Chapter 1635: Out Action

The Hundred Races of the Spirit World: Nine Scrolls

The old man surnamed Yan didn't address the other party directly. Instead, he turned his head and looked elsewhere. In that direction, another high-tier Void Refinement alien was also gazing at their location with an expressionless face. Their gazes met, and the old man's pupils constricted.

Apart from his rough skin and green patterns, this alien's facial features and form were strikingly similar to an ordinary human. He wore silver battle armor covered in blood-red spikes, faintly emitting a bloody aura. His eyes, however, were utterly blank, staring at them as if they were a pile of corpses, completely indifferent. Even the old man shivered when his gaze met those eyes. A heavy feeling settled in the old man's heart. With his experience, he knew that the opponent had most likely cultivated an extremely powerful technique; otherwise, he, as a peer, would not have had such a chilling sensation. The old man calmly shifted his gaze, quickly scanning the area around the alien.

Although not all outsiders in the area had united, over a dozen of the twenty-odd people were gathered around that individual. The old man's face darkened as he glanced at his own side, which comprised seven or eight people, including Yue Zong and Han Li. In his mind, even with Yue Zong and Han Li, their numbers merely matched the opponent's. Moreover, the other side had an advantage in high-tier cultivators, possessing two ninth-tier elites in addition to their overall numerical strength. The opponent also had four seventh or eighth-tier elites. On his own side, apart from himself, the only other cultivator above the seventh tier was a cloaked man with disheveled hair who had remained silent. The old man sighed inwardly, realizing that the other party was openly intending to bully them, which explained their unrestrained behavior.

"Nephew Yue and I have some connection, and I won't stand by and watch you take him away," the old man finally said coldly. "Furthermore, I'd like to remind you of something, Daoist friend: this is Leiyun Town, not a place where you can act recklessly. If you wish to cause trouble, you must adhere to the rules of this town."

The old man surnamed Yan's words came as a surprise to the green-haired alien, who then asked with a fierce glint in his eyes, "Rules! What rules?"

"If two individuals have a dispute in this town," the old man said sternly, "they can only settle it in the town's arena. Whoever wins is in the right."

The green-haired alien paused, then burst into maniacal laughter. "Haha, do you mean to say you want this kid to fight me?"

"That would, of course, be impossible for Nephew Yue and yourself," the old man surnamed Yan said calmly. "If you insist on Nephew Yue accompanying you, you can either find someone of similar cultivation to him, or I will fight on his behalf."

The green-haired alien frowned, then spoke ferociously, "Similar cultivation? Whose rule is that? What if I don't agree?"

"If you don't agree, then it will be considered causing trouble in Leiyun Town," the old man surnamed Yan said with a flash of brilliance in his eyes, without changing his expression. "The deacons of the Elder Council stationed here will naturally revoke your qualification to enter the Demonic Gold Mountains and directly expel you from this town. Do you really want to oppose the Elder Council directly?"

The green-haired alien hesitated, then looked back at the armored alien. That person frowned, then suddenly turned his head and asked someone behind him, "Is what he says true? Does Leiyun Town really have such a rule?"

"Reporting to Senior Gui, this place indeed has such a rule," replied a person in a black hooded cloak, who had shrouded himself completely. He seemed quite familiar with Leiyun Town. "However, this rule was only established when the town was first built. No one has brought it up for many years now."

The woman in palace attire and the others looked at this person with a hint of suspicion. He had entered the town dressed in such a peculiar way from the start. They had initially thought he was an outsider, but now it seemed something was amiss.

"Don't mention anything else," the alien surnamed Gui asked coldly. "I just want to know, if we make a move here, will the Elder Council deacons truly intervene in this matter?"

"That's hard to say," the black-robed person whispered. "They might, or they might turn a blind eye. However, I heard that the newly appointed deacon is a very rigid person, so there's a high chance they will intervene."

"In that case, we truly cannot act here," the alien surnamed Gui said. "Very well, we'll follow your rules. Once we've claimed our Lightning Evading Umbrellas, I will personally spar with you to exchange a few divine abilities. If I win, Daoist Yue will have to come with us. If I lose, we'll let him go."

The old man's expression turned solemn. He nodded, then turned to Yue Zong, whose face was pale, and asked, "Nephew Yue, how do you feel about me fighting on your behalf against him?"

Yue Zong shook his head repeatedly. "Senior Yan, they are looking for me. How can I implicate you? I should go myself and ask them to switch opponents!"

"Switch opponents? Do you think we're out of our minds?" the green-haired alien sneered, then said with extreme arrogance. "Either he fights on your behalf, or I spar with you. There are only these two options, no third."

Yue Zong remained silent, his face exceptionally grim.

As Han Li watched dispassionately from the side, Xianxian's urgent voice suddenly rang in his ears. "Senior Han, we cannot let them take Daoist Yue. If Brother Yue doesn't lead us, it's highly unlikely we'll reach the hidden lair of that Saint-tier demon beast in time during the demonic energy eruption."

Han Li calmly glanced at Xianxian, a hint of anxiety visible on her face. He calmly turned his head slightly and transmitted his voice, "Daoist friend thinks too highly of me. I am merely a seventh-tier elite; how can I stop this?"

The Crystal Race woman gritted her teeth and suddenly spoke words that surprised Han Li. "Why hide it, Senior Han? Although my cultivation is low, I consider myself well-informed. When you rescued Senior Jia of the Eternal Tribe, you single-handedly instantly killed several cultivators of the same tier. Your divine abilities are likely far beyond those of ordinary ninth-tier elites."

Han Li's gaze sharpened. He was silent for a moment before calmly transmitting, "I didn't expect you to have investigated me so thoroughly, knowing even such details. Very well, for the sake of the Heavenly Outer Demonic Armor, I'll help you one more time."

Upon hearing this, Xianxian was instantly overjoyed. "Thank you, Senior!"

The next moment, Han Li calmly spoke aloud, "Are there truly only two options? I think a third option would be better. Daoist Yue has a prior agreement with us; he won't be going with you."

As he spoke, Han Li took a step forward, positioning himself in front of Yue Zong. Upon hearing Han Li's words, the woman in palace attire and the white-faced youth exchanged bewildered glances. Yue Zong, meanwhile, looked surprised. Only the old man surnamed Yan was startled at first, then re-examined Han Li from head to toe, becoming somewhat hesitant.

"Who are you? Are you courting death, or do you intend to spar with me on his behalf?" the green-haired alien glared at Han Li furiously, saying savagely.

Without waiting for Han Li to respond further, the alien suddenly took a step forward, moved his arm, and a large, green, hairy palm grabbed down at Han Li. It was unclear what cultivation method this individual practiced. As soon as the palm reached out, it transformed, growing to the size of a large fan. Its five fingers spread, enveloping Han Li's entire body. At the same time, yellow light flickered from the fingers, and an immense force pressed down on Han Li from thin air.

"Daoist Han, be careful!" the old man surnamed Yan cried out in alarm, instinctively warning him. Yet, for some reason, his movement was a beat too slow. The green-haired alien's five fingers had already closed. If it were an ordinary early-stage Void Refinement cultivator, caught off guard by the green-haired alien's sudden grab, their body would instantly be immobilized by the immense force. But Han Li's physical body was immensely powerful, having already reached an incredible realm. How could he be constrained by such a cultivation method?

Even if the immense pressure on him multiplied several times, he would treat it as nothing. As the right palm roared and descended, accompanied by a strange wind, Han Li merely curled his lips into a cold smile. A hand emerged from his sleeve, instantly turning ink-black, and grabbed upward. Gray light mist flashed, then converged! A colossal gray light hand materialized above Han Li's head, meeting the falling yellow giant palm and grasping back in defiance.

"You insolent boy, kneel before me!" the green-haired alien roared, a savage look appearing on his face at Han Li's action. He had initially used only seventy percent of his magic power to activate his divine ability, but now, his internal magic power circulated at extreme speed, condensing all of his spiritual energy into his palm without any reservation. He intended to use this display of power to forcefully crush Han Li to the ground. The yellow palm glowed, expanding by another two tenths, and collided with the gray light hand below. At that very moment, the gray light hand closed its fingers!

A scene that greatly exceeded everyone's expectations unfolded! The collision did not produce an earth-shattering roar; instead, there was a soft "thud." The yellow palm crumbled and vanished instantly under the gray light hand's grip. Then, the light hand flickered, eerily appearing above the green-haired alien, silently grabbing down. Before the light hand even landed, the gray light mist formed by the Primordial Magnetic Divine Light swept down.

"Impossible!" the green-haired alien cried out, unable to believe that the opponent had not only broken his prized divine ability but had also used his own method against him, grabbing back. In his shock and fury, he didn't have time to think. He abruptly clenched both fists and unleashed two full-force punches with a "whoosh" towards the gray light sweeping down from above. Two yellow fist shadows shot out from his hands, fiercely flying towards the gray mist. With two "thudding" sounds, the two yellow fist shadows vanished upon contact with the gray light, as if a mud ox had entered the sea. A look of horror appeared on the green-haired alien's face. He cursed inwardly, "Not good," and instinctively wanted to use his evasion technique to immediately dodge. But the seemingly slow gray mist merely flickered, and incredibly, it was already before his eyes.