Then with a flourish of radiance around Yun Tianxiao, five copper bands of varying colors appeared around his limbs and neck. These bands released a low hum before tightening and restraining him.
He screamed out of fright and hastily thought to release his magic treasure. However, his magic treasure didn’t move in the slightest as if it were shackled.
Yun Tianxiao was frightened out of his mind and couldn’t help but panic, loudly screaming, “Senior Swift Crane, please save me!”
But just as he shouted this, Han Li opened his mouth and spat out an azure streak of light. It revolved once around Yun Tianxiao before cleaving off his head. Then, without the slightest hesitation, Han Li snatched the storage pouch from the corpse and recalled his Five Element Bands.
The chain of events had concluded at lightning speed. But at the same moment Yun Tianxiao’s storage pouch entered Han Li’s grasp, he heard a loud explosion from within the room.
The room’s wall had been smashed open and Daoist Swift Crane flew inside the room through the cloud of ash.
The old Daoist gloomily glanced at the beheaded corpse on the ground and turned his gaze to Han Li. With killing intent shining within his eyes, he shouted, “You’re courting death!”
He then flicked his hand and a streak of blinding, scorching white light arrived in front of Han Li in an instant.
With pupils contracted and a trembling heart, Han Li wildly enlarged the Five Element Bands in his hand, covering his body in a multi-colored cylinder. At that same moment, he took a red and yellow jade scepter out with a turn of his hand.
Since this was the first time Han Li had blocked a Nascent Soul cultivator’s attack since reaching late Core Formation stage, he naturally had some interest in testing whether or not his incisive treasures could receive the attack. However, despite his calm exterior, he felt completely perturbed and uncertain.
Bang! White and rainbow light collided.
Han Li felt as if he was struck by a heavy hammer, and was sent flying before striking the wall behind him. His head was left spinning from the impact.
“Huh?!” While Han Li was still in a daze from the strike, Swift Crane let out an astonished shout.
With yet another white light appearing before his eyes, Han Li took a cold breath and resolutely waved his jade scepter. A red and yellow barrier of light appeared around his body from within the rainbow cylinder.
As a result, he was able to receive the next attack much better than the first. He only staggered a few steps away before regaining his bearings.
Han Li then steeled his heart as his mind began to stir, and a pair of silver white wings emerged from his back.
Leaving a roll of thunder behind, he instantly disappeared, dodging the next streak of white light. A moment later, he reappeared at another corner of the room.
Han Li had now identified the true form of Swift Crane’s white light. It was a small, jade hammer covered in sparkling white light and the oval head was covered in talisman characters. Although it was only the size of a palm, it released astonishing spiritual Qi.
After Swift Crane’s strike had missed, his face stirred and he extended his arm. With a rustle of wind, the small hammer returned into his sleeve.
A trace of astonishment flickered from Swift Crane’s eyes as he said, “I didn’t expect that a Core Formation cultivator would be in possession of so many ancient treasures. What is your name?”
Han Li pursed his lips and was about to say something when the door of the room suddenly opened as Lady Fan excitedly entered the room.
Lady Fan gave Swift Crane a formal bow and spoke to him with an exceptionally respectful tone, “Senior Swift Crane! This is Senior Li who I specially invited in order to deal with the traitor Yun Tianxiao. I hope Senior will be at ease. I am willing to double any conditions that the traitor may have raised.”
When Swift Crane heard this, he frowned and turned his gaze to the corpse on the floor. His expressioned wavered.
Fortunately, Han Li only had to silently stand in place. However, Lady Fan appeared quite nervous as she watched Swift Crane’s expression.
Swift Crane eventually relaxed and said, “Alright, since this is an internal matter of the Exquisite Sound Sect, this old Daoist won’t meddle. But don’t forget what you just said, Lady Fan.”
Lady Fan felt her heart swell with relief as she pledged with a beaming smile, “Please be at ease, Senior. I won’t dare to break my word!”
The old Daoist nodded his head and glanced at Han Li with suspicion.
