This naturally startled Mo Jianli. With a low shout, his protective spiritual light surged abruptly as he attempted to forcefully break the fiery chains with his immense mana.
However, the flames of the chains rolled and intensified alongside the expansion of his protective light.
Mo Jianli repeatedly urged his spiritual light, yet for a moment, he remained unable to free himself from the chains.
At last, the face of this human Grand Ascension cultivator darkened with alarm.
Just then, the bald Spirit Race member once again activated the Dharma Form behind him, shaking the seven-colored token once more.
With a thunderous boom, the surface of the token twisted and blurred before spewing out a fist-sized seven-colored rune.
The rune spun rapidly, expanded violently, and transformed into an extraordinarily dazzling, hiltless radiant blade.
About ten feet long, its crystalline surface shimmered, faintly manifesting features like a mouth and nose, giving an eerie impression of a living creature.
When Mo Jianli swept his divine sense over this radiant blade, even with his Grand Ascension cultivation, a chilling sensation surged through him.
At that moment, the rune-formed blade emitted a loud hum!
“Not good!”
Mo Jianli’s pupils constricted sharply as he let out a low roar. Multicolored light swirled around him, and several defensive treasures of varying designs flew out from his body, conjuring layers of spiritual light to shield the space above him.
Bound by the fiery chains, these treasures were the fastest he could deploy. Even if he had more formidable defenses, there was no time to activate them now.
Then, the radiant blade blurred and vanished from its original position.
Simultaneously, a flash of dazzling light appeared above Mo Jianli’s head, and the defensive treasures he had summoned silently split in two as effortlessly as slicing tofu.
With no further obstruction, the radiant blade gleamed brightly and slashed down fiercely toward Mo Jianli’s head.
Before it even landed, a piercing, frigid aura struck first.
Under normal circumstances, Mo Jianli could easily evade such an attack with a single movement. But now, restrained as he was, he could only watch in fury as the radiant blade descended upon him.
A fierce glint flashed across his face. A swirl of light erupted from the crown of his head, revealing a miniature figure identical to his true form, faintly visible within the radiance. The tiny figure held a pair of silver short swords aloft, ready to intercept the terrifying blade.
Faced with imminent peril, Mo Jianli, the human Grand Ascension cultivator, had summoned his Nascent Soul to withstand the strike.
With a muffled *thud*, a figure flashed past like a wisp of pale green smoke beneath the radiant blade. With a seemingly effortless punch, the blade shattered into fragments. The figure then reappeared a dozen yards away from Mo Jianli, solidifying into the form of a green-robed young man with a faint smile—none other than Han Li himself.
From a distance, Han Li had witnessed Mo Jianli’s predicament and silently traversed the space with unimaginable speed to intercept the attack.
“Many thanks for your assistance, Fellow Daoist Han!” Mo Jianli exclaimed in relief as the miniature figure above his head blurred and vanished back into his body.
Now freed to act, the human Grand Ascension cultivator formed a hand seal, murmured an incantation, and exhaled a stream of white Qi—some unknown mystical technique—onto himself.
Upon contact with the blood-red chains, a sizzling sound erupted. Under the astonished gazes of the two Spirit Race men, the raging flames instantly dimmed, and cracks began to spread across the chains’ surface.
With a hearty laugh, Mo Jianli’s aura surged as he yanked at the chains with both arms.
A series of crisp *snaps* echoed as the chains shattered into fragments.
No matter how profound these chains were, they could never truly restrain a Grand Ascension cultivator. Given even a moment, Mo Jianli easily broke free.
As for the shattered radiant blade, though the bald Spirit Race man hastily restored it, the seven-colored token dimmed significantly, clearly capable of only one or two more strikes.
The bald man glanced down at Han Li and Mo Jianli, finally confirming that they were indeed two Grand Ascension cultivators. His expression flickered between uncertainty and dread.
Meanwhile, the flame-headed Spirit Race man spat out several mouthfuls of blood the moment the chains shattered, his aura weakening noticeably.
“Juniors Ling Yin and Ling Zhi pay respects to the two Seniors! We acted rashly, unaware of your esteemed presence. We beg for your forgiveness!” The bald man, after several shifts in expression, stood and bowed deeply.
Han Li chuckled, then vanished and reappeared hundreds of yards away near the archway, silently scrutinizing the two men.
Mo Jianli, however, snorted and flew over to stand beside Han Li, his expression grim.
“Your earlier attacks relied entirely on those two treasures. But such artifacts are far beyond your possession—they must have been bestowed by that old monster, the Spirit King.”
As a Grand Ascension cultivator, Mo Jianli had nearly suffered at the hands of two Body Integration cultivators. Though they had ambushed him and wielded extraordinary treasures, the humiliation still rankled.
“Senior, we acted under the Spirit King’s orders,” the bald man hastily explained with another bow.
“So it was the Spirit King’s idea. Speak—why did he bestow such treasures upon you? They seem tailored to counter cultivators of our level, or else I wouldn’t have been caught off guard.” Mo Jianli’s expression remained dark.
The bald man hesitated, exchanging a glance with his companion, before opening his mouth to reply.
But at that moment, six streaks of light shot down from the mountain peak.
The two Spirit Race men brightened visibly, their tension easing.
Han Li’s expression flickered slightly, but he remained silent.
Mo Jianli narrowed his eyes, a dangerous glint flashing within them.
The six newcomers, all clad similarly to the bald man and radiating Body Integration auras, emerged from the light. Each bore traces of extraordinary treasures, their presence unmistakable.
Upon sensing the unfathomable depths of Han Li and Mo Jianli’s cultivation, the six Spirit Race cultivators paled slightly, though their surprise was minimal—a detail Han Li noted with interest.
“Fellow Daoists, your timing is perfect. We were just about to inform you that two Grand Ascension Seniors have arrived at the Sacred Mountain. We acted rashly and are now apologizing to them,” the bald man said smoothly, masking his relief with deference.
Han Li smiled faintly, while Mo Jianli’s expression darkened further.
With the bald man framing it thus, Mo Jianli could hardly retaliate without appearing to bully the weak—a reputation that would complicate matters when facing the Spirit King later.
The six Spirit Race cultivators stepped forward and bowed respectfully.
A white-horned elder among them smiled and said, “The Sacred Mountain is honored by your presence, Seniors. The Spirit King has long anticipated your arrival and awaits you in the Violet Qi Hall.”
“He’s been expecting us?” Mo Jianli blinked in surprise.
Han Li’s brows rose slightly as well.
“Didn’t the Seniors arrange this with the Spirit King? Are you not Senior Bloodburn and Senior Blackscale of the Earth Serpent Island?” The white-horned elder, noticing their reactions, suddenly paled.
Clearly, they had mistaken the visitors’ identities.
The other Spirit Race cultivators exchanged bewildered glances.
“Bloodburn and Blackscale? I’ve heard of them—two mighty non-human Grand Ascension cultivators who dominate a region in the central continent. Pity we’ve never met. But no matter. I am Mo Jianli, and this is my clansman, Fellow Daoist Han Li. Perhaps you’ve heard of us?” Mo Jianli chuckled, his tone laced with irony.
“Ah, Seniors Mo and Han of the human race! Forgive our misunderstanding. But may we ask why you’ve come to our Sacred Mountain unannounced? Is there something our clan can assist with?” The white-horned elder’s face twitched as he inwardly cursed his luck, though his tone remained respectful.
“Nothing much. Fellow Daoist Han and I merely wish to meet with the Spirit King. Since he’s already expecting guests, this saves us the trouble of a wasted trip!” Mo Jianli’s gloom vanished as he laughed heartily.
Han Li also smiled faintly.
Truly, timing was everything.
They had feared the Spirit King might refuse to see them, but now they wouldn’t need to exert much effort.
The only concern was the Spirit King’s true intentions in summoning two other Grand Ascension cultivators at this moment.
“Ah… this is somewhat awkward. The Spirit King only invited Senior Bloodburn and his companion. If you two Seniors also wish to meet him, we must first seek his permission,” the white-horned elder stammered, his expression uneasy.
“What do you mean? Bloodburn can see him, but we can’t? Do you truly think the human race is so weak that even our Grand Ascension cultivators warrant no respect?” Mo Jianli’s smile vanished as he took a step forward.
A crushing spiritual pressure erupted from him, as if the very heavens might collapse under its weight.
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