Chapter 1453: Arena of Competition

Han Li walked along a bluestone path, admiring the surrounding scenery and looking quite at ease.

At first glance, there were few people around, but looking up, one could spot people flying high above. The Feathered Spirits were accustomed to soaring high, so the paths on the ground were largely decorative. However, recalling the formidable strength of the Feathered Spirits gathered here, Han Li couldn't help but sigh inwardly.

Apart from anything else, the combined power of the leading elders from the Feathered Spirits' seventy-two branches, plus the dozens of joint council members present, already far surpassed that of Tianyuan City. After all, Tianyuan City normally only had ten Integration Stage elders stationed there. Of course, in times of war, nearly a hundred Integration Stage cultivators from both the human and demon races could be mobilized, but that would be the combined strength of two races. Neither the human race nor the demon race alone could compare to the overall power of the Feathered Spirits. As for the number of Nascent Soul or Void Refinement stage cultivators, it was likely incomparable to what the human and demon races could muster.

From this perspective, it was indeed true that the human race, after so many years in the Spirit Realm, could barely defend itself and was considered weak among the various races.

In comparison, while the Feathered Spirits' strength couldn't match the great races rumored in the Spirit Realm, they could probably be considered a middle-tier race.

As Han Li pondered these thoughts, he rounded a corner and suddenly spotted a small pavilion ahead, with several paths branching off in different directions. On two wooden chairs in the pavilion, two young women in white robes were sitting and chatting, laughing softly. Seeing an outsider appear, their laughter ceased, and they both looked over. One of the women was the petite girl who had previously guided Han Li and his companions, introducing herself as "Xiao Zhu."

"Ah, Miss Xiao Zhu. Have you perhaps seen my companions from my race pass by here?" Han Li asked politely, his thoughts quickly turning.

"You mean Miss Lei Lan, Sir Han? A short while ago, I did indeed see her pass by here. It seemed she was heading towards the arena," Xiao Zhu stood up and replied with a smile.

"The arena? Was she alone?" Han Li's heart sank, and he asked again.

"No, she was accompanied by Miss Hong Sha of the Crimson Scale Tribe," Xiao Zhu blinked her beautiful eyes and smiled meaningfully.

"Thank you for the information!" Han Li's expression showed no change. After a faint smile, he changed direction and took the path leading to the arena. Seeing this, the two young women in white robes exchanged glances, a hint of surprise in each other's eyes.

For this Holy Son of the Sky Roc Tribe to remain so composed upon hearing that his companion was taken to such a place by someone from an enemy tribe, he was truly no ordinary person. The two women, of course, did not know that while Han Li appeared calm, he was actually quite displeased. That Sky Roc woman named Lei Lan was simply too naive.

Although he didn't know how that Crimson Scale individual lured her to the arena, such a clearly ill-intentioned act should have been obvious. If the opponent deliberately feigned an accidental injury to her in the arena, wouldn't the Sky Roc Tribe's hope of passing the trial become even slimmer? He really couldn't afford to ignore this matter. After all, after signing the supplementary scroll of the Sky Roc Oath, he had also made an additional agreement with Jin Yue. If a Holy Lord of the Sky Roc Tribe failed to appear, his troubles would indeed be significant.

He believed the Sky Roc elders would certainly not hesitate to vent their frustration on him, an ineffective outsider, before their tribe was absorbed. Pondering the various details of the Deep Abyss trial further, Han Li sighed inwardly.

While his trip to the Sky Roc Tribe had indeed brought him immense benefits, it had also embroiled him in considerable trouble.

Even if he eventually helped the Sky Roc Tribe escape their predicament, he still needed to carefully plan how to extricate himself completely.

With his plan decided, Han Li's steps remained unhurried, yet he moved like flowing clouds and water, quickly traversing the path from one end to the other, even disappearing without a trace after a few flashes.

The arena, as it was called, was easy to find and not as far from Han Li's lodging as he had imagined.

After activating his 'Thousand Miles in a Step' divine ability, Han Li, in merely the time it takes to eat a meal, spotted the massive, thousand-zhang-high light barrier, from which he could faintly hear explosive roars. Han Li's expression shifted, and he ceased his divine ability, slowly walking forward with ordinary steps. Since the Crimson Scale individual named Chi Tian had openly revealed Lei Lan's whereabouts, he likely intended to target Han Li.

As long as he didn't reveal himself, the Crimson Scale people probably wouldn't make a move immediately. And even if they were truly impatient to act, it was already too late to rush now. Any more haste would be pointless. Thinking this calmly, Han Li's eyes flashed with blue light as he carefully observed the scene within the light barrier. It appeared someone was performing divine abilities in the air, engaged in combat.

Fortunately! The combatants weren't using transformation abilities; one was controlling masses of fierce flames, while the other spat out blue cold air, and Lei Lan was not among them. This brought Han Li a slight sense of relief. However, the woman controlling the flames was clearly Hong Sha, the Holy Son of the Crimson Scale Tribe.

