Chapter 1984: Exposed

**Volume Ten: The War in the Demon Realm**

"Have you had a change of heart, fellow Daoist? Why go through such trouble hiding for over a month just for a spirit flower? You should know that the Heavenly Udumbara Flower is of no great use to you right now. Just hand it over, and I will spare your life. What do you say?" The woman in white spoke, uttering words that made Lei Yunzi's face turn ashen.

"Hmph! The Heavenly Udumbara Flower is an incredibly rare spirit item. Even if I can't use it now, there will eventually be a day when I will. You expect me, Lei, to just hand it over to someone else for nothing? I refuse!" Lei Yunzi scoffed and immediately rejected her offer without hesitation.

"It seems you're quite confident in your Thunder Escape ability," the woman said, not showing any anger, but rather a calm demeanor.

"Hehe, if you truly had the ability to catch me, how could I, Lei, have escaped for over a month?" Lei Yunzi sneered, seemingly discarding his apprehension towards the woman.

"How dare you speak to Lord Baoshu like that!" the ugly-faced, burly man in black robes suddenly roared at Lei Yunzi, his face contorted in a ferocious expression.

"You're just a blusterer! Do you believe me? If we fought one-on-one, I'd take your life in an instant!" Lei Yunzi's face darkened, and he retorted with a frosty, mocking tone.

Upon hearing this, the ugly burly man was infuriated. He let out a low growl and was about to clench his fists to strike, but at that moment, the woman in white robes waved her hand and calmly stopped him:

"Black Crocodile, stop! You've only recently transformed, and indeed, you are no match for this fellow Daoist."

"Lord Baoshu, he..." Although the burly man obediently lowered his fists, he still looked somewhat unwilling.

"What? Do you have an objection to my words?" the woman known as "Baoshu" said calmly, her eyebrows slightly arched.

"I wouldn't dare. Your subordinate merely spoke out of turn just now," Black Crocodile said, startled, hastily explaining with some apprehension.

Baoshu's gaze lingered on the burly man's face for a few moments, then paused briefly before she casually said, "Let this not happen again."

Black Crocodile felt relieved and naturally assented repeatedly.

Han Li slowly watched all of this from the side. While his expression was solemn, a flicker of surprise and doubt appeared in his eyes as he looked at the black-robed burly man.

He had clearly only seen this black-robed burly man for the first time, yet the ferocious aura emanating from him gave Han Li a sense of familiarity, as if he had sensed it from afar somewhere before.

He naturally felt some doubts in his heart.

However, now was not the time to consider such matters. How to escape with Lei Yunzi was what truly mattered.

Regarding this, Han Li, who knew the profound mysteries of the lightning formation, wasn't actually too worried.

With Lei Yunzi's divine ability, as long as he was prepared beforehand, teleporting Han Li away would be a matter of a single thought. Even if the woman before them was truly a Grand Ascension cultivator, she shouldn't be able to stop them.

Otherwise, Lei Yunzi wouldn't be facing this unfathomable powerful enemy with such confidence.

As Han Li's thoughts swirled in his mind, the woman on the giant flower opposite them spoke to Lei Yunzi again:

"This lightning formation technique, Fellow Daoist Lei, is your own unique creation, isn't it? It is indeed very profound, but only someone like you, who possesses a Five Thunder Body, can fully unleash its power. You just now refused me outright, presumably relying on this divine ability."

"Yes, what about it!" Lei Yunzi replied with a grim expression, secretly wondering about the woman's intention behind the question.

"Actually, your lightning formation teleportation technique cleverly combines spatial power and lightning power, allowing you to teleport tens of thousands of miles through thin air. But merging two powers into one is not an easy feat. You must have borrowed from some secret art to coincidentally research it," Baoshu said calmly.

Lei Yunzi's expression shifted, but he said nothing more, only staring coldly at the woman.

The woman in white robes then let out a soft laugh and continued:

"Coincidentally, the divine ability I cultivate also happens to contain lightning power and spatial power, and I have quite some research into the laws of these two powers."

"What do you mean by that!" Lei Yunzi's face changed slightly, and he finally couldn't help but ask.

"Fellow Daoist must have noticed that the time it takes for me to catch up to you is getting shorter and shorter, right? Perhaps, in just a few more attempts, I will be able to comprehend the laws of this lightning formation, and this divine ability will simply lose its effectiveness before me. You also already have a mark placed on you by me. Unless you can teleport tens of millions of miles away in one go, being caught is only a matter of time. What I said just now was merely because I didn't want to waste more time, and it was also your last chance, Fellow Daoist. Otherwise, I possess a treasure that happens to be missing a few Spirit Fusions stage souls to act as its main souls. If you reject this current opportunity and are caught by me later, you will naturally become one of this treasure's main souls." The woman's eyes flickered, and she spoke slowly in a soft voice.

Upon hearing these words, Lei Yunzi's face couldn't help but turn pale again, and his expression remained volatile for a while.

The woman in white robes showed no intention of rushing him. Instead, her gaze shifted and finally landed on Han Li.

The woman's gaze was as clear as water, but Han Li felt a chill run through him, as if his entire being had been seen through by her.

