Chapter 1448: Reluctant to Act

Han Li quickly took out a blue talisman from his storage pouch and lightly patted it onto his wound.

A flash of white light appeared, and the blood immediately stopped gushing out.

Han Li glanced sideways, saw the injury was temporarily under control, and felt a slight sense of relief.

However, he turned back to stare at "Qu Hun," his eyes now cold and silent. Suddenly, a green light several zhang tall erupted from his body, with nine emerald rays swirling within it, an incredibly striking sight.

Han Li had made up his mind: unless he emerged from this place alive, he would not recall his Green Bamboo Bee Cloud Swords, fearing that the ancient monster, who had lived for countless years, would ambush him again.

Truth be told, ever since he began cultivating, he had never been more terrified than by the recent encounter.

A slight delay in reaction would have instantly resulted in a hole through his heart.

If his spiritual sense and agility hadn't far surpassed those of ordinary cultivators, Qu Hun's sneak attack just now would surely have killed him.

The Blood Spirit Drill was truly insidious, impossible to guard against!

However, Han Li no longer needed to worry about the Blood Spirit Drill's venom. The one just used was the last one Qu Hun had cultivated.

Still, Han Li felt extremely frustrated!

According to the cultivation method for his Corpse Core Avatar, he had clearly refined his split spiritual sense and Qu Hun's physical body to achieve a perfect fusion of spirit and flesh. How then could the old ghost opposite him have controlled it without his knowledge?

He hadn't even had time to send himself a warning spiritual message. If he hadn't reacted quickly and immediately withdrawn that part of his spiritual sense, the opponent might have even used it to devour him.

Then, his troubles would have truly escalated.

However, the fact that the opponent could possess a body also indicated that the green shadow was indeed not human, but rather a demonic spirit akin to a ghost or nascent soul.

Perhaps its possession of Qu Hun's body wasn't a bad thing; it might even give him an opportunity to destroy the opponent.

Thinking of this, Han Li flipped his hand, and an exquisite small bell, crafted from brass, appeared in his palm. It was the Soul Guiding Bell, which he had set aside for a long time.

This bell contained the vital essence and blood of Qu Hun's body. While he didn't expect it to defeat the opponent alone, it could at least create some opportune moments for him!

At this moment, "Qu Hun" across from him was moving its limbs, as if adapting to the body.

Upon seeing Han Li's actions, it sneered coldly, appearing utterly confident.

Han Li's expression darkened, and he no longer hesitated, striking the small bell in his hand.

Following a series of clear chimes, the red light in Qu Hun's eyes flickered a few times, but its body remained completely still. It showed no signs of being affected.

Han Li's heart sank.

"No matter what tricks you played on this Corpse Core Avatar, now that I am the master of this body, do you really think those minor restrictions will still work?" Qu Hun's hoarse voice slowly reached him, its face full of mockery.

"You know about Corpse Core Avatars?" Han Li was surprised and moved by this revelation.

"Heh heh! This Corpse Core and avatar technique were originally taught by me to my two rebellious disciples. Do you think I wouldn't recognize it? You're quite bold to use an avatar in front of me! Didn't you know that any avatar refined using this secret technique can be easily controlled by me? Didn't your master warn you?" Qu Hun casually twisted its neck left and right, then folded its arms and spoke indifferently.

Han Li felt a mix of shock and suspicion, but his expression seemed somewhat peculiar.

"Master? What master? I obtained this avatar technique from a jade slip. I'm not sure what it has to do with you," Han Li said, explaining calmly. He wasn't willing to take the blame for Patriarch Extreme Yin. Regardless of whether the opponent's words were true or false, he offered a mild explanation.

"Jade slip? Kid, do you think I'll let you go just because you deny being a disciple of those two rebellious apprentices? After I capture you, I'll extract your soul and refine your spirit. I can still get what I want to know that way." Qu Hun said expressionlessly, seemingly not believing Han Li's words at all.

After speaking, it immediately gestured towards the pile of white bones not far away. The scattered bones floated up on their own, instantly reassembling into a complete skeleton, which then flew towards Qu Hun with a flash of white light.

Although Han Li didn't know what the opponent intended to do, he certainly wouldn't let it complete the process smoothly.

Without hesitation, he flicked his fingers a few times, sending three beams of green sword light shooting from his hand directly towards the skeleton.

It was the Azure Yuan Sword Light!