After a moment of silence, he suddenly asked, “Where did Fellow Daoist Li cultivate? Your appearance is quite unfamiliar!”
Han Li’s heart trembled and he pondered for a moment. When he opened his mouth to dispel Swift Crane’s suspicions, he was only able to utter, “Junior...” before his face pulsed with azure light and underwent a massive change.
The wind spirit energy within his body had suddenly flared.
From its violent eruption, it was clear that Feng Xi was close by.
With fury and alarm, Han Li suppressed it with the entirety of his magic power. After forcefully suppressing the wind spirit energy, he felt cold sweat lining his body.
Han Li let out a breath of relief after saving himself from the crisis, but when he turned his gaze to Swift Crane, he saw a trace of astonishment. It then turned into a strange expression of delight.
Han Li suddenly thought of something and grasped his face. He instantly paled. The flare of Wind Spirit Energy had caused him to revert back to his original appearance.
A malevolent expression appeared on Daoist Swift Crane’s face as he shouted, “Han Li!”
Han Li let out a stream of curses in his heart. Without taking the time to think any further, he flapped his wings and suddenly disappeared with a flash of lightning, leaving only thunder behind. At that same moment, the old man flung his sleeve and disappeared in a streak of light. The only one left inside the room was Lady Fan who was left in a bewildered daze.
A flicker of silver light appeared above Twin Peaks Island, accompanied by the sudden appearance of Han Li. In the following moment, a streak of white light violently flew up from the island and quickly pursued him.
Han Li’s expression sank and he immediately imbued the Thunderstorm Wings within his body with Divine Devilbane Lightning. An instant later, he reappeared a hundred meters away. These flashes continued, each time with thunder left in his wake.
In the blink of an eye, Han Li had already been reduced to a small, black dot on the horizon.
When Swift Crane saw this, he couldn’t believe what he was seeing. He then came to the conclusion that the wings were certain to be a treasure from the Heavenvoid Cauldron and his heart grew wildly fervent.
With a shout, he transformed into a streak of blinding radiance and set off in hot pursuit of Han Li, tearing through the skies with booms left in his wake.
In an instant, the black and white dots could no longer been seen from the island.
In the lead, Han Li was slowly increasing the distance between him and Daoist Swift Crane with the incredible speed of the Thunderstorm Wings.
It wouldn’t take Han Li much longer until he shook off the Daoist Swift Crane with his current speed. But at that moment, the wind spirit energy flared once more within his body and continued to flare in regular intervals.
Han Li was forced to periodically stop and use his magic power to suppress the backlash of the wind spirit energy. However, this delay had given Swift Crane the opportunity to latch his spiritual sense onto Han Li, allowing him to ceaselessly pursue him.
However, this wasn’t Han Li’s biggest worry. The flares of wind spirit energy were growing increasingly violent, displaying just how close Feng Xi was to him.
Helpless and on the edge of despair, Han Li steeled his resolve and rushed towards the small island with the transportation formation. He hoped Lady Fan had truly given the order to complete the transportation formation and that they had ma
naged to complete it by the time he arrived. So long as he was able to reach the island, he would have the opportunity to escape pursuit from Swift Crane ad Feng Xi.
Although the Thunderstorm Wings were astonishingly fast, it consumed a significant amount of Divine Devilbane Lightning. As a result, after he gained enough distance from Swift Crane, he swapped the wings for his blood-red cloak.
Chapter 560: The Return of Feng Xi
As Han Li flew, he continued to use his magic power to suppress the flare ups from the wind spirit energy. However, his body still trembled from the effort, and it was becoming more difficult to control with each flare.
The current situation filled Han Li with dread. He now suspected that the reason why Feng Xi hadn’t used the wind spirit energy more frequently during the previous chase was likely due to a combination of his exhaustion from refining the magic treasure and the backlash from the green liquid. Had these intense flare ups occurred back then, events would’ve played out much differently. However, upon seeing the small island in the distance, Han Li grew relieved.
