The blood cloud churned violently, instantly condensing into a blood lotus. With a swift spin, it absorbed over a dozen sword beams into itself.
Meanwhile, the small vial shot out dozens of feet before vanishing into thin air with a flash.
This scene stunned Huantian Qi, who was charging forward. But his shock quickly turned to rage as he opened his mouth and exhaled a gust of gray demonic wind, whipping up sand and stones as it surged toward Han Li’s concealed location.
Though the demon couldn’t see Han Li, his combat experience told him someone was hiding nearby, having taken the vial.
Seeing the demonic wind approaching, Han Li’s expression darkened.
In his concealed state, he couldn’t immediately escape the attack range. If caught in the wind, the power of the Taiyi Transformation Talisman would be instantly dispelled.
At that critical moment, Xutian, standing nearby, frowned and formed a hand seal, pointing solemnly at the oncoming wind.
With a *whoosh*, a blood-red sword beam, like a celestial rainbow, shot from Xutian’s hand. In a flash, it split the demonic wind in half and continued straight toward Huantian Qi.
Startled, Huantian Qi hastily reached out with one hand.
A gray demonic claw materialized above his head and grabbed at the blood-red light. Gray and red intertwined, locked in a momentary stalemate.
Seizing the opportunity, Han Li, still concealed, floated lightly upward.
But just then, a cold snort echoed behind him:
“Where do you think you’re going?”
A flash of yellow light appeared in the air, and a white jade seal materialized above Han Li’s head. It expanded to over a dozen feet in size and crashed down, trapping Han Li beneath it.
The attack was lightning-fast—even Xutian couldn’t react in time, letting out a low exclamation.
Han Li had witnessed the jade seal’s power before—it had clashed with the massive stone club of the one-eyed giant without a scratch.
There was no way he could withstand it.
His expression shifted several times before he sighed softly.
A silver flash erupted beneath the seal, revealing Han Li’s figure.
He slapped the top of his head, and a small cauldron wrapped in azure light emerged. The lid opened, releasing a clear chime as countless azure threads shot out, weaving into a radiant net that caught the descending seal.
The seal mercilessly struck the azure net.
A thunderous explosion followed. The jade seal was extraordinary—the net began to fracture upon contact. However, the Void Heaven Cauldron was, after all, a supreme treasure. The threads it released slowed the seal’s descent.
Seizing the moment, Han Li formed hand seals. Thunder rumbled behind him as cyan-white wings unfurled.
With a twist, he transformed into a white streak, vanishing alongside the cauldron.
The seal shattered the remaining net but struck empty air.
Thirty feet away, a flash of cyan lightning revealed Han Li’s figure, silent and unharmed.
“How can you wield these treasures? You’re not Shiyan!”
Xutian’s disbelieving voice echoed from the blood cloud, which churned violently as a tiny figure, only a few inches tall, emerged atop it.
His face twisted with fury, he glared at Han Li—this was Xuanling Xutian.
“You’re not a Spirit Race member—you’re a human cultivator!” Behind Han Li’s previous position, light shimmered as Huangliang Lingjun appeared, his face filled with astonishment.
Huantian Qi took advantage of the distraction, dispersing the blood-red sword beam with his claw before flashing to Huangliang Lingjun’s side, eyeing Han Li with suspicion.
Facing three shocked Void Refinement-stage beings, Han Li wasted no words. He formed hand seals and spat out a mouthful of essence blood, which instantly enveloped him in a thick crimson mist.
“Trying to escape?” Xutian recognized the high-level escape technique and roared in fury.
His blood cloud surged as he prepared to give chase.
“Xutian, no need to rush. Let me test your Blood Lotus again. Huangliang, since it’s a human cultivator, he’s yours.” Huantian Qi transformed into a half-demon, darting toward Xutian like a streak of light, his voice icy.
“Relax. A mere Nascent Soul cultivator, even with a treasure, won’t escape me.” Huangliang Lingjun’s gaze never left Han Li as he spoke calmly.
He had instantly recognized the Void Heaven Cauldron as a treasure.
With a flick of his finger, a green sword shot from his mouth like a flood dragon, slashing down at the blood mist.
A *clang* rang out as a golden beam shot from the mist, deflecting the green light.
A foot-long golden flying sword appeared.
Huangliang Lingjun smirked, pointing at the green light.
It swooped down, clashing with the golden sword. The green radiance intensified, overwhelming the gold before swirling into a ten-foot-wide sword wheel, spinning rapidly to shred the trapped blade.
A grating metallic screech filled the air, but despite its dimmed glow, the golden sword remained intact, stubbornly holding back the green light.
“Hmm?” Huangliang Lingjun’s brow furrowed in surprise.
His sword, though not forged from divine materials, had been refined with great effort during his early cultivation and nurtured for millennia. Its power rivaled that of treasures. Yet, it couldn’t break a Nascent Soul cultivator’s sword?
Masking his shock, he formed sword seals. The green light hummed, splitting into thirty-six identical beams that rained down on the blood mist, aiming to slice Han Li to pieces.
But Han Li merely swayed his shoulders, releasing dozens more golden swords to intercept the barrage.
The blood mist churned violently as Han Li chanted, his fingers weaving spells—his technique was nearly complete.
Huangliang Lingjun’s eyes flashed coldly. Yellow light erupted from his body, and he vanished.
Han Li took a deep breath. A black third eye opened on his forehead, firing a thin beam of darkness that disappeared instantly.
A deafening explosion erupted ten feet away. Yellow and black lights clashed before Huangliang Lingjun reappeared, his voice trembling.
“Annihilation Treasure! You possess such a thing?!”
His expression turned grave, but instead of anger, excitement flickered in his eyes.
He raised a hand and slowly clenched his fingers.
A sharp whistling sound erupted above Han Li as violent winds howled. Countless strands of light materialized, coalescing into a crystalline jade axe, ten feet long and exuding terrifying power.
Huangliang Lingjun swung his arm down, uttering a single word:
“Cleave.”
The five-colored axe trembled before descending. Before it even neared the mist, thunder rumbled beneath its blade, and green lightning crackled. Space itself warped around it.
Han Li, still chanting within the mist, paled at the sight.
Without hesitation, he spat out a small black mountain. It emitted rings of gray light that spread outward. Strangely, wherever the rings passed, the green sword beams pressing his golden swords trembled and weakened.
But the jade axe was no ordinary attack. It sliced through the first few rings effortlessly, its descent unimpeded.
Desperate, Han Li focused his divine sense. The remaining rings merged into one massive loop that vanished, reappearing around the axe and tightening.
The axe’s five-colored glow flickered wildly, freezing mid-air as if losing control.
Huangliang Lingjun’s heart pounded. He barked a command, sending several spells toward the axe.
With a thunderous roar, green lightning erupted from the axe, shattering the gray ring.
But the delay was enough.
The blood mist convulsed as Han Li’s figure blurred, transforming into a streak of crimson light that shot out, vanishing hundreds of miles away in an instant.
His swords and the black mountain disappeared with him.
This was Han Li’s life-saving escape technique—the Blood Shadow Evasion. With his Nascent Soul cultivation and enhanced physique, its speed was now unimaginable. In a few flashes, he vanished beyond the horizon.
Huangliang Lingjun, Xutian, and Huantian Qi stood frozen.
Then, with furious roars, all three transformed into streaks of light and gave chase, their speed nearly matching Han Li’s.
In moments, they too disappeared into the distance.
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