Seeing this, Han Li in midair immediately formed hand seals without hesitation. A ripple appeared above the green flames as two clusters of emerald threads emerged from the void.
The threads scattered and, in a flash, enveloped the two green flames.
The flames writhed and emitted eerie shrieks within the threads but were unable to break free.
At that moment, a small cyan cauldron materialized eerily in the nearby void.
A cold glint flashed in Han Li’s eyes as he pointed from a distance.
The silver firebird flying toward the flames exploded with a muffled sound, splitting into two fireballs that shot forth.
With two soft *pops*, they struck the trapped green flames.
After two shrill screams, the green flames flickered within the silver fire and suddenly condensed into two round, eyeball-like objects that seemed to blink at Han Li, their eerie glow shimmering.
Han Li’s heart tightened, and his figure blurred as he vanished from the spot almost instinctively.
The next moment, the two green flames were utterly annihilated within the silver light, erased from existence.
Han Li reappeared in a flash of cyan light a dozen zhang away, his gaze fixed below, though his brows furrowed.
The essence souls of such high-level creatures were undoubtedly valuable, but without knowing their origins, he dared not let them survive, lest they bring unforeseen calamities.
Moreover, soul-searching and refinement techniques were ill-suited for beings of higher cultivation than himself, as they risked backlash.
Still, the fact that this creature possessed two independent essence souls was unexpected.
The bizarre transformation of the souls at the end also seemed peculiar. However, after carefully inspecting himself, he found no abnormalities. It appeared they had been destroyed by the Devouring Spiritual Heavenly Flames before they could act.
With these thoughts, Han Li exhaled lightly and beckoned with one hand, flicking his sleeve.
In an instant, not only did the silver flames and the Void Sky Cauldron return, but the Magnetic Yuan Mountain and the seventy-two Emerald Swarm Swords also reappeared before him, swiftly reabsorbed into his body.
With a flash of cyan light, Han Li drifted gently downward.
Unbeknownst to him, at the very moment he destroyed the moth’s essence souls, in an unfathomably distant abyss of pitch-black seawater, there stood an underground palace constructed of white jade.
In the deepest chamber of this palace, twelve ancient bronze lamps, each about a foot tall, were arranged in a row, their flames flickering in varying shades of pale green.
Some flames were as large as eggs, while others were no thicker than a thumb.
Before these lamps sat a tall, gaunt figure, motionless, its head slightly bowed, its body and face shrouded by a pale golden cloak adorned with strange, glowing patterns.
The instant Han Li obliterated the two essence souls, one of the medium-sized flames on a lamp abruptly extinguished.
A brittle *crack* sounded from the skeletal figure as its head slowly lifted, two green flames igniting in its eye sockets, revealing a ghastly skull face.
The skull turned its gaze coldly toward the extinguished lamp, emitting an angry snort before suddenly opening its mouth and spitting out a black light—a square black seal.
The seal’s surface was unnaturally smooth, engraved with a coiling black dragon.
The skull chanted an unfamiliar incantation, and a radiant mist surged from the seal, from which a massive black object tumbled out.
Under the dim lamplight, it revealed itself as a beast—three to four zhang long, its body a vivid azure, its head resembling that of a giant ox.
The beast lay motionless, its chest barely rising and falling, as if barely alive.
The skull spat out a pea-sized green flame, which drifted into the beast’s body and vanished.
The beast shuddered, its body crackling as it slowly opened its enormous ox-like eyes and rose from the ground.
At first, it seemed disoriented, but after glancing around, its gaze sharpened. Clenching its fists, it threw back its head and roared.
Thunder rumbled as arcs of cyan lightning erupted across its body, intertwining.
The skull, its eyes blazing with green flames, let out an inhuman screech, as if issuing commands.
The ox-headed beast moved, its lightning intensifying to a blinding brilliance.
With a thunderclap, it vanished in a flash of cyan lightning, teleporting away.
The chamber returned to gloom.
The skull’s green flames flickered as its gaze settled once more on the extinguished lamp. A bony finger pointed at it.
With a faint *pop*, the lamp’s flame reignited—though now it was no larger than a soybean, feeble and flickering.
After this, the skull’s flames wavered, its head tilting in thought before shifting its gaze away.
Then, with a finger, it traced a circle in the air.
Space rippled as a shimmering silver mirror materialized, spinning before the skull.
Without a word, the skull spat a green light onto the mirror’s surface.
The mirror brightened, displaying a series of images—some crystal clear, others obscured, each depicting vastly different scenes and beings, all exuding immense power.
Suddenly, the skull tapped the mirror, freezing the images.
One frame showed the silhouette of a young man in a cyan robe, his hands clasped behind his back, his expression impassive.
It was none other than Han Li.
The skull stared coldly at Han Li’s image for a long moment before casually waving a hand.
A crisp *crack* sounded as the mirror shattered into fragments, dissolving into motes of cyan light.
The skull’s green flames flickered once more before dimming, its head bowing slightly as it returned to stillness.
—
Meanwhile, Han Li had descended beside the corpse of the moth, now a purplish-black husk, and examined it anew.
A creature of such high rank undoubtedly possessed invaluable materials. Beyond its core, Han Li was most interested in its crystalline scales, capable of forming shields, and its massive wings, which could morph into blades.
But now was not the time to dismantle the corpse. With a flick of his sleeve, his storage bracelet shot out, circling above before releasing a cyan mist that shrank the moth’s body and drew it inside.
Retrieving the bracelet, Han Li scanned his surroundings, then, after a brief consideration, summoned cyan light around him and shot toward the horizon as a streak of green.
Strangely, he did not head outward but deeper into the island, following the direction from which the moth had come.
This time, he did not fly far. Soon, he hovered before a sprawling complex of collapsed structures, spanning several li, all constructed of shimmering ice.
Amid the ruins, aside from bloodstains and tattered clothing, there was no sign of life—as if the moth had slaughtered everyone.
Frowning, Han Li descended before what appeared to be the largest palace.
But the moment his feet touched the ground, his expression shifted, his gaze snapping toward an ordinary-looking pavilion nearby.
“Who’s hiding there? Show yourself!” Han Li’s figure blurred as he appeared before the pavilion, his voice icy.
“Spare us, honored one! We are attendants summoned by Master Silver Shark!” A trembling woman’s voice emerged from within.
The pavilion’s doors swung open, revealing a group of young men and women.
All were strikingly fair, most appearing sixteen or seventeen, led by a white-robed woman in her twenties. They immediately prostrated before Han Li, their faces filled with terror.
Han Li’s eyes swept over them, a flicker of surprise crossing his face.
At a glance, they seemed ordinary humans with no detectable spiritual power. Yet upon closer inspection, their differences became apparent—their skin was unnaturally translucent, their bodies exuding a faint chill, and they wore scant clothing, unfazed by the island’s frigid climate.
As Han Li prepared to question them, he suddenly turned his head.
Moments later, two streaks of light appeared on the horizon, closing in rapidly before revealing Qing Xiao and the black-robed woman.
Their faces lit with mingled joy and disbelief.
“Senior Han, you’re here—does that mean the giant moth…?” Qing Xiao ventured hesitantly.
The black-robed woman held her breath, awaiting his answer.
“Indeed, the creature has been dealt with,” Han Li replied with a faint smile, flicking his wrist.
With a flash of light and a soft *thud*, the moth’s corpse materialized on the ground.
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage