He suddenly made a hand seal with one hand, and a surge of black energy erupted behind him, within which a golden demonic form with three heads and six arms faintly appeared.
With a slight wave of its four arms, four massive golden blades materialized in its hands, each slashing out a golden blade light with lightning speed.
These blade lights, each stretching over a hundred feet, carried an astonishing force. Despite the combined efforts of the male and female demons and the demonic beast to block them, all were momentarily forced back by the impact.
Seizing the opportunity, Han Li swiftly retracted his Dharma Form and the silver firebird, transforming into a dazzling azure streak that shot out the door.
Meanwhile, the leopard-lynx beast also retracted its illusory avatar and followed as a golden orb.
Seeing this, the male demon and the green-skirted woman knew things had taken a turn for the worse. After a quick exchange of messages, the male demon immediately pursued with his demonic bird, while the woman hurried toward the residences of the core disciples.
Moments later, when the woman arrived before a side hall, her expression darkened instantly.
Not only was the hall’s gate shattered, but the several layers of defensive formations nearby had also been completely dismantled.
Several demonic guards clad in green armor lay scattered and unconscious outside the entrance.
Cursing under her breath, the woman wasted no time and let out a piercing shriek that echoed into the heavens.
In an instant, the entire Incense Fortress erupted into chaos. Low-ranking winged demons hastily locked their doors, while higher-ranking ones emerged in shock, rushing toward the source of the shriek.
Meanwhile, Han Li had already reunited with the leopard-lynx beast and was speeding toward a secluded corner of the fortress.
Not far behind, the male demon rode his white demonic bird, chasing relentlessly.
Upon hearing the woman’s shriek, Han Li frowned slightly, while the male demon’s expression hardened. Taking a deep breath, he prepared to let out a similar cry.
But at that moment, Han Li suddenly flung hundreds of gold and silver talismans into the air, which vanished in a flash.
A thunderous boom followed!
The spiritual energy in the sky trembled as a grand palace illusion materialized amidst five-colored radiance, descending with a deafening roar.
Startled, the male demon abandoned his plan and frantically waved his white feathered fan, summoning gale-force winds to disperse the palace illusion.
The winds howled, threatening to scatter the illusion entirely.
Yet Han Li sneered from afar, pointing at the palace illusion.
A burst of ten thousand beams of light erupted in the sky, and the five-colored radiance swept downward, dissipating the winds instantly.
With another deafening roar, the palace illusion enveloped the unprepared male demon.
The demon found himself in a misty void, surrounded by indistinct pavilions and towers, utterly disoriented.
His expression darkened as he hurled his fan into the air, conjuring over a dozen gray wind dragons that lunged at the distant illusions.
He knew full well that even if he escaped, he could no longer catch Han Li.
And so it was.
Seeing the male demon temporarily trapped, Han Li formed a hand seal.
A thunderclap sounded as a pair of cyan-white feathered wings sprouted from his back. With a single flap, he transformed into a streak of cyan-white light, vanishing into the darkness after a few flashes.
Shortly after, an earth-shattering explosion erupted from the milky-white mist between three mountain peaks.
A colossal sword beam, as thick as a man, sliced through the mist, splitting the entire sea of fog in two.
The mist scattered wildly, as if the fortress’s entire defensive formation had been shattered by the strike.
As the azure sword light disappeared, two streaks of light shot out from the mist, circling briefly before streaking toward the horizon.
Moments later, furious roars rose from below the mist as several colorful streaks of light pursued the two ahead.
One of the fleeing figures was the feathered maiden, the other Han Li in his green robe.
Glancing back at the six or seven winged demons in pursuit, the maiden smirked slightly.
“Brother Han, it’s about time. Let’s lose them.”
“Agreed. Begin the spell,” Han Li replied calmly, scanning the pursuers with his spiritual sense before nodding.
His light halted abruptly as countless silver lightning arcs surged from his body, coalescing into a massive silver thunder roc, ten feet in size.
With a flap of its wings, the roc expanded tenfold, reaching a hundred feet in length. Another flap sent it streaking across the sky as a silver arc, vanishing in an instant.
Meanwhile, the maiden transformed into a five-colored phoenix, its radiant plumage shimmering before it too disappeared into the void.
The pursuing lights halted abruptly, their owners revealing their true forms—among them, the green-skirted woman.
Their faces darkened as they stared at the empty horizon.
“To think those thieves escaped! Their transformations—could they be from the Beast Venerable Hall?” a red-haired elder growled, slamming his black cane in fury.
“Shape-shifting doesn’t necessarily mean they’re from the Beast Venerable Hall. The question is, why did they come to our fortress? Elder Qing, you raised the alarm first. Did you discover anything?” a pitch-black demon, his features obscured, asked coldly.
“They abducted a True Blood disciple from the Azure Spirit Hall,” the woman admitted reluctantly.
“Again, someone after the Azure Phoenix True Blood! Only one disciple was taken? The others are unharmed?” the black demon pressed.
“The others were merely unconscious. But the one taken… his potential ranked among the top five of our True Blood disciples,” the woman said grimly.
“Top five? Then we can’t let this slide. Contact the Sacred Ancestor immediately upon our return. Only he can stop those thieves,” the black demon declared.
“Agreed. If we don’t capture them, our clan’s reputation will be ruined. The last True Blood theft was tens of thousands of years ago. It seems many have forgotten Lord Ling Yuan’s presence among us. A reminder is overdue,” the red-haired elder added.
After a brief discussion, the demons turned back.
Meanwhile, Han Li and the maiden flew nonstop for half a day before finding a secluded cave to rest.
“These core disciples might have tracking marks. Extract the True Blood, and we’ll leave immediately,” Han Li said gravely upon entering.
“Of course. Give me half an hour,” the maiden replied with a smile, flicking her sleeve to release a blue silk cloth. With a spin, it revealed an unconscious winged demon youth.
“Good. I’ll guard outside,” Han Li said, stepping out to give her privacy.
The maiden chuckled, producing an array of flags and disks to set up an intricate formation.
Half an hour later, Han Li turned as light footsteps approached.
The maiden emerged, beaming.
“Judging by your expression, the True Blood is secured,” Han Li observed.
“Not just secured—its purity exceeds my expectations. This disciple must have been exceptional. But the sooner we leave, the better. Here’s your share.” She tossed him a small white vial, her expression turning serious.
Han Li’s eyes gleamed as he caught the vial. Uncorking it, he scanned it with his spiritual sense.
“Indeed, it’s the Azure Phoenix True Blood. Excellent. Let’s depart Iron Sand Ridge at once,” he said, storing the vial.
With that, their lights soared into the sky, streaking away.
Two days later, a group of winged demons discovered the unconscious youth in the cave.
Though alive, not a drop of his True Blood remained.
The incident stirred unrest among the clans, but soon, a more shocking rumor spread among the higher-ranking demons.
The avatar of their revered Sacred Ancestor, Lord Ling Yuan, had returned from a recent journey severely wounded and immediately entered seclusion, refusing all visitors.
Those privy to the details were aghast, collectively silencing any discussion of the matter and forbidding further mention among their kin. Thus, an event that should have shaken the demonic world was swiftly suppressed, fading into obscurity within days.
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