Han Li faltered slightly upon hearing this, but his expression remained completely unchanged as he replied, "I appreciate your concern for my disciple, Fellow Daoist Long. He's a bit of a trouble-maker, so I've sent him somewhere obscure to cultivate, and he most likely won't be coming out for the next few decades."
"That's not a bad idea. After all, that disciple of yours is no ordinary cultivator, so it definitely couldn't hurt to take some extra precautions. However, if you want to challenge me right now, then I'm afraid you're going to be disappointed; the first cultivator to represent our Long Family won't be me," the Long Family patriarch replied.
At the same time, spatial fluctuations erupted beside him, and a black-robed figure abruptly appeared before turning to Han Li in a cold manner. "I'll be taking you on first, Fellow Daoist. If you can defeat me, then Fellow Daoist Long will face you himself."
This black-robed man was naturally none other than the mid-Body Integration Stage elder of the Long Family.
Han Li immediately recalled the hostility that this man had displayed toward him earlier, and he nodded in a calm manner. "Alright, then please enlighten me, Brother Hui."
A hint of a sinister smile seemed to have flashed over the Long Family patriarch's face as golden light flashed from his body, and he flew off the Myriad Spirit Platform before immediately instructing, "Fortify the restriction! Don't let this battle harm our disciples."
The cultivators in the valley who were responsible for controlling the formation hurriedly sprang into action upon hearing this, and bright light immediately erupted from the formation flags around the Myriad Spirit Platform.
The massive light barrier over the entire stone platform tremored slightly before instantly becoming several times thicker, and restriction runes of different colors appeared on its surface.
All of the people from the true spirit families were quite excited to see this. It certainly wasn't a commonplace opportunity to witness a battle between two Body Integration cultivators, so not only would this greatly broaden their horizons, it would also be a great chance for them to educate themselves.
Within the light barrier, a cold smile suddenly appeared on the black-robed man's face, and he swept a sleeve through the air. A clear ringing sound erupted, and two streaks of black light flew out from within his sleeves before revealing themselves to be a pair of inky-black hooks.
The hooks were no more than three feet in length, and there were indistinct silver flowers revolving around them, creating quite an intriguing sight to behold.
However, instead of attacking Han Li, the two hooks began to revolve around the black-robed man, seemingly more intent on keeping him safe than to directly attack Han Li.
Han Li's brows furrowed slightly as a hint of surprise flashed through his eyes upon seeing this, and in the next instant, spiritual light flashed again from the black-robed man's sleeves, following which two streaks of white light shot forth from within.
On this occasion, he had summoned a pair of pristine white short swords, each of which was around a foot in length and gave off a chilling glacial aura.
He continued to sweep his sleeves through the air, and a pair of silver flying daggers emerged immediately thereafter.
Han Li's eyelids twitched as he watched his opponent summon one pair of treasures after another, seemingly with no end in sight.
Chapter 1836: Sparring Match (2)
Within mere moments, 36 pairs of different treasures had flown out of the black-robed man's sleeves, and they were all revolving around him, creating quite an intimidating sight to behold.
The fact that he could control so many treasures at once indicated that his spiritual sense was definitely far more powerful than that of the average Body Integration cultivator.
Han Li's mind was racing, but at the same time, he was also slightly awestruck.
All of a sudden, the black-robed man cackled as the 72 treasures around him swept toward Han Li with unstoppable force.
Han Li raised an eyebrow upon seeing this before sweeping a sleeve through the air, summoning several tens of small azure swords which surged toward the oncoming treasures as 72 streaks of azure light.
A string of crisp clangs rang out in rapid succession as the azure flying swords clashed with the opposing treasures.
The 72 treasures were blasting forth all types of energy attacks, such as clouds of black Qi and arcs of lightning, but the azure flying swords managed to remain completely unscathed as if they possessed no substantial form. On top of that, they were binding tightly around the opposing treasures like spirit snakes, and the two sides were evenly matched.
The black-robed man was slightly surprised to see this, and his treasures began to release more power at his behest, but they were still caught in a stalemate with the 72 Azure Bamboo Cloudswarm Swords.
The black-robed man's expression darkened, and he suddenly took a deep breath before abruptly stepping forward and making a forward grabbing motion.
A resounding boom rang out as the world's origin Qi within the entire light barrier surged violently, following which countless black threads appeared out of thin air, then shot forth as countless streaks of black light.
The entire sky dimmed in the wake of the black light, and they reached Han Li in a flash.
In response, Han Li remained completely unflustered as he let loose a low cry, then swept a hand forward to release a vast expanse of grey light. The grey light then condensed into a grey wall of light, and the seemingly unstoppable streaks of black light were all instantly caught within the wall.
Han Li then raised an eyebrow as he pressed an inky-black palm against the wall of light, and spiritual light flashed, following a string of dull thumps rang out.
The black threads that had been caught within the wall of light all exploded and vanished as clouds of black smoke.
"Divine Essencefused Light!" the black-robed man exclaimed upon seeing this.
However, in the next instant, a vast expanse of black mist erupted from behind him, and the mist condensed into an enormous black sword above his head.
