Storms Stir Beyond the Seas; The Thunder Strike

Han Li found that the spiritual power within his body had solidified as if frozen, unable to extract even a trace. It seemed that his true essence had been sealed by these strange Yin Soul-Threads.

A chill ran through his heart. He quickly focused his mind to examine these black threads closely.

The black threads were densely wrapped around his body at every point, dark and glossy, emanating a faint Yin energy. One look was enough to tell they were sinister things of the most bizarre and evil nature.

The skin on Han Li’s face twitched involuntarily.

When he had first obtained the Golden Net, he had suspected the other party might have tampered with it. But after carefully inspecting it several times, he had found nothing unusual.

He had no other pure-gold magic tools on him, so he had been forced to use it anyway.

Later, when he actually used the net to capture the spirit ginseng’s incarnation, he had temporarily put his suspicion aside.

But now, the moment he turned against his partner, he had been ambushed with the very same tool, leaving even his magic power and true essence temporarily unusable.

The blue hue on Han Li’s face only lingered for a moment before returning to normal.

He quickly realized that with the protective formation active outside, the other party could not do anything to him for the time being. That was enough time for him to find a way to break this restraint.

With that thought, Han Li let out a cold laugh and was about to summon the Gold Devourer Beetles above his head when he heard a faint “puff” from behind.

The sound was extremely subtle. If Han Li’s spiritual sense had not been fully extended, covering the entire formation, he might not have noticed it at all.

Han Li’s hairs stood on end. Without a second thought, he spun around. At the same time, he let out a sharp cry, and the swarm of Gold Devourer Beetles in the air rushed behind him in a black cloud.

A thunderous crash rang out from behind. Han Li’s expression darkened.

Behind him, the Gold Devourer Beetles were blocking the path of a strange, green, ghostly figure, desperately charging at it.

Although the figure’s face was blurry and its entire body was shrouded in ghostly Qi, its hands had transformed into two enormous green pythons that thrashed wildly, swatting away every beetle that approached. They would not let the insects get within half a step of its body. The Gold Devourer Beetles could not break through for the moment.

What was even more baffling was that the protective light barrier behind him was still intact. How had this ghostly shadow managed to slip in without triggering the restriction and appear behind him?

Before Han Li could recover from his shock, a string of curses came from the green shadow.

“What the hell are these ghost bugs? They can even devour my formless dharma body! This is too twisted!” The voice was unmistakably that of the unfamiliar man from before. He sounded utterly furious and panicked.

Han Li now noticed that although the two green pythons had knocked the beetles away, the insects had managed to take a bite or two on contact, swallowing specks of green light into their bellies. No wonder the man was so enraged.

But this man had been speaking in the clouds just a moment ago. When had he managed to sneak behind him and launch a surprise attack?

Han Li was puzzled.

However, the question only flashed through his mind for an instant. Now was not the time for such thoughts.

He had no intention of exchanging pleasantries with the man either. Another sharp whistle came from his lips.

Immediately, a small portion of the Gold Devourer Beetles broke away from the main swarm and shot toward his body. In an instant, they swarmed over him, tearing at the black threads with their mandibles.

With his magic power sealed, Han Li could only rely on sound to roughly command the beetles.

He had to break free before the other party found a way to counter the beetles. He still remembered vividly how the ghostly howl in the Ghost Mist had shaken the beetles and severely wounded them.

He feared the man might pull the same trick. If so, he would be in serious trouble.

Just then, the protective barrier around him was struck by something heavy. The yellow light flickered a few times, and the light wall began to shake.

Han Li cast a cold glance over his shoulder.

The Profound Bone Saint, hovering in mid-air, had launched his attack to coordinate with the green shadow’s action.

Huge black energy spheres, each over ten feet in diameter, shot out from the Yin clouds and slammed into the light barrier. It looked like the restriction could not hold much longer.

A strange light flickered in Han Li’s eyes. He turned his head back and ignored the attack.

He stared at the wildly dancing green shadow, which was still being held back over thirty feet away by the beetles. His lips were pressed tight, his expression blank.

In that brief instant, the Soul-Threads on his body had been chewed through by nearly half. Han Li could feel his true essence and magic power stirring, and a faint hint of joy crept into his heart.

