At this moment, Han Li, half-embracing the veiled woman, hovered motionless in the air aboard his Divine Wind Boat. Dong Xuan’er stood before him, her body radiating a shimmering glow.
“Junior Sister Dong, must we resort to violence?” Han Li sighed softly, a hint of helplessness in his tone.
“Han Li, if you wish to pass, you’ll have to prove yourself stronger than me! I’ve always been curious—what hidden talents do you possess that made my master, Hong Fu, insist I marry you?” Dong Xuan’er replied expressionlessly, a cold glint flashing in her eyes as she glanced at the veiled woman who had fainted in Han Li’s arms at some point.
“Moreover, this woman is a Core Formation cultivator from the Masked Moon Sect. Do you truly believe I would let you take her away so easily?” Her delicate brows gradually furrowed, and a murderous aura surfaced on her face.
Seeing that she had spoken to this extent, Han Li abandoned any thought of appealing to past sentiments or wasting words. After all, the simple illusion array he had hastily set up with formation flags wouldn’t hold the Young Master of the Ghost Spirit Sect and his companion for long.
With this in mind, Han Li’s expression darkened. “Since that’s the case, Miss Dong, don’t blame me for showing no mercy!”
As he spoke, he let out a loud shout and raised a hand, releasing two streaks of black light and five streaks of white light simultaneously. A turtle-shell magical instrument materialized before him, forming a protective barrier. Four puppet beasts emerged on either side of him, their mouths gaping open as they unleashed four thick beams of light, each as wide as a bowl.
It seemed he intended to go all out from the very start, showing no intention of holding back out of chivalry.
Dong Xuan’er’s expression changed drastically at the ferocity of Han Li’s assault.
Gritting her silver teeth, she raised a jade-like hand and summoned a pink veil. Both her hands continuously emitted red rays of light that merged with the veil, forming a massive, radiant red shield that enveloped her completely.
Dong Xuan’er was confident that even if Han Li’s attack was fierce, it would never break through the powerful barrier formed by the fusion of her “Phoenix Veil” and demonic arts.
But just as Dong Xuan’er was brimming with confidence, Han Li’s Divine Wind Boat flashed with white light. In an instant, both he and his magical instrument whisked past her side.
The menacing offensive instruments feigned an attack before immediately turning around and following the white light in a swift escape.
Han Li had fled without even engaging in a single exchange.
This turn of events took Dong Xuan’er completely by surprise! She stood dumbfounded for a moment before her face flushed red with fury. But as she prepared to give chase in her rage, the four beams of light from the puppet beasts had already reached her.
Left with no other choice, Dong Xuan’er had to wait for the beams to strike before hurriedly dispersing her protective shield. By then, Han Li had long since驾驭 the Divine Wind Boat, turning into a distant black speck on the verge of vanishing completely.
Naturally, Dong Xuan’er refused to accept being so thoroughly tricked by Han Li. Relying on her extraordinary movement technique, she ignored the four puppet beasts and pursued him with all her might.
However, after a short while, the black speck ahead flickered a few times before vanishing without a trace.
Dong Xuan’er searched the vicinity with an angry expression but found no clues. Helpless, she had to admit she had lost Han Li and dejectedly retraced her path.
…
Meanwhile, Han Li, tightly holding the veiled woman, hid within a mound of loose soil somewhere. A yellow light barrier surrounded him, keeping all the dirt at bay. Surprisingly, he didn’t feel stifled, finding the situation utterly marvelous.
Han Li himself hadn’t expected that this lower-tier “Earth-Sinking Talisman,” which he had crafted with his own hands, would actually come in handy one day. It seemed his decision to carry all his talismans with him had been the right one.
After a moment, sensing that Dong Xuan’er had left the sky above, he didn’t emerge immediately. Instead, he cautiously used his spiritual sense to confirm her departure once more before finally leaping out of the soil and flying away on his instrument without hesitation.
…
Several hours later, Han Li, carrying the veiled woman in his arms, appeared inside a dry tree hollow. The owner of the hollow, a massive grey bear, had been unceremoniously dismembered by Han Li and left outside the cave.
As soon as Han Li placed the veiled woman on the ground, he reached out concernedly and grasped one of her jade-like wrists. He slowly channeled spiritual power into her, intending to check her pulse and assess her injuries.
But almost immediately, Han Li deeply regretted his rash action.
