However, the scene that unfolded next was somewhat beyond Han Li’s expectations. As soon as the massive sword touched the silken net, the net shimmered with blue light, its crystalline and delicate threads proving to be extraordinarily tough and resilient.
After the giant sword slashed violently several times within the net, not only did it fail to break through, but the net, under the old man’s control, began to wrap around it layer by layer. In moments, the sword was completely ensnared. Though it wasn’t entirely subdued, it was genuinely difficult to break free for the time being.
Han Li frowned and was about to cast another spell when the old man across from him struck first.
A cold glint flashed in the old man’s eyes as his hands rapidly formed a series of strange hand seals. Simultaneously, multicolored incantations shot out from his palms, all striking the glowing mass above his head. The blue spiritual light began to contract and warp, and amidst an obscure and cryptic chant, it suddenly exploded. Countless slender ice crystals, each the size of a palm, materialized around the old man, shimmering with blue light and covering an area of several dozen feet.
With a fierce expression, the old man abruptly pointed both hands at Han Li and spat out a frigid command: “Go!”
Instantly, the countless ice crystals shot forward like arrows from a powerful bow, blanketing the area where Han Li stood in a dense, terrifying storm of blue crystalline light.
“Is this a spiritual art?” Han Li was momentarily stunned, his face showing surprise. Yet his hands never stopped moving. He immediately activated the ancient treasure flower basket in his hand and slapped the spirit beast pouch at his waist, releasing another swarm of three-colored Gold Devouring Beetles. Under his command, the beetles swarmed around him, forming an impenetrable shield.
This time, the beetles didn’t coalesce into any specific shape but instead whirled chaotically around him, creating a dense barrier that obscured Han Li’s figure.
Meanwhile, the flower basket transformed into a streak of white mist as it flew toward the incoming ice crystals. Most of the crystals colliding with it were swiftly sucked inside.
However, the remaining ice crystals seemed sentient, splitting to either side and bypassing the white mist to strike the beetle shield in front of Han Li.
Thud! Thud!
The prismatic ice crystals were momentarily halted by the shield but soon tore through, one after another, vanishing inside. The shield then reformed, leaving no trace of the attack.
The old man surnamed Mu was shocked.
His “Ice Crystal Art” might resemble the “Ice Rain Technique” of ordinary cultivators, but in truth, these ice shards were condensed from his own profound frost energy—razor-sharp and unbearably cold. Even if an opponent blocked them with defensive treasures, they would still be overwhelmed by the freezing energy released upon the shards’ destruction. Yet now, the ice crystals had vanished without a trace. How could he not be astonished?
Just as he hesitated, preparing to probe the beetle shield with his spiritual sense, a deafening roar erupted above his head. His ears rang, his vision darkened, and he nearly plummeted from the sky.
Panicked and furious, the old man quickly stabilized himself with a few slaps to his body, summoning a white protective barrier. He then looked up.
The massive silver bell had somehow appeared overhead, and the deafening sound had come from it. Now, the bell shimmered with silver light as a second peal rang out—this time not aimed at the wary old man but releasing concentric sound waves toward the blue net and the struggling emerald giant sword trapped within.
“Damn it!” Realizing too late, the old man tried to intervene, but the sound waves had already shattered the net. The giant sword broke free and immediately slashed down at him with overwhelming force.
Though the old man’s protective barrier remained, he dared not face the colossal sword head-on. With a pale face, he retreated dozens of feet in a flash of blue light, narrowly avoiding the strike.
Without hesitation, he summoned the floating orb back to his side. After spitting a mouthful of vital energy onto it, the orb expanded into a protective canopy. Only then did he turn his grim gaze back to Han Li.
His face paled further.
The beetle shield had dispersed with a hum, reforming into a hovering cloud above Han Li. Meanwhile, Han Li stood calmly, holding a small, azure ice flower in his palm, his cold eyes locking onto the old man.
The moment their gazes met, the old man felt a chill in his heart. But his attention quickly shifted to the ice flower, his expression flickering with disbelief.
Under the sunlight, the flower was dazzlingly beautiful, but the old man cared little for its appearance. Even from this distance, his centuries of ice-based cultivation allowed him to sense an astonishingly frigid spiritual energy emanating from it—one that filled him with an inexplicable dread.
After a tense silence, the old man forced out a question: “Did you use that to neutralize my spiritual art? What treasure is that? Care to enlighten me?”
Han Li chuckled lightly. “A treasure? You could call it that. As for what it is… if you’re willing to share the secrets of your earlier technique, I might be inclined to explain.”
The old man’s shock faded, replaced by a sneer. “Oh? A cultivator like you is interested in our spiritual arts? How amusing.”
But Han Li noticed the flicker of fear in the old man’s eyes as they darted toward the ice flower. A cold smirk tugged at his lips, and he made no effort to reply.
The old man’s anger flared. With a cold snort, he slapped his storage pouch, producing a small, pitch-black object—a miniature mountain.
Before Han Li could examine it closely, the old man began chanting and hurled the mountain into the air. It swelled rapidly, reaching dozens of feet in moments and still growing.
Han Li’s breath caught. Without hesitation, he directed the emerald giant sword to slash at the mountain’s peak.
Boom!
The impact sent debris flying and light flashing as green and black energies clashed. The sword left a deep gash in the mountain’s summit, but before Han Li could strike again, the wound began healing at a visible rate.
By now, the mountain had expanded to over a hundred feet tall, indistinguishable from a real peak. Even Han Li, usually unshakable, felt his pulse quicken at the sight. He knew that if this mountain struck him directly, no beetle shield or armor could withstand it—he’d be crushed instantly.
The old man smirked and pointed at the mountain. With a whoosh, it vanished and reappeared above Han Li, crashing down.
Han Li barely had time to react before thunder roared behind him. In a flash of silver light, he vanished, reappearing dozens of feet away—now with a pair of silver-white thunder wings on his back.
“What?!” The old man’s eyes widened in shock.
He immediately retreated further, his expression wary and astonished.
Now, the old man surnamed Mu understood: this was no ordinary early-stage Nascent Soul cultivator. With such teleportation abilities, capturing or killing him was impossible. This mission was likely a failure.
After all, even with his cultivation, forcibly teleporting such a massive black mountain drained his energy drastically. He couldn’t afford to use it more than a few times.
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage