The demonic aura, which had been retreating, suddenly gathered together upon hearing the howl, with clusters of black mist beginning to condense and transform.
One after another, pitch-black demonic beasts and demonic birds emerged from the mist.
They growled lowly, varying in size—some as massive as twenty to thirty zhang, others only a few chi tall—but all glared viciously at Han Li, who stood at the center of the sea of flames.
Han Li’s heart chilled.
At a glance, the demonic beasts were densely packed, rolling and arranging themselves within the demonic mist, forming an endless, oppressive black mass.
A sharp shriek rang out, and the puppet-like demonic beasts surged forward from all directions like a tidal wave.
Han Li’s eyelids twitched, but he remained silent, raising a hand to send several azure incantations toward the fire cauldron hovering above his head.
The cauldron trembled, then erupted with crimson light, engulfing the entire massive vessel in scarlet flames, transforming it into a colossal fireball.
Countless scorching flames shot out from the cauldron, merging with the sea of fire. The temperature in the entire space abruptly rose, and the flames surged with renewed intensity. Then, from the fire, fist-sized fireballs shot forth.
Each fireball contained a rapidly expanding fire crow, which, empowered by the sea of flames, charged straight into the surrounding horde of demonic puppets.
Explosions of varying sizes erupted densely among the demonic beast army. Thousands of fire crows fluttered wildly, entangling themselves with the beasts.
Flames danced, demonic energy clashed—sometimes intertwining, sometimes separating and colliding—creating a temporary stalemate.
Strangely, whether a demonic beast was pierced by a fire crow or a fire crow was crushed by a massive beast, one side would reform within the demonic mist, instantly restored, while the other would be reborn from the flames after a brief roll. Both seemed endless.
A cold snort echoed from the demonic mist, followed by low chanting from all directions—the voice of Che Lao Yao.
Han Li’s eyes flashed as he suddenly looked up, his expression shifting abruptly.
Above, where the vortex had previously appeared, the demonic mist churned violently, and a massive claw slowly extended from within.
The claw was pitch-black and glossy, spanning thirty to forty zhang, with five sharp talons several zhang long, gleaming with a sinister, razor-sharp cold light.
Due to its immense size, even before descending, the claw gave off an oppressive, inescapable sensation, as if a mountain were pressing down.
As the chanting ceased, the claw swept downward.
A gust of demonic wind howled down like a hurricane, causing the nearby sea of flames to tremble violently.
Even the massive Demon-Subduing Staff seemed minuscule in comparison to the black demonic claw!
A deafening explosion erupted between the staff and the claw. The staff struck as if hitting tempered steel, barely pausing the claw before being violently repelled.
The massive claw continued its descent toward Han Li, unchanged.
Han Li pressed his lips together, and with a thought, the thirty-six golden flying swords circling around him emitted a resonant hum, converging above his head.
Golden light flared as the swords merged into a single golden greatsword, five to six zhang long.
Thunder roared again as thick golden arcs erupted from the sword’s surface, transforming it into a blinding golden streak that slashed directly at the descending claw.
*Squelch!*
The greatsword formed by the thirty-six Emerald Swarm Swords, fueled by Han Li’s full spiritual power, was nearly indestructible. With a flash of golden light, it cleanly split the claw in two.
A muffled grunt came from the demonic mist, suggesting Che Lao Yao had suffered a minor setback. The bisected claw dissipated into wisps of demonic mist, vanishing in an instant.
Hearing the grunt, Han Li’s eyes flashed with blue light. He pointed at the golden streak, which coiled into a golden python and lunged at a seemingly empty spot in the void.
*Bang!*
A blinding black light erupted without warning, revealing a dark shield. The python’s bite failed to pierce it.
At that moment, a short figure emerged from behind the shield—Che Lao Yao’s avatar, the same child with three braids and an unknown silver lock hanging from its chest.
The child stood behind the black shield, eyeing the still-attacking python with a hint of surprise.
“Geng Gold! Your flying swords are actually infused with such rare material—no wonder they could sever my Demon Heaven Claw!”
The child’s expression quickly returned to normal as its gaze shifted back to Han Li in the sea of flames.
“Just as I suspected, you’re merely an avatar,” Han Li murmured, ignoring the child’s words.
Seeing Han Li’s arrogance, the child laughed furiously.
Without a word, it reached into the void, and a grayish banner appeared in its hand.
“Heh, I’ve only shown twenty percent of the Ten Thousand Demon Banner’s power. Next, I’ll annihilate both your body and soul—let you taste its true might!”
With that, the child unfurled the banner, preparing to unleash a devastating technique.
Han Li’s expression hardened. He pointed at the sea of flames, and dozens of fire crows shot out, streaking toward the child.
Meanwhile, the golden greatsword let out a long hum under his command, splitting back into thirty golden flying swords, each a chi long and gleaming brilliantly.
With a resonant buzz, they multiplied into hundreds of sword beams, swirling around the child in a relentless onslaught.
The child smirked, pausing the banner momentarily to tap the black iron shield before it.
The shield trembled, transforming into a hazy black barrier that enveloped the child.
Golden and black lights clashed violently as countless sword beams struck the barrier, causing ripples of black light but failing to breach it. The seemingly unremarkable barrier was astonishingly resilient.
As for the fire crows, the child ignored them entirely, focusing instead on activating the banner.
The gray banner swayed once, causing the entire space to tremble. With another slow shake, gray mist surged from the demonic aura around the sea of flames.
From the mist came strange spatial fluctuations, and four black holes, each a zhang in diameter, appeared—something ominous lurking within.
Han Li paid no heed. As the fire crows neared the black barrier, thunder rumbled behind him, and silver-white wings materialized. In a flash of silver light, he vanished.
Almost simultaneously, the fire crows crashed into the barrier, exploding into blinding fireballs while the golden sword beams continued their relentless assault.
As the child predicted, the black barrier held firm.
Seeing Han Li disappear, the child’s expression flickered, but it soon smirked. Pausing its chant, it flipped its other hand, producing a thin green rope.
With a flick, the rope shot out like a serpent, forming seven or eight loops that ensnared a spot five to six zhang behind the child.
A silver arc flashed as Han Li reappeared with a thunderclap—right beneath the descending rope.
Before he could react, the loops tightened around him, glowing ominously as they constricted.
The child grinned savagely, opening its mouth to reveal a dark glint—waiting to unleash a deadly treasure the moment Han Li was bound.
Caught off guard, Han Li paled. He hadn’t expected such a mystical item that could predict his Thunderblink’s exact location.
With a low shout, he formed a hand seal.
Emerald light erupted from his body, clashing with the rope’s dark glow. In an instant, Han Li vanished from the loops, leaving only a green talisman behind.
He reappeared ten zhang away, his face unnaturally pale.
In that critical moment, he had expended significant spiritual power to activate the unrefined Spirit Substitution Talisman, narrowly escaping disaster.
The talisman crumbled into specks of green light, which shot back into Han Li’s body.
The child’s expression darkened. Though its mouth flickered with black light, it ultimately snorted and closed its jaws.
At that moment, silver light shimmered a few zhang away from the black barrier, and the humanoid puppet materialized—having stealthily closed in on the child.
It raised its hands, and a crimson bow flashed brilliantly. A barrage of fiery arrows erupted at point-blank range.
Simultaneously, a black dagger appeared above the child’s head, descending silently amid the golden and crimson onslaught.
Though merely an avatar, this child surpassed the old man transformed from the Azureback Gray Wolf in cultivation and spiritual sense. Despite the sudden ambush, it instantly recognized the dagger as the deadlier threat.
With impossible speed, it slapped the iron shield, then tilted its head back and spat out a coin-shaped treasure wrapped in black mist, aiming upward.
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage