Han Li's expression faltered slightly as he turned toward that direction.
That voice was rather familiar; it seemed to belong to Yuan Yao. Could it be that she was engaged in battle here?
Even though Han Li couldn't be sure of this, he still flew toward that direction as a streak of azure light after a brief pause for contemplation.
The black fireballs hadn't exploded very far away from Han Li, so it only took him moments to cover the distance of tens of thousands of feet as a streak of azure light, thereby arriving near the area.
Han Li focused his gaze up ahead, upon which his expression changed slightly.
Over 1,000 feet away from him, there were several hundred crimson skeletons with disproportionally massive and thin and long limbs shooting one crimson arrow after another, surrounding and attack over 100 Yin Armor Profound Ghosts.
At the center of these profound ghosts, two black-robed women stood, one with a small black vial in her hand while the other was wielding a black banana leaf fan. They were unleashing balls of black flames with those treasures to assist the ghostly soldiers, trying to keep the barrage of attacks from the crimson skeletons at bay with all their might.
The black flames were quite powerful, and the long weapons being wielded by the Yin Armor Profound Ghosts were certainly nothing to be scoffed at, either, but their opponents were even more bizarre.
Not only were these skeletons able to leap astonishing distances like grasshoppers, they moved like the wind, and the crimson arrows they unleashed seemed to be able to somewhat repress the black flames as well as the Yin winds from the weapons of the profound ghosts. With several hundred skeletons attacking in unison, most of the black flames were forcibly doused before even reaching their targets. Even the skeletons that were struck by stray wisps of these black flames merely stumbled and slowed down slightly, but they didn't appear to have been severely injured at all.
Meanwhile, these crimson arrows were also very effective against the Yin Armor Profound Ghosts.
The black suits of armor worn by these ghostly soldiers had certain defensive properties, but after being struck by about a dozen arrows, the armor would undoubtedly be shattered, and the ghostly soldier would also dissipate as balls of black Qi.
By the time Han Li had reached the scene, the two black-robed women were desperately unleashing the powers of their treasures, and seven or eight more of the ghostly soldiers around them were felled in the blink of an eye. Their situation was a very perilous one.
These two women were naturally none other than Yuan Yao and Yan Li.
Han Li narrowed his eyes to inspect his surroundings, but didn't discover any other powerful ghosts lurking nearby. Thus, he stepped in without any further hesitation.
He flapped his wings and abruptly disappeared on the spot, appearing in the air above the two women in the next instant.
He swept his sleeve through the air, and 72 golden flying swords shot forth, transforming into several hundred streaks of golden sword Qi that rained down in a torrential downpour.
Any crimson skeletons that were struck by the sword Qi were sliced into countless pieces like a hot knife through butter.
However, an extremely harrowing scene then immediately ensued.
Crimson light flashed from the surface of the remains of all of the crimson skeletons, and they all disintegrated into balls of blood-like liquid. They then converged to form a massive vibrant red ghostly being.
Han Li raised his eyebrows upon seeing this, and he raised a pristine white hand before thrusting his palm toward the giant crimson ghost that was slowly taking shape.
All of a sudden, five large skeleton projections appeared above his fingertips, following which a vast expanse of five-colored glacial flames came crashing down.
As soon as the glacial flames inundated the giant crimson ghost, it was transformed into a huge ice sculpture, and was completely immobilized as a result.
Han Li then flicked a finger to send forth an arc of golden lightning that struck the ice sculpture amid a loud thunderclap!
The ice sculpture was instantly shattered by the arc of lightning, and the massive ghostly being was slain before it even had a chance to unleash any of its powers.
Yuan Yao and Yan Li had witnessed everything from down below, and their mouths had gaped open with shock.
These ghostly beings had almost been the death of them, yet Han Li had eradicated all of them in virtually the blink of an eye.
That was downright astonishing to them.
Yan Li was the first one to recover her composure, and she hurriedly extended a curtsey toward Han Li with a smile on her face. "Thank you for saving us, Brother Han!"
The astonishment on Yuan Yao's face was also replaced by a gorgeous smile that resembled the beauty of countless exuberant flowers blossoming at once. "If you'd come here any later, we'd most likely have been dead already, Brother Han."
Even Han Li was slightly entranced by her smile, but he quickly composed himself before asking, "Why are the two of you here? Weren't you with one of the demon monarchs? And what about these ghostly soldiers..."
"Weren't you with Fairy Mu Qing as well, Brother Han? We were separated in the same way that you were separated from everyone else. As for these Yin Armor Profound Ghosts, the two of us participated in their refinement process, so we'll able to control some of them. However, these are all that's left of the profound ghosts under our control, and it was all thanks to their protection that we were able to survive to this point," Yan Li explained with a smile.
"This ambush was most likely led by a ghostly being with an extremely high level of intelligence. Otherwise, there was no way that such a massive and organized trap could've been sprung. They clearly want to kill all of us in one fell swoop," Han Li said with a nod of his head.
Yuan Yao's face paled slightly, and she chewed down on her lower lip before asking, "Your analysis is quite plausible, Brother Han. What do you intend to do now? We've been surrounded by far too many ghostly beings for us to kill."
Han Li didn't give a direct reply. Instead, a peculiar look appeared on his face as he said, "Have you not noticed? Up to this point, we've only encountered low-grade and mid-grade ghostly beings, but we haven't even seen a single high-grade ghost."
"What you're saying is..." Yan Li faltered slightly before catching the gist of Han Li's words.
"That's right, those Spatial Tempering Stage ghostly beings are most likely busy battling Liu Zu and the others. Otherwise, even if just a few of them were to appear, we'd be in severe danger," Han Li mused as he stroked his chin.
"What are you trying to say, Brother Han? Please make yourself clearer," Yuan Yao prompted.
"I simply think that the situation is not looking very good, and it's also quite chaotic, but at the same time, it also presents to us a brilliant opportunity to get away from the demon monarchs," Han Li said in a slow voice.
"So what you're suggesting is..." Yan Li's smile faded, and was replaced by a grim expression.
"That's right. If we can get out of this place, then the demon monarchs won't be able to come after us. We just have to find a place where pure Yin Qi has materialized so we can wipe away the tracking marks in my body. With the size of the infernal river, even if the demon monarchs try to come after us, it'd be like searching for a needle in a haystack," Han Li proposed.
Yuan Yao and Yan Li glanced at one another, and both of them were quite tempted by this proposition.
After holding a brief discussion through voice transmission, the two women finally made up their minds. "Alright, we'll do as you say, Brother Han. Here in this infernal river, the two of us are in constant peril, and we'd also like nothing better than to get away from these demon monarchs."
A hint of elation flashed through Han Li's eyes, but he quickly furrowed his brows in with concern again. "Now that we're on the same page, the first hurdle in our way is this ghostly mist. I've been searching for a way out for hours to no avail."
; "You're troubled by this ghostly mist, Brother Han? With our pitiful powers, we wouldn't be able to provide assistance in many other areas, but don't forget that Junior Martial Sister Yuan and I are using Ghost Dao cultivation arts, and we also possess semi-ghostly bodies!" Yan Li chuckled upon hearing this.
Han Li faltered slightly initially before his expression lit up with elation. "Are you saying you have a way to get out of this place, Fellow Daoist Yan?"
"The Yin Yang Reincarnation Arts that we're cultivating may not be extremely useful in battle, but it's provided us with many other abilities. All you have to do is follow us, and we'll lead you out of this ghostly mist. In reality, we were planning to escape from this mist as well, but we were unable to do so as we kept on being attacked by ghostly beings," Yuan Yao explained with a slightly smug expression on her face.
Chapter 1485: White Shadow
Han Li repressed the excitement in his heart as he said, "It wouldn't be wise to delay any longer, so let's leave right away. Otherwise, we're only going to be attacked by more of those ghostly beings."
The two women had no objections to this, and they immediately departed with what remained of their ghostly soldiers. Along the way, Yuan Yao and Yan Li gathered together, holding hands mid-flight as they began to chant something in unison.
Black and white spiritual light then flashed from their bodies, following which they opened their mouths to expel a bead each, one of which was black while the other was white.
The two beads then combined as one to form a fist-sized black and white eyeball.
Meanwhile, Yan Li and Yuan Yao both closed their eyes, but the black and white eyeball glanced around at their surroundings before immediately leading the trio toward a certain direction.
Han Li was a little skeptical of this strange secret technique, but he could only follow the two women.
"Brother Han, using our Ghost Dao secret technique, we'll be able to escape this ghostly mist, but we can't change directions along the way. Otherwise, all of our prior efforts would go to waste," Yan Li suddenly cautioned.
Han Li's expression changed slightly upon hearing this, and he asked, "Does that mean that if we encounter any other ghostly beings along the way, we'll have to force our way through them?"
"That's right. Now you should know why we were still unable to escape from this mist even with this secret technique," Yan Li replied with a wry smile.
"Hmph, as long as we don't encounter any beings of the same caliber as the demon monarchs, we'll just have to crash right through them. All of the truly powerful ghostly beings should be engaged in battle with the demon monarchs anyway, so we shouldn't encounter any substantial obstacles," Han Li chuckled coldly.
Even though Yan Li had seen Han Li in action not long ago, she was still surprised by how confident he was, and a peculiar look appeared on her face.
Han Li immediately identified the skepticism in her eyes, and asked, "Do you think I'm being overconfident, Fellow Daoist Yan?"
"That's not the case! I'm not overly familiar with you, but I've heard on countless occasions from my junior martial sister about your ability to easily slay beings of the same cultivation base in the human world," Yan Li chuckled with pursed lips.
Han Li was rather surprised to hear this, and he cast a glance at Yuan Yao just in time to see a faint blush appear on her cheeks.
Han Li fell silent thereafter.
"Fellow Daoist Han, for you to be so confident surely indicates that your powers are comparable to that of a Spatial Tempering Stage being, right?" Yan Li asked.
"As long as we don't encounter any late-Spatial Tempering Stage beings, I can put up a fight," Han Li replied calmly. This was not the time for excessive modesty, so he merely told the truth.
"Tsk tsk, I really don't understand how you were able to cultivate your abilities. Back when Junior Martial Sister Yuan and I first met you, you were still a Qi Condensation cultivator, yet you're now as powerful as Spatial Tempering Stage beings. When I think about it, it feels like I'm in a dream," Yan Li clicked her tongue with wonder.
"Why do you sound so sad, Fellow Daoist Yan?" Han Li asked.
"Not really, it's just that both my junior martial sister and I cultivated the Yin Yang Reincarnation Arts, and I'm not sure whether this is a blessing or a curse, nor how we're supposed to progress in our future cultivation. Will we be forced to convert ourselves completely into ghostly beings and forego our humanity just to further our cultivation path?" Yan Li heaved a forlorn sigh.
Yuan Yao's expression also became rather downcast upon hearing this.
Han Li's brows furrowed, and he was silent for a moment before speaking again. "I don't know much about Ghost Dao cultivation arts, but what I do know is that the Spirit Realm is a land of miracles. Even those without spiritual roots can attain them here, and as long as you two haven't completely become ghostly beings, there should be a way to recover your former bodies given the countless incredible secret techniques in the Spirit Realm."
"Is that true? Is there really a way for us to return to our former bodies in this Spirit Realm?" Both Yuan Yao and Yan Li were ecstatic to hear this.
"Your Yin Yang Reincarnation Arts are indeed quite unique, but I don't think it's an irreversible cultivation art. If I’m not mistaken, you two should be able to recover your former human bodies as long as you dissipate the Yin Qi within your bodies. However, the process will most likely be quite painful and arduous, and your cultivation bases will most likely be damaged as well. As for the specific method to accomplish this, it's best to do some thorough research on the matter after we return to human race territory," Han Li said in a meaningful voice.
