Blood Servants

Chapter 311: Blood Servants

Han Li heard the young prince’s voice. His complexion shifted slightly, paling.

But when he slowly turned around, his expression had returned to normal, betraying no trace of panic. Instead, a cold smile tugged at the corner of his lips as he gazed with chilling intent at the group of Black Fiend Sect men and the bald Foundation Establishment cultivator.

Han Li’s composed demeanor infected the Meng Mountain Four. Their hearts steadied somewhat. After exchanging glances, they flew without a word to take positions behind Han Li, forming a standoff with the Black Fiend Sect.

“You! Weren’t you the one from the Qin Clan? You’re a Foundation Establishment cultivator?”

The young prince, once he got a clear look at Han Li’s face, was astonished beyond measure. The gaunt man standing at his side said nothing but likewise revealed a look of great surprise.

Only the bald man stared fixedly at Han Li, his expression turning grave. Suddenly he spoke:

“Be careful. This man is a mid-Foundation Establishment cultivator—a full tier above me. We’ll need the Black Wind Formation to pin him down.”

Hearing this, the young prince did not look worried. Instead, a hint of delight flickered across his face. “Blood Servant sir! Does that mean if we offer him to the Sect Leader for a blood sacrifice to aid his cultivation, the effect will be even better?”

The bald man chuckled darkly at this. “Naturally. The Foundation Establishment cultivators we’ve caught before were all at early Foundation Establishment. This one’s vital essence will be far better than those!”

Confirming this from the bald man’s mouth, the young prince turned to shoot a greedy glance at Han Li, then burst into loud laughter.

“Excellent. Excellent! No matter what your purpose or background, don’t even think of leaving this place alive today.”

“Set up the Black Wind Formation. Attack!”

The young prince’s laughter ceased. His face hardened as he barked the order.

Instantly the black-robed men each produced a jet-black banner from their persons, swiftly flying to surround Han Li and his group, enveloping them, and began waving the banners.

“You only need to defend. Leave the rest to me,” Han Li said flatly to the Meng Mountain Four. The next moment his form blurred, vanished from his original spot.

“Watch out!”

The bald man, seeing Han Li disappear, changed color and shouted a warning, but it came too late.

Han Li’s figure flickered into existence behind one of the black-robed men. The cultivator, who had been waving his banner, froze on the spot, and then his head rolled off his shoulders without warning. A fountain of blood shot up several feet from the headless corpse before it crashed to the ground.

The bald man’s final syllable had barely left his mouth.

This sight sent a chill through the other banner-wielding cultivators. Before they could decide what to do, Han Li’s form appeared again behind another man, flickered once, and that man’s head too hit the dirt.

The remaining black-robed cultivators did not dare hesitate any longer. They halted their banner waving and hastily activated all manner of multicolored protective shields and defensive artifacts.

But in the blink of an eye, two more black-robed men who had not yet managed to raise their defenses fell to Han Li’s ruthless hand, corpses lying on the ground.

“Brat, you’re asking for death!”

The bald man’s eyes blazed with black-red light. With a low growl, he radiated bloody radiance from his whole body, charging at Han Li through the air at incredible speed.

Han Li cast a cold glance at the man hurtling toward him, wrapped in a ball of blood light. He also noted the other black-robed men, who had all activated their protective shields and were staring at him with wide, fearful eyes. He made a decisive move. His form flickered, and he was back beside the Meng Mountain Four, dozens of paces away.

The bald man, having missed his target, let out a beast-like roar. Without hesitation he changed direction, continuing to charge straight at Han Li’s position—still without activating any artifact.

Seeing this, the second of the Meng Mountain Four sensed an opportunity. With a flick of his wrist, a gleaming green three-edged spike shot soundlessly toward the bald man’s face.

The bald man saw the artifact flying at him, but only grinned savagely. Instead of dodging, he met it head-on.

The tall, skinny second brother was delighted. “That bastard is about to get what’s coming to him! My artifact is a top-grade among superior-grade artifacts—it’ll definitely—Ah! How is this possible? My Green Light Spike!”

