Sky-Devouring Demon Exterminated, A Lady Unveiled

The massive sword, which had been trembling in the three-headed tiger demon’s grasp, stopped vibrating at Han Li’s gesture. Green light shimmered unstably across its surface.

The tiger demon, which had just expelled a thick cloud of black mist, was stunned. But before it could react, several dozen faint golden arcs of lightning shot out from the broad blade of the greatsword.

These arcs moved with incredible speed. In a flash, they climbed from the tiger demon’s furry hands up its colossal body, forming a golden net that trapped the monster within.

Seeing this, all three of the monster’s heads showed expressions of terror. But before it could take any action, the net of lightning exploded at Han Li’s soft utterance of a single word: “Strike!”

Blinding, searing white light completely drowned the massive form, obscuring it entirely.

Even Zi Ling and the black-robed figure, locked in their own battle, were startled enough to glance over. Their opponents—the Wéiwú ghosts and the two Ghost Yakshas—faltered for a moment, then abandoned the fight and fled in all directions.

Startled, Fairy Zi Ling and her companion hesitated for a brief moment before watching the ghosts disappear into the mist.

Only the Crying Soul Beast took advantage of the chaos. With a forceful snort, a shimmering rainbow of light shot from its nose, sweeping up one fleeing ghost and devouring it.

The white light lasted only a few breaths before fading, and the scene returned to normal.

The tiger demon stood motionless where it had been, all three heads frozen in expressions of terror. Not a single trace of change crossed its face.

Then, a gust of chill wind blew past. The monster’s massive body dissolved into ash, vanishing without a trace.

Only the greatsword and a fist-sized, tri-colored orb remained floating in mid-air. The orb shimmered with intertwining hues of gray, black, and green.

Han Li exhaled deeply and gestured with his hand. The cyan greatsword let out a low hum before dispersing into eight flying swords that shot back toward him.

Halfway, four of them flickered with cyan light and faded into nothing.

The other four obediently flew back into Han Li’s body, sinking into dormancy.

The lightning this time had completely depleted the Divine Evil-Repelling Lightning they had stored up, and they would need a long period of rest.

Han Li stared at the strange orb, then his form flickered as he appeared before it. He gazed at it thoughtfully.

After a moment, a harsh glint flashed in his eyes. With a turn of his palm, another cyan flying sword appeared in his hand.

Light flashed, and Han Li brought the sword down without hesitation.

Crack!

The orb was split in two. Three streams of black qi shot out, seeming to flee in a panic.

But HanLi flicked his finger, sending out three fist-sized fireballs.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

The three streams of black qi were struck by the fireballs. Faint screams echoed as they were consumed by the flames.

These ghost demons were cunning indeed. They had hidden their main souls inside their magical treasure, hoping to lure him into grabbing it.

If he had, he would no doubt have had to fight a battle of possession.

Still, the destruction of the combined tiger demon by the Divine Evil-Repelling Lightning from his flying swords was something he had already anticipated.

Given the immense reputation of the Golden Lightning Bamboo and its evil-repelling properties—specially designed to counter demonic and ghostly arts—if four flying swords releasing their lightning at full power could not destroy a mere ghost-turned-demon, there would be no justice in the world.

It was precisely because of this trump card that he had remained so calm and confident when stepping into the ghost mist. Even when faced with the bizarre fusion of ghost and demon, he had seemed unhurried.

Of course, with the black-robed figure and Fairy Zi Ling nearby, he had originally intended to kill the enemy without using the Divine Evil-Repelling Lightning.

But he hadn’t expected the merged tiger demon to be so exceptionally powerful. And it was stupid enough to grab his Azure Bamboo Cloudswarm Swords with both hands.

Faced with such a perfect opportunity to use the lightning, he naturally would not let it pass.

And now, it had worked! It had completely erased this monster, which was at least as strong as a late Core Formation cultivator, from the world.

Han Li looked down at the two halves of the orb and shook his head slightly. Then he turned and walked back toward Fairy Zi Ling.

The black-robed figure’s gaze, fixed on him, was still full of shock.

