Chapter 1555: Fierce Battle

The invisible fluctuations were some kind of bizarre supernatural ability, and the Emerald Swarm Sword seemed completely unable to resist them.

Qing Xiao and the black-skirted young woman paled again at the sight.

At this moment, they had only just managed to put a bit more distance between themselves and the monstrous moth. If the deafening roar sounded again, they would surely be unable to escape with their lives.

Han Li, seeing dozens of flying swords shatter into pieces, showed no trace of anger or shock on his face. Instead, he let out a cold snort, swiftly formed a hand seal with one hand, and pointed intently into the distance.

An astonishing scene unfolded!

The shattered fragments of the flying swords, which had turned into countless streaks of azure light, suddenly emitted a loud buzzing sound. Then, swirling around the giant moth, they reassembled in the azure radiance, restoring themselves into gleaming small swords, as good as new.

With an eerie flash, the countless flying swords intertwined into a web of azure threads, slicing the monstrous moth into countless tiny pieces once more.

This ability was naturally the sword spirits’ power of materialization and dematerialization.

At this sight, Qing Xiao and the other woman were utterly dumbfounded. But they quickly regained their senses, their escape light speeding up even more. After a few flashes, they finally reached Han Li’s vicinity and paused briefly to stop.

“Thank you, Venerable, for saving us. But this monster is too powerful. We should flee quickly,” Qing Xiao exhaled deeply and urgently said to Han Li.

“You two may go as you please. I have some interest in this creature and wish to see if I can slay it,” Han Li replied indifferently.

“Venerable, this beast appeared out of nowhere and is far more dangerous than it seems. Even the Silver Shark Hermit met a tragic end at its hands. We should retreat for now, devise a strategy, and return to deal with this abomination later,” the black-skirted young woman also advised kindly.

Clearly, despite Han Li’s display of astonishing power, neither woman believed he could truly defeat the monstrous moth.

“Rest assured. Even if I cannot defeat it, I have no worries about protecting myself,” Han Li smiled faintly and shook his head.

At that moment, gray light flickered in the distance as the monstrous moth once again reassembled its shattered body, fully restored. However, being slain a second time sent the creature into a furious rage. Its lion-like head opened wide, unleashing roars far more deafening than before, while its wings flapped wildly.

Instantly, the sky was filled with thunderous booms, and ripples of fluctuations radiated from the moth’s body, spreading violently in all directions.

The flying swords shattered once more under the fluctuations, crushed into even smaller fragments repeatedly.

Seeing this, the monstrous moth continued flapping its wings relentlessly, showing no signs of stopping.

Though the moth was preoccupied with the flying swords and did not approach Han Li, the roars that reached them caused Qing Xiao and the black-skirted young woman’s faces, which had just returned to normal, to flush crimson again, as if their blood was about to burst from their skin.

Han Li merely frowned slightly. After amplifying the power of his Vajra Devilish Arts by another measure, he remained unfazed. However, noticing the perilous state of the two women, he swiftly raised an arm and struck out twice in their direction.

A golden flash appeared on his palm, and two golden beams shot into the women’s bodies, vanishing in an instant.

Qing Xiao and the other woman felt the boiling blood in their bodies slow significantly, and the flush on their faces faded just as quickly.

Their hearts eased at once, knowing Han Li had intervened. They thanked him profusely.

“This beast’s roars are peculiar, with an extremely wide range of effect. You two should leave first,” Han Li waved his hand and spoke thus.

He observed that within a thousand-zhang radius centered on the monstrous moth, visible spatial distortions were occurring. The vast area flickered between blurriness and clarity, as if a mirage—utterly bizarre.

It was unclear whether this phenomenon was caused by the monster’s roars or the invisible fluctuations from its wings.

Already terrified by the moth’s roars, the two women were further horrified by the sight in the distance. They hesitated no longer. After a few more attempts to persuade Han Li, seeing he still had no intention of leaving, they bowed deeply to him and transformed into two streaks of light, fleeing into the distance.

This time, they flew over a hundred miles without stopping, only halting once they reached the outskirts of the ice island. The roars in their ears had faded to a faint murmur, no longer a threat.

They withdrew their escape light, hovering mid-air as they looked back in the direction they had come from, hearts still pounding.

“Sister Qing, is that man the Mr. Han you mentioned before?” the black-skirted young woman asked once she had calmed slightly.

“Who else could it be? Mr. Han is of the same rank as the Silver Shark Hermit, but his abilities seem far more formidable,” Qing Xiao nodded.

“But no matter how powerful he is, he can’t possibly defeat that monster. Even the Silver Shark Hermit and his silver shark spirit beast combined only lasted a few rounds before perishing. The snake head beneath that monster is even more terrifying. For Venerable Han to stay behind is unwise,” the young woman sighed.

