"Fellow Daoist Sun has the highest cultivation among us, so naturally, the key should be entrusted to you for safekeeping for the time being," Chenyang said with a slight bow and a smile.

"Fellow Daoist Chenyang understands this blood-colored key better than I do, so you should have been the one to take and keep it. However, there is clearly a layer of restrictive formation outside this key. I wonder if Fellow Daoist Chen knows of it?" Sun Tu asked, looking somewhat troubled.

"Formations have never been my forte, so I'll have to trouble Fellow Daoist Sun," Chenyang said modestly.

"In that case, I have no choice but to accept the honor..." Sun Tu said with a chuckle.

As he was about to move and leap to the top of the bronze grotesque tree, an unexpected event occurred!

With a loud "Boom," the two heavy doors of the temple suddenly exploded open, flying straight towards the crowd.

Han Li and the others immediately dodged, retreating to both sides.

The temple doors crashed into the bronze grotesque tree, and then shattered into countless pieces.

"Since you two fellow Daoists are so humble, why don't I take the liberty of removing this key?" At this moment, a familiar voice came from the entrance of the hall.

Han Li frowned and looked over, seeing Fu Jian, Qin Yuan, and several others standing at the entrance.

Among them, Fu Jian and Qin Yuan stood at the front, and a sinister man with a hooked nose stood shoulder to shoulder with them, none other than Shao Ying, the Xuan City elder.

Behind the three, there was also a tall man wrapped in white bandages and a short, stout middle-aged man. Han Li was no stranger to the former, Duan Tong, while the latter, although unfamiliar, was also known to be an elder of Xuanzhi City.

The one who had just spoken was Qin Yuan.

"When did you come in? Why didn't my 'Celestial Eye' see you?" Sun Tu's expression changed, and he frowned.

"Heh heh, to think that placing a mere 'Celestial Eye' at the entrance of the altar would ensure everything is foolproof. City Lord Sun is underestimating us too much, isn't he?" Fu Jian chuckled.

Sun Tu's face turned ugly upon hearing this, and he fell silent.

"Fellow Daoist Qin, Fellow Daoist Fu, there's always a matter of first come, first served. If you had arrived earlier, there would be no problem. We could have jointly possessed this key. But you happened to arrive only after we had dealt with the puppets. Isn't that a bit inappropriate?" Chenyang glanced at Qin Yuan and the others, his brow also furrowed as he asked.

"Cough cough... Fellow Daoist Chenyang, how can a clever person say such foolish words? Cough cough... What do you mean by jointly possess? We have no intention of sharing this key with you, so arriving here just now is perfect, isn't it?" Qin Yuan said with a smile while covering his mouth and coughing.

"The alliance between our Qingyang City and Baiyan City is not necessarily afraid of you. If you want to snatch it by force, feel free to try," Chenyang said with a cold expression.

Sun Tu's eyes turned cold, and he stepped forward, standing side by side with Chenyang.

"Cough cough... The numbers are indeed advantageous, but I wonder about the combat strength?" Qin Yuan sneered.

"Shi Kong, are you still not coming over? Do you want to betray the City Lord?" Shao Ying's eyes were like those of a hawk, landing on Shi Chuan Kong, and he asked in a cold voice.

Shi Chuan Kong's lips twitched, revealing a hint of mockery, but his body remained motionless.

Seeing this, Chenyang cast a sidelong glance at Han Li's side, his expression slightly relieved.

"Fellow Daoist Sun, our Tongyu City still has some old friendship with your Baiyan City. I, Fu, am here to advise you: Chenyang is an ambitious man with ulterior motives. He has long been in secret collusion with Puppet City. Your choice to ally with him is simply courting death," Fu Jian suddenly said in a loud voice.

Chenyang's eyes flickered upon hearing this, and his face became slightly unnatural.

Sun Tu's expression, on the other hand, remained normal, and it was unknown whether he already knew or simply didn't believe it.

"Fellow Daoist Li, when the fighting starts, City Lord Sun and I can hold back Qin Yuan and Fu Jian. Xuan Yuanxing can hold back the Zhi Xuan City elder, and Fang Chan can suppress Duan Tong without any problem. The only one who is difficult to deal with is Shao Ying. Can you hold him back for a bit and let that Fellow Daoist Shi seize the key?" At this moment, Chenyang's voice suddenly rang in Han Li's mind.

"Sorry, Fellow Daoist Chenyang, we don't plan to get involved this time," Han Li said directly, without using voice transmission.

After saying that, he took Shi Chuan Kong back a few steps, distancing himself from both sides.

The sudden change caught not only Chenyang off guard, but even Qin Yuan and the others were somewhat unprepared. The gazes they cast at Han Li and the others were filled with doubt and vigilance.

"Fellow Daoist Li, you..." Chenyang choked, at a loss for words.

Han Li had always been wary of Chenyang and had never truly regarded him as an ally. Since he knew that he was colluding with Puppet City, he had to be suspicious of his true intentions.

As a result, he naturally didn't want to join forces with him anymore. Watching the tigers fight from the sidelines was the best option at the moment.

"Haha, Fellow Daoist Li is indeed a wise and outstanding person. As long as you don't interfere in this matter, cough cough... our Zhi Xuan City will write off all past grievances with you, and we are even willing to offer a reward as a thank you," Qin Yuan said with a smile, his face filled with joy.

"There's no need to say so much, attack!" Shao Ying suddenly shouted.

Fu Jian, Qin Yuan, and the others immediately launched an attack, their Profound Openings lighting up one after another as they charged towards the bronze tree.

Chenyang had originally wanted to persuade Han Li, but now he had no choice but to meet Fu Jian, who was punching him.

Sun Tu's expression changed again and again, and he could only sigh and fight with Qin Yuan.

The elder under Qin Yuan, on the other hand, grinned and smiled as he charged towards Xuan Yuanxing, who seemed to be the weakest.

Duan Tong frowned and glanced at Han Li's side. Then, he retracted his gaze, took a step forward, flew over Fang Chan's head, and suddenly raised his thick right arm, smashing it down on him.

Fang Chan grinned, his face devoid of fear. He took a step back and also punched upwards.

Duan Tong suddenly raised his hand and tore off the bandage on his right arm. The white strip immediately loosened and fell off his arm, revealing a huge arm that was jet-black and covered with rows of tiny scales.

The giant arm was covered with spots of white light, with nearly a hundred Profound Openings densely distributed across it. Under the pressure of the fist, the void crackled, as if it was about to be crushed and torn apart inch by inch.

Seeing this, Fang Chan not only showed no fear, but instead took a step forward. A look of madness appeared on his face, and he let out a roar from his everted mouth, while simultaneously punching upwards.

Invisible sound waves surged wildly from his mouth, and were then accelerated by the force of his punch, rushing towards Duan Tong and colliding with his huge fist.

"Boom..."

...

The sound of explosions rang out in the temple, and the two sides fought fiercely as soon as they made a move.

Shao Ying, who had no opponent to fight, was not in a hurry to snatch the key, but stood not far away, seemingly guarding against Han Li and Shi Chuan Kong, afraid that the two were deliberately putting on an act with Chenyang.

However, after waiting for a long time and seeing that Han Li and the others really had no intention of making a move, he hesitated for a moment before focusing his gaze on the blood-colored key on top of the bronze tree.

Then, he tapped his toes and leaped towards the bronze tree.

As a result, before he could fly into the sky, a white light flew towards him from the side. It was extremely fast and almost hit his temple. It was a white flying knife that brushed past him and nailed itself into the dome above.

Although Shao Ying barely dodged it, his body fell downwards, landing on the lowest branch of the bronze tree.

He glared hatefully at Chenyang, who had ambushed him with the flying knife.

However, seizing the key was the most important thing at the moment, so Shao Ying was not in a hurry to fight him. He jumped up and tried to reach the top of the bronze tree.

However, with this leap, his legs seemed to be cast in bronze, as if they had merged with the bronze tree and could not be pulled out at all.

"Fellow Daoist Li, we have cooperated all the way, has Chen ever harmed you? Why are you not helping at this time?" Chenyang said in a solemn tone, while fighting Fu Jian, and transmitted a voice to Han Li.

"It's not that I'm unwilling to help, it's just that Fellow Daoist Chenyang has been in deep contact with Puppet City. I don't know anything about the inside story. In order to protect myself, I have to be more vigilant..." Han Li replied.

"Fellow Daoist Li, I can't explain this clearly to you for the time being. Can you please take action to seize the key first, and then I will tell you everything," Chenyang said urgently, transmitting a voice.

"Before things are clarified, it is difficult to distinguish between friend and foe. Please forgive me, Fellow Daoist Chenyang," Han Li still politely declined.

"Brother Li, I know that you are blessed with good fortune, and you already have another key on you, so you have the confidence not to compete for this key. But have you ever thought about it? If they find out about this, after we are all destroyed, how can you and Fellow Daoist Shi be preserved?" Chenyang suddenly changed his tone, transmitting a voice.

Han Li's expression changed slightly upon hearing this, and he was somewhat surprised that Chenyang knew about this.

However, after thinking about it, he understood that it was probably because the two keys had resonated before, causing a burning sensation in his chest. Although he had tried his best to hide it, Chenyang had still seen some clues.

"Fellow Daoist Chenyang, are you threatening Li?" Han Li asked with a cold expression.

"Brother Li, I am definitely not threatening you. We are now interdependent, our fates are intertwined..." Chenyang's tone became more and more urgent as he transmitted his voice.

After hesitating again and again, Han Li raised his head and looked at the bronze tree. He saw Shao Ying's Profound Openings lighting up on his legs as he vibrated the bronze tree, pulling his body out little by little.

"Forget it..." Han Li sighed softly, and his body rose into the air without warning.

There was a loud bang beneath his feet. Wearing the Starmoon Boots, he stepped into the void and arrived at the top of the bronze tree in a few steps.

Qin Yuan and the others' expressions changed when they saw this, and they cursed loudly.

Chenyang and Sun Tu exchanged a glance, breathed a slight sigh of relief, and instead intensified their attacks on Qin Yuan and the others, buying time for Han Li.

As a result, Han Li barely landed on the top of the bronze tree and was immediately sucked onto the tree by a strange force.

Shi Chuan Kong also followed closely behind, flying up to temporarily serve as his guardian.