"Follow this street for six miles, and there's an old house at the entrance of the first alley. There's an old well in the first courtyard of the house, and there's a formation at the bottom of the well …" Han Li led the Icy Flame Ancestor and Lu Yuqing as they began to search for a formation.
The Icy Flame Ancestor listened attentively to Han Li's explanation, nodding and shaking her head from time to time. Based on her memories of the past, she was trying to determine if the formations were real or fake. The three of them began to wander around the noisy city.
In reality, the area of the white stone plaza that the three of them were in was not large, but the area within the illusion formation was immeasurable. The three of them used the old well at the entrance of the alley as their starting point, passing through a short wine shop and a brothel. After a few turns, they arrived at the backyard of a government office.
Afterwards, they stepped on a white stone millstone in the backyard of the government office, climbed over a courtyard wall that was less than seven feet tall, and arrived at a deep alley where ordinary people lived.
After exiting the alley, the three of them passed through seven or eight streets before finally arriving in front of an academy.
During this period of time, Lu Yuqing's eyes gradually became blurred by the people coming and going around her. Fortunately, she was reminded by Han Li using a secret consciousness technique, so she did not fall into this trance.
There seemed to be a teacher teaching in the academy, and the sound of children reciting could be heard from inside. It was clear and melodious, and extremely rhythmic.
Outside the academy's gate, there was an old elm tree that was over a hundred years old. It was not very tall, but it was very thick, and looked to be as thick as four people wrapping their arms around it.
At this moment, Han Li and the others were standing under the shade of the old elm tree.
The Icy Flame Ancestor looked at the old elm tree, and said with some uncertainty, "Last time, the exit of the illusion formation was the skeleton of a wild monster. It's completely different from this time, so I'm not completely sure …"
Han Li looked at the old elm tree with the Eye of Truth, and said slowly, "The trajectory of the spiritual energy flow here is very different from what we encountered before. I feel that this should be the place …"
With that, he raised his hand, formed a seal, and struck the old elm tree.
At this moment, the golden eyeball hovering above his head trembled slightly. A wave of golden ripples spread out from it. When the ripples reached the old elm's body, it immediately became brighter.
Amidst the golden light, a blue vortex about the height of a person suddenly appeared. Inside the vortex, one could vaguely see a long and narrow passage extending to the back.
The Icy Flame Ancestor walked up and carefully looked around. Then, he nodded at Han Li and said, "There should be no mistake. The situation in the tunnel is almost exactly the same as last time."
"Then let's go. We've already wasted a lot of time," Han Li said.
With that said, a light suddenly flashed above his head. The golden light of the Eye of Truth scattered and disappeared into his body.
The Icy Flame Ancestor paused for a moment. Then, she bent her body and stepped into the blue whirlpool, heading deeper into the tunnel.
Lu Yuqing followed closely behind, and Han Li was the last to enter.
About a quarter of an hour later, a strange wave suddenly rippled in the air above the white stone plaza. The figures of Han Li and the other two fell from the sky.
After stabilizing himself, the Icy Flame Ancestor glanced around, but he couldn't see Xiong Shan.
Han Li looked in the direction of the palace and slowly said, "There's no need to look for him. He's a formation master and is proficient in it. He also had the experience of breaking a formation before, so he must have come out before me. He should have already gone to the hall by now."
With that said, a blue light flashed in his eyes, and he looked at the center of the plaza again.
The fog there surged abnormally violently, and there were waves of chaotic spiritual power coming from it. It was obvious that Xue Han had also entered the illusion formation.
Han Li withdrew his gaze and said to the Icy Flame Ancestor, "Let's go. While Xue Han is trapped in the formation, take me to the place where the Great Heavenly Cycle Star Technique is stored."
The Icy Flames Ancestor nodded and took the lead in the direction of the three halls.
The one in the middle of the three halls was the closest to Han Li and the other two. It was a hall with double eaves, and it was much taller than the two behind it.
In front of the hall, there were 18 large pillars made of gold. They were engraved with dense runes, and they looked very simple.
The main entrance of the hall was over 30 meters tall, and it was completely forged from violet gold. Its surface was similarly covered in numerous talisman markings. However, the door on the left was slightly opened to the outside, and its surface was completely jet black. It seemed to have obvious traces of being scorched by flames.
"This hall is just a trap. There's nothing inside except for the two puppets."
The Icy Flame Ancestor glanced at the door, and as he spoke, he went around the hall and rushed to the hall on the right.
Lu Yuqing suddenly asked, "Was the restriction on that hall destroyed when you went in last time?"
The Icy Flame Ancestor didn't turn around and said, "Do you remember that there were four of us who came out of the illusion formation?
The other two died in that hall. "The Icy Flame Ancestor didn't turn around as she spoke.
Lu Yuqing's face paled slightly when she heard this.
The three of them didn't say anything and quickly arrived in front of the hall on the right.
This hall looked smaller than the previous one, but there was no difference in the materials used, and the style of the house was basically the same. The only difference was that this hall's door was tightly shut, and the runes engraved on it were still intact.
The Icy Flame Ancestor looked at Han Li and said, "Friend Han, the stone tablet that recorded the first half of the Great Heavenly Star Art was obtained from the back hall of this hall. As for the other half, it's also inside."
Han Li nodded and asked, "Back then, you weren't able to bring out the complete cultivation method in one go. Presumably, there's something strange about this hall, right?"
The Icy Flame Ancestor nodded and said, "Yes, there's a copper puppet with the strength of an early Golden Immortal guarding this hall."
Han Li was initially surprised to hear this, but a hint of suspicion appeared on his face.
He looked straight at the Icy Flame Ancestor and said, "Forgive me for being blunt, but if there was a Golden Immortal puppet guarding it, with your strength before you cultivated the Great Heavenly Cycle Star Art, it would be impossible for you to steal the other half of the cultivation method."
The Icy Flame Ancestor sighed, "Friend Han is correct. With my strength at the time, I wouldn't have been able to withstand even a single attack from it. As such, I didn't fight it at the time. Instead, I released a few puppets that I carried with me to attract its attention, then used a concealment treasure to conceal my aura and sneak into the back hall. Only then did I manage to succeed," the Icy Flame Ancestor sighed.
An enlightened look appeared on Han Li's face upon hearing this.
Aside from some special types of puppets or intelligent ones like Daoist Xie, most puppets weren't very adept at detection. As long as one could conceal their auras and grasp the right timing, there was a good chance that they could sneak in and steal treasures.
"However, when I took the stone slab with the first half of the Great Heavenly Star Art engraved on it, the Golden Immortal puppet immediately sensed it, and I was severely injured by a single punch from it.
Fortunately, for some reason, it didn't chase me out of the hall, and I was able to escape with my life. Thinking back to it now, it really was a close shave, "the Icy Flame Ancestor said with lingering fear as she recalled the scene back then.
"From what you experienced last time, what do you think of the puppet's intelligence?" Han Li asked.
The Icy Flame Ancestor pondered for a moment before replying, "Although I only fought it for a brief moment last time, I could sense that despite its immense killing power, its intelligence doesn't seem to be very high. Otherwise, it would have been able to discover my plan to lure it out."
"In that case, the reason why it didn't chase me out of the hall is most likely because its original owner restricted its range of movement and ordered it to stay behind to protect the cultivation art.
In that case, it'll be much easier for us to obtain the second half of the cultivation art, "Han Li said with a hint of hesitation in his eyes.
"Friend Han, are you saying that we're going to use my previous method to steal the cultivation art again?" the Icy Flame Ancestor asked in a hesitant manner.
"That's exactly what I was thinking.
It's just that I'll need Fellow Daoist Icy Flame's cooperation for the specifics, "Han Li replied.
"Go ahead, Fellow Daoist," the Icy Flame Ancestor said as he made an inviting gesture.
Han Li then explained his plan to the Icy Flame Ancestor. The Icy Flame Ancestor listened in silence until the very end before saying, "This plan is feasible."
Lu Yuqing hesitated momentarily before asking, "Big Brother Han, why didn't you include me in your plan?
Could it be that you feel that my cultivation is too low to be of any help? "Lu Yuqing stood at the side and heard Han Li's overall plan. After a moment of hesitation, she asked this.
Our plan is to steal, not plunder. Therefore, it's better to have fewer people than more.
Moreover, the only treasure hidden here is a cultivation art that the two of us cultivate. It won't be of any benefit to you, so why do you need to do this? "Han Li shook his head and explained.
"In that case, I won't do anything unnecessary." Hearing this, Lu Yuqing didn't insist and nodded.
Han Li and the Icy Flame Ancestor each took a pill. After adjusting their breathing for a moment, they walked up the stone steps in front of the hall.
The inscriptions on the door were still intact, and waves of spiritual power were emitted from it from time to time. This meant that the formation sealing it was still operating. Han Li examined it for a moment and found that it wasn't a high-level restriction that was difficult to break.
Thus, he raised his hand and five dazzling silver balls of lightning appeared on his fingers. He suddenly slammed them down on the door.
The two purple golden doors of the hall abruptly swung open, and a deep crater had been imprinted into the spot where Han Li had struck the door. Five black scorch marks had appeared on the surface of the door, and the runes had already been reduced to a complete mess.
In the center of the hall, there was a bronze statue that was originally sitting cross-legged. It was about ten feet tall, and it suddenly opened its eyes. A silver light shone inside. Its face that seemed to have been carved by a knife and an axe suddenly revealed a look of rage. It opened its mouth and let out a roar that sounded like metal clashing.
Following this sound, the bronze statue's arms that were crossed in front of its chest suddenly drooped down. It stood up, lifted its heavy feet, and rushed toward the door of the hall, making a series of "qiang qiang qiang" sounds.
Han Li glanced inside, stretched out his five fingers, and flicked several times toward the hall.
A greenish-yellow light flew out from his hand and suddenly enlarged in the hall. With a series of "ka ka" sounds, it turned into seven or eight giant ape puppets.