Yuan Cha sighed and clasped her hands in an incantation gesture. Silver light wrapped around her and flared, turning into a small silver sun.
Within the light, the wolf howls continuously sounded out and soon after, an astonishing pressure descended onto the world.
Under the strain of this sudden weight, the world began to violently tremble as if would soon crack.
The silver light then pulsed and wildly expanded, disappearing to reveal a huge two-headed wolf the size of a mountain.
There was a silver head that had its eyes shut, but the black one raised its head with gritted teeth and possessed fury in its eyes.
The wolf’s claws appeared incredibly incisive and its heads were the size of small buildings. But the sheer gargantuan mass and spiritual pressure caused everyone who glanced upon it to feel their blood run cold.
Chapter 1050: Reappearance of the Blood Blade
Following the huge wolf’s descent into the world, Han Li and the others slowly surrounded a silhouette glowing in red light.
The four stared at the person with unrestrained hostility.
Both the Silver-winged Night Fiend and the Lion Hawk observed from a distance, not willing to involve themselves.
“Fellow Daoists, why are you surrounding me? I haven’t done anything to offend you!”
The silhouette was a man about fifty years of age with a kindly appearance — Master Scatterwind. His eyes were wildly glancing at each cultivator that surrounded him.
“Why are you acting so stealthy after just arriving? If you don’t have any sinister designs, you should’ve come with some other scheme in mind,” Grand Immortal Xu said.
“Fellow Daoist must be joking. I only risked coming in knowing that there were so many experts here. Since I don’t know who is friendly, it is only natural to be careful,” Master Scatterwind jabbered.
“Is that so? Then why did you hide by my side? Fellow Daoist’s movement techniques are truly wondrous. If it weren’t for the Keen Spirit Peacock’s light sweeping past you, I fear you would’ve remained undiscovered.” Lin Yinping raised her brow with an unsightly expression.
“You are mistaken, that’s...”
Master Scatterwind smiled and thought to give an explanation, but Han Li cut him off with a cold voice, “Before I entered the pagoda, didn’t you attack me? I caught a glimpse of you from behind when you fled. Furthermore, the malevolent blood Qi of that vicious blade is faintly present on your body. It must’ve devoured many Nascent Soul cultivators. On the way, I spotted all those who entered with you— all dead. Hehe...”
Grand Immortal Xu and Lin Yinping felt their hearts tremble.
Scatterwind’s smile froze and he immediately shook his head, refuting, “Fellow Daoist Han, don’t joke around. There is no blood Qi on me. Why would a vagrant have a heaven-defying treasure that could kill cultivators of the same grade? How can you accuse me so casually without any evidence?”
“Evidence? That’s hilarious. Those dead bodies are enough!” Han Li’s expression turned cold and his voice harsh. He then spat out an inch-large golden blade in a direct attack towards Scatterwind.
Grand Immortal Xu and Lin Yinping exchanged a glance and made no attempt to block him.
“Mercy, please! This is a misunderstanding!” Scatterwind was alarmed and he continuously uttered refutations, summoning a blue flying sword with a shake of his sleeve to block Han Li’s attack.
The two weapons fluttered in the air as they battled, filling the space with violent eruptions and flashes.
Han Li sneered.
He clasped his hand in an incantation gesture and golden light flared from his sword. The blue blade cried out, falling to the ground in broken shards.
In his fright, Master Scatterwind raised his arm and summoned an azure shield in front of him, but it too was shredded by Han Li’s swordlight without any resistance.
Even Grand Immortal Xu raised his brow at such power.
After all, auric essence was a rarely seen material in this world. Han Li’s incredibly incisive sword inspired deep vigilance in him.
The golden streak took this opportunity to chop down at the head.
Master Scatterwind’s expression wavered and white light suddenly flashed from beneath him as he shot away.
But in a similar flash of black-white light, Gui Ling blocked his path, much to his alarm. He could only twist his body and change direction.
