Chapter 1987: Escape

Baohua saw the situation but simply, with a single hand, casually formed a strange seal. After a muffled sound, the colossal pink flower beneath the stone giants swiftly rotated, sending out two crystalline light beams one after another. Each of these light beams was incredibly dense and transparent, almost like a physical object, and moved with lightning speed, striking the giants in an instant. The two stone giants were startled and tried to dodge by moving their bodies, but it was already too late. The two light beams seemed to ignore their protective spiritual light, disappearing into their massive bodies in a flash. The giants only managed a low roar of shock and anger before their bodies suddenly flashed with white light, and crystal-like flowers bloomed, covering almost every inch of their surfaces. In an instant, the two stone figures were frozen within a layer of mysterious crystals, unable to move even slightly.

Gazing at the stone figures encased in the two colossal crystals, Baohua silently raised her hand and made a gesture towards them. Immediately, white light repeatedly flashed across the surface of the colossal crystals, which then began to shrink rapidly. In a short while, they transformed into fist-sized objects, which she effortlessly collected into her sleeve.

"Congratulations, Master, on eliminating such formidable enemies!" the Black Alligator, who had just come to his senses, hastily stepped forward and said.

"Those three were merely three avatars from the Bloodlight region; how could they be considered formidable enemies?" Baohua said calmly. "However, each of the Six Extremes' six grand avatars is a potent aid to her. Having been struck by my Sunset Arrow, she won't be able to recover her original strength for over a hundred years."

"Then, Master, should we pursue them and eliminate them all? This is a rare opportunity!" the Black Alligator suggested cautiously.

"There's no need for that," Baohua replied after a moment's thought, making a decision. "Since the Six Extremes was willing to expend her essence to escape the range of my Phantasmal Sun Power, she must have already used other life-saving divine abilities to flee tens of thousands of miles away. Even if I were to pursue with all my might, the chances of catching her are not very high. For now, it's more important to obtain the Heavenly Udumbara Flower. Otherwise, if it truly slips away right under our noses, it will cause much more trouble later. Let's go!"

"Yes, your subordinate will obey all of Master's commands!" the large man respectfully promised.

Following this, the colossal flower beneath Baohua gently rotated, once again releasing pink shimmering light to envelop both their figures, and with a flicker, they vanished into the void. In an instant, this previously bustling void became empty, with no one left in sight.

Tens of thousands of miles away, in a hidden valley, one large and one small silver-glowing lightning array emerged with a roar in the low sky. The two lightning arrays overlapped, one outside and one inside, and at the center of the arrays, two upright figures were unmistakably suspended. One wore a flowing green robe with crystal wings flashing with electric light on his back, and electric snakes danced wildly around his body. In each hand, he held a silver disk. These were Han Li and Lei Yunzi!

"Fellow Daoist Han, are you ready? As for this dual lightning array, I, Lei, have thoroughly researched it, and theoretically, there should be no problem. However, it has never been truly put into practice. If anything goes wrong, you can only consider yourself unlucky," Lei Yunzi said with a laugh to Han Li, his jade disks in hand emitting dazzling white light, and electric arcs swirling around him, clearly in high spirits.

"Heh heh, if that were truly the case, then I, Han, would indeed accept my fate," Han Li said with a slight smile beside him. "However, Brother Lei, since you dare to teleport alongside me, I presume you have at least a decent level of confidence. Since Brother Lei is so sure, what do I have to fear? Moreover, I just quickly examined this dual lightning array's secret art and also feel there shouldn't be any major issues."

"Hmph, you talk as if you trust me completely, but in reality, you still have that 'don't release the hawk until you see the rabbit' mentality, just like hundreds of years ago," Lei Yunzi muttered with a roll of his eyes. "Alright, those two are probably catching up soon. Let's go." With that, the two brilliant disks in his hands suddenly shot out, flickering as they entered the two lightning arrays separately.

Following this, he swiftly formed a hand seal, muttering incantations. With a booming roar of thunder, the two lightning arrays were instantly activated. Countless electric arcs sprang up within the arrays, then burst open inch by inch, and silver electric light quickly spread throughout the arrays. Amidst the great rumble, Lei Yunzi suddenly let out a loud shout, and several electric arcs as thick as water buckets emerged from the center of the arrays, engulfing both him and Han Li. In an instant, the two vanished within the lightning arrays.

A quarter of an hour later, the nearby void rippled, and a mass of pink light materialized out of thin air, then flickered into a colossal pink flower. As the petals slowly unfurled, Baohua and the Black Alligator appeared within the flower. Although the lightning array had long since dispersed and vanished, Baohua's expression subtly changed after her gaze swept across the void where the array had been. "How is it that the fluctuations are completely different from previous teleports? Even I can't locate their potential destination!" the woman murmured, a trace of surprise flashing in her beautiful eyes for the first time.

"This is impossible! Master Baohua, haven't you already grasped most of the principles of that lightning array's power? How could it be so different?" the Black Alligator asked in alarm, startled.

"Not only that, but the subtle spiritual link I could sense has also been severed," the woman said, shaking her head. "Given this situation, either that person's soul has scattered, or they have truly escaped tens of thousands of miles away."

Upon hearing the woman's words, the Black Alligator's eyes naturally widened in disbelief, yet he was at a loss for what to do.

"Judging by the residual spatial fluctuations here, it's most likely the latter," Baohua said, her eyes flickering twice, showing no trace of anger, but rather speaking calmly. "It seems I underestimated these two; they truly have a way to perform long-distance teleportation. Never mind. Although the Heavenly Udumbara Flower is somewhat useful to me, it's not worth expending my essence for divination. Let's head to the Human Race territories first! The spiritual medicine that can truly heal me should be there. Only by reaching that place can I perform another close-range divination to obtain more detailed information!"

Seeing the woman's composed demeanor, the Black Alligator was slightly surprised, but naturally dared not voice any disagreement, immediately nodding his head honestly in affirmation. Baohua nodded, but suddenly felt a strange sensation in her heart. Frowning slightly, she glanced in a certain direction, her beautiful eyes narrowing slightly. However, after pondering for a long time, she still shook her head, forcibly dispelling the trace of unease in her heart, and stepped onto the colossal flower beneath her feet. Immediately, with a flash of shimmering light, the colossal flower carried the two of them, shooting towards the Human Race territories.

Tens of thousands of miles away, above a vast, boundless lake, a clear peal of thunder rang out. Countless silver electric arcs shot forth from the void, instantly forming a colossal lightning array that swelled and contracted erratically in the air. With another "boom," after a dazzling flash of electricity within the array, Han Li and Lei Yunzi flickered into view. After opening their eyes and looking around, joyful expressions appeared on both their faces.

"Excellent! This dual lightning array truly sent us tens of thousands of miles away. The feeling of being constantly monitored has vanished from my body," Lei Yunzi said, his joyful expression receding as he turned unceremoniously to Han Li. "However, to be safe, let's part ways here and go our separate paths."

"I, Han, also had the same intention!" Han Li nodded, adding with a hint of regret, "It's a pity that this dual lightning array requires two people to activate it simultaneously; otherwise, it would be an excellent life-saving technique."

"Heh heh, how can there be anything so perfect in this world?" Lei Yunzi said with a laugh, a peculiar glint in his eyes. "The fact that I could escape with my life from such a formidable enemy this time is already a great fortune; I've escaped a destined calamity. As the saying goes, 'surviving a great disaster leads to future blessings,' so who knows what good things await me later?"

"Why wait for later? Fellow Daoist, the fact that you obtained the Heavenly Udumbara Flower already means you have great fortune," Han Li said, looking at Lei Yunzi and suddenly smiling.

"Oh? Is Brother Han also interested in this Heavenly Udumbara Flower?" Lei Yunzi replied with a knowing smile, blinking his eyes.

"You're mistaken, Brother Lei! Although the Heavenly Udumbara Flower is good, unfortunately, it contradicts the great path I cultivate, so I have no great interest in it," Han Li denied with a yawn, then immediately cupped his fists in farewell. "Alright, I'll take my leave first. I hope there will be another day when we can meet again, Fellow Daoist."

"Then I, Lei, wish you a smooth journey," Lei Yunzi said, relief washing over him, as he returned Han Li's cupped-fist salute with a smile.

Han Li did not linger at all, flying non-stop for three days and three nights in a direction away from human territories, arriving above a desolate, rocky mountain. Feeling that it was impossible for him to be discovered by pursuers anymore, he finally halted his escape light and landed on the mountainside of the rocky mountain. Muttering incantations and forming a hand seal with one hand, Han Li was immediately enveloped in a layer of yellow light, then flashed and disappeared into the mountain rocks. A moment later, Han Li suddenly appeared in a cave at the base of the rocky mountain. With a flurry of his sleeves, dozens of array flags shot out as specks of spiritual light, vanishing into the nearby void in a flash. The next moment, a faint white light suddenly appeared around the cave, enveloping the area tightly. Only then did Han Li exhale a long breath, sitting down cross-legged on a green stone at the center of the cave. With a flip of his hand, seven or eight large jade bottles appeared one after another, floating before him after being tossed into the air. With a solemn expression, Han Li poured out over a dozen pills of varying colors from these jade bottles and swallowed them in one go. He then closed his eyes, formed hand seals, and began to meditate. At present, he not only needed to restore his internal energy, which was already close to depletion, but also had to refine the fierce medicinal effects left by the spiritual medicines he had consumed raw. Combining both tasks, it would naturally be a pipe dream to accomplish them in less than two or three months.