The towering silver figure was wreathed in crackling lightning. As it steadied itself within the thunder formation and raised its head, it revealed the visage of a middle-aged man with fiery red hair and a thick, unkempt beard.
His face was square-jawed, but his nose was unusually large and hooked like an eagle’s beak. Behind him, a pair of crimson feathered wings fluttered slightly, emitting sporadic bursts of electricity that crackled and sparked, giving him the appearance of a thunder deity incarnate.
Yet despite his imposing demeanor, the man’s face was pale, and his silver robe was scorched and blackened in several places. One sleeve had even been torn off at the shoulder, exposing a bare arm.
This man was actually an early-stage Body Integration cultivator, yet he appeared even more disheveled than Han Li. The moment he appeared, he kept glancing back in panic, his expression filled with alarm.
“How is it him? Why is he here?” At such close range, Han Li immediately recognized the man’s face and couldn’t help but exclaim in shock.
The man seemed to hear Han Li’s outburst and abruptly turned his head, his sharp gaze locking onto Han Li’s direction. When he clearly saw Han Li’s face on the flying carriage, his expression twisted into something indescribably strange.
Han Li’s expression flickered several times before a thought seemed to strike him. The corners of his lips curled slightly, revealing a trace of excitement.
In the next moment, he stood up from the flying carriage and, with a ghostly movement, appeared behind the sentient puppet.
With a soft *pat*, he gently tapped the white-robed woman’s shoulder.
The puppet dissolved into a ball of white light and was swiftly stored into his sleeve.
Then, spiritual light flashed beneath Han Li’s feet, and the flying carriage’s speed abruptly doubled. After a few flickers, it appeared in the void just a hundred zhang away from the burly man.
“Han Li! It’s you! Why are you here, and in such a sorry state?” The man swept his divine sense over Han Li and frowned before loudly questioning him.
His voice was deep, and it was clear he recognized Han Li.
“Brother Lei, shouldn’t I be the one asking that? The esteemed young master of a great clan, fleeing like a startled bird—could it be you’re also being pursued?” Han Li’s lips twitched as he let out a bitter laugh.
“Hmph, I’ve indeed run into some trouble, but my situation is still better than yours. After not seeing you for centuries, you’ve advanced to the Body Integration stage—even reaching the mid-stage—but how is your spiritual power so depleted? Don’t tell me you’re being hunted by several Great Ascension beings?” The man’s eyes flickered as he studied Han Li’s face, his tone peculiar.
“You guessed right. I *am* being chased by a Great Ascension being, which is why I ended up here. Brother Lei, with your thunder formation abilities, you’re still this panicked—could it be you’re also being pursued by a Great Ascension-level opponent?” Han Li raised an eyebrow, admitting frankly before countering with a question.
“Heh, it seems we’re truly a pair of brothers in misfortune. But who exactly is chasing you? Great Ascension beings have become so numerous lately!” The man chuckled dryly before asking curiously.
“Brother Lei, are you feigning ignorance? Our human race, along with several nearby clans, is already embroiled in the demonic calamity. The ones chasing me are naturally ancient demons! Don’t tell me you’re unaware?” Han Li was momentarily stunned before replying with surprise.
“Demonic calamity? You mean you’re being hunted by an Ancient Demon Ancestor? I only emerged from seclusion a few months ago—how would I know about this?” This time, it was the man’s turn to be shocked, his breath hitching in disbelief.
“Ah, you just came out of seclusion—no wonder. The demonic calamity has been underway for some time now. The ones chasing me are avatars of a Demon Ancestor, each possessing the terrifying power of late-stage Body Integration. Facing them together, I had no choice but to flee. Brother Lei, are the ones pursuing you also avatars of an Ancient Demon Ancestor?” Han Li’s expression shifted before he asked skeptically.
“Whether they’re Demon Ancestors or not, I can’t say. But they can indeed wield extremely refined true demonic Qi. One of them even has techniques that counter my Five Thunder Physique. As for the other… I still can’t gauge their cultivation depth. It’s possible they’re also an avatar of some Demon Ancestor.” The man spoke vaguely.
Han Li frowned briefly before relaxing.
