The protective light barrier was unexpectedly unable to block the seemingly fragile blue flames, which clearly caught the cultivator surnamed You off guard. As a result, he didn’t even have a chance to dodge before the extremely thin blue flame flashed past and struck his neck. With a sizzling sound, blue ice abruptly formed, and within a single breath, his entire body was transformed into a shimmering blue ice statue.
This was simply bad luck for the cultivator surnamed You. Drawing from his previous experience facing the cultivator surnamed Mu, Han Li deliberately aimed this wisp of Dry Blue Iceflame at his opponent’s neck, freezing the head first before the body, leaving him no opportunity to react or cast spells. This tactic proved successful in a single strike.
However, just as Han Li turned his opponent into an ice statue with the Dry Blue Iceflame, the blue lightning bolt shot from the gourd also reached him with lightning speed. Before it could make contact, a loud thunderclap resounded, and a faint golden electric net suddenly appeared around Han Li’s body. With a flash of golden light, the blue lightning was instantly absorbed by the net and vanished without a trace.
Without hesitation, Han Li leaned forward slightly and reached out, snatching the blue gourd in one swift motion.
From the moment Han Li activated his Wind and Thunder Wings to freezing the cultivator surnamed You and seizing the treasure, the entire process was completed in an instant. Meanwhile, Wang Chan, who stood nearby, had just finished summoning his protective blood aura. He had initially intended to rush forward to assist the cultivator surnamed You, but after taking only two steps, he witnessed the latter’s instantaneous defeat. This sight filled his eyes with terror.
When Han Li turned his cold gaze toward him, Wang Chan didn’t hesitate to leap backward, quickly standing shoulder-to-shoulder with Yan Ruyan. With a hint of fear in his voice, he shouted, “Cast the spell together! Use the Blood Spirit Technique to trap him!” As he spoke, he roughly grabbed Yan Ruyan’s delicate hand, and urgent incantations poured from his mouth. A surge of blood mist immediately rose around them.
Though Yan Ruyan didn’t resist, a flicker of disgust flashed deep in her eyes. After a brief hesitation, she too began chanting melodious incantations. The blood mist around her seamlessly merged with Wang Chan’s, forming a swirling mass of purple-tinged blood light.
Wang Chan and Yan Ruyan’s figures disappeared into the purple mist, from which eerie, ghostly wails soon emanated, as if some monstrous entity lurked within.
Han Li’s face remained expressionless, but a trace of mockery curled at the corners of his lips.
“Excellent! I never expected Fellow Daoist Han to possess such heaven-defying abilities. If the two of us join forces, we might truly stand a chance against them!” came the astonished voice of Marquis Nanlong from the other side.
Han Li glanced over briefly.
Marquis Nanlong and the others had yet to take action, but Wang Tiangu and the white-robed elder were staring at Han Li in stunned silence, their faces filled with shock. In contrast, Marquis Nanlong wore an expression of mingled surprise and delight. Han Li’s earlier display had rekindled his hope of escaping alive.
“If Fellow Daoist is willing to join forces, I’d gladly share another jade box with you!” Marquis Nanlong immediately offered, without a second thought.
“Join forces? Heh…” Han Li let out a cold laugh but said nothing further. In truth, he had no intention of doing so.
He was well aware that his effortless capture of a fellow Nascent Soul cultivator was solely due to the cultivator surnamed You’s ignorance of the Dry Blue Iceflame’s power. Had they fought using conventional means, even if he had won, it would not have been so quick.
Moreover, the opposing side still had three early-stage Nascent Soul cultivators and one mid-stage cultivator. If Marquis Nanlong had been unharmed, Han Li might have considered joining forces for a fight. But now, with the marquis severely injured, allying with him would only drag Han Li into danger. The jade box simply wasn’t worth the risk.
However, before leaving, he needed to ensure they were preoccupied with Marquis Nanlong. Otherwise, if they changed their minds, escaping wouldn’t be so easy. With this in mind, Han Li ignored the others. His wings flapped, and with a thunderous roar, his figure vanished from the spot.
“Not good! He’s trying to escape! Stop him! Don’t let him take that jade box!” The elder surnamed Yun shouted without hesitation upon seeing this.
But having just witnessed Han Li’s near-instantaneous slaying of a fellow Nascent Soul cultivator, the old woman and the dark-faced man turned a deaf ear to his words, showing no intention of acting. Even Wang Tiangu hesitated, momentarily unsure of what to do.
After all, if Han Li truly left, dealing with Marquis Nanlong alone would be a sure bet, and the two remaining jade boxes would fall securely into their hands. But if they tried to forcibly stop Han Li—given his bizarre and formidable abilities—he was clearly no ordinary Nascent Soul cultivator. Even the elder surnamed Yun might not win in a one-on-one fight. The variables were simply too great.
Yet, the treasure Han Li had taken might very well be the secret of the Fallen Demon Valley, which they had gone to such lengths to obtain. For a moment, even the cunning Wang Tiangu found himself torn.
The elder surnamed Yun understood their hesitation, but he too was wary of Han Li’s Dry Blue Iceflame. Moreover, if he left to pursue Han Li, Marquis Nanlong—though severely injured—might still have a chance to break through the blockade of Wang Tiangu and the other three early-stage Nascent Soul cultivators using some secret technique.
This left him equally indecisive about whether to intervene.
In a flash of lightning, Han Li reappeared at the staircase entrance. With a strange smile at Wang Tiangu and the others, he pointed at the black mountain. The small black peak trembled before vanishing instantly, only to reappear directly above Wang Tiangu’s group and mercilessly crash down upon them.
The elder surnamed Yun and Wang Tiangu were infuriated by this unexpected move.
But given the mountain’s power, even the elder surnamed Yun dared not face it alone. With no choice, they all swiftly retreated to avoid its crushing force.
This, however, finally gave Marquis Nanlong the opening he needed. His eyes lit up as he transformed into a blinding golden streak, charging straight at the old woman. Startled, she summoned a small yellow shield in front of her, and golden and yellow lights clashed. Marquis Nanlong’s golden radiance intensified as he pressed forward relentlessly.
The others, seeing this, immediately attacked with their magic treasures, barely managing to halt his advance.
Yet Marquis Nanlong seemed to be employing some secret technique. The golden light around him grew denser and brighter, turning him into a golden figure. He unleashed several ancient treasures of immense power, engaging them all in a chaotic battle without showing the slightest disadvantage.
With their attention fully occupied, Wang Tiangu and the others naturally had no time to concern themselves with Han Li’s actions.
Satisfied, Han Li pointed at the black mountain again. With a whoosh, the massive peak shrank to a few inches in size and flew back into his hand. He then glanced at the churning purple blood mist, a cold glint flashing across his face.
Blue light flickered in his pupils as he peered into the depths of the mist. Without hesitation, he raised a single arm, which swelled with black light. A dark-red blade of light shot from his palm, slicing cleanly through the blood mist.
It was the Yin Devil Slash!
As a blood-curdling scream erupted from within the mist, Han Li vanished in a flash of lightning.
Even if Wang Chan hadn’t been killed outright by the Yin Devil Slash, he was undoubtedly severely injured. Though Han Li would have liked to seize this opportunity to annihilate Wang Chan’s body and soul, he knew that doing so would provoke Wang Tiangu’s direct intervention, dragging him into a dangerous battle.
But a mere late-stage Core Formation cultivator like Wang Chan could be dealt with at any time. There was no need to take such risks now. Thus, after delivering the strike, Han Li didn’t even wait to see the result, immediately teleporting away with his lightning movement technique.
Han Li’s figure reappeared at the first floor’s main entrance. Without pause, he transformed into a green streak of light, shooting toward the hall’s exit. Midway, however, a white streak of light suddenly flew from a corner of the hall, darting into his sleeve and revealing itself as a small, snow-white fox.
“Master, I—” Silvermoon began excitedly.
“Not now. We’ll talk once we’re out of danger,” Han Li cut her off sternly as he flew out the door, his expression grim.
Earlier, when breaking the Tai Miao Divine Restriction, Han Li had deliberately used dazzling spiritual light to disrupt everyone’s senses, forcibly opening a tiny gap in the restriction to send Silvermoon inside. He then deliberately stalled, taking his time to fully dismantle the restriction. Otherwise, he would never have gone to such lengths just for the privilege of picking first.
Judging by Silvermoon’s elated expression, she must have reaped considerable rewards inside the pavilion.
This early advantage was also one of the reasons Han Li had refused Marquis Nanlong’s offer without hesitation, prioritizing his own escape from danger.
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