Chapter 2318: True Immortal Descends Join Forces

Though this soul-capturing technique is strange, there's no need to worry too much if one is prepared. It is rumored that Che Qizi is one of the ten most notorious fierce beasts of the ancient Asura Realm. It is said to have formed from the accumulated karma of countless beings and possesses several extremely sinister innate divine abilities. "Tsk, tsk, I never thought I'd see such a fierce beast in this realm," Han Li remarked, a hint of surprise in his voice.

"Fellow Daoist Han, please be extra careful. This beast is not a physical entity; its divine abilities seem to reside entirely within its pair of wicked wings. I've exchanged blows with it several times before, and it is indeed extremely sinister. However, your Evil-Dispelling Divine Thunder seems to have a restraining effect on it." Mo Jianli's complexion had improved slightly, and he spoke with a sigh of relief.

"Indeed, I've noticed that as well; it does seem to be somewhat afraid of the Evil-Dispelling Divine Thunder." Han Li chuckled upon hearing this, and with a single hand, he made a grabbing motion into the void before him.

A flash of green light appeared between his fingers, and a shimmering green longsword materialized. With a slight flick, a colossal sword beam, over a hundred zhang long, instantly appeared above the strange beast.

Following a thunderous roar, innumerable golden lightning arcs swirled around the sword beam, which then fiercely slashed downwards.

The moment Che Qizi saw the astonishing momentum of the sword beam mixed with golden lightning arcs high above, it let out a low hiss. Its two wings abruptly trembled, its body vanished with a "bang," instantly transforming into a blue-green mist, and then shot towards the ground below with lightning speed.

The mist swirled and blurred, then vanished into the ground without a trace.

Han Li was startled at first, but immediately, without hesitation, he activated his sword incantation.

The descending momentum of the giant sword beam instantly became several times faster than before. After a flash, it struck the spot where the mist had vanished with incredible speed.

A heaven-shattering roar echoed.

The ground, amidst countless flashing golden arcs, shattered inch by inch, revealing a trench over a thousand zhang long.

The trench seemed unfathomably deep, and the surrounding ground was scorched black. Not a blade of grass remained. Yet, there was no trace of Che Qizi.

"This fierce creature is quite decisive; it didn't run too slowly," Han Li muttered, a strange look flashing across his face. However, after a moment's thought, he showed no intention of giving chase.

Though Che Qizi had a considerable reputation, it held little significance for him personally.

There was no compelling reason for him to act. Naturally, he saw no need to pursue it to the end.

"Che Qizi's intelligence isn't low; it knew it was no match for you, which is why it fled immediately." Mo Jianli, however, smiled, his expression completely relaxed as he spoke.

"Indeed, a very cunning fellow. But Fellow Daoist Mo, how did you come to provoke this fierce creature?" Han Li asked, turning around and nodding.

"You could say I was unlucky. I was originally tracking the whereabouts of an Asura Spider, but I accidentally trespassed into the nest of another type of spider-like monster. Who knew that beneath that nest, a Che Qizi was hiding? That's how I ended up being chased all the way here by it." Mo Jianli's face showed a hint of awkwardness as he spoke.

After all, ever since he had advanced to the Mahayana realm, being chased for such a long distance as he was today was an extremely rare occurrence.

"I see. Even fierce creatures like Che Qizi exist in this realm. It seems the previous claim that this is a remnant of the ancient Asura Realm is likely true." Han Li didn't feel particularly surprised upon hearing this.

"Indeed. Most of what I've seen along the way relates to objects described in ancient records of the Asura Realm. However, there's still no trace of the Asura Spider. We can only stay in this realm for a little over ten days, and nearly half that time has already passed. Fellow Daoist Han, have you made any discoveries on your end?" Mo Jianli's brows furrowed as he spoke.

"Haha, Fellow Daoist Mo, there's no need to worry. I have already found the location of the Asura Spider." Han Li raised an eyebrow and chuckled lightly.

"What? Is this true?" Mo Jianli was momentarily stunned, then showed great joy.

"How could I speak falsely about such an important matter?" Han Li replied with a faint smile.

"Then, with your divine abilities, Fellow Daoist Han, since you've found the Asura Spider, does that mean you've already obtained the Threads of Time?" Mo Jianli suddenly recalled something, and asked again with a mix of anticipation and nervousness.

"Not yet!" Han Li shook his head, a strange expression on his face.

"Ah... why is that?" Mo Jianli was somewhat surprised.

"It's simple: I couldn't deal with it alone." Han Li sighed.

"Even with your divine abilities, you couldn't handle it? Could it be that there are many adult Asura Spiders in their nest?" Mo Jianli asked in surprise.

"I cannot be certain how many adult Asura Spiders there are. However, in their nest, I discovered an Asura Spider no weaker than a true spirit," Han Li said slowly.

"What? Such a thing exists!" Mo Jianli's expression changed.

"Not only that, but there's also another Mahayana-stage existence whose strength is not inferior to that Asura Spider. Moreover, I found no fewer than three adult Asura Spiders. Therefore, after a brief exchange with them, I immediately retreated. If we want to capture all these Asura Spiders, it's likely we four must act together to have any hope. Furthermore, there's another matter you should know, Fellow Daoist Mo. These Asura Spiders have also subdued quite a few powerful strange beasts near their nest. There are many at the Spirit Transformation and Void Refinement stages, and likely some at the Integration stage as well." Han Li gave this introduction with a touch of gravity.

"If the Asura Spiders possess such formidable power, then indeed, we cannot face them alone. It seems that entering this realm this time truly calls for us to fight with all our might." Mo Jianli's expression became grim after hearing this.

"Therefore, this time, if we wish to obtain the Threads of Time, we must join forces. By the way, Fellow Daoist Mo, have you encountered Xue Ran and Hei Lin on your journey?" Han Li nodded slightly, then suddenly inquired about the other two.

"Although I didn't directly encounter them on the way, I found some traces they left behind in a dense forest. Judging by their direction of travel, they should also be heading this way," Mo Jianli said after a moment's thought.

"In that case, they shouldn't be too far from here. So, what we need to do now is find them as quickly as possible." Han Li nodded thoughtfully.

"Alright, let's act together, contact them as soon as possible, and then discuss forming an alliance." Mo Jianli agreed without hesitation.

After a few more words of discussion, the two unleashed their escape lights and flew off in two different directions.

More than half a day later, Han Li and Mo Jianli were seated cross-legged on a green stone atop an unnamed mountain.

Not far opposite them, Xue Ran and Hei Lin, two foreign Mahayana cultivators, were also seated cross-legged on the ground.

Just a few hours after parting ways with Han Li, Mo Jianli unexpectedly encountered the other two, who were also searching, high in the sky.

Mo Jianli was naturally overjoyed, and hastily gave them a brief overview of the situation, then sent a message to Han Li.

The four of them eventually gathered at this relatively secluded mountain peak.

Just a short while ago, Han Li had recounted the formidable strength of the Asura Spiders to Xue Ran and Hei Lin in detail again, and revealed his intention to form an alliance.

"If these Asura Spiders are truly as powerful as Fellow Daoist Han describes, even if we join forces, it's not certain we'll gain the upper hand. Even if my brother and I attack together, we might only barely be able to handle either the Asura Spider Matriarch or the other foreign Mahayana cultivator. As for the remaining individuals, can Fellow Daoist Han and Fellow Daoist Mo handle them all?" Xue Ran stroked his chin, speaking with gravity.

Han Li smiled, not answering immediately, but instead turned to Mo Jianli and asked:

"Fellow Daoist Mo, what do you think?"

"While I cannot contend with the Asura Spider Matriarch or the other Mahayana cultivator comparable to a true spirit, I do have a way to hold off those three adult Asura Spiders for a period of time." Mo Jianli replied after a moment's thought, gritting his teeth.

"Only hold them off for a period of time? So, Fellow Daoist Han, do you have the confidence to deal with one of those two powerful Mahayana cultivators?" Hei Lin glanced at Han Li, then said with a smirk.

Evidently, this foreign Mahayana cultivator did not seem to have much confidence in Han Li.

"Precisely, I do intend to do so. Which of those two do Fellow Daoists Hei Lin and Xue Ran intend to confront?" Han Li said, his expression unchanged.

Hearing Han Li's reply, Xue Ran and Hei Lin exchanged somewhat strange glances.

After a long moment, Xue Ran slowly spoke:

"If Fellow Daoist Han is truly so confident, then my brother and I will naturally do our utmost. How about this: I heard from Fellow Daoist Han earlier that the Asura Spider Matriarch possesses the strongest divine abilities, so my brother and I will take responsibility for her. However, let's be clear: all four of us are here for the Asura Spider's core. If we achieve a great victory in this battle, how should this item be distributed?"

"That's simple. Naturally, whoever kills it gets the core," Han Li said almost without thinking.

Mo Jianli's expression subtly shifted.

Xue Ran and Hei Lin, upon hearing this, showed satisfied expressions:

"Fellow Daoist Han is indeed direct and straightforward! However, this way, Fellow Daoist Han might be at a disadvantage."

"At a disadvantage? Not necessarily. If I deal with my opponent ahead of time, I might find other adult Asura Spiders in the nest. At that point, I won't be modest at all. Or, if you all are unable to resolve your opponents by then, I might just step in to help out." Han Li yawned, speaking blandly.

"If Fellow Daoist Han can indeed defeat his opponent faster than my brother and I, it would be only right for you to intervene; we would have no complaints whatsoever." Xue Ran laughed heartily, seemingly even more confident in himself.

"Since there are no issues, let's rest for half a day for now, and head to their nest tomorrow morning. After all, we don't have much time left, so we must seize the opportunity," Han Li suggested with a faint smile.

This time, Xue Ran and the others naturally had no objections, and all nodded in agreement.

"However, before that, let me first take care of a small nuisance." Hei Lin suddenly stood up, saying with a hint of peculiarity on his face.