The Green煌 Sword

“What is this?”

Seeing that his opponent had actually managed to block his full-powered strike, Han Li was greatly surprised. He focused his gaze on the green light.

It was a small sword, only about an inch long, verdant and glistening, with flowing light shimmering across its surface.

“A Magical Treasure!” Han Li’s expression flickered as the words escaped his lips.

For an opponent merely at the fifth or sixth layer of Qi Condensation to use such an object to withstand his Black Flood Dragon Capture was impossible unless it was a Magical Treasure. This discovery filled Han Li with both shock and elation.

Shock, because his opponent still had a Magical Treasure to defend himself, making the cleanup a bit more troublesome. Elation, because if he destroyed his foe, he would gain this treasure for himself.

Now, he was finally certain that this person truly had been a Core Formation cultivator in the past!

Thinking this, Han Li continued to command the Black Flood Dragon Capture in a fierce assault, while with his other hand he flipped his palm, and the “Soul Summoning Bell” appeared in his grasp.

The reason he hadn’t used it from the start was simply that he thought his opponent had already been subdued by the Spirit-Fixing Talisman; it had seemed unnecessary. But now, it appeared he would have to use this natal magic tool to re-subdue him.

The moment he saw Han Li produce the “Soul Summoning Bell,” a flicker of panic flashed through Qu Hun’s eyes. But then a ruthless expression quickly spread across his face. He suddenly struck his own lower abdomen, and with another opening of his mouth, he spat out an emerald-green pellet. As soon as it appeared, it emitted a hazy, soft green light that completely enveloped his body.

Just then, Han Li’s “Soul Summoning Bell” began to ring out, “Dang! Dang!” in rapid succession. Han Li intended to make his opponent’s bones go weak and his muscles go limp, preventing any further counterattack.

After a series of bell tolls, Qu Hun stood there completely unharmed, showing no signs of being affected at all.

Seeing this, Han Li’s expression grew serious. It was clear that the light emitted by that green pellet was protecting the other man, rendering his Soul Summoning Bell ineffective.

With this thought, after ringing the bell two more times with no effect, Han Li’s face darkened as he put the small bell away. But then, waving both hands, he released a burst of white light from which a dozen or so puppets emerged. These were the last of his remaining second-tier puppets. If these were destroyed, he would only be left with his self-made puppets, which were of little use.

Therefore, Han Li no longer intended to drag things out with his opponent. The moment the puppets appeared, he commanded them to launch a formidable assault of light pillars and light arrows.

Seeing such a terrifying attack, Qu Hun’s expression twisted into one of shock and fury. He hurriedly cast several hand seals onto the green pellet, causing it to spin rapidly and the emanating green light to intensify.

Instantly, the various colors of light intertwined, erupting into a dazzling sphere. Then, Qu Hun was pushed back several paces by the force of the blast, but he had actually managed to withstand the assault. This filled Han Li’s heart with immense shock.

A cultivator at the fifth or sixth layer of Qi Condensation was able to withstand the full-powered attack of a mid-Foundation Establishment cultivator—this was simply too heaven-defying. But then he considered that this person was originally a Core Formation cultivator; having a few trump cards up his sleeve didn’t seem all that strange. Han Li contemplated this inwardly, a mix of contradiction and calculation in his mind.

For his part, Qu Hun, having used his two secret techniques to block Han Li’s attack, was greatly relieved. At the same time, his mind raced, beginning to formulate some suitable words, hoping to persuade Han Li to stop this frenzied offense. With his pitifully low mana reserves, he simply couldn’t afford to drag this out any longer!

But before he could decide on his words, Han Li, after a moment of hesitation, reached into his storage pouch. Then, with a sudden raise of his hand, a dazzling red light flashed from his palm and vanished in an instant.

Qu Hun was startled!

Before he could even understand what had happened, the green pellet floating before him exploded. A tearing, excruciating pain shot through the depths of his primordial soul, causing him to let out a sharp cry. He flipped over, collapsing to the ground, his limbs convulsing uncontrollably.

The green light that had been enveloping Qu Hun vanished without a trace as the pellet burst. With no barrier left, the light pillars and arrows from the puppets swarmed down upon him, engulfing him completely.

And the green flying sword, now without its master’s command, immediately lost much of its power. It was steadily being overpowered by Han Li’s Black Flood Dragon Capture, as if it would fail at any moment.

Seeing all this, Han Li was overjoyed!

He hadn’t expected his risky strike to be so effective.

