“Thump! Thump!” Two muffled sounds echoed as the bodies of Liu Jing and the other were casually tossed to the ground by the ambusher, causing Han Li’s eye to twitch slightly.
“Since you’re here, don’t even think about leaving. I happen to be short of a few Foundation Establishment cultivators for a blood sacrifice!” The man finished with a sinister chuckle, revealing gleaming white teeth that shimmered under the moonlight.
This person was none other than the Yue Emperor, who had appeared utterly panicked moments before. But now, there was not a trace of his earlier disheveled panic. Waves of spiritual power, no weaker than those of the blue-robed man, emanated from him—he too was a late Foundation Establishment cultivator.
Sensing his cultivation level, Han Li’s expression grew even colder.
He had no idea what technique the man had used to conceal his cultivation so perfectly that none of the Huang Maple Valley disciples had detected even a hint of it. This reminded Han Li of the time he had met the young prince and Steward Wang, when he similarly failed to sense any spiritual power from them. However, this time, that peculiar sense of imminent danger did not arise, making Han Li even more wary and cautious.
With a flick of his finger, Han Li summoned the White Scale Shield and the turtle shell artifact. They hovered slowly around him, ready to defend.
Beside him, Chen Qiaoqian and Song Meng, among others, watched the Yue Emperor and the blue-robed man with tense expressions. They, too, released their artifacts, guarding themselves closely.
Seeing Han Li and the others bracing for battle, the Yue Emperor and the blue-robed man exchanged a glance and let out simultaneous cold, mocking laughs.
Then, the blue-robed man flickered and suddenly appeared over a dozen zhang away, where a pile of glittering ice shards lay—the remains of the Ice Demon, shredded by Han Li’s relentless attacks.
The blue-robed man reached out toward the pile of ice shards and made a gentle grasping motion. A blue pearl shot out from the Ice Demon’s remains and flew into his hand.
At the same time, the treacherous Yue Emperor flashed to the burial site of the two blood attendants incinerated by the Firebird True Treasure. He slammed his palm fiercely onto the ground, and a golden and a yellow pearl burst forth from the earth, obediently flying into his hand.
“What are these?” Han Li’s mind raced as he connected these pearls with the previous green one, and he immediately began to suspect something. His heart tightened with tension.
He had been wondering how to achieve the goal of this mission, and now the very objects had appeared right before his eyes.
These must be the “Five Elements Blood Condensation Pills” related to Core Formation that the young prince had mentioned. But there were only four here—where was the fifth one?
Just as Han Li was caught between shock and excitement, the Yue Emperor and the blue-robed man, having obtained the pearls, also wore expressions of delight.
They stood apart, suddenly throwing their heads back and laughing uproariously. In the midst of their laughter, they cast cold glances toward Han Li and the others, not bothering to conceal the killing intent on their faces. This caused the expressions of Han Li’s group to shift slightly.
“Everyone, into the sky!” Han Li’s thoughts raced, and he suddenly shouted. The Divine Wind Boat materialized, and he soared into the air ahead of the others.
The others were momentarily stunned, but trusting Han Li’s previous extraordinary performance, Song Meng and the dual cultivation partner of “Snow Rainbow” sister instinctively followed his command and flew into the sky. Only Chen Qiaoqian hesitated for a moment before pulling Zhong Weiniang along and ascending on their artifacts.
The Yue Emperor and the blue-robed man watched with strange expressions but soon responded with cold smiles. Though their appearances were completely different, their mannerisms and smiles gave Han Li an eerie feeling of uniformity, sending a chill down his spine.
“These little ones are quite clever. It seems you’ll need to reveal yourself early.”
“What’s mine is yours. Take it!”
The Yue Emperor and the blue-robed man exchanged a calm, cryptic dialogue that sent shivers down the spines of Han Li, Chen Qiaoqian, and the others.
“Junior Brother Han, what are they saying?” Song Meng moved closer to Han Li, swallowing nervously as he asked.
After witnessing so many fellow disciples die before his eyes, even someone as combative as Song Meng had lost his initial fearlessness. He asked Han Li more for reassurance, as Han Li held an air of mystery in his mind, making him seem somewhat reliable.
Han Li inwardly sighed. Just as he was about to respond, the scene below made his expression change drastically, and he swallowed his words. Chen Qiaoqian even let out a shocked cry, causing Song Meng to turn his head in alarm.
