Han Li’s mouth twitched, and he inwardly cursed, but he had no choice but to reluctantly open his tightly shut eyes.
Although his magic power was just shy of being fully replenished, someone was approaching, and he dared not continue meditating so openly—especially without knowing the newcomer’s background!
“Which senior brother is here? Please save me, little sister!”
A woman in a yellow robe stumbled out from a nearby grove of trees and rushed to the base of the tree where Han Li was hiding. Panic-stricken, she lifted her head and cried out for help, seemingly convinced that her savior was up above. Not far behind her, a white figure approached leisurely, appearing completely at ease—a stark contrast to the woman’s frantic state.
Witnessing this, Han Li rolled his eyes, deeply annoyed by this female sect member’s trouble-attracting behavior. As for how she had managed to locate his hiding spot, he wasn’t particularly surprised.
Before setting out, all Yellow Maple Valley disciples had been placed under a tracking spell by Sect Leader Zhong Lingdao. This allowed disciples to sense each other’s locations within a certain range, though the effect was time-limited, lasting only ten days. The purpose was to encourage mutual support among sect members and significantly increase their chances of success.
It was said that disciples from other sects had also been placed under similar spells.
Helpless, Han Li glanced at the woman.
He recognized her—she was a fellow disciple who had often been with Junior Sister Chen. Aside from her rather alluring figure, her looks were quite plain.
After coldly observing her desperate pleas, Han Li didn’t impulsively jump down from the tree. Instead, he peered through the gaps in the leaves, carefully examining the white figure approaching behind her.
Whether he decided to help or not, he wanted to first gauge the depth of the newcomer’s magic power. He had no intention of risking his life for a woman he didn’t know.
If the white figure’s power seemed ordinary, Han Li wouldn’t hesitate to strike and eliminate the threat, playing the hero. But if the opponent’s power proved formidable, he would have to consider whether to join forces with the disciple below or immediately flee.
Just in case, he placed his hand on his storage pouch, retrieving the Gold Devouring Mother-Blade talisman and a defensive charm. He also deftly wrapped the nameless thread around his fingers.
“Tsk tsk, how pathetic you run! Are all female disciples of Yellow Maple Valley so useless? After running all this way, you’ve come begging some other stinking man for help. Is the one up there your lover or something?”
The white figure drew closer, revealing herself to be a young woman dressed in flowing white robes. Her face held a certain charm, but her sharply raised eyebrows and murderous expression spoiled it.
Though her words were directed at the yellow-robed woman below, her killing intent-filled eyes repeatedly flickered upward into the tree. Clearly, she wasn’t as overconfident as she pretended—she held some caution toward Han Li, hidden out of sight.
“Twelfth layer cultivation,” Han Li thought, easily discerning her level.
He breathed a sigh of relief, though he remained puzzled. The female disciple below also seemed to be at the twelfth layer—why was she being chased so miserably? Did the white-robed woman possess some special technique or powerful magical artifact?
As Han Li pondered this, the white-robed woman coldly snorted and suddenly flicked her sleeves. Two streaks of white light shot out, heading straight for the yellow-robed woman.
“Senior brother, save me! All my magical instruments are destroyed—I can’t block this!” the yellow-robed woman cried out, her face pale with fear.
No sooner had she spoken than two golden rays shot down from the canopy, intercepting the white lights mid-air and engaging them in combat. It was Han Li, having activated the Gold Devouring Mother-Blade—the two golden rays were but two of its child blades.
The yellow-robed woman’s face lit up with relief, finally calming down.
Han Li had decided to intervene for two reasons: first, he sensed that the white-robed woman wasn’t particularly fearsome and he could handle her; second, he thought having an ally might prove useful in future encounters. After all, a fellow disciple at the twelfth layer could be of some help in battles to come.
“So you’ve finally decided to show yourself! I thought you were going to play deaf and dumb forever!” the white-robed woman sneered, though she showed no surprise. With a wave of her hand, she launched a massive fireball straight toward the tree canopy.
A thunderous *boom* echoed as the upper half of the tree erupted in red light, turning to ash in an instant. Yet, there was no sign of anyone emerging, which gave the white-robed woman pause.
“What a powerful fireball talisman! You really don’t hold back, miss,” a voice remarked. Han Li stepped out from behind the half-charred trunk, a faint, mocking smile on his face.
“Eleventh layer?” The white-robed woman was taken aback at first, then her expression turned disdainful.
The yellow-robed woman, who had just begun to relax, immediately panicked again. inwardly, she lamented her misfortune—she had hoped for a powerful senior brother, but instead, she got a junior brother whose cultivation was even weaker than her own.
“If you’d stayed hidden and minded your own business, I might have been in a good mood and let you go. But since you’ve chosen to interfere, you can die together as a pair of lovebirds!” The white-robed woman’s eyebrows rose even higher, her tone growing sinister. Her once somewhat pretty face now twisted into something ferocious.
Han Li responded with a slight smile, silently directing the golden blades in their combat while casually strolling toward her.
“Stop right there! What do you think you’re doing?” the white-robed woman shouted sharply. She immediately slapped a defensive spell onto herself, summoning a protective barrier.
By now, Han Li was only about twenty zhang away from her. He sighed inwardly—it was a shame.
After easily killing the Heavenly Fortress disciple last time using the transparent thread, Han Li had grown quite fond of that tactic. Seeing that the white-robed woman hadn’t activated any defensive spells, he had hoped to recreate that scenario.
Unfortunately, she was too vigilant and had already sensed something amiss, plugging that loophole. Han Li couldn’t help but sigh—women were indeed more cautious than men.
Since trickery wouldn’t work, a direct assault was the only option.
Disappointed, Han Li stopped wasting words. After activating his own defensive spell, he gently shook the mother blade, and six identical golden blades flew out from his storage pouch, lunging fiercely toward the white-robed woman.
Seeing that Han Li’s magical instrument seemed unusual, the yellow-robed woman felt a flicker of hope revive within her. She immediately threw out a talisman of her own, which transformed into a long fire serpent shooting toward their enemy.
The white-robed woman responded with a cold laugh. Delicately, she raised her hand, and a small mirror, about the size of her palm, appeared in it.
She aimed the mirror, and a beam of blue light shot out, enveloping the incoming golden blades and fire serpent. Suspended mid-air, they spun helplessly, completely immobilized as if bound by a spell.
Han Li’s eyes widened in shock. What kind of magical instrument was this? How could it be so overpowered? It could actually freeze others’ magical instruments and spells—how was anyone supposed to fight against that?
“Don’t worry, junior brother! That instrument of hers can only immobilize one area at a time, and the effect lasts only half a quarter-hour before it needs to recharge!” the yellow-robed woman reassured, noticing Han Li’s alarm.
Hearing this, Han Li felt somewhat relieved. But her next words immediately made his heart sink again.
“However, this wicked woman is a descendant of one of the Masked Moon Sect’s elders. She’s been gifted many strange magical instruments—you’d best be extra cautious, junior brother!”
Han Li was speechless.
No wonder this fellow female disciple, also at the twelfth layer, had been defeated so thoroughly. So his opponent was a “treasure-rich” young mistress! Had he known earlier, he wouldn’t have jumped out to play the hero! Regret washed over Han Li—he felt that, nine times out of ten, he was about to face another life-or-death struggle.
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage