A surprised “Huh?” came from the opposite side of the cold flames, followed by an astonishing sight!
Several feet above Han Li in the void, a white flash suddenly appeared as a spatial rift tore open. A translucent, half-foot-long pointed beak abruptly extended most of its length, aiming straight for Han Li’s head with a lightning-fast strike.
At such close range and with such a sudden attack, even if Han Li reacted immediately, attempting to evade with his lightning movement technique would be impossible. Moreover, his attention had been entirely focused on the cold flames ahead, leaving him completely unprepared. Yet, strangely, as the beak was about to pierce through the protective purple flames around him, Han Li’s expression remained utterly unchanged—he didn’t even lift his head.
A thunderous “Boom!” echoed as a silver fist eerily materialized from the void, smashing directly into the beak. Under the burst of silver light, the beak was forcefully knocked several feet off course.
Beside the beak, a faint glow flickered as a shadowy figure emerged, retracting a fist that seemed made of pure silver. This was none other than the humanoid puppet.
It turned out that the moment Han Li engaged the Ice Phoenix, he had ordered the puppet to protect him. Now, it had arrived just in time to block this dangerous strike.
With the attack thwarted, the beak vanished into thin air. Meanwhile, the white cold flames opposite suddenly contracted, revealing the figure of the tenth-grade Ice Phoenix. The creature had shrunk to a mere two or three zhang in size, several times smaller than before.
Lowering its head to glance at its talons, now bound by green threads, the Ice Phoenix snorted coldly through its nostrils. Its claws abruptly expanded several times in size, attempting to break free. However, the green threads shimmered with light, expanding and contracting without yielding in the slightest.
A flicker of surprise passed through the Ice Phoenix’s eyes, but it immediately opened its mouth and spat out two dazzling white beams. These beams circled its claws, slicing through the green threads as easily as withered grass. The white beams then paused, revealing their true forms—two milky-white short swords, each exuding a faint, chilling glow.
“Ten-thousand-year Profound Jade!” Han Li instantly recognized the material of the swords, his brow furrowing slightly.
The green spiritual threads had been transformed from the radiant glow on the surface of the Void Heaven Cauldron hidden in his sleeve. It seemed that even a treasure like this, when only partially utilized, was no match for a tenth-grade demon beast.
However, Han Li had no intention of engaging in a prolonged battle. His goal was simply to cross the hundred-zhang distance and reach one of the two small teleportation arrays to escape.
As this thought crossed his mind, Han Li noticed the Ice Phoenix’s wings twitching, signaling another imminent attack. His expression darkened as the purple flames around him receded, and his figure blurred, splitting into three identical illusions. Each illusion was shrouded in a green haze, making it impossible to discern the real one.
The Ice Phoenix paused in surprise, the white glow on its wings halting momentarily. Seizing the opportunity, the three illusions transformed into green streaks of light, darting in different directions at astonishing speed, each appearing over ten zhang away in an instant.
Simultaneously, the golden flying swords and fire crows, locked in combat with hundreds of crystalline swords, let out a sharp whistle and withdrew, all heading toward the teleportation platform at the corner of the hall.
The Ice Phoenix hesitated briefly before erupting in fury. With a shrill cry, its body shimmered with white light and rapidly shrank, transforming into a young woman in her twenties. Dressed in silver palace robes, her beauty was otherworldly.
As soon as the transformation completed, she slapped a spirit beast pouch at her waist. Two streaks of white light shot out, swirling in the air before revealing two four-winged white centipedes, each about a zhang long, their appearances fearsome and vicious. These were two Six-Winged Frost Centipedes, already evolved to the four-winged stage.
Han Li glanced back just in time to witness this, his heart skipping a beat. Before he could formulate a countermeasure, the two centipedes spread their wings and vanished with a sharp crack, only to reappear instantly before Han Li’s true body and one of the illusions. Opening their mouths, they spewed a chilling white mist.
Han Li naturally didn’t wait to be hit. With a flicker of his movement light, he easily dodged the attack. The illusion, however, continued flying mindlessly forward, only to burst like a bubble upon contact with the mist.
The silver-robed woman, observing this, expressionlessly drew a line in the air before her. With a soft “Zing,” a white spatial rift appeared—she had effortlessly torn open space. Stepping into the void, she vanished as the rift closed behind her.
Han Li, pushing his movement light to its limits, arrived above the platform in a flash. After dodging another blast of frost from the pursuing centipedes, he prepared to descend. But just then, white light shimmered nearby as the silver-robed woman reappeared, stepping onto the platform and fixing Han Li with an icy glare.
Han Li’s heart sank, but he dared not force his way into the teleportation array now. Any interference from her could disrupt the process unpredictably.
“I am not a disciple of the Small Extreme Palace, nor do I bear any grudge against the demon race. Must we fight to the death?” Han Li demanded, his voice cold.
“Hmph! I care not who you are! Anyone who inherits the Dry Blue Ice Flames of the Ice Soul Fairy is an enemy of our Ice Phoenix lineage. You won’t slip away so easily!” The woman’s jade-like face darkened with murderous intent, her tone frigid and unyielding.
“Such arrogance! Do you truly believe your spatial abilities can stop me? Very well, since you insist, I won’t hold back. Let’s see what the ruler of the Ice Sea is capable of!” Han Li laughed in anger, his hands forming seals. The golden swords and fire crows encircled him, their combined might roaring like thunder.
Simultaneously, silver light flickered as the humanoid puppet materialized beside him. Han Li then tapped his storage pouch, releasing a small black vial. With several incantations, five streams of gray-white gas emerged, coalescing into five skeletal figures with flickering green flames in their eye sockets. The Five Devils let out eerie wails, their gazes locked onto the Ice Phoenix with bloodthirsty intensity.
“The Five Devils Unification Technique!” The Ice Phoenix’s expression froze momentarily before turning grave as she noticed the puppet. “A puppet? Since when has the human realm been capable of crafting such high-grade constructs? Even with my other two avatars, defeating you with this puppet and the five devils seems unlikely. But keeping you here temporarily? That, I can do. If you dare risk teleportation under my watch, go ahead!”
“Recall your avatars? Without your direct control, they can barely defend themselves. I doubt you alone can withstand the combined assault of the five devils and the puppet for long!” Han Li retorted, his spiritual sense already confirming the dire state of her avatars at the hall’s center—outmatched by the Small Extreme Palace trio.
The silver-robed woman merely sneered, unfazed. Han Li sighed, abandoning any hope of negotiation. As he prepared to unleash the full force of his arsenal, the woman’s eyes suddenly flickered with an odd mix of relief and cunning.
Before Han Li could decipher her expression, the sky darkened abruptly. A familiar, sinister voice echoed: “Brat, come back inside!”
The surrounding spiritual energy twisted as layers of gray light enveloped the area, distorting the scenery. Reacting instantly, Han Li flicked his sleeve, releasing the Worldbreaker Talisman. A yellow flash stabilized the surroundings, but the brief delay allowed his golden swords and fire crows to scatter, dispersing the gray light with thunderous force.
Looking up, Han Li’s face turned ashen. Hovering overhead was the colossal Ten-Thousand Demon Banner, hundreds of zhang tall, showering down gray radiance. Had he not conserved the talisman’s power earlier, escape would’ve been impossible.
Now, extricating himself would be a herculean task.
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