Chapter 924: Visit from Daoist Xie
Han Li began inspecting his surroundings while thinking of a way to sneak into the Puppet City campsite.
The campsite was patrolled by a series of puppets, and there were also two Puppet City cultivators standing on a pair of watchtowers, surveying the entire campsite from their vantage point.
Right at this moment, someone suddenly patted him on the shoulder, giving him a massive fright.
He immediately swung around with an alarmed expression while rushing back in retreat, but upon catching sight of the figure that had tapped him on the shoulder, he stopped in his tracks, and the apprehension on his face also eased slightly.
The figure that had appeared behind Han Li without any warning was none other than Daoist Xie.
"Come with me, and don't make a sound," Daoist Xie said, then turned and began making his way into the mountain range in the distance.
Han Li's brows furrowed slightly as he took a glance at the Puppet City campsite, but ultimately still followed along after Daoist Xie.
The two of them only stopped once they were far away from the Profound City campsite, and Daoist Xie turned to Han Li and asked, "Are you planning to search for Violet Spirit in the Puppet City campsite?"
"That's right. A few days ago, I saw someone in the Puppet City campsite that looked rather similar to Violet Spirit. I don't know if it actually is her, but I need to get to the bottom of this," Han Li replied.
"You're a fool! Immortal spiritual power is inaccessible in the Scalptia Spatial Domain, so aura concealment is extremely difficult. You're going to get yourself killed if you venture into the Puppet City campsite under these circumstances!" Daoist Xie harrumphed coldly.
A look of surprise flashed through Han Li's eyes upon hearing this.
In this moment, Daoist Xie's demeanor was no different from that of a normal person.
"I'm aware of the risks involved, but I can't just do nothing," Han Li said with tightly furrowed brows.
"Even so, you have to take into account the current circumstances. Sneaking into the Puppet City campsite now is far too reckless. You'll just have to leave this for later. If that person really is Violet Spirit, she's not going to suddenly run away, so there's no need for you to be in such a hurry,"Daoist Xie said.
"That's true, I was indeed too reckless," Han Li sighed as he nodded in response.
Daoist Xie took a glance at Han Li, then asked, "What aura concealment method are you using? It must be a very advanced one, considering even I almost wasn't able to see through it. No wonder you dared to try and venture into the Puppet City campsite like this."
"If it really was that advanced, then you wouldn't have caught me," Han Li replied with a wry smile.
At the moment, he was using the Myriad Acupoint Tranquility Technique, a concealment secret technique included in the Heavenly Baleful Purgatory Arts.
The secret technique allowed one to seal all of their profound acupoints, but the downside was that no profound acupoints could be used while this secret technique was in effect.
After that, a long silence ensued, and Daoist Xie stared expressionlessly at Han Li without saying a word.
"I'm assuming you didn't come to me so late at night just to tell me this, right, Brother Xie?" Han Li asked.
"I do indeed have some other matters to discuss with you. Barring any mishaps, the Star Falcon Flying Boat should be ready in another half a month. The entrance found by E Kuai and Sha Xin is a decent one, so all of you should be able to enter the Great Ruins with no problems. When that time comes, I'm going to need your help," Daoist Xie said.
"We'll be counting on you to apply the finishing touches, Fellow Daoist Liu Hua," E Kuai said as he turned to Mistress Liu Hua, who was observing the flying boat with his brows slightly furrowed.
He strode over to the boat, then laid a hand onto its surface in silence.
"Is there something wrong, Fellow Daoist Liu Hua?" E Kuai asked.
"Has Silver Gilded Fluid been injected into the walls of the boat, Fellow Daoist Sha Xin?" Mistress Liu Hua asked.
"That's right. Silver Gilded Fluid is a secret concoction of our Puppet City, so I didn't think you'd be aware of its existence. The injection of Silver Gilded Fluid allows the different materials in the ship's walls to come together more cohesively, thereby strengthening its defenses," Sha Xin explained, and Mistress Liu Hua fell silent upon hearing this.
"Is there something wrong, Fellow Daoist Liu Hua?" E Kuai repeated.
"No, it's just that the primary material used to make Silver Gilded Fluid is Silver Gilded Stone, which conflicts a little with the star fluid that I've prepared, so that's going to make the restriction inscription process a more difficult, but it shouldn't be a problem," Mistress Liu Hua replied.
Han Li's brows furrowed slightly upon hearing this, and he opened his mouth to say something, only for Mistress Liu Hua to stop him with a stern look.
"In that case, please begin right away, Fellow Daoist Liu Hua. We don't know how long the spatial storm will remain weak for, so the longer we delay, the greater the chance that something could go wrong," E Kuai said.
Mistress Liu Hua nodded in response, then led Han Li and the others into the boat, while the other cultivators from the two cities departed.
It was unclear whether this was due to the materials used to craft the Star Falcon Flying Boat, or if the boat itself possessed this innate property, but as soon as they entered it, all of the sounds from outside were cut out.
"Is this really not going to have a negative impact, Senior Liu Hua?" Han Li asked with a grim expression.
Unlike the earlier preparatory work that they had completed on the main frame of the flying boat, they were going to truly commence the process of setting up the Star Falcon Restriction now, and this required both the inscription of runes and the addition of many tools and materials, thereby making for a far more difficult process.
With the Silver Gilded Fluid posing an additional obstacle, the process was only going to be made even more difficult.
Han Li was relatively confident that he would be able to deal with these difficulties, but the same couldn't be said for the other three.
Xuanyuan Xing's trio had clearly also realized this, and uneasy looks appeared on their faces.
"How could it possibly not have a negative impact? This is where we'll begin truly constructing the array. If any mistakes are made in the process, not only will the array fail, the materials and tools used will also be ruined. What a massive pain in the backside!" Mistress Liu Hua grumbled with a furious expression.
"Could it be that you haven't brought much materials with you, Senior Liu Hua?" Han Li asked.
"I brought two batches of materials, and I thought that would definitely be enough, but that may not be the case now," Mistress Liu Hua harrumphed coldly as he glared at Xuanyuan Xing's trio, and the three of them lowered their heads with embarrassed expressions.
"In that case, why didn't you inform City Lord E Kuai of this, Senior Liu Hua? If we all combine our efforts, I'm sure we can think of a solution," Han Li said.
A peculiar look flashed through Mistress Liu Hua's eyes upon hearing this, and his attitude suddenly took a turn as he said, "It's just a minor hiccup, there's no need to inform City Lord E. Don't worry, just do your best, and I'll make sure everything goes smoothly in the end."