Chapter 2456: True Immortal Descends Slaying the Deer (Part 1)

Chapter 2417: Slaying the Deer (Part 1)

Hearing this, Ice Phoenix agreed without hesitation. She immediately closed her beautiful eyes, her mind completely at peace, and opened her mind directly to Han Li.

At this moment, Han Li raised a finger and paused slightly. A spiritual glow flashed at his fingertip, and a slender crystal thread shot out, its front half instantly disappearing into Ice Phoenix's brow.

Ice Phoenix remained remarkably calm, showing no unusual reaction whatsoever to the crystal thread extending from her brow and connecting to Han Li's fingertip.

Meanwhile, blue light flashed in Han Li's eyes again, and his finger trembled slightly, causing the crystal thread to continuously sway with it.

Suddenly, Han Li frowned and formed a strange hand seal with his other hand.

With a soft pop, the originally almost transparent crystal thread drastically changed color, gradually emanating a milky white light. It became increasingly dazzling and shook more violently.

After a short while, a hint of pain appeared on Ice Phoenix's face, subtly revealing a faint trace of struggle.

With a low cry, she suddenly opened her eyes. The crystal thread at her brow instantly shattered inch by inch, and her whole body was drenched in fragrant sweat, as if she had just been pulled from water.

At this moment, her beautiful eyes held a hint of confusion, as if she were still not entirely awake.

Seeing this, Han Li smiled faintly. He flicked a sleeve towards her, and a wave of green light swept over her.

The moment the green light touched Ice Phoenix, she shivered, and her eyes instantly regained their usual clarity.

"Fellow Daoist, please check your divine soul first," Han Li asked unhurriedly. "Is it different from before?"

"Thank you, Brother Han, for your help," Ice Phoenix replied with immense joy after quickly examining herself internally. "Although I can't precisely describe it, I do feel that some superfluous element in my divine soul, which I hadn't noticed before, seems to have been removed. Your divine abilities are truly vast, Fellow Daoist; this worry in my heart is finally gone."

"It's nothing; my divine soul power is just a bit stronger than that of an average Grand Ascension cultivator," Han Li replied gently. "Otherwise, it wouldn't have been so easy. The reason I could achieve this is likely related to the fact that this immortal's divine sense was considerably suppressed in the Spirit Realm. Otherwise, even I would probably have been helpless."

Six-Wing, who was still stiff and unable to move nearby, witnessed this scene. His face was numb and unable to form any expression, yet a trace of horror still flashed in his eyes.

Han Li seemed to sense the shift in Six-Wing's thoughts at this moment. He turned and said to him indifferently:

"I have some tasks I need you to perform. If you can accomplish them, I can promise to release you from the blood pact and formally restore your freedom. Otherwise, given the disparity in our divine soul strengths, unless you ascend to immortality, you are destined to be suppressed by me for this entire life, without any power to resist."

As soon as he finished speaking, Han Li formed a hand seal with one hand and pointed a finger into the void at Six-Wing. A burst of divine sense power instantly pierced through Six-Wing's body, and simultaneously, a soundproof light curtain enveloped the entire vicinity.

Six-Wing felt something stir in his sea of consciousness, and his body instantly loosened, fully regaining control. However, his expression grew even uglier.

"What do you want me to do for you?" he asked Han Li coldly, staring at him.

"There are some materials I currently cannot obtain," Han Li said, as calm as ever. "I need you to help me search for them in other nearby realms. If you can gather all of them for me within a millennium, I will consider your promise fulfilled and will naturally lift the blood pact for you. Of course, as an advance payment, I can remove the divine soul imprint planted by that immortal right now. Additionally, I want you to promise and swear a solemn oath that if humanity faces calamity in the future, you will assist them three times."

"Only these conditions?" Six-Wing asked, somewhat surprised.

"You are now a Grand Ascension existence," Han Li replied nonchalantly. "It's naturally impossible to keep you as a spirit beast anymore. Although I could easily kill you with the power of the blood pact, what benefit would that bring me?"

"Give me the list of materials; I want to see it first," Six-Wing said without hesitation after a quick thought. "As for swearing an oath to help humanity, let's discuss that after I've completed this task."

"That's certainly no problem," Han Li said noncommittally. "However, as long as you don't make the oath, I won't release your blood pact power." With a flick of his sleeve, a white jade slip flew out.

Six-Wing waved a hand and pulled the jade slip into his grasp. After pressing it to his forehead, his divine sense immediately swept through it.

The materials listed weren't many, only a dozen or so. But upon closer inspection of their names, even with his current Grand Ascension insight, he couldn't help but gasp.

Although these materials were not the legendary, extinct, rare treasures, each one was still incredibly hard to find in any single realm and certainly couldn't be located quickly.

After a brief calculation, under normal circumstances, even a millennium would barely be enough.

"Hmph, you're certainly asking for a lot," Six-Wing snorted, his face ashen. "If I agree, I won't need to cultivate for the next millennium; I'll be spending all that time searching for these materials for you."

"So, you're not planning to agree?" Han Li said seemingly noncommittally, but a strange chill imperceptibly emanated from his body. "Don't forget, if I hadn't initially invested countless spiritual medicines and efforts into you, allowing you to successfully mutate several times, you wouldn't have been able to gain sentience and reach this current stage."

