At this moment, the giant bird had also changed directions to pursue the midget, and it was greeted by the sight of a sea of black mist. "Yin Qi!" He almost immediately identified this black mist to be extremely pure Yin Qi. If a normal cultivator were to be caught off guard and ventured into the mist, they would be instantly reduced to a shriveled corpse. However, a peculiar look flashed through Han Li's eyes upon seeing this.
Before the giant bird had even issued any instructions, the Weeping Soul Beast suddenly let loose a cry of excitement. It then thumped its fists into its chest before letting loose a cold harrumph, expelling a vast expanse of yellow light from its nostrils toward the black mist.
The massive bird also let loose a clear cry, and it flapped its wings as the arcs of lightning surging all over its body exploded in unison, transforming into a dazzling ball of lightning.
After the lightning disappeared, a loud thunderclap rang out, following which a bolt of white lightning as thick as a water tank emerged in the air above the sea of black mist.
The giant bird emerged from within the bolt of lightning, then circled around the in the air before swooping down toward the black mist down below. At this moment, the pale-faced being was lurking within the mist while holding a black flag in his hand, and as opposed to being enraged or alarmed by Han Li's actions, he was ecstatic! He let loose a loud cry before abruptly waving his flag through the air, upon which a vast expanse of black mist surged upward into the air to manifest a black ghostly face that was around an acre in size. The ghostly face was like a living being with green flames flashing in its eye sockets, and it opened its cavernous mouth as it rose up to meet the oncoming bird.
However, right at this moment, the Weeping Soul Beast's soul-devouring lights swept forth.
The ghostly face had only just risen slightly into the air when it let loose a howl of shock and horror as it became embroiled within the yellow light.
The massive face twisted and warped before disintegrating into countless bursts of black Qi that were swept up by the yellow light. Not only that, but the entire sea of black mist down below also began to churn violently in the instant that the yellow light appeared. As the yellow light passed through, the black mist was broken down into countless strands of black threads that then disappeared in a flash.
In the past, the Weeping Soul Beast had been able to combat Yin power, but it would've been quite difficult for it to absorb such a vast quantity of Yin Qi at once.
However, following its many evolutions, its soul-devouring light had become far more powerful than it had been in the past. As such, most of the black mist was swept away in virtually the blink of an eye.
Thus, the pale-faced being and the midget that were hiding within the mist were both completely revealed.
The pale-faced being was holding a flag in his hand with an incredulous look on his face, and as soon as the two beings had been exposed, the giant bird lashed out toward them with its massive talons.
Azure light flashed from the bird's wings, and it flapped them downward in unison.
Nothing amiss seemed to have taken place as a result, but both the pale-faced being and the midget suddenly felt the air tighten around them, following which an invisible mountainous force crashed down on their shoulders. The pale-faced being possessed the superior cultivation base among the two, thereby allowing him to remain standing, albeit just barely, even in the face of such fearsome pressure.
In contrast, his weaker companion let loose a muffled groan before being forced onto one knee. The azure light barrier around him became extremely warped, and a large section of it above his head had caved in significantly. At the same time, the barrier was shuddering violently, looking as if it could crumble at any moment. The midget was well aware of the immense defensive prowess that his treasure possessed, so he was extremely alarmed by this development.
Despite how much their bodies were being debilitated by this immense pressure, they certainly weren't going stand around idly and allow themselves to be killed.
Thus, the pale-faced being forcibly flicked a wrist, and the black flag transformed into a black misty wyrm that rose up into the air. At the same time, black light swirled around his bracers, and a projection flew out from each bracer.
Han Li focused his gaze to discover that this was a pair of malicious ghosts, one red and one green. Both had sinister sets of facial features with twin horns on their heads and bare upper bodies, wearing beasthide garments to conceal their lower bodies. The two ghosts raised their arms in unison, and a swath of black immediately surged forth, close behind the misty wyrm.
Meanwhile, the midget laid a hand onto the top of his own head, and a small white jade sword flew out from within, then transforming into a streak of piercing light that hurtled toward the giant talons crashing down from above. In this dire situation, the two of them seemed to finally be fighting for their lives.
A loud boom erupted up above again, and the silver battle ark suddenly unleashed countless pillars of light again, all of which hurtled directly toward the massive bird.
However, the bird continued to swoop downward, but crystalline light flashed from its body in the process, forming a crystalline shield that flew out of its body.
The shield was initially only around 10 feet in size, but in the instant that it was released, it swelled to become a giant shield that was over 200 feet in size, glittering under the sunlight in a dazzling display.
All of the pillars of light that struck the giant shield were warped and refracted toward another direction, so none of the battle ark's attacks were able to land on Han Li. The white jade sword then crashed into the giant bird's talons amid a dull thump, only to be repelled with ease.
The talons then closed around the sword like lightning, capturing it in an inescapable grasp that immobilized it no matter how much it struggled.
The talons then clamped down with even greater force, and the flying sword was shattered into several segments amid a crisp crack.
The midget down below immediately let loose a howl of anguish before throwing up several mouthfuls of blood in succession.
Meanwhile, the giant talons continued downward and they grabbed onto the azure light barrier, leaving the midget looking on with sheer horror in his eyes.
However, the azure light barrier really was quite powerful; even after the massive talons had closed around it, it managed to remain intact, even though it was creaking and groaning in an alarming manner.
On the other side, the mist wyrm absorbed the vast expanse of black light into its body, and it suddenly seemed to have attained actual substance. Its previously misty and insubstantial body had grown a layer of glossy black scales, and it let loose a menacing roar as it violently whipped its tail into the massive bird's other set of talons. Despite the bird's enormous strength, its talons really were kept at bay by the black wyrm.
A hint of surprise flashed through Han Li's eyes upon seeing this, but he then opened his cavernous beak, and a silver ball of flames suddenly shot forth from within. At the same time, the huge beak came pecking down with ferocious might.
Immediately thereafter, the black wyrm was struck by the silver fireball and began to burn in an uncontrollable manner. The black wyrm's body then rapidly shrank as if it were being devoured by the silver flames. At this moment, the gigantic bird's beak struck the azure light barrier with devastating power. The barrier was already on the brink of destruction, and it was shattered by the beak with ease.
The midget within the shattered barrier no longer had the power to resist, and his body and soul were both crushed into a cloud of blood mist by the giant talons that instantly closed around him.
Meanwhile, the pale-faced being was also in dire straits. After the black wyrm had been shrunk down to around a third of its original size, it was no longer able to withstand the massive bird's talons any longer, and was promptly destroyed. Immediately thereafter, the silver flames enveloped the massive talons before sweeping toward the pale-faced be
ing.
The pale-faced being's expression had already changed drastically after witnessing the death of his final companion, and a look of shock and horror finally appeared on his face after witnessing his own treasure failing to withstand his opponent's attacks. In his desperation, he gritted his teeth and let loose a long shrill cry. An explosive boom rang out, following which a layer of crimson light surfaced over his body, then swelled to form a ball of light comparable in size to a wagon wheel.
Even the giant talons that were enshrouded in silver flames were repelled by this ball of light, unable to land on their target.
Taking advantage of this opportunity, a faint crimson shadow shot forth from within the crimson light, covering a distance of several hundred feet in a flash, then sped to over 1,000 feet away, taking it not too far away from the remaining battle ark.
With Han Li's spirit eye ability, the crimson shadow naturally didn't escape his notice. As such, he immediately twisted around to give chase.
However, right at this moment, a pillar of golden light suddenly shot forth soundlessly and without any warning, almost instantly striking the crimson shadow that had just reappeared above the battle ark. Several arcs of golden lightning struck the crimson shadow amid a loud thunderclap, and the shadow let loose a bloodcurdling cry before being reduced to nothingness. "Divine Devilbane Lightning!" Han Li was quite startled to see this familiar golden lightning.
Chapter 1581: Sense Enhancement Bead
He cast his gaze toward the origin of the golden lightning to discover that the long-haired foreign being had already emerged from his golden ball, and that a blue humanoid puppet that was around 20 feet tall had appeared beside him.
The puppet was entirely blue in color, and one of its hands was raised with thin arcs of lightning flashing in between its fingers.
This Jia Tianmu had not only two high-grade puppets, but also a third one that was capable of unleashing Divine Devilbane Lightning! That came as quite a surprise to Han Li. However, he was only caught in a stunned stupor for an instant before flapping his wings and hurtling toward the silver battle ark as a gust of fierce winds. Azure light flashed, and his massive avian body swelled dramatically once again.
Immediately thereafter, the massive bird's talons came crashing down upon the battle ark with piercing lightning flashing alongside them.
The talons instantly pierced into the battle ark amid a string of resounding booms, and a massive hole was torn into its silver surface.
The giant bird then opened its cavernous mouth, and a thick bolt of lightning blasted forth, disappearing into the hole in a flash. Lightning flashed, and cries of anguish rang out from within the battle arks as countless Jiao Chi being's were slain in the blink of an eye. However, the giant bird didn't rest there. It flapped its wings downward in a violent manner, and a gust of fierce white winds swept forth.
It then released the massive battle arks, and the latter was swept up by the gale-force winds before plummeting toward the ground. The battle ark crashed onto the ground amid a resounding boom, and the massive bird let loose a long cry before folding its wings away, then shrinking down to its humanoid form amid a flash of azure light. Han Li cast his gaze onto the ground down below, then made a hand seal, and several tens of small azure swords appeared in unison in the surrounding area. The swords tremored before hurtling through the air as streaks of azure light, making short work of the ruined battle ark down below.
Han Li then turned his attention to the battle ark that he had previously felled, manipulating his flying swords to destroy that ark as well.
At this moment, the armored warriors and giant falcons in the surrounding area had also almost been completely eradicated by the Weeping Soul Beast and the Leopard Kirin Beast. Only a few fortunate survivors had managed to flee into the extremely far distance, but the rest of their companions had all been slain.
Han Li couldn't be bothered to send his two beasts after those beings, and he merely waved a hand through the air, upon which a black ring whizzed out of his sleeve.
The massive black ape instantly shrank down and disappeared into the black ring as a streak of black light, along with the Leopard Kirin Beast, which also returned as a streak of golden light. Han Li swept a sleeve through the air, and the black ring flew back to him before being stowed away. Only then did Han Li cast his gaze toward the distance where Jia Tianmu was standing, then suddenly flew over to him as a streak of azure light.
After just a single flash, he appeared around 10 feet before Jia Tianmu in a wraith-like manner, then appraised him in a cold and expressionless manner.
Jia Tianmu's heart stirred upon seeing this, but he quickly put on a smile before cupping his fist in a grateful salute. "Thank you for saving me, Senior; I'll be sure to fulfill my promise and reward you with a sentient puppet once we return to the Myriad Ancient Race."
"You sure are brave to have dared to drag me into your mess. Aren't you afraid that I'll kill you right now?" A hint of killing intent surfaced within Han Li's narrowed eyes.
"Surely you jest, Fellow Daoist; if you had intended to do that, I'd already be dead. Besides, I only brought you into this matter as I had no alternatives, so I hope you'll forgive me, Senior," Jia Tianmu replied with a smile."How did you know I was nearby? In my own opinion, my concealment techniques are quite effective, especially against those of a lower cultivation base than myself," Han Li suddenly asked after a brief silence.
Following a brief hesitation, Jia Tianmu opened his mouth to expel an object, which landed in his hand before he offered it up for Han Li's inspection. "Of course I wouldn't have been able to detect your presence on my own; it was all thanks to this thing."
Han Li focused his gaze on the item to find that it was a black and white bead with what appeared to be a series of spiritual Qi vortexes swirling on its surface. "What's this?" Han Li found the item to be rather familiar somehow.
"Are you unfamiliar with this item, Senior? This Sense Enhancement Bead is a treasure refined from the inner core of a type of a rare spirit beast known as the Nie Beast. It can temporarily enhance one's spiritual sense by about twofold, but after every usage, there will be quite a few after-effects, and the treasure will need to be nurtured within the user's body for many years before it recovers. However, it's extremely useful in dire situations," Jia Tianmu explained in a truthful manner. "Spiritual sense enhancement by twofold?" Han Li was stunned to hear this.
If this treasure were able to enhance one's cultivation base by roughly twofold, then he wouldn't be all that surprised. After all, treasures that could be used to temporarily enhance one's power were rare in the Spirit Realm, but not non-existent. However, this was the first time he had heard of something that could enhance one's spiritual sense in the Spirit Realm. One's spiritual sense normally increased along with their cultivation base as well as the cultivation arts used, so generally speaking, no treasure could affect one's spiritual sense."Sense Enhancement Bead... Nie Beast..." Han Li murmured to himself as a peculiar look appeared in his eyes.
Jia Tianmu's heart stirred at the sight of Han Li's expression, and he hurriedly added, "However, the Nie Beasts required to refine this bead are almost extinct in the Spirit Realm, and once a Sense Enhancement Bead is used, it can't be used by any other person. If one were to forcibly devour a Sense Enhancement Bead that had already previously been used by someone else, they would be driven insane due to their spiritual sense becoming overly chaotic."
"I see." Han Li was rather disappointed to hear this, and the hint of killing intent that had just welled up in his heart quickly faded.
However, he still found the black bead to be extremely familiar. In fact, there seemed to be one in his storage bracelet.
Han Li suddenly recalled back to when he had slain that unknown beast in the Devilfall Valley countless years ago. The inner core of that beast was very similar in appearance to this Sense Enhancement Bead. Could it be that the mutant beast from back then was a Nie Beast? A hint of excite
ment welled up in Han Li's heart as that thought occurred to him.
If he also possessed a Sense Enhancement Bead, then wouldn't he be able to unleash close to twice as many Gold Devouring Beetles as he'd normally be capable of? In dire situations against overwhelmingly powerful enemies, he'd be able to scare them away with his Gold Devouring Beetles!
Despite these thoughts running through his mind, Han Li didn't ask any further questions about the Sense Enhancement Bead as he didn't want to arouse suspicion from Jia Tianmu. Instead, he glanced at the humanoid puppet beside them, then asked in an indifferent voice, "Judging from how intent the Jiao Chi beings were on capturing, you must be no ordinary being, right? How about you introduce yourself first?"
"I'm just an upper race being of the mid three tiers who knows a thing or two about puppet refinement, which has earned me a bit of renown in my race," Jia Tianmu replied with a nonchalant smile."Is that so? Your puppet refinement skills must truly be extraordinary for the Jiao Chi Race elders to hold you in such high regard," Han Li mused in an indifferent manner.
Jia Tianmu merely chuckled and refrained from offering a response on this occasion. Instead, he surveyed the surrounding area before a slightly concerned look appeared on his face. "Senior, this is not a place that we should linger in. How about you leave with me first before we discuss any other matters?"
"Hmph, you're right about that, but I have no intention of going with you. From now on, we go our separate ways. You're such a big target; I don't want to get swept up in your mess a second time," Han Li harrumphed coldly. He then twisted around, and azure light shimmered from his body as he prepared to depart.
"Wait! The further ahead you go, the more Jiao Chi beings you'll encounter. Even with your powers, it won't be a simple task to escape from this area. I know of a secret teleportation formation that can take us directly out of the area that has been taken over by the Jiao Chi Race," Jia Tianmu hurriedly said with an urgent look on his face."A teleportation formation? You're not lying to me, are you?" The azure light radiating from Han Li's body faded as he turned to Jia Tianmu with a surprised look on his face.
A Record of a Mortal’s Journey to Immortality c1-2248 Page 897