The old man only had time to let out a few screams before his body was completely devoured by the Gold Devouring Beetles, leaving only a blood-light-wrapped Nascent Soul desperately resisting with eight black tokens, spitting essence blood.
And this was the result of Han Li ordering the Gold Devouring Beetles to hold back, not exerting their full strength.
The old man’s Nascent Soul was utterly terrified, pleading desperately with Han Li for mercy.
But Han Li paid no heed, merely raising a hand in a beckoning gesture.
With a “whoosh,” a blood-red bracelet shot toward him and was caught in his palm.
It was the storage bracelet left behind by the swarm after the old man’s body vanished.
Han Li swept it with his spiritual sense and frowned slightly.
Though it contained some treasures, there was no trace of the other three sacred bricks he sought.
“Fellow Daoist, if you spare me, I will willingly hand over the sacred bricks!” the Nascent Soul of the Blood Crow City Lord screamed, clutching at this last straw.
“Why would I need you to hand them over? Can’t I find them myself?” Han Li glanced at the Nascent Soul, his eyes suddenly erupting with piercing blue light as he sneered.
As soon as he spoke, the Gold Devouring Beetles, which had been merely restraining the Nascent Soul, buzzed furiously and swarmed toward it without reservation.
Despite their mystical nature, the eight black tokens were no match for the mature Gold Devouring Beetles, which devoured everything in their path. In an instant, the tokens shattered and vanished.
The Nascent Soul let out a final wail before being completely devoured. But when the swarm retreated, three crystalline bricks, each several inches long, remained in its place.
“So he hid them inside his Nascent Soul. If I hadn’t used my spiritual eye to check first, he might have truly deceived me.” Seeing the bricks, Han Li swept them with his spiritual sense and finally allowed a faint smile to cross his face.
With a flick of his sleeve, a streak of azure light shot out, enveloping and collecting the three bricks.
These four sacred bricks not only contained the divine abilities and techniques of a Sacred Ancestor from the Demon Realm but also a secret treasure map. Since he had encountered them, he naturally wouldn’t let them slip away. At that moment, a series of deafening roars erupted behind him, growing louder and louder.
Han Li’s expression shifted slightly as he turned slowly, his gaze sweeping the scene.
Several dozen feet away, Yang Lao’er and the Golden Gourd Demon Venerable were trapped by a massive purple cauldron floating high in the air, which emitted several ancient characters the size of fists.
As the characters shimmered and danced in the air, countless gold and silver runes flew out, while layers of purple mist encircled the two demons.
It was the Purple Speech Cauldron!
Han Li had secretly released this treasure while turning to deal with the Blood Crow City Lord.
Yang Lao’er and the Golden Gourd Demon Venerable had intended to flee while Han Li was occupied with the silver-eyed old man but were caught off guard and trapped by the cauldron.
Furious and desperate, the two demons struggled with all their might.
One’s body erupted with green flames, transforming into fiery green flood dragons that lashed out at the air, while the other raised a golden gourd high, spewing dazzling golden mist that swirled around him.
Yet no matter how fiercely they attacked, the ancient characters from the cauldron possessed unimaginable power. With a few flashes in the air, their assaults were nullified, and layers of restrictions were laid in the surrounding space, rendering them immobile.
Seeing this, Han Li’s face flickered with satisfaction.
The Purple Speech Cauldron, refined from a remnant of a Profound Heavenly Treasure, lived up to its reputation, effortlessly trapping two Body Integration-stage Demon Venerables. And this was without Han Li personally controlling it—otherwise, its power could have doubled.
Yang Lao’er and the Golden Gourd Demon Venerable had witnessed Han Li subduing the Blood Crow City Lord and annihilating his Nascent Soul. When Han Li turned his gaze toward them, their hearts sank completely.
Under such circumstances, they dared not hope for mercy. Han Li’s prowess left them no will to resist.
“Brother Jin, if we don’t leave now, we’ll never escape!” Yang Lao’er suddenly paled and roared at his companion.
With a surge of green flames, over a dozen top-tier demonic treasures shot from his body and exploded simultaneously.
A series of earth-shattering booms erupted!
The violent shockwaves from the self-destruction of the treasures shattered the surrounding restrictions.
Yang Lao’er felt the crushing weight lift from his body and, without hesitation, transformed into a streak of green light, fleeing at full speed.
Hearing Yang Lao’er’s words, the Golden Gourd Demon Venerable gritted his teeth and activated his life-saving technique.
With a shake of his arms, the massive golden gourd in his hands emitted a muffled boom amidst a radiant glow, transforming into a golden qilin phantom.
