Those Green Spirit clansmen immediately turned into ashes amidst the deafening roars.
Nearly a thousand foreign tribesmen were reduced to a mere few dozen in the blink of an eye.
The remaining Green Spirit clansmen, witnessing this scene, were utterly terrified, realizing that the enemies on the colossal ship before them were far beyond their ability to handle. They turned and fled in panic.
Han Li coldly observed the scene but showed no intention of pursuit. Just as he was about to turn and return to the cabin, a sharp whistling sound suddenly came from the horizon behind him. Three dazzling streaks of light shot toward him like meteors.
Han Li narrowed his eyes and stood motionless at the bow, watching the approaching figures.
In moments, the three streaks of light dimmed, revealing a woman and two men—three powerful Green Spirit clansmen.
Upon seeing the heavy casualties among their elite forces, the trio’s faces twisted with shock and fury.
Though they had anticipated the enemy’s formidable power and knew their clansmen couldn’t stop their advance, they never expected such devastating losses even with the aid of the Green Sea’s power. After all, from the moment they had briefly discussed their plan to their swift pursuit, barely a cup of tea’s time had passed.
When the three Green Spirit clansmen turned their gazes to Han Li, they exchanged startled glances, each seeing a trace of horror in the others’ eyes.
“A Mahayana cultivator! It’s truly a human Mahayana cultivator!”
Han Li, meanwhile, cast a casual glance at the trio and immediately discerned that they were only at the mid-to-late Body Integration stage—hardly worth his concern.
“To think a human has truly reached the Mahayana stage! May we ask for your esteemed name, Senior? With your cultivation, isn’t it somewhat bullying the weak to slaughter juniors like this?” one of the Green Spirit clansmen took a deep breath and spoke indignantly.
“Bullying the weak? They dared to obstruct my path. If I didn’t eliminate some, my peers might laugh at me for being too lenient. As for my name, you need not know,” Han Li replied indifferently.
“Are you from the outside world?” The burly man’s expression changed as he caught something in Han Li’s words.
“What if I am? What if I’m not?” Han Li said nonchalantly.
“If you truly are from the outside world, for the sake of the future of the races in the Minor Spirit Realm, we must detain you in the Green Sea for now,” the slender-faced man said coldly, his eyes flashing with hostility.
“Three mere Body Integration cultivators dare to boast in front of me? Is it because of that parasitic Ancient Tree Ancestral Spirit?” Han Li chuckled mockingly.
“You know of the Ancient Tree Ancestral Spirit? It seems you didn’t stumble into this realm by accident,” the burly man murmured, his pupils contracting.
Han Li smirked but said nothing more.
“Fellow Daoists, it seems words are useless. We must summon the Ancestral Spirits. For the future of our clan, we must capture him at all costs. With three against one, the odds are in our favor,” the Green Spirit woman declared fiercely.
The other two men nodded in agreement.
Based on their past experiences, the trio held an almost fanatical belief in the power of the Ancient Tree Ancestral Spirits. Even facing a Mahayana cultivator—unprecedented in the Minor Spirit Realm—they remained confident.
Simultaneously, they raised their left arms, their sleeves shattering to reveal intricate tattoos of ancient trees on their forearms.
Each tattoo depicted a different tree: one lush and verdant, its branches dense with leaves; another tall and straight, shimmering silver with sword-like foliage; and the last a riot of colors, its boughs heavy with exotic blossoms.
“Ancestral Spirits, manifest!”
With a synchronized incantation, the three Green Spirit clansmen chanted, and a green mist swirled around their arms. From it emerged translucent saplings, each about a foot tall.
The surrounding forest trembled as strands of green energy were drawn from the trees, surging toward the sapling projections like a tidal wave.
In an instant, the saplings glowed fiercely, expanding in size until they transformed into towering trees over a hundred zhang tall.
The three Green Spirit clansmen vanished from sight.
On the trunks of the colossal trees, blurred faces gradually took shape—revealing the visages of the missing trio.
“So this is the Ancient Tree Ancestral Spirit? Fascinating. Such pure wood-attribute spiritual energy!”
Han Li sensed the overwhelming aura emanating from the three trees, a flicker of surprise crossing his face.
The trees then twisted and morphed into three towering giants, each with distinct features.
One had long green hair and wore wooden armor, his hands empty.
Another was slender, with iridescent wings and a massive emerald sword.
The last and tallest was clad in spiked silver armor, wielding two enormous silver hammers.
The green-haired giant spoke first, his voice rumbling like thunder:
“Surrender now, and we may spare you. We only wish to detain you for a few days to learn the entrance to this realm. Otherwise, once the Ancestral Spirits attack, we cannot control their fury. If you perish, it will be too late for regrets.”
“Such arrogance. Even if you were true Mahayana cultivators, you’d be nothing in my eyes. But this possession technique is intriguing. After I capture you, I’ll study it in detail.”
“Enough talk! Humans have always been our enemies. If he thinks his Mahayana status makes him invincible, let him witness the terror of the Ancient Tree Ancestral Spirits!” the slender giant roared.
With that, the three giants charged toward the Ink Spirit Ship, their steps shaking the void.
Han Li, standing at the bow, merely smiled and flicked his sleeve.
A bolt of silver lightning shot out, and when the light faded, a young Daoist priest stood beside him, expressionless.
“Brother Crab, your abilities counter these tree spirits perfectly. Handle them for me—preferably leaving one alive,” Han Li instructed.
“Wood-attribute powerhouses? Good. I alone am enough,” Crab Daoist replied, glancing at the approaching giants.
With a single step, thunder boomed as silver arcs enveloped him. He surged forward, his body swelling into a golden crab the size of several acres.
His massive claws lashed out, and a pillar of silver lightning erupted from his maw, striking the slender giant in an instant.
Simultaneously, phantom pincers wreathed in lightning descended upon the other two giants.
The three tree spirits were stunned.
They hadn’t expected Han Li to summon a being who attacked so decisively—and with the lightning attribute they feared most.
The silver-armored giant swung his hammers, creating a storm of hammer shadows to block the descending pincers.
The green-haired giant formed hand seals, and his wooden armor sprouted colossal vines that wove into a net to catch the pincers.
The slender giant, facing the lightning pillar, grimly raised his sword, which twisted into a massive green shield covered in mystical runes.
Deafening explosions erupted as silver arcs flashed and detonated.
The golden crab let out a low roar, and silver thunder runes floated from its shell, coalescing into a massive lightning array.
The array spun once before vanishing into the void.
A moment later, the space above the three giants distorted violently as the lightning array reappeared, crackling with energy.
The golden crab blurred and merged into the array, which then descended like a thundercloud, engulfing the giants.
Within the storm, thunderclaps boomed, and the giants’ pained cries echoed as bursts of light flared intermittently.
Han Li watched briefly before turning away, satisfied.
With Crab Daoist’s power—enough to give even the three Demon Lords pause—these pseudo-Mahayana spirits stood no chance, especially with their elemental disadvantage.
True to his expectations, within the time it took to drink a cup of tea, footsteps approached the cabin.
Crab Daoist entered calmly.
Han Li, seated in meditation, looked up and asked, “Did you eliminate them all?”
“Of course not. You requested a live captive,” Crab Daoist replied, tossing a small silver vial.
Han Li caught it and scanned its contents with his divine sense. Inside was a shrunken, terrified Nascent Soul—the slender-faced Green Spirit clansman.
Nodding in satisfaction, Han Li stored the vial without asking about the others.
Outside, the Ink Spirit Ship shuddered before resuming its journey.
This time, no Green Spirit clansmen dared to obstruct its path.
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