Madame Wanhua was instantly startled and let out a sharp cry, spitting out a large, earthen-yellow seal from her mouth toward the sky. At the same time, the shadowy black lion behind her raised its massive claw with a deafening roar, slashing fiercely at the heavens.
A thunderous *boom* echoed.
As soon as the five enormous claw shadows touched the halo, they rebounded with a dull thud and scattered. The seal, after swaying a few times, was pulled into a terrifying force emitted by the halo, spinning uncontrollably in mid-air.
The blood-red halo showed no hesitation, continuing its descent toward Madame Wanhua. The old woman’s face turned pale, but after emitting a few strange sounds from her throat, the black lion behind her roared and spat out a black fireball.
The fireball expanded rapidly upon release, growing to a size no smaller than the blood-red halo before charging toward it. Amidst the deafening roar, the fireball transformed into a rolling sea of flames, spreading violently in all directions. Even the blood-red halo flickered unstably under its immense power.
At that moment, the Nine-Eyed Blood Toad high above opened its mouth and spat out a mass of blood qi, which vanished into the halo in a flash. The next instant, the massive halo buzzed loudly, trembling slightly before stabilizing under a surge of renewed force, pressing down relentlessly on the fire cloud.
Despite the black lion injecting more black flames into the fire cloud, the power of the blood-red halo was clearly beyond its resistance. As the halo neared her, Madame Wanhua, torn between fury and fear, hesitated over whether to use her trump card.
But then, the blood-red halo vanished abruptly into thin air.
The Nine-Eyed Blood Toad spoke calmly, “My apologies,” before rolling onto the ground, where a bloody mist materialized. The masked man emerged from the mist, resuming his human form.
“Brother Xiao’s skills are formidable. This round, I concede defeat,” Madame Wanhua said with a grimace, recalling the fire cloud and her Dharma Form.
“I merely had the advantage of the Nine-Eyed Blood Toad’s true form. In a life-or-death battle, I might not have prevailed. Brother Han, it’s your turn now. I’d like to witness the divine arts of another continent,” Xiao Ming said without malice, turning to Han Li.
With a flash of light, he transformed into a blood-red streak and exited the barrier, reappearing near Han Li.
“Madame Wanhua, would you like to rest first, or should Brother Qingping and I spar first?” Han Li asked with a faint smile, glancing at the young Taoist.
“No need. That exchange barely drained my energy. Brother Han, proceed,” the old woman replied coldly from within the barrier before the Taoist could respond.
Qingping Taoist smiled but remained silent.
Han Li frowned slightly before nodding. With a hand seal, his figure blurred and vanished, reappearing silently within the barrier.
“Since you only need to withstand one move, I won’t hold back,” Han Li stated impassively.
“Hmph, I’m well aware,” the old woman retorted irritably. The black lion behind her reappeared, its menacing form even more ferocious than before, as if venting her frustration from the previous defeat.
Han Li narrowed his eyes, took a deep breath, and stepped forward.
A muffled *thud* resounded as his foot landed with the force of ten thousand pounds, shaking the ground beneath him. The old woman’s heart skipped a beat as she watched Han Li’s body suddenly wreathed in silver spirit patterns, his figure expanding wildly under a golden radiance. Golden scales emerged across his skin, transforming him into a horned, golden-scaled demonic entity.
“This is the True Devil’s Body, the pinnacle of demonic cultivation! Madame Wanhua, be careful—do not underestimate it!” Qingping Taoist exclaimed in alarm from outside the barrier.
Xiao Ming, though his expression was hidden behind his mask, also showed a flicker of surprise in his eyes.
Madame Wanhua, initially stunned, grew solemn upon sensing the terrifying aura emanating from Han Li. Resolute, she flicked her sleeves, releasing a dense swarm of black needles that swirled around her, forming a dark, rolling formation that shielded her at its center. She had deployed her trump card—a needle formation she had painstakingly crafted over centuries.
This formation, derived from an ancient ruin, had never failed her in battles against peers, ensuring at least a stalemate even against stronger foes. Its immediate deployment spoke volumes of her wariness toward the True Devil’s Body.
“True Devil’s Body?” Han Li mused inwardly, amused by Qingping Taoist’s misidentification. His incomplete Vajra Transformation merely resembled certain demonic arts but was leagues apart in power. Even without the full might of his physical prowess or the support of the Awakening Seal Art, this form alone could overwhelm ordinary Mahayana cultivators.
Without hesitation, Han Li strode toward the formation, his massive hand reaching out slowly. His fingers vanished into the void before reappearing above the formation, enlarged and golden, tearing through space to press down with overwhelming force.
Madame Wanhua’s lips twitched, but she swiftly formed a seal. The formation erupted with countless black needles, raining upon the golden hand like a storm. Yet, the needles merely clattered harmlessly against its scales, failing to penetrate.
Undeterred, the old woman inhaled deeply and spun like a top, unleashing a barrage of multicolored incantations into the formation. Black chains shot out, coiling around the golden hand, while dark runes swarmed over it, attempting to seal it away.
“Seal!” she commanded triumphantly.
But Han Li’s voice boomed, “Break!”
Thunder roared as golden lightning erupted from within the runes, shredding them apart and freeing the hand. With a swift motion, the hand crushed the black chains into dust before reappearing just above the formation, pressing down mercilessly.
The formation shrieked in response, conjuring a black curtain to shield itself. The golden hand struck with earth-shaking force, and in an explosion of light, the curtain shattered. The hand halted just above Madame Wanhua’s head, poised but motionless.
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