Han Li, seeing the other party’s unrelenting demeanor, felt a growing anger within himself.
Since advancing to the late Nascent Soul stage, the full power of his two Heaven-reaching Spiritual Treasures had never been truly unleashed. Moreover, he had finally gathered all seventy-two Gold Essence Flying Swords. Once the Great Geng Sword Formation was deployed, even he wasn’t entirely sure of its full might. However, he was confident that even a Deity Transformation cultivator caught within it would find it difficult to escape unscathed.
Not to mention, he also had two newly identified Annihilation Immortal Pearls as his trump cards.
Though he had already weighed the situation multiple times in his mind, Han Li, with a darkened expression, carefully reconsidered and concluded that he could indeed engage in battle. Thus, when the massive yellow hand lunged at him again, he no longer relied on his Wind and Thunder Wings to evade. Instead, he raised his hand, and a dazzling golden light flashed.
With a sharp *shing*, the sword light cleaved the massive hand cleanly in two before dissipating.
This counterattack from Han Li momentarily stunned the Wind Elder opposite him, causing the old man to narrow his eyes slightly.
Truth be told, when he had caught up to Han Li earlier and saw him standing boldly in mid-air without fleeing, he had already found it somewhat odd. His previous attack had merely been a probing strike. Now, with Han Li’s retaliation, he realized that this late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator, pushed to the brink, was prepared to engage him in a serious battle.
Outwardly, the Wind Elder’s expression remained wooden, but inwardly, he felt not anger but delight.
If Han Li had continued fleeing, he would have questioned whether it was worth further depleting his lifespan to pursue. But now that Han Li intended to fight, expending a bit more of his vital essence in one decisive strike would be enough to eliminate him and end this tiresome chase.
The Wind Elder exhaled deeply, wasting no more words. He simply raised a hand and touched the top of his head.
A blue light flashed, and a hexagonal jade disc materialized, ancient in design and covered in shifting runes of various colors, exuding an air of profound mystery.
As this treasure appeared, a sinister grin spread across the Wind Elder’s long face.
Since he intended to minimize the loss of his lifespan, he would strike with overwhelming force from the outset, avoiding any prolonged battle. Having briefly clashed with Han Li during the chase, he knew the man possessed formidable abilities and mystical treasures, so he dared not underestimate him. Thus, he immediately deployed his most prized possession.
The jade disc spun rapidly in the air, emitting a resonant hum as it swelled into a colossal object several *zhang* in size. It then stood upright, facing Han Li.
A dazzling blue radiance emanated from its surface, as if something were about to emerge.
Seeing this, Han Li’s heart tightened. Without hesitation, he flicked both sleeves, releasing dozens of small golden swords that swam out like fish. In an instant, they transformed into seventy-two golden flying swords, each about a foot long, circling above his head.
With a hand seal, the seventy-two swords flickered, multiplying into hundreds of identical sword lights. These sword lights danced briefly before transforming into golden mist, accompanied by a deafening chorus of sword hums—a truly awe-inspiring sight.
Opposite him, the Wind Elder was momentarily stunned by the sheer number of flying swords but soon curled his lips into a cold smile.
“Even if you have many swords, can they compare to my flying blades? Let me show you the might of my Ten Thousand Blades Disc!”
“Ten Thousand Blades Disc?” Han Li’s gaze flickered toward the distant hexagonal jade disc.
Runes flashed on its surface, and a blue beam shot out, dispersing into countless blue streaks. Each streak shimmered before solidifying into a gleaming blue flying blade, several inches long. The disc continued spewing forth blue beams, and in moments, a dense forest of blades—like a mountain of knives—hovered above the old man’s head.
The sight was enough to strike fear into anyone’s heart.
Though Han Li wasn’t terrified, his expression darkened considerably.
The Ten Thousand Blades Disc lived up to its name. Even if the blades didn’t number ten thousand, three to four thousand was certainly an understatement.
At that moment, the Wind Elder flicked his sleeve toward Han Li and uttered a single word: “Slay!”
All the blue blades erupted with radiant light, transforming into streaks of blue light that shot toward Han Li. The sheer number of blades blotted out half the sky, resembling an entire mountain of blades crashing down upon him.
The golden sword lights above Han Li’s head were impressive, but compared to the opposing blade mountain, they paled in comparison.
“Bring it on!”
Han Li took a deep breath, his expression suddenly returning to calm. With a loud shout, he didn’t command his sword lights to intercept. Instead, he raised a hand, and a mass of emerald green shot forth, faintly revealing a green wooden ruler within.
It was none other than the Eight Spirit Ruler, a Heaven-reaching Spiritual Treasure!
The ruler began moving on its own as soon as it left his hand. A silver lotus shadow emerged from its surface, growing larger and more solid under the torrent of spiritual energy Han Li poured into it.
Within moments, the silver lotus expanded to over ten *zhang* in size, completely shielding Han Li.
“The Eight Spirit Ruler! You’re that Han brat from Kunwu Mountain!” The Wind Elder’s eyes widened in shock as he recognized the treasure instantly.
The descending blade mountain halted abruptly above the giant silver lotus, hesitating to press downward.
“Brother Feng recognizes me?” Han Li frowned slightly but replied coolly.
“I don’t know you, but that old ghost Xiang mentioned you once! I heard you’re acquainted with the Spirit Realm’s Demon Consort Linglong?” The Wind Elder’s eyes flickered, his thoughts unreadable.
“Acquainted is an overstatement, but we’ve met. As for ‘old ghost Xiang,’ are you referring to Xiang Zhili?” Han Li’s expression turned peculiar at the mention of the two.
“Hmph, who else? Never mind Xiang for now. Tell me—before Demon Consort Linglong returned to the Spirit Realm, did she mention anything about spatial nodes or leave you any shortcuts?” The Wind Elder took a deep breath and posed the question bluntly.
“What do you mean? Didn’t she already provide guidance to Brother Xiang and the Ten Thousand Demon Valley’s Corpse Bear? If you’re acquainted with Brother Xiang, you should know this.” Han Li’s heart skipped a beat, but his face remained impassive.
“What do I mean? Don’t play dumb. I’ve investigated the matter thoroughly. That demon consort clearly had a close relationship with you. I refuse to believe she didn’t leave you anything before returning to the Spirit Realm. Hand over whatever she gave you, and I’ll let bygones be bygones.” The Wind Elder sneered, his voice icy.
“Your tone is quite bold. Whether I possess such an item or not, do you truly believe your Ten Thousand Blades Disc is enough to subdue me?” Han Li refused outright, his voice cold.
He wasn’t a naive child to be fooled so easily. Even if admitting to such a thing allowed him to escape this predicament, being targeted by other Deity Transformation old monsters afterward would bring endless trouble.
Hearing Han Li’s response, the Wind Elder’s eyes flashed with murderous intent. He formed a hand seal, preparing to unleash the blade mountain once more.
Han Li tensed, his divine sense stirring as the giant silver lotus began to rotate slowly.
Just as the battle was about to erupt, a calm voice echoed in the ears of both the Wind Elder and Han Li:
“Brother Feng, Fellow Daoist Han, hold your hands.”
Recognizing the familiar voice, Han Li froze, his expression turning strange.
The Wind Elder, who had been forming hand seals, also paused, his face betraying surprise. He turned his head sharply toward the horizon and snorted.
“Hmph, old ghost Xiang, you’ve arrived just in time.”
“Hehe, I happened to be in a nearby province. Once I received your flying sword message, I naturally followed your trail. But I never expected Fellow Daoist Feng’s target would be Fellow Daoist Han. This puts me in quite a dilemma.”
The voice laughed heartily as a streak of yellow light shot across the sky, arriving between the two in mere moments.
The light faded, revealing an elderly man with a wizened face and shrewd, narrow eyes. He wore a genial smile—none other than Xiang Zhili, whom Han Li had met several times before.
“Senior Brother Xiang!” Han Li sighed softly and clasped his hands in greeting.
“Back in the day, I spent a few years at the Yellow Maple Valley in the South. Calling me ‘senior brother’ isn’t entirely wrong. But Junior Brother Han! I never imagined that the little Qi Condensation cultivator from back then would reach such heights. It seems even I can misjudge people. Truth be told, when we met at Kunwu Mountain, I had hoped to speak with you at length, but unforeseen circumstances prevented even a proper conversation.” Xiang Zhili spoke amiably, his demeanor warm and friendly.
“I, too, never thought we’d meet again,” Han Li replied with a bitter smile.
“Fellow Daoist Feng, for my sake, if you and Junior Brother Han have no deep-seated enmity, why not let this minor misunderstanding pass? So what if a distant descendant of yours was accidentally killed? It’s hardly worth risking your life over. Your Ten Thousand Blades Disc may be a replica spiritual treasure, but it’s still far from a true Heaven-reaching Spiritual Treasure.” After greeting Han Li, Xiang Zhili turned to the Wind Elder with a faint smile.
“Hmph! A mere Nascent Soul cultivator, even with a Heaven-reaching Spiritual Treasure, can only unleash its second-tier power at best. Do you truly believe he can harm me?” The Wind Elder scoffed disdainfully.
“Indeed, with just one spiritual treasure, Junior Brother Han would be no match for you. But what if he possesses two Heaven-reaching Spiritual Treasures and several replicas?” Xiang Zhili shook his head, speaking as if musing aloud.
The Wind Elder’s expression changed instantly.
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