Han Li was quite taken aback to hear everyone's furious reactions, and he hurriedly communicated to the Essence Fire Raven through their spiritual connection, "Didn't I tell you not to take everything and leave some behind for them?"
However, he received no response from the Essence Fire Raven. It had been quite groggy ever since it devoured the Nine Sun Fire Stone, and it seemed like it still hadn't returned to normal yet.
Han Li could only shake his head in a resigned manner, then slumped to the ground, pretending to be hurt.
Moments later, Yu Kuohai and the others emerged from the palace with disgruntled expressions before arriving by Han Li's side.
"Are you alright, Fellow Daoist Shi?" Elder Yang asked.
"I'm fine, it's just some external injuries," Han Li replied as he splayed open his charred hands.
"How is this possible? The restrictions were clearly intact, yet there was nothing inside!" Valley Master Fu grumbled.
"Well done, Fellow Daoist Shi. We may not have found anything here, but I'm sure there are plenty of precious treasures waiting for us further up ahead," Yu Kuohai said as he helped Han Li up from the ground.
"Thank you," Han Li replied in a grateful manner.
After taking a short rest here, everyone continued onward, encountering several more buildings, all of which had their restrictions unraveled by Han Li. All of the most precious treasures in those buildings were naturally taken by Han Li, but he made sure to leave some behind for everyone else.
Several days flew by in a flash.
At this moment, Han Li's group was standing at the entrance of a gray canyon.
The canyon was filled with mist, and an enormous gray pagoda could be seen in the distance, standing like a pillar that supported the heavens.
Yu Kuohai was ecstatic at the sight of the pagoda, and he immediately urged everyone to speed up.
Before long, they arrived in front of the pagoda, which was rather antiquated in design and dozens of kilometers in size. In terms of the area that it occupied, it was comparable to the mountains around it, but it was far taller than all of the nearby mountains, reaching all the way up into the clouds.
A series of gray lightning designs had been engraved onto the pagoda, and arcs of gray lightning occasionally sprang out from within, causing the nearby space to tremble violently.
At the very top of the pagoda was a huge golden flame that was burning as radiantly as the sun.
However, it was also rather illusory in appearance, as if it existed in an alternate space that was completely out of reach.
Upon arriving at the pagoda, the excitement felt by Yu Kuohai and the others instantly evaporated.
As it turned out, there were already many people gathered in front of the pagoda.
"Looks like we're late to the party," Yu Kuohai harrumphed in a disgruntled manner.
Han Li paid no heed to the crowd up ahead as he cast his gaze toward the golden flame at the top of the pagoda.
He could sense hints of time law power fluctuations within the fire, but they seemed to have been restricted by something, and if it wasn't for Han Li's heightened sensitivity to time law powers, he wouldn't have been able to detect them at all.
"Let's go. Fellow Daoist Shi, if you're scared of causing trouble, then make sure to be careful with your words and actions here," Yu Kuohai cautioned, and Han Li hurriedly nodded in response.
"You're right! That group of people that just arrived are very suspicious. The Heavenly Detection Mirror immediately registered a reaction as soon as they arrived, so there's a very good chance that Han Li is among them," Lan Yan said as she cast her gaze toward Han Li's group.
"That is indeed very likely, but we can't just completely ignore everyone else, either," Lan Yuanzi replied with a contemplative expression.
Lan Yan nodded in response, and she was just about to approach Han Li's group for a closer look, only to be stopped by Lan Yuanzi.
"Don't make any rash moves. Right now, we're unable to confirm Han Li's identity, and he most likely hasn't discovered us, either. What we have to do now is engage him in a battle of attrition and observation. I'm sure he won't be able to conceal his own aura forever!"
A look of admiration appeared on Lan Yan's face as he said, "There's no way he'll be able to get away from you, Brother. If he hands himself over to us now, that'll spare us the trouble of having to find him!"
......
Who's trying to track me? Qi Mozi? That feels unlikely. If he had this tracking method up his sleeve, then he would've used it long ago. Who else could it be? Could it be that the Lan siblings of the Nine Origins Temple?
Han Li's mind was racing as he discreetly scanned his gaze over the surrounding crowd.
All of a sudden, his gaze settled on a certain young man, following which he quickly looked away again to avoid attracting the attention of the subject of his observation.
That young man was none other than Xiong Shan, and at this moment, he was standing with a group of itinerant cultivators at the edge of the crowd.
Even though Han Li had only caught a brief glimpse of the young man back at the Golden Origin Immortal Palace, he was certain that it was the same person.
Why is it that he seems so familiar to me? Who is he? On top of that, if he's here, then Qi Mozi must be here as well. Could it be that it really was Qi Mozi that was trying to track me just now?
Upon arriving at the realization that Qi Mozi was present, Han Li immediately became more apprehensive.
Even though he had reached the pinnacle of the High Zenith Stage, he still wasn't confident in his own ability to match up against Qi Mozi, considering he was a Great Encompassment cultivator who had also mastered the laws of time.
On top of that, there was a chance that Lan siblings from the Nine Origins Temple were also here, and if that were the case, then that would only further compound his woes.
Right as Han Li was weighing up his options, Yu Kuohai's trio made their way to the entrance of the giant pagoda.
"Fellow Daoist Yu, how did things go on your end?" Lei Yuce asked.
"Almost all of the places that we passed through had already been completely looted!" Yu Kuohai replied in a hateful voice.
"Don't be disheartened, Fellow Daoist Yu. The restrictions here are still intact, so the treasures inside this Eon Pagoda are most likely still inside. However, the Thousand Integration Yin Lightning Array on the gate is not going to be easy to bypass. Do any of you have good ideas?" Lei Yuce asked.
Yu Kuohai's trio exchanged a glance with each other, following which Valley Master Gu said, "None of us can even hold a candle to your expertise when it comes to breaking restrictions, Fellow Daoist Shi. If you've already identified the restriction on the gate, then I'm sure you have a plan on how to break it, right?"
"I do have an idea in mind, but I'm going to require everyone's assistance," Lei Yuce replied with a smile.
"Not a problem, go ahead and tell us what we need to do, Fellow Daoist Shi," Yu Kuohai declared.
A pleased look flashed through Lei Yuce's eyes, and he began, "In that case, please..."
A discussion that lasted close to an hour took place before the group dispersed to gather helpers, and in the end, close to a hundred people were assembled for the purposes of setting up an elaborate array on the ground in front of the pagoda.