Although it had taken him two days to arrive at the small island in the past, it now only took the majority of a day while flying at his top speed. So long as the transportation had been finished by the time he arrived, he would be able to return to the Inner Star Seas without harm. Although he would have to guard against a few Nascent Soul eccentrics, it was better than being relentlessly chased down by the metamorphosed demon beast, Feng Xi.
While these thoughts bounced around in Han Li’s mind, he heard a voice transmission from behind him.
Swift Crane said in a slow, calm and gentle voice, “Fellow Daoist Han, this humble Daoist holds no malicious intentions. I only wish to exchange for a Heavenmend Pill. There is no need for Fellow Daoist to flee with such intensity.” Truly, his words felt sincere, kind, and lacking any hint of maliciousness. Normally, one would feel quite favorable toward such a voice.
However, Han Li wasn’t moved in the slightest by his tone or words, and inwardly cursed upon hearing them. Due to his decreased speed from switching to the blood-red cloak from the Thunderstorm Wings, Han Li could once again see Swift Crane’s light in the distance whenever he looked behind him.
As soon as the old Daoist had entered within range of him, he started using some sort of abnormal technique to continuously send Han Li bewitching messages filled with enticement in an attempt to slow him down. During a moment of carelessness, Han Li had nearly been affected by the technique. Fortunately, the Great Development Technique had automatically activated and protected him, promptly clearing his mind. Although he had managed to avoid falling into Swift Crane’s trap, Han Li still felt his body break out in a cold sweat.
It appeared that even Nascent Soul cultivators were adept in the usage of bewitchment techniques. Swift Crane’s own techniques far surpassed Lady Fan’s; they were even on par with Yuan Yao’s. As for the old Daoist’s promises that he merely wanted to trade for a Heavenmend Pill and meant him no harm, Han Li would have to be touched in the head to truly believe that.
As Han Li saw the small island growing closer, he didn’t dare to delay his departure and streaked towards the island with a flourish of sparkling red light.
At that moment, a brilliant light flashed from across the sky, filling the air with a chilling whistle. A vague black dot appeared where the light had faded away, and instantly grew larger as it flew in Han Li’s direction at a frightening speed.
When Han Li saw this, his heart shook. Even if he couldn’t clearly see the black streak’s appearance, that fearsome speed and violent whistle couldn’t possibly be from anything other than a certain grade nine Windbreaker Beast.
As Han Li bitterly cursed, wings instantly emerged from his back in a flash of silver light.
Since the demon had already appeared, Han Li strove his hardest to reach the small island, else he would have no chance of survival. Even if he were to turn and flee at that moment, he feared he wouldn’t be able to escape Feng Xi’s fearsome speed even if he exhausted the entirety of his Divine Devilbane Lightning.
With that thought, Han Li disappeared with a roll of thunder, turning into an arc of silver lightning. Each time Han Li reappeared, he was drawing closer to the small island.
When Swift Crane heard the piercing whistle, his expression greatly changed. Although the Daoist didn’t know who that person was, he could faintly feel that they were a fearsome character. When he saw the black dot make its way toward Han Li without the slightest hesitation, he naturally believed that it was for the Heavenvoid Cauldron and he became extremely anxious.
Desperate, Swift Crane opened his mouth and spat out a mist of blood essence. The mist turned into a huge, blood-red cloud and enveloped the old Daoist. The white crane patterns on his robes then glowed with a white light and completely absorbed the surrounding blood mist, instantly staining the cranes scarlet.
Swift Crane then began to spin his body around, enveloping himself in a blinding white light and releasing the cries of cranes.
A ten-meter-long crimson crane with emerald green eyes appeared before him.
When Swift Crane saw this, his face grew sullen and he sat upon the huge crane in a blur. He then quickly clapped the head of the crane. Its eyes flickered with green light as it extended its wings, carrying the old Daoist a hundred meters away in the blink of an eye.
Although he was still slower than Han Li’s lightning movements, he was still far faster than before.
As a result, a bizarre scene unfolded in the nearby skies.
