“It doesn’t matter who I am. The key point is, fellow Daoist, why must you be so stubborn? Hand over the token for the Heart Shackling Technique, and we’ll let you leave immediately. As for this so-called Blood Demon Sword, though I don’t know what it is, it’s hardly something to fear. Fellow Daoist, you’d do well not to rely on it!” Han Li’s voice echoed unhurriedly through the hall.
“Not a threat? Do you even know what the Blood Demon Sword is, to dare speak so arrogantly? Fine, I’ll kill you first, and then Junior Sister Nangong will come to her senses!” The cold-faced woman glared at Han Li, her lips pressed into a cruel smirk.
Then she suddenly bit the tip of her tongue and spat a mouthful of vital essence onto the humming crimson sword. With a swift hand seal, the few-inch-long sword flared with bloody light, swelling to three feet in length—fiery red and sinister, its stench of blood so foul it was nauseating.
Unfazed, the woman extended a delicate hand and grasped the hilt, her entire body radiating spiritual light as she poured all her spiritual power into the bloodied blade.
“Not good! Strike now—we can’t let her attack first!” Nangong Wan could no longer maintain her composure, her voice tinged with urgency as she called out to Han Li. She knew all too well the horrors of the Blood Demon Sword and had no faith in Han Li’s claim that it was harmless.
Without waiting for her Reincarnation Divine Light to fully condense, she pointed sharply at the massive halo above her head. The moon-like radiance trembled, then spun rapidly before a dazzling, eerie rainbow shot forth like a celestial streak, instantly reaching the cold-faced woman.
Without even glancing, the woman flicked her wrist, sending the triangular banner she had summoned earlier flying forward. The moment it left her hand, it transformed into a vast expanse of eerie green mist, surging to meet the rainbow.
With a flash of light, the rainbow plunged into the mist, dull thuds echoing from within. Though the rainbow initially gained the upper hand, writhing like a flood dragon breaking through water, the clinging mist, driven by the woman’s divine sense, coiled around it relentlessly, preventing escape.
Nangong Wan’s expression darkened, while a flicker of triumph crossed the cold-faced woman’s features.
Then, with a heavy sweep of her blood-red sword, the woman slashed downward through the air above Han Li’s head. A violent spatial distortion erupted, followed by a ten-foot-long crimson sword energy—sinister and overwhelming—descending mercilessly.
Meanwhile, the woman herself seemed drained, her face flushing crimson before the sword shrank back to its original size and floated into her palm.
Halfway through its descent, the surrounding spiritual energy was sucked dry by the bloody sword energy. Han Li felt his body lock up, immobilized—unable to cast spells or even move a finger—forced to watch helplessly as the sword energy leisurely descended.
Nangong Wan’s face turned deathly pale, while the cold-faced woman smirked in disdain.
Just as both women assumed Han Li was doomed, he took a deep breath. Thunder roared, golden light flashed, and a layer of pale golden lightning enveloped his entire body.
Before the woman could react, the bloody sword energy struck the net of lightning.
A deafening explosion erupted as electricity and blood energy clashed. Despite its terrifying momentum, the sword energy, entangled in golden arcs, flickered wildly, thrashing like a trapped beast. Yet, no matter how it struggled, it couldn’t sever the seemingly fragile lightning strands.
The moment the golden arcs of the Evil-Warding Divine Thunder appeared, Han Li’s paralysis vanished.
Staring at the entangled energies, a trace of surprise crossed his face. If his senses weren’t deceiving him, though the golden net had trapped the bloody sword energy, the divine thunder itself was rapidly depleting under the sword’s resistance. Had he not unleashed nearly a third of his reserves, whether he could have contained it was uncertain.
A demonic weapon that even the Evil-Warding Divine Thunder couldn’t fully suppress? This was the first he’d heard of such a thing. But if things continued this way, both the sword energy and the divine thunder would likely annihilate each other—an outcome he couldn’t allow.
With a grim expression, Han Li raised both hands, unleashing two thick golden arcs that pierced the net and struck the bloody sword energy directly.
Under the relentless assault, the sword energy let out a mournful wail before dispersing into a small cloud of blood mist, hovering motionlessly in the air.
Without hesitation, Han Li pointed at the golden net, which contracted, sealing the bloody mist into a fist-sized golden sphere that dropped into his palm. Then, with an indifferent glance, he turned his gaze to the woman opposite him.
The cold-faced woman was stunned, her face frozen in disbelief. Even Nangong Wan stood slack-jawed.
The Blood Demon Sword’s full-force strike had failed—an outcome neither had anticipated.
Since its mysterious appearance in the South Sky, no one knew whether this sword was an ancient treasure or a refined artifact. It could be stored within the body like a magic treasure, yet couldn’t be refined for ownership. Whoever wielded it could unleash terrifying power.
Against its void-slashing strike, evasion was the only defense. Those who tried to block it with techniques or treasures were often cleaved in two. Of course, wielding it demanded not only vast amounts of vital essence but also constant vigilance against its demonic backlash.
Prolonged use tainted the wielder’s true essence with demonic energy. Accumulate too much, and one risked demonic possession—losing sanity before succumbing to a frenzied, violent death.
Such artifacts, numbering a few in the South Sky, were collectively dubbed “Demonic Implements,” inspiring both desire and dread among cultivators.
But Han Li didn’t wait for the women to recover. Instead, he let out a sharp whistle, and the golden insect cloud hovering nearby surged toward the cold-faced woman in a deafening swarm.
The attack jolted the woman from her shock. With a furious cry, she spat out a silver sword, her hands weaving seals as the blade erupted in radiant light.
With a hiss, the sword trembled, splitting into thousands of silver threads that shot skyward, piercing the golden swarm.
“Transforming Sword into Threads!” Han Li muttered, frowning. So this woman was a sword cultivator—no wonder most of her treasures were flying swords.
The silver threads clashed with the golden cloud, a cacophony of crackling sounds filling the air as countless golden specks rained down, thinning the swarm.
Han Li’s heart sank. Were his Gold Devouring Beetles still no match for a Nascent Soul cultivator? All his efforts would be wasted.
The silver threads pierced through the swarm, then doubled back, felling more beetles. The cold-faced woman relaxed slightly—a few more passes, and these strange insects would be eradicated.
Han Li was disappointed, but then his gaze swept over the fallen beetles, and his eyes lit up. The supposedly dead insects twitched, let out sharp cries, and took flight again, reforming into a new swarm that lunged at the woman.
At that moment, a phoenix’s cry rang out from the green mist behind her. Brilliant light erupted, dispersing the fog entirely to reveal a crimson full moon. With a flash, it descended upon the woman.
Her face paled. Spinning rapidly within her barrier, she transformed into a black-and-white streak of light, aiming to escape through the hall’s ceiling.
After their earlier exchanges, she had realized that facing Han Li and Nangong Wan alone was futile. Her only option was to flee, rally reinforcements, and return to subdue them.
No matter how formidable Han Li and Nangong Wan were, they couldn’t stand against the combined might of the Moon Veil Sect’s thousands of disciples. Outside, she could even activate the sect’s grand formation, trapping them within.
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