Under Han Li’s breathless gaze, the giant mantis flew several circuits within a radius of several miles before suddenly darting straight toward Han Li’s hiding spot at high speed.
Han Li’s face instantly turned ashen!
Gripping the “Blood Spirit Drill” in his hand with a cold expression, he began channeling spiritual power into it. The object immediately grew slightly warm to the touch.
Watching the descending demon beast expressionlessly, Han Li had already decided to wait until it was closer before releasing his magic tool. Only by doing so would he have a better chance of injuring or killing it.
Of course, the risk would multiply as a result, but at this point, Han Li had no other choice.
Fifty zhang, forty zhang, thirty zhang…
Han Li’s heart pounded violently. He couldn’t help but take a deep breath and was about to flick his wrist to release the Blood Spirit Drill.
But then, something happened that left Han Li utterly dumbfounded.
When the mantis demon beast was about twenty zhang above Han Li’s head, it suddenly veered and changed direction, swooping down toward another spot not far from Han Li. After one or two miserable animal roars, the giant mantis emerged from the forest clutching a massive wild boar in its forelimbs and flew away without hesitation along the path it had come from.
Only when the demon beast’s figure gradually disappeared from sight did Han Li let out a long sigh of relief and slump to the ground, completely disregarding the demeanor of an immortal cultivator.
If he hadn’t planned to attack at close range earlier, he would likely have ended up as the demon beast’s meal, just like that wild boar.
Surviving this ordeal was nothing short of a miracle!
Han Li secretly felt immensely fortunate. For the first time, he felt that his luck wasn’t so bad after all.
After calming himself slightly, Han Li thought of the mastermind behind all this—the Soul Control Sect cultivator who had taken over Qu Hun’s body—and couldn’t help but burn with rage!
It was clear that the message about the jade slip in the cave was a trap set by the other party.
No matter how cautious he had been, he was no match for the other’s cunning and had been thoroughly framed, nearly losing his life in the process.
“Fine, very fine! Since I’m not dead, you’re in for it now!” For the first time feeling such fury, Han Li sat resting while muttering hatefully to himself.
In his mind, that “Qu Hun” had three “Spirit Suppression Talismans” stuck on him. There was no way he could break free with his cultivation level. As soon as Han Li returned, he could easily take the other’s life.
Once he felt his physical strength and spiritual power restored, Han Li immediately took to the air on his magic tool and flew back in the direction he had come from.
This time, however, he didn’t dare fly boldly at high altitude. Instead, he cautiously flew at a low altitude of about ten zhang above the ground, fearing he might attract the attention of that demon beast again.
As the cool night breeze blew on his way back, Han Li’s raging anger subsided considerably, and his mind grew clearer. He began to reassess his interactions with “Qu Hun” from start to finish.
After pondering the Soul Control Sect cultivator’s words and actions, as well as the terrifying power of the mantis demon beast, Han Li began to doubt the other’s claimed Foundation Establishment cultivation level.
Such a powerful insect-type demon beast appearing less than a hundred li from Jiayuan City couldn’t possibly be wild.
Considering the other’s identity as a Soul Control Sect cultivator, it was almost certain that the giant mantis was a spirit beast he had tamed.
Han Li found it hard to believe that a Foundation Establishment cultivator could tame such a fearsome spirit beast. In his estimation, this mantis spirit beast could easily take on three or four late Foundation Establishment cultivators alone—its power was absurdly formidable.
“Could it be that this ‘Qu Hun’ wasn’t just a Foundation Establishment cultivator but actually a Core Formation…” he couldn’t help but speculate.
Han Li was startled by his own conjecture!
As he approached the original hill, he couldn’t help but stop and hover in mid-air, lost in thought.
How could a Core Formation cultivator end up in such a miserable state—body destroyed and primordial spirit forced to flee? Unless he encountered one of Yue Country’s Nascent Soul old monsters?
But the Nascent Soul cultivators of the seven sects had long withdrawn from worldly affairs, with two or three even absent from Yue Country. Even during the recent clashes between the Devil Dao and the seven sects, Han Li hadn’t heard of any Nascent Soul-level cultivators taking action.
He found it hard to imagine what kind of earth-shattering, cataclysmic battles would ensue if such figures were to fight.
However, Han Li felt somewhat dissatisfied with these Nascent Soul cultivators who coldly watched lower-level cultivators fight while remaining aloof. He had privately complained about this several times, wondering what these high-level cultivators were actually up to.
“Could it really be such a coincidence that this possibly Core Formation guy ran into one of those old monsters?” Han Li speculated.
If the guy who had taken over Qu Hun’s body was truly a Core Formation cultivator, then it made perfect sense that he knew so many secrets about the Devil Dao invasion and possessed a spirit beast as powerful as the mantis demon beast.
After some consideration, Han Li had to admit that the possibility of “Qu Hun” being a Core Formation cultivator was as high as sixty or seventy percent. This realization made him break out in a cold sweat, his expression turning peculiar.
He felt both somewhat afraid and a little excited.
“Is he pretending to be weak to devour the tiger? Deliberately acting so low-level to toy with me?” Han Li desperately tried to gauge how likely this worst-case scenario was.
“No, he’s definitely not pretending to be weak!” After pondering a while longer, Han Li finally reached a firm conclusion.
For one thing, it was certain that the other had taken over Qu Hun’s body just a few years ago. Thus, his profound cultivation had undoubtedly been lost, just as he had previously claimed.
Even though his primordial spirit remained, allowing him to rebuild his cultivation without bottlenecks, his current level was indeed his true strength now.
Moreover, Han Li could tell at a glance that the other could no longer control the mantis spirit beast. Otherwise, why wouldn’t he keep such a powerful bodyguard by his side?
After all, this was when he was at his weakest and most in need of strong protection. That was why he had no choice but to trick Han Li into going to that cave, hoping the out-of-control giant mantis would kill him.
Han Li was extremely sharp-witted. After thinking through everything, he had mostly figured out the truth, which bolstered his courage considerably.
This wasn’t because Han Li wanted to take advantage of the situation, but because he knew he had already made a mortal enemy of this Soul Control Sect cultivator. If the other managed to escape, once he regained his Core Formation strength, he would undoubtedly tear Han Li to pieces. Therefore, Han Li couldn’t let him leave here alive.
Understanding the severity of the situation, Han Li no longer hesitated. He urged the magic tool beneath his feet and flew straight toward that small hill.
In the blink of an eye, Han Li reached the hilltop and immediately spotted “Qu Hun”老老实实呆在原地, the several talismans on his body still intact. Overjoyed, Han Li landed放心地 about ten zhang away from him, simultaneously gripping a magic tool in each hand.
Upon seeing Han Li descend from the sky, “Qu Hun’s” face showed shock, as if he never expected Han Li to survive. He forced a smile and moved his lips as if to say something.
But Han Li had only taken a few steps when he unceremoniously raised his hand and released two black beams that shot forward with an eerie screech. Since he intended to eliminate the threat completely, he saw no point in exchanging words with a dead man walking.
Seeing the fierce assault of the Black Dragon Claws, “Qu Hun’s” face changed dramatically.
Just as Han Li thought the other would be torn to shreds, “Qu Hun” suddenly swayed and leaped several zhang to the side, dodging the attack trajectory.
“What are you doing? Have you forgotten the poison oath you swore?” the Soul Control Sect cultivator exclaimed furiously. Clearly, he hadn’t expected such a vicious attack the moment Han Li appeared.
Han Li acted as if he hadn’t heard “Qu Hun’s” words, staring fixedly at the three Spirit Suppression Talismans on the other’s body, almost unable to believe his eyes.
“The talismans haven’t been removed. How can he move?” Han Li was full of suspicion.
However, now was not the time for questions or hesitation. With a cold snort, Han Li said nothing more. He pointed at the Black Dragon Claws, causing the magic tool to expand several times into two thick black beams that shot toward the other in a flash.
He had made up his mind: even if it meant sacrificing Qu Hun’s corpse, he would eliminate this Core Formation cultivator’s primordial spirit without leaving a trace.
“Qu Hun” seemed to sense Han Li’s determination to fight to the death. As the Black Dragon Claws bore down on him fiercely, in desperation, he suddenly opened his mouth and spat out a green beam of light, actually blocking the full-force attack of the Black Dragon Claws.
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