Countless Gold Devouring Beetles swarmed out from the pouch, instantly forming a massive tricolored cloud that spread over Han Li’s head, spanning twenty to thirty zhang in width, presenting an utterly terrifying sight.
“Eh?” A startled voice rang out.
A cold glint flashed in Han Li’s eyes as his gaze shifted to land on the stunningly beautiful young woman in the distance.
She covered her cherry-like lips with one hand, her eyes filled with astonishment and an indescribable hint of joy.
Han Li was momentarily taken aback, unable to comprehend why she would show such an expression, when two thunderous booms suddenly erupted from another direction. Startled, he had no time to dwell on the matter and swiftly turned his gaze back.
From within the purple cloud emerged an ancient bronze shield radiating white light, effortlessly blocking the attacks of the two massive swords.
Seeing this, Han Li sighed inwardly. He had never found the time to refine these flying swords, relying solely on their exceptional materials to match the power of ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivators’ magical treasures. But now that his cultivation had advanced to late-stage Core Formation, the power of his Emerald Swarm Sword was clearly mismatched with his current level. Even when employing the Giant Sword Technique, it posed little threat to cultivators of the same rank.
With this thought, Han Li willed his divine sense, commanding the two flying swords to continue their relentless assault around the purple cloud, only to be repeatedly blocked by the ancient shield.
At the same time, a low hum emanated from Han Li’s mouth, and the swarm of Gold Devouring Beetles above his head buzzed in response, transforming into a massive insect cloud that surged toward the purple cloud. Though he didn’t know what the purple cloud was, given the beetles’ innate ability to devour anything, it would be impossible for the cloud to withstand their onslaught.
“Hmph! Insect control techniques? You’re courting death!” Wen Tianren within the purple cloud, far from being intimidated by the terrifying insect cloud descending upon him, snorted coldly, his expression laced with disdain.
Hearing this, Han Li felt not anger but delight. If his opponent mistook the Gold Devouring Beetles for ordinary spirit insects, he was truly digging his own grave! Once the swarm landed on the purple cloud, it would spell his doom.
Han Li smirked inwardly. Just as the insect cloud descended upon the purple cloud, Wen Tianren within suddenly uttered a single word: “Go.”
A shocking scene unfolded!
Golden light erupted from the purple cloud, followed by countless golden threads shooting out in all directions, piercing into the swarming insect cloud. A series of “pfft” sounds rang out as countless beetle corpses rained down from the sky like a dense downpour.
These golden threads seemed to be the natural bane of the Gold Devouring Beetles. The insects’ normally indestructible bodies were instantly shredded upon contact, offering no resistance whatsoever.
Witnessing this, Han Li was both shocked and furious. He immediately let out a sharp whistle, and the swarm turned to flee. Yet, the golden threads pursued relentlessly, continuing to shoot forward, causing more beetles to fall from the sky.
Han Li’s expression darkened. Without hesitation, he slapped his storage pouch and produced an ancient treasure—a flower basket. He tossed it into the air without delay, where it transformed into a white mist that surged toward the golden threads.
The white mist bypassed the retreating swarm and directly clashed with the golden threads. A strange glint flashed in Han Li’s eyes as he swiftly formed hand seals, causing the white mist to spin rapidly and glow brilliantly.
The golden threads, now enveloped by the white light, slowed to a crawl.
Seizing the opportunity, the insect swarm quickly retreated into the spirit beast pouch at Han Li’s waist.
Yet, Han Li’s expression remained grim. In that brief exchange, nearly ten thousand of his tricolored Gold Devouring Beetles had been lost. Had it not been for the flower basket treasure, the swarm might not have been completely wiped out, but the losses would have been devastating.
What kind of treasure were these golden threads, to possess such power?
Han Li could hardly believe that his Gold Devouring Beetles, renowned for their invincibility, had been so effortlessly countered. The frustration gnawed at him.
