The burly man who had just emerged from the ground and the yellow-robed man from earlier were the duo who had been relentlessly pursuing Han Li.
After catching up, they feared Han Li might set off on another long journey. As soon as they had recovered some of their magical power, they stealthily approached and planned this ambush.
At this moment, Han Li felt a burning pain in his injured thigh. It seemed the recent exertion had worsened the wound.
But now was not the time to dwell on that! The man who had been hiding underground drew a long blade shrouded in black energy from his back and fiercely charged at Han Li.
Han Li observed the man’s movements. Although he was fast, his actions were stiff and rigid—clearly, he was relying solely on magical enhancements. Han Li felt somewhat relieved. When it came to agility and unpredictability, he was confident this man was no match for him!
With that thought, Han Li ignored the imposing burly man and turned his attention to the yellow-robed man, who had taken out a dark green gourd and was pointing its opening toward him, as if preparing to cast another spell!
“Where are you looking? Die!”
The burly man had already closed in on Han Li, his body glowing brightly with yellow light as he raised the eerie long blade and swung it down fiercely.
Han Li snorted, his body swaying slightly as he effortlessly evaded the blade’s trajectory.
“You fool, you fell for it!” the burly man suddenly laughed maniacally.
The long blade in his hand flashed with black light, transforming into a long black chain that snaked toward Han Li like a serpent, relentlessly coiling around him with the clear intent to bind him.
Startled, Han Li’s figure immediately became blurred and elusive, shifting left, right, forward, and backward as if multiple versions of him were circling the burly man.
The burly man was initially frightened but, relying on the “Earth Armor Technique” protecting his body, chose to ignore it. Instead, he focused on controlling the flexible black chain, desperately chasing Han Li’s true form.
“Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!” Han Li brushed past the burly man, and in that instant, he launched a series of fireballs from his hands, striking the man’s yellow protective glow and causing it to flicker violently. Unfortunately, it quickly stabilized again.
“You think mere fireball spells can break my protective technique?” the burly man sneered arrogantly, his hand seals becoming even faster as he continued to drive the black chain without relenting.
Han Li grew anxious. Although the black chain was slower than him and couldn’t catch him, he didn’t dare slow down either, or he would surely be ensnared. He had no idea what kind of magical artifact this black chain was, but it was incredibly troublesome! He couldn’t afford to let it trap him.
In the midst of the chaos, he stole a glance at the yellow-robed man and saw him looking solemn, the gourd artifact in his hand beginning to emit a faint green light from its mouth. It was unclear what was about to emerge from it.
“This won’t do. If this continues, I’ll surely lose my life! I have to take a risk!” Han Li thought to himself as the situation grew increasingly dire.
While moving at high speed, Han Li retrieved the Golden Light Talisman he had obtained from Golden Light Superior. This talisman was another form of spellcraft, and Han Li had long since learned its incantation from the monk Ku Sang. Now, it was finally coming in handy.
Han Li muttered a few spells under his breath. Though his words were somewhat unclear due to his movements, the golden characters on the talisman began to glow. Once the characters were fully illuminated, Han Li slapped the talisman onto his body. Instantly, a golden light erupted around him, forming a golden shield. However, his movements abruptly slowed, allowing the pursuing black chain to wrap around him.
Han Li had already tested the Golden Light Talisman and knew it would slow him down. Seeing the black chain coil around him multiple times but being completely blocked by the golden light, he felt even more reassured. He had gambled correctly—the golden shield could indeed defend against the opponent’s magical artifact.
The burly man, however, let out a low roar and charged forward again, his fists clenched and glowing with a dazzling, nearly tangible yellow light. It was unclear what technique he had reinforced them with this time.
Having learned from his previous mistake, Han Li had no intention of letting the burly man get close again. He suddenly crouched down, pressed his hands against the ground, and began chanting a low incantation. A faint yellow glow emanated from his hands.
The burly man was slightly startled and tried to stop, but it was too late. The ground beneath his feet turned into soft, quicksand-like mud, causing his legs to sink deep into it, all the way up to his thighs. He flailed about in panic.
“Strike!” a sharp shout rang in Han Li’s ears.
Han Li’s heart sank as he turned to look at the yellow-robed man.
From the mouth of the dark green gourd, seven or eight pitch-black spheres, each about the size of an egg, shot out and flew straight toward Han Li.
Han Li’s expression turned grim. The yellow glow around his hands dissipated, and he frantically reached into his robe, pulling out a wooden box.
By then, the spheres had already reached him, slamming fiercely into his golden shield. The impact caused the shield to warp and fluctuate violently, as if it might shatter at any moment.
Ignoring the danger, Han Li sat cross-legged, placed the wooden box on his knees, and began forming hand seals.
Bang! Bang! Bang! The spheres attacked even more fiercely, relentlessly pounding the golden shield. The golden light around Han Li gradually dimmed, and it seemed the shield was on the verge of breaking, which would mean certain death.
At that moment, Han Li roared, “Rise!”
As his voice echoed, a gray light about ten feet long shot out from the wooden box. Like a flood dragon emerging from water, it circled around him once, and the black spheres were instantly split in half as if they had met their nemesis, falling lifelessly to the ground.
“A Talisman Treasure!” the yellow-robed man exclaimed as if he had seen a ghost.
Han Li’s heart stirred at the words, but he had no time to ponder further. The burly man, who was closer, had already freed himself. However, upon seeing Han Li’s gray sword light, his face turned deathly pale. Instead of charging at Han Li, he turned and fled.
But Han Li, now filled with killing intent, had no intention of letting him escape. He pointed at the burly man, and the sword light shot after him, reaching his back in the blink of an eye.
With a swift circle around the man’s neck, his head easily rolled to the ground. The yellow protective light around his body seemed nonexistent, offering no resistance whatsoever.
Seeing this, the yellow-robed man dared not stay a moment longer. He pulled out a talisman, slapped it onto his body, and instantly grew a pair of large yellow wings. With a light flap, he soared into the air and flew into the distance.
Han Li directed the sword light to pursue him, closely following the yellow-robed man. The man flew faster and faster, and for a moment, the gray light couldn’t catch up.
Growing anxious, Han Li hardened his heart and poured all his remaining magical power into the sword light. The gray radiance suddenly accelerated as if fueled by a potent tonic, piercing through the yellow-robed man’s chest in an instant.
The yellow-robed man let out a blood-curdling scream and plummeted from the sky.
Overjoyed, Han Li recalled the gray light and rushed over, hoping to capture him alive for interrogation.
Unfortunately, by the time Han Li reached the spot where the man had fallen, the yellow-robed man was already dead—he had been killed by the fall! This left Han Li deeply frustrated.
With no captive to interrogate, Han Li could only search the two men’s bodies for any useful clues.
After unceremoniously looting everything from them, Han Li found no relevant information but instead stumbled upon a windfall. The two men had over fifty low-grade spirit stones on them, not to mention various talismans and magical artifacts!
Although Han Li was puzzled by the inexplicable ambush and wondered if these two were connected to the earlier disappearances of rogue cultivators, he didn’t dare stay long. After taking some pills to recover, he continued on his journey.
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