Chapter 1406: The Battle of the Wood Spirit

Suddenly, his expression changed dramatically, revealing an incredulous look.

"It's that guy! Given his escape speed and powerful spiritual sense, once he's locked on, there's no time to run. The Great Purity Talisman probably won't be effective against him either. However, his aura is significantly weaker than before; he seems to be seriously injured. Back then, Qing Yuanzi, with his Void Refinement cultivation, used the Great Geng Sword Array to contend with an Integration stage cultivator. Although my cultivation isn't as high, if I make preparations in advance, I might be able to trap someone whose cultivation has dropped so much. Besides, I have other formidable methods; it's not like I have no chance of fighting back." Han Li's thoughts raced, and he felt some regret for having separated from Ye Chu and the other woman so quickly, thinking that otherwise, he wouldn't be facing this crisis.

However, Han Li was no ordinary person. After making his decision, he immediately ceased hesitating. A flash of green light enveloped him, and his escape light shot downwards.

After a few blinks, he suddenly appeared on the peak of a small mountain.

Without a word, he shook his sleeve, and seventy-two small golden swords instantly flew out. Under his incantation, they transformed into hundreds of golden sword lights that scattered in all directions and vanished from sight.

He had set up the Great Origin Sword Array here once more.

Then, Han Li touched the back of his head, and a large expanse of gray light mist shot up into the sky. As the mist dispersed, it transformed into a hazy gray light shield, enveloping and protecting him. At the same time, he shook his other sleeve, and five white bone skulls appeared before him. With a sudden spray, five types of extremely cold flames emerged, then merged into one outside the gray light mist, forming a swirling mass of five-colored flames. Han Li, standing within, formed hand seals. The flames condensed and transformed into a thick, five-colored halo that spun continuously around him.

Almost simultaneously, thunder rumbled behind Han Li, and a pair of azure-white feathered wings materialized.

After completing all these preparations, Han Li put his hands behind his back and stared intently at the distant sky, remaining motionless.

Within moments, a flash of spiritual light appeared in the distant sky, and a silver orb shot through the air directly towards him. After a few blinks, it appeared above the mountain peak where Han Li stood.

As the light receded, a figure entirely enveloped in shimmering green light was revealed, wearing a faint silver belt around its waist. It was none other than the lower-ranked silver-tier high-grade Wood Spirit that had appeared in the Black Leaf Forest.

Han Li's pupils contracted, and he instantly scrutinized the opponent over a dozen times. From its appearance, this silver-tier Wood Spirit seemed identical to when it was in the Black Leaf Forest, but its spiritual pressure was more than half of what it was before, truly indicating it was injured.

Han Li exhaled slowly, a wave of relief washing over him. If his initial assessment had been wrong and the opponent was still unharmed, he would have turned and fled immediately, not lingering for a moment. However, upon reflection, it wasn't surprising that this silver-tier Wood Spirit was seriously injured. He had personally witnessed the terrifying power of Ye Ying's transformation into the Heavenly Phoenix Soul after activating her true spirit blood. Her divine abilities far surpassed those of this high-grade Wood Spirit. As it had been tracking the two women earlier, they must have had a fierce battle, leading to its current state. Yet, for this seriously injured being to persistently track him all the way here was truly beyond his expectations. The opponent abandoning Ye Ying and the other woman to pursue him was likely because it had suffered a setback once and dared not track them anymore. But to avoid returning empty-handed, it decided to make do with him. In a flash, Han Li pieced together most of the reasons why the opponent was tracking him, and a sense of gloom filled his heart.

With its pair of jade green eyes, the silver-tier Wood Spirit swept its gaze over Han Li as well, then, without a word, it suddenly unleashed a punch from a distance. A piercing shriek, as if tearing space itself, immediately erupted. Almost simultaneously, Han Li felt a massive force silently impact the defenses surrounding his body. The five-colored halo suddenly trembled, and then the gray light shield distorted and warped. Han Li's body shook violently. He involuntarily stumbled back several steps, with flashes of green light appearing on his face multiple times before he managed to steady himself.

Han Li's expression changed. The opponent's strike just now possessed at least tens of thousands of jin of force. It was only because his physical body was so exceptionally robust; any other ordinary cultivator, even one in the Void Refinement stage, would have been seriously injured if caught off guard. The silver-tier Wood Spirit was indeed even more terrifying than rumored.

"Oh?" The green figure in the distance let out a sound of surprise, seemingly somewhat astonished that Han Li had so easily withstood its strike. Realizing that Han Li was not as vulnerable as it had imagined, it let out a cold snort and, expressionlessly, took a large stride forward.

Its body radiated brilliant silver light, and the Wood Spirit flashed like a phantom, appearing only a dozen zhang away from Han Li. Simultaneously, a strange green wooden armor materialized, its surface shimmering with silver light, and countless sharp barbs of varying lengths suddenly emerged, instantly transforming the seemingly ordinary Wood Spirit into an exceptionally fearsome being.

Han Li's pupils contracted. With a movement of the wings on his back, he transformed into an azure-white electric arc and vanished from his spot. The next moment, he appeared over thirty zhang away, his hands already forming seals and chanting incantations.

The Wood Spirit didn't hesitate in the slightest. It took another stride, and its phantom-like figure flashed as it charged towards Han Li once more. But immediately, with a soft "crackle," the Wood Spirit's figure had only moved a dozen zhang when seven or eight shimmering golden threads suddenly appeared before it without any warning, vanishing just as quickly.

Startled, the Wood Spirit instinctively flashed its five fingers with green light and snatched backward. However, only a few muffled "thuds" were heard. The green light struck the golden threads, and as spiritual light intertwined, both sides were locked in a stalemate, vibrating.

A flicker of surprise crossed the Wood Spirit's face. It spread the five fingers of its other hand, releasing five more streaks of green light, intending to join the attack. But just then, golden light flashed continuously nearby, and golden threads appeared one after another. With a flicker, they all eerily appeared mere inches from the Wood Spirit. As they intertwined and moved, they seemed poised to slice the Wood Spirit into pieces.

These golden threads moved so swiftly that the Wood Spirit, not yet having figured out their true nature, naturally wasn't willing to risk itself. It twisted its body, and an identical green figure appeared seven or eight zhang behind it.

The nearby golden threads flashed past, instantly slicing the Wood Spirit at its original position into countless fragments, which immediately disintegrated and vanished. It was merely an afterimage.

Only then did the silver-tier Wood Spirit realize that not only were there golden threads in front of it, but many identical ones had also appeared from all directions. These golden threads emanated a chilling gleam and were slowly converging on its position.

"Sword Array!" A surprised voice came from the Wood Spirit's mouth.

But then, it clasped its hands together, and a dazzling silver light immediately flared in its palms. As it separated them, countless silver streaks shot out in all directions amidst an explosion, directly impacting the densely packed sword threads around it.

A deafening roar echoed, and as the golden threads and silver streaks intertwined, bursts of strange golden and silver light erupted. It was unclear what divine ability the Wood Spirit was using to unleash these silver streaks, but they actually shattered the golden threads inch by inch, as if their power surpassed that of the sword array.

The Wood Spirit's figure flickered, transforming into a green shadow that shot out, attempting to seize this opportunity to escape the outer perimeter of the sword array.

As expected of a silver-tier being, the Wood Spirit moved instantly. The next moment, it appeared fifty to sixty zhang away. It seemed that with just one more movement, it could truly escape the sword array's range. But at that moment, a thunderous crackle erupted before it, and Han Li, enveloped in azure-white electric arcs, silently emerged from the void. Without hesitation, he moved his arm, and after two "thuds" of air being torn, two strange black and white fists appeared erratically, their momentum astonishing.

The Wood Spirit didn't have time to think; its figure didn't stop in the slightest. Instead, with a movement of both arms, ten streaks of green light intertwined and flashed, transforming into countless claw shadows that enveloped the incoming fists.

With two deafening "booms," the fist shadows and claw streaks collided amidst an ear-splitting roar. Both figures stumbled backward, flying out almost simultaneously.

When the Wood Spirit, filled with shock and fury, finally regained its balance, and tried to break out of the sword array again, the golden threads that had previously disintegrated and vanished had already reappeared, surging towards it once more. Helplessly, it could only flicker and retreat to its original position, its eyes now filled with a sinister glint.

This silver-tier Wood Spirit already had a vague feeling that it should not have pursued this human cultivator this time.

Indeed, just as it had premonitions of, in the time that followed, the Wood Spirit consecutively employed several powerful divine abilities. However, each time it broke through the sword array, Han Li forcefully repelled it back using his treasures and bare fists.

And with just that momentary obstruction, the dissipated threads would all revert to their original state, reactivating the sword array's power.

Given Han Li's current physical body strength and immense power, even though the Wood Spirit race itself also possessed formidable physical bodies, it couldn't shake off Han Li in a single encounter and break out of the sword array.

Of course, this was also because the Wood Spirit was severely injured, and its power was only half of what it was at its peak. Otherwise, if the Wood Spirit had risked some vital energy to employ a few unique secret techniques, Han Li truly wouldn't have been able to stop it in the slightest.

Nevertheless, at present, with the power of Han Li's Great Origin Sword Array, he had truly trapped this high-grade Wood Spirit securely within it.

Inside the sword array, countless sword threads surrounded the Wood Spirit. They were quickly converging. The Wood Spirit's gaze flickered, clearly realizing its precarious situation as well. It suddenly stood motionless in the very center of the sword array, only its wooden armor shimmering with unstable silver light. All its sharp barbs, at this moment, suddenly emitted a low hum and began to tremble lightly.

Han Li was startled, and his entire body radiated brilliant green light. Without thinking, he urged the sword array to accelerate its attack.

And just then, the Wood Spirit in the center of the sword array suddenly looked up and let out a long cry. Its battle armor vibrated, and the silver barbs on it instantly transformed into countless bolts that shot out in all directions. The silver light shimmered densely, appearing endless. For a moment, the entire sword array was filled with the sound of objects tearing through the air, followed by continuous roars. Bursts of golden and silver light almost engulfed everything.

Witnessing this scene, Han Li gasped sharply.

But this was not the end. The Wood Spirit, which had been continuously releasing silver barbs, suddenly swelled in size, its skin turning a vibrant, dripping green. A towering ancient tree, roughly ten zhang tall, materialized as a phantom behind the Wood Spirit, its dense branches and leaves continuously budding and extending wildly outwards.