This man—Lei Yunzi, whom he had met among the foreign races in the past—was clearly hiding something. But given the circumstances, Han Li had no intention of pressing further. After a brief pause, he instead said, “Running into you is my good fortune. Brother Lei, do you still remember that thunder formation you once told me about? If we join forces…”
“You mean the dual thunder formation? How could I have forgotten! Haha, now there’s hope for escape!” Lei Yunzi’s eyes brightened, his face lighting up with joy.
“Since you understand, let’s hurry—Hm? Where is this fragrance coming from?” Just as Han Li smiled and was about to continue, he suddenly sniffed the air, his expression drastically changing.
“Damn it, those two are catching up! Brother Han, come quickly—I’ll take you away first!” Lei Yunzi’s face paled as he urgently shouted.
Han Li was startled but had no time to investigate the mysterious fragrance. He stomped on the flying carriage, transforming it into a streak of azure light that shot forward.
In two flickers, he appeared beside Lei Yunzi. With a flick of his sleeve, the flying carriage dissolved into spiritual light and vanished into his body.
Lei Yunzi, his face frantic, formed a hand seal. A deafening roar erupted as countless silver lightning arcs erupted from his wings and body, instantly forming a brilliant new thunder formation around them.
The formation boomed like thunder, enveloping both men in a storm of crackling electricity, their figures vanishing within the silver tempest.
But at that moment, the space above the formation rippled, and a phantom image of a pink-flowered tree silently materialized.
The tree stood a hundred zhang tall, its crystalline pink trunk exuding an indescribably intoxicating fragrance.
With a slight rotation, countless enormous pink blossoms rained down like falling leaves before transforming into a rolling wave of pink mist that descended upon the thunder formation.
Strangely, though the mist seemed to move slowly, it crossed hundreds of zhang in an instant, engulfing the formation in a single sweep.
“Too late—move!”
The pink mist was dazzlingly beautiful, inspiring awe in anyone who beheld it. But when Lei Yunzi saw it, his face turned ashen as if he had seen a venomous scorpion. Without hesitation, he abandoned the nearly completed teleportation formation, flapped his wings, and shot out as a bolt of lightning, vanishing into the void in a flicker.
Though Han Li had never seen the pink-flowered tree before, he immediately sensed the danger from Lei Yunzi’s reaction. Without hesitation, he blurred into motion, transforming into a faint green-white thread of light that shot out of the formation.
The thread flickered once before crossing over two hundred zhang, reappearing in another part of the void.
Under the pink mist’s assault, the thunder formation’s arcs flickered and died. In the span of a single breath, the entire formation crumbled into nothingness.
The pink mist seemed specifically designed to counter lightning.
As the green-white light dissipated, Han Li reappeared, his breath catching at the sight.
“Brother Lei, could it be—?” He turned to Lei Yunzi, his voice laced with shock.
“Indeed, my pursuers have arrived. And they’re catching up faster than before.” Lei Yunzi’s face was grim as he forced a bitter smile.
Han Li inwardly cursed his luck but steeled himself, focusing his attention on the phantom tree.
Yet aside from the tree, the void remained empty and eerily silent, with no other signs of movement.
Neither Han Li nor Lei Yunzi were ordinary cultivators, and they weren’t fooled by such tricks. Instead of acting rashly, they remained motionless, watching intently.
“Heh, not running this time? Have you finally decided to surrender and hand over that thing?”
As the voice echoed, the space near the tree rippled, and a hideous man clad in black robes abruptly appeared. His neck twisted as his gaze swept over them, quickly spotting Lei Yunzi and Han Li.
“Oh? There’s someone else here. Who are you?” The man’s eyes gleamed with malice as he barked the question.
“Is this the one who chased you into fleeing?” Han Li asked Lei Yunzi.
“Of course not. There’s also—”
“And also me.”
A soft feminine voice suddenly rang out from above the phantom tree.
The tree’s pink glow flickered wildly before shattering into countless fragments. A gust of wind scattered the remnants into motes of light, but in their place, a barefoot woman in a white dress materialized.
Her beauty was peerless, her expression serene. Beneath her delicate feet floated an enormous pink flower.
The moment Han Li saw her, his breath hitched, and an overwhelming sense of suffocation gripped his heart. His face twisted in horror.
In an instant, he knew—she was either a Great Ascension being or an avatar of one. Nothing else could evoke such terror in him.
The woman on the flower glanced between Han Li and Lei Yunzi before her lips curled into a mysterious smile.
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