Chapter 1555: Great Disaster Escape

"Is Fellow Daoist Jian mistaken? That newly appeared Xuantian treasure certainly wasn't in our Mènghuo Tribe's territory. If that's the case, it's normal that we couldn't summon this treasure with a blood sacrifice ritual." A calm female voice rose from the altar. The speaker was a beautiful middle-aged woman draped in a white cloak, with a pair of five-colored feathered wings gleaming behind her. Her words clearly carried a hint of schadenfreude.

"Madam Bu! Fellow Daoist Jian and I co-officiated the summoning array just now, and through the power of the blood sacrifice, we indeed sensed the presence of the Xuantian Spirit-Slaying Sword. However, something seemed to go wrong during its return; it suddenly vanished midway. Could this sword have become sentient, capable of tearing through the void and disappearing on its own?" Another young man suddenly spoke.

A white horn on his head gleamed brightly. This was precisely the one-horned youth from the Horned-Dong Tribe whom Han Li had seen on the giant island half a year ago.

And the person who had spoken first was, naturally, the fish-eyed man from the Sea King Tribe.

At this moment, the fish-eyed man's face subtly revealed a hint of exasperation.

"Whether there truly is a Xuantian treasure, naturally, only the two Fellow Daoists who presided over the array would know. We are merely here to assist the two Fellow Daoists, as ordered." An elder, dressed in a dark robe with two pairs of gray wings on his back, calmly stated.

He leaned on a dragon-headed staff with one hand, making no attempt to conceal the sarcasm hidden in his words.

As for the other Feathered Spirit race members who also had wings, though they said nothing, their gazes towards the one-horned youth and the fish-eyed man were far from friendly. The one-horned youth, however, gave no reply. Instead, he exchanged a glance with the fish-eyed man, and their lips moved slightly without a sound, indicating they were communicating secretly via spiritual transmission.

Seeing the two of them so openly defiant, the expressions of the Feathered Spirit race members present grew increasingly grim.

"Since the first attempt failed, we will immediately perform another blood sacrifice. The blood energy hasn't dissipated completely yet, so it should be possible. As long as that Xuantian spirit treasure is still within your Feathered Spirit race's territory, it will definitely respond to the summons." The two foreign cultivators seemed to have finished their discussion. The one-horned youth suddenly turned his head and spoke, his expression somewhat grim.

"Perform it again? Do you two Fellow Daoists think our magic power was cultivated in vain? The previous blood sacrifice already depleted most of our spiritual energy. If we do it again, it will damage our true essence!" The dark-robed elder suddenly struck his staff on the ground, letting out a muffled thud that made the entire altar tremble slightly, then he said grimly.

"I, Run, naturally know that this is a difficult request. But no matter how difficult, it doesn't compare to wiping out two tribes and killing tens of thousands of savage beasts within half a year, does it? If we lose the chance to regain the Xuantian treasure because of this, if this matter is truly delayed, none of you Fellow Daoists would be able to bear the responsibility, would you?" The one-horned youth narrowed his eyes and said dismissively.

Upon hearing this, the dark-robed elder's face contorted in anger, and he took a few steps forward as if intending to reprimand him harshly.

But at that moment, a light cough came from the crowd nearby, followed by a hoarse voice: "Younger Brother Yao, calm yourself. Fellow Daoist Yue represents the Horned-Yellow Tribe; how can you be so impolite?" The speaker was a hunched figure with a bowed back, enveloped in a faint white mist, making their features completely indistinguishable.

"Brother Xiong is absolutely right. I, Yao, was a bit too impatient." Upon hearing these words, the dark-robed elder's expression drastically changed. He immediately retreated to his original position and replied respectfully.

"Does Fellow Daoist Xiong also have something to say?" The one-horned youth's expression also stiffened when he clearly saw the speaker, but he immediately forced a smile and asked.

"Indeed, there are a few things I'd like to say. It's not difficult for Fellow Daoist to ask us to expend our vital essence and perform another blood sacrifice for you. But what if it doesn't succeed this time either?" The hunched figure chuckled, then asked with a cold voice.

"If we fail to summon it twice, that would mean this item is truly no longer in this area. My companion and I will immediately turn around and leave, and we will never go back on the conditions we previously agreed upon," the one-horned youth replied without hesitation.

While this foreign cultivator spoke, the fish-eyed man remained silent by his side, seemingly acquiescing to his words.

"Good! Your promise is enough. We will assist you one more time. The rest of you, don't act impulsively; make sure to contribute again." The hunched figure said to the others in a half-commanding tone.

Strangely enough, the other high-ranking Feathered Spirit race members showed no dissatisfaction upon hearing this, all nodding silently.

A short while later, the surface of the blood lake began to ripple and undulate. At the same time, wisps of black mist began to appear and coalesce on the lake, and the crimson mist sea started to churn violently.

The altar at the center of the blood lake was completely enveloped in a shimmering, blood-red light, from which faint, obscure incantations could be heard.

After a wave of intense pain, as if his skull were being torn in half, Han Li slowly regained consciousness.

He felt only darkness before his eyes. He tried desperately to open them, but his eyelids felt heavier than Mount Tai, making it impossible to open them even a fraction.

Startled, Han Li realized he was lying down and immediately tried to sit up with a carp-like leap, but he couldn't even move a single finger.

Han Li's heart sank. Forcibly enduring the intense pain, he gathered a trace of residual spiritual sense within his consciousness and hastily inspected the condition of his body.

The result made him grimace wryly.

Now, not only was more than half of his vital essence depleted, but his internal magic power was also completely exhausted.

What was worse, the severe headache was due to a significant depletion of his spiritual sense; only one or two tenths of it remained.

And the cause of all this was merely a single sword strike he had inadvertently unleashed a short while ago.

Recalling the astonishing circumstances when he wielded the precious sword formed from the Xuantian fruit, Han Li's heart churned with mixed emotions, and he secretly felt a surge of luck.

That single sword strike had nearly changed the color of heaven and earth, not only instantly interrupting the teleportation but even splitting open the void. However, the cost of unleashing that sword strike was extremely high. Not only was his magic power completely drained, but his spiritual sense was also absorbed by the sword. This caused him to instantly fall unconscious as he was drawn into the shattered void.

Now that he thought about it, the sword strike unleashed using the Xuantian fruit seemed to have only displayed a fraction of its true power. The might of that sword strike was clearly related to the absorbed magic power and spiritual sense, and even to the vital essence he had lost earlier.

Han Li mused to himself, secretly speculating.

However, knowing the grim condition of his body, Han Li's panic lessened considerably. Neither the depletion of vital essence nor magic power or spiritual sense was a fatal injury. He could recover completely by taking medicinal pills and resting quietly for several years.

The surroundings seemed quiet, and the fact that he was safely here meant he had at least escaped the dangerous zone.

Although he couldn't open his eyes or project his spiritual sense, he could still determine from the damp air and the slightly salty breeze that he was by the sea somewhere. Beneath his body, it felt unusually soft, seemingly a patch of grassland.

Could it be that he hadn't been teleported too far away?

Feeling a bit puzzled, Han Li reconsidered and grew somewhat worried again. However, the terrible state of his body and magic power rendered him completely immobile, so he could only lie there silently.

After an unknown period, Han Li's eyelids twitched, and he managed to open his eyes into a thin slit.

A pale blue sky immediately came into view.

Seeing no sign of the ominous blood-red clouds, Han Li let out a soft sigh, finally feeling relieved.

Several hours later, Han Li could finally twist his neck and look around, clearly seeing his surroundings.

It appeared to be a small valley. Three sides were low hills, and one side had a narrow exit. The entire valley was only about a thousand feet wide. He had landed precisely in the middle of the valley.

A faint smile appeared in Han Li's eyes, and his mouth twitched, but this immediately made him grimace in pain. It was then that he realized all his muscles were also incredibly sore.

This was a feeling he had never experienced since cultivating the True Demonic Art of Vanquishing Saints.

It seemed that when he wielded the Xuantian fruit, besides his magic power and spiritual sense, something else within his body was also drained. Otherwise, with the formidable strength of his physical body, he wouldn't have ended up in such a state.

Pondering silently, Han Li continued to lie quietly on the grass.

After another half a day passed, one of Han Li's fingers on an arm twitched, seemingly regaining a trace of strength.

A look of joy instantly appeared on Han Li's face. But before his smile could fully form, it froze.

Because at that moment, 'thump, thump' sounds of heavy objects landing suddenly came from outside the valley. Judging from the slight tremors felt through the ground, a massive creature was clearly approaching the small valley.

Han Li's gaze flickered to the side, then fixed intensely on the valley's entrance, his expression becoming extremely grave.

A moment later, a giant creature over ten zhang tall lumbered into the small valley. It was, in fact, a giant crab covered in backward-facing spines.

The crab's eyes glimmered with green light, and its hard shell emitted a faint azure glow, as if it wore a suit of azure battle armor. The sharp, backward-facing spines on its armor would naturally make anyone gasp and shiver with fear.

At first, the giant crab evidently didn't notice Han Li's presence. It scuttled sideways towards a nearby hill and, in a short while, reached a rock face. There, it used its two giant pincers to pick up a fallen blue-gray stone from the ground and began to stuff it into its mouth.

It produced a gruesome crunching sound as it chewed.

Seeing that the giant crab wasn't attacking him, Han Li's expression relaxed, and the grave look on his face eased somewhat.

After consuming more than a dozen stones without moving, the giant crab's green eyes suddenly flashed, and it abruptly turned its body, facing Han Li directly. Han Li's pupils instantly constricted, and he stared back at the giant crab.

Suddenly, the giant crab emitted a strange 'hissing' sound. Then, with a swing of its two massive pincers, it charged aggressively straight towards Han Li.

Han Li's face turned incredibly grim, his eyes flickering with cold light. He stared dispassionately at the charging giant crab, showing barely any sign of alarm.