This was clearly the result of her divine sense being far stronger than his own.

Han Li was startled. Without time to think further, the Great Development Art and the Spirit Refining Technique simultaneously circulated within his body, and his divine sense instantly spread throughout his entire being.

That strange feeling of being seen through was then barely suppressed and forcibly cut off.

But in that brief moment, Han Li felt cold sweat trickling down his back, extraordinarily shocked.

He prided himself on his powerful divine sense, believing it to be not much weaker than that of an ordinary Grand Ascension cultivator, but this woman's gaze gave him such a terrifying feeling. Doesn't that mean she is absolutely a top-tier existence even among Grand Ascension cultivators?

The next moment, something even more horrifying happened to Han Li.

After the woman's gaze lingered on him for a moment, a strange expression suddenly appeared in her eyes, and she said calmly:

"So, you're the one who killed my subordinate in Mojin and took a piece of the Profound Heavenly Ruyi Blade. Fellow Daoist has had my treasure for so many years. Isn't it time to return it to me?"

"What does Senior mean? I don't quite understand," Han Li said with a forced smile, greatly alarmed in his heart and vaguely guessing something. "It seems this is the first time I've met Senior."

"It seems Fellow Daoist doesn't intend to return it willingly. Very well, I'll take it myself." The woman said without a trace of emotion on her face, then beckoned towards Han Li with one hand.

Instantly, a buzzing sound came from Han Li's sleeve, and a golden light shot out from it—it was precisely the Profound Heavenly Broken Blade!

This treasure had originally been resting quietly on Han Li, but after the woman's seemingly casual gesture, it immediately grew hot, severed its spiritual connection with Han Li, and flew towards the woman in white robes.

Han Li's expression changed drastically. Almost instinctively, he moved his arm, and instantly, his palm transformed into a large green hand, reaching out to grab it.

But the golden broken blade merely flashed in the void and immediately transformed into a crystalline light, vanishing into thin air.

The large green hand grabbed nothing but air.

At this moment, the woman in white robes gently pinched with two jade-like fingers. A golden light flashed between her fingers, and a several-inch-long golden broken blade silently appeared, perfectly and deftly clasped between her fingers.

Han Li's face instantly turned extremely grim.

At this moment, he also suddenly recalled the origin of the ugly burly man!

The other party's aura was clearly that of a powerful demonic beast he had sensed from afar in the Mojin Mountain Range back then. It was just that at the time he was facing other opponents and had only hastily swept it with his divine sense without paying much attention, which was why his impression was so vague.

In that case, what this woman said was likely true. After all, this broken blade was indeed obtained from the Spirit Fusions stage demonic ape in that mountain range.

And this woman should be the Demonic Saint Ancestor hidden in the Mojin Mountain Range.

Although Han Li was pained to lose his precious treasure, his mind raced, and he mostly figured out the origins of the woman and her subordinate.

He inwardly cursed his misfortune and could only immediately redouble his caution.

"It is indeed the Ruyi Blade, no mistake. This treasure has been with me for so long that I myself no longer remember how many years it has been. Even if you concealed its aura, how could it escape my senses? Black Crocodile, you don't have a suitable treasure yet, so I bestow this fragment of the Ruyi Blade upon you." The woman stroked the broken blade twice with a strange expression, then, to everyone's surprise, threw the treasure to the ugly burly man.

"Thank you, Lord Baoshu, for the bestowal!" Black Crocodile first caught the treasure in a daze, then understood what was happening, and immediately offered a deep bow to the woman, overwhelmed with surprise and joy.

Seeing this, Han Li's frustration was immense, but awed by the woman's divine ability, he could only stare helplessly.

What happened next was somewhat beyond his expectations: the woman did not question Han Li further. Instead, she shifted her gaze and calmly asked Lei Yunzi again:

"Have you considered it carefully? Are you prepared to never be able to rise again, all for a spirit medicine that is currently useless?"

Upon hearing this, Lei Yunzi's body trembled slightly. The pensive look on his face gradually faded, and he let out a sigh.

"What Senior said just now is indeed true. However, if you had said these words half a day earlier, I, Lei, might truly have been persuaded, but now..."

Before Lei Yunzi could finish speaking, his two wings suddenly flapped behind him, and at the same time, he performed a hand seal.

With a resounding boom!

Countless silver arcs shot out from his body. With a sway, he vanished from his original spot amidst swirling electrical currents.

The next moment, a flash of electricity appeared beside Han Li. A massive lightning formation, several zhang in size, rumbled into existence, with a figure flickering indistinctly within it.

It was Lei Yunzi.

"Let's go!" he bellowed.

And Han Li, almost the instant the lightning formation appeared, plunged into it without hesitation.

From afar, the ugly burly man saw this and immediately let out an enraged roar. With a grab in the air, a large black axe appeared out of thin air in his grasp. He gripped it with both hands and fiercely swung it towards the lightning formation.

Whoosh!

A thick axe light transformed into a streak of black, sweeping out with a fierce slash. Wherever it passed, the void trembled, as if it were about to be forcefully cleaved open!