Han Li’s expression shifted slightly, paling a bit upon hearing the young prince’s voice.
But as he slowly turned around, his demeanor returned to normal, showing no trace of panic. Instead, a cold sneer curled at the corners of his mouth as he glared icily at the group of Black Fiend Cult members and the bald Foundation Establishment cultivator.
Han Li’s composed attitude reassured the Four Friends of Meng Mountain, calming their nerves somewhat. After exchanging glances, they flew in unison to stand behind Han Li, forming a confrontational stance against the Black Fiend Cult.
“It’s you! Aren’tt you that guy from the Qin family? You’re a Foundation Establishment cultivator?”
The young prince’s eyes widened in astonishment as he clearly recognized Han Li’s face. The gaunt man standing beside him, though silent, also revealed a deeply surprised expression.
Only the bald burly man stared intently at Han Li, his face growing solemn. He suddenly spoke, “Be careful. This man is a mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator, a level higher than me. We’ll likely need to set up the Black Wind Formation to capture him.”
Hearing this, the young prince showed no concern but instead asked with delight, “Lord Blood Servant! Does that mean if we offer him to the cult leader for blood sacrifice and cultivation, the effect will be even better?”
The burly man chuckled darkly in response, “Of course. The Foundation Establishment cultivators we captured before were only in the early stage. This man’s essence and blood will undoubtedly be far superior to theirs.”
With the bald man’s confirmation, the young prince greedily glanced back at Han Li and suddenly burst into loud laughter.
“Excellent! No matter what your purpose or background is, you won’t be leaving this place alive today. Set up the Black Wind Formation, now!” After his laughter subsided, the young prince’s expression turned cold as he barked the order.
Immediately, the black-clad figures drew pitch-black banners from their robes and swiftly flew to surround Han Li and the others. They began waving their banners without delay.
“Just focus on defense. Leave the rest to me,” Han Li calmly instructed the Four Friends of Meng Mountain. Before his words fully settled, his figure blurred, and he vanished from his original spot.
“Watch out!” the bald man shouted, his expression changing drastically upon seeing Han Li disappear, but it was already too late.
Han Li’s figure flickered behind one of the black-clad cultivators, who immediately froze mid-motion, standing dumbly in place. Then, without any warning, his head tumbled to the ground, and his headless body spurted blood several feet high before collapsing.
By the time the bald man’s final warning word left his mouth, it was already over.
The other banner-wielding cultivators shuddered at the sight, but before they could react, Han Li’s figure materialized behind another person, flickering away just as quickly. This cultivator, too, met the same fate—his head rolling to the ground.
At this point, the remaining black-clad cultivators dared not hesitate. They stopped waving their banners and instead summoned colorful protective barriers and various defensive artifacts.
However, in the blink of an eye, two more men in black who failed to activate their defenses in time were killed under Han Li’s fierce assault, collapsing to the ground on the spot.
“You’re seeking death, brat!” The bald man’s eyes glowed with a dark red light as he roared, his body radiating a bloody radiance. He charged toward Han Li with astonishing speed.
Han Li coldly watched the bald man, enveloped in a bloody glow, charging toward him. He then glanced at the black-clad cultivators, who had activated their protective barriers and were staring at him in terror. Without hesitation, he flashed back to stand beside the Four Friends of Meng Mountain, dozens of yards away.
The bald man, having missed his target, let out a beast-like roar and immediately changed direction, charging toward Han Li and the others without even summoning any artifacts.
Seeing this, the second eldest of the Four Friends of Meng Mountain saw an opportunity. He raised his hand, and a green-glowing tri-barbed dart silently shot toward the bald man’s face.
The bald man merely grinned ferociously at the incoming artifact, not slowing down but instead charging straight toward it.
The tall and thin second elder was overjoyed and exclaimed excitedly, “He’s done for! My dart is a top-tier superior artifact—it’ll definitely… Ah! How is this possible? My Green Glow Dart!”
