Chapter 1647: Each Show Their Schemes

However, as the blade's shadow descended and converged, the void remained utterly empty, showing no anomalies whatsoever.

The man surnamed Gui showed a hint of surprise, his eyes flickering with doubt. After a moment of thought, he let out a cold snort and, with a single hand, made a gesture towards the distant void. The flying saber instantly transformed into a streak of silver light, darting back and vanishing into his sleeve with a flash.

Next, without a word, the man transformed into a blood-red light, piercing through the air like a blood-red rainbow and swiftly departing. In an instant, silence fell upon the area, save for the gentle breezes. A good while later, a faint silver light flickered in the high sky, and a petite figure emerged. With pointed ears and a charming face, this was none other than the humanoid demonic beast named "Jiu Ye."

She gazed at the direction where the man surnamed Gui had vanished into the sky, her finely arched eyebrows tightly furrowed. After a long while, she murmured to herself, "Who was that person? Although he wasn't the one who killed the young master, his powers are truly formidable. If I hadn't used a secret technique beforehand to shift my aura elsewhere, I might not have been able to escape his notice. No, these outsiders are proving to be too troublesome for me to handle alone. I must request reinforcements."

Having spoken, the woman immediately grabbed a small tuft of fur from her tail with one hand, muttered a few incantations, and then tossed it. The fur instantly burst forth with a 'poof,' transforming into countless slender silver streaks that shot into the sky. After a few flashes of silver light, they vanished into the distant heavens.

Upon witnessing this, the woman's expression relaxed. She then glanced towards the mountain range where Han Li, the man surnamed Gui, and the others had disappeared, and after a brief hesitation, let out a soft sigh.

With a single hand seal, her figure blurred amidst the silver light once more, ultimately vanishing. Han Li, meanwhile, followed the demonic smoke bird, slowly making his way through the thick black mist.

Although the bird occasionally emitted anxious low chirps, as if urging him on, Han Li paid no heed, maintaining an utterly composed demeanor. Seeing his attitude, the demonic smoke bird had no choice but to slow its flight, gradually leading the way to accommodate him.

Though the surrounding demonic mist was incredibly thick, obscuring one's hand even when held close, it gave off a terrifying sensation, as if one were immersed in the netherworld. Yet, as golden light continuously flickered around Han Li, a faint blue glow also shimmered in his eyes, allowing him to clearly perceive his surroundings. He was currently in a colossal, square-shaped passage.

This passage was over ten zhang in both length and width, its four walls entirely constructed from a never-before-seen kind of pitch-black stone. The thick demonic energy within the passage was continuously emanating from this peculiar material, arousing Han Li's considerable curiosity.

Were it not for his apprehension about unknown restrictions potentially placed on these stone walls, he would have even considered chipping off a few pieces of this black stone for thorough study as he entered the passage. This particular passage was not unique; instead, it crisscrossed and branched out like a labyrinth throughout the entire mountain's interior, seeming to descend deeper underground the further he walked. And so, time passed bit by bit.

Previously, the demonic smoke bird had gone in and out in just a short while. However, Han Li had already been walking for a long time, with no end in sight.

This caused his gaze towards the bird to gradually turn cold and sharp. The demonic smoke bird seemed to sense the unfriendly look from behind. After leading him through dozens more intersections, just as Han Li was wondering if he should stop, the demonic smoke bird suddenly hovered in front and halted its progress. Han Li's heart stirred, and he focused his gaze forward.

He saw that the demonic mist ahead had thinned considerably, revealing a huge exit faintly glowing with white light, right before his eyes.

Han Li's expression softened, and he took a deep breath. Suddenly, he beckoned to the demonic smoke bird with one hand. As a wisp of Xian Xian's divine sense was attached to it, the bird was unusually intelligent. Seeing this, it blinked its eyes with a confused look, but after a slight hesitation, it still obediently flew towards Han Li.

However, just as the bird flew above Han Li's head, before it could even complete a single circle, a sleeve suddenly flicked into the air. A streak of gray radiant light shot out like lightning, and with a mere flash, it enveloped the unsuspecting black bird.

The demonic smoke bird was naturally greatly alarmed, even opening its mouth as if to cry out. However, as the radiant light spun around the bird, no sound could penetrate the mystic magnetic divine light. At that moment, Han Li, with utmost composure, pointed a finger into the air. A green light flashed from his fingertip, and a green rune instantly struck the immobilized demonic smoke bird.

Enveloped in a circulating array of green light, the demonic smoke bird instantly vanished within the radiant light. Having accomplished this, Han Li lightly clapped his hands, a faint smile gracing his lips.

However, in the next moment, as his gaze turned to the passage exit ahead, his expression grew several shades more solemn. After narrowing his eyes, he suddenly opened his mouth, and a ball of silver flame flew out. With a flash, it transformed into a silver fire bird. This fire bird circled Han Li a few times before vanishing, disappearing into a nearby wall with a soft 'poof.' Then, he flicked both sleeves, and seventy-two small golden swords silently scattered forth. Under Han Li's continuous incantation, these flying swords spun around, transforming into countless green lotuses that floated throughout the passage, but then instantly, they dissipated and vanished like bubbles.

Having done all this, Han Li pondered for a moment, then flipped his hand again, scattering two silver talismans onto the ground. With a flash of light, they transformed into two faint golden shadows and vanished into the earth. These were precisely two Jia Yuan Talismans.

Because he had to confront a Fusion-stage demonic beast—and not even one in the early Fusion stage—Han Li dared not be careless in the slightest, despite the beast being heavily injured. For this expedition, he had specifically refined some silver tadpole talismans beforehand.

Although the materials for refining these talismans were extremely rare, in a super-large city like Cloud City, they could naturally be acquired again, provided one had spirit stones.

After preparing all the backup plans he had arranged beforehand, Han Li's eyes flashed with a cold light. With a single hand movement, he affixed a purple talisman to his body.

Immediately, a bright light shone, and a cloud of purple mist spread out. Han Li's figure flickered amidst the silver runes, suddenly becoming invisible. For the sake of caution, he had even used a Taiyi Purification Talisman. Then, with a movement, his ethereal body slowly floated towards the exit. He truly appeared ready to slay that Saint-tier demonic beast.

Outside the great mountain, at the passage entrance, just as Han Li moved to restrain the demonic smoke bird, the woman Xian Xian let out a low cry, and a look of surprise suddenly appeared on her face.

"What happened?" The green Kirin phantom was startled and hastily raised its head, asking gravely. "My demonic smoke bird has been restrained by that person," the Crystal Race woman replied, her expression unsettled, after letting out a light breath.

"What? How could this happen? Has this person already noticed something?" the Kirin asked, a sharp glint flashing in its pupils.

"It's unlikely he discovered anything," Xian Xian said with some hesitation, not quite certain. "Perhaps he's always been cautious and doesn't want us constantly monitoring him while he deals with that Saint-tier demonic beast."

"But in that case, we'll have some trouble. We won't know the specifics of his fight with this demonic beast, making it impossible to seize the precise timing," the Kirin phantom said, flicking its tail, its gaze darkening.

"I naturally know this!" the Crystal Race woman said through gritted teeth. "But we can't worry about it now. Regardless of whether he has truly engaged with this demonic beast or what the situation is, let's act quickly. Even if he possesses immense divine powers, slaying a Saint-tier demonic beast is certainly not something that can be resolved in a moment. That's enough time for us to open the True Spirit Cavern." "It can only be this way. Let's go!" The Kirin phantom also nodded decisively. Xian Xian then flipped her hand, revealing a triangular token.

The token was dark, featuring a black Kirin pattern on one side, and several faint silver runes imprinted on the other.

"What a pity for this Demonic Phosphor Token," Xian Xian said, her face showing a hint of regret as she touched the token's surface with one hand. "I spent a great deal of effort to gather the materials and refine it, and I even failed several times during the process."

"Even if this item is precious, can it compare to what's in the True Spirit Cavern?" the Kirin said without hesitation. "Only with the concealment provided by this item will you not be repelled by the demonic energy in the cavern, allowing you to easily infiltrate its depths. And now that Han youngster is blocking that Saint-tier beast for you, even if the beast discovers something amiss, it won't be able to stop you from opening the cavern."

"Even so," Xian Xian still said with a bitter smile, "using this item merely for concealing my aura is overkill, and it's a one-time consumable." The Kirin rolled its eyes upon hearing this, about to say something more, but the Crystal Race woman suddenly straightened her expression and tossed the token in her hand into the air.

In an instant, as the black token spun in the air, sudden strong winds arose, and a swirling black hurricane formed out of thin air. This hurricane was abnormally fierce; while it roared as it soared skyward, a deep, unsettling growl emanated from its very center.

Faintly, a giant beast seemed to be hidden within. Xian Xian's expression turned grim. With one hand continuously forming seals, she lifted her other wrist and opened her mouth.

A small green sword spurted from her mouth, and with a slight tremble, it transformed into a green light circling her wrist, then with another flash, it flew back into her mouth. Immediately, a large amount of vital blood spurted from the wound on her wrist. "Go!" the Crystal Race woman uttered a low cry.

Remarkably, once this blood ball entered the hurricane, not only did the roars inside immediately cease, but the black wind, which seemed poised to rampage everywhere, also gradually began to shrink. Finally, the black wind dissipated and vanished with a flash, revealing an ink-black Kirin, about a zhang in length, within its former confines.