Chapter 1217: Battle at the Star Palace (Part 13)

At this moment, the old demon finally saw clearly—the black wind that had been enveloping him had been sliced open with a slender gash at some point.

Judging by the position and direction, it was precisely where his severed arm had been. He hadn’t detected any warning signs beforehand.

Naturally, this left the old demon both shocked and furious. His remaining arm swiftly tapped the descending fiery-red shield.

With a bounce, the shield transformed into a crimson light barrier, encasing him within. Simultaneously, he released his divine sense outward, his eyes darting frantically in search of Han Li’s whereabouts.

Just then, the white thread shot out once more from the void about ten zhang behind the old demon. After a brief swirl, it paused slightly before materializing into a human figure—none other than Han Li himself.

Han Li examined himself briefly, his twin wings fluttering gently behind him, while he gripped the purple radiant blade in his hand.

*”The Nine Transformations of the Gale, though powerful, places too heavy a burden on the body. Even with my third-layer King Ming Art, I can barely endure a single use,”* Han Li murmured in a low voice.

*”That’s only natural. This technique was originally created for avian demonic cultivators. You, a human, may have the Wind and Thunder Wings to assist you, but you can’t truly execute this movement technique with ease. Forcing it places a far greater strain on your body than it would on an ordinary demonic bird. With the third-layer King Ming Art, you can only perform it two or three times. Any more, and your body will collapse from the extreme speed. If you wish to use this technique freely, you’ll need to advance the King Ming Art by another layer,”* the child’s indifferent voice echoed in Han Li’s ears.

*”So that’s how it is. When I practiced in the chamber, I used it a few times, but due to the confined space, I never realized the burden of covering such a long distance,”* Han Li sighed, waving his hand to disperse the purple blade.

This time, the child merely chuckled and said nothing more.

The moment Han Li reappeared, the old demon immediately spotted him.

However, the child transformed from the Heavenly Spirit Beast was using a sound transmission technique, so the old demon couldn’t hear a thing. From afar, it merely seemed as though Han Li was talking to himself.

Thus, with a flicker of suspicion in his eyes, the old demon suddenly slapped a spirit beast pouch at his waist.

A black flash later, a pitch-black, double-headed serpent emerged. Though not enormous—only about three zhang long—its twin triangular heads and the wisps of green mist spewing from its mouths clearly indicated its extreme toxicity.

The Six Paths Demon then opened his mouth, spitting out a black orb that encased something.

The orb spun rapidly before revealing a small white banner several inches long. Under the old demon’s incantation, it swelled violently in the wind, transforming into a towering bone-white banner over a zhang tall in the blink of an eye.

Han Li was momentarily stunned at the sight of this banner.

The entire banner was crafted from human bones, its surface shrouded in a dark haze with faintly discernible gray-white talisman scripts. At its pinnacle were embedded three skulls of varying sizes, which, upon appearing, gnashed their fangs and emitted eerie, unsettling laughter that sent chills down one’s spine and stirred unrest in the heart.

With a low shout, the old demon pressed his palm against the bone banner.

The three skulls trembled violently, spewing black mist that sucked in the severed arm floating at the old demon’s feet. After a frenzied struggle, they devoured it completely in moments.

Then, the three skulls flashed with a bloody light, swelling in size by a full circle.

With this, the terror on the Six Paths Demon’s face faded considerably, his gaze now fixed coldly on Han Li.

Clearly, the old demon was thinking rationally.

Knowing that with Han Li’s bizarre wind-and-thunder fusion movement technique, escape was impossible. Fleeing blindly would only hasten his demise. Thus, he steeled himself for a desperate fight, hoping to seize a sliver of survival.

To that end, he revealed another treasure he had never shown before—one he relied upon.

Han Li frowned. Though he had never seen this artifact before, the overwhelming yin energy emanating from it made him wary.

Just then, the child’s astonished voice echoed in Han Li’s ears.

*”The Three Spirit Bone Banner? I never imagined someone in this realm could forge such an evil artifact—truly unbelievable!”*

*”Brother Tianlan recognizes this item?”* Han Li asked curiously.

*”This banner is infamous in the Spirit Realm, one of the Seven Great Evil Artifacts. Of course, the one before us is but a crude imitation, its power a mere shadow of the true Three Spirit Bone Banner. But the process of forging it is exceptionally bloody—almost none who attempt it, be they human or demonic beast, meet a peaceful end. Though this one lacks much power, it must have still required the blood sacrifice of many cultivators,”* the child chuckled, his tone a mix of admiration for the banner’s might and wariness toward its creation.