As long as his power was restored, he would have many methods to use.

But at that moment, the green shadow let out a low roar. Its form suddenly spun rapidly, turning into a massive, fast-spinning top that plunged into the swarm of beetles, breaking through several dozen feet and getting closer to Han Li.

Nearly ten thousand Gold Devourer Beetles rushed forward without hesitation. Most were flung away by the rapid spin, but a small number stuck to the shadow. The top’s speed dropped sharply.

Seeing this, the other beetles swarmed in without mercy.

In moments, the green shadow was covered head to toe in beetles, unable to spin another inch. It seemed it was about to repeat the scene from the Ghost Mist, where the beetles devoured the ghost.

But Han Li grew wary.

This apparent suicidal move did not make him happy. Instead, he felt a strong sense of unease.

What happened next immediately confirmed his premonition.

The green shadow, now covered in beetles, suddenly swelled up in the space of a breath. In an instant, it became a massive, bulging ball, emitting a blinding green light.

“Not good!” Han Li cried out inwardly. He wanted to recall the beetles, but before he could make a sound,

“Bang!”

A deafening explosion. The ball burst apart.

An incredibly cold and dark energy swallowed the entire swarm of beetles in an instant.

Then, from the center of the explosion, where the green light was most intense, a faint green line shot out like a flash, hidden by the sound of the blast. In the blink of an eye, it arrived in front of Han Li, who was still partially bound by the remaining black threads.

“Your body—I’m taking it!”

With a wild laugh, the green line flashed and suddenly transformed into a vicious ghost head several feet in size, charging straight at him.

The Profound Bone Saint, watching from above, cracked a smile. He immediately stopped his attack on the barrier.

The barrier would have broken in just a few more strikes.

Han Li stared at the ghost head rushing toward him, his expression as cold as ice.

But when it flew to within ten feet, a fierce, baleful light flashed in his eyes. Suddenly, an intense wave of killing intent erupted from his body.

This killing intent was so fierce, so substantial, that even the ghost head, now only a few yards away, was startled into a brief pause.

Han Li abruptly opened his mouth. A thick, golden lightning arc shot out like a bolt, piercing the ghost head instantly through its center. It had no chance to dodge from such close range.

The ghost head let out a miserable wail. The golden arc immediately blasted it into a ball of green Qi. It shrieked in fury and terror, then fled backward at full speed.

But Han Li was not about to let it escape so easily.

Golden arcs of lightning crackled all over his body. The remaining black threads were severed completely in that instant.

Without a moment’s hesitation, Han Li’s form flickered. After a few blurry afterimages, he caught up to the fleeing green Qi from behind, moving faster than the ghost itself.

Then, expressionless, he raised his hand and reached out, grabbing hard.

A faint golden arc appeared on his five fingers. The green Qi instantly dispersed into nothing. In Han Li’s hand now lay a green crystal pearl, flashing with strange, almost living, light.

Han Li only gave it a cold glance. Without any ceremony, he closed his fingers.

“Crack!”

Under the lightning arc’s impact, the crystal pearl was crushed into powder.

With the power of the Purgatory Thunder at his unrestricted disposal, killing even a ghost king–level green shadow without its physical body took only an instant.

Its ease surprised even Han Li.

He looked up at the Profound Bone Saint in the sky and said calmly:

“Hand over the Nine-Bend Spirit Ginseng. I’ll pretend nothing happened and continue our cooperation. Otherwise, it’s either you or me.”

Han Li’s voice was perfectly calm. But the cold edge within it made the Profound Bone Saint’s expression extremely ugly.

“Fine! Fine! Fine!” The Profound Bone Saint stared straight at Han Li. After a long moment, he finally forced out three words.

Han Li narrowed his eyes, not letting the other out of his sight.

“Since he failed in his possession attempt, that means his own skill wasn’t up to par. I naturally only cooperate with the victor. Here—take the Nine-Bend Spirit Ginseng.” The Profound Bone Saint withdrew the Yin clouds around him, revealing his form.

He raised a hand and tossed a golden box. It shot straight toward Han Li from mid-air.

(There will be another chapter tonight, but it will be updated later. In short, you can check it out tomorrow morning!)

(End of chapter)