He gave a perfunctory reply, while secretly manipulating the Chaos Green Lotus.
The surging vitality impacted the eerie demonic aura, yet it could not shake it in the slightest; the demonic energy was exceptionally stubborn.
The scarred woman snorted coldly, her face full of disbelief.
"Unexpectedly stranded?"
"In this godforsaken place, besides those damned lackeys of the 'Wreckage Lord,' who would be so tired of living as to come here to die!"
Her tone suddenly hardened. "Speak! Are you their spy or not!"
"Wreckage Lord?"
Xiao Han's heart trembled slightly, and he firmly memorized the name.
He understood that any explanation at this moment would be futile.
In the blink of an eye, an "Heaven-Piercing Ancient Token" quietly appeared in his palm.
Although the token's luster has faded, its unique, ancient, and desolate charm remains undiminished.
"I am but a rogue cultivator, and my purpose in coming here is solely to search for the legendary Heaven-Piercing Tower. This object may prove something of its value."
The scarred woman's initially impatient expression froze completely the moment she caught sight of the six-pointed star-shaped token!
The gruesome scar on her cheek seemed to twitch violently as a result.
An incredulous shock mixed with a complex and inexplicable emotion flickered across her face as she exclaimed, "This... this is... Skywalker Relic?!"
Skywalker?
Xiao Han accurately grasped the unfamiliar title.
The scarred woman took a deep breath; her initial intense hostility lessened considerably, but her vigilance remained unwavering.
My name is Tie Lan.
"This place is called 'The Shattered Star Road,' and according to legend, it is one of the countless perilous and deadly paths leading to the 'Heaven-Piercing Tower.'"
"The 'Wreckage Lord' you speak of is the biggest scourge entrenched in this land of ruins, specializing in robbing us scavengers and passing travelers."
She paused slightly, glancing at Xiao Han's pale face and the ominous dark aura emanating from his back, her brows furrowing.
"You... have demonic energy on you?"
"This kind of aura is most likely to attract those mutated ferocious beasts in these ruins!"
As if to confirm her words, the moment she finished speaking, a series of chilling roars and the sharp sound of claws scraping against metal suddenly rang out from the dark shadows of the surrounding wreckage!
Dozens of pairs of eyes, gleaming with a scarlet, menacing light, lit up one by one from all directions.
"Damn it! It's a swarm of Rotbone Iguanas!"
Beside Tie Lan, a lean man cursed in a low voice, gripping his steel spear even tighter.
"Roar!"
Dozens of mutated, ferocious beasts, each the size of a calf and covered in grayish-white bone armor, dragging long bony tails, suddenly leaped out from the depths of the wreckage, their foul-smelling saliva splashing everywhere.
The Tie Lan Squad reacted extremely quickly, instantly forming a tight defensive formation and fiercely clashing with the swarming beasts.
These scavengers worked together seamlessly, clearly seasoned veterans.
However, the number of Rotbone Iguanas was simply too great, and each one was fearless in the face of death. For a time, the front line was on the verge of collapse, and the situation was extremely dangerous.
Xiao Han saw this and knew that this was no time to stand idly by.
He mustered the last bit of strength remaining in his dantian, and the dormant Chaos Green Lotus and the Eternal Night King Martial Soul trembled slightly, emitting an extremely faint ray of light.
He formed a knife shape with his right hand, frantically gathering the last of his spiritual power at his fingertips, and incorporating a wisp of the domineering fist intent of the "Annihilation Divine Fist". He then made a virtual slash from a distance at a Martial Grandmaster Realm Rotbone Iguana was pouncing on Tie Lan's flank!
"Laugh!"
A highly condensed black light flashed and disappeared.
The Rotbone Iguana's lunge suddenly froze, and a thin black line silently appeared on its incredibly hard bony armor.
The next instant, its massive body silently split in two, its filthy internal organs spilling out onto the ground.
Instant kill!
Although it was merely a ferocious beast at the Martial Grandmaster level, Xiao Han's effortless and seemingly casual move still shocked Tie Lan and the others who were engaged in fierce battle.
Tie Lan forcefully cleaved open the skull of a Rotbone Iguana blade. In the midst of the chaos, she glanced at Xiao Han, her astonishment deepening.
"You've got some skills, kid!"
Without hesitation, she shouted, "Help us break out!"
"Not far ahead is one of Lord ' Steel Jaw ''s outposts. If you can successfully break through there, I'll tell you everything I know about the Heaven-Piercing Tower, and maybe... I can even find a way to get rid of that troublesome demonic aura on you!"
"Steel Jaw" Lord?
Yet another unfamiliar name.
Xiao Han's mind raced. In the current situation, joining forces with these people seemed to be the only way out.
He replied in a deep voice, "Okay!"
However, the moment he agreed, the demonic energy that had been eroding his body surged violently without warning!
Behind him, the demonic energy condensed into a blurry and distorted ghost face.
The ghostly face was silent, yet it conveyed to him with chilling clarity and mockery. "The great master of the Demonic Finger... is about to return... Hehehe..."
Meanwhile, on the distant horizon, a massive war machine, tens of feet tall, made entirely of hideous and terrifying metal and gleaming with an ominous crimson light, slowly emerged with incredibly heavy steps!
The intense stench of blood and the almost suffocating sense of terror were palpable even from such a distance.
"Damn it! It's 'Steel Jaw's' war puppet patrol!"
Tie Lan's face turned deathly pale instantly, and she gasped in shock, her voice trembling.
That war machine, towering tens of meters high, was truly like a moving metal mountain.
With each step it took, the earth trembled violently.
High-temperature steam continuously spewed out from the gaps in its thick armor.
A massive, blood-red eye shot out a cold, merciless scanning beam, already locking onto the fleeing Tie Lan Squad.
"It's the 'Steel Jaw's' war puppet, the 'Crusher'!"
Tie Lan's face was extremely pale, and her voice was filled with despair.
"That bastard 'Steel Jaw' is notorious in these ruins for his brutality and bloodlust!"
"His outpost is impregnable, equipped with heavy energy cannons. Once that thing locks onto us, we won't even be left with a trace!"
"Go that way!"
Xiao Han gave a low shout and pointed to an even larger pile of mechanical wreckage not far away.
The piles of wreckage formed a natural steel maze, with an incredibly complex internal structure and a crisscrossing network of pipes, making it an ideal place to hide and maneuver.
No one had time to think further, and they plunged headlong into the enormous mechanical maze.
The war puppet "Crusher" relentlessly pursued them, its massive feet slamming down, turning the very spot where they had just stood into dust, the deafening roar sending chills down everyone's spines.
Inside the maze, rusted pipes and broken metal plates crisscrossed, and the light was dim and unclear.
Xiao Han's [Void-Piercing Divine Eyes] was displaying its extraordinary power at this moment.
In ordinary corners, hidden deadly energy traps have nowhere to hide beneath his [Void-Piercing Divine Eyes].
Even the most stealthy detection beams from the patrol robots were detected in advance by him, allowing him to lead the group out of danger time and time again.
"There's an infrared radar mine three meters to your left!"
"Turn right, there's a vibration detector behind that pile of gears!"
The members of the Tie Lan Squad now revered Xiao Han as a god, following closely behind him as they struggled to maneuver through the steel maze filled with deadly danger.
At this very moment, the demonic energy within Xiao Han's body also began to stir restlessly.
A cold, evil whisper lingered in his mind, tempting him to give up resistance and embrace the so-called 'greater power'.
The demonic energy even began to distort his senses, attempting to lead him into a desperate situation.
What made Xiao Han's scalp tingle even more was that he could sense that the demonic energy was recklessly spreading some kind of signal outwards, which felt like lighting a soul-guiding lamp in the endless darkness!
"Damn it!"
Xiao Han cursed inwardly. The [Soul Origin Treasure Jade] shone brightly, its gentle soul power desperately protecting the last vestiges of clarity in his mind.
Even so, his forehead was covered in cold sweat, and his steps grew heavier and heavier, each step incredibly difficult.