Strangely enough, Immortal Xu assisted to block his way as well, forcing Master Scatterwind to come to a stop.
After a short moment of delay, golden light arrived above his head and hummed, splitting into copies of itself.
Master Scatterwind found it was too late to dodge and a trace of fury appeared on his face. With a wave of his sleeve, crimson light streaked out and attacked the golden swordlights, scattering them and pushing back the original sword ten meters. The crimson light trembled and quickly duplicated itself a dozen times before giving chase.
Repeated clangs pounded out as crimson light immersed the golden sword, filling the air with the stench of death.
Even well experienced cultivators such as themselves still found the scent of blood unpleasant.
Han Li narrowed his eyes as this unfolded, but his expression remained calm as if he wasn’t concerned for the sword in the slightest.
Grand Immortal Xu looked at Han Li with astonishment. Wasn’t that his soulbound magic treasure?
Master Scatterwind also sensed something amiss and pointed at the air with a sullen expression. The crimson light withdrew and spun around his head before revealing itself to be a half-foot-long blade. It was scarlet and a faint mist of blood enveloped it.
“So it was you!” Han Li examined at the short blade and asked, “That’s a replica of the Devil Dragon Blade, isn’t it?”
When Han Li mentioned the name of the Devil Dragon Blade, the others felt shaken. Even the demons couldn't help but look at the blade with surprise.
Master Scatterwind didn’t reply and instead looked at Han Li’s golden sword with amazement.
Although Han Li’s sword endured so many strikes, not even a single mark scarred its surface, much to the astonishment of Scatterwind.
“Don’t waste your breath. My flying sword is quite special. Even if your blade were stronger, destroying it is an impossible task.” Han Li faintly smiled and raised his hand in the air, recalling it back towards him.
“...You don’t intend on killing me?” Master Scatterwind was utterly bewildered when he saw this.
“Kill you? Why would I do that?” Han Li grimly smiled, “You haven’t killed anyone I was close to, and I don’t intend on taking revenge on behalf of the others. If you truly aren’t the person I suspect, there is no point. Rather, since you possess such a powerful treasure, we can form an alliance.”
“Fellow Daoist Han means...” Grand Immortal Xu stirred as he faintly guessed Han Li’s intentions.
“If we want to leave, we’ll have no choice but to rely on brute force,” Han Li sullenly said, “Although the Black Wind Flag is a genuine Divine Spirit Treasure, the Devil Ancestor is distracted and incapable of using its full power. If we forcefully attack a single point in the seal, we should have an opportunity to shatter it.”
After experiencing entrapment in the Spirit Ether Garden after the events of Devilfall Valley, he had some grasp of their situation.
However, his proposal would only work if he could find a weak point, but on the other hand, there were many Nascent Soul cultivators trapped together. If they joined hands, it should be possible to break the seal without a weak point.
After a moment of thought, Grand Immortal Xu said, “Fellow Daoist Han’s words are reasonable. What does Nightfiend think?”
The Silver-winged Nightfiend looked at Master Scatterwind for a time and an odd expression appeared in his eyes. “This cultivator’s blade does appear quite powerful. If it can break us out from here, then let’s at least give it a try!”
Han Li
faintly nodded and turned to Master Scatterwind. “You heard us. We still don’t have your stance on the matter. If you help us in breaking the seal, you’ll be helping yourself as well. You don’t want that devil to consume your Nascent Soul after all.”
Master Scatterwind’s expression remained calm, but his eyes stirred as he considered Han Li’s proposal.
Eventually, Master Scatterwind asked, “After we depart, we’ll head on our own way, right? You won’t use this opportunity to settle accounts?”
Grand Immortal Xu coldly snorted and disdainfully said, “In the past, we’ve suffered much at the hands of the Righteous Dao. So long as you don’t intend on acting against us, who would bother to find trouble with you?”