*”I see. Tsk tsk, truly befitting the title of the number one demonic cultivator in the Chaotic Star Seas—there’s nothing he wouldn’t dare to do. Since this is such a notorious evil artifact, let’s test its power,”* Han Li muttered, a cold smile forming as he reached for his waist and flung out a pitch-black jade bottle.

The bottle spun mid-air, its lid popping open as it turned upside down.

A surge of gray-white yin energy erupted, followed by the trembling emergence of five skeletal humanoid figures—none other than the Five Ghosts of the Heart, which Han Li had subdued earlier.

The moment the five ghosts appeared, Han Li activated a spell.

The skeletons rolled on the ground, transforming into five ghostly heads the size of wagon wheels, each adorned with grotesque horns and ferocious fangs. They lunged straight for the bone banner.

*”The Five Ghosts of the Heart!”* The Six Paths Demon, as the foremost demonic cultivator of the Star Seas, was well-versed in such matters and instantly recognized the ghosts, exclaiming in shock.

Unaware that Han Li had forcibly seized the ghosts from another, he assumed Han Li had personally refined them. Given the similarly ruthless methods required for their creation, he now regarded Han Li as a fellow merciless demonic cultivator.

His heart sank.

Not only was this opponent already formidable, but he was also well-versed in demonic techniques. Could this truly be an inescapable calamity?

Yet, with the five ghosts charging toward him, he had no choice but to grit his teeth and activate the giant banner before him.

The bone banner trembled violently as the three skulls atop it cackled grotesquely, spewing vast plumes of ink-black yin energy.

In response, the five ghostly heads opened their maws, unleashing torrents of jade-green yin flames. Black mist and green demonic fire clashed violently, explosions resounding incessantly.

But in the next instant, the old demon’s face twitched.

Upon contact, the yin flames from the five ghosts gained the upper hand, forcing the black mist into steady retreat.

The Six Paths Demon inwardly cursed.

To his knowledge, the Five Ghosts of the Heart, though formidable, should only possess the power of late Core Formation cultivators. Yet these five ghosts clearly surpassed that level, suppressing the three skulls on his banner—each of which had the strength of an early Nascent Soul cultivator.

However, aside from certain unique treasures, the true might of an artifact largely depended on the wielder’s cultivation and control. Gritting his teeth, the old demon formed a hand seal and spat out a mouthful of essence blood, which vanished into the giant banner.

The bone banner buzzed loudly, its talisman scripts churning violently as countless phantom skulls—each the size of a fist—materialized around it.

Simultaneously opening their jaws, they spewed black mist that coalesced into a massive black flood dragon. After a brief swirl, it lunged at the five ghostly heads with a flick of its tail.

Two of the ghosts shuddered, reverting to humanoid skeletons. Rubbing their hands together, they each summoned a pair of bone blades several chi long and fearlessly charged, engaging the black flood dragon in combat.

With two ghosts occupied, the remaining three’s yin flames weakened, allowing the three giant skulls on the banner to stabilize their position.

The black mist and yin flames reached a stalemate!

The old demon finally relaxed slightly, but when his gaze swept back to Han Li, his heart clenched again.

Han Li stood with his arms crossed, observing the battle between the five ghosts and the bone banner with an enigmatic smile. Sensing the old demon’s gaze, he returned it, his eyes suddenly glinting with a peculiar light.

The old demon’s heart skipped a beat—an inexplicable sense of extreme danger surged within him.

Suddenly, the double-headed serpent coiled above him let out a shrill screech. The old demon whirled around to see a green figure floating ghost-like a few zhang behind him, a black crystalline flying knife already slicing through the black wind at his back, inching toward the second layer of crimson light shielding him.

Had he not turned in time, he might have lost his head before realizing the danger.

The Six Paths Demon’s face drained of color. Meanwhile, the second Nascent Soul within the humanoid puppet, seeing its ambush exposed, wasted no time. With a fierce incantation, the flying knife tore through the air and stabbed into the light barrier.

Simultaneously, the puppet itself erupted in silver light before vanishing without a trace.

At the same moment, Han Li, still standing afar with his arms crossed, narrowed his eyes coldly. Raising a hand, green light flashed as the Eight Spirit Ruler mysteriously appeared in his grasp.

Gripping the ruler, he gave it a slight wave toward the old demon. Then, with a faint thunderclap, his twin wings fluttered, and he vanished.

The old demon, however, had no time to react to Han Li’s movements. As the black flying knife paused briefly before piercing his protective barrier, he let out a deafening roar.

His body swayed as a black streak shot from his chest, intercepting the flying knife. Simultaneously, his figure split into two identical phantoms, darting in opposite directions.