They saw the Yue Emperor’s hand plunged into the blue-robed man’s chest. The blue-robed man, with arms spread wide, showed no intention of resisting and instead wore a calm, smiling expression.
Then, dazzling blood light erupted from both the blue-robed man and the Yue Emperor. Through the arm embedded in the blue-robed man’s chest, their blood light connected, and soon the blue-robed man’s blood light surged violently toward the Yue Emperor. It seemed as though the Yue Emperor was absorbing it, yet also as if the blue-robed man was offering it willingly. Song Meng stared, dumbfounded.
The blue-robed man’s radiance grew increasingly dim, his flesh withering away bit by bit, while the Yue Emperor’s blood light intensified, and his face gradually grew younger.
“What kind of evil technique is this?” Song Meng exclaimed in horror.
But Han Li’s face was dark and solemn. Paying no heed to Song Meng’s shock, he took a deep breath and suddenly flung both hands outward.
Countless fire snakes, fireballs, and other fire-based talismans surged from his hands toward the Yue Emperor and the blue-robed man below. He had thrown out over a hundred talismans—every fire-based talisman he possessed.
Mid-air, the talismans transformed into an overwhelming barrage of fire spells. A massive wave of flames rushed forth with terrifying momentum, its power even surpassing Liu Jing’s Firebird True Treasure. However, few in the cultivation world could throw out over a hundred talismans at once—this was equivalent to tossing out hundreds of spirit stones.
The sheer scale of this attack startled Song Meng, Chen Qiaoqian, and the others. Even the dazed Zhong Weiniang blinked in confusion, staring for a few moments. Down below, the Yue Emperor was initially shocked but soon realized these were merely low-level spells. He dismissed them contemptuously.
He knew well that his protective blood light could easily withstand these spells. His priority was to focus on the task at hand. Once completed, killing the others would be as easy as reaching into a bag to grab something.
Just as a piercing glint flashed in the Yue Emperor’s eyes, the blazing flames engulfed him and the blue-robed man in a thunderous explosion.
True to his expectations, despite the deafening blasts and towering flames, the Yue Emperor and the blue-robed man remained unscathed. Most of the blue-robed man’s blood light had transferred to the Yue Emperor, who now appeared around thirty years old. A look of delight spread across the Yue Emperor’s face!
Seeing Han Li take action, Chen Qiaoqian and the others also released their artifacts to attack below. After all, it seemed the two were performing some evil technique and unable to retaliate—naturally, they would beat the drowning dog.
But just as their artifacts shot forth, a blinding white light erupted between the Yue Emperor and the blue-robed man. A earth-shattering boom followed as the white light contracted and expanded, engulfing both of them.
The terrifying spiritual power within the white light and the look of panic on the Yue Emperor’s face were clearly visible to Chen Qiaoqian and the others. They were both shocked and delighted, unanimously turning their gazes toward Han Li—clearly, this was their fellow disciple’s doing.
However, Han Li showed no joy. Instead, his expression grew even colder.
“Don’t celebrate too early. That guy isn’t dead yet!” Han Li cast a cold glance at them and spoke indifferently. His words startled the group, and they hurriedly looked down.
Sure enough, although the smoke and dust obscured everything, the Yue Emperor’s spiritual presence could still faintly be sensed. It seemed that even if he had survived, his power had been greatly diminished.
Sensing this with their spiritual awareness, Song Meng and the other three regained their vigor. They directed their artifacts to hover in the air above, waiting for the Yue Emperor to reveal himself so they could join forces to strike him down and avenge their fallen comrades.
“Cough… Good!… Very good! Cough! I truly underestimated you. To think you were the most troublesome one in this group! What did you hide among those talismans? Even my protective blood light couldn’t block it!” A coughing sound emerged from the smoke, but it gradually steadied, growing colder and more forceful with each word.
Song Meng and the others paled, and even Han Li was extremely alarmed.
“Just a Sky Thunderbolt! I truly didn’t expect any Foundation Establishment cultivator could survive a direct hit from one!” Han Li sighed and spoke slowly. With a wave of both hands, over a dozen puppet beasts and puppet soldiers materialized in flashes of white light before him, all aimed at the gradually clearing figure on the ground.
As soon as the figure became visible, Song Meng and the others unleashed their artifacts without hesitation. However, after a red light flashed, all their artifacts simultaneously lost connection with their owners. Then, the Yue Emperor, covered in blood and grime, emerged from the smoke. His eyes, filled with venomous hatred, locked firmly onto Han Li.
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