Upon seeing the light barrier reappear, the black-robed figure opposite ceased speaking and instead formed hand seals, muttering an ancient, guttural chant. A chilling demonic aura surged several feet around him, transforming into pitch-black tendrils that writhed wildly.
Han Li narrowed his eyes, staring fixedly at his opponent, though faint crackling sounds emanated from his sleeves, accompanied by flickering golden light. Against demonic cultivators, Han Li was confident he could instantly slay those of the same rank—all he needed was an opening in their attack.
Yet, in that very moment, the black-robed man’s pupils turned crimson, and he let out a beast-like roar. His demonic aura abruptly dissipated, and his body beneath the robe began to swell. In the blink of an eye, his size doubled.
“Hmm?” Han Li was slightly taken aback—not by the transformation, but by the fact that the demonic aura had vanished without a trace, replaced by an unsettling, bizarre energy.
The black-robed man’s blood-red eyes gleamed with madness. His bloated body suddenly shrank, condensing into a three-foot-tall dwarf before darting backward to press against the barrier behind him.
Han Li was startled, his mind racing with a growing sense of foreboding.
With a flick of his hands, two thick golden arcs shot forth, weaving into a massive net that descended upon the black-robed man. Simultaneously, he summoned a small blue shield from his sleeve, which expanded into a massive barrier before him. His other hand reached for his storage pouch, retrieving the Restriction Pearl.
If things turned dire, he would immediately shatter the barrier and escape. He had no intention of being trapped here while his opponent played tricks.
Just as Han Li’s thoughts raced, the black-robed man beneath the golden net let out a piercing shriek. With a deafening *boom*, his body inexplicably exploded, every inch of flesh bursting into bloody mist that splattered across the barrier.
Han Li was momentarily stunned. He had expected some kind of self-detonation technique, but the blood and gore merely clung to the barrier, showing no sign of destructive force.
Puzzled, Han Li soon noticed something strange—the blood and flesh adhered unnaturally to the barrier, not a single drop falling. Worse, under his gaze, the remnants began to writhe grotesquely.
His eyes widened in shock.
With a series of wet *pops*, the blood and flesh dissolved into crimson mist, rapidly spreading across the barrier. In moments, most of the white barrier turned blood-red, emitting a nauseating stench of gore.
Alarmed, Han Li hurled the Restriction Pearl at the barrier behind him. Upon impact, it exploded into a burst of dark light, causing the barrier to flicker and tremble.
Encouraged, Han Li unleashed ten emerald sword beams in rapid succession, striking the same spot. The barrier flickered violently, on the verge of shattering—
But then, a flash of crimson engulfed the area before him, the blood mist thickening until the entire barrier turned a deep, ominous red.
Han Li’s heart sank. Raising his head, he realized the entire barrier had transformed, its surface now churning with blood mist that condensed into viscous droplets, intensifying the stench.
Without hesitation, he spat forth a golden arc as thick as a bowl’s mouth, striking the blood-red surface. The golden light exploded, dispersing the mist momentarily—but it quickly reformed, unharmed.
This unexpected resilience gave Han Li pause. He hesitated to summon his Emerald Swarm Sword, his expression turning grave.
Meanwhile, identical scenes played out across all ten battlefields. Ten Nascent Soul cultivators, caught off guard, found themselves trapped within the transformed barriers.
The ten Golden Core cultivators overseeing the formations immediately sensed the danger. While keeping wary eyes on the opposing spellcasters, they frantically tried to deactivate the formations. Yet, to their shock, the moment the barriers turned red, the spellcasters turned and fled without a word, retreating to their own ranks.
This only deepened the unease of the ten overseers, including the Song woman. Clearly, the spellcasters had orchestrated this.
As predicted, though the formations were forcibly halted, the blood-red barriers remained, their mist thinning to reveal thick layers of coagulated blood—as if the blood of hundreds had been smeared across them. The sight was horrifying.
Witnessing this, the three great cultivators—Zhiyang Shangren, Wei Wuyan, and the Joyful Demon—could no longer remain passive. They shot forth like streaks of light, arriving above the formations.
“Stand down. This is beyond you,” Zhiyang Shangren said coldly, surveying the altered barriers.
Relieved, the overseers retreated. The Song woman cast one last worried glance at Han Li’s blood prison before reluctantly leaving.
On the opposing side, the gaunt elder and his allies initially rejoiced at trapping the ten cultivators. Now, seeing the three great cultivators intervene, they remained composed, as if unconcerned. Behind them, two black-robed figures—a man and a woman—had silently appeared.
“Patriarch Fang, it worked. Let’s hope this Blood Net Barrier lives up to your claims—trapping ten Nascent Soul cultivators for half a day. Without them, Tiannan’s forces will be severely weakened. Half a day is all we need to decide this war,” the gaunt elder said with a dry chuckle.
“Rest assured. The Blood Net Barrier is one of our sect’s six great secret arts. It required the sacrifice of ten blood corpses cultivated for a century, and to avoid suspicion, we even fed them Demon Spirit Pills before controlling them with split consciousnesses—including my own. With such effort, I have absolute confidence. Even a late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator would need at least half an hour to break it. And you won’t give them that chance, will you?” The black-robed man smirked.
As if to prove his point, Zhiyang Shangren slashed at one of the barriers with a blinding sword beam. The barrier trembled but held firm.
Frowning, Zhiyang exchanged glances with Wei Wuyan and the Joyful Demon. Their expressions darkened. Though the barrier was resilient, they sensed it was purely for containment, not attack.
This realization left them frustrated. They had expected the enemy to target the ten in combat, not trap them outright. Their preparations were now useless.
“Brother Yi, is this some demonic art from your six sects? I’ve never seen one that requires self-detonation,” Wei Wuyan sighed.
“No, this is my first encounter as well. It seems the Jin cultivators are not to be underestimated,” the Joyful Demon muttered, brow furrowed.
With no time for further discussion, the drumbeats of the enemy army resounded. Spellcasters rose into the air, chanting as they prepared to attack.
The Tiannan forces, though unsettled by the bizarre turn of events, quickly regrouped under their commanders, spiritual lights flickering across their ranks.
“We’ve suffered a setback, but they’re only trapped, not dead. If we hold out long enough, they’ll break free. Even without them, our high-tier cultivators outnumber the Mulan’s. We can still fight,” Zhiyang said, though his tone carried a hint of forced optimism.
The Joyful Demon and Wei Wuyan knew it was wishful thinking, but there was no other choice. Their anger simmered beneath the surface.
“Enough. The battle below doesn’t need our command. Our task is to stall the Mulan Divine Masters,” the Joyful Demon growled. Without waiting for a reply, he raised his head and roared toward the enemy lines:
“Long have we heard of the Mulan Divine Masters’ peerless arts! The three of us wish to test your might—will you face us?”
His voice, amplified by some secret technique, boomed like thunder, shaking the earth and sky for miles. The chanting on both sides faltered, and weaker spellcasters wobbled midair, nearly falling.
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage