Han Li raised his hand and beckoned toward the sky. The giant sword immediately turned around and shot back toward him. By the time it reached Han Li, it had reverted to its talisman form, drifting lightly into his hand.
Just as Han Li was about to reach out and take the talisman treasure, the paper spontaneously ignited mid-air with a sizzling sound. Within moments, it had turned into a pile of ashes, scattered by the mountain wind until nothing remained.
Witnessing this scene, Han Li was momentarily stunned before a bitter smile spread across his face.
This talisman treasure was completely spent. Its remaining power, already limited, had been utterly exhausted in the prolonged battle of attrition. Knowing full well the value of such a treasure, Han Li felt a sharp pang of regret, yet there was nothing he could do.
After all, defeating a powerful enemy like “Senior Martial Brother Lu” was bound to come at a cost. However, the opponent’s Green Flood Dragon Banner was an excellent spoil of war, more than enough to compensate for the loss of the talisman treasure. Not to mention, there were also two Foundation Establishment Pills waiting to be claimed!
At this thought, Han Li couldn’t help but feel elated, believing the hard-fought battle had been well worth it.
If he could successfully establish his foundation by consuming these pills, he wouldn’t need to risk his life participating in the so-called “Bloody Trial.” After all, a place like that was likely filled with cultivators as strong as “Senior Martial Brother Lu,” if not even more troublesome ones.
After a while, Han Li absorbed some spiritual energy from the spirit stone in his hand and felt a slight recovery in his magic power. He attempted to stand up, intending to retrieve the Green Flood Dragon Banner not far from him.
But as soon as he straightened his back, a sharp, stabbing pain erupted in his dantian, as if countless steel needles were piercing him. The agony forced him to bend over again, his face pale and contorted in pain for a long moment.
Han Li remained motionless. After the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, he took a deep breath, feeling the pain subside slightly.
His expression was somewhat frustrated, his lips twitching slightly.
He knew exactly why this was happening. It was the result of hastily swallowing large quantities of aged medicinal herbs earlier. Although he had absorbed some of the spiritual energy from the herbs in time, most of it had gathered in his dantian as foreign matter, mixed with many unclear medicinal impurities. If not expelled promptly, it would undoubtedly cause serious future complications.
Han Li was well aware that swallowing spiritual herbs in such a manner was ill-advised and would inevitably backfire. But at the time, to save his life, he had no choice but to take the risk. Indeed, this forced absorption of spiritual energy had been a great help in the prolonged battle.
However, relying solely on swallowed herbs was not enough to see him through to the end. Aside from the mid-grade spirit stone providing spiritual energy faster than his opponent, another key to his victory was canceling his defensive spell, the “Water Shield Technique.”
While studying minor spell-casting techniques over the past two years, Han Li had inadvertently learned from Wu Feng that most low-level disciples held a misconception about using talismans. They believed that aside from the initial activation, talismans did not consume any of the user’s magic power. This, however, was incorrect.
In reality, once a talisman was activated, the spell it cast maintained a continuous connection with the user through faint threads of spiritual energy, allowing the caster to control the spell. If the spell remained active, the user would unconsciously expend magic power to sustain these threads.
Because these spiritual threads were invisible and undetectable to Qi Condensation disciples, and the magic power required to maintain them was negligible in the short term, most disciples overlooked this fact, leading to the widespread misconception.
Even those few who knew the truth considered it insignificant and did not widely publicize it among low-level disciples. Wu Feng was one of those in the know. He had mentioned it casually during a conversation with Han Li, who took note and later tested it himself, confirming its validity.
As a result, during the fierce battle, once Han Li realized it would be a war of attrition, he immediately recalled this fact and decisively canceled his defensive spell to conserve magic power. Though the savings seemed minor at first, over time, the accumulated consumption was substantial. Clearly, “Senior Martial Brother Lu” was unaware of this. Cautious by nature, he had maintained that fatal “Wind Wall Technique,” unknowingly sealing his own fate.
Thus, Han Li ultimately managed to outlast his opponent by conserving this bit of magic power. Without it, even with his other advantages, he might not have prevailed.
