Marquis Nanlong narrowed his eyes. Before he could even see what it was, he flung it into the air without any reservation. It spun in a circle before instantaneously expanding to the size of twenty-five meters, forming what seemed to be a wall between both sides of the conflict..
When the stern-faced cultivator clearly saw the pitch-black mountain, he didn’t know what treasure it was. While he was surprised, he managed to react and pointed to the jade scepter in front of him. In an instant, the jade scepter loudly hummed and brightly shined with white light. A huge white tiger then materialized from the radiance.
Although the tiger appeared indistinct, it bared its ferocious fangs as soon as it appeared and instantly shot a beam of lazing white light towards the black mountain.
With a loud rumble, the white light instantly engulfed a majority of the mountain.
Wang Chan also reacted. He formed an incantation gesture with his hands, engulfing his body in a crimson mist. In that same moment, the stench of blood filled the air.
As for Yan Ruyan, she also formed an incantation gesture and enveloped herself in crimson mist. However, she emitted an odd fragrance rather than the scent of blood. A whiff of it would cause one’s mind to become dizzy and muddled.
The stern-faced cultivator felt some relief at this. As he willed the white tiger to spit out another beam of light with his jade scepter, he slapped his storage pouch with his other hand, summoning an inch-large, faint-blue gourd into his hand.
Just as he was about to deploy the gourd, he suddenly heard a faint roll of thunder. In his alarm, he formed a hand incantation without any hesitation and formed a dense light barrier around him.
At nearly that same time, a flash of silver lightning appeared at his side, revealing Han Li with silver wings emerging from his back.
“Ah, you...” The stern-faced cultivator was greatly shocked, but as a result of his rich combat experience, he hastily raised the gourd in his hand and shot out a dazzling bolt of blue lightning.
In the instant the blue lightning shot out, Han Li didn’t dodge. Rather, he blankly opened his mouth, spitting out a thread of blue flame. The blue flames pierced through the white light barrier without the slightest resistance and shot towards the stern-faced cultivator.
Chapter 703: The First to Act
The meager wisp of blue flame was able to pass through the light barrier unobstructed, much to the surprise of the stern-faced cultivator. Lacking any time to dodge, the wisp of flame struck his neck. With a crackle, the stern-faced cultivator was entirely consumed by blue ice, forming a glistening ice sculpture.
Much to the stern-faced cultivator’s misfortune, Han Li had particularly directed the Celestial Ice Flames to strike at his neck as a result of his experience from fighting the spell warrior. With his head frozen over, he had no opportunity to cast any techniques and change the outcome.
In the same moment Han Li turned the stern-faced man into an ice sculpture, the blue lightning from the gourd struck Han Li before its thunder could sound out. But before it could strike Han Li’s body, a net of faint gold lightning suddenly appeared on Han Li’s body. In a flicker of golden light, the blue lightning was absorbed and disappeared from sight.
Han Li then hesitantly reached forward and quickly snatched away the blue gourd.
Han Li’s use of the thunderstorm wings, the icing of the stern-faced cultivator surnamed Long, and the acquisition of the treasure took place in a mere instant. Just as Wang Chan had thought to step forward and assist the stern-faced cultivator, he witnessed his instantaneous defeat. Wang Chan could hardly believe what he just saw.
When Han Li coldly glanced in his direction, Wang Chan responded without a thought. With fear in his voice, he yelled, “Cast together! Use the Blood Spirit Arts to restrain him!” Once that was said, he grabbed onto Yan Ruyan’s hand and hurriedly uttered an incantation. Crimson mist suddenly spread through the air.
Yan Ruyan didn’t resist, merely displaying a trace of disgust deep within her eyes. After a moment of hesitation, she followed suit and uttered an incantation. The blood mist from both of their bodies combined as one and condensed into a mist of violet blood light.
After Wang Chan and Yan Ruyan disappeared into the violet mist, it began to release ghostly howls as if monsters truly laid within.
When Han Li saw this, he faintly smirked.
Marquis Nanlong suddenly sent Han Li a voice transmission, “Good! I didn’t expect for Fellow Daoist Han to possess such heaven-defying abilities. If we join hands, we may be able to match them.”
When Han Li heard this, he swept his gaze to the other side.
Marquis Nanlong and the others had yet to fight, but the others were staring at him with absolute shock. Marquis Nanlong appeared delighted by Han Li’s recent display and his hopes of escaping grew stronger.
Marquis Nanlong immediately said, “So long as you join hands with me, I am willing to give you another jade box!”
‘Join hands? Haha...’ Han Li coldly laughed and said nothing. He carried no such desire.
He clearly understood that he was able to easily dispatch of the stern-faced cultivator because he was unaware of the deadly Celestial Ice Flames. Else, the battle would’ve taken far longer, even if he ended up victorious.
There were still three early and one mid Nascent Soul cultivators on the opposing side. If Marquis Nanlong was uninjured, they might’ve stood a chance, but as gravely wounded as he was now, Han Li would only be dragged down alongside him. Regardless of whatever it may contain, the jade box’s contents wasn’t worth his life.
Before he fled, he needed to have them start fighting and have their focus be on the Marquis. Otherwise, their attentions would be focused on him, and it would be difficult for him to escape. With that thought, Han Li paid them no further heed and flapped his wings, leaving only thunder behind.
When the white-clothed old man saw this, he immediately shouted, “Not good! He’s about to run! Block him! Don’t let him escape with the jade box!”
With the scene of Han Li instantly killing a similar grade cultivator still fresh in their minds, the old woman and the tan man ignored his words entirely. Even Wang Tiangu appeared hesitant. He couldn’t decide whether to take action.
After all, if Han Li truly left, they would be able to deal with the Marquis with complete certainty. The two jade boxes may as well be theirs. But if they were to forcefully detain Han Li, with his strange abilities, even the mid Nascent Soul old man might not be able to prevail over him. It was far too risky.
However, the jade box in Han Li’s grasp might contain the secrets of Devilfall Valley that they all so deeply desired. As shrewd and cunning as Wang Tiangu was, he found himself wavering between two extremely difficult choices.
When the white-clothed old man saw their hesitation, he understood them perfectly. He also felt some fear towards Han Li’s Celestial Ice Flames. Moreover, if he were to leave this place to deal with Han Li, the Marquis may escape. Although Marquis Nanlong’s injuries were severe, three early Nascent Soul cultivators didn’t have much hope of remaining steadfast against his formidable secret techniques.
He also found himself hesitant as to what to do.
In a flash of lightning, Han Li appeared at the top of the stairs. He strangely smiled at Wang Tiangu and company before pointing to the black mountain. The black mountain trembled and disappeared in an instant, only to appear above them and dropping down with all its might.
None had expected that Han Li would launch such a sudden attack, to their fury.
However, even the white-clothed old man didn’t dare to take on the mountain’s might alone. They could only helplessly dodge out of the way as the mountain fell down.
This was finally the moment Marquis Nanlong chose to strike. His eyes brightened and he transformed into a blinding streak of golden light, charging directly towards the old woman. In her fright, the old woman’s body flashed with yellow light, summoning a small yellow shield to block the Marqui
s’ approach. In an instant, gold and yellow light intertwined, but eventually the golden light engulfed the old woman.
When the others saw this, they instantly struck without any further thought and attempted to restrain the Marquis.
But through some unknown secret technique, the golden light on his body became increasingly dense. At that same moment, he released several powerful ancient treasures to enter the fray. He didn’t appear to be at the slightest disadvantage in this chaotic battle.
The others were completely occupied in their alarm and couldn’t pay any attention to Han Li’s actions.
When Han Li saw this, he was satisfied and pointed once more to the black mountain. It shrunk to several inches in a gust of wind and shot back into his hand. He then turned his gaze towards the violet blood mist with a stern expression on his face.
With pupils glowing with blue light, Han Li gazed at a certain portion of the mist. He raised his hand without any hesitation and black light began to surge through it. A dense mass of black-red light shot out from his palm towards the mist, discharging the Yin Devil Execution.
A wretched scream came from the blood mist, but Han Li had already disappeared with a flash of lightning.
Even if Wang Chan somehow managed to survive the strike, his injuries would be grave. While he did wish to take advantage of this opportunity to ensure Wang Chan’s death, he was certain that Wang Tiangu would come to Wang Chan’s aid. When that moment came, he would be tied down in a battle against Wang Tiangu, attracting much danger onto himself.
In any case, Han Li would always have the ability to kill a trifling late Core Formation cultivator like Wang Chang, so he had no need to risk his safety now. As such, he immediately fled after making his attack.
Han Li’s figure appeared at the exit of the building in a blur, and he flew straight towards the hall’s entrance. Along the way, a white streak of light flew into Han Li’s sleeve from the corner of the hall. It appeared to be a small white fox.
“Master, I—” Silvermoon spoke with an excited tone.
Han Li flew straight out the hall and gloomily interrupted, “Now is not the time to talk. Leave it for when we’re out of danger.”
When Han Li broke through the Wondrous Soul Restriction, he deliberately used a flash of dazzling light to hide a gap in the restriction that he created. In that instant, he had Silvermoon go through. Afterwards, he deliberately stalled for time as he dissolved the formation. It was for this reason that Han Li had taken such efforts to break through the Wondrous Soul restriction, not on the mere basis of priority selection.
From how excited Silvermoon appeared, it seemed she had reaped quite a bit of profit from the pavilion.
Having taken the initiative to seize the treasures, Han Li had refused Marquis Nanlong’s proposal to fight together and simply chose to prioritize his own escape.
Chapter 704: Mileshed Line
In the instant Han Li shot through the entrance of the hall, he felt an earth-shaking rumble from behind him. Alarmed, Han Li hastily turned his gaze around.
He saw that the Jadepier Pavilion suddenly ruptured to reveal a blazing golden sun that was three meters wide. It flew out from rubble, carrying a faint silhouette. It appeared Marquis Nanlong had executed some sort of secret technique.
Han Li was shaken by the sight. The Jadepier Pavilion wasn’t an ordinary building. Han Li doubted his own ability to break through its walls, but Marquis Nanlong was able to turn it into rubble in a single blow. It seemed the full might of a Nascent Soul cultivator wasn’t a simple matter in the least.
With his attention back to the matter at hand, Han Li flew into the center of the hall and glanced at the restored walls around him. He raised his hand without any further thought and flickered his finger. A meter long streak of sword light flew out from his hand and struck the opposing wall.
A rough hole was cut in the wall. Then in a flash of white light, the hole disappeared without a trace.
Han Li frowned. Just as he thought of another method to break it, his expression suddenly changed and he turned around in an instantaneous blur.
Marquis Nanlong was standing there about ten meters behind him. His body was glaring with dazzling golden light but his complexion was deathly pale.
Han Li’s eyes gazed past him towards the pavilion. He simply saw that a huge dome of golden light was covering the pavilion. Occasional flashes of black and white light could be seen within along with the faint sounds of explosions.
A trace of shock appeared on Han Li’s face.
Through the use of some sort of heaven-defying technique, he managed to trap the others inside for the time being, giving him the time to escape.
“The outer restrictions need to be opened with the formation flag. Fellow Daoist Han, since I only have a single formation flag, it will take some more time. I will have to trouble you to delay them. Although the might of my ancient treasure may be great, I don’t know how much longer they will be trapped. They could break out at any moment.”
Marquis Nanlong forced a smile and flipped his hand. He held a small fluttering yellow flag in his hand and began to mutter incantations without delay. It appeared he didn’t have the slightest fear of Han Li attacking him.
Han Li’s gaze flickered and he quickly slapped his storage pouch. An emerald-green formation plate appeared in his hand, the magic tool that he had used to break through the Wondrous Soul Restriction.
He quickly drew several azure talisman characters into the air and blew them onto the formation plate, causing it to brightly shine with azure light.
