Suddenly, the youth’s ghostly claw twisted, and a flash of green light shot out, striking the incoming emerald rainbow. A thunderous boom erupted instantly.
Black and golden arcs of electricity burst forth, intertwining and colliding to form a massive ball of lightning. The two forces clashed relentlessly, unleashing deafening peals of thunder that shook the entire hall with an awe-inspiring intensity.
Han Li’s eyes narrowed sharply.
“Heaven Lightning Bamboo!” The realization that his opponent also possessed a treasure forged from Heaven Lightning Bamboo sent a jolt of alarm through him.
Could it be…?
Han Li seemed to recall something and focused his gaze intently on the green light emitted by the youth.
Amid the dazzling arcs of electricity, a foot-long emerald arrow fiercely battled the giant sword formed by the seven Emerald Swarm Swords, showing no signs of backing down.
The electricity it emitted was vastly different from that of the giant sword—devoid of golden hues, it was instead tainted with a thick, sinister black, as though tempered by some dark sorcery.
Despite this, the black lightning arcs were incredibly powerful. As they intertwined with the golden lightning, they gained the upper hand.
Seeing this, Han Li let out a soft sigh of relief. He hadn’t expected his earlier suspicions to be confirmed.
When he first saw the arrow embedded in the white-bone skull, he had sensed a familiar aura, reminiscent of the matured Gold Lightning Bamboo he had cultivated. However, its slightly darkened color and the occasional traces of sinister energy had made him hesitant.
After all, as far as he knew, Gold Lightning Bamboo had only appeared once in the Chaotic Star Seas before vanishing for countless years. The odds of encountering it again seemed too slim to believe. Yet now it appeared that the arrow which had once ambushed his opponent was not only made of Gold Lightning Bamboo but had also been refined by the old ghost into a treasure. The irony was almost too much to bear.
A faint, mocking smile tugged at the corners of Han Li’s lips.
But then a sudden thought struck him: if the old ghost had driven the arrow to attack him while he was examining the skeleton, from such close range, wouldn’t he have been doomed?
The more he dwelled on it, the more terrified he became. A cold sweat broke out on his back as he realized how close he had come to disaster.
As for the Emerald Swarm Swords being outmatched by the arrow, it was hardly surprising. These flying swords had been cultivated for too short a time and relied solely on the power of the Gold Lightning Bamboo to compete. They were naturally no match for the opponent’s treasure. Had the seven swords been tempered a bit longer, they would have easily overpowered the opponent’s single Gold Lightning Bamboo treasure.
After this test, however, Han Li had no intention of fighting to the death, especially since his opponent had a way to counter the “Evil-Warding Divine Lightning” of the Gold Lightning Bamboo. From the initial green shadow to the youth now before him, he still hadn’t discerned the true depth of his opponent’s cultivation.
Moreover, this person was cunning and treacherous, his dark magic eerie and ruthless, making him difficult to guard against. Even with the trump card of over a hundred thousand Gold Devouring Insects, Han Li wasn’t confident of victory.
It seemed the opponent had proposed a truce earlier precisely because he, too, was wary of Han Li’s sharp treasures and unconventional techniques.
With this in mind, Han Li silently beckoned to the giant sword. With a loud rumble, it disassembled into seven smaller swords that flew back to him.
The youth watched coldly, a glint of frost in his eyes. After a moment’s hesitation, he recalled his arrow without pursuing the attack.
“If you are truly the master of Patriarch Jiyin, then you must be nearly a thousand years old?” Han Li asked coldly, his tone skeptical.
“Before cultivating the Mysterious Soul Demon Refining Art, I had already lived over six hundred years. After transforming into a Mysterious Soul, I don’t know how much time has passed, but it must be four or five hundred years! Fortunately, I dispersed my Nascent Soul and cultivated this Mysterious Soul body. Otherwise, even if my physical body had survived, I would have long since perished.” The youth glanced down at his now-normal hands and spoke indifferently.
Han Li was speechless.
If what the other said was true, this person was indeed a “millennium-old ghost”!
At the same time, Han Li couldn’t help but feel a flicker of interest in the Mysterious Soul Demon Refining Art. Anything that could extend a cultivator’s lifespan beyond its natural limits was naturally enticing.
His tone softened slightly as he said, “In that case, I should truly address you as Senior.”
