“To actually conceal oneself near the lit Yuanming Lantern. Truly seeking death!” The woman didn’t bother to investigate closely but muttered under her breath. For her, knowing the other party was a Tiannan cultivator was enough.
Since she had lit the ancient lanterns, five or six cultivators had attempted to target them. After all, once the giant bird was summoned by the lanterns, the nine ancient lamps burned continuously without extinguishing. Anyone could see the strangeness in this, and some cultivators, confident in their concealment techniques, naturally sought to extinguish the lamps. Yet none escaped—all were incinerated by the woman’s lantern flames.
At this moment, Han Li was merely a few hundred zhang away from the woman. Witnessing the unnamed cultivator ahead being effortlessly eliminated by her sent a chill down his spine. His previously slow-moving figure came to a silent halt.
Though the woman’s mutterings were barely audible, Han Li’s exceptional spiritual sense allowed him to catch fragments of her words. Gazing at the ancient lanterns not far away, he stroked his chin and pondered. It seemed these lanterns were no ordinary artifacts—not only could they summon demonic birds, but they also possessed the ability to reveal hidden figures. This complicated matters.
Han Li’s expression flickered between uncertainty and resolve for a while before his brows twitched, and an idea struck him. He reached into his storage pouch, retrieving a few items, then glanced at a spirit beast pouch at his waist with a faint smile.
Meanwhile, the woman surnamed Le had grown highly vigilant. She sat cross-legged before the lanterns, her lotus shadow faintly visible, her bright eyes fixed on the lamps as she linked her spiritual sense to them, monitoring every movement within dozens of zhang.
Suddenly, a white light flashed about a hundred zhang away, and over a dozen towering giant apes materialized. Their brazen appearance surprised the woman, who frowned upon recognizing them as puppets. She scanned the surroundings cautiously but found no trace of their controller.
Unfazed by the beams of light the apes fired, the woman casually formed a hand seal, her lotus shadow flickering to effortlessly block the attacks. She then plucked another flame from one of the lanterns, this time holding it aloft in her palm, observing the lanterns intently, prepared to counter any move.
Moments later, her expression shifted. Without hesitation, she blew a breath of spiritual energy onto the flame, which vanished from her hand in a flash of green light. She turned her gaze toward a spot dozens of zhang away.
With a soft “puff,” a figure emerged, enveloped in green flames at her command. Yet, unlike previous victims, this one neither turned to ash nor struggled. Upon closer inspection, she realized it was merely a puppet resembling Han Li, unharmed by the flames.
“Not good!” she gasped, whirling back to the lanterns—but it was too late. A black-red giant hand shot from a burst of lightning near the lamps, seizing one and extinguishing its flame with dark yin fire. The remaining eight lanterns trembled before dissipating into motes of spiritual energy.
“No!” The woman, the foremost female shaman of the Mulan Tribe, paled. She hurled lotus shadows at the retreating hand, but it vanished into a lightning streak, reappearing beside the trapped puppet with the stolen lantern—none other than Han Li, who had exploited her distraction.
“You won’t escape!” she shrieked, reassured momentarily by the still-present sacred bird. Transforming into a gust of wind, she gave chase.
Han Li stashed the lantern into his pouch and vanished with a flap of his Wind Thunder Wings, reappearing dozens of zhang away as she reached his previous position. With a muttered command, the puppet detonated a hidden thunder pearl, blasting apart half its body and disrupting her pursuit.
Though the lotus shadows shielded her, the force flung her back, breaking her wind escape technique. Seizing the moment, Han Li fled, soon vanishing into the distance.
Furious, the woman moved to pursue, only for the shattered puppet to emit a strange hum. Before she could react, it disintegrated into swarms of tri-colored insects that morphed into shields, barring her path. Recognizing them as mutated Gold Devouring Beetles, she fumbled for a wood-attribute treasure—but the insects scattered, and Han Li was gone.
Alone in the air, her face flushed with rage and helplessness, she turned to see the sacred bird, its power waning without the lanterns. As its controlled flames dissipated, the trapped Tai Zhen Seven emerged, bewildered. The bird shrank rapidly before exploding into motes of light, evading the approaching Twin Demons.
“What happened?” gasped an elderly survivor, drained of energy.
“The summoning artifact must have been compromised—the lanterns are gone,” their leader replied, relieved. A moment longer, and even he might have fallen.
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