Chapter 1502: Ghost Woman

Han Li's pupils contracted at the sight, but he secretly activated a spell in his mind. Without any visible motion from him, the sky-filling grey mist and five-colored flames suddenly dispersed. They transformed into countless grey threads and fierce five-colored crystal rays, showering down and piercing through everything within a half-kilometer radius below.

The white shadows, upon being struck, immediately disintegrated and vanished. However, other white shadows instantly split and re-materialized, appearing in endless succession. For a moment, hundreds of feet of grey threads, crystal rays, and flames could be seen in the distance, their piercing sounds echoing across half the sky. Yet, the white shadows enveloped by the assault seemed to be extinguished only to be reborn, and reborn only to be extinguished, as if they could never be completely annihilated. This time, not only were Yuanyao and Yanli utterly dumbfounded, but even Han Li was taken aback.

Just then, his spiritual sense suddenly detected something. His form blurred momentarily, and he abruptly spun 180 degrees, his face now facing backward. His gaze immediately locked onto a seemingly empty space nearby! A sharp glint flashed in his eyes, and a blood-red line split open between his brows. From this rift, a dark, obsidian eyeball emerged – it was Han Li's Destruction Eye!

After years of cultivation, this eye had grown even darker and more profound. A mere glance at it instilled an eerie sensation, as if one's very soul would be drawn inside. A flash of black light deep within the eye's pupil, and a thumb-thick pillar of light shot forth. It vanished as quickly as it appeared, silently plunging into that empty space. A thunderous "boom" followed!

The nearby void twisted and deformed, and a bizarre black halo, several yards in diameter, eerily materialized. It then vanished in a flash! Simultaneously, a white, stumbling figure, enveloped in a faint halo, flickered into existence. Its form swayed, and it reappeared a dozen yards away.

This white shadow was no longer blurry; it had become exceptionally clear, revealing its true form. It was a woman entirely covered by a pristine white robe. The robe shimmered, appearing utterly spotless, as if the recent explosion hadn't damaged it in the slightest. Her figure was remarkably tall and curvaceous, and a few strands of lustrous dark hair escaped from beneath her robe. Although her head was lowered, preventing a clear view of her face, she appeared to be a woman of unparalleled beauty. Han Li, observing her, narrowed his eyes slightly, an expression of extreme caution appearing on his face.

His spiritual sense had just swept over her, but it was blocked by the strange robe, making it impossible to ascertain her cultivation level. However, from their brief exchange, it was clear she was no ordinary high-level ghost. As the white-robed woman was forced out of the void by Han Li's Destruction Eye, the numerous white shadows that had been in the other direction finally ceased splitting, one by one disintegrating and vanishing.

Without turning his head, Han Li made a backhand gesture. The grey misty glow and five-colored flames in the air vanished simultaneously. Meanwhile, a strange radiance shimmered across the surface of the distinct black and white palms concealed within his sleeve.

A strange cackle erupted from the white-robed woman's lips. She then raised an arm and, with a seemingly unassuming motion, reached out into the void towards Han Li. As her arm extended, the white light from her sleeve flared, and it astonishingly vanished into thin air the very instant it stretched out! Such an uncanny situation left Han Li momentarily stunned.

But before he could even register what was happening, a white blur flashed directly in front of him. The vanished white arm shot out with lightning speed. With a "splat," the sleeve rolled back, and a skeletal, bony claw appeared as if teleported, seizing fiercely at Han Li's neck. Its five pointed fingers gleamed with a flickering, inch-long cold light!

"Ah!" Even Han Li, renowned for his composure, was startled. The bony claw had appeared so bizarrely that even with his swift movement techniques or powerful divine abilities, he had no time to react in the slightest. A "thud," like heavy objects colliding, rang out. The bony hand had firmly seized him... However, the instant the bony claw made contact with his skin, Han Li's neck automatically shimmered with golden light, and several golden scales materialized. The seemingly sharp bone hand, as it clutched, was repelled by a powerful counter-force amidst the flashing golden glow.

Han Li's body was jolted, and he involuntarily staggered back two steps. Yet, his neck remained resplendent with golden light, completely unharmed, not even a scratch on his skin. Han Li's face first blanched, then turned ashen. He swiftly flicked a sleeve, and a shocking golden beam, like a rainbow, swept out, instantly engulfing the white arm. Amidst the flashing sword light, the golden radiance completely submerged the arm! After a continuous "crackling" sound, a bright white light flared within the sword's radiance. The golden sword light, striking the sleeve, merely created a layer of milky-white ripples. Astonishingly, the arm remained completely unscathed!

Han Li's expression shifted drastically. Without hesitation, he opened his mouth and spat out a silver fireball. However, his action was slightly too late! The white-robed woman, recovering from the surprise of her failed attack, gave a slight shrug of her shoulders. The white arm in front of Han Li retracted and then eerily vanished. The fireball struck only empty air. Simultaneously, a flash of white light appeared where the white-robed woman's shoulder had been empty, and her arm was restored to its original state.

Witnessing this uncanny situation, Han Li took a deep breath. He flicked a sleeve, and four or five green orbs silently rolled into one hand. On his other wrist, a spiritual light flashed, and a palm-sized Spirit Beast Ring appeared in his grasp. This ghostly entity before him was too bizarre, seemingly adept at spatial divine abilities, and he wasn't willing to take any further risks. He resolved that in their next exchange, he would immediately summon the Crying Soul Beast, augment it with thunder pearls, and use overwhelming force to deal with the opponent. This was no time to prolong a confrontation.

As if sensing that Han Li's next move would be extraordinary, the white-robed woman did not rush to attack again. Instead, she slowly lifted her head, and the robe covering it gradually slipped away, revealing her true face. "Ah!" Yanli and Yuanyao, who had been watching Han Li's exchange with the white-robed woman in bewildered awe and inner dread, gasped in shock as they clearly saw the woman's face, their expressions turning pale. Han Li, after a moment of intense gaze, drew in a sharp breath. Before him was a terrifying half-face.

One half of her face was a ghastly emerald green and withered, while the other half featured red lips and white teeth, exceptionally beautiful. Two green eyes, devoid of emotion, coldly stared at Han Li. Had they seen such a face from the outset, it might have been less shocking. But given her initially alluring figure and cloud-like dark hair, which had suggested extreme beauty, the sudden reveal of such a horrific visage created a stark contrast that naturally filled everyone with dread.

Low, mournful wails emanated from the white-robed ghost woman, and swirling clumps of white mist began to materialize around her. Within the mist, various ghostly figures, each about the size of a wagon wheel, flickered in and out of sight. Some gnashed their fangs and brandished their claws, others roared ceaselessly—all presenting a terrifyingly ferocious appearance.

Startled, Han Li's hand gripping the Spirit Beast Ring flashed with green light, intending to immediately summon the Crying Soul Beast. But in that very instant, an earth-shattering roar rumbled from deep within the mist. The sheer volume of the sound made Han Li's ears ring, causing even the ghostly mist in that direction to churn erratically. Yuanyao and Yanli, hearing this sound, felt their hearts pound with terror. The sound didn't seem to come from the Four Demon Kings, suggesting that another formidable ghostly entity must be nearby. Han Li's expression turned grim, and a profound sense of alarm seized his heart.

But then, a sight that left Han Li and the two women utterly bewildered unfolded. The white-robed ghost woman, upon hearing the roar, had a flash of green light in her eyes, and her ghostly wails abruptly ceased. After a moment of hesitation, the white mist that had just materialized around her swirled back into her body, and she was suddenly swept away by a gust of white wind, fleeing directly towards the source of the roar.

As his opponent was willing to retreat on her own, Han Li naturally wouldn't pursue the ghost woman. However, he gazed in the direction from which the roar had come, his expression becoming thoughtful and uncertain. "Brother Han, should we..." Yanli couldn't help but begin to ask, but Han Li's terse reply immediately silenced her. "Let's leave quickly. It's possible one of the Six-legged creatures is nearby; otherwise, this ghost woman wouldn't have fled directly towards her comrade." Han Li waved his hand, his expression growing solemn.

Yuanyao and Yanli found his words highly logical, and in their panic, they naturally offered no objections. The three, along with the ghost soldiers, immediately flew out of the mist. This time, no ghostly entities hindered their path, and the mist finally grew thinner and thinner. An hour later, their eyes lit up as they finally emerged completely from the fog.

All three couldn't help but rejoice, immediately intending to flee far away. But just then, a completely unfamiliar male voice suddenly echoed from high above: "Oh! There are still people who can escape the restriction I set. I seem to have underestimated you!"

Upon hearing these words, Han Li, Yuanyao, and the others were struck with a profound shock. As they looked up, they were utterly dumbfounded. High above the nearby ghostly mist, over a thousand yards in the sky, two factions were in a tense standoff.

One group consisted of the white-haired beauty and Mu Qing. Behind them stood over a dozen high-level demonic creatures and eight Yin-Armored Ghost Kings. Farther off, thousands of ghost soldiers stood in perfectly aligned ranks, arrayed like a military formation. A chilling ghostly wind swirled around them, radiating an overwhelming aura of malevolence.

Those confronting them, however, numbered several times more than Mu Qing's group, forming a veritable army themselves. This opposing force comprised some seven to eight thousand individuals, each standing two *zhang* (about 6 meters) tall. Their bodies were encased in blood-red battle armor, and their faces were completely obscured by crimson visors. They were exceptionally well-equipped with an array of weapons including swords, spears, halberds, powerful bows, and heavy crossbows. Each figure floated motionless in the air, clearly a well-trained elite force.

What astonished Han Li further was the presence of over a hundred light-green war chariots within this crimson army. These chariots were of an ancient design, their surfaces shimmering with faint green light. Each carried more than ten crimson-armored warriors, armed with long-hafted weapons like *ge* and *yue*. The chariots were pulled by pairs of black monstrous beasts, each with the body of a lion and the head of a dragon. These beasts were also armored, possessed short, stout limbs, and their four claws glinted with cold light.

At the very forefront of this army were three formidable generals, each mounted on a different monstrous beast. The voice they had just heard belonged to one of them: a figure clad in purple armor, with two large golden hammers strapped to his back. Mu Qing and the white-haired beauty's gazes swept over towards Han Li and the two women. The beauty remained expressionless, betraying no unusual emotions. Mu Qing, however, displayed a faint, unreadable smile.