The youth shot Han Li a glance, perhaps detecting the insincerity in his words, and sneered, “Senior? After all these years dominating the cultivation world, I never expected to end up neither human nor ghost, having even abandoned the chance to reenter the cycle of reincarnation, all for the sake of avenging myself on those two treacherous disciples! If you don’t explain your origins clearly, I won’t hesitate to expend more of my energy to ensure you never leave this place alive.” His voice was calm, but the menace in his words was unmistakable.
Han Li smiled wryly. After a moment’s thought, he replied, “Senior, if only I am to answer questions, wouldn’t that be unfair? I also have some questions I’d like answered. Could you enlighten me?”
The youth was taken aback by this but then threw his head back and laughed.
“Good, very good! I agree to your condition. But I fear the more you know, the less likely you are to keep your life.” The youth’s arrogance was on full display.
“Heh, there’s no need for Senior to worry about that. If I’m not mistaken, your current cultivation is at most equivalent to a late Core Formation cultivator. I believe I can handle that.” Han Li probed carefully, observing the other’s expression.
The youth merely sneered, revealing nothing, which made Han Li inwardly curse him as an “old fox.”
“Enough nonsense. You claim to have learned from a jade slip and not from my two treacherous disciples. Show me the jade slip,” the youth demanded coldly, his tone sharp and aggressive.
Han Li frowned, hesitated for a moment, then reached into his storage pouch and tossed a jade slip emitting a grayish-white aura toward the youth.
The youth didn’t catch it directly. Instead, he raised a hand, and a cloud of black gas transformed into a black snake that snatched the jade slip in its mouth and returned to him.
Without moving his hands or feet, the youth fixed his blood-red eyes on the jade slip, staring intently.
After a moment, the strange light in his eyes faded, and he flicked a finger. The jade slip shot back to Han Li like an arrow. Then he said slowly, “How did you obtain this? Tell me! This jade slip alone isn’t enough to prove you have no connection to those two traitors.”
Han Li smiled slightly but didn’t answer the question. Instead, he asked, “Since Senior possesses such divine abilities, you must have been quite renowned in your time. May I ask your esteemed name?”
The youth was angered by Han Li’s evasion and the counter-question, a trace of malice flashing across his brow. But then, as if remembering something, he coldly replied, “I am the Mysterious Bone Sage, Xiao Cha. Have you heard of me?”
“Mysterious Bone Sage!” Han Li searched his memory but found no recollection of the name.
Unperturbed, he calmly said, “Since Senior believes the jade slip is insufficient proof of my identity, and my techniques are not of your lineage, someone of your experience should be able to discern that. Please take another look.” With that, Han Li pushed the Green Origin Sword Art to its limit, causing the green light around him to intensify to an almost blinding radiance.
Then, with a slight flick of his fingers, seven or eight Green Origin Sword beams shot out, piercing several bowl-sized holes in the nearby wall.
“As for the origin of this jade slip, it’s simple. I eliminated a wicked cultivator and incidentally found it on them. If even this isn’t enough to convince you, then I have nothing more to say. We’ll have to settle this through battle.” Han Li clapped his hands lightly, speaking as though it were a trivial matter.
Xiao Cha stared at the green light enveloping Han Li, his face darkening. After a long while, his expression softened slightly as he said, “The technique you practice is indeed not from the Mysterious Yin Canon, nor is it even a demonic path technique. This Sacred Ancestor can see that. But you possess a Murderous Gold Core doppelganger and happened to come here. It’s only natural for me to be cautious. However, I have one more question: aside from this jade slip, did you obtain anything else from that person?”
Han Li’s expression shifted slightly upon hearing this. He had a vague sense that the old demon’s relentless pressure might have been aimed at this very question. Without directly answering, he countered impassively, “Since Senior has cultivated the Mysterious Soul body yet remains trapped here after all these years, does the Mysterious Soul Demon Refining Art have many limitations and flaws? For instance, an inability to move during daylight, vulnerability to certain specific magical instruments…”
“Humph! Do you think I would tell you such things?” the youth interrupted furiously, his face darkening.
“Exactly! Then does Senior think I would tell you things you shouldn’t know?” Han Li replied calmly, his expression unchanged.
Xiao Cha was taken aback by this retort, and the anger on his face gradually subsided.
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