Just as Han Li felt a little strange, he suddenly sensed someone from the crowd glance at him from afar, a gaze that was exceedingly chilling and seemed ill-intentioned. With his highly sensitive spiritual perception, he immediately swept his gaze across to locate the person.

But to his surprise, the gaze vanished as quickly as it appeared. No matter how carefully he scanned the crowd, he found nothing.

Han Li's expression darkened. After a brief moment of thought, he gave up on pursuing the matter and quickened his pace, reaching the arena shortly after.

Before he even reached the spot, the two combatants in the air, after a fierce interwoven clash of flames and cold air, instantly determined the victor.

The man with a pair of blue feathered wings on his back was instantly forced back repeatedly by the rapidly expanding flames, compelled to concede defeat to Hong Sha and descend from the sky.

"Little Sister Lei, I've dealt with my opponent. Hmm, if you want that Thunder Star Stone, just come up and defeat me, and I'll immediately hand it over with both hands, no regrets." This woman was already quite attractive, and with a charming smile, her face was full of allure, captivating many of the nearby Feathered Spirit men watching. Han Li inwardly cursed, realizing it was bad. He was about to shout out to stop her from afar, but it was already too late.

A flash of white light, and a slender figure wrapped within it, with a pair of silver feathered wings, soared up from the ground. Who else could it be but Lei Lan? Han Li's expression immediately turned grim. It was too much of a coincidence that the Crimson Scale woman had defeated her opponent and challenged Lei Lan the very moment he arrived.

Clearly, it was no coincidence; the person who had been secretly observing him moments ago must have informed her of his arrival, which prompted her to suddenly initiate this plan against him. However, after taking a few deep breaths, his expression quickly returned to normal. He then took a few more brisk steps to reach the side of the arena and found a nearby spot to stand casually, unmoving.

"You used the Thunder Star Stone to lure me here from my lodging, probably to fight me. Whatever your intentions, since you've said that defeating you will earn me the Thunder Star Stone, I won't hold back at all," Lei Lan said emotionlessly.

As she unfurled her silver wings, silver electric arcs instantly appeared, rapidly spreading across her entire body, making her seem like a spirit of lightning.

"Heh heh! As long as Little Sister has the ability, I will certainly hand over the Thunder Star Stone with both hands," Hong Sha seemed completely unfazed, only glancing in Han Li's direction before speaking with a light laugh.

Those from other branches below naturally knew of the grievances between the Crimson Scale Tribe and the Sky Roc Tribe. Whispering amongst themselves, they all held the thought of watching a good show, preparing to enjoy a major battle. Seeing Han Li standing there with his arms crossed, showing no intention of intervening, Hong Sha appeared to be smiling, but secretly began to feel a little anxious.

If Han Li didn't step in to stop them, some of the tactics they had already planned wouldn't be usable. It seemed they would have to resort to another plan.

This woman thought to herself, then without further hesitation, she formed a hand seal. Her body glowed intensely red, and fiery red orbs, each the size of a bowl, materialized out of thin air around her, almost coloring a quarter of the sky within the light barrier red. The entire arena instantly became incredibly hot, almost unbearably so.

Some of the spectators with lower cultivation levels even had to retreat more than ten steps to endure the heat. Han Li's eyebrows twitched upon seeing this, but he remained rooted to his spot. Seeing this, Lei Lan, without a word, flapped her wings and mentally urged her magic formula.

After a rumble of thunder, the electric arcs coiling around her body suddenly grew several times thicker. From a distance, they looked like several silver pythons wrapped around her, but they immediately transformed into countless threads of chromium-like light that shot out towards her opponent. As the silver threads flashed, almost every lightning thread pierced through a fire orb in an instant.

In an instant, crackling sounds were continuous, and hundreds of fire orbs burst apart, transforming into countless sparks that scattered everywhere.

This divine ability of wielding lightning as threads not only startled Han Li but also caused a stir among the Feathered Spirit spectators below.

A trace of surprise also flashed across Hong Sha's face, but she immediately sneered, flicked her sleeve, and a sheet of red mist shot out, circling and dancing around her.

Wherever the red mist passed, the sparks transformed into wisps of red fog, all converging towards Hong Sha. In an instant, a vast cloud of fire emerged, engulfing Hong Sha's figure within it.

The fiery cloud roiled continuously, waves of fire surging outwards from within it. Then, as the fire cloud condensed towards its center, it transformed, amidst a brilliant red glow, into a colossal fireball with a diameter of over ten zhang. The fireball spun with a dreadful buzzing sound, hurtling directly towards Lei Lan. Lei Lan's expression subtly changed. Without a word, she raised her arm, and silver light burst forth, accompanied by a tremendous roar of thunder.

Her entire arm became enveloped by countless fine silver arcs. With a flash of silver light, all the arcs merged into one.

With a loud bang, a massive arc, as thick as a water bucket, shot out from her arm, directly meeting the giant fireball hurtling towards her.