This scene made the Silver-winged Nightfiend, who was entangled with another demonic creature nearby, tremble in fear. Without a second thought, it flapped its wings and vanished with a gust of wind, using the Wind Evasion technique.
The Yuan Cha Sacred Ancestor’s demonic avatar let out a cold snort and, without hesitation, reached out with one hand toward the direction where the Silver-winged Nightfiend had disappeared, grasping at the air.
A thunderous boom echoed.
A massive demonic claw, shimmering with dark light, materialized in the void above that spot and lightly pressed downward. A burst of cyan light exploded within the claw, effortlessly dispelling the Wind Evasion technique. The Silver-winged Nightfiend’s figure reappeared within the claw. However, the refined corpse’s silver wings and body were now bound by faint black tendrils, rendering it completely immobile as the claw descended. In a desperate rage, the Silver-winged Nightfiend let out a piercing shriek just as the claw touched it, releasing countless black threads from its body that exploded the moment they left its form.
Gray flashes flickered, accompanied by deafening explosions, creating a terrifying spectacle.
Yet, as the claw’s fingers clenched, a black light flashed, and the gray flashes and explosions vanished without a trace, as if encountering their nemesis. The Silver-winged Nightfiend’s body was engulfed in black demonic flames, reducing its formidable flying corpse form to ashes, with no chance for its primordial spirit to escape. The claw then disappeared into the air.
Two creatures equivalent to late-Nascent Soul cultivators had been effortlessly annihilated by the demonic avatar, erasing any remaining doubts among the onlookers. Even if this avatar wasn’t a manifestation of the Yuan Cha Sacred Ancestor’s divine sense, it was undoubtedly a projection of another ancient demonic ancestor from the Demon Realm—far beyond their ability to resist.
A chill ran through everyone’s hearts, and they scattered in panic, hiding or fleeing, terrified of becoming the avatar’s next target. Han Li, too, dared not stay. With a thunderous roar, he transformed into a silver arc and fled using Thunder Evasion. But as he reappeared over twenty zhang away, a panicked female voice suddenly echoed in his ears.
“Where is Xue Ling? Release her quickly so we can merge into Linglong. Only then is there a sliver of hope to save our lives.” It was Long Meng, who had possessed Hua Tianqi, transmitting her voice to him. Even this usually composed demonic consort was now in a state of panic.
“Merge?” Han Li was startled, his face flickering with hesitation.
At that moment, the demonic avatar’s gaze shifted to the distant Spirit Rhinoceros Peacock, and it let out a surprised exclamation. “Hmm! A Spirit Rhinoceros Peacock, with Five-Colored Spirit Light! To think such a rare spirit beast still exists in the human realm. Perfect—I happen to need its light!” The avatar murmured before pointing decisively at the ancient peacock possessed by the Xu-clan youth.
The possessed Xu-clan youth paled in terror. He desperately urged the peacock to flee toward a corner of the space while gritting his teeth and forcibly channeling his primordial spirit’s energy into the bird.
With a muffled thud, the Five-Colored Spirit Light erupted into a dazzling, solid barrier, shielding the peacock like a miniature sun, its radiance blinding.
The demonic avatar smirked, flicked its finger, and casually grabbed at the air.
A deafening explosion followed as the five-colored barrier caved in on one side, sending the peacock and its shield flying. Before it could stabilize, a colossal demonic claw flashed into existence, seizing the Spirit Rhinoceros Peacock in an instant.
“Brother Xu!” Lin Yinping cried out in horror.
The five-colored barrier held firm under the demonic flames, but the avatar’s violet eyes gleamed with malice. Black light surged as the claw clenched, crushing the barrier like dough. With a mournful cry, the shield shattered.
“No!” the Xu-clan youth screamed in terror. The peacock’s body was instantly crushed by the claw.
A whoosh sounded as the Xu-clan youth’s primordial spirit seized a fleeting chance to teleport away, reappearing over twenty zhang away. But the avatar seemed to anticipate its destination, flicking its finger preemptively in that direction.
This time, the Xu-clan youth didn’t even have time to scream before his primordial spirit exploded unnaturally.
Thus, the mighty Grand Immortal of the Heavenly Grass Plains vanished from the world.
Witnessing this, even Xuan Qingzi and Qimiao Zhenren—elders of the foremost orthodox and demonic sects—began to show fear.
The avatar’s power was overwhelming. Under its might, they couldn’t even withstand a single strike. If this continued, they’d all be wiped out in moments.
Han Li’s face was ashen, but his gaze remained calm, a cold glint hidden within.
“What are you waiting for? Release Xue Ling now, or it’ll be too late! Only Linglong might stand a chance against this demon. Don’t worry—we won’t truly disappear. After some time, we’ll separate naturally.” Long Meng’s urgent voice pressed Han Li to release Silver Moon’s primordial spirit for fusion.
Han Li’s expression darkened, but he remained silent.
“Fine, I agree. I’ll come to you now.” Silver Moon’s calm voice suddenly echoed in Han Li’s mind.
“Silver Moon, what nonsense are you spouting? How do you know you’ll recover after merging? Your divine sense is far weaker—she’ll dominate you!” Han Li snapped sharply.
“Master, we have no choice. If Long Meng and I don’t merge, we’ll die here. It’s better to take the risk.” Silver Moon replied coolly. A white fox then shot out from Han Li’s sleeve, darting toward “Hua Tianqi,” who eagerly flew to meet it.
Han Li stood rooted, his face grim, but he said nothing more. Silver Moon’s reasoning was sound.
Meanwhile, after the Xu-clan youth’s demise, the Spirit Rhinoceros Peacock’s primordial spirit tried to escape with its demon core, but black light engulfed it before it could flee, obliterating it instantly.
The peacock’s remains were consumed by demonic flames, reduced to ashes. Yet, within the claw, a shimmering five-colored mist remained—lustrous and tangible.
The claw seized the mist and vanished, reappearing above the avatar’s head, holding the mist motionless.
The avatar gazed at the mist with delight, then spat out a thick, ink-like demonic wind. The mist swirled within the wind, condensing rapidly into a thumb-sized five-colored spirit pearl.
The avatar took the pearl and tossed it to the black-armored woman behind it, saying indifferently, “This pearl is useful to me. Find a way to send it back to the Demon Realm. Don’t lose it.”
The woman’s surprise flickered briefly before she caught the pearl, examined it, and clasped her hands together. The pearl vanished mysteriously.
The ancient demon’s gaze then fell on Han Li, who was crackling with silver arcs. A cruel smile curled its lips as it raised a finger toward him.
Han Li’s heart sank. With a thought, his humanoid puppet flashed in front of him. He raised a hand, summoning a blinding silver barrier around himself and the puppet, while his other hand formed a seal, causing five-colored light to shimmer across his body. Simultaneously, he flipped his hand, summoning the Three Flames Fan, and pointed at the giant sword hovering above him.
The sword disintegrated with a hum, transforming into hundreds of golden sword lights that swirled around the silver barrier, forming a dazzling golden lotus in full bloom around Han Li. Thunder roared between its petals, arcs of golden lightning dancing.
Han Li chanted an incantation, summoning a golden shield around himself as his skin took on a faint golden hue. He had activated the Vajra Shield, originally meant to guard against the Five Children Demons, and pushed the King Yanming Art to its limits, turning his body into a vajra-like form.
He completed these actions in an instant, yet felt no reassurance. He knew full well that these seemingly impregnable defenses could be shattered effortlessly by the Yuan Cha Sacred Ancestor.
His true reliance lay within—two restless entities inside him. Han Li thought grimly.
“Evil-Warding Divine Lightning?” The avatar’s violet eyes flickered at the golden arcs dancing on the lotus, sounding slightly surprised. Yet its finger didn’t hesitate, tapping twice toward Han Li.
Two crisp pops rang out.
The first sound tore a massive gap in the golden lotus formed by the Green Bamboo Cloud-Swallowing Swords, dented the silver barrier, and shattered it before striking the golden shield. The shield flickered wildly before cracking with a crisp snap.
In that split second, Han Li’s pupils flashed blue as he finally saw what was attacking. Swinging the Three Flames Fan to intercept it, his face twisted in disbelief.
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