After a while, Han Li and the other two flew to the sky above a circular island and descended.
The circular island was not big, with a radius of only a few hundred miles. Other than a few small mountains and a small lake, there was not much vegetation on the island, making it look a little barren.
On the small mountains and beside the lake, there were some sparsely scattered vermilion buildings.
The ground at the center of the island seemed to be slightly uneven, and numerous grooves that were around 3m wide were spread out everywhere, and they connected with each other to form a complete pattern. At the center stood a white colored round pagoda that was around 300m tall, and its exterior was similarly inscribed with dense talisman markings.
The white-bearded elder led Han Li and the other two, and they soon arrived in front of the round tower.
There were about a hundred cultivators around the round tower, divided into three teams, patrolling in turns. When they saw the white-bearded elder, they stopped in their tracks and saluted him.
At the entrance of the round tower, there was a layer of translucent light screen, and it was also equipped with a restriction. When the white-bearded elder took out a Holy Puppet Sect token, a white light flew out from it, and the restriction was automatically removed, allowing the three of them to walk in.
After entering the round tower, Han Li realized that the space inside the tower was actually bigger than it looked from the outside.
The tower was hollow, and the surrounding walls were engraved with dozens of huge talisman patterns in the shape of water droplets. In the middle of each talisman pattern, there was a blue crystal clear spirit stone, and the quality of each of them was high and above.
All the patterns on the walls were connected, and all of them led to a square stone platform in the middle of the ground, which was half the height of a person. On top of the platform, there was an array plate that controlled the array, and it was shining with a layer of gentle white light.
Around the stone platform, there were eight low stone platforms, and on each of them sat a Great Vehicle Stage cultivator. All of them were in a meditative state with their eyes closed, and they were completely indifferent to the appearance of the three people.
Beside the stone platform, there was a Youth who looked like a woodcutter. He seemed to be a Great Vehicle Stage cultivator, and he was staring at the array plate with his eyebrows furrowed, and he seemed to be in a daze. When he sensed that Han Li and the others had entered the tower, he came back to his senses and asked.
"Elder Chu, aren't you in charge of guarding the forbidden area at the back of the mountain? Why are you here?"
"Elder Qi, these two are helpers invited by the Vice Sect Leader, and they will be guarding this place with you. I was ordered to bring them here," answered the white-bearded elder.
"Got it." The woodcutter nodded and said.
The white-bearded elder then bade farewell and left.
"My name is Qi Heng. May I know your names, Seniors?" Elder Qi asked as he saluted Han Li.
"I'm Qi Heng," answered Qi Heng as he pointed at the forehead of his mask.
"I'm Jiao Jiu." Qi Qi Jiu Qi Qi
His gaze had actually been sizing up this woodchopper-like Elder Qi for a long time. He had always felt a faint sense of familiarity in his heart, but it was not very obvious. He could not recall whether he had seen this person before.
After some small talk, the three of them were no longer in the mood to chat. Qi Heng said,
"Seniors, there are some temporary cave abodes at the small lake on the island. You can rest there.
During your stay here, your activities on the island won't be restricted in any way. You just need to be careful not to touch any restrictions.
I have to keep an eye on this place, so I won't bring you there. "
Han Li and Qi Heng bade farewell and left the round pagoda. They went to the small lake together.
Out of consideration, the cave abodes they chose were slightly further apart. One was on the west side of the small lake, and the other was on the east side.
The forest on the east side was slightly denser, and there was a courtyard with vermilion walls and black tiles. Han Li came to the door of the courtyard and saw that there were runes engraved on the door. It was obvious that there were restrictions.
However, he remembered that Qi Heng said there wouldn't be any restrictions, so he walked up the steps and pressed his palm on the door.
Sure enough, the light on the door lit up, and with a creak, it opened inwards.
Entering the courtyard, Han Li saw that the furnishings inside were not much different from the ordinary secular world, but in some subtle places, he could always find some small arrays and runes.
For example, there was a small dust-cleansing array under the stone table in the middle of the courtyard. It would be automatically activated every once in a while, and it could absorb all the fallen dead branches, leaves, mud, and dust in the courtyard and clean it up.
In the hall, there were two attendants, one male and one female. They looked young, and they had delicate skin, red lips, and white teeth. They were very likable, but Han Li could see at a glance that they were just puppets and not living people.
Judging from the quality level, these two puppets naturally wouldn't be high-grade since they could be attendants, but there were indeed some originality in their production. After Han Li observed them, he couldn't help but praise these ingenious ideas.
In terms of puppetry, Han Li was quite accomplished, but he had learned it in the Spiritual Realm after all. The materials and craftsmanship of puppets in the Immortal Realm were very different from those in the Spiritual Realm, so he could take this opportunity to learn more about them.
After all, if he wanted to restore Daoist Xie to his original state, his original puppetry skills would most likely not be enough.
…
Time passed in the blink of an eye, and more than two years had passed.
During this period of time, the Sacred Puppet Sect was peaceful, and the enemy didn't appear. However, the entire sect was still on high alert, and their defense did not weaken at all. However, the people of the Impermanence Alliance had some changes in their hearts.
Next to the lake on the island, Han Li and Lin Jiu walked side by side. They followed the path beside the lake and walked toward the short mountain at the side.
"Daoist Jiao Fifteen, it's been more than two years, and there hasn't been any movement at all. Perhaps this mission will be unexpectedly easy," Lin Jiu said with a smile.
"It would be best if we can get through the rest of the time peacefully." Han Li looked up at the clear blue sky and replied with a smile.
Over the past two years, he had almost run through the mountains and rivers of this small island. He had secretly found all the formations and puppets hidden in every corner and carefully examined them several times.
Later on, he would go to the round tower from time to time to observe the runes inside and outside the tower. As time went by, he became more familiar with Qi Heng, and the two of them would occasionally discuss about puppetry.
Although Qi Heng's cultivation was not high, he was quite knowledgeable about puppetry, and he had a good chat with Han Li. However, he was tight-lipped about some of the sect's secret techniques.
At the same time, in a secret chamber on the main island of the Sacred Puppet Sect.
The Vice Sect Leader, who was dressed in a blue palace dress, was sitting on a stone chair. Her face was exquisite and beautiful, and there was a gentle look in her eyes.
There was a person sitting in front of her, and it was Bai Suyuan. At this moment, she was not wearing the rabbit mask. Instead, she was showing her real face.
"Suyuan, it's not that I don't care about the survival of my family, but I have my own difficulties.
After I left the Candle Dragon Path and the Ancient Cloud Continent, I cut off all contact with that place. I haven't set foot there for many years, "the lady in the palace dress said apologetically.
"If you cut off all contact, why did you send someone to look for me?" Bai Suyuan asked coldly, her face expressionless.
Although she knew that the lady in front of her was her ancestor, Bai Fengyi, she could not get close to her. Whenever she thought about how her grandfather was killed by the Heavenly Demon in order to save her, she could not get over it.
If the lady in front of her did not go missing, perhaps she could go back and take care of her family. Then, the tragedy would not have happened, and her grandfather would not have died.
At this moment, Lin San, who was standing with his back facing the two of them, turned around and said with a sigh, "Actually, you can't blame Fengyi for this. What happened that year was a mess. As her master, I should bear the main responsibility."
At this moment, Lin San, who had his back facing the two of them, turned around and said with a sigh, "Actually, you can't blame Fengyi for this. What happened that year was a mess. As her master, I should bear the main responsibility."
"Master …"
"Master …"
Bai Fengyi and Bai Suyuan called out at the same time.
"Silly disciple, you thought that after you left, you would be able to help the two of us. You didn't know that he was not only a heartless man, but also a coward. This time, I asked him to help you, but he said that he didn't know how to face you, so he didn't dare to meet you," Yun Ni said with a bitter smile.
"That does seem like his style …" Bai Fengyi muttered with a chuckle when he heard this.
"Master, who are you talking about?" Bai Suyuan couldn't help but ask.
"In the past, he was a handsome immortal in a snow-white robe. Now … he is just a sloppy old drunkard. Let's not talk about him, it makes me angry …" Yun Ni scolded with a faint smile.
"Even though I am angry at what he did, I can't help but smile when I think of him. Master is still the same. You haven't changed at all." Bai Fengyi looked at this scene and sighed in his heart.
"By the way, it has been more than two years, but there has been no movement from that side. Could it be that something has changed?" Yun Ni sighed and changed the topic.
"The information we received two years ago is very reliable. The longer the other party hides, the more ferocious they will be in the future," Bai Fengyi said with a frown.
"If they happen to attack again a year later, I'm afraid they won't be able to gather so many Perfected Immortal Realm cultivators even through the Anicca Alliance. What will you do then?" Yun Ni asked again.
"Sect Master should be able to rush back by then.
With his cultivation base and the Immortal Puppet, we should be able to deal with this crisis even without the help of the Anicca Alliance, "Bai Fengyi said.
Yun Ni nodded slightly. Just when she was about to say something, her expression suddenly changed.
Then, there was a thunderous explosion, and the entire secret room began to shake violently.