Master Scatterwind smiled, “Agreed. If those fellows from the High Zenith Sect were here, I’d hesitate, but I have no reason to refuse now.”
Han Li felt somewhat surprised that they had come to an agreement so quickly.
Then, they promptly discussed their plan of action.
In order to eliminate the seal trapping them in, they would need to produce the greatest amount of attack power, but this didn’t mean a simultaneous attack. After all, with their various types of attacks muddling together, it could produce an opposite result.
After the discussion went on for a moment, Immortal Xu turned to Han Li and said, “Fellow Daoist Han, I recall that you have an ally hidden nearby. Won’t you have him join us in our talks? His flying saber is quite powerful.”
The nightfiend and others turned to look at him.
Han Li inwardly cursed at that clever Immortal Xu, but maintained a calm exterior and coldly replied, “Don’t worry. That Daoist will naturally help us. It is too late to call him out. Because of his techniques, it is inconvenient for him to make an appearance.”
Grand Immortal Xu was displeased by his reply, but after he saw Han Li exterminate the two-headed Elder Devil with his bizarre abilities, he didn’t dare to force the issue. He could only end the matter with an annoyed snort.
Master Scatterwind wore a giggling smile ever since he agreed to the plan. But when he saw that Han Li and Grand Immortal Xu had many disagreements, a cold glint shone from his eyes.
At that moment, his expression faintly changed before he slowly lowered his head to hide his face as if he were pondering about something.
In truth, Master Scatterwind’s lips were faintly stirring as he sent voice transmissions to another person present.
A short moment later, he raised his head to the sky and wore a beaming smile, but no one seemed to notice. He then stretched his hand behind him and grew dense several-inch-long white fur from it, each one as hard as a needle.
Chapter 1051: Broken Seal
The white fur grew from Master Scatterwind’s arm and withdrew all in an instant. Afterwards, he continued his discussion with the others as if nothing had happened, mostly everyone ignorant of what had happened.
Meanwhile, none had noticed Han Li sending a thread of spiritual sense into one of his spirit beast pouches. As he calmed his riled Soul Weeping Beast, thoughts quickly churned through his mind, but he still maintained his bearing and calm voice.
In the time it took to finish a cup of tea, Han Li and the others finished discussing their plan of action. Then they blurred quickly and set off, taking out their own sets of formation tools, and setting down spell formations to boost their offensive potential.
Han Li and Grand Immortal Xu were simultaneously setting down a grand attack formation known as the Windfire Dragon Formation. Although it can’t compare to other grand formations, it was the most powerful offensive-type they could place down on short notice.
It was said once the formation was activated, it could produce attacks on the level of a full powered strike of a late-Nascent Soul cultivator using a common magic treasure.
A half-hour later, the formations were finished being placed down one after another, and they began to take charge over them.
Han Li and the Grand Immortal Xu decided to take joint charge of the Windflame Dragon Formation.
It was a laughable situation. The two were irreconcilable enemies, but they were quickly forced into such a ragtag alliance.
Grand Immortal Xu stared at the grey mist barrier sealing them and raised his hand, releasing a ball of white light and pounding against the wall. However, the ball didn’t rupture. It simply floated in the air and sparkled, indicating a clear marker.
He then bluntly said, “In a moment, everyone will attack this point!”
The others remained silent in tacit agreement.
Grand Immortal Xu then shot a glance at Han Li and nodded.
He gave a faint smile in response and cast an incantation gesture without another word. He flicked his fingers around him and began to launch spell seals. In the blink of an eye, several tens of spell formations began to light up and hum.
Grand Immortal Xu took a shallow breath and a fire-red light sparked from his hand. He pressed it against the ground, and in the glow of red light, he activated a few formation plates buried deep into the ground.
The space suddenly trembled before a dozen pillars of crimson flame shot up from the ground. Each pillar was a foot thick and emitted a scorching heat as if the very air was being lit aflame.
