Upon probing with his spiritual sense, the brocade-robed man was revealed to be at the late Nascent Soul stage—a Mulan Divine Master! But weren’t there only three Divine Masters in Mulan? Han Li was inwardly shocked. Before he could grasp the situation, the brocade-robed man raised his hand and made a grasping motion in the air toward the descending thunder pearl. Han Li’s heart tightened, and without hesitation, he flicked his finger, causing the thunder pearl to veer sharply. But it was too late—a massive azure hand suddenly materialized above the pearl, seizing it with lightning speed, leaving no room for evasion!
Han Li’s brows twitched, and without delay, he formed a hand seal, detonating the trapped thunder pearl. A burst of gold and azure light erupted within the giant hand, obliterating both the hand and the pearl in an instant.
The brocade-robed man snorted coldly, but his expression remained unchanged as a faint azure glow flickered across his face. Han Li made no move to flee, instead fixing the man with a cold stare, silent.
The brocade-robed man lifted his gaze to Han Li and said indifferently, “You are Han Li, the cultivator who wields the Golden Lightning Bamboo treasure!”
“Mulan is said to have only three Divine Masters. Who are you?” Han Li ignored the man’s question and countered with his own.
“Good! Knowing I am a Mulan Divine Master yet remaining so composed—you must indeed be the one Zhong Shenshi spoke of. I am Tian Zhong, the fourth Divine Master of Mulan!” the brocade-robed man declared calmly, neither pleased nor angered.
“The fourth Divine Master? This is the first I’ve heard of it. But if your manifested hand couldn’t even suppress a single thunder pearl of mine, it seems you’ve only recently advanced to the late stage and haven’t yet stabilized your realm!” Han Li retorted sharply, his eyes locked on the man. At the same time, he casually gestured toward the sword lights before him, which hummed in unison, transforming into a curtain of azure radiance to shield him.
“True, I’ve only reached the late stage a few years ago. But do you really think that makes you my match? How arrogant,” the brocade-robed man sneered, his lips curling in mockery.
“Alone, he may not be enough. But what if I join him?” A melodious woman’s voice suddenly rang out from the side. Han Li was momentarily startled, then overjoyed.
“Who’s there?” The brocade-robed man’s expression darkened as he scanned his surroundings sharply.
“To think that in just a hundred years, Fellow Daoist Tian has advanced to the late stage—how astonishing! I wonder if your abilities have truly grown as well.” As the words fell, a flash of white light revealed a beautiful woman in red robes hovering in mid-air, her cold gaze fixed on the brocade-robed man.
“So it’s Lady Feng. But for you to appear alone—aren’t you worried about Fellow Daoist Long Han? The two of you always fight together,” the brocade-robed man remarked, his expression shifting slightly upon seeing her.
“Worry not! Even if your Divine Masters personally intervened, they couldn’t harm my husband amidst a thousand cultivators. I, however, am eager to test the might of the fourth Divine Master. Fellow Daoist Han, go and rescue the others,” the woman said, her final words directed at Han Li. With a flick of her wrist, a small, crystalline red vial appeared in her palm. Before she could even channel her magic, the vial glowed crimson, enveloped in flames, and floated gently upward.
“The Fire Spirit Vial!” The brocade-robed man’s face grew solemn as he muttered under his breath. Han Li wasted no time, transforming into an azure streak and shooting skyward.
The brocade-robed man’s expression darkened. He swiftly untied a spirit beast pouch from his waist and tossed it into the air. A radiant glow erupted, revealing two identical winged beasts—tiger-headed, eagle-bodied creatures covered in azure feathers.
“Heavenly Tiger Beasts!” Han Li exclaimed in shock, recognizing the rare Mulan creatures renowned for their mastery of earth and wind spells. These two had reached the late Core Formation stage and were not to be underestimated.
The beasts spread their wings and vanished in a flash of azure light, reappearing moments later on either side of Han Li, their predatory eyes locked onto him.
Han Li halted abruptly, his escape cut off.
“Teleportation!” Han Li inwardly groaned. He’d heard these beasts possessed such an ability, but to witness it firsthand was another matter. Shaking them off would be no easy task.
But Tian Zhong wasn’t finished. With a sway of his body, a humanoid azure shadow split from his back and stepped forward as if alive. The shadow mirrored Tian Zhong’s form but was composed entirely of shimmering azure light, its features blindingly bright, like a mere illusion.
“A Doppelgänger!” This time, it was the red-robed woman who showed surprise—not at the existence of the doppelgänger, but at its bizarre nature, something she’d never seen before.
The azure shadow flashed toward Han Li. The woman made no move to intercept, for the brocade-robed man had already summoned a crystalline five-colored wheel and declared, “Now, I can properly spar with both of you.” With a tap of his finger, the wheel transformed into a multicolored mist, speeding toward the woman.
Her expression grave, the woman channeled a spell into the Fire Spirit Vial. The treasure trembled, emitting a brilliant crimson light as scorching flames erupted from its mouth. Unlike ordinary fire, these flames writhed like living things, dispersing and coalescing before forming several crimson serpents that lunged at the oncoming mist.
Behind him, Han Li heard the thunderous clash but didn’t look back, knowing the woman and Tian Zhong had engaged. He studied the strange azure shadow before him and the two prowling Heavenly Tiger Beasts, sighing inwardly. To rescue the trapped cultivators, he’d have to defeat these three inhuman foes.
With even these two special figures joining the fray, it was clear no reinforcements would arrive. Had he known, he’d have given Silvermoon more thunder pearls to stealthily free the others earlier. Now, his only option was to swiftly defeat these enemies before anything else.
With that thought, Han Li reached for a spirit beast pouch at his waist and released a swarm of golden Devouring Gold Insects. They surged forth like a golden cloud, swirling in the air.
Han Li wasted no time, channeling a spell into the insect swarm. With a collective hum, the cloud split into three golden mists, each charging menacingly toward one of his foes.
“Devouring Gold Insects! If they were mature, I might fear them,” the azure shadow sneered, its voice identical to Tian Zhong’s, utterly unfazed. The two Heavenly Tiger Beasts, however, recoiled in terror, their wings carrying them back dozens of feet in an instant.
The shadow opened its mouth, unleashing three bowl-thick beams of light in rapid succession. With each beam, the shadow’s glow dimmed, and by the third, its form had shrunk by several inches.
The beams struck the golden mists with unerring accuracy. Three muffled pops echoed as azure light flared, forming three massive azure spheres that trapped the Devouring Gold Insects within.
Han Li’s heart sank. He quickly gestured, commanding the insects to swarm the sphere walls, gnawing furiously. But to his dismay, the azure barriers proved incredibly resilient, the insects making agonizingly slow progress. Only then did he realize the spheres were composed of pure wood-attribute spiritual energy—a natural counter to the metal-devouring insects.
The shadow’s restraining techniques and the beasts’ teleportation left Han Li feeling cornered. Was this fourth Divine Master specifically targeting him? Han Li stood motionless, a sense of foreboding creeping over him.
His suspicion wasn’t far off. Before the battle, the Mulan elders had indeed tasked Tian Zhong with eliminating Han Li, even lending him the Heavenly Tiger Beasts and other treasures to counter Han Li’s abilities.
Initially, they hadn’t expected Han Li to join the wager battle, so Tian Zhong had set the matter aside. But when Han Li reappeared, slaughtering Mulan cultivators and even destroying a Great Master’s physical form, Tian Zhong had no choice but to intervene—both to prevent Han Li from freeing the trapped cultivators and to fulfill his promise to the Yin Luo Sect. Yet, unbeknownst to him, Long Han, monitoring the blood barrier’s movements, had also noticed Han Li’s escape and risked sending Lady Feng to assist. If Han Li could free the remaining trapped cultivators, their side would gain a significant advantage.
Frustrated by the ineffective Devouring Gold Insects, Han Li had little time to react before the two Heavenly Tiger Beasts, emboldened by the insects’ confinement, vanished in flashes of azure light.
Han Li smirked coldly, summoning his blue shield and directing his sword lights to weave a protective barrier around him.
The beasts reappeared on either side of Han Li, each spewing a blinding orb of light. Han Li’s eyes flashed with fury as his sword lights split into two waves, intercepting the orbs. The orbs shattered with dull explosions, but the beasts, unfazed, vanished again with cunning gleams in their eyes.
Enraged, Han Li prepared to pursue when the azure shadow struck. Meanwhile, on both sides of the battlefield, Long Han and the gaunt Mulan elder simultaneously issued orders, unleashing their trump cards.
From the cultivators’ ranks, seven white-haired Nascent Soul elders emerged, each holding an ancient treasure.
Among the Mulan, the previously unseen Lady Yue stepped forward solemnly, presenting an ancient bronze lamp at the gaunt elder’s behest.
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage