“Don’t be impatient. This spiritual herb has been here for so many years; it’s impossible that nothing is guarding it. Otherwise, even with the illusionary array concealing it, the spiritual fruit would have long been devoured by other ancient beasts.” Han Li was equally excited inwardly, but his outward demeanor remained exceptionally calm as he replied unhurriedly.
“Brother Han, are you saying there’s an ancient beast guarding this place?” Zi Ling had already heard Han Li briefly mention the existence of ancient demonic beasts in the Falling Devil Valley, so she was startled by his words and sobered up slightly.
“Exactly. Look at the two obvious bite marks on the top of the spiritual herb. It seems two spiritual fruits have been swallowed whole by the guardian beast. Although consuming the Spirit Candle Fruit raw won’t trigger a breakthrough in cultivation, it does have some effect in overcoming bottlenecks. No wonder the beast didn’t devour them all at once.” Han Li spoke slowly, then swept his gaze around the green lake before lowering it slightly to the small body of water.
Undoubtedly, if something were lurking nearby, it would be hidden beneath the lake.
After entering the inner valley, Han Li had removed his hood. While driving the Wind Riding Chariot and using his Brightsight Spirit Eyes along the way, he hadn’t concealed his actions from Zi Ling. After all, she had already guessed he had a method to avoid spatial rifts, so there was no need to hide anything from her.
Thus, when his spiritual sense swept the lake and found nothing unusual, blue light flickered in Han Li’s pupils as his gaze penetrated dozens of feet deep into the lake, reaching the bottom. His expression shifted slightly. “What is it? Did Brother Han discover something?” Zi Ling, who had been carefully observing Han Li’s expression, raised her delicate brows and frowned as she asked.
“Step back a bit. This guardian beast seems a bit troublesome. I might need to use some methods to deal with it.” Han Li’s expression returned to normal in an instant as he turned his head slightly and spoke calmly to Zi Ling. The fact that the beast in the lake could evade his spiritual sense detection naturally made him regard it more seriously.
“Then I’ll leave it to Brother Han!” Knowing her cultivation was too weak to be of help and would only be a hindrance, Zi Ling tactfully agreed. She immediately flew back thirty to forty feet before stopping and hovering in mid-air.
Seeing Zi Ling move aside, Han Li wasted no time. He reached for his waist and consecutively released three spirit beast pouches into the air. With a hand seal, tens of thousands of golden flying insects swarmed out from the pouches, filling the sky and blotting out the sun, turning the area within dozens of feet into a shimmering golden hue.
“Ah!” From a distance, Zi Ling gasped in surprise at the terrifying sight.
She knew Han Li practiced insect-control techniques, having witnessed it twice before—once during the battle with the Six Paths’ successor in the Void Sky Hall. However, the nearly mature flying insects now were far larger and more menacing in appearance and color compared to the Gold Devouring Beetles of the past. The sheer number and imposing presence of these golden insects shocked her, catching her off guard.
Han Li paid no attention to Zi Ling’s astonishment. After deploying the Gold Devouring Beetles, he flicked his sleeve, and thirty-six Emerald Swarm Swords flew out in succession, transforming into dozens of golden beams about a foot long. They circled beneath the insect cloud as he cast several spells into the air.
All the golden sword beams trembled before splitting into hundreds of identical sword lights, their radiance intensifying.
“Go!” Han Li pointed at the sword lights in the air and uttered a low command.
The hundreds of sword lights trembled before vanishing one after another from their positions. In an instant, the space beneath the insect cloud was empty—the Great Geng Sword Formation had been deployed in the blink of an eye.
Han Li pursed his lips, finally feeling at ease. He glanced down at the lake, a hint of ruthlessness flashing across his face. Rubbing his hands together, golden light erupted, accompanied by thunderous rumbling. A fist-sized golden lightning sphere formed between his palms, growing larger and more dazzling under his cold gaze.
In moments, the sphere swelled to the size of a child’s head. With a push of his hands, accompanied by a deafening roar, the sphere shot forward and struck the lake surface about ten feet away.
Golden light flared violently as a thunderous explosion erupted. The lightning sphere detonated, covering the entire lake surface with arcs of electricity of varying thickness, crackling incessantly.
From behind, Zi Ling shivered slightly, biting her red lips as her bright eyes flickered.
