“What should we do? Even if Master uses the Blood Shadow Escape, he can only flee a hundred miles at a time, still within the Divine Master’s divine sense range, unable to shake off the lock,” Yin Yue murmured worriedly. Though she hadn’t voiced her gratitude for Han Li’s life-saving act, it had touched her heart, and her words now carried genuine concern.
“One escape won’t suffice, but if I use the Blood Shadow Escape two or three times in succession, then rely on the remaining Evil-Warding Divine Thunder for a Thunder Escape, there’s a seventy to eighty percent chance of shaking him off. However, even though my mana surpasses that of an average early Nascent Soul cultivator, losing so much vital essence carries significant risk. Even if I emerge unscathed, I’ll be severely weakened for a long time. But given the circumstances, no other method offers a way out—I have no choice,” Han Li replied, a faint trace of self-mockery curling his lips as if he’d long considered this dilemma.
“Master, you…” Yin Yue seemed about to say more.
“Hmph! That bastard is closing in again, faster each time. No more delays—I must take the risk!” Han Li’s expression darkened abruptly as he glanced toward the gloomy sky behind him, muttering grimly.
Seeing this, Yin Yue fell silent.
Han Li took a deep breath, his fingers weaving a series of intricate hand seals as azure light shimmered around him. A surge of astonishing spiritual energy erupted from his body. With a sharp exhale, a mouthful of crimson vital essence sprayed forth, dispersing into mist that merged with the azure light, transforming it into an eerie blend of green and red.
Simultaneously, the exposed skin of his hands and face flushed unnaturally crimson, soon turning blood-red as if countless veins were about to burst from his flesh—a terrifying sight. Yet Han Li seemed oblivious, his hand seals accelerating. Two more spurts of vital essence later, he was entirely shrouded in blood mist, his figure flickering indistinctly.
At that moment, three silver lights appeared on the distant horizon, gliding steadily closer. Within them flickered the figures of the Divine Master and his two avatars, all clad in scholarly robes, advancing with deceptive leisure yet covering hundreds of feet in an instant. Soon, they could see Han Li clearly with the naked eye.
“Eh?” One of them frowned, his expression shifting oddly.
With a soft *pop*, the distant azure rainbow and blood mist exploded, replaced by a blinding crimson glow. Han Li stood rigidly within it, casting a cold glance at the approaching Mulan Divine Master. A thunderous roar erupted as his Wind and Thunder Wings unfurled. Space twisted around him, and in the next instant, he vanished.
A piercing shriek echoed faintly from afar, fading rapidly as if he’d traversed an immense distance in a flash.
The three scholars exchanged startled glances before merging into one with a flash of silver light. The remaining figure closed his eyes, extending his divine sense toward the vanished shriek.
“A hundred miles away? What kind of escape technique is this? It resembles the demonic Blood Escape, but the range is staggering,” the scholar murmured, eyeing Han Li’s disappearance point with surprise.
Over these days of pursuit, Han Li had repeatedly astonished him—fleeing tirelessly without rest. An ordinary early Nascent Soul cultivator, even with Thunder Escape, should have exhausted their mana long ago. Either he possessed treasures that restored mana instantly or had employed some vitality-draining secret art. And now, with this bizarre escape technique, it seemed Han Li had been holding back all along.
No matter. Though Han Li had fled a hundred miles, he remained within the scholar’s divine sense range. It would merely take more time.
Cold calculation gleamed in the scholar’s narrowed eyes as his divine sense locked onto Han Li once more. A smirk played on his lips as white light flared around him, preparing to give chase—only to freeze when Han Li’s presence abruptly vanished again.
Recovering, the scholar expanded his divine sense twofold, barely recapturing Han Li’s trail—only for it to disappear once more. This time, genuine astonishment rooted him in place.
His divine sense, though formidable, spanned only two hundred miles. Beyond that, he could vaguely sense presences but couldn’t lock onto individuals instantly unless they remained stationary—an impossibility here.
The cunning of his prey! Upon realizing he was still detected, Han Li had executed that bizarre escape multiple times in succession, slipping away completely. The scholar’s face flushed with humiliation. A Mulan Divine Master, outmaneuvered by an early Nascent Soul cultivator? The disgrace would be unbearable if word spread.
Yet he made no immediate move to pursue. Without divine sense lock, catching such an elusive target was hopeless. He’d already wasted days on this chase—time he couldn’t afford to extend for slim odds. With their Divine Masters revealed, the southern cultivators’ late Nascent Soul experts wouldn’t remain idle. He needed to regroup with his peers and prepare.
After a long, grim deliberation, the scholar wheeled his silver rainbow around and streaked back the way he’d come, vanishing without a trace.
Three hundred miles away, Han Li flew as an azure streak, gulping down vitality-restoring pills from numerous bottles. His face was deathly pale, his eyes dull—clear signs of severe vitality depletion.
“Master, are you alright? Three consecutive Blood Shadow Escapes were too reckless. Without those frantic mid-flight pills, the third might have…” Yin Yue’s worried voice echoed in his mind.
“I’ll recover. Though my vital essence is depleted, my stockpiled pills will suffice. A few months of rest, and my cultivation will be restored,” Han Li replied weakly.
“Shall we return to Heavenly South City?” Yin Yue asked hesitantly.
“Absolutely not. In this state, I’d be easy prey amidst the factions and my enemies in the Ghost Spirit Sect. I’ll recuperate first. Fortunately, my recovery relies on pills, not spiritual veins. Any secluded spot will do. Besides, the Emerald Swarm Sword still bears those azure lantern flames. Though suppressed by Violet Heavenly Flames, they remain a latent threat.” Han Li sighed wearily.
“That bronze lantern is a Mulan heritage treasure—naturally troublesome. But with time, your Violet Heavenly Flames can purify it,” Yin Yue reassured.
“For now, we proceed step by step,” Han Li replied noncommittally, mustering his remaining mana to accelerate.
After a full day’s flight, Han Li descended into an inconspicuous ravine between barren hills—a place devoid of spiritual energy, littered with rounded boulders. Scanning the area with divine sense and finding no pursuers, he released Yin Yue with a command.
The silver fox whirled, enveloping him in yellow radiance before plunging into the mountainside.
Within the mountain’s heart, Han Li carved out a crude chamber with sword qi and settled cross-legged, surrounded by medicine bottles. His priority was refining the emergency pills he’d ingested before taking more. Thus began his secluded recovery.
Unbeknownst to him, his vitality depletion was far worse than anticipated, prolonging his convalescence. Months passed in monotonous cycles of pill-taking and meditation.
Half a year slipped by unnoticed, the world outside churning with impending war between cultivators and spell warriors. Meanwhile, Han Li’s reputation had soared—his name now evoked the prowess of a mid-Nascent Soul expert throughout the southern cultivation world and beyond, a status forged in mere months.
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