Slaughter

Chapter 143: Slaughter

The large man who had just emerged from the ground and the yellow-robed figure from earlier were the duo that had been pursuing Han Li all along.

After catching up, fearing Han Li would take to the road again, they had rested only long enough to recover a sliver of magic power before stealthily creeping over and planning this ambush.

Han Li felt a sharp, burning pain in his injured thigh. His earlier exertions had evidently worsened the wound.

But now was not the time to dwell on that. The large man who had been hiding in the earth pulled a long, black-qi-wreathed blade from his back and lunged at Han Li with murderous intent.

Han Li assessed the man’s form. The charge was fast, but the movements were stiff and mechanical. The man was clearly relying entirely on magical enhancement for his speed. A flicker of relief passed through Han Li’s mind. When it came to agility and ghost-like unpredictability, he knew this opponent couldn’t match him.

With that thought, Han Li ignored the charging brute and shifted his focus to the yellow-robed man. That one had produced a cyan-black gourd and was pointing its mouth directly at him, seemingly preparing another spell.

“Where are you looking? Die!”

The large man had closed the distance. His body blazed with yellow light as he raised the eerie long blade and brought it crashing down toward Han Li.

Han Li snorted. His form flickered, and he was already outside the blade’s range.

“You fell for it, boy!” the large man suddenly roared with manic laughter.

The long blade in his hand flashed with black light, transforming in an instant into a long, writhing black cord. Like a serpent, it tracked Han Li’s movement, coiling around with the clear intent of binding him tight.

Han Li was startled. His form immediately blurred into an erratic, ghostly dance—now left, now right, now forward, now back—as if half a dozen Han Lis were circling the large man simultaneously.

The sight startled the large man at first, but he quickly regained his composure, trusting in his ‘Earth Armor Technique’ to protect him. He simply continued to drive the flexible black cord, desperately chasing Han Li’s true body.

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! As Han Li streaked past the large man, he hurled the fireballs he had been charging, launching them in rapid succession. They slammed into the large man’s yellow protective light, causing it to flicker violently before quickly stabilizing.

“Your little fireball technique can’t break this old man’s body protection!” the large man crowed arrogantly, even as his hands moved faster, driving the black cord with undiminished intensity.

Han Li was growing anxious. The man’s black cord was slower than he was, unable to catch him. But he couldn’t afford to slow down either, or he would certainly be entangled. He had no idea what the black cord actually was—such a troublesome magical tool—but he certainly didn’t want to let it grab hold of him.

In the midst of his evasive maneuvers, he stole a glance at the yellow-robed man. The man’s expression was grim, and a faint green light was beginning to emanate from the mouth of his gourd-shaped magical tool. What was about to emerge?

No. At this rate, I’m dead for sure. I have to take a risk.

As his thoughts raced, Han Li, still moving at high speed, pulled out the Golden Firmament Talisman he had obtained from the Brilliant Gold Elder. He had already learned the incantation for this talisman from Master Kusang. Now, it was finally time to use it.

Han Li muttered a few phrases of the incantation. His voice was somewhat garbled from the motion, but the golden characters on the talisman began to glow. When they were fully bright, he slapped the talisman hard against his body. A burst of golden light erupted, and a golden罩 (罩/罩) appeared around him. But his movement immediately slowed, and the pursuing black cord caught him, wrapping around him several times.

Han Li had already tested the Golden Firmament Talisman and knew it would impede his movement. Seeing that the black cord wrapped around him completely but was blocked by the golden light, he calmed down. He had gambled correctly; the golden barrier could indeed defend against the opponent’s magical tool.

The large man, seeing this, let out a low growl. He took a large stride forward, clenching his fists and charging again. The yellow light on his hands was blindingly intense, nearly solid. It seemed he had activated some other technique.

Having learned from the last encounter, Han Li wasn’t about to let the man get close again. He suddenly crouched, pressing both hands to the ground. A low, guttural incantation began to flow from his lips, and a faint yellow glow appeared on his hands.

The large man was startled and tried to stop, but it was too late. The ground beneath his feet had turned into soft, shifting quicksand. His legs sank deep, up to his thighs, throwing him into a panicked struggle.

“Strike!”

A sharp shout pierced Han Li’s ears.

Han Li’s heart sank. He looked toward the yellow-robed man.

From the mouth of the cyan-black gourd, seven or eight pitch-black spheres, each the size of a chicken egg, shot out in rapid succession, speeding directly toward him.

His expression darkened, but he released the yellow light from his hands and reached into his bosom, fumbling until he pulled out a wooden box.

By then, several of the black spheres had already reached him. They slammed viciously into his golden barrier, causing it to warp and tremble as if it might shatter at any moment.

Ignoring the crisis, Han Li sat down cross-legged, placed the wooden box across his knees, and began forming hand seals.

Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud! The spheres’ assault intensified. The attack on the golden barrier never ceased, and the golden light gradually began to dim. It seemed that the destruction of the barrier—and himself with it—was imminent.

Then Han Li roared:

“Rise!”

At the sound, a ten-foot-long gray light shot out from the wooden box. Like a dragon emerging from the water, it swept around once. The black spheres, as if meeting their bane, were all cleanly sliced in two, falling to the dust.

“A Talisman Treasure!” the yellow-robed man shrieked as if he had seen a ghost.

Han Li’s heart stirred at the words, but he had no time to ponder. The large man, who had been closer, had finally freed himself from the quicksand. But upon seeing the hazy gray sword light, his face turned deathly pale. Instead of charging at Han Li, he spun around and fled.

But Han Li’s killing intent was already aroused. He would not let this man escape. He pointed a finger at the large man, and the gray sword light shot after him, reaching his back in an instant.

It circled the man’s neck once. The large man’s head rolled easily to the ground. The yellow protective light on his body was as insubstantial as air, offering no resistance at all.

Seeing this, the yellow-robed man didn’t dare stay a moment longer. He pulled out a talisman and slapped it onto his body. A pair of large, yellow wings sprouted from his back. With a single flap, he launched himself into the air, flying away into the distance.

Han Li directed the gray sword light in pursuit. The light chased the man, but the yellow-robed man flew faster and faster. The gray light could not catch him.

Growing anxious, Han Li gritted his teeth. He poured all of his remaining magic power into the attack without reserve. The gray light, as if injected with a powerful stimulant, suddenly accelerated. It pierced clean through the yellow-robed man’s chest from front to back.

With a miserable scream, the man fell from the air.

Han Li was overjoyed. He recalled the gray light and sprinted toward the spot, hoping to capture the man alive and interrogate him thoroughly.

But by the time he reached the landing site, the yellow-robed man was already dead—killed by the fall! This left Han Li deeply frustrated.

With no living captive, there was nothing to do but search the two bodies for useful clues.

After Han Li unceremoniously stripped everything of value from both men, he found nothing directly related to himself, but he did come into a small fortune. The two men had over fifty low-grade spirit stones between them, not to mention a number of talismans and magical tools.

Though Han Li was puzzled by the unprovoked attack and wondered if these two were responsible for the missing rogue cultivators, he dared not linger. After taking a few medicinal pills, he continued on his way.