Han Li formed an incantation gesture with his hands and softly shouted, “Rise!” Apart from the side that Marquis Nanlong was facing, the walls turned back to blue crystal, sealing off the hall once more.
Marquis Nanlong ceased his incantation at the sight and joyfully said, “You are able to control the Wondrous Soul Formation?”
Revealing not a trace of pride, Han Li sullenly said, “I’m not even capable of mustering even a tenth of its original power. It won’t be able to hold them for long either. Brother Nanlong had best open the way before they break through.”
When Marquis Nanlong heard this, he discovered that the crystal walls were far darker than they were originally, and his expression of joy suddenly vanished. He then tossed the small flag, having it disappear into the wall in a trace of light before continuing with his incantation.
At that same moment, he heard deafening rumbles from behind him and saw that the crystal walls had begun to sparkle. The thunderous explosions were clear to hear. It seems they’ve managed to break through the Marquis’ ancient treasure and have begun their attack on the crystal walls.
Han Li glanced at the stone wall and saw it was faintly glowing with white light before turning his gaze back to the blue crystal walls. After some slight hesitation, he tossed a spirit beast pouch into the air, summoning a swarm of black-tainted Gold Devouring Beetles. With the formation of an incantation gesture, the beetles swarm frantically surrounded Han Li and transformed into tri-colored armor.
An odd expression momentarily appeared on the Marquis’ face when he saw Han Li executing the Insect Armor Technique. But since their need for escape was urgent, he left the matter alone.
A short moment later, the crystal walls violently trembled as if on the verge of collapse. Likewise, the stone wall also began to shake and part amongst the white light, revealing the stairway ahead of them.
As soon as Marquis Nanlong saw this, his body pulsed in golden light and he shot out. Behind him, Han Li’s Thunderstorm Wings flapped with golden lightning and suddenly disappeared from sight.
A moment later, Han Li appeared in front of Marquis Nanlong and appeared in midair. But soon, he saw a clear explosion from down below.
With an expression of alarm, Han Li flapped his Thunderstorm Wings once more and he instantly arrived at the exit of the stairs. Afterwards, he employed his lightning movement to its fullest extent and began to flicker into
the distance.
Just as Han Li flew a kilometer away, an ear-piercing cry came from the stairs, followed by a ball of blinding golden light streaking across the sky.
The Marquis flew once around and announced in an icy, resentful tone, “Take this to heart; you had best avoid falling into my hands or I will exterminate both your body and soul!”
Once this oath was finished, his golden light gleamed and began to appear indistinct. Just as a silver light shot out from the mountain entrance, the golden radiance suddenly turned exceptionally slim and flickered several times before tearing through the sky at an immense speed. In nearly a single breath, it had disappeared from sight.
At that moment, Han Li was already on the edge of the sky, appearing as an intermittently flickering dot.
Closely following the silver light, a streak of black light faded away to reveal a silhouette. Wang Tiangu solemnly asked, “What movement techniques are they using to travel so quickly?”
The silver light faded away to reveal the white-clothed old man. He gloomily said, “Marquis Nanlong is using a secret technique that was personally created by Master Cang Kun, Mileshed Line. By consuming vast amounts of vitality and blood essence, one is able to instantly travel into a distance in light as thin as a thread. It makes their aura entirely hidden so that they cannot be tracked. While he truly hasn’t traveled too far away, it will be impossible to detect him with spiritual sense. As for that Youngster Han, he seems to be controlling lightning through use of those strange wings. It should be the instant lightning movement of legend!”
At that moment, the old woman and the tan cultivator both shot out from the passage and heard of the old man’s words.
With a pale and uneasy expression, the old woman asked, “Given how fantastic their movement techniques are, they’ll be able to make a clean escape! What should we do?”
The tan cultivator now appeared in complete disarray, “That Youngster Han is of little consequence, but if Marquis Nanlong escapes, it will be great cause for trouble. Fellow Daoists Wang and Yun, we only agreed to collude against Marquis Nanlong because of you two!”
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