The front half of the sword appeared to be substantial, yet the rear half was rather murky and indistinct.
The tip of the sword tremored slightly, and a ball of black light immediately emerged. At the same time, a faint buzzing sound rang out.
"Go!" The black-robed man then made a hand seal before pointing a finger at the giant sword in a solemn manner.
The black ball of light immediately shot forth from the tip of the sword at his behest. In the beginning, the ball of light was only around the size of a human fist, but after just a few flashes, it had swelled to around 10 feet in diameter and was hurtling toward Han Li like a huge black meteorite, leaving a trail of warped and blurry black light in its wake.
This black ball of light possessed such fearsome power that it was able to tear through space itself!
What was even more astonishing was that the giant sword was releasing a string of these balls of black light, and seven or eight of them had been released in the blink of an eye.
As opposed to being alarmed by this, Han Li instead chuckled, "As expected of a mid-Body Integration cultivator; your powers are truly remarkable, Fellow Daoist Hui!"
He raised an arm to extend a pristine white palm out of his sleeve, then quickly brought both of his palms together in front of his chest.
Following a loud metallic clang, two small mountains, one black and one azure, emerged above his head. The two mountains revolved in the air while releasing an azure halo of light and a black circle of Qi, intertwining to form a huge black and azure ring that shielded Han Li within it.
At this moment, the first black ball of light crashed directly into the giant ring in a flash, and a resounding boom rang out as the black and azure light exploded. An enormous black hole appeared where the explosion had taken place, as if the space there had collapsed in on itself.
After that, the rest of the balls of light also plunged into the black
hole, and it instantly swelled to over 10 times its original size. At this point, the black hole had encompassed virtually the entire stone platform, and Han Li had been inundated by boundless darkness, along with the entire giant halo around him.
The entirety of the Myriad Spirit Platform began to tremor violently while releasing a strained creaking sound in the face of the enormous might emanating from the black hole, and all of the cultivators outside looked on in astonishment and fascination.
The Long Family patriarch had his hands clasped behind his back as he appraised the scenes unfolding on the platform in a completely expressionless manner, but the look in his eyes suggested that he wasn't actually as tranquil as he appeared.
The woman in the five-colored dress from the Ye Family heaved a forlorn sigh to herself, and all of the cultivators from the other true spirit families wore vastly contrasting expressions.
Of course, Fairy Xiao Feng and Elder Xiao's expressions had both become quite strained.
Thankfully, the 72 azure flying swords that were contending with the treasures were still flying through the air in a controlled manner, which indicated that Han Li hadn't been incapacitated by the black-robed man's attacks, and that was the only source of solace for them.
For the black-robed man himself, it clearly hadn't been a simple task to release so many black balls of light from that giant sword. Not only had the light in his eyes dimmed significantly, his aura had also noticeably abated, and even the purple scar on his forehead seemed to have become bigger than before.
He heaved a sigh of relief and opened his mouth to expel a large shimmering blue seal, with which it appeared that he was going to unleash his final attack, when a calm voice suddenly rang out from within the giant black hole.
"Is this all you have to offer, Brother Hui? I will admit that your abilities are quite interesting, but this won't be enough to defeat me!"
As soon as the voice trailed off, an extremely sharp screeching sound rang out from within the black hole, followed by a resounding boom. A silver ruler projection that was around 70 to 80 feet in length then abruptly sliced the black hole in half, and azure light flashed as a humanoid figure flew out from within.
The black-robed man was truly surprised to see this, and he immediately made a hand seal, upon which the large blue seal swelled drastically to the size of a small mountain before hurtling directly toward the humanoid figure.
Han Li, who had just emerged from the black hole, merely chuckled upon seeing this. One of the mountains above his head blurred momentarily before vanishing amid a flash of azure light, while the other expanded to over 1,000 feet in size amid a flash of grey light.
Countless silver runes then swept forth from the mountain to meet the oncoming blue seal.
The two enormous objects clashed, and in the beginning, there was no sound resulting from the clash whatsoever.
In the next instant, grey shockwaves erupted through the air before sweeping forth in all directions.
The black-robed man wore a dark expression as he waved a sleeve through the air, easily parting the shockwaves. He then narrowed his eyes as he cast his gaze toward Han Li, but right at this moment, his expression abruptly changed drastically as he swayed to the side.
A streak of invisible sword Qi then emerged without any warning before glancing past his shoulder. Even the protective spiritual Qi around him was completely unable to impede it.
If he hadn't reacted as quickly as he did, his shoulder would've been completely punctured.
The black-robed man was quite alarmed by this, yet just as he was about to turn around to try and identify the invisible sword Qi, more of these streaks of sword Qi emerged around him like a torrential storm.
His alarm was further exacerbated, and he immediately summoned a black shield and an antiquated golden mirror, which transformed into two barriers of light, one golden and one black, to shield him from the attack.
At the same time, the giant black sword above his head also exploded into a cloud of black mist that inundated his entire body.
However, the countless streaks of sword Qi that were undetectable both to the naked eye and spiritual sense surged into the black mist.
A string of dull thumps rang out, immediately followed by the screeching of metal grating against metal.
Meanwhile, azure light flashed in the air above the black mist, and a small azure mountain abruptly appeared.
The mountain was revolving rapidly on the spot, and with each revolution, it released a halo of azure light. As soon as the azure light left the mountain, it transformed into countless streaks of sword Qi that vanished into thin air.
Han Li's body swayed from afar, and after just a few flashes, he appeared directly above the small azure mountain before stomping a foot firmly onto its summit, then cast his gaze downward in an indifferent manner.
The black mist down below was in tatters from being ravaged by the countless streaks of sword Qi, and the black-robed man was about to be revealed.
However, right in that instant, a pillar of golden light suddenly erupted from within the mist, hurtling directly toward the azure mountain up above.
Han Li raised an eyebrow upon seeing this before abruptly stomping a foot downward, and the small azure mountain immediately ceased in its rotation.
At the same time, a layer of azure light swept forth from it, instantly forming a translucent light shield in front of the mountain.
However, as a result, the output of sword Qi also ceased.
In the instant that the golden pillar of light clashed with the light shield, the latter swayed slightly while the former tremored before a small portion of it crumbled away. The majority of the pillar of light was reflected back in the direction it had come from and vanished into the black mist in a flash.
A rumbling explosion rang out from within the mist, followed by a roar of shock and fury from the black-robed man, and the black mist finally dissipated.
Chapter 1837: Sparring Match (3)
The black-robed man was enveloped by a ball of golden light as he appeared on the spot, and at first glance, he didn't seem to have sustained any injuries, but upon closer inspection, one would discover that some faint traces of blood had appeared on one of his sleeves. These traces of blood were quite small, and they were barely noticeable on his black robes, but all of the cultivators present were at least at the Nascent Soul Stage, so they naturally wouldn't fail to notice such a detail.
A burst of chatter immediately rang out, and surprised expressions appeared on many people's faces.
The two Body Integration cultivators from the Feng Family exchanged a glance, only to discover their own dismay mirrored in one another's eyes. In contrast, Fairy Xiao Feng and Elder Xiao were ecstatic.
Han Li didn't unleash any further attacks as he hovered in the air above. He merely stood atop his small azure mountain and looked down at his opponent in a calm and collected manner.
However, the faint azure light that was flashing from the small mountain could transform into countless streaks of sword Qi again at any moment.
"This isn't Divine Essencefused Light; it's High Zenith Azure Light! It's colorless and formless, yet peerlessly sharp; it really is just as fearsome as the legends proclaim!" The black-robed man raised an arm as he spoke, extending a bloody azure hand from his sleeve to reveal several small laceration wounds, undoubtedly inflicted by Han Li's sword Qi.
"Your abilities are just as remarkable, Fellow Daoist Hui. To think that you're able to withstand High Zenith Azure Light with nothing more than your physical body; that hand of yours is definitely no less resolute than the average defensive spirit treasure," Han Li said with a smile.
"Hehe, looks like I'll really have to pull out some trump cards to match you, Fellow Daoist Han," the black-robed man chuckled coldly, and the laceration wounds on his hand instantly healed amid a flash of spiritual light.
At the same time, he took a deep breath, and a layer of black light flashed over his body, follow
ing which countless black patterns appeared over his skin.
These black patterns roamed over his entire body as if they were living beings, and from a distance, it looked as if he had transformed into a devilish creature. On top of that, his aura had also become very peculiar.
An intrigued look appeared on Han Li's face upon seeing this, and he made a grabbing motion, upon which a short shimmering silver ruler appeared in his grasp.
However, right at this moment, the Long Family patriarch suddenly intervened.
"Elder Hui, I didn't assist you in cultivating this ability just so you could use it in a sparring match. You won't be able to defeat Fellow Daoist Han easily, so let me face him in person."
As soon as his voice trailed off, a loud thunderclap suddenly rang out from beneath his feet, and his body shot forth as a bolt of silver lightning, passing through the light barrier and appearing beside the black-robed man in a flash.
The sinister look on the black-robed man's face stiffened slightly, and his heart jolted at the sight of the Long Family patriarch's emotionless eyes. He nodded reluctantly, and said, "Rest assured, Brother Long, the situation is under control. However, seeing as you're interested in facing Fellow Daoist Han in my stead, I'll leave him to you."
After that, he made a hand seal, and the black patterns all over his body gradually faded away. He then cast one final meaningful glance at Han Li before flying out of the light barrier as a streak of black light.
Han Li turned toward the Long Family patriarch, and there was no hint of fear on his face whatsoever as he chuckled, "Are you going to take Brother Hui's place, brother Long? This truly is an honor."
"I'm already at the late-Body Integration Stage, yet you've only recently progressed to the Body Integration Stage, so it wouldn't be right for me to engage you in battle. Instead, here's what I propose: if you can take three attacks from me, then I'll forfeit the match!" the Long Family patriarch said in a cold voice as he clasped his hands behind his back.
A Record of a Mortal’s Journey to Immortality c1-2248 Page 1060