Hearing Han Li’s cold words, Lei Lan and the other two could clearly see that he was not joking. Startled, they wasted no time and flew to the Underworld Flame Fruit trees, each taking out a wooden box to harvest the ripe fruits.
Among them, Qin Xiao was particularly quick-witted. After packing one of the fruits, she respectfully presented the box to Han Li with both hands.
Han Li showed no hesitation. With a flick of his sleeve, a flash of green light swept past, and the box vanished without a trace.
By then, Lei Lan and Bai Bi had also finished collecting the Underworld Flame Fruits and returned to the vicinity.
“Let’s go! No stops along the way—we must return to the surface as quickly as possible,” Han Li said sternly before summoning a green glow around himself and soaring into the sky as a green streak.
He didn’t waste a single word.
Bai Bi and the others didn’t know why Han Li was suddenly in such a hurry to leave the Abyss, but they guessed it likely had something to do with the escaped Blood Flood Dragon. If even the unfathomable Han Li was acting this way, their unease only deepened.
Not daring to fall behind, Lei Lan and the others activated their own flight techniques and swiftly followed.
In the blink of an eye, the group vanished into the distance.
—
Two days later, in the wooden hall on the third level of the Abyss, the giant golden flower still stood, its shadowy female figure resting her chin on one hand, deep in thought.
At the moment, the hall was empty except for two green-robed maids standing nearby.
Suddenly, a streak of bloody light shot through the entrance. As the glow faded, a half-kneeling figure with the head of a flood dragon and a human body appeared—none other than the Blood Flood Dragon that had just clashed with Han Li.
“Greetings, Master!” the creature said.
“It’s you. How did things go? Did you kill those people and retrieve their souls?” the woman asked indifferently, her gaze sweeping over the Blood Flood Dragon.
“Forgive me, Master. Blood Poison was unable to kill them,” the creature replied, lowering its head slightly.
“Oh? So those people really are unusual,” the woman mused, her interest piqued rather than angered.
“Indeed, Master. The others were nothing special—just ordinary Spirit General-level Winged Tribesmen. But one of them, despite being at the Spirit General level, withstood my full-powered Heavenly Blood Lightning and even rebounded my Blood River Needle with his bare body. Remembering your earlier instructions to retreat and report if anything seemed amiss, I withdrew after failing the first strike,” Blood Poison explained clearly.
“He withstood the Heavenly Blood Lightning and rebounded the Blood River Needle with his body?” The shadowy figure on the golden flower, though expecting something unusual, was still slightly surprised.
“Exactly. Not only that, his movement techniques were astonishing, and he possessed several other formidable abilities. Even if I fought him with all my strength, I would likely lose,” the Blood Flood Dragon added hesitantly.
“Other abilities aside, the fact that a mere Spirit General could rebound your Blood River Needle with his body is extraordinary. It means his physical strength is at an extreme level—perfect as the finest sacrificial offering. Excellent! We were supposed to prepare three supreme offerings, but so far, we’ve only found one. I was just worrying about this!” The woman’s voice carried a hint of delight.
“Master, you mean…?”
“Naturally, I will capture him myself and use him as the final sacrificial offering,” the woman said, her tone turning sinister.
“But Master, isn’t this the same person Lord Earthblood is after?” the Blood Flood Dragon couldn’t help but remind her, having learned of this through other channels.
“That old monster Earthblood claims he wants to exterminate those Winged Tribesmen, but in truth, he’s after their souls—likely due to some deal with the Netherghost Crone. I only want this man’s body, so our goals don’t conflict. There’s nothing to worry about!” the woman said coldly, accurately guessing the Blood Robe’s true intentions.
“Master is wise!” the Blood Flood Dragon said, realization dawning.
“No time to waste. I’ll go now. Blood Poison, accompany me to the second level. We’ll catch up to him together,” the woman ordered.
“As you command!” the Blood Flood Dragon replied respectfully, rising to its feet.
A black shadow flickered atop the golden flower, and the woman, enveloped in a hazy dark glow, appeared beside the Blood Flood Dragon in an instant.
With a single hand seal and a muttered incantation, a pitch-black radiance erupted from her body, wrapping around both of them.
In a flash, they vanished without a trace.