"If we can recover our former human bodies, having to endure some pain and sacrifice some of our cultivation bases is nothing!" Yuan Yao replied in a resolute manner.
Yan Li also nodded in agreement.
Han Li smiled in response, yet just as he was about to say something else, his expression abruptly darkened as he disappeared into the mist up ahead as a streak of azure light.
The two women faltered momentarily before glancing at one another.
Moments later, ghostly howls erupted from the mist up ahead, following which a dozen or so streaks of grey Yin Qi burst into the air. However, the commotion abruptly subsided after a few streaks of golden sword Qi vanquished these streaks of Yin Qi.
Han Li then returned to the two women as a streak of azure light.
"Let's keep going. Those were just a few ordinary ghostly beings," Han Li said in a calm manner.
"Ordinary?" Yan Li and Yuan Yao were both completely speechless. They weren't able to witness the battle that had just taken place due to the dense mist in their path, but those streaks of Yin Qi were extremely powerful and clearly not something normal ghostly beings were capable of unleashing.
The fact that Han Li was able to vanquish them so easily further cemented their belief in him.
Thus, they continued to focus on controlling the eyeball they'd conjured up, searching for the correct route to take.
Along the way, all of the ghostly beings they encountered were slain in mere moments by Han Li.
They'd even stumbled upon a few relative large-scaled battles between the earth abyss demon beasts and other ghostly beings, but Han Li was still able to lay waste to those ghostly beings in what seemed like the blink of an eye to carve out a path.
The two women and the remaining ghostly soldiers continued onward.
The earth abyss demon beasts had thought that their saviors had arrived, only for Han Li's trio to quickly disappear into the distance, and after a brief period of dumbstruck inactivity, they could only continue to fight for their lives.
Han Li's trio enjoyed relatively good luck along their journey, encountering no troublesome ghosts, nor large hordes of ghostly beings, thereby allowing them to progress in a smooth manner.
Several hours later, the mist around them finally began to thin out, and the ghostly beings they encountered also became fewe
r and far in between.
Han Li and the others were naturally ecstatic to see this. They knew that they'd taken the right route and were close to the edge of the mist.
After slaying a few more ghostly beings, Han Li was just about to lead the two women and the ghostly soldiers on a final charge when his expression suddenly changed, and he abruptly came to a halt as a grim expression appeared on his face.
Yuan Yao's heart jolted upon seeing this, and she asked, "What is it, Brother Han?"
Yan Li also looked on with bewilderment in her eyes.
Unfortunately, their spiritual sense was rather limited, so they weren't able to glean the scenes up ahead.
"Looks like leaving this place won't be so easy, after all," Han Li replied expressionlessly. Right at this moment, a female giggling voice suddenly sounded from within the thin mist up ahead. The giggling grew louder and louder, reaching them in the blink of an eye and ringing out in all directions.
Yan Li and Yuan Yao initially paid no heed to this. After all, with their semi-ghostly bodies, such simple Ghost Dao captivation techniques wouldn't be able to harm them in the slightest.
However, within moments from when the laughter first erupted around them, the two women were suddenly struck by a sense of feebleness, and their eyelids drooped as if they'd suddenly become countless times heavier.
Yuan Yao reacted quite quickly, forcibly retaining a hint of clarity in her mind to try and repress this debilitating sensation.
However, when she tried to summon the Yin power within her body, her heart immediately sank as panic surged through her heart.
She discovered that there wasn't a single trace of Yin power left for her to draw upon! "What's going on?" Yuan Yao knew that her current condition definitely had something to do with what giggling female voice, but the overwhelming wave of sleepiness was too much for her to resist. Her eyes slowly fell shut, and her body swayed as if she were about to collapse at any moment.
Yan Li was in the same boat, and some of the Yin Armor Profound Ghosts had even dropped their weapons before plummeting from the sky.
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