Han Li waved his hand toward the black giant peak, and after a flash of light, the small mountain shrank to a few inches in size, transforming into a streak of black light that shot into his sleeve. The top of the blood-red barrier also returned to its original shape, proving its incredible resilience.
Turning around, Han Li extended a finger, and with a soft “pfft,” a pale blue fireball the size of a walnut appeared at his fingertip. “Go!” he murmured, flicking his finger lightly. The fireball shot straight toward the distant barrier wall.
A soft “bang” sounded as the blue flames burst apart, instantly spreading a layer of blue ice across the entire barrier. The temperature inside the blood-red dome plummeted, turning it into a world of extreme cold—so frigid that one’s breath could freeze in the air. Observing this, Han Li blurred into motion, appearing before a section of the glowing blue barrier. Raising his hand, he unleashed a streak of cyan sword energy onto the thick ice layer. The sound of shattering echoed as crystalline ice shards scattered in all directions.
Examining the spot struck by the sword energy, Han Li’s expression darkened. As the ice shards fell away, the blood-red barrier beneath remained completely unharmed. The viscous blood within showed no signs of being truly frozen—only a thin layer of blue frost coated its surface, while the blood qi continued to churn violently inside.
After a brief consideration, Han Li raised his hand and shook it in the wind. A layer of purple demonic flames suddenly enveloped his entire palm. Without hesitation, he pressed his palm lightly against the barrier. The power of the Violet Heavenly Flame indeed surpassed that of the Dry Blue Ice Flame. The moment the purple flames neared the barrier, a sizzling sound erupted as the blood mist and liquid instantly solidified, emitting a dazzling violet glow.
A hint of joy flashed across Han Li’s face. Carefully controlling the Violet Heavenly Flame to limit its effect to just this small section of the barrier, he opened his mouth again. A thunderous crackle sounded as a golden arc shot out, striking the same spot. A golden flash later, a fine crack appeared on the barrier, but after a few violent pulses of blood-red light, the crack vanished without a trace.
Han Li was stunned! This blood barrier was far more troublesome than he had anticipated. Despite being frozen, it could still repair itself. No wonder the Mulan people were so confident in using this restriction—even the Violet Heavenly Flame couldn’t break it. It truly was capable of trapping ordinary Nascent Soul cultivators.
Though inwardly alarmed, Han Li immediately slapped his storage pouch with one hand, retrieving a thumb-sized, glossy cyan orb—his newly refined thunder bead. Since its creation, he had yet to use it in battle, making this the perfect opportunity to test its power.
Moreover, after the earlier thunderous roar, Han Li had lost all sense of the battle outside the barrier. But judging by the time that had passed, the initial phase should be over, and exiting now shouldn’t pose any major issues. If he delayed any longer and the allied forces suffered a crushing defeat, he would be trapped like a bird in a cage with no hope of escape.
With this thought, a flash of light erupted from his palm as the thunder bead spun rapidly before transforming into a streak of cyan light that shot toward the barrier. Simultaneously, Han Li propelled himself backward.
A muffled thunderclap boomed, followed by a golden-cyan explosion the size of a human head erupting against the barrier. The entire dome trembled violently from the impact. A flicker of surprise crossed Han Li’s face—the power of this bead seemed to exceed his expectations!
No sooner had this thought crossed his mind than Han Li’s expression shifted. His body erupted with cyan spiritual light as he transformed into a streak of azure radiance and shot forward. The thunder bead had effortlessly blasted a small hole in the barrier, and sensing this, Han Li wasted no time in darting through it.
The hole was rapidly shrinking, but Han Li’s azure streak shot out of the blood-red barrier just in time. He was both shocked and delighted—this thunder bead, refined using the cyan lamp flame of the same tier as the Violet Heavenly Flame, had shattered the restriction with unexpected ease. He had originally planned to resort to his Gold Devouring Beetles or the Blood Devil Sword if the bead failed.
The former, though capable of devouring anything, would have taken considerable time to break through the barrier. The latter, however, carried severe consequences, making Han Li reluctant to use it unless absolutely necessary.
But now, this nameless thunder bead had effortlessly destroyed the blood barrier—an unexpected boon. It seemed the Violet Heavenly Flame’s failure stemmed from its inherently icy nature, unlike the lamp flame, which was a true fire-attribute spiritual flame, making it far more effective against the barrier.
However, the moment Han Li emerged, before he could even take in his surroundings, his ears were assaulted by startled exclamations, followed by a cacophony of explosions, roars, and battle cries from all directions.
