Chapter 2283: Che Qizi

Han Li’s sleeve flicked casually once more as he pointed a finger downward into empty space.

“Poof!”

The green thread transformed into a hair-thin strand before suddenly tightening.

The massive turtle-like beast was instantly shredded into countless pieces of flesh, raining down in a gruesome shower.

At that moment, ripples appeared on the lake’s surface, and a crystalline white alms bowl silently emerged. With a swift spin, it expanded to the size of an acre before hovering in place.

As the beast’s flesh and blood fell from the sky, not a single piece escaped—all of it dropped into the bowl.

Han Li raised a hand in a beckoning motion.

The white alms bowl flashed with light before shooting toward him, shrinking back to its original size mid-flight.

With a casual grab, Han Li caught the bowl firmly in his palm.

He calmly swept his divine sense over it, and moments later, an expression of extreme satisfaction crossed his face.

*As expected, given its massive body, even if the bloodline of the Black Tortoise isn’t particularly strong, refining it should yield enough for the cultivation of the Awakening Thunder Art.*

With a flip of his hand, the jade bowl vanished into his storage bracelet.

His gaze then shifted to the golden spiritual herb nearby. After a brief consideration, he reached out and summoned it into his grasp.

*This herb isn’t of much use to me, but for certain exotic beasts, it’s an extremely rare treasure. No wonder all the powerful creatures nearby were drawn here, leading to such a brutal battle.*

*If I meet the right person, it could make for a good trade.*

Han Li then released a silver flame, incinerating the remaining beast corpses on the lake’s surface into ashes.

As faint rays of light shimmered around him, he appeared ready to depart.

But just then, a faint buzzing sound came from his body.

Han Li paused momentarily before a faint smile curled his lips. With a flip of his hand, a white crystal orb the size of an egg appeared in his palm.

The orb’s surface rippled with shifting halos, and upon closer inspection, tiny specks of light—each the size of a grain of rice—could be seen flickering within.

After studying the orb for a moment, Han Li stomped his foot and transformed into a streak of azure light, shooting into the sky.

His direction was now entirely different from before.

—

At nearly the same time, millions of miles away over a desolate plain, a blinding streak of white light was streaking through the sky at an incredible speed.

Behind it, about ten miles back, a deafening roar filled the air as a vast sea of blue-green mist—stretching across the horizon—rolled forward with terrifying momentum. Its speed was no less than the white light, perhaps even slightly faster.

The two forces raced across the sky, covering thousands of miles in mere moments.

Before long, the distance between them narrowed to less than ten miles.

A sinister chuckle then echoed from within the blue-green mist. The front of the fog churned violently before solidifying into two enormous phantom figures—a jade-green scorpion and a pale-blue toad.

The scorpion phantom flicked its massive stinger, releasing a dark-green beam of light.

Meanwhile, the toad phantom opened its mouth wide, causing the surrounding space to darken abruptly. The air ahead tightened as if bound by an invisible force, drastically slowing the white light’s escape.

With the white light now hindered, the dark-green beam flashed silently toward its back, poised to strike.

But just then, an angry shout erupted from within the white light. Countless five-colored runes surged forth, and with a violent tremor, the light broke free from the spatial restraints.

A thunderous crack split the sky as a crimson lightning bolt shot out from the white light, intercepting the dark-green beam.

Though seemingly insignificant, the collision produced a muffled explosion, shattering the beam into nothingness.

Simultaneously, rapid incantations chanted from within the white light. With a shudder, the light vanished from its spot.

A moment later, spatial ripples appeared over ten miles away as the white light reformed.

Now, its contents became clear.

Inside the light stood an elderly man, holding a small white banner in one hand and a deep-red hammer in the other.

It was none other than Mo Jianli, the Grand Ascension cultivator of the human race.

However, half of Mo Jianli’s body was entwined with eerie green vapors, while the other half was encased in strange blue ice. His expression was grave as he glanced back at the pursuing mist before urging his escape forward with renewed speed.

Behind him, the scorpion and toad phantoms dissipated, but the blue-green mist continued its relentless chase.

Thus, at regular intervals, Mo Jianli would be forced to activate his treasures, unleashing crimson lightning to fend off the mist’s attacks and regain some distance.

This deadly pursuit had already lasted an entire day and night.

Even for a Grand Ascension cultivator like Mo Jianli, the continuous use of such techniques had drained nearly half of his mana reserves.

Had he not sensed Han Li’s presence nearby through his artifacts, he might have already resorted to drastic, life-saving measures that would severely deplete his vitality.

But a few million miles was nothing to beings of their caliber.

Just as Mo Jianli repelled another assault from the phantom beasts, a streak of azure light appeared in the distance, speeding toward him.

Mo Jianli’s face lit up with relief. Instead of teleporting away again, he hurled the white banner above his head.

The banner spun rapidly, releasing waves of white light that formed a thick protective barrier around him.

Meanwhile, he swung the deep-red hammer toward the void behind him.

*Now that Han Li is here to assist, it’s time to teach these pursuers a lesson—payback for all the humiliation of fleeing.*

A deafening explosion shook the heavens.

The thick clouds above were split apart by an overwhelming force as a crimson lightning bolt—hundreds of feet long—struck the phantom toad.

The phantom shuddered, its body crackling with crimson electricity before dispersing into nothingness with a *poof*.

Strangely, the scorpion phantom also let out a pained hiss before collapsing into mist.

The blue-green fog then began swirling inward, rapidly condensing until it revealed the true form of its hidden master—

A monstrous creature over a dozen zhang long, with the body of a scorpion and the head of a toad, its eyes glowing blood-red.

A pair of enormous wings sprouted from its back, flickering between solid and illusory, with countless distorted human faces writhing upon them.

The creature’s cold gaze locked onto Mo Jianli as it emitted a series of eerie croaks. Simultaneously, a sinister laughter echoed from its wings.

The moment the sound reached Mo Jianli’s ears, his eyelids grew heavy, and his consciousness teetered on the edge of slumber.

*”Not good!”*

Though fully aware of the danger, he found himself unable to muster his divine sense, his body sluggish and unresponsive.

*Damn it! After all this time, I had no idea this thing possessed such a terrifying soul attack!*

The scorpion-toad hybrid flicked its wings, transforming them into two indistinct, blade-like projections that slowly descended toward Mo Jianli.

Though the motion appeared sluggish, the blades reached Mo Jianli’s head in the blink of an eye, piercing effortlessly through his protective barrier.

Mo Jianli’s face paled.

In desperation, he prepared to force his Nascent Soul into action, risking everything for a last-ditch counterattack—

But then, spatial ripples stirred behind him, and a voice laced with surprise spoke:

*”Huh? What kind of monster is this? It seems… unusual.”*

The moment the words were spoken, thunder roared as countless golden lightning arcs erupted from behind, crashing into the two spectral blades.

Han Li, sensing the danger, had teleported behind Mo Jianli and unleashed his Divine Devilbane Lightning to intercept the lethal strike.

A deafening explosion filled the air.

The golden lightning proved to be the perfect counter—the moment it touched the blades, the blue-green energy surrounding them was obliterated.

The blades themselves let out a mournful cry before vanishing into thin air.

On the monster’s back, the blue-green mist churned as its wings reappeared—now noticeably smaller than before.

The creature’s blood-red pupils contracted as it stared at Han Li, a trace of fear flickering in its gaze.

Meanwhile, Han Li placed a hand on Mo Jianli’s shoulder, sending a wave of cooling energy through his body.

Mo Jianli’s mind cleared instantly, the drowsiness vanishing as he regained control of his divine sense.

*”Many thanks, Brother Han! Be careful—this thing is the infamous ‘Che Qizi,’ a legendary fiend from the ancient Asura Realm. Its poison can dissolve even a Grand Ascension cultivator into blood within moments!”* Mo Jianli quickly expressed his gratitude while warning.

*”So that’s what it is. No wonder even you didn’t dare face it head-on. But the ancient texts never mentioned this thing possessing such a formidable soul-snatching technique,”* Han Li mused, his expression not of fear but intrigue.

With a flicker, he appeared in front of Mo Jianli, scrutinizing the Che Qizi with keen interest.

*”I… I’m not sure either. Records of this creature are sparse, so perhaps it was omitted. If not for that, I wouldn’t have nearly fallen into its trap just now,”* Mo Jianli replied with a bitter smile, swallowing a few recovery pills from a vial.