The reason he hadn’t used the Blood Drill to directly attack Qu Hun’s heart or head was that he had no confidence those were still vital points on a body that was partially a zombie corpse. At best, it would only have seriously wounded him, not killed him.

So, it was better to use the Blood Drill to attack the troublesome green pellet instead.

But he had never imagined that destroying the green pellet would cause such a major problem for his opponent, leading to this outcome.

It seemed that the green pellet was closely linked to the other man’s primordial soul. No wonder he had looked so distressed when he first spat it out to defend himself.

Could it be his core from his days as a Core Formation cultivator? Han Li speculated inwardly, a hint of malicious amusement coloring his thoughts.

At this point, Han Li waved his hand and the puppets’ attack ceased. He then looked carefully at his opponent.

As the light faded, Han Li clearly saw a charred black corpse lying on the ground. It hadn’t been reduced to ashes in the attack, which was quite unexpected for him.

Could it be because Qu Hun’s zombie body was different from an ordinary person’s?

After a brief contemplation, Han Li did not immediately approach the corpse. Instead, he made a sweeping motion in the air with one hand, conjuring five or six fist-sized fireballs which hovered in the air. With a soft command of “Go,” the fireballs shot towards the corpse like crossbow bolts.

With a few dull thuds, Han Li watched coldly as the charred body burst into a roaring blaze.

Just as the fire was at its peak, a ball of emerald green light, about the size of a chicken egg, suddenly shot out from the roaring flames and fled madly to one side.

Seeing this, Han Li’s expression turned icy. His form flickered, and he appeared behind the ball of light. His hand lashed out like lightning, grabbing at it. At the same time, a dazzling white light flared from his hand. The green light ball let out a single, miserable shriek before being crushed to pieces by Han Li’s five spiritual-power-infused fingers.

Then, with another flicker of his body, Han Li returned to Qu Hun’s side. With a light flick of his sleeve, the flames on Qu Hun’s body vanished without a trace.

“A Core Formation cultivator, and still nothing more than this. It only took a simple illusion to trick you out,” Han Li said, looking down at the charred Qu Hun with a faint, cold sneer on his face.

Following that, Han Li carefully examined Qu Hun’s injuries.

To his surprise, aside from the complete charring on the surface, his internal organs and bones were completely unharmed. This delighted Han Li immensely!

Although he knew Qu Hun was merely an empty shell, he had unconsciously come to regard him as a loyal subordinate. If he could be fully restored, he would naturally be overjoyed. Furthermore, he had a plan in mind that required Qu Hun’s participation.

So, Han Li brought out the “Soul Summoning Bell” and gave it a light tap. Immediately, Qu Hun, who had been lying on the ground, stood up straight and opened his eyes, which had returned to a wooden, vacant stare.

Han Li nodded. Although there were some superficial wounds, with the incredible regenerative power of his zombie body, he should recover quickly.

Then, Han Li’s gaze shifted to the small, verdant sword floating in the air. With its master gone, it was now completely still.

First, Han Li used the Black Flood Dragon Capture to slowly press it down. Then, cautiously, he tried to probe it with his spiritual sense, only to be bluntly repelled.

“It seems it’s just as the legends say. Without a Core Formation cultivation base, it’s impossible to use any unclaimed Magical Treasure,” Han Li thought, somewhat frustrated.

For now, this treasure was something he could only covet.

Nevertheless, Han Li was extremely interested in this treasure. After a careful and cautious attempt, he finally felt safe enough to pick it up and examine it closely.

The blade of this short sword was only an inch and a half long. Without its master’s spiritual power infusion, its brilliance had faded somewhat, but it still emitted a faint, hazy cold air, making it appear even more exquisitely beautiful.

Furthermore, on the blade itself, two small archaic characters were engraved. Han Li looked closely and couldn’t help but softly read them aloud.

“Lu Huang…”

After admiring it and playing with it for a while, Han Li reluctantly and carefully stored this “Green煌 Sword” into his storage pouch. This was the first Magical Treasure he had ever obtained!

After that, Han Li’s gaze swept around once more to see if he had missed anything. His attention was caught by specks of green light on the ground.

He looked closely and found they were fragments of the green pellet that had been destroyed by the Blood Drill. Although it had been shattered, the light on the fragments had not diminished in the slightest, which surprised him greatly.

He walked over, bent down, and gently picked up these fragments.

Although he didn’t know what use they might have, Han Li had no intention of letting them go.

He speculated that these things were likely related to the Golden Core of a Core Formation cultivator.