Snapping his gaze around, Han Li froze. He found himself surrounded by over a dozen Mulan spellcasters. A quick sweep with his spiritual sense revealed that most were only at the Foundation Establishment stage, with two at the Core Formation level. Each held a spell flag, seemingly preparing to launch a coordinated attack. Han Li had emerged right above them.
Ignoring them for the moment, Han Li scanned the battlefield and gasped. As far as the eye could see, the sky and ground were teeming with flashes of spiritual light and treasures, while explosions erupted incessantly. Countless skirmishes raged between the allied cultivators and Mulan spellcasters, making it impossible to discern which side held the upper hand.
Refocusing, Han Li cast a cold glance at the nearby spellcasters.
The dozen or so Mulan spellcasters were equally stunned by Han Li’s sudden appearance.
“Bad news! He’s a Nascent Soul cultivator! Call the Great Master immediately!” one of the Core Formation spellcasters shouted in alarm. Slapping the back of his head, he summoned an emerald-green flying dagger that shot toward Han Li while he himself transformed into a streak of green light, retreating dozens of feet in an instant. The others, jolted into action, followed suit.
The second Core Formation spellcaster unleashed a fiery-red flying trident while simultaneously flicking a message talisman into the air, which transformed into a streak of flame and vanished. The remaining Foundation Establishment spellcasters raised their flags, chanting incantations as thick columns of fire erupted from the tips, converging into a sea of flames that surged toward Han Li.
“Hmm?” Han Li was slightly surprised that instead of fleeing, these spellcasters were attempting to delay him. A cold glint flashed in his eyes as he flicked his sleeve, releasing dozens of Emerald Swarm Swords. With a single hand seal, each sword trembled before multiplying into several sword beams, instantly surrounding Han Li in a dense, awe-inspiring storm of sword light.
The two Core Formation spellcasters paled but gritted their teeth and pressed their attacks.
Han Li snorted coldly, pointing casually with both hands. Several sword beams shot out, intercepting the flying dagger and trident. Under the overwhelming pressure of the sword light, the two treasures let out mournful cries as their spiritual light dimmed to a mere flicker. As for the sea of flames, before it could even approach within a few feet of Han Li, the sword beams shredded it into nothingness.
Now was not the time for drawn-out battles. Without hesitation, Han Li uttered, “Go!” The hundreds of sword beams erupted with dazzling light, shooting forth like a tempest toward every spellcaster.
The Foundation Establishment spellcasters hastily raised their flags in defense, but the moment the cyan sword beams descended, they were reduced to mincemeat, with no chance of escape. The two Core Formation spellcasters, seeing the overwhelming barrage of sword light, turned deathly pale. No matter how bold or fierce they were, they dared not face such an onslaught. Instantly, they transformed into streaks of light, fleeing in opposite directions.
Han Li’s eyes gleamed coldly as he formed a hand seal. The two clusters of sword beams pursuing the fleeing spellcasters let out clear chimes before merging, their combined power increasing their speed dramatically.
The two unfortunate Mulan spellcasters had barely flown twenty feet before the sword beams overtook them. Despite desperately reinforcing their protective barriers and unleashing defensive spells, the moment the cyan light descended, all their efforts were obliterated. Their bodies were sliced into countless pieces before they could even scream, their nascent souls dissolving under the sword light without a chance to escape.
Just as Han Li secured his victory, an enraged roar echoed from above as a blinding yellow streak shot down at incredible speed. Han Li’s expression shifted slightly as thunder cracked behind him—his Wind Lightning Wings unfurled in an instant. With a silver flash, he vanished from sight.
The descending yellow streak halted abruptly, its light dissipating to reveal a yellow-robed, beardless elder hovering mid-air. Though his face was twisted with fury, his eyes betrayed deep wariness. This was one of the Mulan Great Masters, who had been confronting several allied Nascent Soul cultivators high above. Upon receiving his clansmen’s distress signal, he had rushed over immediately—only to witness his disciples’ gruesome demise. One of them had been his personal disciple, treated like his own son.
But Han Li’s sudden disappearance startled him, reminding him of a particularly formidable figure among the allied forces. Suppressing his hatred, he frantically scanned the surroundings with his spiritual sense.
A silver flash later, Han Li materialized behind him.
“Die!” The elder spun around without hesitation, hurling a square treasure at Han Li. The moment it left his hand, the treasure erupted with yellow light, expanding into a massive brick over thirty feet wide. A shrill whistle accompanied its descent, its momentum terrifying.
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