“It’s hard to say. Seeing how unaffected Mr. Han was by the roars, he must have some extraordinary protective ability. And with his confidence, even if he can’t defeat the moth, he should have no trouble escaping. Let’s wait here and see what happens. If the worst comes to pass, we’ll have to gather all the upper clans to set up powerful formations against this monster,” Qing Xiao, however, held some faith in Han Li and thought further ahead.

“Against such an abomination, only formations will suffice. Otherwise, no matter how many people gather, a single roar would send them fleeing for their lives. But it’s fortunate this monster appeared here early. If it had been a month later, countless fellow cultivators would have been caught off guard and perished,” the young woman forced a bitter smile, finding some solace in the timing.

“That’s true. But this monster isn’t like a sea beast. I wonder where it came from,” Qing Xiao murmured, gazing toward the horizon where the moth was, a flicker of doubt in her eyes.

The black-skirted young woman also wore a puzzled expression but naturally had no answers.

…

After the two women fled, Han Li watched as his flying swords were crushed beyond recognition by the rippling invisible force. The corners of his lips curled into a cold smile.

Even if this monstrous moth was a late-stage Void Refinement being with extraordinary abilities, Han Li was a dual cultivator of both magic and body, having mastered the third part of the Vajra Devilish Arts and possessing several heaven-defying abilities. How could he truly fear this creature?

Immediately, he formed hand seals, his body radiating golden light as a golden halo appeared above his head.

Within the halo, a three-headed, six-armed Dharma Form gradually manifested, its eyes wide with fury, each of its six hands forming a seal. With a low chant, the golden Dharma Form swung all six arms toward the distant giant moth.

*Thud! Thud!* Several muffled sounds rang out as six bowl-thick golden beams shot from its palms, vanishing in a flash before piercing into the distorted gray shadow in the distance, seemingly about to strike the moth.

But then, something bizarre happened!

The moth’s body blurred slightly, and the six golden beams veered off course, inexplicably bypassing its form and dissipating into the void.

Han Li was momentarily stunned but quickly extended a pitch-black hand from his sleeve, lightly swiping it toward the distant moth.

A gray mist sprayed from his five fingers, coalescing into a gray curtain that surged toward the enemy.

The Divine Essence Magnet Light expanded wildly as it advanced, blotting out half the sky.

The sheer force of it made the monstrous moth’s emerald-green eyes flicker wildly within the distorted gray shadow. The invisible fluctuations from its wings shifted direction, rushing upward to meet the gray light head-on.

The moment they collided, thunderous booms erupted. As the fluctuations and gray light intertwined, the entire sky flickered eerily between light and dark, locked in a stalemate.

Han Li’s expression darkened. His black hand clenched slightly.

A black dot appeared within the gray curtain in the sky, and then a black mountain materialized out of nowhere. It expanded rapidly, swelling to over a thousand zhang in size after a few flashes.

It was the Divine Essence Magnet Mountain!

The monstrous moth was momentarily stunned but then let out a deafening roar. The invisible fluctuations abruptly condensed, forming a semi-transparent pillar that shot toward the base of the mountain.

Given how easily the fluctuations had shattered Han Li’s flying swords earlier, their destructive power was undeniable. Now concentrated into a single attack, their impact on treasures was unimaginable.

Had this been before the Divine Essence Magnet Mountain fused with the strange stone pedestal, its ability to withstand such an assault would have been questionable. But after the second fusion, the mountain’s resilience had reached an inconceivable level.

A gray-white glow flashed at the mountain’s base as the pillar struck it with a muffled *thud*, erupting into a blinding white light.

When the light faded, the pillar had dissipated, leaving the mountain’s base completely unscathed—not even a scratch.

The monstrous moth was utterly shocked, scarcely believing its eyes.

Meanwhile, Han Li, expressionless, formed another hand seal. The mountain began descending with the force of a falling celestial peak.

Though the moth’s wings continued emitting rippling fluctuations, under the mountain’s overwhelming power, they shattered upon contact, utterly incapable of resisting its crushing weight.

Just as the black mountain was about to engulf the entire moth, seemingly ready to flatten it into paste, the lion-like head of the moth blurred and transformed into the head of a giant serpent, its eyes tightly shut.

The dark green serpent head suddenly opened its eyes, revealing a pair of golden, sinister pupils gleaming with icy malice. It raised its head, locking onto the black mountain above.

A sinister hiss escaped its maw as its wings flapped, releasing clouds of gray powder that enveloped its body, obscuring it from view.

The creature seemed to be preparing some formidable ability.

Seeing this from afar, Han Li’s face hardened. He fiercely activated his spell.

The black mountain rumbled as it pressed down violently, its base plunging into the gray powder.