“Hmph! That woman took the young master’s cultivation manuals back then, so it’s no surprise she has such methods. Once I break this formation, I’ll trouble you all to take action.” The old man’s face flashed with anger, but he quickly regained his composure.
“Don’t worry. Even if she had three heads and six arms, she wouldn’t escape this time.” The skull chuckled, looking utterly unconcerned.
Hearing this, the old man also felt there would be no issues. Without hesitation, he rubbed his hands together, and a dazzling yellow light surged from his palms. “Break!” he shouted, and the yellow light transformed into a radiant streak, shooting toward the surface of the stone mountain.
A deep rumbling sound echoed as the stone mountain, like a calm lake disturbed by a boulder, suddenly rippled with white light. The scenery shifted abruptly, revealing a lush, verdant mountain brimming with spiritual energy.
“What is this?” The skull and the brutish man gaped in shock at the sudden transformation.
“Heh, this is our sect’s secret formation—the Spirit-Concealing Array. It’s one of the few formations in the world capable of masking spiritual energy. That witch’s cultivation isn’t strong enough, so she could only conceal part of it. If our sect’s patriarch had set this up, not a wisp of spiritual energy would have leaked.” The old man surnamed Ding glanced at them with a hint of pride.
Han Li was also astonished. Upon hearing the old man’s explanation, his mind stirred slightly. If he could obtain the method to set up this Spirit-Concealing Array, his future cave abode would be much safer.
Now that the illusion had dissipated, a stone gate emitting green light appeared halfway up the mountain—clearly the entrance to Yuan Yao’s cave.
“Let’s move,” the old man said, his eyes flashing with malice.
The skull nodded and spat out a strange black blade, half-sword, half-knife, an odd weapon. The brutish man let out a low shout, and a massive, gleaming battle-axe flew from his hand, startling Han Li. It was extremely rare to see someone use such a massive weapon as a magical treasure.
“Fellow Daoist, why—” The old man himself spat out a white flying sword but noticed Han Li hadn’t moved at all, making him puzzled.
Han Li smiled faintly, about to say something vague, when the stone gate suddenly opened on its own, and a streak of green light flew out.
Seeing this, the old man immediately turned his attention to it, along with the others.
The green light circled once before dissipating not far from the gate, revealing a stunning beauty clad in black robes, her skin as white as snow. She smiled enchantingly, her eyes brimming with charm—every gesture exuded allure. It was none other than Yuan Yao, whom Han Li had parted ways with in the Void Sky Hall.
Years had passed, yet her beauty remained unchanged. If anything, she had grown even more captivating.
However, when her gaze swept over the group and landed on the old man from the Qingyang Sect, her expression darkened, her face turning as cold as frost.
“Fellow Daoists, what brings you to my humble abode?” she asked icily, clearly aware that her charm would have no effect on these cultivators. She completely ignored the old man.
The old man surnamed Ding seethed inwardly, but as a scheming man, he showed no outward anger. Instead, he smirked darkly. “Witch! Pretending ignorance is useless now. You murdered our young master and stole our sect’s treasures. Did you really think you could escape today?”
Yuan Yao didn’t respond. Instead, her bright eyes flickered as she carefully assessed the cultivation levels of each opponent. Her heart sank.
The old man and the brutish man were manageable—both at the early Core Formation stage, similar to her. But the skull-like man in black and the plain-looking man in green robes were at the mid and late Core Formation stages, respectively. She wouldn’t be able to handle them easily.
If these four joined forces, even with her powerful treasures and the secret techniques she had cultivated over the years, her chances of survival were slim.
The skull and the brutish man were momentarily stunned by Yuan Yao’s beauty but soon exchanged regretful glances. If she hadn’t offended the Three Suns Demon of the Qingyang Sect, she would have made an ideal cultivation partner. What a pity!
Faced with danger, Yuan Yao remained composed. With a cold laugh, she flipped her delicate hand, revealing a white formation disk. A gentle stroke sent white light radiating outward, and thick green-yellow mist billowed forth, enveloping the entire mountain.
The old man shouted, and his flying sword shot toward Yuan Yao in a flash.
But Yuan Yao merely chuckled and retreated into the mist without a word.
“Hmph! A mere illusion formation dares to show off?” The old man frowned but then sneered, forming hand seals and pointing at his flying sword.
The sword let out a clear hum and danced wildly in the air, transforming into a massive wheel of light several meters in diameter. It rolled mercilessly into the mist, dispersing it wherever it passed. In moments, the mist before the gate was completely cleared, revealing the stone gate once more.
Seeing this, the brutish man wasted no time. He pointed at his battle-axe, which swelled several times in size before slamming into the gate. Yellow and green lights clashed, explosions ringing out continuously.
Just as the skull beside Han Li was about to join the attack with his strange blade, he suddenly let out a surprised sound.
“Not good! The witch is escaping from the back mountain! After her!” he shouted urgently, transforming into a streak of black light and darting toward the rear.
Han Li’s eyes flickered with an odd light, but he remained expressionless and unmoving.
The brutish man seemed to trust the skull implicitly. He immediately halted his attack on the gate and flew after him.
The old man hesitated, torn between belief and doubt. After a moment, he turned to Han Li with a questioning look. “Fellow Daoist, was what he said true? I didn’t sense anything.” Among them, Han Li had the highest cultivation, so the old man naturally trusted his judgment more.
Han Li’s expression remained unchanged, but a strange glint flashed in his eyes.
“That fellow Daoist was right. The woman did escape from the back mountain. However, she’s already been intercepted by the two of them and is currently fighting.” Han Li clasped his hands behind his back and glanced toward the rear mountain, speaking calmly.
“Excellent! If we join them, we can capture her alive!” The old man was overjoyed.
“Indeed, with our help, she won’t escape. But before we go, I’d like to borrow something from you, Fellow Daoist.” Han Li turned his head, fixing the old man with an eerie gaze as he spoke slowly.
“Borrow something? What do you need?” The old man was taken aback.
“Your head.” Han Li rubbed his nose, his lips curling into a mocking smile. Before the old man could react, Han Li spat out a blinding green streak that circled the old man’s neck in an instant. His head toppled to the ground.
With a wave of his hand, Han Li sent out a streak of cyan light, wrapping around the severed head and pulling it into his grasp without a single drop of blood staining him. He squinted at the head, still frozen in shock and confusion.
“Don’t blame me. Since you saw me at the teleportation array, you were just unlucky.” Han Li sighed softly.
The other two—Ke Yu and the Qingyang Sect guide—were terrified out of their wits and tried to flee, but Han Li casually flicked two sword beams, piercing their hearts on the spot.
Then he raised his head, gazing toward the back mountain with a peculiar expression.
“Tsk tsk, who would’ve thought Yuan Yao’s cultivation has improved so much?” Han Li marveled before gripping the head and transforming into a cyan streak, flying off.
High above the back mountain, the skull and the brutish man were locked in battle with Yuan Yao. A red hammer clashed with their treasures while they bombarded her with spells. Yuan Yao, shrouded in black mist, retaliated with bursts of green demonic fire.
Though she fought fiercely, she was steadily retreating, trying to escape. But the skull and the brutish man were experienced fighters, their precise attacks preventing her from breaking free.
When the three noticed Han Li’s approaching streak of light, the skull and the brutish man were overjoyed.
As Han Li’s light dissipated and he appeared near the battle, the brutish man called out impatiently, “Fellow Daoist, hurry and attack! With the three of us, we can capture her alive. But where’s the Qingyang Sect’s Ding? This is his sect’s matter—why is he dragging his feet?”
“No need to wait. Fellow Daoist Ding… is right here.” Han Li’s face was expressionless as he flung the head he’d been hiding toward the brutish man.
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