Chapter 1477: Escape

Hearing Han Li's cold words, Lei Lan and the other two immediately realized he was not joking. Surprised, they dared not delay and flew to the Underworld Flame fruit trees. Each took out a wooden box and plucked the ripe Underworld Flame fruits.

Qin Xiao, being particularly sensible, packed one of the fruits and respectfully presented the wooden box to Han Li with both hands. Han Li didn't stand on ceremony. With a flick of his sleeve, a green mist swirled, and the wooden box vanished without a trace. At this moment, Lei Lan and Bai Bi also finished collecting their Underworld Flame fruits and returned to the vicinity. "Let's go! Do not stop anywhere on the way. We must return to the surface as quickly as possible," Han Li stated gravely. A green light enveloped him, transforming him into a green rainbow that soared into the air. He didn't waste a single word.

Bai Bi and the others didn't know why Han Li was so eager to leave the Abyss, but they suspected it was related to the Blood Flood Dragon they had recently encountered. Even the unfathomable Han Li was acting this way, which made them even more uneasy.

Not daring to fall behind, Lei Lan and the others activated their escape lights and quickly followed.

In the blink of an eye, the group vanished into the distance.

Two days later, in the grand wooden hall on the third level of the Abyss, the shadowy woman on the giant golden flower was still there, propping her chin with one hand, seemingly lost in thought.

At this moment, there was no one else in the hall besides two maids in green robes by her side.

Suddenly, a streak of blood-red light shot in from outside the hall's entrance. As the light receded, a blood-colored demonic creature with a dragon's head and a human body knelt in the hall. It was none other than Blood Poison, the Blood Flood Dragon that had recently fought with Han Li! "Greetings, Master!" Blood Poison said. "It's you. How did it go? Did you kill those people and retrieve their souls?" the woman asked indifferently, her gaze sweeping over Blood Poison. "Reporting to Master. Blood Poison was incompetent; I failed to kill those people," Blood Poison replied, bowing his dragon head. "Oh, so these people truly are troublesome," the woman said, not appearing angry, but rather growing interested.

"Yes, Master. The others were ordinary Spirit General-level flying spirit individuals. But one of them, despite only being a Spirit General, directly withstood my full-strength Heavenly Gang Blood Lightning, and then endured a blow from the Blood River Nether Needle with his physical body, even deflecting it. Master had previously instructed me that if anything was amiss, I should immediately return and report. Therefore, when my attack failed, I came back to report." Blood Poison explained clearly, point by point.

"He can withstand Heavenly Gang Blood Lightning and repel the Blood River Nether Needle with his physical body?" Although the shadowy figure on the golden flower had anticipated hearing something unusual, she was still slightly surprised by Blood Poison's words.

"Indeed. Not only that, but this person's escape technique is also extremely astonishing, and he possesses several other powerful divine abilities. Even if I were to fight him with all my might, I would most likely still be defeated," Blood Poison added after a slight hesitation.

"Other matters are secondary. There are countless divine abilities in the world; possessing a few heaven-defying ones and being able to withstand your Heavenly Gang Blood Lightning isn't particularly rare. However, to repel your Nether River Divine Needle with his physical body, despite only being a Spirit General, is extraordinary. It indicates that this person's physical body has reached its peak of strength, making him the perfect sacrificial blood essence. Excellent! We were supposed to prepare three top-grade blood essences, and we've only found one so far. I was just worrying about this!" The woman's words actually contained a hint of joy. "Master means..." "Naturally, I will personally intervene, capture this person alive, and use him as the blood essence for the final sacrifice," the woman said, her tone becoming sinister. "But Master, isn't this the person Lord Earthblood wants?" Blood Poison couldn't help but remind her. He had learned of this through other channels long ago. "The old monster Earthblood overtly wants to exterminate these flying spirits, but in reality, he's probably after their negative souls. He likely has some deal with the Yin-Xuan Ghost Clan. I only want this person's physical body, which doesn't conflict with Earthblood's objective. What is there to worry about?" the woman said coldly, having largely guessed the blood-robed man's true intentions. "Master is wise!" Blood Poison seemed to realize something. "Without further ado, I'll go now. Blood Poison, you too, teleport with me to the second level and let's pursue this person together," the woman commanded. "As you command!" Blood Poison respectfully replied, standing up. A shadowy figure flickered on the giant golden flower, and the woman, enveloped in a hazy black light, appeared beside Blood Poison like a phantom. With a single-hand incantation and murmured words, a surge of ink-black light immediately erupted from the woman, enveloping both of them in a single sweep. With a flash, the two abruptly vanished without a trace within the black mist.

Meanwhile, under Han Li's full urging, Lei Lan and the others covered several days' worth of previous ground in just over a day, continuing their frantic escape without stopping. Fortunately, some dangers and demonic beasts along the way had already been cleared out, and the route was now familiar, requiring no further thought or distraction. Even so, such intense day and night travel significantly drained the spiritual power of Bai Bi, Qin Xiao, and the others, making them feel overwhelmed. However, when they saw Han Li, who was leading the escape, with his face perpetually grim, they felt a chill in their hearts and dared not complain in the slightest, only gritting their teeth and persevering.

After another day, a swamp appeared ahead, and the faintly visible exit to the second level, where black winds constantly raged, became apparent. Han Li felt a slight relief and let out a soft breath, but he led the three of them into it without hesitation.

Half a day later, Han Li and the others reappeared at the entrance of the valley on the first level. At this point, Han Li made a decision that greatly astonished Lei Lan and the others. "From here on, we'll split up. You few shouldn't stay together either; go your separate ways and use all your strength to head for the surface." As soon as they exited the valley, Han Li paused for a moment, then suddenly said coldly. "What, separate? Brother Han, why is that?" Bai Bi was startled, and Lei Lan and Qin Xiao's expressions subtly changed.

"At this point, I won't hide it from you. We might have been targeted by a Demon King-level entity from the Abyss. Even if I possess some divine abilities, I'm no match for such an existence. Although I don't know when they'll catch up, if we separate, they'll most likely pursue me. Your chances of escaping back to the surface will be greater. And without you to worry about, I can flee with all my might, also having a chance to escape. On the first level, there should be very few things that can still pose a danger to you." Han Li said with a grim expression, but still offered an explanation.

"A Demon King-level entity! How could such a terrifying existence target us? Brother Han, are you mistaken?" Qin Xiao said, her face instantly pale and bloodless.

"How should I know the reason? But I've said what needed to be said. Your lives are your own; whether you believe me or not is up to you. However, it's best to split up and leave immediately. Perhaps the other party will catch up at the next moment," Han Li said, his gaze flickering. Lei Lan and the other two exchanged glances.

But as Han Li said, their lives were their own. Regardless of whether Han Li's words were true or false, since he said them, the three could only assume it was real. And observing Han Li's extreme caution earlier, it certainly didn't seem like an exaggeration. Therefore, after Han Li took the lead and flew away through the air, Lei Lan and the others, left with no choice, could only follow his advice and flee in other directions. According to Han Li, as long as they could return to the surface, they should be safe.

A green streak sped across the wilderness like lightning, its escape speed so immense that in just a few flashes, it eerily appeared at the other end of the horizon, without making a sound throughout the entire process. Even if some demonic creatures or insects underground spotted the escape light in the sky, they couldn't possibly catch up, only able to watch as the green rainbow vanished instantly.

Inside the green streak, Han Li's spiritual power continuously surged, while he held a top-grade spirit stone in each hand, constantly replenishing his energy. The ten-thousand-year spiritual liquid he once had was long consumed during his illegal passage to the Spirit Realm, exhausted within the spatial nodes. Even though top-grade spirit stones were exceptionally rare, he didn't care about the waste, all to maintain ample spiritual power within his body.

Han Li separating from the other three on the first level was a last resort. Although most of what he told Lei Lan and the others was true, he had concealed one point. He had a faint feeling that the demonic creatures they encountered earlier seemed to be specifically targeting him, paying little attention to Lei Lan and the others. In such a situation, separating indeed made Lei Lan and the others much safer. He had done his utmost, protecting the two Saint Sons of the Sky-Peng Clan to find the Underworld Flame fruits and bringing them back to the first level. The rest was up to the two Saint Sons themselves, while he had to consider his own life.

So far, despite not noticing any anomalies nearby and being seemingly not too far from the surface entrance, Han Li still dared not be careless in the slightest. Not only did his escape light not stop, but after he spat out a mouthful of vital blood, the green light subtly took on a reddish hue. His escape speed increased by several more points as a result.

For Han Li, sacrificing some vital energy to evade a Body Integration-level Demon King was naturally an absolutely wise move.

However, after the green rainbow had flown for more than half a day straight on the first level, Han Li's expression suddenly changed drastically within the escape light, and he abruptly turned his head to look back. He saw a swath of black mist appearing on the horizon behind him, rolling directly towards him, its appearance unknown. In just a flash, it had closed a significant portion of the distance.

Han Li's face immediately turned exceptionally grim. Without thinking further, both wings on his back lit up simultaneously, instantly transforming him into a thin blue-white streak that shot out, appearing over a hundred zhang away in a single flicker. At this moment, he no longer held back any power, completely activating the full potential of his Wind-Thunder Wings.

A soft exclamation of surprise came from within the black mist. To Han Li's ears, it was unusually clear, as if someone had spoken right beside him. Han Li's heart sank, and he frantically urged the wings on his back, not daring to look back.