Turning the Tables

After a sharp cry, the serpentine Nascent Soul within the golden light turned into a plume of green smoke that dissipated quietly.

This Spirit Fusion Art was, after all, a vicious ancient secret technique from the demonic path. It was only natural that it was completely countered by the Evil-Repelling Divine Lightning. It did not even have the chance to use its teleportation ability before it vanished without a trace.

The bald-browed man in the distance had his mouth hanging wide open, unable to close it for a long time.

Old Man Ma appeared relatively composed, but the shock in his eyes was plain to see.

Han Li had anticipated their astonishment and showed no surprise. He reached out and, with a single motion, pulled the fallen storage pouch and the blue flying trident towards him. After a brief sweep with his spiritual sense, he tossed both items to the large man.

“Although we killed him, it’s best to return his magic treasure and the contents of his storage pouch to the Imperial Spirit Sect intact. That way, they will have less to say about it,” Han Li said slowly, looking at the two men.

“Brother Han’s reasoning is sound. I will follow your suggestion!” The bald-browed man, still shaken by Han Li’s instant kill of the spirit-fused serpent, agreed without a hint of opposition, almost subconsciously.

The old man’s lips twitched a few times, but in the end, he offered no objection. He put his ruler magic treasure away with a flicker of embarrassment in his eyes.

Han Li’s initial killing of the black-robed man could be attributed to the opponent’s carelessness, a stroke of luck. But this second feat—defeating a spirit-fused monster with combat power comparable to a mid-Nascent Soul cultivator with his bare hands in a single move—was far too great a shock for the two of them.

Both men almost simultaneously guessed: Could this new elder of the Falling Cloud Sect possess divine abilities that were no longer inferior to those of late-Nascent Soul cultivators?

Once this thought surfaced, it was no wonder they were so visibly stunned.

“Since the matter is resolved, I will return to rest for a while. When the Moulan Dharma Warriors come again, feel free to call me,” Han Li said calmly, his expression unchanged.

“Brother Han, please go ahead. Elder Ma and I will keep watch here.” The bald-browed man’s tone unconsciously carried a hint of reverence.

Han Li smiled faintly, gave a slight bow, and turned to walk out of the hall.

Using both the Dry Azure Ice Flame and the Evil-Repelling Divine Lightning to kill the spirit-fused serpent had been a last resort. He knew that if he hadn’t acted, the bald-browed man and the old man alone would have struggled to stop the beast after it broke free. The spirit-fused monster’s cultivation was simply too high. If it had escaped, the consequences would have been endless.

Moreover, now that he had formed his Nascent Soul, there was no real need to continue hiding all his divine abilities.

His current situation was entirely different from when he was in the Chaotic Star Sea.

Back then, he was weak and in unfamiliar territory. Naturally, he concealed his strength to avoid attracting unwanted attention and fatal danger.

But now, with his Nascent Soul formed, he had stepped into the ranks of this realm’s high-level cultivators. Aside from a very few individuals, others could no longer pose a significant threat to him. This concern had naturally diminished greatly.

Furthermore, given the current invasion of the Moulan Dharma Army, even if he wanted to continue hiding his abilities, it would be impossible. At the very least, after the treasure hunt on the Moulan grasslands, the Ghost Spirit Sect and Nang Long Hou and the others should already know that his strength was extraordinary. In this situation, it was better to openly reveal a portion of his power. This would also serve to intimidate any petty individuals.

Otherwise, if he were truly perceived by his peers as weak and easy to bully, it would only invite unnecessary trouble.

Of course, he would still be careful not to reveal his true trump cards in front of others easily.

As Han Li walked, he pondered these matters while sensing the strange feeling of the Violet Luo Extreme Flame enveloping his Nascent Soul.

Just now, when facing that spirit-fused monster, he had unleashed the full power of the Dry Azure Ice Flame within this flame, barely managing to instantly freeze the beast. Now that the flame had returned and re-formed into the Violet Luo Extreme Flame, it was somewhat unstable. It seemed that wielding such a powerful demonic flame was indeed tied to one’s cultivation level.

A faint, self-deprecating smile appeared on his face as he slowly walked towards the small building.

“Brother Lu, we really misjudged him. This Brother Han’s divine abilities are unfathomable. His strength is far beyond what we can match.” Old Man Ma spoke with a bitter smile once Han Li had left the hall and his figure had faded into the distance.

“Indeed. Although his cultivation is only at early Nascent Soul, with those golden lightning arcs and that unknown blue flame, even a mid-Nascent Soul cultivator would have to give him a wide berth.” The bald-browed man’s face showed a hint of envy.

“But this is a good thing for us. With such a powerful ally, those invading Moulan Dharma Warriors might not be so fearsome after all.” Old Man Ma smiled.

“That’s true. But while I have no memory of that blue flame, those golden lightning arcs sound vaguely familiar, though I can’t place them. Brother Ma, do you have any impression?” The bald-browed man nodded slightly, then frowned.

“No. This is the first time I’ve seen golden lightning arcs. What kind of technique is he cultivating to be so sharp? Even that almost-formless Nascent Soul was trapped and couldn’t teleport out.” Old Man Ma muttered, recalling the scene, a chill creeping into his heart.

“Forget it. Whatever great divine ability Brother Han is cultivating, it’s a good thing for us. Let’s discuss tomorrow’s plans instead.” The bald-browed man frowned, as if unwilling to dwell on the matter, and gently steered the conversation elsewhere.

“Tomorrow? Brother Lu, what do you mean by that?” The old man was taken aback, a little puzzled.

“Since the Moulans sent spies to sabotage our grand formation, we might as well turn their scheme against them.” A cold light flickered in the large man’s eyes as he spoke sinisterly.

“Brother Lu’s meaning is…” Old Man Ma seemed to catch on.

“It’s simple. We’ll…”

The voices of the old man and the large man in the hall suddenly dropped, becoming faint and indistinct as they discussed their plan.

A moment later, the bald-browed man’s wild laughter echoed from the hall, as if he was quite pleased with his own scheme.

The next day at noon, just as the sun hung high in the sky, blazing and scorching, the rumbling of war drums sounded. A dense, swarming army of Moulan Dharma Warriors approached from afar, drawing near.

But this time, a massive creature stood at the center of their formation.

It was a brown giant beast, over thirty zhang tall and more than twenty zhang long.

At first glance, it looked like a giant rhinoceros magnified several dozen times. At the front of the beast’s nose was a brilliant, blue, one-zhang-long horn that was particularly eye-catching. Its enormous body was covered in a suit of pitch-black, gleaming armor, upon which various talismans and incantation runes flickered and flashed, clearly indicating its immense value.

Despite its massive size, the giant beast was highly skilled in flight. Blue, strange clouds supported its four feet, allowing its movements to be extremely agile, showing no sign of clumsiness.

Sitting cross-legged atop the giant beast was a young woman who appeared to be about twenty years old.

Her arms and feet were bare. Her features were delicate, but a hint of murderous intent flickered in her beautiful eyes, and cold light occasionally flashed within them. She wore a simple, short dark-green outfit.

The tall, thin Moulan Dharma Warrior and Ku Yao, who had appeared the previous day, flanked the giant beast, one on each side, showing them great deference.

“Oh?” As they approached the airspace over Yellow Dragon Mountain, the green-clothed woman on the giant beast let out a surprised exclamation.

“What is it, Master Le? Have you discovered something?” Ku Yao immediately asked upon hearing this.

“Hmm. Something is a bit strange.” A strange light flickered in the young woman’s beautiful eyes as she spoke slowly.

“Could something have gone wrong? Did that person fail?” The tall, thin Dharma Warrior was startled, growing worried.

“That’s not certain. See for yourselves.” The woman said indifferently, then closed her eyes and fell silent.

The tall, thin Dharma Warrior and Ku Yao exchanged a glance. Somewhat puzzled, they simultaneously released their spiritual sense to probe forward.

A moment later, a look of astonishment appeared on both their faces.

Ku Yao spoke in surprise:

“What’s going on? That mist has already dispersed. Wasn’t it agreed that he would only suddenly remove the restriction when we launched our attack halfway through? That was supposed to wipe out all these cultivators. Now that the restrictions are wide open, has something else happened?”

“I don’t know. Let’s take a closer look when we get there.” The tall, thin Dharma Warrior said hesitantly.

Hearing their exchange, the woman on the giant beast remained expressionless and silent.

The Moulan army therefore continued to advance. However, at the tall, thin Dharma Warrior’s command, all the Dharma Warriors immediately became much more cautious.

The remaining short journey passed without incident.

The Dharma Warriors smoothly arrived at the high altitude they had occupied the day before. But this time, seeing the scene below, all of them couldn’t help but stir in agitation.

The seemingly endless sea of green mist was completely gone, revealing the clearly visible Yellow Dragon Mountain peak and the cluster of pavilions and pavilions at its summit.

These originally exquisite buildings were now charred black and scorched, with wisps of green smoke rising from several places, as if they had been swept by a fierce fire. The scene was desolate. The entire mountain top was silent, as if everyone had abandoned the place.

The Dharma Warrior army split to the left and right. The young woman urged the giant beast forward slowly. The other Dharma Warriors all looked respectfully at the elegant figure on the beast, and the commotion immediately subsided. Ku Yao and the other man followed closely behind.

The woman looked at the scene before her, her bright eyes shifting. After a moment of silence, she stroked the hair on her shoulder with a bare hand and a cold smile curled at the corner of her mouth.

“No good. Although the thick mist has been removed, there are still restrictions inside that isolate our spiritual sense. We can’t probe the situation inside in detail.” The tall, thin Dharma Warrior said, his face full of suspicion.

“That’s right. What we see now might just be an illusion. Otherwise, if that person had truly succeeded, why hasn’t he contacted us by now?” Ku Yao also voiced his suspicion.

“So, in the esteemed Masters’ opinion, we should just stand here and do nothing?” The woman’s voice was clear and cold.

“Of course not. It’s just that we need to be a little more cautious. It’s possible he was only half-successful, was discovered, and then fled while being pursued. Meanwhile, the other cultivators simply abandoned this place and withdrew.” The tall, thin Dharma Warrior offered his speculation.