His words were cut short. He stood frozen, staring in disbelief and crying out.

The three-edged spike had touched the blood light around the bald man, and that blood light suddenly moved like a living thing, coiling around the artifact and trapping it. No matter how the spike struggled and flew, it could not escape an inch.

“Hahaha! A mere spark dares to compete with the sun!” The bald man laughed wildly. He reached out a blood-red hand, snatched the spike, and wrung it with both hands. The artifact immediately lost all spiritual light, sputtering green radiance—utterly destroyed.

The Meng Mountain Four were terrified. Even Han Li’s heart gave a lurch. This bald man was certainly not practicing ordinary techniques; he was almost certainly cultivating a top-tier demonic art of the same ilk as the Ghost Spirit Sect’s young master.

The bald man did not let Han Li and his group deliberate. In an instant he was before them. He raised a massive, blood-red fist and smashed it down heavily on the combined light barrier the Meng Mountain Four had erected.

A thunderous boom. The four Qi Condensation cultivators’ combined barrier bowed deeply under that single punch, its light dimming significantly.

The Meng Mountain Four’s faces changed drastically. Such a fearsome fist—even an ordinary defensive artifact would likely be smashed into scrap metal if struck head-on.

“Senior, what now…?”

The dark-faced old man turned his head anxiously, hoping to see how Han Li would stop the assault.

The way the enemy was attacking, their combined barrier wouldn’t hold many more blows.

Han Li said nothing. Instead he raised his hand, and a small white shield radiating blinding light flew out, expanding several times in an instant as it stabilized before the barrier, just in time to meet the bald man’s other blood-red giant fist.

Clang!

An ear-piercing, thunderous collision shook heaven and earth. Unprepared cultivators nearby stumbled, nearly falling to the ground.

The Meng Mountain Four also suffered dizziness for a long moment. The only ones on the field whose expressions remained unchanged were Han Li and the bald man.

Han Li stared expressionlessly at the White Phosphorus Shield. The shield had taken the blow, but a shallow depression marred its once-smooth surface. He felt a chill in his heart.

He knew exactly how tough the White Phosphorus Shield was. His wariness of the bald man deepened considerably.

Thinking this, Han Li no longer hesitated. He patted his storage pouch.

Two streaks of black light and six streaks of golden light shot out simultaneously, unceremoniously hurtling toward the bald man. The combined power of so many top-grade artifacts, roaring like a tidal wave, made the bald man’s eyes widen. A hint of fear flashed across his face.

He let out a wild roar. The blood light around his body suddenly flared, completely engulfing him in a sanguine glow, transforming him into a massive blood-light sphere several zhang tall, floating motionless in the air.

Seeing this golden opportunity, Han Li’s Golden Fleece Mother-Son Blades and Black Flood Dragon Snatch did not hold back. They stabbed viciously into the sphere. But what happened next struck Han Li as bizarre.

No matter how his artifacts slashed or pierced at the blood glow, there was complete stillness inside. The artifacts could only penetrate about half a foot before refusing to go deeper, as if a barrier were blocking all attacks.

Growing slightly impatient, Han Li suddenly remembered something. He quickly looked around, and what he saw stirred killing intent within him.

Under the direction of the young prince and the masked man who seemed to be Chief Steward Wang, the black-robed men had reorganized. They had once again encircled Han Li’s group and were frantically waving their black banners. The banners had begun to emit ghostly howls, and eerie black mist was roiling out, spinning around each banner.

This sight reminded Han Li of the “Green Sun Demon Flame” he had encountered at the spirit stone mine, which had consumed everything. The summoning ritual was so similar that Han Li could not let it succeed.

Making his decision, Han Li pointed a finger and recalled the White Phosphorus Shield. Without a word, he thrust it into the dark-faced old man’s hands and said coolly, “Borrow it to you for now. I will deal with the rest first.”

Then Han Li’s form flickered, and he was outside the barrier. The artifacts that had been vainly hacking at the blood sphere whirred and flew back to his side, hovering and humming as if awaiting orders.