"Who said I wouldn't agree? I accept this," Six-Wing said, his heart chilling and his expression softening. "A millennium or so is nothing for our spirit beast race, and it's worth it to exchange for my freedom."

"Good, this is a mutually beneficial outcome," Han Li said without a hint of surprise. "In that case, I will first help you remove the divine soul imprint, and then you can leave. If you delay your departure, I cannot guarantee you'll leave the Crimson Lands alive."

"Alright, within a millennium, I will travel through all nearby realms to gather all the materials and return to meet you again," Six-Wing said, stiffening slightly but showing no unusual reaction on his face.

Han Li smiled faintly and once again raised a finger, pointing at Six-Wing. A crystal thread formed from divine sense shot through the air...

After a short while, Six-Wing stomped his foot and immediately soared into the air. With just a flap of the three cicada wings on his back, he transformed into a ball of crystalline light and shot towards the edge of the Crimson Lands.

"Brother Han, what you said about not being able to save one's life if they leave too late, is that true?" Ice Phoenix asked Han Li with some hesitation, watching Six-Wing's retreating light.

"Of course, it's true," Han Li said with a faint hint of sarcasm, glancing at the nearly thousand Merchant Alliance guards nearby. "Everyone and everything remaining here will be buried together then."

"What? Is the Merchant Alliance planning to..."

"Fellow Daoist Ice Phoenix, you should also leave quickly and return to the human race immediately," Han Li interjected. "Since you've gained a lot from your travels this time, remain within the clan for now. Do not venture out easily unless you advance to the Grand Ascension realm."

Ice Phoenix's heart chilled, but before she could finish speaking, Han Li interrupted her.

"Yes, I understand," Ice Phoenix replied with some solemnity, taking a deep breath. "Brother Han, even though you are prepared, please take care."

Then, she formed a hand seal with one hand, and a strange, cold light burst from her body. After rolling on the spot, she transformed into a crystalline Ice Phoenix, over ten zhang long. With a slight flap of her wings, she let out a clear cry and soared into the sky, breaking through the air in another direction.

Almost at the same time, several thousand li away, after an earth-shattering roar, the white light array completely burst open in a distortion. After white light scattered everywhere, a colossal beast, over a hundred zhang tall, burst out from it.

This beast had the head of a deer and the body of a bear. Clad in yellow battle armor, it let out an enraged roar and then rode on rolling yellow winds, speeding directly towards the array core where Han Li was located.

"You all guard this place well. I'll go meet the arrival and be back." Blue light flashed in Han Li's eyes, taking in everything. He activated a hand seal, removed the soundproof light curtain, and gave an instruction to the nearby Merchant Alliance guards. Then he leaped, transforming into a green rainbow, and flew directly towards the deer-headed beast.

With their incredibly fast escape speeds, this short distance was naturally covered in an instant.

The colossal beast, transformed from Yang Lu, saw a dazzling green rainbow breaking through the air from afar. It instantly felt a chill in its heart, but a fierce expression immediately appeared on its face as it suddenly swung a large hand forward.

With a thunderous boom, a ripple appeared in the sky, and a hairy hand, like a small mountain, immediately broke through the void. It furiously scooped downwards and actually seized the green rainbow in its grasp.

Yang Lu was overjoyed. He abruptly activated a spell in his mind, and the five fingers of the hairy giant hand suddenly clenched, intending to crush the green rainbow to pieces.

But at this moment, a long roar erupted from within the giant hand.

The green rainbow suddenly shimmered and transformed into a lifelike green flood dragon. After merely writhing and brandishing its claws, countless thick green sword lights instantly shot out from its body, densely packed, as if hundreds or thousands were unleashed at the same time.

Even though the yellow giant hand was as solid as a mountain, it was instantly engulfed by these sword lights and immediately burst apart, cut into countless fragments.

After another long cry from the green flood dragon, its light receded and it vanished, revealing a youth in green robes in its place.

"Judging by your appearance, you must be Fellow Daoist Yang Lu. May I have guessed correctly?" Han Li asked indifferently, his spiritual eyes piercing through the yellow winds and settling on the deer-headed, bear-bodied beast.

"Who are you?" Yang Lu roared fiercely, although somewhat surprised by the previous scene. "Your divine abilities are not weak. Since you know my name, how dare you come to obstruct me?"

"I am Han Li of the human race, responsible for guarding this array core," Han Li said calmly with a faint smile. "Although I don't wish to contend with anyone, my duty dictates that I must make you stay here."

"Han Li? Never heard of him," Yang Lu retorted, furious upon hearing this. "But what arrogance! How dare a mere Grand Ascension cultivator be so presumptuous in front of me?" He suddenly took a deep breath, and the surrounding yellow winds surged like a tide into his large mouth. His belly swelled crazily, and in an instant, a huge spherical bulge appeared.

With a "puff" sound, the giant beast opened its mouth wide again and instantly spewed countless yellow particles. After consolidating into a rolling mass, they astonishingly transformed into a sea of sand and swept directly towards Han Li.