Chapter 1469: Advancement

Just then, threads of white light suddenly appeared in the originally pitch-black high altitude. They scattered and transformed into milky-white specks of light, slowly drifting down.

At the same time, the light emanating from the little beast's body abruptly shifted, becoming an unusual pink.

Then, a peculiar fragrance emanated from the little beast, making anyone who smelled it involuntarily salivate. It was as if the leopard-scaled beast's small body had suddenly become a rare delicacy in the world. Bai Bi and the others, who had originally been somewhat puzzled by Han Li's and the little beast's actions, couldn't help but exclaim upon smelling the scent, "Nirvana Flesh Scent! Brother Han, your spirit beast is about to advance!" Bai Bi's expression subtly changed. "Indeed, I'm afraid I'll have to delay here for a day," Han Li said, patting the little beast twice.

"A spirit beast advancing is naturally a good thing," Bai Bi said, his expression grim. "But for it to happen here is no small matter. Once this scent spreads, all the demonic creatures in the entire Land of Ice Fiends will likely flock here. If we're not careful, and an unknown high-tier demonic creature appears, we might be in danger."

"I'm well aware of that," Han Li said, a cold glint flashing in his eyes. "Does Brother Bai intend for me to abandon my spirit beast and leave?"

"I had no such intention, it's just..." Hearing Han Li's somewhat displeased tone, Bai Bi quickly denied it and tried to explain. But Han Li waved his hand, cutting off his words:

"Regardless of what you think, if you feel it's dangerous, you are free to leave, but I will not." Han Li's expression was resolute. Upon hearing Han Li's words, Bai Bi, Lei Lan, and the others exchanged glances, then couldn't help but smile wryly. They weren't surprised by Han Li's attitude. If it were them, a spirit beast about to advance to the Spirit General stage would also be treated as precious as life itself; who would easily give it up? At this point, Han Li no longer paid attention to the other three, busying himself with his own preparations.

The little beast's advancement would last at least a full day and night. During this time, any demonic creatures nearby that caught the scent would likely be drawn to them. Naturally, as this was the Land of Ice Fiends, ice fiend creatures would be the most numerous.

Han Li's body flashed with a green light, and he soared into the air. With a flick of his hand over his storage bracelet, stacks of formation flags and plates appeared in his hand.

With a single wave of his hand, dozens of streaks of light shot out in all directions, then flashed and vanished into the void.

A thunderous roar echoed from the nearby ground. Ten red pillars of light emerged from beneath the ice, and a massive hundred-zhang diameter formation instantly appeared on the ice surface.

The formation was covered with strange patterns, and crimson runes floated continuously within it.

A scorching aura diffused from it, subtly carrying a scent of burning air.

This was a set of fire-attribute formation tools Han Li had collected in Tian Ce City back then, spending a considerable amount of spirit stones. It could form a barrier formation called the "Ten Directions Extinguishing Flame Array."

This formation was quite powerful. Once deployed, even a Spirit Transformation cultivator entering it would not be able to break out immediately. Its power was even more terrifying against ice-cold demonic creatures, whose attributes were countered by fire.

But that wasn't all. Han Li formed a hand seal with both hands, and seventy-two small golden swords shot out simultaneously from various parts of his body. They flew towards the area above his head, and with a buzzing sound, transformed into hundreds of identical sword gleams. Han Li chanted incantations and pointed a finger at the dense sword gleams in the air.

Instantly, hundreds of golden lights scattered in all directions. After a few flashes, they vanished into the void. Han Li had actually set up his Great Geng Golden Sword Array within the larger formation.

With his current peak Spirit Transformation cultivation, the sword array he had deployed would ensure that even late-stage Void Refinement cultivators entering it would not escape. As for how much restraint it could exert on Body Integration cultivators, it was hard to say; only after testing it would he know. After completing all this, Han Li hovered above the formation, squinting slightly in thought, then flicked his sleeve.

A ball of silver flame flew out from his sleeve. After a clear cry, it transformed into a silver firebird. After circling once, it plunged "whoosh" into the ice and disappeared without a trace. Following this, Han Li raised his hand and released the triangular spirit carriage he had used once before.

He let the carriage hover motionlessly above the formation, while he sat cross-legged inside it, closing his eyes to cultivate his spirit.

At this moment, the little beast below was completely enveloped by the specks of white light. The fragrance emanating from it became increasingly alluring. Even though Han Li had set up such a barrier formation, it couldn't conceal the scent in the slightest. The extremely alluring scent spread rapidly into the distant darkness.

After a low-voiced discussion, Lei Lan and the other two honestly flew over and also stood on the spirit carriage.

While these three certainly didn't want to engage in a full-scale demonic beast attack, judging by the previous dangers, without Han Li's protection, let alone searching for the Netherflame Fruit, they probably wouldn't even be able to enter the third layer. Therefore, they had no choice but to brace themselves and stay.

Fortunately, Han Li's preparations were very thorough. Furthermore, Han Li had always been unfathomable in their eyes. As long as no overly powerful demonic creatures appeared, delaying here for a day was acceptable.

Time passed little by little. The milky-white specks of light descending from the sky grew denser, completely engulfing the little beast until its form was no longer visible. The leopard-scaled beast, which had been silent, also let out low grunts amidst the white light, seemingly enduring unbearable pain.

"Spirit beast advancements are very different from ours," Qin Xiao murmured, gazing at the white light below. "Each time, their physical bodies can be greatly strengthened, far beyond what we Spirit-Folk can achieve." "That's true," Lei Lan replied with a faint smile, "But this kind of bone-marrow cleansing pain is also beyond what we can compare to." Bai Bi, however, gazed at the distant dark ice field, a solemn expression on his face.

At this moment, the surroundings were perhaps a bit too quiet. Aside from the faint whistling of the wind, there were no other sounds. The peculiar fragrance emanating from the little beast had long since spread an unknown distance. It was hard to say for too far away, but demonic creatures within a hundred-mile radius surely must have smelled this scent. Bai Bi thought this, feeling uneasy. He couldn't help but turn his head to glance at Han Li. Han Li's eyes were closed, and his expression was unusually calm.

Bai Bi's gaze flickered. Just as he was about to move his lips to say something, Han Li suddenly opened his eyes, a crystalline light swirling within them!

Almost simultaneously, a rustling sound came from the darkness in a certain direction, as if countless things were swarming towards them.

At this, not only did Bai Bi's expression change, but Lei Lan and Qin Xiao, who had been conversing softly, also fell silent, looking in the same direction.

In the distance, countless pairs of vivid red eyes appeared. Then, a large swarm of murky black creatures, about a foot tall, surged out from the darkness. Their bodies were entirely glossy black. As their limbs moved, a rustling sound rapidly approached from afar. They were a large group of hideous ice spiders! At a glance, the spider swarm seemed boundless, instantly covering a vast expanse of ice.

However, these lowest-tier ice fiend creatures didn't even require Han Li to act. Qin Xiao of the Night Green Race let out a soft cry, and with a flick of her sleeve, over a dozen green lights shot out, falling directly into the spider swarm.

A few muffled "boom boom" sounds were heard. Instantly, over a dozen wooden puppets, about ten feet tall, appeared within the swarm.

These puppets resembled giant lizards. They didn't seem to make any other movements; they merely slightly crouched and opened their mouths, from which beams of green light fired out.

Wherever the green light passed, all the ice spiders rapidly melted and disintegrated like snow in spring, utterly unable to resist the light in the slightest.

These puppets stood side by side, their heads sweeping left and right, preventing the distant ice spiders from approaching even a single step. Hundreds and thousands of spider corpses littered the ground, quickly accumulating into a thick layer.

However, the sheer number of ice spiders was immense. Even though the green lights were exceptionally sharp, the spiders, advancing one after another, seemed to completely disregard their own lives.

While the green light fired by these dozen giant lizard puppets was powerful, it evidently consumed a considerable amount of spirit stones. In just a short while, the green light from their mouths grew faint, no longer able to instantly kill the spiders behind.

As a result, countless spiders broke through the blockade and quickly approached the puppets. With loud "splattering" sounds, countless black threads spewed from the spider swarm, instantly covering the giant lizard puppets beneath them, binding them so tightly that not even wind or rain could pass through. Then, with a pull of the black threads, the dozen puppets collapsed one after another, unable to move at all.

Seeing this scene, Qin Xiao, standing in the spirit carriage, was somewhat surprised, but at the same time felt a loss of face. She immediately said in a low voice:

"Fellow Daoists, there's no need for you to act. I'll handle these little things." With that, the woman transformed into a ball of green light and soared into the air. After a few flashes, she flew out of the grand formation, reaching the low-altitude area of the ice spiders.

The spider swarm naturally immediately noticed the target in the air. After a series of hissing sounds, countless black threads were again sprayed towards the woman in the air.

Qin Xiao's expression darkened. A layer of deep green flames suddenly appeared on her body. Upon contact, the black threads immediately turned into green smoke and vanished without a trace.

The woman then let out a low cry, and with a sweep of one hand, a green fire sword materialized in her grasp. She lightly swung it downwards.

Instantly, a powerful beam of green flame slashed down. After a tremendous roar, a massive trench, about ten feet wide, appeared in front of the spider swarm. Green flames churned within it, and all the ice spiders that fell into it were instantly reduced to nothing.

Only then did a slight smile appear at the corner of Qin Xiao's mouth. Just as she was about to deliver a few more slashes to widen the trench further, several angry cries came from the distant darkness, and several massive creatures, about ten feet in size, suddenly burst forth.

The woman's expression changed drastically upon closer inspection.

These giants were four enormous spiders, far larger than their counterparts. Each had coarse black hair on its back, and sharp fangs protruding from its mouth, angrily screeching at her.

Qin Xiao's delicate brows furrowed. She held her fire sword horizontally, ready to unceremoniously strike at them.

But at that very instant, after a surge of black light circulated over the spiders' bodies, a pair of dark, cicada-like wings appeared on their backs.

With a shake, they all soared into the sky.

Seeing this, Qin Xiao's relaxed expression immediately vanished!