Storms Stir Beyond the Seas, An Unforeseen Peril

Chapter 586: Storms Stir Beyond the Seas, An Unforeseen Peril

On the small island, Han Li, encased within his silver light barrier, tipped his head back and let a single drop of spirit liquid fall into his mouth. He then examined the small vial in his hand, a contemplative expression on his face.

This was already the fifth drop of spirit liquid he had consumed. The golden light outside his barrier showed no sign of weakening, but the outermost golden flames had shrunk somewhat compared to when they first began. It seemed that after such a long period of attrition, his opponent was beginning to falter. Given a bit more time, he would surely break free.

Thinking this, a white light flashed in Han Li’s hand as he calmly stowed the vial back into his storage pouch. He looked up at the dark clouds gathering in the sky, a slight frown creasing his brow.

He had, of course, clearly seen the green pillar of light and the celestial anomaly earlier. The light pillar had originated from the direction of the small valley; it was obviously caused by Yuan Yao’s spellcasting. But judging from the oppressive clouds, things didn’t seem to be going smoothly for the Soul Reunion Art.

These thoughts flitted through Han Li’s mind before he swiftly filed them away. Until he freed himself from the golden light, he was in no position to worry about anything else.

Now, after a light exhale, the myriad treasures within him began to stir with restless energy, and the silver wings on his back, which had vanished, began to faintly materialize once more.

...

Wen Tianren, floating in the air above the golden flames, had long since lost the triumphant air he’d had when he first trapped Han Li. His face was now ashen, covered in a thin layer of black qi. The golden horn on his brow was now only a third of its original size, reduced to a mere inch in length.

The expression on this Six Paths disciple’s face was terrifyingly grim. In his heart, shock and fury warred with a creeping sense of dread.

No one knew the power of the Golden Flame Divine Light better than he, its master.

When he’d first boasted that his opponent could last only an hour within the flames, it had already been an exaggeration. His true estimate was that Han Li wouldn’t even be able to endure half that time.

Though he would lose some true essence by doing so, eliminating this major thorn in his side would make it worth the sacrifice.

But when half an hour passed with no sign of movement from Han Li within the flames, he was a little surprised.

When a full hour passed and his target’s aura still hadn’t vanished, a look of alarm appeared on Wen Tianren’s face.

After two hours, with Han Li’s barrier remaining as solid as ever, Wen Tianren knew something was deeply wrong.

A vague feeling crept over him that he had been doing something foolish. His opponent simply wasn’t afraid of a battle of attrition.

Either Han Li carried some item that could rapidly restore his mana, or there was some other trick at play.

And as far as Wen Tianren knew, the only thing that could restore mana so quickly was the incredibly rare Ten-Thousand-Year Spirit Liquid. Could it be that his opponent actually possessed such a treasure?

Wen Tianren quickly deduced the truth!

But by now, he was in too deep. Most of his True Demon Avatar had been destroyed, and he had then used the Eightfold Golden Light Mirrors at the cost of his own essence. His cultivation base had dropped significantly.

If he released Han Li now and fought him head-on, his odds of victory wouldn’t be high.

Still, Wen Tianren was well aware that a heaven-defying substance like Ten-Thousand-Year Spirit Liquid wasn’t something an ordinary cultivator could carry in large quantities.

Steeling his resolve, he continued to burn his true essence, trying to refine Han Li with the golden flames.

He was willing to spend the next twenty or thirty years in seclusion to recover his vitality, just so he could exhaust Han Li’s medicines and incinerate him to ash.

And so the stalemate continued until now.

Every quarter of an hour that passed made the Six Paths disciple’s expression turn a shade more livid.

At this point, the silver barrier within the golden flames was still incredibly condensed, showing no signs of collapse.

Wen Tianren, however, could not hold out much longer.

His mind raced, searching for a way out of his predicament. The appearance of the green pillar of light earlier had given him an idea.

“Zi Ling!” Wen Tianren’s voice was cold as he suddenly ordered the distant Fairy Zi Ling. “Go to the place he came from and capture his companion. That person should be in the middle of casting a spell and unable to defend herself.” His lips were dry, and the gentle, refined demeanor he had shown the young woman earlier had vanished, replaced by a vicious, ferocious expression.

At this command, Fairy Zi Ling, who had been watching from afar, her expression shifted.

This battle had been a constant challenge to the woman’s rationality. She had originally thought Han Li wouldn’t last long in the golden flames, but now, an entire night had passed, and he was unharmed, while Wen Tianren was stuck in a dilemma. This sent a chill through her heart.