As Han Li momentarily lost himself in thought, the golden threads within the white mist began to change. After flickering a few times, their light dimmed, revealing their true forms—slender golden needles, each no longer than an inch, gleaming brilliantly.
At this sight, Han Li was truly horrified. This inheritor of the Six Paths actually cultivated the notoriously difficult-to-refine flying needle treasures—and there were hundreds of them! He couldn’t help but suck in a cold breath.
But then, a thought struck him.
Just as the golden needles dimmed slightly, their radiance flared once more. With a series of “whooshing” sounds, they converged into a single point, merging into a small golden sword.
The golden sword trembled briefly before shooting forward, effortlessly piercing through the flower basket treasure’s restrictions and hurtling toward Han Li.
Han Li’s face darkened. He reached into his storage pouch and retrieved a glowing cyan talisman—the talisman treasure given to him by Qingyi the Scholar in the Void Sky Hall. This treasure was also a flying needle type, perfect for testing its power against the golden sword.
Just as the golden sword reached Han Li, it exploded with a “bang,” dispersing back into countless golden threads that lunged forward.
Without hesitation, Han Li exhaled a breath of cyan essence onto the talisman treasure, activating it instantly. It transformed into a streak of cyan light that shot forth, dispersing into countless cyan threads in midair.
At a glance, aside from their color, these cyan threads were identical in form to the golden ones.
“What is this?” Wen Tianren within the purple cloud was momentarily stunned, his expression one of surprise.
The golden threads and cyan light collided just before Han Li, erupting into bursts of light as they locked in a stalemate.
“Azure Nether Needles! What is your relationship with Qingyi the Scholar? How do you possess his Azure Nether Needle talisman treasure? That old miser guards those needles like his life! Are you his disciple?” Wen Tianren exclaimed in shock before coldly demanding an answer.
Hearing the name “Azure Nether Needles,” Han Li was momentarily startled but quickly calmed.
It seemed that while news of the Void Sky Hall had spread, the specifics of what happened inside had not been widely disclosed by the Nascent Soul old monsters. Otherwise, Wen Tianren would have immediately recognized his identity from this talisman treasure alone.
With this in mind, Han Li ignored the question, merely sneering coldly. He channeled his full spiritual power, seizing the moment of hesitation to push the cyan threads into the offensive, forcing the golden threads into retreat.
“Seeking death! If you refuse to explain, I won’t bother sparing Qingyi’s face any longer. Don’t blame me for being ruthless! Next, I’ll show you the might of the Six Ultimate True Devil Arts—the foremost demonic technique of the Scattered Star Seas!” Wen Tianren roared in fury from within the purple cloud.
The golden threads immediately disengaged from the cyan needles, retreating swiftly back into the cloud and vanishing without a trace.
A sinister glint flashed across Han Li’s face, but he wasted no time in recalling the cyan threads, reforming them into the talisman and storing it away.
The Azure Nether Needles were too precious to waste their power carelessly.
Staring at the eerily silent purple cloud, Han Li’s expression flickered with uncertainty, as if he were contemplating something but couldn’t make up his mind.
In that instant, the purple cloud suddenly churned violently without warning. A fierce gale erupted, and the spiritual energy within dozens of miles grew turbulent, surging like rivers into the sea as it poured into the cloud.
The cloud expanded rapidly, its color shifting from purple to a pale gray-white. A bizarre “crackling” sound emerged from within, initially faint but quickly escalating into deafening thunderclaps that unsettled the mind.
Witnessing this eerie transformation, Han Li’s hesitation vanished.
He gripped his right arm with his left hand, raising his right palm to aim directly at the gray-white cloud. His face twisted into an expression of bone-chilling ferocity.
The surrounding spiritual energy continued to surge into the cloud, which swelled uncontrollably. The crackling noise had now fully transformed into thunderous roars, each one enough to shake the resolve of those with weaker cultivation.
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