At the same time, Han Li flipped his hand and produced a faint azure formation plate.
He slapped his other hand on top of it and it began to flicker with light. The spell formation immediately glittered, releasing hums as a dozen flood dragons condensed from the blue winds inside. Following an incantation, they all charged towards a different pillar of flame.
Wind and fire merged together to form a dozen windflame flood dragons, combining the intensity of fire and momentum of wind.
As soon as the dragons took form, Grand Immortal Xu’s face lit up and he harshly shouted, “Attack!”
Then, he spat out an azure pearl, and the Keen Spirit Peacock circling above its head flapped its wings, releasing a wave of rainbow light, bursting with astonishing speed.
The others then activated their contributing spell formations and released their own abilities and attacks in an unreadable sequence
World-shaking explosions shattered without end. Bursts of light repeatedly flared with gigantic momentum, causing the entire space to tremble.
Han Li flung his sleeve and released several tens of flying swords into the air. Soon after, they duplicated themselves to create a swarm of several hundred sword-lights. When the others saw the force that they carried, they were reminded of the sharpness his swords originally carried, and their expressions faintly shifted. Their fear towards him had grown a tad heavier.
Not caring of what the others thought, Han Li commanded the swordlights with a spell seal and they instantly condensed into a huge sword that was over thirty meters long. After it was struck with another spell seal, a layer of golden lightning arced from its surface and thunder rang out.
Despite the huge sword’s completion, Han Li didn’t immediately set off on his attack. With a soft shout, he flung the formation plate up into the air.
He clasped his hands in an incantation gesture and then pointed at several different spots on the plate, causing it to tremble each time before rapidly eroding in a muffled burst, raining down azure light that was quickly absorbed by the formation.
With the newfound power, the spell flags flared blindingly, and the dozen huge windflame flood dragons began to rage. With roaring cries, the dragons surged several times in size and charged forward with brandished claws and fangs.
The windflame flood dragons arranged themselves in a line during the charge and struck the seal wall in succession.
This time, the grey mist violently quivered from the attacks and soon began to warp.
When the last windflame dragon exploded against the wall, the residual energy of the attacks concentrated into a huge ball of wind and fire. In a crimson flash, it was stained red and transformed into a huge blade slicing at the same location.
The brittle sound of breaking glass filled the air.
A three-meter-long crack appeared in the wall that was a foot deep. But with its appearance, black light flashed from the wall intent on mending itself. When the other cultivators saw this, they immediately rained down a mad barrage of attacks, forcefully slowing down the rate of the wall’s recovery.
It was then that Han Li took action.
The huge golden sword struck down at the crack as a bolt of lightning.
Golden light ruptured from the breach as if a golden sun had been born within it. The fissure instantly expanded and sank several times deeper. The strike of this single attack produced several times more power than all their previous strikes combined.
Even Han Li was stunned by the outcome.
It appeared that the Divine Devilbane Lightning was able to restrain the wall for the moment. Could it be that the Black Wind Flag was a Devil Dao spirit treasure?
Although Han Li felt apprehensive, the light faded away to reveal a thin barrier of white light past the seal.
When they saw this, they rejoiced, but before anyone could launch an attack, an inch-large blade silently appeared in front of the crack and blurred out of sight. With one final bang, the thin white wall flickered with black light and shattered to pieces, producing a ten-meter-large hole that led to a familiar scene.
They felt instant relief at the sight and in a silver flash, a silhouette appeared in front of the opening in a strange fashion and passed through it first. It was Han Li’s human-like puppet.
The others that were originally hesitant turned flustered by this. Without much more thought, they used their various teleportation techniques to follow through.
A pair of silver wings also appeared behind Han Li, but he didn’t immediately follow through. Instead, a strange expression momentarily flashed from his face and his lips stirred.
Gui Ling came to a sudden stop with a bewildered expression on her face when she saw this. She had already arrived in front of the opening in a white-black streak.
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