“Under different circumstances, Han wouldn’t mind exchanging a few moves with Brother Xu. But now?” Han Li glanced at Ge Tianhao and the others, shaking his head with a faint smile.
“Oh? Judging by Brother Han’s tone, you seem quite confident. I heard you killed a peak mid-Nascent Soul elder from the Yin Luo Sect. Is that true?” The white-robed youth showed no anger, instead asking coldly.
Upon hearing this, Ge Tianhao and the other two Yin Luo Sect members’ expressions changed.
“At this point, denying it would be pointless. Indeed, a Yin Luo Sect elder was slain by me in Tiannan. Does Brother Xu intend to seek justice for the Yin Luo Sect?” Han Li pursed his lips, his eyes turning cold.
“To kill a peak cultivator of the same realm with mid-Nascent Soul cultivation—Brother Han’s abilities must be extraordinary. If not for the deep enmity between you and our Tianlan, I would genuinely wish to befriend you. How about this? I heard you once used a peculiar cauldron to take away our Holy Temple’s sacred cauldron and the avatar of our sacred beast. If you’re willing to hand over that cauldron, I can ensure the Holy Temple will cease hostilities with you. Of course, if you’re also willing to surrender that Ghost Luo Banner, I’ll do my best to mediate your conflict with the Yin Luo Sect. What do you say?” The Xu youth stared at Han Li for a moment before making this proposal.
“What? Brother Xu, how can you—”
“Saintess, no need to say more. I have my reasons!”
Lin Yinping’s face paled as she tried to interject, but the white-robed youth waved his hand, silencing her before she could finish. Ge Tianhao and the other two exchanged glances but remained silent.
“Hand over my treasure cauldron? That’s impossible. Let’s settle this with action.” The moment the Xu youth mentioned the Void Heaven Cauldron, Han Li refused without hesitation.
“Since Brother Han rejects my goodwill, don’t blame me for being ruthless.”
Seeing Han Li’s unyielding stance, the Xu youth showed a trace of regret before his expression darkened. With a flick of his sleeve, a jade-green ruyi scepter appeared in his hand. As he shook it slightly, clusters of green light shimmered, and he fixed a cold gaze on Han Li.
Han Li said nothing, forming hand seals as thunder rumbled behind him. A pair of silver-white wings materialized on his back, and with a flip of his hand, an ancient feather fan appeared, radiating gold, silver, and red spiritual light—the Three Flames Treasure Fan.
Facing so many opponents, Han Li couldn’t afford to hold back and immediately summoned his most powerful treasure.
The Xu youth’s eyes were drawn to the fan’s unusual glow. With his keen insight, he instantly recognized its extraordinary nature. The terrifying spiritual pressure emanating from the three-colored light made even his late-Nascent Soul cultivation shudder, and his face darkened further.
“Brother Xu, this man is also a sworn enemy of our Yin Luo Sect. We’re not here to spar—let’s capture him together.” Ge Tianhao, equally wary of the fan, suggested after a moment’s thought.
Without waiting for the Xu youth’s response, he signaled the two black-robed elders. The three stepped forward simultaneously, summoning their treasures—two peculiar flying swords and a bone blade wreathed in phosphorescent flames—which hovered before them.
Lin Yinping silently flicked her sleeve, producing a silver-embroidered silk handkerchief glowing faintly in her hand.
The Xu youth frowned but said nothing. Instead, he brushed the ruyi scepter, intensifying its green radiance as his gaze turned icy toward Han Li’s fan.
The five attackers were poised to strike.
But Han Li, already prepared, wouldn’t let himself be cornered. With a thunderous crackle, he vanished in a flash of silver light, reappearing a dozen zhang away on a stone staircase.
His opponents wouldn’t let him escape so easily. Two blue streaks and a green arc shot toward him, followed by a barrage of silver threads.
The Xu youth, however, stepped forward calmly, his robes fluttering as he teleported ten zhang away with eerie speed, matching Han Li’s lightning movement. The green light from his ruyi scepter twisted into the shape of a monstrous head—neither flood dragon nor horse—glaring viciously at Han Li.
Han Li took a deep breath, his expression turning cold as he swung the fan toward his foes.
A phoenix’s cry pierced the heavens as a three-colored fire phoenix erupted from the fan, spreading its wings and charging at Ge Tianhao and the others.
A deafening explosion echoed across the plaza as a three-colored halo of mysterious runes bloomed in the air. Though not blindingly bright, the overwhelming spiritual pressure it emitted made everyone’s hearts skip a beat.
The Xu youth, caught directly beneath the halo, exclaimed, “Bad!” He swung the ruyi scepter, summoning a serpent-bodied, beast-headed monster that coiled around him in a protective green shield.
The two flying swords and bone blade were instantly engulfed, while Lin Yinping’s silver threads vanished upon contact. The halo expanded violently, shattering and melting a quarter of the white jade plaza.
The sheer power of the attack seemed to shake heaven and earth.
Han Li paid no heed, immediately activating his silver wings to arc toward the mountaintop. Mid-flight, he retrieved a small vial and drank a drop of Ten-Thousand-Year Spirit Nectar.
Though the Three Flames Fan was formidable, Han Li knew it couldn’t kill all his foes in one strike—at best, it would catch them off guard. Outnumbered, retreat was his best option.
Coincidentally, the nearest staircase led to Kunwu Hall. Though wary of potential ambushes by Qian Laomo and others, Han Li trusted the mountain’s restrictions and terrain to give him an edge.
In a flash of lightning, he vanished up the stairs.
The three-colored halo lasted only seconds before dissipating, leaving Ge Tianhao and the others at the plaza’s edge, disheveled and shaken.
Ge Tianhao fared the worst. His bone blade, though not his lifebound treasure, was still linked to him. Its destruction injured his psyche, and though he barely escaped the halo’s edge, his protective aura shattered, leaving one arm charred and severely wounded.
The two black-robed elders severed their connection to their swords in time, escaping with only singed robes and hair. Lin Yinping, farthest from the blast, shielded herself behind a massive black shield, her silver threads destroyed but otherwise unharmed.
The Xu youth, despite being at the blast’s epicenter, emerged unscathed thanks to his ruyi scepter. But his face was grim as he examined the now-shattered artifact, its fragments crumbling from his hand.
The ancient treasure had been destroyed before fully unleashing its power.
“What kind of treasure is that fan? Could it be a legendary Heaven-reaching Spirit Treasure?” Ge Tianhao gasped, applying medicine to his wound.
“A mere replica,” the Xu youth said darkly. “If it were the real thing, you wouldn’t be alive to speak.”
“A replica with such power?” Ge Tianhao paled.
“It’s likely a single-purpose replica, hence its raw might,” the youth replied. “What now? With such a treasure, he’s far more dangerous than expected. Should we still pursue?” a black-robed elder asked hesitantly.
“Don’t worry. That fan must drain his energy drastically. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have fled. If we catch him before he recovers, he won’t dare use it again. Now is the perfect time to kill him.” The Xu youth summoned his Five-Colored Peacock with a wave.
“Up the mountain. We cannot let him escape, or the consequences will be dire.” With that, he soared toward the staircase, the peacock in tow.
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