Although Hanyunzhi felt a hint of regret about her earlier decision, she knew dwelling on it was futile. With a deep breath, she retracted the jade disc in her hand and slightly parted her apricot lips, releasing a luminous, perfectly round pearl from her mouth. The pearl hovered briefly before her, then descended onto the head of the giant bird beneath her, embedding itself motionlessly into its skull.
With a solemn expression, she formed a hand seal and pointed at the pearl. Instantly, it emitted a blinding radiance, and the spirit bird raised its neck in a long cry. With a powerful flap of its wings, it shot forward like a white streak, its speed increasing by nearly half.
However, the fact that Hanyunzhi maintained her hand seal and her face paled slightly revealed that this secret technique drained her vitality significantly. Yet, with death looming, she had no choice but to push forward.
Shortly after activating the technique, thunderous roars echoed from behind. Startled, Hanyunzhi realized her pursuer had caught up. At this speed—her fastest possible—she could only hastily reinforce her protective barrier, with no other options left.
Her cultivation path, chosen for easier Core Formation, lacked formidable offensive techniques.
After two distinct thunderclaps, a silver arc flashed past her, and a winged figure materialized ten zhang ahead, bathed in cyan light that obscured its face. Without a word, the figure raised a hand, summoning several blinding cyan beams.
Despair washed over Hanyunzhi as she prepared to close her eyes and await death.
“Hmm? It’s you.” The figure, upon glimpsing her face, uttered a surprised exclamation before dispersing the cyan beams with a wave.
Baffled, Hanyunzhi tried to scrutinize the figure, but it vanished in a crackle of lightning. Before she could react, thunder boomed behind her again. Panicked, she turned—only for her barrier to shatter with a *pfft*, followed by a slender golden arc striking her body.
Numbness spread through her limbs, and she toppled from the bird. As she fell, she faintly sensed strong arms catching her, a masculine scent filling her nostrils. Overwhelmed by shame and fury, she lost consciousness.
Han Li gazed down at the woman in his arms, his expression a mix of resignation and wry amusement.
—
When Hanyunzhi awoke, the first thing she saw was a cloudless azure sky. Jolting upright, she found herself on a small, nameless hill. Nearby, her white spirit bird lay motionless, seemingly unconscious.
Relieved to find it under a simple restraint she could easily undo, she revived the bird and took to the skies, scanning her surroundings. She hadn’t been moved far from where she was subdued, and little time seemed to have passed.
After a dazed moment, she recalled her last memory and frantically checked her robes and body. To her astonishment, everything was intact—her storage pouch and treasures untouched, her person unharmed.
This left her utterly bewildered. Why had her assailant spared her? Why show such restraint?
The figure’s surprised exclamation before she blacked out resurfaced in her mind, stirring suspicion. Could that Nascent Soul cultivator have recognized her? Yet aside from her sect’s elders, she’d never met any Nascent Soul experts from other factions.
The figure had moved too swiftly for her to discern any features—its build ordinary, its voice revealing nothing beyond that single surprised utterance.
After a long, fruitless ponder, she sighed and retrieved the jade disc. A spell later, a red dot glowed on its surface, deepening her frown. Recalling how effortlessly she’d been subdued, a chill ran down her spine.
Her junior sister Liu was either dead or beyond the disc’s range—likely the former, given the attacker’s ruthlessness.
With a heavy heart, Hanyunzhi stowed the treasure and flew away.
—
Meanwhile, tens of thousands of li away, Han Li soared as a cyan streak, carrying a young woman. His expression remained impassive as he glanced at the beauty in his arms. After incapacitating Hanyunzhi, he’d changed course to pursue another Spirit Beast Sect disciple. Upon spotting him, the woman had panicked, releasing several foot-long flying centipedes.
Unlike ordinary centipedes, these were jet-black with snowy wings, spewing freezing mist the moment they emerged—Six-Winged Frost Centipedes, ranked eighteenth on the Rare Insects List. Like his Gold Devouring Beetles, they were ancient spirit insects, rumored to carry traces of ice-attribute true dragon bloodline. At maturity, their six wings and breath could freeze everything within a hundred li.
But these were mere larvae. Their frost, deadly to most, meant nothing to Han Li, who had refined some Dry Blue Iceflame. With a flick of his sleeve, he absorbed the cold aura, shocking the Liu-clan woman. Seizing the moment, he subdued her with lightning speed.
The centipedes, bereft of control, retreated into their spirit beast pouch.
Han Li hesitated. Killing her would be trivial, but the centipedes would be lost—most beast-taming cultivators set self-destruct mechanisms to prevent enemies from claiming their creatures postmortem. Only by keeping her alive could he obtain their eggs.
Moreover, the Spirit Beast Sect’s insect-control techniques intrigued him. As a faction renowned for taming spirit beasts, their methods could enhance his control over his Gold Devouring Beetles.
After binding the woman with seals to suppress her cultivation and consciousness, he flew off with her.
As for Hanyunzhi—her gentle demeanor had reminded him of his younger sister. Hardening his heart against her proved impossible. Leaving her unharmed was his only choice.
Since she hadn’t seen his face, even if she reported the incident, it would lead nowhere. And if he returned to the State of Xi swiftly, what could the Spirit Beast Sect or the Ghost Spirit Sect truly do? The Heavenly Dao Alliance and the Devilish Path were already enemies. Years prior, the Blood Devil Sect’s leader had openly assaulted the Three Sects’ sacred grounds without repercussion. Without concrete evidence or his capture, both sides would merely exchange empty threats.
Understanding this, Han Li accelerated his flight, determined not to be cornered by Devilish Path Nascent Soul elders within their territory. His cyan streak blazed faster across the sky.
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage