Han Li remained still on the spot, yet his brows were slightly furrowed as he looked on at the direction the two Sea Monarch beings had departed in.
For some reason, the Sea Monarch woman had two completely different auras within her body, and she struck him with a sense of uneasiness, as if she were quite a dangerous being.
It seemed that she had either cultivated some kind of powerful ability or was carrying a fearsome treasure. Han Li neglected to consider the possibility that a spirit beast could be responsible for this sense of foreboding he was feeling as under normal circumstances, most spirit beasts were far weaker than their masters and could only play minor assistance roles in battle. After all, not all spirit beasts were mature Gold Devouring Beetles and Weeping Soul Beasts.
After that, Han Li's trio didn't remain there for much longer. After a brief discussion, all three of them also departed toward another direction.
Meanwhile, the cloud of white Qi had already sped to thousands of kilometers away, and within it, the pair of Sea Monarch beings were also conversing with one another with grim expressions on their faces.
"What? You're saying that seventh-tier upper race being is even more dangerous than the other two?" the man exclaimed with a bewildered look on his face.
"I'm sure of it. That was why I insisted on avoiding a battle back there. It's just that the situation at the time wasn't appropriate for me to explain this to you," the Sea Monarch woman confirmed in a confident voice as she gently stroked her shoulder-length back hair.
The Sea Monarch man recomposed himself before asking, "I'm sure you're not saying this without any evidence; why don't you tell me how you came to this conclusion?"
The woman was silent for a moment before replying, "My Profound Heavenly Treasure replica, the Profound Heavenly Holy Artifact, displayed a reaction just then."
"What? Your Profound Heavenly Holy Artifact reacted to him? Could it be that he also has one as well?" the Sea Monarch exclaimed in an astonished manner.
"Perhaps so, but it may not be the case. The holy artifact within my body reacted extremely vehemently on this occasion, seemingly more so than when I've encountered other beings carrying such artifacts in the past," the woman replied in a slow voice.
"If it's not a holy artifact, then it can only be a Profound Heavenly Treasure! There's no way a seventh-tier upper race being could be carrying something like that. Haha, you must've been overly sensitive." The man suddenly burst into raucous laughter.
"Perhaps I really was mistaken back there. After all, the elders only gave me this treasure that was specifically made to detect Profound Heavenly Holy Artifacts right before this trip, so I may not yet be accustomed to its reactions. However, even if there's only a one percent chance that that man has a Profound Heavenly Treasure, then we can't afford to engage him in battle," the woman sighed.
"There's a vast difference between Profound Heavenly Holy Artifacts and Profound Heavenly Treasures. If he really does possess one of the latter, then even with the Nine-eyed Holy Whale on our side, we would've been killed for sure. If that were the case, then we've really just brushed shoulders with death," the man said with a wry smile.
"That's not necessarily the case. Possessing a Profound Heavenly Treasure and being able to use one are two completely different concepts. Generally speaking, there's no way for a mere upper race being to be able to use a Profound Heavenly Treasure. However, there are a few extremely rare secret techniques that can allow beings of this caliber to unleash a small portion of a Profound Heavenly Treasure's power. Having said that, I think that man isn't actually carrying a Profound Heavenly Treasure. Instead, I think it's more likely that he's carrying a top-grade Profound Heavenly Holy Artifact that is extremely close to replicating a true Profound Heavenly Treasure. Even so, it would still be very unwise to engage him in battle," the woman analyzed.
"Indeed, you've made the right decision there," the man immediately agreed with a nod.
"In any case, our objective is definitely different from theirs, so it's quite unlikely that we'll encounter them again, which means we don't need to think about them any further. As long as we can complete the mission assigned to us by our race, we'll be given handsome rewards following our return. Come to think of it, we're actually very lucky. Only through the efforts of our predecessors that entered the Vast Glacial Realm was this opportunity opened up to us," the woman said with a smile.
"That's true. No matter how dangerous that man is, it has nothing to do with us. We should focus on the task at hand. By the way, that group of Jiao Chi beings that we encountered a few days ago also seemed to be going in the same direction as those Heavenly Cloud beings; they're not going to bump into each other, are they?" A peculiar look flashed through the man's eyes.
"Who knows? The Vast Glacial Realm is an extremely huge place, so it's probably quite unlikely that they'll encounter one another. However, one thing is for sure; if their paths do cross, the outcome certainly won't be a peaceful one like ours. If we could witness the battle between them, perhaps I'd be able to figure out what kind of treasure that man is carrying." The woman's eyes lit up slightly as she spoke.
"Hehe, there's no way that we'll be able to witness that in person, even if it does happen. Let's keep going; we should be able to get to our destination in a month or so," the man chuckled, and before the woman had a chance to respond, he immediately accelerated into the distance.
The woman naturally had no objections, and spiritual light flashed from her body as she also sped up as well.
Han Li was naturally unaware of the fact that the Sea Monarch woman had seen through one of his secrets.
Of course, even the Sea Monarch woman herself was unaware that the treasure that she'd detected was only the blade segment that Han Li was carrying. As for the Profound Heavenly Fruit that was sealed within his arm, that was beyond the detection capabilities of the Profound Heavenly Holy Artifact within her body.
At this moment, Han Li was currently flying slowly over the boundless grasslands alongside Shi Kun and Liu Shui'er.
"Brother Han, are you suggesting that we rest here for several days before continuing onward? There's no need for that, is there? Brother Shi and I did indeed expend some magic power back in the Dark Beast Forest, but as long as we travel at a slower pace and the two of us use spirit stones to replenish our energy, we'll be able to recover along the way," Liu Shui'er said with a surprised look on her face.
"You're not wrong, but this Vast Glacial Realm seems to be far more perilous than we anticipated. Just that Dark Beast Forest alone had been an extremely treacherous place, and I'm sure the rest of our journey won't be much better. As such, I think it's best that we take some time to recover before we encounter any other perilous situations. Besides, I'm sure you've also expended some of the power of your true essence rather than just your magic power, right, Fairy Liu?" Han Li asked with a meaningful smile.
"Your wisdom is truly unmatched, Brother Han. It's just that if we were to delay here over something so trivial..." Liu Shui'er was becoming rather hesitant.
"Brother Han's right, Fairy Liu. It would be unwise to continue in our journey without replenishing our magic power first. I also need to rest and recuperate for a few days, so why don't we find a safe place nearby to meditate for a while?" Shi Kun sided with Han Li on this matter.
Chapter 1697: Perilous Situation
Liu Shui'er brows furrowed upon hearing this, and after a long internal conflict, she finally heaved a faint sigh and agreed to this suggestion.
However, they hadn't parted with those two Sea Monarch beings for very long, so they naturally couldn't just begin meditating on the spot.
Otherwise, if those two were to change their minds or draw some powerful beasts or foreign beings to Han Li's trio, they would be placed in a perilous situation.
Thus, Han Li's trio continued onward for about half a day before finally catching sight of a small azure mountain with abundant spiritual Qi.
As a safety precaution
, all three of them naturally scanned their spiritual sense toward the mountain several times, and the result of their inspection was quite a positive one.
The mountain wasn't very tall, and there was a bunch of grey-furred beasts residing on it, but all of them were very weak, and even the most powerful ones among them were only at the Foundation Establishment Stage.
As such, the three of them were able to descend onto the mountain and kill all of these beasts with ease.
The cave that these beasts had been residing in was an ideal cultivation venue as well. The spiritual Qi there was very rich, and although it stank a little, that slight problem was resolved after Liu Shui'er unleashed one of her water-attribute abilities to cleanse the cave.
Thus, the three of them took over the cave and began to meditate in there.
Three days passed by in a flash.
At this point, Han Li had completed a full cycle of Qi circulation, and he seemed to have sensed something as he slowly opened his eyes, casting his gaze toward Liu Shui'er, who just so happened to also open her eyes at that exact moment. Thus, their eyes met, and from the exuberant light shimmering within her pupils, Han Li could tell that she'd clearly recovered all of her magic power.
"Congratulations on making a full recovery," Han Li said with a calm smile.
In response, Liu Shui'er heaved a forlorn sigh. "I feel very embarrassed to be such a burden to you, Brother Han."
"Hehe, that's certainly not the case, Fairy Liu. If it weren't for the fact that you'd held off four silver-eyed Dark Beasts on your own back in the Dark Beast Forest, how would Fellow Daoist Shi and I have managed to escape?" Han Li replied with a faint smile.
Meanwhile, Shi Kun had also opened his eyes, and he burst into laughter upon hearing this. "Haha, I'll have to disagree with you on that one, Brother Han. With the unfathomable abilities that you've displayed, even if you couldn't kill all of those Dark Beasts on your own, you were definitely powerful enough to escape from them. It's already a vastly fortunate outcome for Fairy Liu and myself that we were able to escape from the Dark Beast Forest with nothing more than some magic power expenditure."
"You two are far too kind. I do indeed possess some powerful abilities, but all of them are only good for a single attack. If I were to be surrounded by too many Dark Beasts, I really would've been in grave danger. Hehe, in contrast, with your powerful body, I'm sure you could've crashed your way through and made your escape," Han Li said as he stroked his chin with a hint of a smile on his face.
"Perhaps so. Seeing as Fairy Liu has already recovered her magic power, let's keep going. The sooner we find those restricted ruins, the sooner we can heave a sigh of relief," Shi Kun chuckled as he rose to his feet.
Han Li and Liu Shui'er exchanged a quick glance, and neither of them had any objections to this.
Thus, three streaks of light quickly departed from the small mountain.
Six days later, Han Li's trio found themselves surrounded by a flock of four-winged birds that attacked by blasting blades of wind out of their beaks.
Han Li and the others had all unleashed their treasures, and blood rained down from the sky as they made short work of those strange birds.
Half a month later, Han Li and the others were slowly flying along the edge of a lake that extended as far as the eyes could see. All of them were holding their breaths and had concealed themselves as extremely faint shadows, flying through the air without daring to release any of their auras.
Down below, there was a group of gigantic half-horse half-fish beings floating in the water.
These mountainous creatures were playing around by blasting pillars of water as thick as water tanks at one another, and the pillars of water all disappeared amid flashes of blue light upon striking their bodies.
Occasionally, one of them would dodge a pillar of water, and it would strike the land beside the lake amid a resounding boom, leaving a massive crater that was several hundred feet in diameter in its wake, creating a rather harrowing sight to behold.
Thankfully, Han Li and the others all possessed brilliant concealment techniques, and these massive beasts were too busy enjoying themselves to notice three ant-like beings flying over their heads.
Thus, the three of them managed to safely pass the lake.
A month later, Han Li's trio was flying in the air over a bleak and desolate set of plains, and they were battling four beings that were enshrouded from head to toe in clouds of black Qi.
Countless streaks of azure sword Qi were swirling around Han Li's body, creating a virtually impenetrable barrier and slicing through the black chain-like treasures being used by the two opposing foreign beings.
However, these chains were immediately able to recover in a flash at the behest of these beings, then transformed into countless projections that unleashed a relentless barrage of attacks at Han Li again.
Meanwhile, Liu Shui'er had blue light shimmering all over her entire body, and she was enveloped within a ball of strange liquid. At the same time, she was controlling her set of short silver spears, which were conjuring up specks of starlight that enshrouded another foreign being down below.
However, her opponent seemed to be quite powerful as well. It was controlling a strange bird that had scorching black flames all over its body, and this monstrous bird was clashing repeatedly with the short silver spears without falling to a disadvantage.
As for Shi Kun, the yellow light around him had transformed into a giant that was 100 feet tall. A strange layer of grey stone with vicious foot-long spikes protruding from it had also covered his entire body. As he swung his fists through the air, massive stone spikes were sent hurtling through the air before exploding on their own, forcing the final foreign being to stumble back in retreat.
Even though this foreign being was clearly on the back foot, it was still able to conjure up massive black shields with the black Qi around its body to keep Shi Kun's attacks at bay, thereby ensuring self-preservation.
All of a sudden, Liu Shui'er let loose an urgent cry. "Brother Han, Fellow Daoist Shi, we need to make haste. These are beings from the Night Race, and they're just like Dark Beasts in that their powers are significantly enhanced in the night."
Han Li's expression changed slightly upon hearing this, and he cast a glance up at the sky.
At this point, the sky had already dimmed slightly, and night clearly wasn't far away.
"Kukuku, you're only thinking about that now? Don't you think it's too late already? After just a while longer, I'm going to crush all of you Heavenly Cloud beings!" one of the two Night beings who were battling Han Li cackled in a sinister manner.
"After a while? You'll all have been erased from this world by then," Han Li said in a cold voice.
Immediately thereafter, he abruptly reached an inky-black hand out of his sleeve before gently waving it through the air, instantly conjuring up a burst of grey light in the process.
At the same time, Liu Shui'er made a hand seal, and a grey wheel of light surfaced behind her.
Meanwhile, Shi Kun threw his head back and let loose a long cry while flicking his 10 fingers through the air in rapid succession.
Moments later, the three of them had conjured up a massive grey ball of light with countless runes flashing over its surface.
The grey ball of light then immediately exploded, sending a torrential downpour of runes descending from above that encompassed the entire area in a radius of around 500 meters.
The four Night beings were quite alarmed by this development, and all of them unleashed their most powerful abilities to oppose this devastating assault, but each and every one of the runes contained far more power than they'd anticipated.
Following a string of earth-shattering explosions, the four Night beings completely ceased to exist.
Only then did Han Li's trio withdraw their Divine Essencefused Light before exchanging smiles with one another.
Three months later, Han Li and the others were flying as quickly as they could ov
er a set of mountain ranges with thousands of demon beasts giving chase in hot pursuit.
Several kilometers behind them, a vast expanse of silver mist was hurtling toward them like a massive tidal wave, and all of the plants and beasts that stood in their way were all completely devoured, leaving not even a single blade of grass in their wake.
After a while, all types of beasts and birds began to flee for their lives in a panicked manner, creating a doomsday-like scenario.
"What do we do? We'll get chased down by these Silver Swarm Insects sooner or later if we keep going like this. Those insects are rumored to be just as fearsome as Gold Devouring Beetles, and they won't give up until their prey is dead. I can't believe so many of them were bred in this world." Shi Kun transmitted his voice to Han Li and Liu Shui'er with a dark expression as he flew through the air.
"Indeed. It's also said that these insects possess astonishing stamina, and it won't be an issue for them to chase us even for a few months in a row. Even powerful ancient beasts can only flee in the face of these insects." Liu Shui'er's voice was already tinged with a hint of panic.
It was no wonder that they were beginning to get quite flustered. After all, these fearsome insects had been chasing them for three days and three nights. During this process, they'd expended close to half of the magic power within their bodies, so it was only natural for them to fear for the worst.
Han Li also wore a grim expression, but he remained relatively calm as he said, "The only way to throw them off our trail would be to hope that we can encounter a few ancient beasts in the nearby area that will draw them away."
"But according to our map, the closest area frequented by ancient beasts is around a month away. As a safety precaution, we intentionally selected this route where ancient beasts rarely ever appear," Shi Kun replied with a wry smile.
Han Li's brows also furrowed upon hearing this, and he was temporarily at a loss for ideas.
However, right at this moment, a buzzing sound suddenly rang out in the distance, following which clouds of green mist began to appear up ahead. There were hundreds of these clouds of mist, and they were rapidly flying toward Han Li's trio.
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