Beside her, Zhu Guo’er stood with her mouth agape, utterly dumbfounded.
Clearly, the girl had never expected that the moment Han Li escaped the formation, the Golden Crab would immediately turn hostile and launch such a terrifying attack.
Witnessing this, Han Li merely smiled faintly and said to the Golden Crab,
“Thank you, Brother Crab. Without your intervention, no one else could have identified the weakest point of the Sixfold Azure Thunder Formation and struck with such precision.”
“If it were the complete Sixfold Azure Thunder Formation, or if I were trapped inside it, even I couldn’t have done this. Under these circumstances, it was merely a trivial effort. However, don’t forget my share of the spiritual liquid after this,” the Golden Crab replied in a deep, buzzing voice, sounding utterly indifferent.
“Rest assured, Brother Crab. No matter how many times you intervene, I will ensure you receive every drop owed,” Han Li chuckled in response.
“Regardless of how much spiritual liquid you can provide in the future, once the accumulated offerings from before are exhausted, I will cease my assistance immediately,” the Golden Crab stated bluntly.
“Very well. Since you refuse to be flexible, we shall adhere to our prior agreement. But the previous offerings should suffice for your full cooperation for some time,” Han Li replied with a bitter smile, somewhat resigned.
No matter how intelligent the Golden Crab appeared, once the matter involved the mysterious green liquid it demanded, it became rigid and unyielding.
This time, the Golden Crab remained silent, its cold eyes fixed on the void below.
The gap torn in the formation was rapidly sealing itself, and from a distance, the azure expanse below reappeared, the sea of mist vanishing once more.
At that moment, a ripple of energy surged beside the flying chariot, and a flash of pink light revealed a graceful figure—Baohua, her face pale.
As soon as she appeared, she spared Han Li only a glance before swiftly retrieving a crimson vial and swallowing an emerald-green pill.
Before Han Li could speak, the scenery below abruptly shifted—the illusionary barrier flickered and vanished, replaced by a churning sea of white mist.
Simultaneously, two furious roars erupted from the mist.
A golden and a blue figure blurred into motion, appearing above the mist in an instant.
When the figures solidified, the blue-robed woman and the youthful maiden emerged, their gazes locked onto Han Li—one filled with icy malice, the other with venomous hatred.
“Good, very good. I initially intended to spare you, but it seems you’re determined to seek death!” the maiden spat, her voice dripping with venom. Without hesitation, she hurled the silver Buddha statue into the air, transforming it into a towering figure over a dozen zhang tall. With a hand seal, black demonic flames surged around her, coalescing into a monstrous beast behind her—neither ox nor horse, wreathed in dark fire, with curved horns and a mane of flickering flames.
Meanwhile, the blue-robed woman radiated frigid hostility. Without a word, she rubbed her hands together, unleashing streams of blue light that crystallized into a towering iceberg hundreds of zhang high, centered around her. The colossal blue tortoise beneath her roared, its body swelling into a behemoth rivaling the iceberg, its eyes glowing crimson with the aura of a late-stage Body Integration cultivator.
Han Li wasted no time. With a sharp cry, golden light erupted from his body as he transformed into a six- to seven-zhang-tall golden ape, gripping a black and a green mountain in each hand.
Simultaneously, two towering figures materialized beside him—one clad in golden radiance, the other in emerald-green robes, both bearing his likeness.
These were his solidified Vajra Body and the Spirit Medicine Avatar.
Confident in his reforged physique—enhanced by the Spirit Cleansing Pool and the Pure Spirit Lotus—Han Li believed that with his avatars, he could handle a single Ancestor’s incarnation with ease.
As for the Blue Waterfall Saint, he left her to the Golden Crab.
He didn’t expect the crab, weakened outside the Demon Sea, to slay a seasoned Saint, but restraining her should be no issue.
With a thunderous crackle, silver lightning arced across the Golden Crab’s body. Its massive claws twitched, and two golden orbs of terrifying power materialized between them. Even before their release, the sheer energy radiating from them gave the two Saints pause, their attacks momentarily frozen in hesitation.
“Consider carefully,” the golden ape’s voice boomed. “Do you truly wish to battle me here? Regardless of the outcome, neither of you will have much chance of capturing Senior Baohua afterward.”
He glanced at Baohua, who, after swallowing the pill, had regained some color in her cheeks and a measure of her spiritual energy.
“Even a one percent chance is worth pursuing,” the maiden hissed. “If you withdraw now, I’ll overlook your interference and even persuade Yuan Yan to lift your bounty, allowing you to return to the Spirit Realm unharmed. Otherwise, even if you survive this battle, my wrath will follow you eternally.”
“Retreat is not an option,” the ape rumbled, blue light flickering in its eyes. “I act with purpose, and I care not for your threats.”
With his imminent return to the Spirit Realm, her intimidation held no weight—even if she were another of the Demon Realm’s great Ancestors.
Moreover, with his current power, even if her true form descended, he was confident in his ability to escape.
“Very well,” the maiden snarled. “If you insist on meddling, I’ll sacrifice this incarnation to ensure your demise. Sister Lan, restrain the Golden Crab while I bind the others. Once your avatars arrive, we’ll crush them together.”
“Agreed,” the Blue Waterfall Saint replied coldly. “My incarnations will be here within the time it takes a candle to burn.”
With a gesture, the iceberg shattered into blue motes, vanishing before reforming around the Golden Crab, trapping it. The blue tortoise exhaled a white mist that coiled around the ice like chains, further immobilizing the crab.
The Saint had no intention of engaging the crab directly—only delaying it.
Meanwhile, the maiden’s silver Buddha swelled, its massive hands slamming toward the ape and Baohua, while the black-flame beast spewed a towering wall of fire.
Han Li’s ape form raised its mountains, poised to strike, his avatars ready to counter.
But then—
Baohua sighed softly.
“Why must you persist?”
As her sigh faded, she lifted a delicate hand and blew gently, releasing a sphere of pink light.
Upon closer inspection, the sphere was composed of countless tiny runes. It spun once before bursting apart, scattering like petals in a whirlwind of dazzling pink.
At its center, a flash of emerald green materialized into a small tree, rapidly growing into a towering, crystalline structure rooted in her palm. Its branches shimmered, drawing power from her.
In a breath, the tree bloomed with countless pink buds, saturating the air with fragrance.
A chorus of sacred hymns echoed as the surroundings transformed—a thousand-zhang expanse became a sea of pink, an independent realm unto itself.
With a single word—”Disperse”—Baohua shattered the iceberg, the white mist, the silver palms, and the fire wall into nothingness.
“Profound Heaven Domain!” the maiden gasped, her face a mask of disbelief.
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