Chapter 1551: Black Veil

Han Li smiled faintly, retracting his flying sword and the black mountain peak with a flick of his sleeve.

A ball of golden light shot out, swirling in the air before transforming into a small leopard-like beast that landed on the ground a few feet in front of him.

It was the Leopard-Qilin Beast!

At the sight of the creature, the woman and the other serpent priests were momentarily stunned. But as soon as they swept their spiritual senses over it, they all gasped in shock!

The beast exuded an overwhelmingly powerful aura, chilling even someone of the woman’s cultivation level to the bone.

“Go, kill all those Uro people,” Han Li commanded the beast indifferently.

Upon hearing this, the Leopard-Qilin Beast’s eyes flashed with ferocity. Its figure blurred, splitting into seven or eight identical phantoms that shot toward the hall’s entrance.

The beastly shadows flickered slightly before appearing dozens of feet away, then vanished without a trace at the doorway in another flash.

The speed of its movement was astonishing!

The woman’s expression shifted several times before she managed to maintain her composure, though the shock in her heart was evident.

However, she suddenly remembered something and quickly retrieved a token from her person. She tapped it a few times in the air while murmuring an incantation.

Instantly, spiritual light flickered on the token, and the five-colored radiance enveloping the great hall dissipated.

“Since the matter is resolved, I won’t linger here. I’ll return to my residence to recuperate. As for this spirit beast, you needn’t worry. Once it’s done, it will return to me on its own,” Han Li said calmly.

Without waiting for the woman and the other Huoyang tribesmen to express their gratitude, a cyan glow enveloped him, transforming into a streak of azure light that shot out of the hall.

After a few flashes, the azure streak vanished beyond the gates, leaving no trace behind.

Only the bewildered Huoyang serpent people remained, exchanging glances.

“Great Priestess, if not for your intervention in persuading this ‘Master Han’ to stay, our clan might have faced annihilation!” After a long silence, a white-robed serpent man sighed deeply, his tone filled with relief.

“Indeed! At first, we were puzzled by your decision to gift the Solar Essence Pill to an outsider so readily. But now, it’s clear that your foresight was unmatched!” another white-robed priest chimed in, nodding repeatedly.

The woman, however, gave a bitter smile at their praise.

“You two overestimate me. My earlier actions were born of necessity. It was merely the heavens favoring our clan that Master Han’s abilities far exceeded my expectations. Zhuer, how do you think Master Han compares to your master?” The woman turned to the young girl, her expression unusually solemn.

Bai Zhuer frowned at her mother’s question, hesitating for a long moment before replying uncertainly, “My master is a fifth-tier upper clansman. But even if he were here in person, dealing with those two Uro royal clansmen would have required great effort—he couldn’t have eliminated them so effortlessly.”

Hearing the girl’s vague response, the woman understood the implication and nodded without showing any surprise.

The other white-robed priests, however, exchanged strange glances. One even murmured, “Could Master Han be a high-tier upper clansman? If so, even the nearby Silver Shark Sage, the strongest in these waters, might not be his match.”

“That’s hard to say. The Silver Shark Sage is also a top-tier upper clansman. Even if their cultivation levels are similar, the outcome of a battle would depend on their techniques and the power of their treasures,” the woman exhaled slowly, speaking deliberately.

Hearing this, the white-robed serpent men nodded in agreement, each lost in thought, and silence fell over the hall once more.

“How long does Master Han plan to stay on Fire Cloud Island? Does he intend to reside here permanently?” one finally ventured hesitantly.

“He hasn’t mentioned it. But I suspect he won’t leave immediately, nor will he stay for too long. With his level of cultivation, our small clan has no means to retain him,” the woman replied, shaking her head as if anticipating the question.

At her words, the other white-robed serpent men frowned deeply, and the hall fell silent again.

“Enough. We can discuss other matters later. The battle outside isn’t over yet. Though the two Uro royals are dead, there may still be other high-tier Uro warriors. Master Han’s spirit beast is formidable, but it can’t eliminate them all. Let’s hurry and assist. The sooner we eradicate these Uro invaders, the fewer losses our clan will suffer,” the woman declared, glancing toward the hall’s entrance.

The four white-robed serpent men snapped out of their thoughts and bowed in acknowledgment.

The six of them quickly summoned their escape lights and flew out of the hall, heading toward the direction of the fiercest fighting.

—

Before long, Han Li returned to his residence and immediately entered the wooden hut. He reactivated the restrictions and sat cross-legged on the bed.

His eyes flickered with thought, a hint of contemplation crossing his face.

With the two strongest Uro warriors slain and the Leopard-Qilin Beast aiding in the battle, the outcome of the conflict in the earthen city was already decided.

Thus, he had repaid the woman’s kindness for gifting him the pill. Now, he needed half a year to fully recover from his remaining injuries.

A faint smile touched his lips, but then he seemed to recall something. With a flip of his hand, a black light flashed, and a piece of gauze appeared in his palm.

It was the treasure he had obtained from the two Uro royal clansmen.

Han Li studied the object with keen interest.

The gauze was a pale black, thin and delicate, yet incredibly soft to the touch, smooth and cool. When slightly shaken, black runes shimmered on its surface—clearly no ordinary treasure.

After examining it for a while, Han Li extended a finger and pressed it against the fabric.

A cyan glow flickered at his fingertip as a surge of pure spiritual power poured into the gauze. With a flick of his wrist, the black gauze floated into the air, spinning before expanding into a semi-transparent sheet several feet wide.

Narrowing his eyes, Han Li formed a hand seal and sent a streak of cyan light toward it.

The spell vanished into the gauze, which then gently floated down to settle over Han Li’s head, completely obscuring his form.

A remarkable sight unfolded.

The moment the gauze touched him, Han Li’s previously distinct figure blurred before vanishing entirely after a few faint flickers.

Surprise flashed in Han Li’s eyes. He raised a hand to inspect it, then looked down at his concealed body. Suddenly, blue light glowed in his pupils, growing brighter and brighter.

Moments later, a smile tugged at his lips.

Just as he thought!

Even with his spiritual eye technique at full power, he could barely discern the gauze’s concealment effect. No wonder the two Uro warriors had used it to infiltrate the hall undetected.

With this in mind, Han Li released a wisp of divine sense, attempting to pierce through the gauze.

But the moment his divine sense touched the black fabric, it felt as though it had plunged into a dense fog—unable to penetrate. It seemed this was also the treasure that had obscured the Uro royals’ cultivation levels from his perception.

After a moment’s thought, Han Li grabbed a corner of the gauze and channeled his magic power into it with a gentle shake.

The black gauze shimmered strangely before merging seamlessly into his robe, disappearing from sight.

Han Li scanned his body several times with his divine sense, nodding in satisfaction.

This black gauze was indeed a rare auxiliary treasure, with an extraordinary concealment effect—perhaps second only to the Taiji Concealment Talisman.

Though the Taiji Concealment Talisman’s stealth was unparalleled, it had many limitations. Not only was its activation slow, but it also severely restricted the use of other techniques and abilities.

In contrast, the black gauze was a versatile magical tool, easy to wield, and its effects scaled with the user’s cultivation, producing astonishing results.

Had the two Uro warriors not been so weak in cultivation, he might not have detected them so easily.

After summoning the gauze once more, Han Li toyed with it briefly before storing it away for future use.

For the rest of the day, Han Li did nothing else. He closed his eyes and immersed himself in meditation.

A golden glow flickered across his body as rings of golden light emanated from his head. The golden dharma form reappeared briefly before settling into a meditative posture.

Han Li remained motionless…

Several days passed in the blink of an eye.

During this time, the woman arrived at the wooden hut with rare spiritual herbs and a batch of high-grade spirit stones, delivering them personally.

This time, Han Li did not open the door to greet her, instructing her to leave the items outside—a clear signal that he would not be receiving visitors.

The woman, understanding the implication, complied without complaint, placing the items down before respectfully taking her leave.

Han Li then had the Soul Devouring Beast retrieve the items, never once leaving his bed or even opening his eyes.

Days turned into months, and none of the Huoyang tribe’s leaders dared disturb Han Li again.

But on this particular day, as Han Li silently circulated his cultivation technique, his eyelids suddenly twitched, and his eyes snapped open.

With a mouthful of silver flame, he spat out a fist-sized silver firebird—the Spirit Devouring Firebird!

Han Li studied the firebird, a trace of surprise in his eyes.

At first glance, it seemed unchanged, but upon closer inspection with his divine sense, he detected something new within its form.

Activating his spiritual eye technique, he finally discerned the anomaly: faint golden threads now intertwined with the silver flames.

These threads were the result of the Spirit Devouring Heavenly Flame fully refining the so-called “Vortex Evil Light.” The two were undoubtedly connected.

After a brief contemplation, Han Li formed a hand seal and pointed at the silver firebird.

The firebird spread its wings and circled above Han Li’s head.

But after just two loops, it opened its beak and spat out a thin gold-and-silver thread.

In a flash, the thread struck the wall where the restrictions were set.

The white barrier shimmered slightly as the thread pierced straight through the wall as though it weren’t there.