoned Xiao Bai amid a flash of white light, and Jin Tong soon came flying out of its mouth.
Her complexion was a little pale, and she looked around to discover that she was currently hovering in the air above a snowy mountain, upon which she hurriedly asked, "Where are we right now, Uncle?"
"This area is no longer on the map given to us by the Beast Race, so we've most likely ventured so deep into the primordial land that we're already very far away from the Beast Race and Insect Race territories," Han Li replied.
After a brief pause, he continued, "My spiritual sense is unable to detect the Gold Devouring Immortal at all now. Can you try and see if you can determine its location?"
Jin Tong immediately closed her eyes and obliged, and some time later, her eyes suddenly sprang open as an elated look appeared on her face.
"It's really far away now! I can still sense it, but the connection between us is far weaker than before."
"That's good to hear, but we can't let our guards down. It doesn't seem like it's planning to give up at all. Xiao Bai, do you recognize this place?" Han Li asked as he turned to the Pixiu.
"I feel like I came here once a very, very long time ago, but I can't remember clearly. The primordial land is enormous, and there are many places with similar terrains. Having said that, if we really have already left the territories of the Beast Race and the Insect Race, then we are indeed already deep in the primordial land," Xiao Bai replied.
"It looks like things will only get more dangerous from here onward, but at this point, turning back is no longer an option, so we can only keep advancing. By my estimates, we should be going in the right direction, so as long as we keep going, we'll eventually reach the Black Mountain Immortal Region.
Jin Tong, stay out of Xiao Bai's stomach for now and make sure to keep constant tabs on the Gold Devouring Immortal. If it begins burning through its essential power again, notify me right away," Han Li instructed,
"You can count on me, Uncle!" Jin Tong vowed in a confident manner.
Han Li then swept a sleeve through the air to summon Daoist Xie as he said, "I'm going to resume my cultivation of the Spirit Refinement Technique now. In the meantime, I'll have to trouble you to pilot the carriage for me in my stead, Brother Xie."
Daoist Xie naturally had no objections to this, and with that, Han Li made his way into the cabin of the carriage, then swallowed a pill before sitting down with his legs crossed.
......
Close to a month passed by in a flash.
At this moment, Han Li was piloting the flying carriage, which was racing over an enormous ancient forest.
All of a sudden, he spotted a series of huge stone buildings peeking through the gaps in the trees down below through his peripheral vision.
Out of curiosity, he brought the flying carriage to a halt, and upon closer inspection, he discovered that there was a massive stone city down below.
The construction style of the city was completely different from anything that he had seen in the immortal region and in the Beast Race settlements. It was constructed from countless giant stone blocks, upon which were engraved all types of peculiar beastly designs, none of which were identifiable to Han Li.
However, most of these buildings were covered in thick layers of green moss, and many areas had already collapsed. There weren't any spiritual power fluctuations in the area, nor did there seem to be any living beings nearby, and the entire area was eerily quiet.
After inspecting the ancient city for a moment, Han Li decided that it was best to continue onward rather than waste time inspecting these ruins.
However, the white jade pendant hanging from his waist suddenly transformed into Xiao Bai amid a flash of white light, and it said, "Master, there's an extremely valuable treasure under those ruins! I can smell it!"
Jin Tong was sitting at the back of the carriage with a bored expression, but she was immediately intrigued to hear this, and she sprang to her feet as she yelled, "There's a treasure here? Where?"
"The treasure is hidden underground beneath the city, and it's concealed by special restrictions, so I can't determine its exact location, nor exactly what it is. However, the special energy fluctuations that it's releasing indicates that it's definitely no ordinary treasure!" Xiao Bai replied in an excited manner.
"You can't tell what it is just because there are some restrictions in the way? Why are you so useless? Try harder! Is it something of the same caliber as the pill cauldron that I ate before?" Jin Tong asked in an urgent voice.
"Regardless of what it is, we don't have time to go after it. If we trigger the restrictions in the city and end up getting trapped here or delayed until the Gold Devouring Immortal gets here, we won't be able to get away," Han Li said with a grim expression.
Xiao Bai and Jin Tong were both very disappointed to hear this, particularly Xiao Bai.
"Even though we haven't encountered much trouble of late, we still have to be on our guard. We can come back to explore this place another time, but for now, we have to keep going," Han Li continued.
"I finally get a chance to make myself useful, yet it's all in vain. Master, if you let me enter that city, I'll be able to ascertain the exact location of the treasure in an hour at most, and perhaps I can even find a shortcut to the treasure! Can you just let me give it a try?" Xiao Bai implored as it stood on the edge of the flying carriage and looked down at the ancient city below with intense longing in its eyes.
Han Li was a little moved upon hearing this.
There wasn't a single cultivator in the world who didn't love treasures, and it was clear that this had to be an extraordinary treasure, given how desperate Xiao Bai was to obtain it, but this was simply not the time to go treasure-hunting.
Right as he was about to say something, Jin Tong's expression suddenly changed drastically as she yelled, "We have to get out of here, Uncle!"
"What's wrong?" Han Li hurriedly asked.
"That thing's burning through its essential power again, and it's coming after us way faster than before!" Jin Tong replied in an urgent voice.
"Alright, go hide in Xiao Bai's stomach," Han Li immediately instructed without any hesitation.
Jin Tong nodded in response, then put on a Soul Armor Talisman in a well-rehearsed fashion before flying into Xiao Bai's mouth as a golden beetle.
Immediately thereafter, Han Li stowed both Xiao Bai and the flying carriage away, then conjured up another giant lightning array to teleport himself away.