The giant earthworm let out a piercing shriek as its smooth head split open grotesquely, revealing a gaping maw filled with jagged teeth. But in the next instant, a flash of silver light erupted as an unusually thick arc of lightning shot forth.
It was the heavenly lightning previously absorbed by the golden horn, now expelled all at once by the beast—and its target was none other than Han Li, who stood beside the formation.
“Oh? It’s even developed spiritual intelligence. Tsk tsk, no doubt a mutated spirit beast,” Han Li murmured, not alarmed but rather delighted at the sight.
With a swift motion, he rubbed his hands together and flung them outward, releasing two golden arcs as thick as his arms. In an instant, they merged into one and clashed against the opposing silver lightning.
A deafening explosion followed as the golden and silver arcs intertwined like two colossal serpents. Countless smaller arcs crackled wildly, and in the blink of an eye, bursts of electricity erupted between Han Li and the giant earthworm, annihilating each other in a mutual destruction.
Enraged, the beast’s golden horn flared brilliantly, drawing in vast swathes of heavenly lightning from the surroundings. It greedily absorbed the energy, clearly preparing for another assault.
But Han Li merely sneered. With a flick of his tongue, a small golden sword shot from his mouth, instantly transforming into a golden rainbow over ten feet long that streaked toward the beast’s head.
Sensing the danger, the creature’s body glowed yellow as it attempted to burrow back underground. However, the fiery threads coiled around its upper body suddenly flared crimson, thickening into blazing red chains, each as thick as a sapling.
The chains erupted in flames, engulfing nearly half of the beast’s upper body in a fiery tide.
Panicked, the beast ceased absorbing the silver lightning and instead spewed a golden mist from its horn, sweeping up the flames and drawing them into itself.
This golden horn could not only absorb heavenly lightning but also devour flames.
Yet just as the beast had swallowed most of the fire, the golden rainbow arrived before it, morphing into a massive sword that slashed down with brutal force.
The beast jerked its head, its golden horn swelling to twice its size as it met the blade head-on.
A sharp clang rang out as golden light flared blindingly. The sword was deflected, failing to sever the horn.
But in that instant, a flash of cyan lightning appeared above the beast’s head—Han Li materialized with wings on his back and flicked his wrist, sending another golden sword energy streaking forth. Before the beast could react, the attack pierced through its body, leaving a gaping wound the size of a bowl.
Thick, emerald-green blood gushed from the injury. Yet given the beast’s colossal size, such a wound—fatal to an ordinary cultivator—was but a minor inconvenience. Instead, it only enraged the creature further.
With a monstrous roar, the beast’s upper tendrils writhed and lashed out like countless fleshy whips, striking toward Han Li in midair.
Han Li’s expression darkened. Without hesitation, he formed a hand seal, and over a dozen small golden swords shot from his body, swirling into a protective curtain of blades around him.
The fleshy tendrils disintegrated upon contact, reduced to a rain of green fragments before they could even approach him.
Chanting an incantation, Han Li pointed downward.
The golden swords trembled before splitting—each one multiplying into seven identical sword lights. With another command, dozens of golden streaks rained down like a storm.
The beast panicked, spewing silver lightning and fiery orbs in a desperate attempt to block the onslaught.
Explosions echoed as some of the golden lights were dispersed, but the rest pierced through, converging into a single massive golden blade over thirty feet long.
With a flash, the colossal sword swept around the beast’s waist like lightning.
A bloodcurdling shriek tore through the air as a torrent of green blood erupted like a waterfall. The giant earthworm’s body was cleanly severed at the waist.
Just as Han Li thought the battle was over, the impossible happened.
The supposedly slain beast’s upper half lunged toward him, jaws gaping wide, while its lower half sprouted new tendrils, regenerating into a complete form in an instant.
With a thunderous crash, the lower half burrowed into the earth and vanished.
“Trying to escape?”
Han Li frowned, then swiftly formed another seal and uttered, “Explode.”
The fiery chains coiled around the beast’s body detonated in a deafening blast, engulfing the upper half in a mushroom-shaped inferno. The beast’s agonized screeches echoed as the flames raged—even its golden horn couldn’t absorb such an overwhelming force.
Simultaneously, the massive golden sword swept through the fire cloud.
The screams ceased abruptly. A rain of green blood fell from the sky as two charred halves of the beast plummeted to the ground.
Han Li glanced downward, scanning the area with his spiritual sense. The fleeing half had only managed to burrow a few miles away—whether due to its natural speed or injuries, he didn’t care.
Since it hadn’t gone far, he wouldn’t waste effort chasing it.
He tapped his spirit beast pouch, unleashing a swarm of golden insects that buzzed into a dense cloud above him. With a flick of his finger, the swarm dove into the earth.
Han Li turned his attention back to the fire cloud. With a gesture, the flames shrank rapidly, condensing back into thick fiery chains—though their glow had dimmed.
He beckoned, and the chains transformed into ten slender threads, each over twenty feet long, floating gently in the air.
Opening his mouth, he exhaled a stream of cyan mist that coiled around the threads before drawing them back into his body.
Finally, he glanced at the charred corpse and frowned. Extending a hand, he summoned a golden streak from the remains—the beast’s peculiar horn.
Though small compared to the beast’s body, the horn was still five to six feet long, gleaming with golden light and inscribed with faint, mysterious runes.
Han Li studied it briefly. Though intrigued, now wasn’t the time for examination. After a few quick incantations, the horn shrank to half a foot in size.
He slapped a sealing talisman onto it before storing it in a wooden box and tucking it away in his storage pouch.
Satisfied, he clapped his hands lightly and turned toward the formation where the Tianlan Beast resided.
But before he could act, the ground trembled violently miles away as the fleeing half of the earthworm burst from the soil—its body now covered in thousands of golden beetles devouring it alive.
The beast writhed in agony, rolling and thrashing, but the insects clung stubbornly, burrowing beneath its hide.
Within moments, the creature stiffened midair before crashing lifelessly to the ground.
Han Li sighed and turned his gaze back to the formation.
Though heavenly lightning still rained down, the wings on his back crackled with cyan electricity, deflecting any stray bolts.
The storm had weakened—the Tianlan Beast had endured the eighth wave of tribulation. It was time for him to intervene.
But first, Han Li looked up, his eyes glowing blue as he scanned the sky.
As the thunder ceased, a strange fragrance wafted from the dark clouds. Then, directly above the formation, the roiling clouds parted to reveal a massive, jade-like full moon—radiant and serene, emanating a milky glow.
The source of that otherworldly scent seemed to be the moon itself.
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