On a flat boulder near the summit of Stormwind Mountain, a towering silver ape, over ten zhang tall, roared at the sky while pounding its chest with its fists. Beneath its massive shadow stood Han Li and his companions.
Han Li gazed solemnly at the sky without speaking, while the two women beside him looked pale, their faces betraying traces of panic.
Above the boulder, thousands of winged shadow beasts circled and fluttered. Some were as large as five or six zhang, while others were no bigger than a foot, yet all bore ferocious and sinister appearances. However, these flying shadow beasts seemed intimidated by the aura of the ape transformed from the Soul-Snatching Beast, hesitating to swoop down for the moment. Yet, they showed no signs of leaving, creating a tense standoff.
Han Li, however, felt anything but at ease. The greedy, bloodthirsty glints in the eyes of these shadow beasts suggested their patience was wearing thin. At any moment, they might lose control and descend in a frenzied swarm.
Inwardly, Han Li cursed the portly elder who had provided him with the information. While the elder had mentioned the existence of flying shadow beasts atop Stormwind Mountain, he had never hinted at such overwhelming numbers. Whether this omission was deliberate or simply due to ignorance remained unclear.
The group had just passed through the misty region, thinking they could finally relax, only to be immediately discovered and surrounded by these flying shadow beasts. Left with no choice, Han Li had released the Soul-Snatching Beast, commanding it to assume the form of the giant ape.
Though he had full confidence in the Soul-Snatching Beast’s ability to counter shadow beasts, the sheer number of adversaries in the sky left him uncertain. Could it handle them all at once? But with no time to dwell on it, he steeled himself for a desperate fight.
Turning to the visibly shaken Mei Ning and Zi Ling behind him, Han Li whispered a few words before retrieving a small red crossbow and a folded leather shield from his robes, handing one to each of them. Then, with a flick of his sleeve, ten small swords clattered to the ground, each connected to one of his fingers by a thin tendon, resembling rope darts. Yet, controlling ten at once was unprecedented.
Just as Han Li finished his preparations, the shadow beasts in the sky finally lost their patience.
A three-headed shadow beast, the largest of the pack, let out a shrill cry. Immediately, over a dozen nearby shadow beasts flapped their wings and dove downward, no longer deterred by the Soul-Snatching Beast’s imposing presence.
The battle had begun!
As the shadow beasts descended, the giant ape inhaled sharply through its nose, then exhaled forcefully, unleashing a vast silver light from its nostrils that enveloped nearly all of the attackers. The flying shadow beasts shrieked in agony within the silver radiance, tumbling haphazardly to the ground.
However, two smaller shadow beasts slipped through the net. With a flap of their wings, they dodged the silver light and lunged at Han Li and his companions from both sides.
With a thunderous crash, one of the shadow beasts was sent flying by a casual punch from the giant ape, vanishing over the edge of the boulder. The other, a vulture-like creature about five or six feet in size, seized the opportunity to swoop down upon Han Li, its claws slashing mercilessly.
Han Li remained motionless, his expression dark, but his fingers twitched with astonishing dexterity. The ten small swords sprang to life, whistling through the air to form a gleaming green net of blades that intercepted the descending shadow beast.
A piercing shriek erupted from the creature.
Even without the infusion of spiritual power, the sharpness of the Emerald Swarm Sword was more than a match for the small shadow beast. It was instantly torn apart, its flesh scattering in all directions. Han Li staggered slightly, splattered with blood, but after a brief frown, he dismissed it.
Another wave of shadow beasts was already descending.
This time, over twenty of them attacked from all directions, with more waiting eagerly behind.
Han Li tensed, then without hesitation, extended the tendons controlling his swords by several feet. The green net of blades reappeared, now expanded to shield Mei Ning and Zi Ling as well. Silver light, green flashes, and agonized cries intertwined in a chaotic symphony…
Seven or eight days later, under the scorching midday sun, the murky yellow sea lay eerily still. No waves stirred, no breeze blew—everything was lifeless, as if the waters were devoid of all living things.
Suddenly, the surface of the sea churned, and a plume of black mist erupted from the depths. The inky fog spread rapidly, covering an area of over a hundred zhang in moments.
Then, a peal of thunder echoed, and silver light flickered within the mist. A dazzling silver glow materialized above the black fog, revealing a bloated figure with what appeared to be silver wings spread wide.
Before the figure could be clearly seen, the silver light flashed several times and vanished, reappearing at the edge of the black mist. Amidst continuous thunderclaps, the figure flickered in and out of existence, eventually shrinking to a distant speck before disappearing entirely—as if fleeing in panic.
The sea fell silent once more, with only the black mist continuing to expand, now crackling with silent black arcs of lightning.
A thousand miles away, the silver glow flickered and dimmed, finally revealing the bloated figure within: Han Li, holding Zi Ling in one arm and Mei Ning in the other, the three pressed tightly together in an intimate embrace.
Han Li remained composed despite the warmth of the women in his arms, while the two blushed charmingly, their expressions endearing.
“We’re safe now. The ghost mist won’t reach us here. We’ve finally escaped that cursed place,” Han Li said, relaxing as he surveyed their surroundings before gently releasing the two women, his demeanor gentlemanly.
“We owe our escape to you, Fellow Daoist Han. Without your miraculous escape technique, it’s hard to say whether we would have made it out of the Netherworld,” Zi Ling said gratefully.
“Sister Zi Ling is right. If not for Brother Han’s quick reflexes, we might have been dragged back into the Netherworld. We are deeply indebted to you,” Mei Ning added.
As soon as they left Han Li’s embrace, protective auras flared around the two women, and they floated beside him, expressing their heartfelt thanks.
Days earlier, after several close calls, the trio had relied on the Soul-Snatching Beast’s might to slay all the flying shadow beasts and ascend to Stormwind Mountain’s peak. While waiting for the spatial rift to open, the two women had grown remarkably close, even swearing sisterhood—a development that had surprised Han Li.
After a few days at the summit, a spatial rift over ten zhang wide appeared hundreds of zhang above them, flooding the area with external spiritual energy. Their powers restored, they joyfully flew out.
But the moment they exited the rift, an immense suction force threatened to pull them back into the Netherworld.
Acting swiftly, Han Li unfurled his Wind and Thunder Wings, seized the two women, and employed his lightning escape technique to flee the black mist, eventually arriving at their current location. Grateful for his rescue, the women’s words of thanks were sincere.
“Where is this place? It feels… strange. Too quiet,” Zi Ling remarked, her blush fading as she scanned the eerily calm sea.
“You’re right, Sister Zi Ling. There’s no wind, and the sea is unnaturally still,” Mei Ning agreed, her expression puzzled.
Han Li remained silent, narrowing his eyes as he extended his spiritual sense into the depths of the ocean. Moments later, he froze, his face registering surprise.
“Did you find something, Brother Han? There are so few fish, and the ones here seem aggressive but not quite demonic,” Zi Ling asked, having also probed the waters with her spiritual sense.
“Wait a moment,” Han Li said, taking a deep breath before flicking his finger. A green sword light several zhang long shot into the depths.
Soon, under the astonished gazes of the two women, the corpse of a bizarre sea creature floated to the surface.
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