“How peculiar! The auras of these two seem to be from that group of human cultivators I discovered not long ago. Those fools are truly useless—they couldn’t even handle such a trivial matter.” A yaksha’s face flickered with an odd expression as it spoke.
This yaksha was none other than the leader named “Mengxiang,” who had previously split a massive mountain with a single strike. It was unclear how he had appeared here.
“Undying King, there’s a vein of spirit-magnetic ore underground nearby. These two managed to escape through the earth without being affected. You can’t blame your subordinates for that,” another yaksha chuckled, immediately discerning the reason Han Li and the Xiao woman had escaped.
“Hmph, that’s no excuse for letting them get away. I’ll deal with my men when we return. You two have some skill to make it this far, but this is where it ends.” The first yaksha king snorted coldly, raising a hand as a bloody light surged forth, clearly intending to strike them down immediately.
Han Li and the Xiao woman paled.
Behind one of them, the sound of wind and thunder erupted as a five-colored phoenix shadow and a massive azure bird with lightning-like eyes materialized. In a flash, they transformed into a pair of crystalline wings on his back.
The other, meanwhile, let out a low roar from beneath her feet as a small five-colored boat twisted and transformed into a bizarre flood dragon over thirty meters long, its five differently colored heads snarling ferociously.
“Undying King, hold! These two humans don’t seem like ordinary cultivators. That one’s wings resemble the true forms of the Heavenly Phoenix and the Kun Peng, while the other’s mount appears to be a variant of the True Dragon lineage—a five-colored flood dragon’s essence. How intriguing!” The second yaksha’s eyes gleamed as he observed their techniques, abruptly stopping his companion.
“Wheel-Turning King, what do you mean by that? Do you expect me to let them go? And I don’t appreciate others addressing me by title—call me by my name!” The first yaksha frowned, though he did dismiss the bloody light in his hand. He turned his head, displeasure evident on his face.
“Haha, my oversight. Lord Mengxiang, weren’t we just arguing over that matter earlier? Why not use these two for a wager?” The yaksha addressed as “Wheel-Turning King” laughed heartily, now addressing his companion by name.
“A wager? What kind?” The yaksha named Mengxiang’s expression shifted slightly, as if guessing his intent.
“Simple. We’ll bet on our earlier dispute. Each of us will send a minion to kill one of them. Whoever succeeds first wins the wager. How’s that?” Wheel-Turning King grinned, revealing a savage expression.
“Hmph, mere two Nascent Soul cultivators—they’d die the moment we strike. How could we determine a winner?” Undying King replied coldly.
“These two aren’t ordinary Nascent Soul cultivators, and naturally, we won’t intervene personally. Why not each dispatch a slave? That way, these humans might last long enough for us to settle the bet.” Wheel-Turning King spoke with confidence.
“Slaves… Fine, as you say! Do you think I fear losing to you?” Undying King’s expression darkened for a moment before he finally agreed.
“Excellent. You two heard us—we’re not bullying you. We’ll give you a head start of a thousand miles before sending our slaves after you. But remember: if you separate by more than a hundred miles, we’ll intervene personally.” Wheel-Turning King nodded with a laugh before turning to Han Li and the Xiao woman with a chilling tone.
“A thousand miles?” Han Li stroked the nearly transparent wings on his back, his expression steadying.
“Indeed. And if you fail to cover that distance within the time it takes an incense stick to burn, we’ll still send the slaves. Don’t hope for leniency.” Wheel-Turning King’s voice was icy.
Han Li’s eye twitched as he glanced at the Xiao woman beside him. She forced a weak smile, her face regaining some color, though her petite frame made her appear even more fragile.
“Very well, Fellow Daoist Xiao, let’s go!” After a brief silence, Han Li’s wings fluttered, and he vanished, reappearing nearly a hundred yards away in an instant. He landed silently beside the Xiao woman atop the five-headed flood dragon.
The two yakshas exchanged a glance, surprise flickering in their eyes before they resumed their indifferent expressions.
The Xiao woman was startled at first but soon showed a hint of relief.
Since they were forced to flee together, Han Li’s greater abilities meant a better chance of survival.
Without waiting for his instruction, she tapped the flood dragon with her foot.
The beast’s five heads swayed, enveloping them in a five-colored radiance before shooting off into the distance at astonishing speed. Within moments, they vanished beyond the horizon.
The two yaksha kings remained motionless, watching coldly as they fled, seemingly confident in their slaves’ abilities.
With the speed of the five-colored radiance, a thousand miles could be covered in no time.
But since they had been given the duration of an incense stick’s burn, the Xiao woman slowed after the first hundred miles. She tapped her waist, and a snow-white jade pendant flew out, forming a translucent barrier around them.
“This Sunlight Pendant is forged from pure yang energy. Even a peak Body Integration yaksha king couldn’t silently penetrate it with divine sense. We can speak freely now,” she explained quickly, though worry lingered in her eyes.
“What is there to discuss? We’re likely facing certain death,” Han Li replied with a bitter smile.
“How strong do you think those yaksha kings are?” the Xiao woman asked hesitantly.
“At least on par with our Body Integration cultivators. I’ve seen the Silver-rank Wood Spirits of the Wood Tribe, but they paled in comparison to these two. They’re likely among the elite of yaksha royalty,” Han Li answered carefully.
“You mean… they might be Great Yaksha Kings?” she gasped.
“Even if not, they’re close,” Han Li said, though his uncertainty did little to ease her dread.
“Do you know what these ‘slaves’ they mentioned are? They seemed utterly confident,” Han Li asked suddenly.
“I’ve heard from my elders. They’re half-ghost, half-demon creatures nurtured by yaksha royalty, fed on their masters’ blood. Their strength grows with their masters’, ranging from one-tenth to one-third of their power. If those two are Great Yaksha Kings, even their weakest slaves would be beyond us,” she said, biting her lip.
Han Li’s expression darkened.
“At this point, we should share our abilities to coordinate our defense,” the Xiao woman whispered.
“Do you truly plan to fight these slaves?” Han Li frowned.
“How else can we escape?” she asked, puzzled.
“Do you think those yaksha kings will just watch? If we defeat their slaves, do you believe they’ll let us go? They never promised that,” Han Li said grimly.
Her face paled further—she had avoided considering that possibility.
“Then what do you suggest?” she pressed.
“Nothing. We’ll have to improvise. But if these slaves are as fearsome as you say, we won’t survive the first encounter. Even if we flee, how do we escape the yaksha kings’ pursuit? Unless we suddenly ascend to Body Integration or find a teleportation array nearby, we’re doomed,” Han Li said grimly.
A strange flicker passed over the Xiao woman’s face, but she said nothing.
“Still, sharing our abilities is better than nothing—it might buy us a little more time,” Han Li sighed.
She nodded helplessly and began detailing her techniques and treasures…
By the time an incense stick’s worth of time had passed, they had traveled the thousand miles, albeit at a reduced speed.
Then, from the distant horizon, two piercing howls tore through the sky, shrill and unearthly.
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