The Grand Elder of the Small Extreme Palace was truly formidable. It was unclear what body-refining technique he had cultivated, but when the demon marrow flying dagger flashed and embedded itself into his crown, his neck twisted unnaturally to one side, elongating like a demon’s by over a foot—an utterly bizarre sight.
A black flash later, the flying dagger sliced through half of Frost Li the Transcendent’s neck and the body beneath. His head tumbled to the ground.
The golden battle armor that had been condensed around him, along with the distant blue ice flood dragon, instantly dissipated.
Han Li couldn’t help but smile at the sight, but the moment the grin appeared on his lips, it froze abruptly.
The fallen head suddenly emitted a golden mist, wrapping around itself before spiraling upward and shooting toward the phantom qilin above.
Seeing this eerie phenomenon, Han Li was momentarily startled but quickly understood—the opponent’s Spirit Infant had been hidden within the head.
His expression darkened as a faint cyan glow surfaced on his face. He spat out a single word: “Break.”
Though the sound was soft, the head seemed to shudder as if struck by a sharp spike, sending a splitting pain through its consciousness. A shrill scream erupted from the head’s mouth, and blood seeped from its ears and nose.
Without the support of his body and severely weakened, Frost Li the Transcendent was utterly defenseless against Han Li’s full-powered Soul-Piercing Strike.
The head swayed midair, the blue flames around it flickering wildly.
At that moment, the black dagger flashed once more, appearing above Frost Li’s head.
Under the head’s horrified gaze, the dagger vanished strangely, only to reappear on the other side.
A thin line of blood emerged down the center of the face, gradually thickening.
Almost simultaneously, thunder roared as Han Li materialized in a silver arc a few zhang away from the head. Without hesitation, he rubbed his hands together and flung them outward.
A deafening crackle erupted as a massive golden net descended.
The head split cleanly in two, and a blue light—encasing Frost Li’s Spirit Infant—shot out.
The infant opened its tiny mouth and spat out a blue flying sword.
The sword expanded wildly in the wind, growing to over ten feet in an instant before slashing ruthlessly at the golden net.
Even before the strike landed, the sword’s overwhelming spiritual pressure caused the net to tremble violently.
Han Li’s expression shifted slightly. With a thought, the golden arcs shooting from his hands thickened.
A thunderous boom followed as blue and gold clashed.
The blue greatsword proved extraordinarily powerful, hacking through the golden net after several fierce strikes, tearing open a gap about a foot wide—more than enough for the fleeing infant.
The infant formed a hand seal and vanished with a *whoosh*.
A dozen zhang outside the net, blue light flashed as the infant reappeared—it had used teleportation to escape.
Relief flickered across the infant’s face as it waved its tiny hand, summoning the greatsword back.
The blue sword shrank rapidly, attempting to slip through the gap.
Han Li’s eyes glinted coldly. With a snort, he formed another seal. Thunder roared across the net as it contracted, sealing the gap instantly. Countless golden arcs swarmed the blue sword, layering over it in a dense, unbreakable web.
Though the sword had been refined by Frost Li for years, far surpassing ordinary treasures, under the relentless bombardment of golden arcs, its spiritual light flickered erratically before being completely engulfed in gold.
Meanwhile, Han Li flicked his wrist, summoning the Void Heaven Cauldron before him. With a tap, green threads shot from the cauldron, lashing toward Frost Li’s infant a dozen zhang away.
Desperate to reclaim his lifebound treasure, Frost Li hesitated for only a moment before gritting his teeth. Blue light flared around him as he vanished once more.
This time, the infant reappeared beside the small Dry Blue Cauldron. He glanced back reluctantly—his gaze landing on the phantom qilin where his jade token, still glowing faintly, remained embedded despite his interrupted spell and ruined body.
But now, a faint green shadow hovered beside the phantom, staring coldly at the infant with emotionless eyes.
Meeting that gaze, Frost Li shuddered, his last shred of hope extinguished.
With a *whoosh*, the infant plunged into the cauldron without hesitation, disappearing inside.
