Chapter 2313: True Immortals Descend Trailing Behind

The woman wore an emerald green short shirt, her figure slender and graceful, and her face exceptionally alluring. Her pale arms, smooth as lotus roots, were visible, their surface shimmering with golden light from several inch-long, arrow-shaped magical artifacts embedded within them, which appeared to be made of a material resembling gold but not quite. Her beautiful eyes gazed at the fish monsters before her, carrying a hint of an enigmatic smile.

The fish monsters, each seemingly in their prime, hovered several feet above the ground in the low sky. Though they surrounded the woman with threatening growls, their faces betrayed expressions of fear.

"Will you hand over your two tribesmen yourselves, or shall I do it personally? If not for the fact that you lot are somewhat useful to my race, I would have long since slaughtered you all. How could I have allowed you to procreate and thrive in this Land of Fiery Essence?" The woman spoke, her beautiful lips uttering chilling words.

"D-d-dream on! We'll n-n-never hand over our t-tribesmen!" A particularly tall male fish monster, whose face showed far less fear than the others, stammered out these words amidst a roar after hearing the woman's demand.

Han Li, hidden high in the sky, heard this exchange. A hint of surprise flashed across his face, but he also let out a slight sigh of relief.

It turned out that both parties were speaking an ancient language recorded in the texts of the Spirit Realm, which surprised him and simultaneously brought him a feeling of joy.

"Hmph, truly a bunch of ungrateful wretches. I just finished dining, and originally I didn't want to bother myself further. But if you refuse kindness and choose punishment, what's the harm in consuming a bit more blood?" Upon hearing this, the woman's face darkened, and the hidden trace of a smile in her eyes vanished instantly.

The leading male fish monster's face contorted in anger before he roared again. Immediately, a red light flashed over the bodies of all the other male and female fish monsters, and they shot backward like lightning, plunging into the lava lake. Some brandished their weapons, while others waved their arms vigorously.

Instantly, the lava below surged and churned, and wisps of scorching red mist erupted from it, subsequently vanishing into the bodies of the fish monsters.

Immediately, flames flared around the bodies of these male and female fish monsters, and their forms swelled, transforming into massive creatures several zhang in length. Most of them also exuded an aura typical of cultivators at the Soul Transformation stage.

The leading male fish monster, in particular, appeared to have advanced to the early Void Refinement stage.

"It seems you lot truly heal your wounds and forget the pain. What other methods can you employ, besides this mere Fire Bath technique? Fine, I'll give you another harsh lesson."

Seeing this, the young woman, far from being startled, instead giggled softly. With a twist of her waist, her body blurred and instantly reappeared in the very center of the male and female fish monsters. Without any discernible movement, a flash of light suddenly erupted from her body, and countless crystal threads shot out with incredible speed.

A sound of piercing air filled the space!

Almost simultaneously, all the male and female fish monsters stumbled and fell.

Their seemingly dense red protective light was utterly incapable of withstanding the piercing strikes of these crystal threads.

The young woman's gaze swept over the immobilized fish monsters on the lava lake, and a sinister grin, ill-suited to her delicate features, spread across her lips. With a movement of one arm, her hand clawed at two female fish monsters in the air.

With two soft thudding sounds, the chests of the two female fish monsters violently convulsed. Two hearts were then snatched out by an invisible immense force and shot straight towards the young woman.

The woman opened her small mouth and sprayed out two crystal threads. With a flash, they pierced through the two hearts. After retracting them, she swallowed the hearts without hesitation.

"The taste is as scrumptious as ever; I truly never tire of it. It's a pity your Empty Fish Tribe doesn't procreate more. To avoid waste, I'll use these two as sacrifices this time. However, while you may be spared death, you won't escape punishment in life!" The young woman licked the lingering traces of blood from the corner of her mouth, a smile of enjoyment for the delicacy gracing her face, yet her words grew increasingly chilling.

The woman suddenly opened her mouth and spat out a ball of blue light, then reached in with one hand and grasped something.

As the light receded, a pale blue long whip appeared in her hand. Its surface was covered with luminous blue barbs, making it appear exceedingly sharp.

A malicious expression flashed across the young woman's face, and she flicked her wrist. The long whip instantly transformed into a myriad of illusory whips, enveloping the surviving fish monsters.

Loud crackling sounds erupted.

It was unknown what material the whip was made of, but it seemed specifically designed to counter these merfolk. With just a light strike, it could easily shatter their protective spiritual light, leaving behind deep bloody welts.

Immediately, moans and low growls echoed across the lava surface.

The leading male fish monster was subjected to the whip's assault most frequently. At first, he could still glare furiously at the young woman, but after being mercilessly beaten for a while, he could only writhe, clutching his head. The others were also lashed bloody, with not an inch of intact skin left on their bodies.

Only then did the young woman stop her wrist, retract the whip, and say with a soft giggle:

"This whipping should be enough to teach you a lesson and keep you well-behaved for a good long while, won't it? If you know what's good for you, procreate more tribesmen. That way, even if some must serve as sacrifices, your tribe can still grow stronger. In return, our esteemed Matriarch will be extremely pleased, and she might even bestow some benefits upon you. However, if I return next time and your Empty Fish Tribe still consists of only these few members, a mere whipping won't be enough to settle the matter."

As soon as the woman had uttered her threats with practiced ease, she no longer paid attention to the other fish monsters. Instead, she opened her mouth again and spat out a misty white bubble-like object. It expanded and enveloped the two deceased female fish monster corpses, and then she pointed a finger.

Instantly, the bubble, along with the corpses inside, shrank to a minuscule size. The young woman then opened her mouth and inhaled, reabsorbing them back into her body.

Amidst the hateful gazes of the other fish monsters, the woman moved, transforming into a blur of white light. She streaked away, and after a few flashes, vanished without a trace into a nearby rock wall.

Not long after, the fish monsters dejectedly helped each other to their feet. After a brief discussion, they successively leaped into the scorching lava, also vanishing without a trace.

Above the entire lava lake, tranquility was momentarily restored.

However, after only a moment, a spatial fluctuation appeared, and an unusually blurry figure silently emerged, seeming to cast a glance over the lava lake.

It was Han Li, who had been concealing his presence.

He had naturally witnessed everything that had just transpired with perfect clarity.

"Interesting," Han Li murmured to himself. "According to ancient texts, the Empty Fish Tribe only appeared briefly once in ancient times and should have long since become completely extinct across all realms. I didn't expect a branch of them to still exist in this Small Asura Realm. This tribe seems to possess a very formidable supernatural power, which is why they attracted the risk of tribal destruction as soon as they emerged. But exactly what kind of power it is, few truly know."

After murmuring to himself for a moment, Han Li glanced in the direction where the young woman had vanished, and he couldn't help but adopt a puzzled expression.

"She must indeed be an Asura Spider in human form. However, her cultivation is only at the late Void Refinement stage. Shouldn't Asura Spiders only be able to transform into human form when they reach adulthood? That's quite strange."

Han Li rubbed his chin, pondering with a lowered head. After a good while, he finally shook his head and murmured:

"Never mind all that for now. I'll follow her first and try to find the Asura Spider's lair. It won't be too late to think about other things afterward. And these Empty Fish can't just be left unattended. Come out!"

After Han Li's low shout, he suddenly flicked his sleeve.

A golden ball of light immediately shot out from it. After a flash, it transformed into a purple-golden figure about half a foot tall, with no nose or mouth and cold, emotionless eyes.

"Go down and keep a close watch on these Empty Fish. I'll deal with them when I return."

The purple-golden figure nodded once, transformed into a streak of golden light, circled in the nearby empty space, and then plunged headfirst into the churning lava lake.

This small figure was precisely the fully evolved Golden Devouring Beetle King.

As for the Leopard-Qilin Beast, its cultivation was too low compared to Han Li's current level, so he had left it on Saint Island to undergo secluded cultivation before departing.

With everything arranged, Han Li's shoulders swayed in relief, and his body once again blurred immensely, transforming into a phantom figure that gave chase.

Given Han Li's divine abilities, it was effortless for him to imperceptibly leave a trace of his spiritual sense on the woman. Thus, he had no fear of truly losing his target within a short period.

When Han Li quietly caught up to the young woman from behind, only the time it takes to drink a cup of tea had passed.

Han Li's body had become completely transparent, and his light of escape was both silent and invisible as he followed from more than ten li away.

The young woman continued flying unimpeded, without the slightest sign of detection.

Below, Han Li witnessed firsthand as the woman visited a swamp, where she slew a black giant boar-like monster that had just advanced to the Void Refinement stage. She then went to a quite secluded canyon and picked more than ten unknown golden fruits. After that, she continued to fly in the same direction without any further delay.

Han Li steadfastly followed without drawing any attention to himself.

If the woman before him was indeed an Asura Spider in human form, it was naturally impossible for her, with her current power, to extract any 'threads of time' from crystal cores. His initial objective had always been the adult Asura Spiders; otherwise, he would have already made his move back at the underground lava lake.

However, when another colossal mountain range appeared, one that seemed to almost connect heaven and earth, Han Li's spirits couldn't help but lift.

The young woman's escape velocity noticeably slowed, and she began to descend slightly as she approached the edge of the mountain range.

After she let out a sharp cry, a roaring rumble suddenly echoed from deep within the mountain range. Then, seven or eight monstrous birds, each over ten zhang in size, flew out from it, reaching the young woman's vicinity a few flashes later.

They docilely descended, clustering around her as they continued to fly forward.