As Han Li pushed forward with his warped movements, both the whistling black blur in front of him and the crimson crane from behind him rushed straight towards him.
A few seconds later, Han Li had arrived above the small island. At that same moment, the black blur was now only a few kilometers away, travelling at an unbelievable speed.
Han Li’s heart turned icy when he clearly saw the demon beast’s appearance. It was a bizarre form with the body of a bird and a fish tail, both covered in three meter long feathers. Below its abdomen were two incredibly sharp claws covered in inch large scales that sparkled with an azure light.
Feng Xi was using his demon beast form to hunt him down. Although high grade demons found it awkward to fight against humans while in their beast form, it allowed them to use their innate characteristics without restraint. In this case, it allowed a Windbreaker Beast to display their innately extraordinary speed.
After taking a cold breath of air, Han Li didn’t dare to further delay and disappeared in a flash of silver light. He reappeared at the island’s surface only to disappear once more.
When the demon beast saw this, his piercing whistle came to an abrupt halt. With a few more flaps of his wings, he crossed the remaining couple of kilometers in a mere instant. After arriving above the island, he transformed into his human form with a bright flourish of azure light.
Much to his dismay, Swift Crane saw Feng Xi’s transformation as he continued to chase after Han Li. After seeing that Feng Xi looked nearly the same as an ordinary human, he felt a chill run down his entire body.
Staring in awe, Swift Crane felt his blood run cold. “Grade nine demon beast? And it’s an extremely fast bird-type.”
Ordinarily, when high grade humans and demon beasts met, it didn’t necessarily result in a battle to the death. But if there was a huge disparity in the strength between them, a bloodbath was unavoidable. After all, regardless of whether it were for the demon beasts’ cores or the humans’ Nascent Souls and golden cores, they were both extremely coveted by the opposing side.
As grade nine demon beasts were slightly above mid Nascent Soul cultivators, the old Daoist inwardly cursed at the encounter. Were this any other time, he would’ve already turned tail and fled without a word, but with the Heavenvoid Cauldron before his eyes, he couldn’t bring himself to relinquish it. As a result, he raised his hands with a pale face and held an ancient blue mirror in one hand along with a small jade
hammer in the other. With the two ancient treasures in hand, the old Daoist’s courage was strengthened and he gloomily stared at the demon beast.
When Feng Xi saw Han Li’s wings and his adept usage of them, he was initially amazed before subsequently becoming filled with an immense, bitter regret. Even if he managed to kill Han Li and refine the Thunderstorm Wings, he would only be able to draw out seventy percent of the magic treasure’s might at most since it had already recognized another master, further stoking the flames of hatred towards Han Li.
As a result, even though Feng Xi had seen Swift Crane, he had completely ignored the old Daoist; his mind was completely focused on Han Li. He faced the Daoist and coldly shouted, “F*ck off!” before blurring in the direction of the island.
Daoist Swift Crane was stunned for a moment before gritting his teeth and flying in pursuit. The Heavenvoid Cauldron was the top ranked secret treasure in the Scattered Star Seas, and even if he had to risk his life, he had to acquire it.
At that moment, Han Li quickly changed his face while he was flying through a passage after breaking through the stone gate. After several more flickers of lightning, he appeared before the transportation formation where several Exquisite Sound Sect cultivators were currently bantering with each other. When they saw Han Li appear, they instantly found their throats choked from the shock.
Han Li appeared at the side of the transportation formation before wildly roaring at the disciples, “Is the transportation formation finished!?”
One of the disciples recognized Han Li and respectfully replied, “Ah! Yes, Senior Li! The transportation formation has been finished. However, we’ve yet to test it. We were...”
But before she could finish speaking, his body blurred and he appeared inside the transportation formation.
At nearly the same moment, a hole was suddenly ruptured from the ceiling and the demon cultivator Feng Xi dropped down in a streak of azure light.
Han Li’s face instantly drained of blood!
A Record of a Mortal’s Journey to Immortality c1-2248 Page 302