Chapter 1860: The Power of the Thunder Beast

The massive formation, spanning over a thousand zhang in area, rippled with concentric waves upon impact, while the center trembled violently, appearing as though it might shatter at any moment.

The power of the Golden Vortex Light unleashed by the Vajra Indestructible Body was indeed overwhelmingly fierce. Even this seemingly profound light formation couldn’t withstand it in the slightest.

Han Li couldn’t help but show a hint of joy at this sight, but his expression quickly shifted again.

In the next instant, the eerie wailing from the center of the light formation suddenly intensified. Then, with a shudder, all eighty-one massive light pillars shattered simultaneously, vanishing inch by inch.

A terrifying aura, as if capable of devouring the entire world, surged upward from the formation.

Amidst the frenzied rolling of five-colored radiance, a colossal silver hand eerily emerged from the center of the formation. With its fingers splayed, it slowly lifted the golden vortex, appearing utterly indifferent to the immense force emanating from within.

Sensing the dreadful nature of this aura, Han Li’s face turned deathly pale in an instant.

“Mahayana stage! Impossible—this realm shouldn’t possess such heaven-defying power!”

No sooner had he spoken than the wailing from the formation abruptly ceased. With a muffled boom, the entire massive light formation dissipated like an illusion, vanishing without a trace.

In its place, at the center, appeared another monstrous entity, standing three to four hundred zhang tall.

Two heads, eight wings—its upper body resembled a human, while its lower half took the form of a bird!

A closer inspection of its two heads revealed one to be the head of a thunder beast and the other that of the fish shop owner. Of the eight wings on its back, six were the original feathered wings of the thunder beast, while the remaining two bore the five-colored plumage of a peacock.

Even more horrifying was that, though the creature’s body was covered in silver-white feathers, arcs of five-colored lightning crackled across its surface with every thunderous roar, wrapping around its entire form.

The dazzling interplay of lightning against the beast’s grotesque visage created an unnervingly eerie sight!

The fish shop owner’s head of the newly emerged monstrosity let out a sinister chuckle as it opened its mouth. The silver hand holding the golden vortex flexed its fingers, unleashing a torrent of five-colored lightning.

Amidst earth-shaking thunderclaps, the golden vortex was torn to shreds under the relentless assault of countless five-colored bolts.

Standing beside Han Li, the Vajra Indestructible Body suddenly showed signs of distress across all three of its heads. After several violent flashes of golden light, it let out a muffled groan, swaying unsteadily.

Clearly, the destruction of the Golden Vortex Light had inflicted backlash upon its caster. Fortunately, as a vajra body, such minor damage was inconsequential.

Yet, this only deepened Han Li’s shock, confirming his suspicion that the monstrous bird before him indeed possessed Mahayana-level cultivation.

Otherwise, even a perfected late-stage Body Unity cultivator wouldn’t have been able to dismantle the Golden Vortex Light so effortlessly.

With this realization, Han Li instinctively considered fleeing.

Despite his newfound confidence in his abilities after the recent battle and the trump cards he still held, he harbored no illusions about facing a Mahayana-stage opponent.

However, as his gaze swept over the eight wings on the giant bird’s back, his face turned ashen.

With eight wings and the ability to wield that bizarre five-colored heavenly lightning, there was no doubt this creature’s speed would be extraordinary. Escaping via conventional means seemed nearly impossible.

Without waiting for the monstrous bird’s laughter to fade, Han Li made his decision. The giant ape he had transformed into swiftly formed hand seals, and with a thunderous roar, a pair of crystalline wings materialized on its back.

With a single flap, silver-white thunderballs erupted beneath the ape’s feet, exploding in a cacophony of noise.

Amidst the flickering silver lightning, a massive thunder formation appeared out of thin air. Enveloped in countless arcs of electricity, the ape’s figure blurred as if preparing to teleport away.

Yet, in the next moment, his expression twisted in horror.

The thunder beast’s head of the two-headed monstrosity let out a piercing cry. With a simultaneous flap of all eight wings, an overwhelming surge of law power radiated from its body, instantly enveloping the surrounding dozen miles of space.

At the same time, the thunder formation beneath the ape’s feet dimmed, freezing mid-air and halting the teleportation.

Han Li sucked in a sharp breath!

The fish shop owner’s head of the monstrous bird now gazed coldly at the ape with mocking eyes, speaking in human tongue: “Hmph, even if this thunder beast differs slightly from the true ones of the Immortal Realm, after being infused with my true spirit power, it can still manipulate the laws of lightning to some extent. To dare wield lightning before me—you’re courting death!”

No sooner had it spoken than the other head emitted another ear-splitting shriek!

With a deafening boom, over a dozen thick arcs of lightning crackled forth from the thunder formation, lashing out like silver chains to ensnare the ape in an instant.

Then, with a series of violent explosions, all the silver lightning detonated simultaneously.

Bursts of electric light engulfed the ape’s entire body.

A moment later, a thunderous roar erupted from the golden ape as it raised its fists skyward. Countless golden rays erupted from its body, piercing through the silver lightning like a sieve until the thunder faded into nothingness.

Freed from its bindings, the golden ape wasted no time. It rolled forward, shrinking rapidly until it reverted to human form.

Han Li staggered slightly as he stood, his face grim as he glared at the two-headed monstrosity below.

But then, he exhaled deeply. With a flick of his wrist, a broken golden blade appeared in his palm, while his other sleeve trembled, releasing a swarm of over a thousand golden beetles with a loud hum.

These were none other than his mutated Gold Devouring Beetles.

Upon emerging, they were no larger than a thumb, but after circling Han Li a few times, they swelled to the size of fists. A thousand of them clustered together presented a terrifying sight from afar.

Simultaneously, a wisp of black energy detached from the Vajra Indestructible Body beside him, vanishing into his form in a flash.

The Vajra Indestructible Body itself then dissipated into motes of golden light with a muffled pop.

In the next instant, a phantom-like Vajra Dharma Form materialized behind Han Li.

At the same time, a green shadow and a white glow flickered indistinctly from his body, resolving into a green-skinned “Han Li” and a graceful, white-robed woman—his spirit avatar and the sentient puppet “Doll.”

Han Li raised the broken golden blade horizontally before him, his expression unreadable as he stared down at the two-headed monstrosity.

“Oh? Mature Gold Devouring Beetles! It seems you still have a few tricks up your sleeve. But do you truly believe a mere thousand of these insects can threaten me? Had you tens of thousands, I might have hesitated. But this? Hah!” The fish shop owner’s head burst into raucous laughter, though a closer look revealed a flicker of doubt in its eyes as it scrutinized the broken blade in Han Li’s hand.

Though Han Li hadn’t yet activated the Profound Heavenly Blade, the fish shop owner seemed to sense something extraordinary about it through the faint ripples of law power.

This didn’t escape Han Li’s notice. Though his expression remained neutral, his heart sank further.

His plan to ambush with the Profound Heavenly Blade was now compromised, reducing his chances by another margin.

However, his opponent couldn’t possibly know about the tens of thousands of Gold Devouring Beetles he still possessed or the Profound Heavenly Sword sealed within his arm.

These were his last resorts for a desperate strike—not entirely without hope of escape.

After all, though the fusion with the thunder beast had elevated the creature’s power close to the early Mahayana stage, its cultivation wasn’t genuinely tempered, making it weaker than a true Mahayana being.

Moreover, if he were to wield the Profound Heavenly Treasure in battle, it might attract the attention of Qing Yuanzi, who lurked within the Netherworld River. If he could stall until this powerful ally intervened, his safety would be assured.

Having weighed his options in an instant, Han Li steeled himself. Gripping the broken blade, he prepared for an all-out confrontation.

Below, the two-headed monstrosity reared both heads, emitting a shrill cry and a scornful laugh in unison.

The dissonant harmony of the two voices sent chills down the spine.

Simultaneously, the creature’s eight wings beat violently, its silver feathers bristling. With a deafening roar, thousands of five-colored lightning bolts erupted in all directions.

Initially no thicker than an arm, the arcs swelled to the size of water vats in mere moments, each stretching hundreds of zhang long.

The thunderclaps shook the heavens, filling the sky with a dazzling display of five-colored lightning, as if the very space had transformed into a domain of thunder.

An overwhelming pressure of law power saturated the void.

Despite having witnessed countless grand spectacles, Han Li couldn’t help but show a flicker of fear at the sight of this tempest. But his eyes quickly hardened. With one hand forming a seal and the other poised to unleash the Profound Heavenly Blade, he prepared to strike.

Yet, at that very moment, something utterly unforeseen occurred!

From the sleeve holding the broken blade, a loud, urgent monkey’s cry rang out without warning.

A black spirit beast ring shot forth in a flash of dark light, darting straight into the sea of lightning before it.

Even the two-headed monstrosity froze in surprise at this sudden turn of events!