It was precisely the Gold Devouring Beetle that Han Li had sent out to track.
The insect flickered once before vanishing into Han Li’s sleeve. The wisp of divine sense attached to it also instantly returned to his consciousness.
Han Li’s expression darkened slightly.
All the information contained within that strand of divine sense had been absorbed, and the sights and sounds the Gold Devouring Beetle had witnessed now appeared as if he had seen them firsthand.
Meanwhile, the enormous grotesque face, seeing Han Li effortlessly block its attack, did not immediately strike again. Its eyes flickered with a chilling light as it scrutinized Han Li, seemingly harboring some wariness.
“The aura of that demonic ape vanished earlier—could it be that you slew it?” After a long pause, the giant face spoke in a deep, rumbling voice.
“Oh? Your perception is quite sharp. Since I am here, that demonic ape naturally no longer exists in this world,” Han Li replied slowly, his eyes flashing.
“Hmph, you’ve taken advantage of me. That demonic ape settled here to recuperate only because I lured it here, intending to devour it as a tonic once I refined my true spirit form. The fool actually believed this place naturally possessed such pure demonic energy,” the grotesque face remarked indifferently.
Upon hearing this, Han Li’s expression shifted momentarily before returning to normal. “So that’s how it is. I wondered how such pure demonic energy could gather here, given the ape’s injured state. It seems you were behind it. But I must admit, I’m rather curious—what exactly are you? Some kind of natural spirit?”
“A natural spirit? Hardly. I am merely a wisp of illusory miasma born from the power of a true spirit. Originally, I had no sentience—just a mindless, ignorant thing. But then an external force took control of me, granting me this cunning nature. Brother Han, you’d best be cautious,” the azure qilin suddenly interjected.
“Are you still Fairy Xian at this moment?” Han Li asked, his expression shifting slightly upon hearing the qilin’s melodious feminine voice.
“Of course, it is still me. However, my current state is somewhat peculiar—two strands of divine sense have temporarily merged to control this qilin dharma form, though my consciousness remains dominant,” the azure qilin sighed before answering with surprising honesty.
“So, Fairy Xian’s true purpose in leading me here was for this so-called ‘True Qilin Essence.’ The matter of repairing the demonic armor with a Saint-rank demon core—was that nothing but a complete deception?” Han Li’s voice turned icy as he stared at the qilin.
“Of course not! Repairing the Skyreach Demon Armor indeed requires a Saint-rank demon core. As for the True Qilin Essence… I admit I intended to take advantage of you, but in truth, you’ve suffered no losses. I merely seized an opportunity. And since you slew that Saint-rank demonic ape, its grievous injuries must have been genuine,” Xian Xian’s voice suddenly took on a pitiful tone.
“What you say isn’t wrong—I’ve lost nothing. But it seems your plans have gone awry, encountering quite the unexpected complication,” Han Li remarked, glancing at the three avatars of the Gui-clan man before turning his gaze to the grotesque face below, a strange expression flickering across his face.
“I truly didn’t anticipate things turning out this way. But as long as we eliminate the cave spirit below, we can still obtain the True Qilin Essence. This substance is formed from a remnant of the primordial essence left behind when a true qilin is born. Any living being who acquires it can undergo a metamorphosis, gaining unimaginable benefits. To put it plainly, if you obtained even a trace of it, advancing to the Body Integration stage would be guaranteed.”
The woman was decisively ruthless! She steeled her heart and directly revealed the origins of the True Qilin Essence.
For her, since monopolizing it was no longer feasible and she was the weakest among those present, it was better to ally with Han Li to deal with the others.
“What do you mean by that? Are you planning to share the True Qilin Essence with him? If so, take it from your own portion—I won’t yield a single scrap of mine!” The silver flood dragon transformed from the Gui-clan man spoke coldly.
“That’s perfectly fine. Brother Han, let me propose another deal. Assist me in slaying the cave spirit below, and I’ll share a trace of the True Qilin Essence with you. Since you lack a qilin’s innate affinity, a trace is all you need—any more would be harmful rather than beneficial. Moreover, refining this essence requires a special method, which I’ll impart to you truthfully.” Xian Xian’s voice emerged gently from the qilin phantom.
Han Li narrowed his eyes slightly.
A guarantee of advancing to the Body Integration stage? Such temptation was undeniably immense. However, this was his first time hearing of the “True Qilin Essence,” leaving him somewhat skeptical.
But before Han Li could make a decision, the grotesque face below suddenly erupted into a series of hideous, grating laughs.
“Sharing the True Qilin Essence? Do you really think you still have that chance? By my calculations, the time is about right. Haven’t you two noticed anything amiss with your bodies?”
At these words, both the Gui-clan man and Xian Xian were startled, instinctively turning their divine sense inward to inspect their own conditions.
Almost simultaneously, the Gui-clan man’s two humanoid avatars let out agonized screams as countless hair-like black threads erupted from their skin, densely covering them before tearing the avatars into countless fragments.
Two enormous, sea-urchin-like black masses materialized in the air.
The two wisps of split souls, manifesting as green flames, were also pierced by the black threads, unable to escape before being eerily absorbed amid flashes of black light.
As for the Gui-clan man’s true form—the silver flood dragon—though it didn’t explode, black threads surfaced across its gleaming scales. With a low roar, it stiffened before plummeting from the sky, crashing heavily onto the ground.
The azure qilin phantom, likewise riddled with countless black threads, shrank abruptly to a mere ten feet in size before flickering and reverting to Xian Xian’s original form.
However, her body was now entirely encased in a blinding azure light, within which dense black threads writhed, locked in a stalemate.
Though the crystal race woman hadn’t fallen from the sky, her delicate frame trembled violently, her beautiful face contorted in extreme agony, equally immobilized.
Witnessing this, Han Li was momentarily stunned.
“Impossible! When did you plant this within us?” Xian Xian demanded through gritted teeth, struggling against the internal corruption.
“When? Naturally, it was when you were inside my body. Did you think I eliminated previous seekers of the True Qilin Essence by mere chance? Once inside me, planting spiritual seeds within you was child’s play. Even if you’re not dead yet, you’re little better than puppets now. Once I deal with this unexpected meddler, my task will be complete.”
No sooner had it spoken than the grotesque face contorted into a vicious grin. With a thunderous roar, countless black arcs transformed into black swords, surging toward Han Li in a ferocious onslaught.
Before they could reach him, the hundreds of black swords abruptly scattered, spinning like windmills as black lightning arced between them, interconnecting with deafening booms.
In the blink of an eye, a massive black net spanning an acre materialized around Han Li, sealing him tightly on all sides.
“Sword formation,” Han Li murmured, his expression turning peculiar.
As eerie incantations spilled from the grotesque face, thunder roared and black lightning flashed. The entire net, driven by hundreds of black thunder swords, began slowly contracting inward.
A strange glint flickered in Han Li’s eyes as he reached out with one hand, summoning the massive azure sword from afar. With a flicker, it vanished before reappearing before him in a ripple of spatial distortion.
Tapping the sword lightly, a dragon-like chime rang out as it split into seventy-two azure sword beams, swirling protectively around him.
With a hand seal, the swords trembled before multiplying—one into two, two into four—until hundreds of identical sword lights materialized. Amid a radiant azure glow, they coalesced into a colossal lotus, encasing Han Li within.
As the petals rotated, rings of azure sword light erupted like a storm.
A series of dull thuds echoed as the black lightning net, under the relentless azure onslaught, tore apart like paper.
Yet before Han Li could even smile, thunder rumbled anew. The shattered black arcs converged as if alive, reforming the identical net and continuing its advance unabated.
Han Li’s expression darkened drastically.
Simultaneously, the grotesque face let out a sinister laugh, its massive form twisting and distorting. Amid a surge of black light, four thick limbs sprouted, its bloated body transforming into a towering, muscular ink-black qilin.
Standing hundreds of feet tall, the qilin resembled an obsidian mountain, even more colossal than before. The grotesque face now adorned its forehead, its twisted visage lending the beast an eerie, sinister aura.
The transformation complete, the ink qilin raised a forelimb and stomped toward Han Li’s position.
A violent spatial distortion erupted a dozen feet above Han Li as a pitch-black, pillar-like limb materialized.
Before it even descended, an immense, invisible force pressed down, encasing Han Li in an unyielding grip as if bound by steel shackles, leaving him helpless.
The colossal black foot descended.
At the same time, the black net crackled ominously, its arcs hissing as it closed in.
Faced with this dire peril, Han Li showed no panic. Instead, he took a deep breath, his body erupting in golden radiance as scales emerged across his skin. His arms, now gleaming gold, spread wide.
With a series of thunderous booms, the surrounding restraints shattered under Han Li’s overwhelming strength.
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