Chapter 188: 乌靴

Please accept my apologies! Guests arrived today, making it impossible for me to get away to an internet cafe to upload. I'm currently sneaking away for a moment and will have to rush back to accompany them after uploading this chapter. I can only offer my sincerest apologies!

Where Feng Yue had stood, only his lower legs, still encased in boots, remained. There was nothing else on the ground, and the storage bag Han Li had expected as spoils was nowhere to be seen.

Han Li sprang to his feet, then rushed over as if his life depended on it. He searched the spot where Feng Yue had vanished for a long time, but the storage bag remained elusive.

"Could the Heavenly Thunderbomb be so powerful that it reduced both the person and the storage bag to ash?" Han Li circled the small area several times, eventually arriving at a deeply frustrating conclusion.

Unwilling to give up, Han Li expanded his search area several times, but the outcome was identical. He did, however, manage to retrieve the Wealthy Woman's small mirror and crystal ball, along with the small knife talisman-treasure, which had reverted to its original talisman form after its owner's death.

Han Li looked at these three items, then considered his own losses: the Heavenly Thunderbomb, the Silver Hook, and the Green Rope—two high-grade magical artifacts—and the storage bag obliterated by the Heavenly Thunderbomb. He gazed skyward, speechless.

Still, despite everything, he was ultimately the victor in this great battle, certainly better off than Feng Yue, who had been reduced to ash.

Han Li, unsure whether he had gained or lost, could only reflect on it with self-deprecating humor.

The thought of Feng Yue made Han Li subconsciously glance at the only remaining parts of him in this world: the two lower leg fragments. He shook his head slightly, then raised a hand and launched two fist-sized fireballs directly at them. Since the person was already dead, these remnants naturally had to be completely destroyed to prevent any future trouble if they were discovered by others.

With two soft thuds, the flames immediately engulfed them. In a blink, everything but the dark boots turned to ash.

Han Li nodded with satisfaction and turned to leave the area.

"Boots? That's not right!"

"How could ordinary boots remain completely unharmed by a fire-bullet spell?"

Having taken only a small step, Han Li immediately realized his oversight. He quickly turned back, his expression odd as he stared at the seemingly ordinary boots. Upon closer inspection, he indeed found something peculiar: the boots were not only unharmed by the fire-bullet spell, but they also bore no trace of fire, and subtly emitted a faint spiritual aura.

"A magical artifact?"

Han Li was filled with a mixture of surprise and uncertainty.

After a moment's hesitation, he walked over and bent down to pick up the black boots.

"Thin, soft, yet incredibly tough! They don't seem like cloth or silk boots; they feel like leather boots made from the hide of some animal!" Han Li mused, examining them closely for a long time before reaching his conclusion.

As he held them, the faint spiritual energy emanating from the boots became even more apparent. These were indeed magical artifacts, most likely crafted from the hide of a demonic beast.

Gazing at the leather boots, Han Li vaguely recalled something. He eagerly pulled off his own cloth shoes and slipped on the leather magical artifact boots.

They felt incredibly comfortable, soft, and almost weightless. This was Han Li's immediate impression upon wearing the boots.

He carefully examined the boots on his feet for a moment, but nothing extraordinary seemed to happen.

Frowning slightly, Han Li took a small step. With a whoosh, his figure suddenly blurred, and he effortlessly appeared several meters away.

"The Wind Control Art! No, it's far faster than the Wind Control Art!" Han Li thought, overjoyed. At that moment, the secret behind Feng Yue's incredibly swift movement technique was finally revealed to Han Li. Evidently, that individual had relied on these very boots to move so eerily and swiftly, like lightning.

Wearing the boots, Han Li began to move slowly across the small open space, gradually familiarizing himself with their capabilities. He walked faster and faster, eventually even incorporating his Misty Cloud Steps to accelerate further.

If, before, Han Li's movements at their peak could blur his figure and even leave afterimages, now, with these boots, his speed was so extreme that several identical phantoms subtly appeared simultaneously, performing the same actions and bearing the same smile. Yet, as all the phantoms gradually converged towards the center, they seamlessly merged back into Han Li, standing alone in the middle of the area.

Han Li stood motionless, seemingly lost in thought. Suddenly, he burst into wild laughter, bending over and nearly shedding tears from sheer delight.

After a long bout of laughter, Han Li, still bent over, shimmered with a flash of green light. His entire form suddenly transformed into a gust of wind, vanishing into thin air.

The entire area was now silent, save for the occasional rustling of wind across the ground. Then, a series of booming sounds abruptly rang out. Nearby trees began to mysteriously split in half, one after another, their severed ends as smooth and clean as mirrors, though there was clearly no one visible. The trees continued to break with increasing speed, and within moments, all trees within several dozen meters were reduced to bare stumps.

Han Li, enveloped in a faint green light, reappeared, drenched in sweat. His lips were slightly upturned, and his face was beaming with unconcealed joy. The combination of his Misty Cloud Steps, the magical leather boots, and the enhancement from the Wind Control Art made Han Li so incredibly fast that he could temporarily evade the tracking of ordinary eyes, effectively vanishing into thin air. Han Li estimated that even with the superior eyesight of cultivators and the aid of the Heavenly Eye Art, he would appear only as a faint shadow when fully exerting himself. This speed could pose a significant threat, especially before opponents had activated their protective spells.

Now, with a mere thought, Han Li could instantly cover several meters. Even a distance of over ten meters could be crossed in a single breath.

Of course, Han Li could only maintain this speed, which far surpassed his physical limits, for a very brief period. If sustained for too long, his body would completely collapse. After all, his current physique was still too strained by such high-speed movements.

Nevertheless, for him, this short duration was more than enough to instantly eliminate opponents dozens of times, especially when combined with the use of his silk thread magical artifact, which would double its potency.

Han Li lowered his head and thoughtfully stroked the leather boots on his feet for a while, feeling that this item was truly perfect for him. Even if someone offered him a talisman-treasure in exchange, he would never consider it.

With renewed confidence, Han Li excitedly surveyed his surroundings. Spotting the yellow-robed woman's corpse, he sighed softly. He then conjured a small fireball to dig a large pit and unceremoniously buried her body on the spot, believing this was the most he could do. Having completed these tasks, Han Li's figure flashed, and he vanished into the dense forest, now needing to hasten his journey to the central area.

What Han Li didn't know was that after the first day of slaughter, only slightly over seventy disciples from various sects remained in the forbidden area—a drastic reduction by nearly half compared to the initial number. Most of the elite disciples had already reached the vicinity of the central zone, poised to commence a "waiting for prey" purge on the second day. All those they deemed weak would be ruthlessly eliminated. Of course, the Wealthy Woman, who had perished, and Feng Yue of the Sky Fortress, killed by Han Li, were originally intended to be among the purgers. But with their deaths, such intentions naturally vanished.

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