He had barely spoken when the scene before him stunned him into a cry of disbelief.
As soon as the tri-barbed dart made contact with the bloody glow around the bald man, the radiance seemed to come alive, coiling around the artifact and trapping it within. No matter how frantically it struggled, it couldn’t break free.
“Hah! How dare you show off such a pathetic trick!” the bald man laughed maniacally, stretching out a blood-red hand to snatch the dart. With a twist of his hands, the artifact’s green light scattered, its spiritual energy completely depleted—as if it had been utterly destroyed.
This sight filled the Four Friends of Meng Mountain with terror, and even Han Li’s heart sank. The bald man was undoubtedly cultivating no ordinary technique—it was most likely a top-tier demonic art similar to that of the Young Master of the Ghost Spirit Sect.
The bald man gave them no time to ponder. In an instant, he was upon them, raising a massive blood-red fist and smashing it down onto the protective barrier jointly maintained by the Four Friends of Meng Mountain.
With a deafening “boom,” the barrier, conjured by four Qi Refining cultivators, deeply dented under the force of the punch and immediately dimmed significantly.
The Four Friends of Meng Mountain paled. A fist this powerful could likely reduce ordinary defensive artifacts to scrap metal with a single blow.
“Senior, what should we…?” The dark-faced elder hurriedly turned to Han Li, hoping he had a way to stop the opponent.
After all, with attacks like this, their joint barrier wouldn’t last long.
Without a word, Han Li raised his hand, and a small shield emitting a dazzling white light flew out, expanding several times in size to firmly block in front of the barrier, just in time to meet the bald man’s other blood-red fist.
A piercing “clang” reverberated through the air, shaking the ground and causing nearby unprepared cultivators to stagger, nearly falling to the ground.
The Four Friends of Meng Mountain also felt dizzy for a moment. The only ones who remained unfazed were Han Li and the bald man.
Han Li stared expressionlessly at the White Scale Shield. Although it had blocked the punch, its previously smooth surface now bore a slight dent, sending a chill down his spine.
He knew all too well how sturdy the White Scale Shield was, and his wariness of the bald man grew.
With this in mind, Han Li didn’t hesitate. He slapped his storage pouch, and two black beams of light and six golden beams shot out simultaneously, streaking ruthlessly toward the bald man.
The overwhelming momentum of so many top-tier artifacts working in unison startled the bald man, and a trace of fear flashed across his face.
With a furious roar, the bloody radiance around him suddenly intensified, completely enveloping his figure in a crimson glow. It transformed into a massive blood-red sphere, about two to three zhang tall, floating motionlessly in the air.
Seizing the opportunity, Han Li’s Gold Devouring Mother-Child Blades and Black Dragon Claws struck mercilessly. But what happened next left Han Li bewildered.
No matter how his artifacts slashed or stabbed at the sphere, there was no reaction from within. Moreover, the artifacts could only penetrate about half a foot into the sphere before being halted, as if an invisible barrier blocked all attacks.
Growing slightly anxious, Han Li suddenly remembered something and hurriedly glanced around. What he saw filled him with intense killing intent.
Under the direction of the young prince and the masked man suspected to be Steward Wang, the black-clad cultivators had regrouped, surrounding them once again and frantically waving their black banners. These banners now emitted eerie ghostly wails and spewed strange black mist, swirling relentlessly around them.
The scene reminded Han Li of the all-destroying “Azure Yang Demon Fire” he had encountered at the spirit stone mine. The summoning ritual was strikingly similar, and Han Li had no intention of letting them complete it.
Realizing this, Han Li immediately pointed a finger, recalling the White Scale Shield. Without explanation, he shoved it into the hands of the dark-faced elder and said coldly, “I’m lending this to you for now! I’ll deal with the others first.”
With that, his figure blurred, and he reappeared outside the barrier. The artifacts that had been frantically attacking the blood-red sphere whistled back to Han Li’s side, circling around him while emitting a low hum.
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