The cauldron emitted a strange cry before suddenly lifting into the air. After several flashes, it appeared near the tunnel leading to the cave entrance.
The green threads, unable to keep up with the infant’s successive teleportations, dissipated mid-pursuit.
Having trapped the flying sword with Divine Annihilation Lightning, Han Li glanced at the fleeing infant. A silver arc crackled behind him as he gave chase.
Frost Li had no intention of waiting. The cauldron shot upward as a blue streak, teleporting twice more to near the entrance—while Han Li lagged seventy to eighty zhang behind.
Just as the Grand Elder relaxed, preparing to teleport once more and open the entrance with the cauldron, several beams of cold light shot from a nearby Profound Jade deposit, lashing at the vessel.
Dismissing the jade’s cold energy, Frost Li willed the cauldron’s blue flames to flare, intending to repel the attack.
But then—a sudden twist!
The white beams of cold energy abruptly turned crimson, merging seamlessly with the Dry Blue Ice Flames before vanishing into the cauldron.
The vessel trembled violently as Frost Li’s enraged roar echoed from within. Blue and red flames erupted across its surface, intertwining in a series of explosive booms.
The cauldron’s spiritual light surged as it swelled to several feet in size.
The flames split—blue on one half, red on the other.
Within the blue flames, Frost Li’s infant glared furiously at its counterpart.
In the red flames perched a fist-sized fire crow, cawing lazily as if entirely at ease.
With no time to waste, the infant shrieked and lunged, blue flames crashing toward the crow.
Unfazed, the crow flapped a wing, sending crimson flames to meet the assault.
Light and thunder clashed violently between them.
The crow was none other than the wisp of Lunar True Flame—now semi-sentient after being secretly summoned by Han Li from the formation. Concealed near the entrance under the guise of absorbed jade energy, it had ambushed the cauldron perfectly.
Though the flame’s limited quantity prevented immediate control of the cauldron, Frost Li’s infant was equally powerless against it—trapping both in a stalemate.
Meanwhile, Han Li closed the distance with several thunderous teleportations.
Seeing his escape thwarted, panic flashed across the infant’s face.
Abruptly, a blue streak shot from the cauldron, fleeing skyward—the infant had abandoned the vessel entirely.
Han Li’s eyes narrowed. Without hesitation, he raised his hand, summoning a small emerald ruler.
Muttering an incantation, he infused it with seven-colored Buddhist light. The ruler glowed brilliantly before vanishing—only to reappear above the fleeing infant.
The infant’s tiny hands formed a seal, preparing to teleport again—
But the ruler trembled slightly, releasing a silver lotus the size of a bowl. As it inverted, Buddhist hymns echoed, and a seven-colored curtain of light poured forth.
The moment the radiance touched him, Frost Li’s infant found his true essence frozen, his body immobilized. His face paled in despair.
Above, silver lightning crackled as Han Li emerged from the void, gazing down coldly.
This ruler was none other than the Eight Spirit Ruler—a treasure Han Li had obtained earlier. Though he had only mastered its first-layer control art, its combat prowess surpassed even the Void Heaven Cauldron’s.
Of course, capturing a late-stage Spirit Infant cultivator so easily was largely due to Frost Li’s weakened state—his body destroyed, his energy drained from earlier forbidden techniques.
A stable late-stage infant wouldn’t have fallen so swiftly.
Without wasting words, Han Li raised a hand, golden lightning crackling at his fingertips.
With a low thunderclap, five golden arcs shot forth, morphing into thumb-thick serpents that latched onto the infant. Coiling around it, they transformed into golden bonds, pinning it in place.
Han Li didn’t stop there. With a flick of his sleeve, several restriction talismans flew out, layering seals over the infant’s form.
Then, retrieving a dozen silver needles from his pouch, he sent them streaking into the infant’s vital points.
The infant convulsed violently before its eyes dimmed, its spirit subdued.
Only then did Han Li relax, a faint smirk playing on his lips as he dusted off his hands.
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