Though he hadn’t had the leisure to watch Han Li’s fight closely, he had seen some of it—the spirit fusion, the transformation, the merging. It had terrified him.

In fact, he had already decided that if Han Li showed even the slightest sign of being overwhelmed, he would flee immediately.

That three-headed tiger-demon had looked truly terrifying and powerful!

But then, a blinding white light, and the monster was destroyed so easily. He found it hard to believe.

Did this man possess some legendary ancient treasure capable of reversing fate?

Otherwise, there was no way he would believe that a mere early Core Formation cultivator like Han Li could destroy that three-headed tiger demon.

If that were the case, if he could keep Han Li on his side, he would have a powerful ally within the Void Heaven Palace.

Aside from those Nascent Soul old monsters, he couldn’t imagine anyone else who could so effortlessly destroy such a powerful ghost demon.

With this thought, the shock in the black-robed figure’s eyes gradually faded, replaced by a complex expression as he looked at Han Li.

Fairy Zi Ling, though equally startled, had long suspected that Han Li was no ordinary Core Formation cultivator. She quickly recovered her composure and greeted him with a smile.

“Senior Han, your abilities are truly remarkable! Even a ghost demon this powerful was destroyed so easily. It seems traveling with you is quite fortunate indeed!” she said gracefully.

“Easy? I wouldn’t call it easy at all.” Han Li walked over and denied her words flatly.

“You’re being too modest, Senior!” Fairy Zi Ling said, her eyes smiling. She clearly believed he was merely being polite.

“May I ask, Fellow Daoist, what was that white light you used just now? It was incredibly powerful.” The black-robed figure spoke for the first time, his voice low and hoarse, somewhat unpleasant to the ear.

Hearing this grating voice, a strange light flickered in Han Li’s eyes. He looked at the black-robed figure and suddenly smiled.

“You are a female cultivator, aren’t you? There’s no need to use a fake voice. Fairy Zi Ling and I already saw through it.” Han Li’s smile faded as he spoke calmly.

Fairy Zi Ling pursed her lips in a quiet smile.

The black-robed figure was momentarily stunned, then a flash of embarrassment appeared in her eyes.

After a long moment, she finally spoke in a soft, feminine voice:

“Since the two of you have already seen through me, there’s no point in hiding it. I only did it for convenience while traveling.”

Having said this, the black-robed woman hesitated for a moment, then slowly pulled back her hood, revealing a strikingly beautiful face.

Her skin was as white as snow, so delicate it seemed it might break at a touch. Her long, jet-black hair fell over her shoulders, and a golden circlet on her forehead added a touch of mysterious charm. She looked incredibly cold and proud.

Even Fairy Zi Ling, herself a woman, was captivated by the black-robed woman’s beauty. But then, as if remembering something, she couldn’t help sneaking a glance at Han Li.

What she saw made her feel a little uncomfortable.

Han Li was staring dazedly at the black-robed woman’s face, a strange, indescribable expression in his eyes.

A hint of red crept onto the black-robed woman’s jade-like cheeks. She felt both pleased and displeased. Her voice turned cold:

“Have you seen enough, Fellow Daoist? Is there something wrong with my face?”

Having been rebuked, Han Li did not get angry. But he did not look away either. Instead, he let out a long breath, a mysterious smile spreading across his face as he surveyed her with great interest.

This time, not only did the woman’s brow furrow and her face frost over, but even Fairy Zi Ling felt a twinge of unease, wondering if Han Li had truly developed some improper intentions.

But then she reconsidered. Perhaps it wasn’t so strange.

Due to inherent talent limitations, female cultivators who managed to form a golden core were far fewer than their male counterparts. As a result, most high-level dual cultivation partners consisted of a male Core Formation cultivator and a female Foundation Establishment cultivator.

This made the effect of dual cultivation techniques on increasing cultivation levels far from ideal for the male cultivator. Naturally, the few women who reached Core Formation drew the attention of many male cultivators who considered themselves worthy matches.

A female cultivator as beautiful and powerful as the black-robed woman was naturally an object of desire. It was not so strange for Han Li to be attracted.