The gathered fire arrows coalesced into a massive pillar of flame, striking the black light barrier.
At the same time, the young child slapped the iron shield, causing the barrier to glow intensely, its walls thickening several times over in an instant.
With a thunderous boom, a towering inferno erupted against the barrier, sending violent tremors through the entire shield.
Meanwhile, the Demon Marrow Flying Knife flashed silently, embedding itself into the top of the barrier.
With a sharp *zila* sound, the knife sliced open a thin crack before vanishing inside the barrier.
Just then, the coin-shaped artifact wrapped in black mist shot forward, clinking crisply as it struck the flying knife.
A strange, dark radiance flickered, and both treasures vanished without a trace.
Han Li was startled, but the humanoid puppet’s spiritual sense assured him that the Demon Marrow Flying Knife was not lost—it was merely trapped somewhere distant.
Without hesitation, Han Li activated another contingency.
One of the dozens of fire crows blocked outside the black barrier suddenly spread its wings, let out a clear cry, and swelled in size before spewing a stream of white, frigid air.
This was none other than the Profound Jade Cold Qi absorbed by the Taiyin True Fire in the Profound Jade Cave.
Though much of the cold qi had been absorbed, it had not yet been refined into the True Fire’s essence. Now, under Han Li’s command, a significant portion was unleashed.
The white cold qi struck the barrier, contrasting starkly against the black light. A thick layer of crystalline ice rapidly spread across the barrier, and within moments, a massive ice sphere formed, sealing both the barrier and the child within.
A flicker of satisfaction crossed Han Li’s face.
Yet he knew that mere ice could not truly restrain a tenth-grade demon beast. Seizing the moment, he formed hand seals and pointed toward the hundreds of sword lights near the ice.
Golden sword beams shot into the sky, humming before scattering and vanishing one by one.
Faced with the child’s ferocity, Han Li decided to deploy the Great Geng Sword Array to eliminate the demon.
But before the array could fully form, the ice sphere trembled violently. Countless silver threads burst forth, slicing the ice into irregular fragments.
Through the translucent ice, Han Li saw the black barrier had vanished, replaced by the iron shield before the child. The child now held a small silver lock, its blinding radiance releasing the silver threads.
Han Li sighed inwardly, realizing the sword array would not complete in time.
With a grim expression, he summoned the Eight Spirit Ruler and waved it toward the child.
A silver lotus bloomed above the child’s head, spinning as it cast a seven-colored Buddhist light downward.
The child, just freed from the ice, slowed under the light, its movements turning sluggish.
At that moment, the humanoid puppet conjured a silver javelin and hurled it with a piercing shriek.
The javelin pierced the gray barrier effortlessly—only to veer off course, missing the child entirely before vanishing.
Han Li was stunned. The puppet’s spiritual sense had locked onto the child—how could it miss?
Then he understood. The barrier, conjured by the Ten Thousand Demon Banner, distorted space itself.
Behind the barrier, the child glared coldly, gripping the banner in one hand and the silver lock in the other. Black demonic light pulsed around it, slowly pushing back the Buddhist radiance.
Han Li’s heart sank.
This foe was no ordinary late-stage cultivator. Fighting within the banner’s domain was a severe disadvantage.
His gaze shifted to the four dark holes forming around the sea of flames. Though the child was momentarily stalled, the holes continued expanding, ominous growls echoing from within.
With a cold snort, Han Li made his decision.
He recalled the fire cauldron, fire crows, puppet, and golden swords—all except the Taiyin Fire Crow, which circled the barrier and spat another blast of cold qi.
Though most of the qi was displaced by the barrier, the remainder refroze the child—though the silver threads quickly shattered the ice again.
Ignoring the scene, Han Li produced a yellow talisman—the Boundary-Breaking Talisman gifted by Linglong.
Though reluctant to use it, the banner’s unpredictable powers left him no choice.
He activated the talisman, and a brilliant yellow light warped space before him, forming a radiant sphere.
With a command, his treasures struck the spot, tearing open a white portal revealing the Void Spirit Hall beyond.
The child, breaking free from the Buddhist light, paled at the sight.
But Han Li was already a streak of azure light, vanishing with all his treasures in tow.
The child stood gripping the small gray banner, eyes icy with fury.
Han Li reappeared midair, deafening explosions assaulting his ears. Golden sword light shielded him as he surveyed the hall.
His breath caught.
The Void Spirit Hall was vast—thousands of feet across. Hovering above was a gargantuan version of the Ten Thousand Demon Banner, its surface roiling with demonic energy and inscribed with countless runes.
No wonder he had been trapped instantly upon entering.
This was the true banner—the child’s version merely a fragment of its power.
Ahead, an intense battle raged.
Much of the hall was frozen, glaciers and towering ice pillars everywhere.
A pristine white ice phoenix, wreathed in white flames, dominated the sky, battling three high-ranking Small Extreme Palace cultivators—a middle-aged woman and two elderly men.
Their treasures struggled against the phoenix’s onslaught.
Han Li’s eyes narrowed at the white flames—eerily similar to Feng Li Bing Yan, yet vastly more potent.
Even at its peak, Feng Li Bing Yan could never match this power.
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