“Esteemed Senior, you may not know, but the leader of the alliance, Venerable Wan, has forged one hundred and eight Wind-Fire Copper Pillars. He then summoned several grandmasters of formations from unknown origins to set up a Wind-Fire Heaven-Severing Array around the giant island where Starfall City is located. By harnessing the boundless power of wind and fire, they are besieging the Star Palace. As long as our alliance’s cultivators concentrate their forces to defend these one hundred and eight Wind-Fire Pillars, Starfall City will be trapped indefinitely.”
The burly man, though aware that revealing this information would bring him no favors upon returning to the alliance, found himself compelled to spill everything under Han Li’s icy gaze, his heart chilled to the core.
Naturally, the moment the words left his mouth, the man regretted it. But upon reflection, he realized this wasn’t particularly classified information—any Core Formation cultivator in the alliance seemed to know about it—and he felt slightly reassured.
“Wind-Fire Heaven-Severing Array!” A flicker of surprise crossed Han Li’s face.
Although he had never studied this ancient formation, numerous ancient texts on arrays had frequently mentioned it. It was said to be a renowned sealing array from antiquity, capable of harnessing the power of wind and fire from heaven and earth. Its sheer scale was the stuff of legend. If someone truly mastered its setup, they could indeed ensnare Starfall City.
After all, with Venerable Wan Tianming personally guarding the array’s core, as long as the formation’s heart remained intact, even if Star Palace cultivators occasionally launched attacks and destroyed some Wind-Fire Pillars, the opposing alliance could easily repair them, making it impossible to truly dismantle the array.
Lost in thought, Han Li’s expression turned contemplative. The nearby opposing alliance cultivators, too, wore uneasy expressions.
Even the dullest among them could now tell that Han Li was here to aid the Star Palace—their situation had just taken a dire turn.
Meanwhile, the three Whitewater Sword Sect cultivators trapped in the green silk net rejoiced. The elder among them hastily called out to Han Li, “Esteemed Senior, we are here to support the Star Palace! These men are all enforcers of the opposing alliance, each responsible for countless deaths of Star Palace sympathizers. They deserve no mercy—please do not let them escape!”
Hearing this, the opposing alliance cultivators paled.
The two standing farthest away exchanged a glance and, with unspoken understanding, each produced a small yellow banner. Without hesitation, they tossed them into the air, where they transformed into two yellow clouds that swiftly enveloped the pair, vanishing in an instant.
A flash later, the two yellow clouds reappeared over twenty zhang away, only to disappear again moments later.
“Instantaneous Teleportation!” Han Li’s pupils contracted in surprise.
But he quickly sneered, raising a hand to casually grasp at the green silk net trapping the Whitewater Sword Sect trio.
The two opposing alliance cultivators controlling the treasure felt a deafening “boom” in their minds, dizziness overwhelming them.
The Heaven-Earth Net slipped from their control, dissolving into a green mist that detached from the elder and his companions, swirling once before landing in Han Li’s hand.
Ignoring the trio’s grateful bows, Han Li’s back shimmered with blue-white light as a pair of feathered wings materialized. With a single flap, he vanished like the wind, clearly in pursuit of the teleporting duo.
The remaining opposing alliance cultivators, torn between shock and relief, exchanged glances before scattering in all directions, transforming into streaks of light.
Faced with such a terrifying adversary, they dared not pin their hopes on his mercy.
Seeing this, the elder and his companions naturally refused to let them escape. With a roar, they split up to give chase.
In the distance, two muffled booms echoed as white light flashed in the void. The two yellow clouds were sent flying backward, as if struck by an immense force.
A gentle breeze followed, and Han Li reappeared, his gaze icy as he stared at the yellow clouds, a mocking smile playing on his lips.
Between his brows, a pitch-black vertical eye silently closed, vanishing without a trace.
Inside the yellow clouds, the two opposing alliance cultivators were bloodied and pale, clearly grievously injured.
Terror gripped their hearts.
Since obtaining these two Yellow Sand Sumi Banners, they had relied on them to escape from Nascent Soul cultivators multiple times, placing absolute faith in their teleportation abilities. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have dared to flee after witnessing Han Li’s earlier display of power.
Yet now, with just two distant punches through the void, Han Li had shattered their confidence. They realized this young man was far more terrifying than they’d imagined.
Still, they refused to surrender without a fight.
Gritting their teeth, they spat mouthfuls of essence blood into the clouds, which churned and turned crimson. Chanting incantations, they prepared to unleash their final, desperate measures.
Han Li’s eyes flashed coldly. Suddenly, he opened his mouth, and two blinding golden streaks shot forth, piercing through the blood clouds in an instant before vanishing.
Screams erupted from within the clouds as the two men plummeted.
At that moment, Han Li expressionlessly pointed at them.
Two small golden swords materialized from the void, circling them once before erupting into golden light, engulfing their bodies. A rain of blood scattered downward.
Han Li had given them no chance to activate their secret techniques, annihilating them with lightning speed.
He then beckoned to the two blood clouds.
The crimson hue faded rapidly, reverting to yellow as they flew toward him.
Two azure spell seals shot from his fingers, disappearing into the clouds.
With a “whoosh,” the clouds transformed back into two yellow banners, which he swept into his sleeve with a flick.
These ancient treasures were top-tier for escape. Though of little use to him, they would be invaluable life-saving tools for his disciples.
Retrieving his flying swords, Han Li calmly scanned the directions the other cultivators had fled.
In that brief time, most had already reached several hundred zhang away, with the fastest now a mere dot on the horizon.
Han Li sighed softly, grabbing his spirit beast pouch and tossing it into the air.
A deafening hum filled the air as a golden cloud of insects surged forth. At his mental command, they split into five smaller swarms, streaking after the fleeing cultivators like lightning.
Han Li himself leisurely examined the two yellow banners in his hand.
The insect swarms and the cultivators vanished into the distance in the blink of an eye.
Before long, golden light flickered on the horizon as the swarms returned one after another. The three Whitewater Sword Sect cultivators followed, their faces ashen, their gazes at the insects filled with horror.
Clearly, they had witnessed the Gold Devouring Beetles consuming their prey alive—a sight that had shaken them deeply.
“Many thanks for saving our lives, Esteemed Senior. Without your intervention, we would surely have perished,” the elder said respectfully as soon as Han Li stored the insects away.
“I saved you incidentally. No need for excessive gratitude. Starfall City is now completely besieged. With your cultivation, even if you reached it, you couldn’t breach the island. Turn back now. I have no interest in dragging deadweight through the Wind-Fire Heaven-Severing Array,” Han Li said bluntly, eyeing the trio.
The three exchanged bitter smiles, knowing he spoke the truth. After a few more words of thanks, they turned and departed.
Han Li watched their retreating figures until they vanished into the distance before turning and streaking toward Starfall City.
A journey of tens of thousands of li posed no significant delay for Han Li.
Along the way, he detected several groups of opposing alliance cultivators hidden among reefs or beneath the waves.
None matched the first group’s strength of seven or eight Core Formation cultivators, but each was led by two or three high-level cultivators—clearly stationed to intercept any fleeing Star Palace sympathizers.
Han Li ignored them, his faint blue silhouette gliding soundlessly overhead.
None noticed the reaper who could have ended them with a mere thought passing by.
When Han Li was within a hundred li of Starfall City, he spotted flickering red lights on the horizon. Drawing closer, he saw the massive island now enveloped in a gauzy veil of blue-red light.
From the direction of the island, the faint rumble of thunder could be heard.
Han Li’s brows rose. His hands moved swiftly through a series of seals, and his already faint aura vanished completely.
His speed slowed considerably, but he continued unhurriedly toward the island.
Another few dozen li brought the situation around Starfall City into clear view.
A vast array of black dots dotted the sea ahead—countless spirit boats of varying designs.
Some towered like pavilions, adorned with carvings of dragons and phoenixes, while others were mere two-zhang-long skiffs. Their materials ranged from pale green spirit wood to flawless white jade, and even pitch-black “iron boats” gleaming with an oily sheen.
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