"How dare a mere speck of light be so presumptuous?" Qu Hun said grimly upon seeing this.

Then, it opened its mouth and spewed out a pillar of blood.

After a series of thunderous explosions, the blood pillar and the green light collided, sending light scattering in all directions.

Han Li's brows furrowed slightly, revealing a solemn expression.

The possessed Qu Hun's cultivation seemed to be no longer limited to the early Core Formation stage.

This was quite strange!

But what happened next to "Qu Hun" utterly astounded Han Li even more!

The white bones flew in front of Qu Hun and seamlessly merged into its body.

Then, Qu Hun roared, throwing its head back, and several different kinds of light erupted from its body: eerie emerald green flames, pitch-black ghostly mist, and Qu Hun's own Blood Refinement Divine Light.

The three distinct colored lights intertwined, continuously swirling around Qu Hun, completely enveloping him.

As Qu Hun roared, a series of popping sounds like bursting beans, "ga-beng," emanated from its body. It then painfully hunched over, and its body and limbs slowly began to shrink.

When the sounds ceased, and it straightened up again, Qu Hun's originally tall physique had shrunk significantly, becoming indistinguishable from that of an ordinary person.

What astounded Han Li most was that Qu Hun's face had transformed into that of a handsome youth, and even the blood-red color in its eyes had significantly faded, becoming a light red. In that brief moment, Qu Hun had completely turned into another person.

Han Li stood dumbfounded for a moment before finally showing a bitter smile on his face.

He had originally intended to seize the opportunity to launch a sneak attack, seeing the opponent performing a grand ritual in front of him. However, he hadn't expected the opponent's spell-casting speed to be so fast, leaving him no opening.

"Possession, or body snatching?" Han Li was silent for a moment, then abruptly asked the youth a cryptic question.

Upon hearing this, the handsome youth revealed a half-smile, half-sneer.

"You greatly underestimate my Profound Soul Refining Demon Technique. This is a secret art only cultivators in the Nascent Soul stage are qualified to cultivate. Once mastered, I am no longer restricted by body snatching; I can freely possess others with my Profound Soul body. Now that my Profound Soul Bone Condensation technique is complete, I shall use your blood as a sacrifice for the grand return of this Holy Ancestor!" The youth looked at Han Li, narrowing his eyes as he spoke calmly.

Then, he raised a hand, and his ten fingers instantly sharpened, growing several-inch-long emerald green nails.

Han Li's expression was grim; he said no more idle words.

He lightly tossed the spirit beast pouch he had been holding, and thousands of Gold-Devouring Beetles swarmed out, forming a brilliant golden-silver cloud-like mist that floated above his head within moments.

Next, he waved both hands, and white light flickered continuously around him. Thirty to forty giant ape golems appeared around Han Li, each staring coldly at the youth.

But Han Li wasn't finished. After forming a hand seal, nine small swords flew out from the green light, converging into a zhang-long emerald green greatsword. Its sword light flickered unsteadily, with faint golden arcs of electricity constantly leaping from it.

Seeing all this, the handsome youth's expression changed dramatically, revealing surprise and solemnity.

"A flying sword refined from Sky-Thunder Bamboo, insect manipulation, golems! It seems you genuinely aren't a disciple of Extreme Yin or Extreme Splendor. If that's the case, we can have a proper discussion!" The youth's eyes flickered a few times before he suddenly spoke.

Han Li, who was about to launch his assault, paused at these words. After a moment of silence, he said coldly:

"But I'd like to see if you can withstand my flying sword!"

Having spoken, Han Li unhesitatingly pointed at the greatsword. Instantly, a green rainbow, thick as a python, shot towards the youth, accompanied by rumbling thunder.

Seeing this, the youth's face subtly darkened. Without waiting for the flying sword to get close, he extended a sharp claw and lightly waved it in front of him.

Five crescent-shaped black lights appeared out of nowhere, rapidly expanding before flashing a few times and swiftly slashing towards the green rainbow.

With just a light impact, the crescent-shaped black lights were shattered into wisps of smoke by the faint golden electrical arcs emanating from the green rainbow; they were utterly defenseless.

Upon witnessing this, the youth's expression remained unchanged, but inwardly he was greatly astonished. The power of this Golden Thunder Bamboo far exceeded his expectations!

In the blink of an eye, the green rainbow reached the youth. Yet, he remained unperturbed, calmly watching the greatsword approach, seemingly confident and in control.