Because at the spot where Feng Yue had been standing, aside from the pair of boot-clad lower legs, there was nothing else on the ground. The storage pouch Han Li had been eyeing as spoils of war was nowhere to be seen.
Han Li sprang to his feet with a kip-up and rushed over as if his pants were on fire. He spent a long time searching the area where Feng Yue had vanished, but still found no trace of the storage pouch.
“Could the Heavenly Thunderbolt’s power be so immense that it reduced both the man and the storage pouch to ashes?” Han Li circled the small area several times before reluctantly arriving at an extremely frustrating conclusion.
Unwilling to give up, Han Li expanded his search radius several times over, but the result remained the same. However, he did manage to pick up the Multi-Treasure Girl’s small mirror and crystal ball, as well as the dagger talisman treasure, which had reverted to its talisman form after its owner’s death.
Han Li looked at these three items, then thought about the Heavenly Thunderbolt he had lost, the silver hook and green rope top-grade magical instruments, and the storage pouch destroyed by the Heavenly Thunderbolt. He looked up at the sky, speechless.
Still, no matter what, after this great battle, he could be considered the winner—far better off than Feng Yue, who had been turned to ash.
Not knowing whether he had gained or lost from this exchange, Han Li could only console himself with such self-mocking thoughts.
At the thought of Feng Yue, Han Li instinctively glanced at the only remains the man had left in this world—the pair of severed lower legs. He shook his head slightly, then raised his hand and released two fist-sized fireballs, sending them flying toward the legs. Since he had already killed the man, these remnants had to be thoroughly destroyed to avoid any potential trouble if discovered by others.
With two soft “poof” sounds, flames immediately engulfed the legs. In the blink of an eye, everything except the pair of black boots had turned to ash.
Han Li nodded in satisfaction and turned to leave.
“Boots? Wait—”
“How could ordinary boots remain completely unscathed after a fireball spell?”
Having taken only a small step, Han Li immediately realized his oversight. He quickly turned back, a strange expression on his face as he stared at the seemingly ordinary boots.
Upon closer inspection, he noticed something peculiar. Not only had the boots remained undamaged by the fireball spell, but they showed no signs of having been burned. Moreover, they faintly emitted a subtle spiritual fluctuation.
“A magical instrument?”
Han Li was both surprised and doubtful.
After a moment of hesitation, he walked over, bent down, and picked up the black boots.
“Thin, soft, yet quite resilient. They don’t seem to be made of cloth or silk—more like leather boots crafted from some kind of animal hide.” After examining them for a while, Han Li reached this conclusion.
Being so close, he could sense the faint spiritual energy emanating from the boots more clearly.
These were indeed a magical instrument—and most likely one made from the hide of some demon beast.
As he looked at the leather boots, Han Li vaguely recalled something. Eagerly, he took off his cloth shoes and put on the leather boot magical instrument.
They were incredibly comfortable, soft, and felt almost weightless—that was Han Li’s first impression upon wearing them.
He carefully examined the boots on his feet for a while, but nothing unusual happened yet.
Frowning slightly, Han Li took a small step.
“Whoosh!” In an instant, Han Li’s figure flickered, and he drifted lightly several meters away.
“Wind Riding Technique! No, this is much faster than the Wind Riding Technique!” Han Li thought with delight.
Now, the secret behind Feng Yue’s incredibly swift movements was finally revealed to Han Li. That scoundrel must have relied on these boots to move so bizarrely and swiftly like lightning.
Wearing the boots, Han Li began to walk slowly around the small clearing, gradually familiarizing himself with their properties. He walked faster and faster, eventually even employing the Misty Smoke Steps to accelerate.
If Han Li’s previous maximum speed could make his figure blurry and even leave afterimages, then with these boots, his speed had increased to the point where several identical phantoms appeared simultaneously in the clearing, all performing the same movements and wearing the same smile. But when all the phantoms gradually converged toward the center, they merged back into Han Li, standing alone in the middle of the clearing.
Han Li stood still in a daze, as if deep in thought. Suddenly, he burst into wild laughter, bending over with tears nearly streaming from his eyes.
After laughing for a long while, Han Li, still bent over, emitted a blue glow. His entire body suddenly turned into a gust of wind and vanished into thin air.
The clearing fell silent, with only the occasional rustle of wind brushing against the ground.
A series of loud “boom” sounds erupted abruptly. Nearby trees began to split down the middle one after another in a bizarre manner, the cut surfaces as smooth as mirrors. Yet, there was clearly no one around.
The rate at which the trees were mysteriously splitting increased rapidly. Within moments, all the trees within several dozen meters were reduced to bare stumps.
Han Li, enveloped in a faint blue glow, reappeared, sweating profusely. However, the corners of his mouth were slightly upturned, and his face was filled with unconcealable joy.
The Misty Smoke Steps, the magical instrument boots, and the enhancement from the Wind Riding Technique had combined to make Han Li so fast that he could temporarily evade detection by the naked eye, as if he had vanished into thin air.
Han Li estimated that even with the enhanced vision of a cultivator and the use of the Heaven’s Eye Technique, at his full speed, he would appear only as a faint shadow in their eyes. This would pose a significant threat to them, especially if they hadn’t activated protective spells.
Now, with just a thought, Han Li could instantly traverse several meters to any location. Even distances of over ten meters could be covered in the time it took to breathe in and out.
Of course, this speed far exceeded the limits of his physical body, and Han Li could maintain it for only a very short time. Any longer, and his body would completely break down. After all, with his current physical condition, such high-speed movement was still too strenuous.
Nevertheless, for him, this short time was more than enough to instantly kill an opponent dozens of times over—especially when using thread-like magical instruments, which would multiply the lethality.
Han Li lowered his head and gently stroked the boots on his feet, feeling deeply moved. He felt these boots were perfectly suited for him. Even if someone offered a talisman treasure in exchange, he wouldn’t even consider it.
With his confidence greatly renewed, Han Li excitedly scanned his surroundings.
When his eyes fell on the yellow-robed girl’s corpse, he sighed softly. Using a small fireball, he blasted a large pit and hastily buried her body there. This was the most Han Li felt he could do.
After completing this task, Han Li’s figure flickered, and he vanished into the dense forest. He now needed to hurry to the central region.
However, Han Li didn’t know that after the first day of slaughter in the restricted area, only slightly over seventy disciples from various sects remained—a reduction of nearly half from the number who had initially entered. Most of the elite disciples from each sect had already reached the vicinity of the central region, preparing for the second day of “waiting for rabbits” and the great purge.
Anyone they deemed weak would be mercilessly eliminated one by one.
Of course, the deceased Multi-Treasure Girl and Feng Yue from Tianque Fort, whom Han Li had killed, were originally among the designated slaughterers. But now that they were dead, everything had vanished like smoke and dust.
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