Despite this, Han Li felt the victory had been extremely precarious. He had exhausted every trick at his disposal just to barely survive. His opponent’s strength had truly surpassed his own.
Still, in the end, he was the one who had survived.
Once the pain had subsided slightly, Han Li couldn’t resist slowly shuffling over to where the Green Flood Dragon Banner had fallen. With great effort, he bent down to pick up the magical instrument, examined it joyfully several times, and then gleefully stored it in his pouch.
Next, he made his way to “Senior Martial Brother Lu’s” corpse. After briefly surveying the gruesome scene with distaste, he unsteadily began searching for spoils.
The opponent’s storage pouch was easily found on one half of the severed body.
Without ceremony, Han Li dumped the contents of the pouch onto the ground. The blue vial and box containing the Foundation Establishment Pills immediately caught his eye.
Overjoyed, he ignored the other items and hurriedly bent down to pick up the box and vial. Upon opening them, he confirmed that each contained a brilliant blue pill. Though the scent was somewhat pungent, he could faintly sense the powerful spiritual energy within.
A broader smile spread across Han Li’s face. Now that he had confirmed the authenticity of the Foundation Establishment Pills, he had no interest in identifying the other items. The battlefield was no place to linger, and it was best to leave quickly.
He swiftly gathered everything back into the storage pouch, carefully concealed “Senior Martial Brother Lu’s” pouch on his person, and finally felt somewhat at ease. He straightened up, intending to stretch.
But at that moment, a sudden rustle sounded behind him, as if something was lunging toward him. Startled, Han Li tried to dodge sideways, but a sharp pain in his dantian caused him to falter. In the next instant, a smooth, fragrant female body forcefully embraced him from behind.
Stunned, Han Li struggled briefly, but due to the pain in his dantian and exhaustion from the battle, he lacked the strength to break free.
Although he had a vague guess about who was behind him, Han Li couldn’t help turning to look. Before he could fully turn his head, a delicate and beautiful face pressed closely against his, showering him with passionate kisses. It was indeed the previously immobilized “Junior Martial Sister Chen.”
Her face was flushed, her eyes blazing with desire. Her limbs wrapped around Han Li like an octopus, holding him tightly from behind. Her astonishingly voluptuous body rubbed against his back incessantly, and she moaned softly, overcome by burning lust.
Earlier, although “Junior Martial Sister Chen” had been immobilized by the “Wind Binding Technique,” the battle between Han Li and “Senior Martial Brother Lu” had not harmed her in the slightest, as all the fighting had avoided where she lay. After the battle, she remained completely unscathed.
Even before the fight began, the effects of the Joyful Union Pill had already taken hold. “Junior Martial Sister Chen” was delirious with desire, her vision filled with hallucinations, consumed by the urge to seek intimacy. At the time, still bound by the spell, she had been unable to move, appearing docile on the surface while inwardly tormented by increasingly unbearable lust.
Just moments ago, the “Wind Binding Technique” had finally worn off. Freed and driven by overwhelming desire, “Junior Martial Sister Chen” instinctively rushed toward the only man present—Han Li—and clung to him tightly, leading to the intensely amorous scene.
Han Li, a genuine virgin, felt his heart stir under “Junior Martial Sister Chen’s” kisses, an unusual sensation washing over him. Moreover, he never prided himself on being a righteous gentleman nor had any interest in pretending to be unmoved by such advances. Thus, somewhat aroused, he unceremoniously embraced her naked body in return, his fingers roaming freely over her silk-smooth skin.
Encouraged by his response, “Junior Martial Sister Chen” grew even more restless. Though inexperienced in matters of intimacy, her innate instincts drove her to tear at Han Li’s clothes.
This action jolted Han Li back to his senses. Not daring to play with fire any longer, he quickly flipped his right hand, producing a “Tranquilizing Talisman.” Mustering the faint magic power he had just recovered, he cast a tranquilizing spell, once again restraining “Junior Martial Sister Chen.”
With a gentle struggle, he freed himself from her fragrant embrace and laid her softly on the ground.
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage