Chapter 429: Ruined Map Reconstruction

First, I want to thank everyone for their opinions and thoughts on how we should overhaul completed novels. We've reviewed nearly 2000 comments across multiple platforms and forum, and while we haven't responded to everything I can promise I HAVE read it all. First, I'm going to briefly go into some of the things which were discussed which may or may not work, because I don't want people to think I ignored anything. I'm putting those in 'spoiler' tags so people who don't care can skip it. Then, we'll talk...

Chapter 429: Ruined Map Reconstruction

“Since you are unwilling to answer, then how about...”

The Bone Sage changed the topic as if wanting to change his question, but at that moment, clear ringing suddenly came from the old devil’s body. The beautiful sounds left Han Li stunned.

When the Bone Sage heard this, he was startled but revealed an expression of joyful disbelief.

He no longer paid attention to Han Li and struck his own abdomen. With a tear, a white rib bone shot out from his body and flew once around him before landing in his palm.

The clear rings were coming from this rib bone.

Han Li blinked and revealed puzzlement. He was at a complete loss.

With the rib bone in his hand, the old devil’s smile grew even stronger.

Crush. The old devil exerted force into his grip and turned the bone to dust. A white sphere of light floated from the dust, revealing a black cricket. It croaked without end inside the light sphere, but once it saw the Bone Sage, it stopped chirping and left the light sphere before entering his body.

The Bone Sage broke into laughter and clutched the light sphere in his hand. The white light soon disappeared to reveal an embroidered cloth stained yellow from age.

When Han Li saw this item, he was shocked.

That embroidered cloth appeared rather familiar. Didn’t it strongly resemble the same map fragment he acquired from the Black Fiend Sect Master[1. Chapter 331]? Could it be they had some relation to one another?

Han Li’s mind stirred. He knew that this could be a clue to possibly unravel the mystery behind the map fragment. He couldn’t help but observe his every movement with wide eyes.

Unfortunately, after taking a quick look at it, the Bone Sage quickly stuffed the embroidered cloth into his robe. He then calmly gazed at Han Li and said, “Since you have no relation to my two traitorous disciples, I don’t have any time to waste on you. I have an important matter to attend to, so let us part ways. I will give you a word of advice before I leave. If you stay here for too long, my sinful disciple might take notice and will rush over here.” With that said, the Bone Sage ignored any response Han Li might have had and turned into a streak of blood light with a sneer, hastily flying past Han Li towards the entrance.

Han Li was initially stunned but soon frowned. His body immediately turned into a blur of flourishing azure light, making a full circle around the main hall. After collecting his former comrade’s storage pouches and magic treasures along with turning their corpses to ash, he hurriedly flew out of this place. It seemed the old devil held no interest in the storage pouches of Core Formation cultivators. Although he didn’t know whether he looked upon the belongings of Core Formation cultivators with disdain or was merely being negligent due to a pressing matter, it proved to be a very convenient situation for Han Li.

However, he couldn’t help but think of the embroidered cloth. He was also afraid that if he was too slow in leaving, the Bone Sage might lay a trap at the exit which would prove greatly troublesome.

But when Han Li thought of how the Bone Sage had seized control of his avatar, Crooked Soul, Han Li felt a painful fire burning in his heart. However, from his opponent’s attack, Han Li felt that his odds of success weren’t high, causing him to feel helpless.

With that thought, Han Li flew to the surface.

That old devil had long disappeared without a trace, leaving Han Li in awe of his amazing movement technique.

But when Han Li saw that it was so peaceful and quiet all around him, he recalled how so many people had entered and only he managed to leave. He couldn’t help but feel an indescribable sense of cold loneliness in his heart.

But as soon as those negative emotions appeared, they were thrown to the back of his mind. After all, the path of cultivation was long and arduous. Now was not the time to mourn.

Han Li didn’t dare to stay for much longer. After getting his bearings, he immediately fled from the island and reached for his storage pouch.

After a short moment, an embroidered cloth appeared in his hand with a flash of white light.

As he looked at it, he felt his heart thump.

He didn’t need to carefully inspect it to know that this was undeniably related to the Bone Sage’s own. Although Han Li didn’t know what secrets it concealed, it had caused that deep old schemer to lose his self control.

With that in mind, Han Li couldn’t help but examine the embroidered cloth.

The originally indistinct map had completely disappeared. However, the map had been replaced with a pattern of a small golden sword of light. Regardless of how Han Li turned the embroidered cloth, the sword of light always pointed towards the northwest. The sword point shot a red line straight towards the edge of the embroidered cloth, releasing a faint fluorescence.

Han Li frowned. Although he didn’t know the item’s specific purpose, if he didn’t understand such a simple map as this, then he must be an idiot.

This clearly illustrated that the object’s holder would meet an opportunity should they follow the small sword to some location.

While grasping the map, Han Li became lost in contemplation.

It seemed the Bone Sage had been so hurried because the matter regarding the map was time sensitive. In addition to his happy expression, it was obvious that the prize was certain to be great.

Once Han Li came to this conclusion, he immediately turned his body in the direction indicated by the sword on the map. If he didn’t rush, the prize would be seized by others as long as the map didn’t expire first.

After some slight consideration and a long while of hesitation, he finally decided to follow this direction and left the desolate island in the blink of an eye.

About a quarter hour later, a vast, eerie black fog rushed towards the island from a distance. After circling around the cave’s entrance, the fog scattered to reveal a pale skinned middle-aged man that appeared to lack even a single drop of blood.

When he saw that the restrictions and formation spells were destroyed and the spirit seal pillar had been pushed to the side, he immediately entered the underground cave with furrowed brows.

After a short moment, a long, resentful roar came from down below, causing the nearby land to tremble.

The middle-aged man then flew out of the cave and towards the sky as a black streak of radiance.

He apprehensively looked all around and shot out several tens of streaks of black radiance with a sudden twirl. Those streaks of black radiance turned into huge black birds that searched the nearby fifty kilometers.

But when the huge birds returned from their search with nothing to show, the middle-aged man’s expression became extremely unsightly. He turned his head towards the sky and didn’t make any other movements for a long while.

After a unknown amount of time, he suddenly broke out into cold laughter.

“Old monster, so what if you are able to escape? You are no longer the Devilish Ancestor Bone Sage from long ago, and I am no longer one of your trifling Core Formation disciples. Once I am finished with the matters of Heavenvoid Hall, I will ferret you out from the Scattered Star Seas.” With no further hesitation, he soared through the skies and transformed back into a huge black fog.

Then, as if wanting to vent his anger, a black beam of light as thick as a bucket shot out of the black fog, causing the entrance of the cave to cave in and turn into ruins.

Afterwards, the black fog flew into the distant sky like a meteor streak.

Naturally, Han Li was unaware of what had just taken place. He was flying in the direction of the map, pushing his magic treasure at his greatest speed.

As he was fearful of coming across the Bone Sage, Han Li was extremely vigilant and would occasionally release the entirety of his spiritual sense to check for an ambush.

After several days of flight, nothing unexpected had occurred, much to Han Li’s relief.

But one day, just as Han Li was hastening on his journey, he suddenly heard the sound of conflict coming from ahead of him. From the faint explosions and dazzling flashes of light, it seemed that there were cultivators in the midst of fighting.

Han Li frowned and used his powerful spiritual sense to carefully gaze into the distance.

A man and a woman were currently fighting against three embroidered-clothed cultivators surrounded in an evil Qi.

However, their strength was pathetically low, and they were only at early Foundation Establishment. It seemed that the man and the woman were at a disadvantage.

Han Li rubbed his nose. Since he knew they weren’t a threat, he felt disinclined to taking a detour and prepared to fly past them. As for the cultivators fighting, he wouldn’t bother asking them anything. He had something important to attend to.

With that thought, Han Li increased his speed and rushed forth as a streak of green light, appearing before them in the blink of an eye.

The combatants were greatly shocked and happened to all recoil away from him and retrieve their magic tools.

As Han Li flew past them, he paused for a moment and casually swept his gaze over them.

“Yi!” The female cultivator from the male-female pair seemed to recognize Han Li. She shouted with joy, “Elder Han, I am the main disciple of the Exquisite Sound Sect’s Envoy of the Right. Those three cultivators are from our sect’s great enemy, the Poisonous Dragon Union.”

Sometimes, I wonder if I should leave these in.

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