Chapter 1694: Pursuit and Slaying

In just a brief moment, the King-class Shadowbeast let out a few low growls of anger toward a Three-eyed Shadowbeast behind it.

The Three-eyed Shadowbeast immediately responded with a few roars, then respectfully retreated several steps before swiftly darting back the way it came. After a few flashes, it vanished into the darkness.

Seeing this, the King-class Shadowbeast turned its head and continued leaping forward.

For it, the intruders who had unexpectedly entered the Shadowbeast Forest were indeed detestable, but compared to its current pursuit, they seemed insignificant.

Thus, even though it clearly sensed the deaths of those Silver-eyed Shadowbeasts, it merely issued an order for a different arrangement, showing no intention of turning back. The other Three-eyed Shadowbeasts naturally followed closely behind the golden Shadowbeast.

In the nearby woods, the rustling sounds intensified, indicating countless Shadowbeasts moving in the same direction.

However, upon closer listening, some of the rustling sounds gradually faded, as if many Shadowbeasts had turned and departed in the opposite direction.

…

Han Li hovered in the low sky with his arms crossed. Below him, the four-headed giant beast had been split in two, its corpse dissolving into specks of black light before crumbling away.

Liu Shui’er and Shi Kun stared at Han Li in stunned silence. Though they maintained a semblance of composure, a trace of fear flickered in their eyes.

Earlier, due to the overwhelming force of the combined Magnetic Secret Art and the explosive silver radiance from the four-headed beast—coupled with Han Li’s instantaneous movement—they had failed to see how he had slain the beast. They only vaguely glimpsed a brilliant golden flash below, which vanished as quickly as it appeared.

In that instant, the beast and its protective black barrier were effortlessly cleaved in two, meeting their demise.

The beast’s aura had been nearly on par with an early-stage Saint-tier being, yet it had been annihilated in a single strike—an utterly inconceivable feat!

Moreover, the moment the golden light flared, both Liu Shui’er and Shi Kun sensed the surrounding spiritual energy being violently tugged by some immense force, surging toward the golden light before vanishing with it.

This only deepened their shock. Manipulating spiritual energy was nothing extraordinary, but beings like them required lengthy incantations and hand seals to barely achieve such an effect—and even then, with a chance of failure. Yet Han Li had done it effortlessly, as if it were second nature.

Could his power truly rival that of their masters? If so, it was nothing short of heaven-defying.

With such thoughts, their gazes toward Han Li grew uneasy.

Han Li, however, remained expressionless, showing no sign of emotion.

Earlier, he had summoned the True Devil Dharma Form and used the Profound Heavenly Blade Fragment to slay the beast in one strike, then swiftly retracted the form before Liu Shui’er and Shi Kun could discern anything.

His decision to expend some of the Dharma Form’s power to wield the Profound Heavenly Blade Fragment was purely to test the reforged Brahma Saint Dharma Form’s ability to channel the blade’s might.

Whether due to the blade’s lower-than-expected consumption or the refined Dharma Form’s innate efficiency, the attack—which drew upon the surrounding spiritual energy—had been executed several times faster than before, with less than a third of the usual expenditure.

Though he had deliberately suppressed most of the blade’s power, the result still left him greatly satisfied.

Even so, after using the Profound Heavenly Fruit in the Demon Mountain Range, his Dharma Form’s power had been significantly depleted. Had he not painstakingly restored it over the years in Cloud City, he wouldn’t have dared to use it again so soon.

As these thoughts crossed his mind, Han Li’s ink-black hand reached out toward the dissolving beast corpse.

A swirl of gray light swept forth, gathering the dissipating black specks, leaving behind four silver thumb-sized orbs—the cores of the Three-eyed Shadowbeasts.

Just as Han Li was about to collect them, an excited growl echoed from his sleeve.

Pausing briefly, he flicked his sleeve, releasing a golden blur that coalesced into a small beast covered in golden patterns—the Leopard Kirin Beast!

Since advancing to the Deity Transformation stage, the beast had been diligently cultivating within Han Li’s spirit beast ring, nourished by countless elixirs. It had now reached mid-Deity Transformation, verging on late-stage.

Yet despite its progress, its current strength offered little aid to Han Li, who had grown increasingly formidable. Thus, he had refrained from summoning it in previous battles.

Now, sensing its excitement, Han Li released it without hesitation.

The moment it appeared, the Leopard Kirin Beast pounced, devouring all four cores in a flash before circling back to Han Li’s shoulder, nuzzling his neck affectionately with a soft whimper.

Intrigued, Han Li produced three more identical orbs from his palm.

The beast’s eyes gleamed, and without hesitation, it lunged again, swallowing the cores before hovering above Han Li’s hand, emitting pleased growls.

Though puzzled by its fascination with the Silver-eyed Shadowbeast cores—while showing no interest in ordinary ones—Han Li knew the consumption would only benefit it.

Without a word, he waved his sleeve, enveloping the beast in azure light and returning it to the spirit beast ring.

The true effects of the cores would only become clear after the beast refined them.

Meanwhile, Liu Shui’er and Shi Kun exchanged glances before floating toward Han Li, stopping a few paces away.

The hooded woman smiled, her eyes shimmering.

“We owe you our thanks, Brother Han. Without your intervention, these Three-eyed Shadowbeasts—capable of merging freely—might have spelled our doom.”

“Indeed,” Shi Kun added with a wry smile. “Your prowess leaves us in awe. Were it not for this realm’s restriction against Saint-tier outsiders, I’d suspect you were a disguised elder.”

Both spoke with newfound reverence.

Han Li chuckled, sweeping his gaze over them.

“You flatter me too much. Had you not occupied the beasts’ attention, I couldn’t have struck so easily. Still, though they’re vanquished, lingering here is unwise. More will come. We should depart swiftly.”

“Agreed,” Liu Shui’er said, her expression tightening. “Let us hurry.”

Shi Kun nodded vigorously.

After a brief discussion, the trio transformed into three streaks of light and shot into the distance.

…

Five or six days later, in a dense forest, Han Li stood expressionless, fingers forming a seal as dozens of azure flying swords coalesced into a lotus of light, descending upon a Three-eyed Shadowbeast.

The sword flashes sliced the beast into countless pieces.

Behind him, the “Doll” brandished a blue jade fan, unleashing waves of azure radiance that froze another Shadowbeast—along with its shadow clones—into a towering iceberg.

Further away, explosions and bursts of light signaled Liu Shui’er and Shi Kun’s relentless assault on the remaining beasts.

This was the seventh ambush they’d faced since leaving the core region, each comprising five to eight Shadowbeasts.

Fortunately, none matched the Silver-eyed Shadowbeasts from before, and none could merge. Thus, they fell swiftly to Han Li’s group—though each encounter delayed their progress.

This time, however, over a dozen Shadowbeasts had appeared, forcing Han Li and the others to employ their trump cards to secure victory.

With a flick of his wrist, the azure lotus dissolved into threads, piercing the frozen Shadowbeast before Han Li turned his gaze toward Liu Shui’er’s battle.

The air hissed as the threads surged forth once more.

…

Ten days later, at the edge of the Shadowbeast Forest, three figures hovered motionlessly, staring at a gathering of over thirty Shadowbeasts—nearly half of them Three-eyed.

Liu Shui’er and Shi Kun wore grave expressions, while Han Li’s brow furrowed slightly.