Seeing how confident the big man was about this restriction, Han Li's eyes flickered several times, but he said nothing.
The old man surnamed Ma shared the big man's concerns, and upon hearing these words, he too tightly furrowed his brow.
"Actually, although this matter is somewhat troublesome, we need not worry overmuch about it," Han Li suddenly said with a smile, sounding unconcerned.
"Oh? What does Brother Han mean?" The big man naturally dared not disregard Han Li's words any longer, and he hesitated.
The old man surnamed Ma also looked at Han Li with surprise upon hearing this.
"The fact that Mulan spies have infiltrated Tianlan — your alliance's leaders can't possibly be completely unaware of it. They've surely caught some before. It's just that having such a high-ranking cultivator also turn out to be a spy makes it difficult to explain to the Spirit Control Sect. But since the three of us belong to different factions, claiming we were specifically trying to frame a cultivator of the Spirit Control Sect — most people wouldn't believe that. So we simply need to explain the matter clearly, and send along whatever intelligence about the Mulan people we've gathered. Let them verify it, and no major trouble will result. I'd wager the Spirit Control Sect itself may have long harbored suspicions about Elder Gu. After all, for so many years, this Fellow Gu never once let slip the slightest trace. I refuse to believe that. And even if they hadn't suspected him before, a fresh review of his past conduct would certainly turn up suspicious details," Han Li said at his own unhurried pace, stroking his chin.
"Fellow Han makes a fair point. I also used a secret technique to copy our earlier conversation onto a jade slip. When the time comes, that should serve as evidence." The bald-browed big man's furrowed brows relaxed, and he suddenly waved a white jade slip he had at some point clasped in his hand, a peculiar look crossing his face.
"That will do. It's a pity Daoist Bu is in closed seclusion recovering from his severe injuries right now. If we could drag him out to testify as well, there would be no issue whatsoever." The old man surnamed Ma let out a slight sigh of relief upon hearing Han Li's words and seeing the jade slip in the big man's hand. More than half of his worries evaporated.
The three then discussed a few more details, when an eerie hissing cry suddenly rang out from within the silver barrier.
All three were greatly startled, exchanging alarmed and uncertain glances.
The bald-browed big man was about to take some action when a tremendous boom erupted. A green claw shot out through the thunder and fire, raining repeated lightning-fast blows upon the barrier wall before the three. The entire silver barrier shuddered violently.
"What is that? He still has the strength to shake the restriction?" The bald-browed big man blurted out in shock, unable to believe it.
Han Li and the old man surnamed Ma were also momentarily stunned.
Then the big man solemnly formed hand seals and sent a bolt of white light crashing into the barrier wall.
The dense thunder and fire inside the barrier abruptly ceased, revealing what lay within.
"Hiss!" The moment the bald-browed big man and the old man surnamed Ma clearly saw the scene inside, they both sucked in a sharp breath. Han Li's expression darkened as well.
Gu Shuangpu was nowhere to be seen. Standing in his place was a half-human, half-serpent monster.
This grotesque creature — neither fully human nor fully demonic — wore Gu Shuangpu's robes. Every exposed inch of its face and limbs was covered in emerald-green scales. Its eyes glowed with cold malice, its fingertips were razor-sharp, and two snake tails, each several chi long, lightly tapped the ground behind it.
Looking at the face framed by the scales, it was unmistakably Gu Shuangpu himself. Yet from between his slightly parted lips, a purple-black serpent's tongue flickered in and out, accompanied by a chilling hiss.
"It's the Spirit Binding Technique! He's fused himself with the Two-Tailed Emerald Serpent!" The old man surnamed Ma cried out in alarm, his face turning deathly pale the moment he recognized the creature.
"The Spirit Binding Technique? Isn't that a lost secret art? If he uses it, isn't he afraid of being barred from entering the cycle of reincarnation?" The bald-browed big man had clearly heard the gruesome rumors surrounding the Spirit Binding Technique, and his expression changed drastically upon hearing the old man's words — shock and fury written across his face.
He then prepared himself as if facing a formidable enemy, locking his gaze unblinkingly upon the serpent demon, and quickly slapped his storage pouch.
With a flash of light, a gleaming silver restriction token materialized in his hand.
He spat a mouthful of vital essence onto the token, flung it above his head, and began reciting an incantation at a rapid clip.
At that moment, the demon within the barrier also made its move.
It swept its cold gaze over the three outside the barrier, flicked its tongue twice, then suddenly split its mouth open to the jowls and spat a stream of purple-black liquid directly toward where Han Li and the others stood.
Seeing this, the bald-browed big man cut his incantation short and urgently pointed at the token.
The token blazed with silver radiance, shooting out more than a dozen silver spell seals that pierced into the barrier and vanished.
A dragon-like hum resounded. The barrier wall flashed wildly with silver light, then thickened by another thirty percent. At the same time, countless silver thunderbolts, each several times larger than before, began to coalesce at the top of the barrier.
"Pfft!" The purple-black liquid struck the barrier wall.
A patch of shimmering silver barrier instantly turned black and rapidly spread outward. In a mere moment, an area about a zhang across had been stained an unnatural hue.
A vicious expression flashed across the serpent demon's face. Both tails struck the ground behind it simultaneously as it shot forward as a streak of green light.
In the span of a single breath, the creature had reached the blackened section of the barrier. With a shift of its shoulders, it drove its emerald claws into the wall without the slightest mercy.