—
Meanwhile, under Han Li’s relentless urging, Lei Lan and the others covered in a single day what would normally take several, yet they continued their frantic flight without pause.
Fortunately, the dangers and demonic beasts along the route had already been cleared, and the path was familiar, requiring no further thought or distraction.
Even so, the relentless pace day and night drained Bai Bi and Qin Xiao’s spiritual energy, leaving them exhausted. But seeing Han Li’s grim expression at the forefront, they dared not complain, gritting their teeth to keep up.
Another day later, as a stretch of marshland appeared ahead, the second-level exit—where black winds howled ceaselessly—came into faint view.
Han Li relaxed slightly, exhaling softly, but without hesitation, he led the group into the marsh.
Half a day later, they emerged at the entrance to the first-level valley.
At this point, Han Li made a decision that stunned Lei Lan and the others.
“From here, we split up. None of you should stay together—take different routes and return to the surface as fast as you can,” Han Li said coldly the moment they left the valley.
“Split up? Brother Han, why?” Bai Bi exclaimed, while Lei Lan and Qin Xiao’s expressions also changed.
“At this point, I won’t hide it. We may have drawn the attention of an Abyssal Demon King. Even with my abilities, I’m no match for such an existence. I don’t know when they’ll catch up, but if we separate, they’ll likely pursue me. Your chances of escaping to the surface will be higher. And without you holding me back, I can focus on fleeing. At the first level, few things should pose a threat to you anymore,” Han Li explained grimly.
“An Abyssal Demon King?! Why would such a terrifying being target us? Brother Han, are you mistaken?” Qin Xiao’s face turned deathly pale.
“I don’t know the reason. But I’ve said all I need to. Your lives are your own—believe me or not, it’s up to you. But it’s best you leave now. They could catch up at any moment,” Han Li said, his eyes flashing.
Lei Lan and the others exchanged uneasy glances.
But as Han Li had said, their lives were their own. Whether his words were true or not, they had to treat them as real. And given Han Li’s earlier caution, it didn’t seem like an exaggeration.
Thus, after Han Li took off into the sky, the others had no choice but to scatter in different directions.
According to Han Li, as long as they reached the surface, they would be safe.
—
A green streak streaked across the wilderness like lightning, appearing at one end of the horizon and vanishing at the other in mere flashes, leaving no sound in its wake.
Even if some demonic creatures or insects below noticed the streak, they couldn’t hope to catch up, watching helplessly as it disappeared in an instant.
Inside the streak, Han Li circulated his spiritual energy while clutching a top-grade spirit stone in each hand, replenishing his strength.
The Ten-Thousand-Year Spirit Liquid he once possessed had been exhausted during his passage through the spatial node to the Spirit Realm.
Now, even though top-grade spirit stones were exceedingly rare, he had no choice but to use them to maintain his energy.
Separating from the others at the first level had been a last resort. While most of what he told Lei Lan was true, he had omitted one detail—he suspected the demonic creatures they encountered were targeting him specifically, paying little attention to the others.
In such a case, splitting up was indeed the safest option for Lei Lan and the rest.
He had already done his duty by escorting the two Skywing Saints to retrieve the Underworld Flame Fruits and bringing them back to the first level. Now, their survival was up to them—he had to focus on his own.
So far, he hadn’t detected any signs of pursuit, and the surface entrance wasn’t far, but Han Li remained vigilant.
Not only did he not slow down, but after spitting out a mouthful of essence blood, his green glow took on a faint crimson hue, increasing his speed even further.
To Han Li, sacrificing some vitality to evade a Demon King-level foe was an obvious trade.
But after flying nonstop for most of the day, Han Li’s expression suddenly twisted in alarm. He whirled around to look behind him.
On the distant horizon, a rolling mass of black radiance had appeared, closing the gap in mere flashes.
Han Li’s face darkened. Without hesitation, the wings on his back flared, transforming him into a green-white thread that shot forward, covering hundreds of feet in an instant.
Now, he held nothing back, unleashing the full power of his Wind Thunder Wings.
A faint sound of surprise came from the black radiance, reaching Han Li’s ears as clearly as if whispered beside him.
His heart sank, but he didn’t look back, pouring all his energy into his wings.
The green-white thread emitted a sharp hum, leaving a faint white trail in the air as if piercing through space itself.
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