“Although Blood Crow City isn’t large, it’s the only supply point nearby. It wouldn’t be surprising even if a Demon Venerable were passing through temporarily. Besides, even if someone had ulterior motives, would they dare to offend the Hai Family to the death and attack us? However, the True Spirit Bone we accidentally discovered this time is of utmost importance—it’s one of the essential materials for the supreme treasure our Hai Family is currently refining. If we can bring it back, the benefits would be unimaginable. No matter how difficult, we must find a way to obtain it.” The demon woman pondered for a moment before speaking with a dark expression.
“But, Madam! That person might be a Demon Venerable. How can we possibly acquire this Spirit Bone?” another demon man said hesitantly.
“If he truly is a Demon Venerable, it would indeed be troublesome. Since he dares to disregard our Hai Family’s reputation, he’s likely a lone wolf, acting so recklessly. However, just because he doesn’t fear the three of us here doesn’t mean he wouldn’t be wary of others.” The demon woman sneered.
“Ah, Madam, what do you mean?” The two demon men exchanged puzzled glances.
“You two go and inquire about the whereabouts of the Nan Family brothers. Meanwhile, I’ll pay a visit to the Blood Crow City Lord. The Nan Family still owes our Hai Family a significant favor, and if I recall correctly, Bing Qianren hails from the Sky Thorn Valley—he wouldn’t easily refuse our request. If they agree to help, we still have a good chance of obtaining the Spirit Bone.” The demon woman made her decision.
“This plan is brilliant! If the Nan Family brothers and Bing Qianren join forces to pressure him, that person likely won’t persist over a seemingly insignificant Spirit Bone. After all, we’re not asking for it without compensation.” One of the demon men exclaimed in delight.
The other nodded repeatedly in agreement.
“Since you both agree, act immediately. With the beast tide nearby, that person won’t be able to leave Blood Crow City anytime soon, so there’s no need to worry about him taking the Spirit Bone away.” The demon woman’s expression softened as she issued her orders.
“Yes, Madam.” The two demon men bowed slightly in acknowledgment.
Meanwhile, Han Li was inside a large shop spanning several acres, inspecting a few faintly glowing metal ores handed to him by a demon shopkeeper.
Soon, however, disappointment crossed his face. He shook his head and returned the ores to the eager shopkeeper before leaving without a backward glance.
As expected, these Demon Metals were hollow inside.
Finding another crystal bead like before would truly depend on luck.
Having failed in his objective and having visited most shops in Blood Crow City, Han Li saw no reason to linger in the streets and returned directly to his residence.
The earlier encounter with the demon woman seemed entirely forgotten.
Half a day passed in the blink of an eye. As dusk settled, the city gradually darkened, enveloped in shadows.
Apart from patrolling demon guards, the streets grew quiet, devoid of any figures.
Blood Crow City had entered a state of martial law once more.
A few hours later, while meditating cross-legged in his room, Han Li suddenly stirred, a flicker of surprise crossing his face. With a single hand seal, a flash of cyan light enveloped him, and he vanished without a trace.
Moments later, several hundred feet above Han Li’s residence, a barely perceptible ripple appeared, followed by a fleeting green light that darted away like a ghost. In a few blinks, it reached the horizon, completely unaffected by the city’s flight restrictions.
Within moments, a gray streak shot through the air from another direction, passing almost directly over Han Li’s residence, its speed seemingly even faster than the green light.
Both streaks were utterly silent and faint, nearly invisible in the night unless observed up close—clearly, their owners were employing concealment techniques.
In their lightning-fast chase, the two streaks disappeared beyond the horizon in an instant.
Then, with another ripple in the air, a third figure materialized, coldly watching the direction the two had vanished.
It was Han Li, who had detected them earlier.
With Han Li’s formidable spiritual sense, even without actively scanning, nothing within several miles could escape his notice.
While the two might have evaded the patrolling demons, they couldn’t hide from him.
Given his current abilities, unless a Sacred Ancestor appeared, he feared no danger.
The fact that these two ignored the city’s flight restrictions and were sneaking around in the dead of night suggested they were up to something clandestine—enough to pique his interest.
“Since I’ve nothing better to do, I might as well take a look,” Han Li murmured before transforming into a faint cyan streak and giving chase.
His spiritual sense had already locked onto the two ahead. Though he could easily overtake them with a teleportation technique, he deliberately slowed his pace, trailing them at a distance.
He wanted to see where they were headed in such a small city.
With Han Li’s abilities, the two naturally remained oblivious to his presence, focused solely on their frantic escape.
Before long, they neared the city walls.
At that moment, a squad of demon guards patrolled into view.
Each guard wore black armor and wielded a crimson halberd several yards long. Their leader rode a two-headed goat-like demon beast.
The green light ahead hesitated briefly before veering slightly, relying on its superior concealment to slip past unnoticed.
The gray streak behind, fearing it might lose its quarry, followed the same path without hesitation.
Under the full power of their concealment techniques, the two streaks turned nearly transparent, undetectable to the naked eye.
Against ordinary demon guards, they would have passed by unnoticed.
But as the green light brushed past the patrol, a sharp chime rang from the leader’s body, followed by a silver thread shooting out and striking the invisible green light.
The leader possessed a top-tier demon artifact capable of autonomous detection!
The concealed light faltered, revealing its true form.
The demon guards, startled, immediately reacted, slashing with their halberds. A dozen blade arcs tore through the air.
The leader, without hesitation, raised a hand, sending a black streak skyward.
A piercing shriek echoed through the night.
“Damn it!” A furious voice came from the green light as a shadowy figure flickered within.
Under the barrage of blades, the green light shattered into fragments—but it was empty. The figure had vanished.
The lead guard, sharper than most, yanked his mount around.
Thirty yards away, a ripple appeared in the air as the green light burst forth, darting toward the city walls.
“Stop him!” the lead guard roared, slapping one of his mount’s heads.
With a twin snort, the beast spat two blue lightning bolts, which struck the green figure’s back in a flash.
The figure in the green light merely reached back, releasing a swirl of emerald mist.
The lightning bolts vanished into the mist without a sound, utterly ineffective.
The figure’s glow brightened before it vanished again as a green streak.
The other guards, about to give chase, froze in shock.
The lead guard, furious, urged his mount forward.
But another chime sounded from his body, and a second silver thread shot out.
This time, a cold snort echoed as a flash of crimson appeared.
The thread struck the crimson barrier with a metallic clang, rebounding harmlessly before the crimson hue vanished back into the void.
“Impossible! That technique is…” The lead guard’s voice cut off abruptly as he paled, realization dawning.
His mount, which had been about to charge, suddenly stilled.
“Commander, should we pursue? The guards over there won’t stop those two,” one demon hesitantly asked.
“Forget it. Those two are beyond us. Let them go,” the lead guard forced a smile after a moment’s hesitation.
The other guards exchanged bewildered glances.
Their proud commander, yielding to two figures they hadn’t even seen clearly? This was a first.
While the guards stood confused, the two figures had already slipped past the city walls amid the clamor, unaffected by the defensive formations.
Han Li, intrigued, slipped past the lead guard unnoticed—his concealment rendering the silver thread useless against him.
In a few strides, he reached the walls and phased through the barriers without a sound.
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage