Chapter 1660: Spirit Seed Demonic Might

This was precisely the Gold Devouring Beetle Han Li had sent to track. With a mere flicker, the beetle vanished into Han Li's sleeve. The wisp of spiritual sense attached to the spiritual insect instantly returned to his consciousness. Han Li's expression turned dark and indistinct. All the information contained within that wisp of spiritual sense was absorbed, making what the Gold Devouring Beetle had heard and seen feel as though Han Li had witnessed it himself.

Seeing Han Li so effortlessly block its attack, the giant grotesque face did not immediately launch another assault. Instead, its eyes, shimmering with a cold light, scrutinized Han Li, seemingly with a hint of apprehension. "The demon ape's aura disappeared earlier. Could it be that you've slain it?" After a moment, a deep voice emanated from the giant face. "Oh, your senses are quite keen. Since I am here, that demon ape naturally no longer exists in this world," Han Li replied slowly, his eyes glinting. "Hmph, you got off easy. This demon ape settled here to recuperate from its injuries because I lured it here. I intended to consume it as a spiritual tonic once I cultivated a true spirit body. That ape even thought this place naturally possessed such pure demonic energy," the grotesque face said noncommittally. Upon hearing this, Han Li's expression changed, but he quickly reverted to his usual demeanor and said, "So that's it. I wondered why the demonic energy here was so pure; it would be difficult for that injured ape to accumulate it. It seems you were behind it. But I'm curious, what exactly are you? Are you some kind of Heaven-and-Earth spirit?"

"Heaven-and-Earth spirit? No, it's merely a wisp of ethereal mirage energy born from a true spirit's power. It wouldn't naturally possess sentience; it would just be a mindless brute. But it was controlled and possessed by an external force, which made it so cunning. Brother Han, you must be extra careful," the azure Qilin suddenly interjected. "Are you still Fairy Qianqian?" Han Li asked, his expression shifting upon hearing the Qilin's melodious female voice. "Of course, it's this junior. However, my current state is a bit peculiar; two spiritual senses have temporarily merged to control this Qilin manifestation, but my consciousness remains primary," the azure Qilin replied with surprising honesty after sighing.

"So, Fairy Qianqian, your main purpose in luring me here was actually for this so-called True Qilin Origin. The matter of repairing the demonic armor with a Saint-tier demon core... that wasn't entirely a deception, was it?" Han Li stared at the azure Qilin, his voice devoid of emotion. "Of course not. Repairing the Outer-Realm Demonic Armor truly requires a Saint-tier demon core. As for the matter of the True Qilin Origin, I admit there's a suspicion of having used you, fellow Daoist, but in reality, Daoist Han has suffered no loss. I merely seized an opportunity. And since that Saint-tier demon ape was slain by you, I presume its severe injuries were also real," Qianqian's voice suddenly turned pitiful. "What you said is not wrong. I did not lose anything. But it seems your plan, Fairy, is not going smoothly; there have been significant unexpected developments," Han Li said, a strange look appearing on his face as he glanced at the three avatars of the man surnamed Gui, then at the giant grotesque face below.

"I truly didn't expect things to turn out this way. However, as long as we eliminate the Cave Spirit below, we can still obtain the True Qilin Origin. This item is formed from a residual portion of origin power left when a true spirit Qilin is born. Any living being that obtains it can undergo a complete transformation and gain incredible benefits. Not to mention, if Brother Han obtains even a wisp of it, advancing to the Integration stage will definitely be no problem." This woman was remarkably decisive! She resolutely made up her mind and directly revealed the full story behind the True Qilin Origin. For her, since monopolizing the item was no longer possible, and she was the weakest one present, it was better to win Han Li over to deal with the others.

"What do you mean by that? You want to share the True Qilin Origin with him again? If it's to be shared, then share it from your portion. My half will not be given to anyone, not an iota," the silver flood dragon, transformed from the man surnamed Gui, said coldly. "That's perfectly fine. Brother Han, I'll make another deal with you. If you help me kill the Cave Spirit below, I will share a wisp of the True Qilin Origin with you. Fellow Daoist does not possess the True Qilin's spirit, so this wisp will be sufficient; too much would be harmful and useless. Furthermore, refining this origin power requires a special method. At that time, this junior will also truthfully inform you," Qianqian's voice subtly emanated from the Qilin's illusory form.

Han Li's eyes narrowed slightly upon hearing this. Able to allow one to advance to the Integration stage? Such a temptation was naturally immense. However, this was the first time he had heard of the "True Qilin Origin," so he was naturally somewhat skeptical. Before Han Li could make a decision, the giant grotesque face below suddenly let out a series of grating, bizarre laughs: "Dividing the True Qilin Origin! Do you truly believe you still have that chance? If you count the time, it should be about now. Don't either of you feel something wrong with your bodies?"

Hearing the grotesque face's words, the man surnamed Gui and Qianqian were startled simultaneously. Naturally, they subconsciously quickly swept their spiritual senses inwards to check their internal conditions. Almost at the same time, two humanoid avatars of the man surnamed Gui screamed, and countless hair-like black threads shot out from their skin, densely tearing these two avatars into countless fragments. Two huge, abnormal masses, resembling black sea urchins, instantly appeared in the void. The two clusters of green flame, formed from the split souls of the two avatars, were also pierced by the black threads. Unable to escape in the slightest, the two split souls were then bizarrely absorbed and consumed amidst the flashing black light. Although the silver flood dragon, transformed from the man surnamed Gui's main body, did not explode and die, black threads also appeared on its shimmering silver scales. After a low roar, it stiffly plummeted from the air, crashing heavily onto the ground. As for the azure Qilin's illusory form, it was also pierced and broken by countless black threads, its size shrinking to about ten feet. After a final flicker, it surprisingly reverted to Qianqian's original appearance. However, at this moment, her body was completely enveloped in a dazzling azure light, within which dense black threads pulsed erratically, creating a deadlock. Although the Crystal Race woman did not plummet from the air, her delicate body trembled incessantly, and her beautiful face was contorted with extreme pain, seemingly unable to move either. Han Li was stunned by this sight!

"Impossible! When did you tamper with our bodies?" Qianqian endured the internal anomaly, crying out in alarm and fury. "When? Naturally, it was when you were inside my true body just now. How else do you think I slaughtered those who came here before to retrieve the True Qilin Origin? As long as you enter my true body, planting a spiritual seed within your bodies is effortless. Even if you're not dead, you're no better than puppets now. Once I deal with this unexpected meddler, my achievements will be complete." As soon as it finished speaking, a sinister expression appeared on the giant grotesque face. Suddenly, thunder rumbled loudly across its body, and black lightning arcs transformed into countless black swords, charging fiercely towards Han Li.

Before they truly closed in, hundreds of black swords suddenly scattered, then began spinning like windmills. At the same time, streaks of black lightning shot out from them, then connected to each other amidst roaring sounds. In the blink of an eye, a black net, about an acre in size, appeared around Han Li, surrounding him tightly from all directions. "A sword formation," Han Li muttered to himself, raising an eyebrow, a strange expression on his face.

A strange incantation emanated from the grotesque face. Immediately, thunder roared, and black lightning flashed wildly as the entire net, propelled by hundreds of black thunder-swords, began to slowly close in on the center. A strange look flashed across Han Li's face and was gone. He reached out with one hand towards the empty space to his side. The azure greatsword, originally in another location, flickered and instantly vanished from its spot. The next moment, space near Han Li shimmered, and the azure greatsword abruptly appeared before him. He gently pointed at the greatsword with one hand. Immediately, after a clear, dragon-like cry, the greatsword transformed into seventy-two streaks of azure sword light, circling Han Li up and down. Han Li formed a hand seal. With a tremor, the flying swords suddenly multiplied, each becoming two, then each two becoming four. In an instant, hundreds of identical sword lights appeared. Amidst a burst of azure light, they formed a giant azure lotus, enveloping Han Li. As the lotus petals spun rapidly, rings of azure sword light shot out like a torrential downpour. A dull thud was heard as the black electrical net, under the furious onslaught of azure light, shattered and broke apart as easily as paper. But before the smile could fully form on his face, thunder rumbled again. The shattered black lightning arcs, as if sentient, gathered and re-formed into the same black net amidst the black light, continuing to close in on Han Li as if nothing had happened. Han Li's expression changed drastically.

At the same time, the grotesque face let out a sinister laugh, and its massive body twisted and deformed. Amidst a great burst of black light, it suddenly grew four thick limbs, and its body transformed from bloated to tall and robust, astonishingly becoming a dark Qilin, its entire body shimmering with indistinct light. The Qilin was hundreds of zhang tall, looking like a massive dark mountain from a distance, seemingly even larger than its previous form. The giant grotesque face was precisely positioned on the Qilin's forehead, its distorted features unusually striking, giving the beast a touch of sinister eeriness. As soon as the transformation was complete, the dark Qilin lifted one of its front limbs and stomped at the empty space above Han Li's location. Immediately, about ten zhang above Han Li, intense spatial fluctuations erupted, and with a flash of black light, a gigantic, ink-black foot, like a sky-reaching pillar, materialized. Before it even truly stomped down, an immense, invisible force materialized out of thin air and enveloped the area below. Han Li, within the azure sword light, felt his surroundings tighten, as if a giant steel hoop had descended upon him, intent on binding him in place, leaving him helpless to await death. The colossal black foot descended. At this moment, the black net also arrived nearby, shimmering. The "crackling" sound of the electric arcs seemed to be almost upon him. In this critical moment, Han Li showed no sign of panic. Instead, he took a deep breath, and golden light suddenly erupted from his body. Golden scales strangely appeared on his skin, and a pair of dazzling golden arms simultaneously spread out to his sides. A continuous series of muffled "booms" echoed! The surrounding restraints were actually forcefully broken by Han Li's even greater power.

(To be continued)