When Wen Tianren’s words reached Zi Ling’s ears, the brilliantly perceptive woman was momentarily stunned before she understood his intent.

This young master of the Starfall Coalition was planning to use the spellcaster to blackmail Han Li, to force his hand!

Since Han Li was willing to act as her guard, they must be close.

But this also meant that the Six Paths disciple, who had always thought so highly of himself, had truly reached the end of his rope, to the point where he had to use such underhanded tactics.

Zi Ling’s expression returned to its usual icy indifference, but she made no move to obey.

Seeing this, a cold light flashed in Wen Tianren’s eyes, and his voice turned dark.

“What’s the matter? Do you think that just because my cultivation has dropped, you can refuse my orders? Or perhaps joining our coalition was always too much of a strain for you, and you’re thinking of defecting? But don’t forget! Our coalition now controls the better part of the Chaotic Star Sea. Where could you, a mere early Core Formation cultivator, possibly flee to? Be a good girl and do as I say. I’m willing to overlook this act of defiance and pretend it never happened.” Wen Tianren’s words were a mix of threat and persuasion.

Fairy Zi Ling’s expression flickered. She turned her head to look at the ball of golden flame, hesitating within her heart.

Just as the woman was about to make her choice, a streak of light appeared in the distant sky, flying towards them. As it drew closer, both Zi Ling and Wen Tianren recognized the flock of female cultivators surrounding the beast carriage.

Seeing them, a great joy welled up in Wen Tianren’s heart. A bitter smile crossed Fairy Zi Ling’s face.

These Foundation Establishment women had meant nothing earlier, but their arrival now was a godsend for Wen Tianren!

But before the bitter smile could even fade from Zi Ling’s lips,

From the opposite side of the sky, a dozen more streaks of light shot toward them. They were of various colors, some strong, some weak.

These people arrived on the heels of the female cultivators.

They stared in stunned amazement at the scene before them and the beautiful female cultivators who were now bowing to Wen Tianren. A low murmur of agitation rippled through them, and they glanced at each other, no one daring to speak.

Seeing this, a ferocious gleam appeared in Wen Tianren’s eyes.

He let out a cold laugh and was about to say something when his expression suddenly changed. He turned his head sharply to look towards one side of the island, a look of shock and suspicion on his face.

The others, seeing his reaction, were baffled. Some followed his gaze, a look of confusion on their faces.

“What the hell is that?” One of them cried out in alarm after taking a look.

What they saw was a black line, stretching from one end of the horizon to the other, surging towards them from the surface of the sea with unbelievable speed.

“It’s the Ghost Mist!” someone else cried out in terror just a moment later, before immediately turning around and fleeing on his flying treasure.

By now, everyone else could see it clearly. It wasn’t a black line at all. It was a seemingly endless, pitch-black sea of mist, rolling toward them like a living thing.

Pandemonium erupted among the cultivators. Forgetting everything else, they transformed into streaks of various colored light and scattered in all directions.

Wen Tianren and Zi Ling were both aghast.

Without a moment’s hesitation, Zi Ling stomped her foot and transformed into a streak of red light, shooting into the sky.

Wen Tianren looked nervously at the golden flames below. A cold light flashed in his eyes, and he grit his teeth. With a spray of essence blood, he spat a large mouthful onto the golden flame, causing it to flare up by a third.

Then, surrounded by a golden light, he transformed into a golden rainbow and flew away from the island. The female cultivators followed closely behind.

But at that moment, an unbelievable scene unfolded.

The fleeing cultivators who had flown out first suddenly dropped from the sky like birds shot with arrows, crashing onto the island.

The same thing happened to Wen Tianren’s female attendants. Their bodies wobbled, and with looks of extreme shock on their faces, they too tumbled from the air.

Their flying treasures seemed to have lost all their spiritual power in an instant.

Fairy Zi Ling and Wen Tianren lasted only a few seconds longer. At the edge of the island, their flying lights abruptly vanished, and they plunged into the deep sea.

At the same time, the ball of golden flame that had been left behind flickered a few times before going out with a hiss, revealing the true form of the eight small mirrors and the silver light barrier within.

The moment it was exposed, the light barrier let out a “poof” sound before dissolving into specks of light and scattering into nothing.

It revealed Han Li, his face full of shock!

He had witnessed everything that had happened to the others, but before the stunned and bewildered Han Li could figure out what was going on,

He felt his own spiritual energy stagnate. He couldn’t muster a single strand of mana. His body, now as powerless as a mortal’s, began to fall from the high sky.