The phantom opened its maw and spewed forth streams of terrifying golden flames.
Where the flames passed, the restrictions laid by the Purple Speech Cauldron dissolved and vanished. The Golden Gourd Demon Venerable, enveloped by the qilin phantom, transformed into a golden streak and soared into the sky.
“Oh? A qilin’s aura, and a fire-attribute one at that. How intriguing.” Han Li narrowed his eyes, showing a hint of surprise, but without hesitation, he formed a hand seal and flicked his sleeve.
The golden insect cloud swirled and condensed into a blade over thirty feet long. With a tremble, it shot toward Yang Lao’er like a golden beam, leaving a piercing screech in its wake.
At the same time, a azure sword light slashed out from Han Li’s sleeve.
The sword light flashed once, cleaving the qilin phantom and the Golden Gourd Demon Venerable inside it in two.
But the Golden Gourd Demon Venerable was no pushover. With a pained cry, he formed a hand seal, and the essence blood he spat out transformed into bloody mist, merging with the phantom.
The severed qilin phantom instantly reformed and, after a brief pause, continued carrying the Golden Gourd Demon Venerable away.
“Come out!” Han Li frowned and barked.
A shadow shot from his body, landing on the ground and revealing its form—a small golden beast.
“Go. That treasure in his hands should be useful to you,” Han Li said indifferently.
“Thank you, Master. His treasure seems to contain some spirit bones of a fire qilin, which will indeed benefit me greatly.” The Leopard Qilin Beast glanced at the distant golden qilin phantom and spoke joyfully in human tongue.
Its body then swelled tenfold, and with a flick of its limbs, it blurred into a streak chasing after the golden light.
Given the Leopard Qilin Beast’s speed and abilities, dealing with an injured Demon Venerable would pose no problem.
In the blink of an eye, four streaks of light vanished into the distance in two directions.
Han Li descended onto a boulder below, sitting cross-legged and closing his eyes to meditate.
After the time it took to drink a cup of tea, Han Li’s expression shifted, and he reopened his eyes. At the horizon, a golden insect cloud buzzed into view, streaking back to hover above his head.
Han Li swept it with his spiritual sense, smiled faintly, and flicked his sleeve.
The insect cloud dispersed into golden blossoms, shooting into his sleeves and disappearing.
No sooner had he done this than a roar echoed from the other side of the sky. The Leopard Qilin Beast reappeared, darting toward Han Li.
After a few flashes, its golden form materialized above Han Li, then transformed into a five- or six-year-old girl with a pale face.
“Master, something’s wrong! We must leave!” the girl cried in alarm the moment she appeared.
“What happened? Did your target escape?” Han Li asked, slightly puzzled.
“No, I killed him. It’s a beast tide—no, not a beast tide… an insect tide! So many demonic insects!” the girl stammered, waving her hands frantically.
“Insect tide?” Han Li tensed, his gaze snapping toward the direction the Leopard Qilin Beast had come from. But the distant sky was clear and undisturbed.
Just as Han Li was about to question the beast further, the horizon suddenly darkened.
A green line appeared at the edge of the sky, rapidly thickening into a rolling green fog advancing toward them.
Startled, Han Li released his spiritual sense and channeled spiritual power into his eyes, which blazed with blue light.
The once-blurry fog sharpened into focus, revealing countless small yellow-green demonic beasts within.
These creatures had butterfly-like bodies and lion heads, each no more than a few feet long, covered in yellow-green fur with blood-red eyes.
“Butterfly-Tailed Beasts! Why are they here? Is this the insect tide you mentioned?” Han Li relaxed slightly, turning to the girl.
Though the Butterfly-Tailed Beasts’ venom posed a grave threat to ordinary Body Integration cultivators—even someone like the Long Family Patriarch would fear them—Han Li had cultivated the Ten Thousand Poison Indestructible Body, rendering him immune to all poisons. These beasts held no terror for him.
“No, not them! It’s what’s behind!” The girl’s panic only intensified as she frantically pointed beyond the green fog.
“Behind?” Han Li frowned, scrutinizing the fog again. Moments later, his expression changed drastically.
Behind the green fog, a thin layer of purple mist had appeared, initially spanning only a few miles. But within a few breaths, it expanded to cover half the sky, stretching endlessly.
Where the green fog met the purple mist, a sharp “sizzling” sound erupted.
Both fogs diminished slightly as tens of thousands of Butterfly-Tailed Beast carcasses rained down, alongside countless slender, chopstick-sized insect remains.
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