For as soon as a trickle of his spiritual power entered her body, a powerful suction force suddenly erupted from within her. Han Li’s spiritual power poured out uncontrollably, like a flood breaching a dam.
Shocked, Han Li tried to let go, but his palm seemed glued to her hand, impossible to break free. Helpless, he tried using his other hand, but upon touching her body, it too was instantly stuck. Thus, the magic power within him surged out at double the rate.
Horrified, Han Li could only feel his cultivated spiritual power and true essence being forcibly drawn away bit by bit by the veiled woman, the suction showing no signs of weakening but rather growing stronger.
This threw Han Li into a panic!
But his hands were trapped, and he dared not kick her, remembering the previous predicament. For a moment, he was utterly at a loss!
Han Li could only watch helplessly as his cultivation level dropped from mid Foundation Establishment to early Foundation Establishment, then further plummeted to the Qi Condensation stage…
Heart aching, Han Li could hold on no longer. Darkness clouded his vision, and he completely lost consciousness, his body collapsing right on top of the veiled woman.
“So fragrant, so soft!” Such an unexpectedly alluring thought flashed through Han Li’s mind just before he blacked out.
Thus, in the silent mountain cave, a man and a woman lay entangled in an intimate embrace, both unconscious and motionless. Meanwhile, the spiritual power within Han Li’s body continued to flow steadily into hers.
…
After an unknowable amount of time spent in a daze, Han Li finally slowly awoke.
But the moment he opened his bleary eyes, he saw an incredibly graceful figure standing at the mouth of the tree hollow, her back to him as she gazed outward at something.
Slightly stunned, he immediately felt a severe headache. Suppressing a groan, he recalled what had happened before he lost consciousness. His heart sinking, he hurriedly used his spiritual sense to inspect his own body.
The result sent his heart plunging to the depths. Not only had his cultivation fallen back to the Qi Condensation stage, it seemed to be only around the third or fourth layer. This felt like a thunderbolt from a clear sky, leaving him utterly stupefied.
“You’re awake?” Just as Han Li was lost in shock, the graceful figure spoke softly without turning around.
Nangong Wan, what is the meaning of this? I saved you with good intentions, so why did you absorb my magical power? Han Li snapped out of his daze, his expression turning extremely grim as he couldn’t help but voice his anger.
“Nangong Wan? Do you know my cousin?” The woman finally turned around. By now, the hood on her head had long been removed, revealing an exceedingly beautiful face that Han Li could see clearly.
Han Li was stunned!
Although this woman bore a sixty to seventy percent resemblance to Nangong Wan in her youth, she had a delicate oval face, two gracefully arched eyebrows, and an exceedingly sweet demeanor. She was clearly a stranger.
“Who are you? How is this possible? I clearly heard the demonic cultivators address you as Senior Nangong! And your voice…” Han Li muttered disbelievingly, completely thrown into disarray.
But immediately, his face turned deathly pale, and he could say no more.
For he finally realized that this woman’s voice was indeed slightly different from Nangong Wan’s—it was a bit hoarser. When he had heard it earlier, he had assumed Nangong Wan’s voice was altered due to her severe injuries. This slight oversight had led to a colossal mistake: not only had he saved the wrong person, but his entire cultivation had been drained by this woman.
Over a decade of arduous cultivation—all wiped out in an instant!
The more Han Li thought about it, the more unlucky and despondent he felt. His face uncontrollably flushed and paled alternately.
“Are you Han Li of the Yellow Maple Valley?” The female cultivator who claimed to be Nangong Wan’s cousin asked, seeing his distraught state. A faint smile played on her lips as she spoke words that stunned him once again.
“How does Senior know this junior’s name?” Since things had come to this, Han Li could only brace himself and ask slowly. He could see that this woman didn’t seem intent on killing him. Feeling slightly reassured, he remembered the cultivation method of the “Triple Revolving Profound Art” and gradually calmed down.
“My cousin and I are as close as sisters; there are no secrets between us. My cousin has told me all about you!” The woman’s expression was neutral, revealing neither joy nor anger.
Han Li fell silent.
“Did you know? My first thought upon learning of this was to rush to Yellow Maple Valley, chop you into seven or eight pieces, and feed your corpse to the dogs!” A cold light suddenly shot from the woman’s eyes, her words abruptly filled with murderous intent, causing Han Li’s expression to change slightly.
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