Before the golden arcs dissipated, the lake surface suddenly churned violently. A massive whirlpool dozens of feet wide emerged at the center, followed by a deep growl from the depths. A surge of black-and-white demonic energy shot out from the whirlpool, faintly enveloping a bizarre-looking ancient beast.
The beast was grotesque—its six-to-seven-foot-long body resembled a mass of black, rotting flesh riddled with uneven holes. In the middle, a large, head-like bulbous mass rose slightly, bearing only a single pitch-black eye and no other discernible features like a mouth or nose. In short, the beast was utterly repulsive, even causing Han Li to inwardly grimace. From afar, Zi Ling paled at the sight, visibly unnerved.
This beast, shrouded in black-and-white energy, was one Han Li had never heard of or seen in any records. He glanced at Zi Ling, who responded with a bitter smile, clearly unaware of its origins as well.
Facing an unknown entity, Han Li wasn’t about to take his time probing its abilities, giving it a chance to unleash its powers. Without hesitation, he raised his hand and cast a spell toward the insect cloud above while emitting a long, clear whistle.
The buzzing of the insect swarm intensified as they swiftly gathered into a massive golden cloud, descending to engulf the beast.
Hearing the Gold Devouring Beetles’ buzzing, the beast seemed to sense danger. Its body expanded and contracted, ejecting an unknown green liquid from its pores toward the golden cloud.
A nauseating stench spread in all directions.
Han Li frowned briefly before relaxing. The Gold Devouring Beetles remained unharmed by the liquid, and the golden cloud swiftly enveloped the beast. Though protected by its black-and-white energy, the beast was soon submerged in the swarm.
Seeing countless insects tearing at the energy it had painstakingly cultivated—already losing a portion—the beast panicked. It plunged downward, attempting to dive back into the lake.
At that moment, Han Li, prepared, extended a finger toward the lake. With a “pfft,” a walnut-sized blue fireball appeared at his fingertip before shooting out with a flick.
A sizzling sound followed as the fireball exploded, emitting blinding blue light. A layer of icy cold rapidly spread, freezing the entire lake into a massive block of ice in an instant.
The beast’s escape plan was foiled as it collided with the ice and rebounded. Terrified, it shook its black-and-white energy, attempting to flee while still covered in golden insects.
But as it darted toward the lakeshore, a hair-thin golden thread materialized in the empty air, slicing through the beast’s protective barrier with a flash.
A chunk of black, rotting flesh fell from the insect cloud, dripping with blood.
The beast’s barrier had been breached instantly, and without its protection, the swarm surged forward, covering its body entirely.
The beast shrieked in agony as green flames erupted from its body, engulfing the insects in a fierce blaze.
Unfortunately, while the flames were a formidable ability the beast had cultivated, the Gold Devouring Beetles ignored them entirely. Instead, the fire only enraged them, prompting the swarm to devour the beast even more voraciously. Overwhelmed by pain, the beast flailed wildly, darting toward another part of the lake.
Han Li stood by the shore, hands behind his back, coldly watching the beast—now trapped like a headless fly—collide repeatedly with unseen barriers. Though he hadn’t fully activated the Great Geng Sword Formation to annihilate it, golden threads of sword light appeared wherever the beast fled, slicing off chunks of its body.
In moments, the beast was reduced to half its size, its cries growing feeble until it collapsed onto the ice, motionless.
The unnamed beast’s true prowess lay in concealment and transformation. Once it hid, even a late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator couldn’t detect it. Its combat abilities, however, were mediocre at best.
Unfortunately for it, Han Li’s Brightsight Spirit Eyes saw through its disguise, and the Gold Devouring Beetles and Great Geng Sword Formation left it no chance to escape. Thus, it met an easy demise at Han Li’s hands.
Soon after, the golden insect cloud rose with a buzz, leaving only a peculiar black-and-white orb on the ice—the beast’s demon core.
Zi Ling flew forward, admiration in her eyes. “Brother Han, your powers are truly unfathomable. Even an ancient demonic beast like this was no match for you. It seems the rumors that you’re the strongest beneath the Three Great Cultivators aren’t exaggerated.”
“It’s not that my abilities are extraordinary, but this beast wasn’t particularly formidable—far weaker than others I’ve encountered.” Han Li shook his head dismissively. He raised his hand, and with a “whoosh,” the demon core flew into his grasp.
Examining it, he noted the alternating black-and-white glow on its surface—a first for him. A spark of interest flickered in his eyes.
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