Chapter 1031: Backfire

The rosy light appeared ordinary, but with a flash, it somehow appeared behind the black mist.

Amidst the radiant glow, the old demon’s furious roar echoed from within the black mist as the demonic energy rapidly dissolved, revealing the blood-colored Spirit Infant and the Ghost Luo Banner.

At this moment, both were tightly bound by countless green threads of light. Despite the violent flickering of green light and surging blood flames, they remained utterly trapped, forcibly captured.

With a silver flash, Han Li used his Thunder Evasion technique to appear before the old demon’s Spirit Infant. Smiling faintly, he beckoned toward the distance.

A spatial ripple appeared above his head, and the small green cauldron materialized out of thin air. After a brief hover, it descended into his hand.

Gently holding the cauldron, Han Li cast a cold gaze at the captured Spirit Infant of Venerable Qian.

The Spirit Infant’s face was already filled with terror. Seeing Han Li’s malicious stare, its heart sank, and a surge of ferocity overtook it. Gritting its teeth, it bit off the tip of its tongue, preparing to spit it out.

Han Li’s eyes abruptly turned icy.

“Pfft! Pfft!” Two talismans—one gold, one silver—slapped onto the Spirit Infant’s body, freezing its mana and rendering it utterly immobile. The sinister secret technique it had intended to unleash dissolved instantly.

At that moment, a yellow-robed cultivator emerged from behind the Spirit Infant in a flash of silver light—the middle-aged cultivator who had allied with Han Li.

This figure had appeared there silently, unnoticed until now.

Han Li finally relaxed, his expression turning enigmatic.

This pale-faced, expressionless figure was none other than the humanoid puppet he had painstakingly crafted.

From the outset of the ambush, Han Li had positioned the puppet near the hall’s entrance. If Venerable Qian had truly been cunning enough to flee without a fight, he would have inevitably taken this route. Since the puppet was not a living being, its ability to conceal its aura was flawless—undetectable unless seen directly.

Thus, when Venerable Qian attempted to escape midway, the hidden puppet ambushed him with a Thunderfire Bow and golden thunderwood arrows, forcing him back.

However, to capture the Spirit Infant alive, Han Li first shattered the Blood Demon Pearl with a demon marrow dagger forged from rare materials. He then startled the demonic infant with Divine Devilbane Lightning, causing it to panic and flee—only to be stealthily approached by the puppet. The puppet then used a bewitching illusion cast through its demonic eyes, refined from Dazzling Light Crystal.

Having witnessed the terrifying power of Dazzling Light Crystal, Han Li was confident that even the old demon’s formidable spiritual sense would be momentarily dazed.

As expected, seizing the moment of the demon’s disorientation, Han Li calmly summoned the Void Heaven Cauldron and effortlessly subdued the Spirit Infant.

Thinking this, Han Li glanced at the small cauldron in his hand. Having only mastered the first layer of the Treasure Control Art, he could only manipulate the spiritual light emitted by the cauldron. To truly open its lid, he would likely need to reach the late-stage Spirit Infant realm.

“Fellow Daoist Han, what should we do with these demonic heads?”

As Han Li pondered with satisfaction, footsteps approached from behind. Gui Ling, with a wave of her hand, released a swirl of black-and-white Qi, restraining five shrunken, pale skeletons and leading them forward.

The moment the old demon’s Spirit Infant was subdued, the five demonic avatars lost control, collapsing motionless to the ground, where the ugly woman promptly bound them.

“These five demonic heads…”

Han Li swept his gaze over the lifeless avatars, about to speak, when the five black skulls biting the old demon’s Spirit Infant suddenly released their grip. Turning, they faced the nearby humanoid skeletons and emitted piercing shrieks.

The screeches were not only deafening but also caused blood and Qi to churn, unsettling the mind.

The five skeletons, previously docile within the black-and-white mist, suddenly reacted—their eyes blazing with bloodthirsty frenzy.

Opening their mouths, they spewed five streams of deep green demonic flames, striking the same spot in the black-and-white Qi.

With a “boom,” the unprepared ugly woman saw her restraints shattered.

Five streaks of white Qi shot out, rushing toward the black skulls as if seeking to merge.

But Han Li, witnessing this, had no intention of letting them succeed. With a cold snort, he lightly shook the small cauldron.

The green light surged, forming a barrier that blocked the white Qi.

Simultaneously, with a flick of his divine sense, part of the light coiled around the white Qi, trapping it anew and revealing the five shrunken skeletons once more.

The demonic heads seemed to have entered a frenzied state.

Though tightly bound by dense green threads, they thrashed wildly, spewing green phosphorous flames onto the threads in an attempt to burn free.

“No…! Release them—now!”

The old demon’s Spirit Infant, witnessing this, screamed in terror, its voice hoarse with desperation.

Han Li swept a cold gaze over it, puzzled but unmoved.

Yet the next moment, his expression shifted.

The five black skulls abruptly ceased their shrieking, turned, and lunged—biting into the Spirit Infant once more.

This time, however, they weren’t merely holding on. With a sickening crunch, they began devouring the Spirit Infant.

“Demonic backlash!” Han Li realized instantly.

Clearly, with the old demon’s power severely weakened and his abilities suppressed, the five avatars—previously subservient—had turned on their master in a frenzy of rebellion.

But Han Li had no intention of letting the Spirit Infant be consumed. Without hesitation, he slapped the small cauldron.

A clear chime rang out as countless green threads erupted from the light, tightly wrapping around the skulls and forcibly yanking them away from the Spirit Infant.

The skulls gnashed their teeth manically, a sight that chilled the heart.

Han Li ignored them, focusing instead on the Spirit Infant. Though its body had shrunk by a third and it appeared near death, as long as its consciousness remained intact, it mattered little to him.

Taking a deep breath, Han Li grabbed the Ghost Luo Banner beside the Spirit Infant, glanced at it, and stowed it away. His gaze then shifted to a spot in the distance.

The humanoid puppet flickered, retrieving a black leather pouch before returning and handing it to Han Li.

This was Venerable Qian’s storage pouch, dropped when the Blood Demon Pearl shattered.

Han Li didn’t inspect its contents immediately. Instead, he turned to the ugly woman. “Fellow Daoist Gui, keep watch over these five demonic heads. I’ll deal with this Spirit Infant first.”

He had no desire to perform soul extraction with an audience.

“Go ahead. I’ll handle things here,” Gui Ling replied calmly, spewing a dense cloud of black-and-white Qi to envelop the skulls and skeletons, taking over Han Li’s restraints.

Nodding, Han Li summoned a giant green hand from the light, seizing the blood-red Spirit Infant and the five skulls.

A streak of green light shot into the nearby Northern Extreme Aurora.

The humanoid puppet remained motionless.

Once Han Li vanished, Gui Ling studied the puppet intently, her expression shifting to astonishment.

Had she not seen Han Li summon it from a storage pouch, she would never have believed it was a puppet.

Time passed. After a full quarter-hour, the Northern Extreme Aurora rippled, and Han Li emerged from the parted silver threads, his face expressionless. The Spirit Infant was nowhere to be seen.

Gui Ling showed no surprise. As Han Li approached, she pointed at the trapped skeletons. “What of these five avatars? From what I know, once such demonic heads are refined, only the purest yang flames can slowly purify them. Otherwise, erasing them completely is nearly impossible.”

“Purify? No need. I have other uses for them. For now, we’ll seal them.” Han Li replied calmly after a brief pause.

“Very well, as you wish,” Gui Ling agreed, though slightly puzzled.

Han Li flicked his sleeve, releasing a flurry of talismans that plastered the skeletons and black skulls, encasing them in multicolored orbs of light.

Rubbing his hands together, he fired golden arcs that burst into fine threads, layering over the orbs.

Gui Ling watched, intrigued.

Under the golden glow, ten massive golden spheres took shape.

Han Li incanted, striking them with spells that shrank them rapidly.

Soon, they were fist-sized golden beads.

Examining them, Han Li frowned thoughtfully, then spat out a shimmering, seven-colored Buddhist light.

Within it floated a bubble-like artifact—the Diamond Barrier he had been nurturing within his body.

With a point, the seven-colored light swept up the golden beads, drawing them into the barrier.

With this Buddhist treasure and Divine Devilbane Lightning suppressing them, the avatars—no matter how fierce—would be unable to escape.

Satisfied, Han Li retrieved a jade box from his storage pouch, carefully placing the Diamond Barrier inside.

“Let’s go. Do you know of any hidden spots on this mountain? We’ll hide for a few days until the spatial rift stabilizes,” Han Li said, squinting toward the hall entrance.

“A hidden spot? Indeed, I know one—discovered by chance, known to none but me,” Gui Ling replied promptly, perking up.