Chapter 321: Four Great Blood Attendants

"Not necessarily!" Han Li sneered, his voice cold.

Then, Han Li suddenly brought his hands together, forming a spell sign. All the magic tools that had been fiercely attacking the cyan light shield let out a prolonged hum, simultaneously soaring skyward and converging in mid-air.

This scene momentarily startled Qingwen, who was unsure of Han Li's intent. However, being an old and cunning schemer, he wouldn't allow Han Li to cast spells unhindered. Immediately, his hands glowed, and two dazzling golden rings appeared in his grasp. A chilling aura emanated from them, instantly marking them as extraordinary artifacts.

"Go!" Qingwen the Daoist murmured, throwing the rings without hesitation. They transformed into two streaks of golden light, shooting straight towards Han Li.

Han Li's eyebrows shot up in anger, and with a murderous look on his face, he gripped the White Phosphorous Shield.

But before he could unleash the artifact, three green streaks, each about a foot long, suddenly flew in from the side, intercepting the two golden lights mid-flight and immediately engaging them in a fierce struggle.

"Demonic Daoist, have you forgotten about me, your esteemed senior?" Senior Martial Brother Wang asked, directing the green lights while smiling kindly at Han Li.

Seeing this, Han Li felt a wave of relief and returned the smile.

Qingwen, however, was far less composed than the two of them. His face darkened, and his gaze became restless.

For a moment, he was at a loss.

After all, simultaneously controlling the Verdant Wood True Shield and the Golden Lock Rings had already occupied the greater part of his spiritual sense. He hadn't learned the Great Evolution Art like Han Li, making it impossible for him to control so many magic tools at once with such ease.

Therefore, although he still possessed some powerful magic tools, he dared not deploy them easily. Fully dedicating one's spiritual sense to controlling artifacts was a major taboo for cultivators, as it would prevent the user from noticing approaching dangers.

Furthermore, Han Li's rare feat of controlling over ten magic tools to attack an enemy simultaneously was possible because these artifacts were used as a set, meaning the actual magic power consumed was equivalent to that of only three individual artifacts.

If they were truly more than ten distinct, top-tier artifacts, Han Li, with his current cultivation, would be unable to activate them due to insufficient magic power, no matter how powerful his spiritual sense or how many mental divisions he could achieve.

Around five artifacts was Han Li's magic power limit. This was also why Han Li preferred using artifact sets, as it allowed him to fully utilize the power of his Great Evolution Art.

As for when Han Li was in the Qi Condensation stage and could control certain golden artifacts, that couldn't truly be called artifact manipulation. It was merely relying on a "mother blade" in his hand to control its "sub-blades." The power and flexibility of that method were vastly different from now, incomparable.

Just as Qingwen hesitated, unsure whether to try another tactic, Han Li completed his spell.

"Giant Sword Art," Han Li uttered, his voice chilling.

Then, all the magic tools circling above Qingwen's head emitted an incredibly dazzling light.

As the various colored lights converged, they transformed into a massive, shimmering sword of gold, black, and red interwoven colors, suspended in the air. Over a dozen zhang tall, its sheer size was astonishing.

This sword-controlling technique, the "Giant Sword Art," was something Han Li had discovered on the golden page that detailed the complete set of Azure Essence Sword Aura. With his current Foundation Establishment cultivation, it was the only sword control art he could presently wield. Its power was, naturally, extraordinary.

Although Qingwen's and Senior Martial Brother Wang's artifacts were still locked in combat, both men simultaneously displayed expressions of horror. Even the most foolish observer could discern the immense power of Han Li's technique.

Qingwen secretly cursed his misfortune. At that moment, he no longer concerned himself with the two golden rings. Suddenly, with a flip of his hands, a gleaming brass mirror appeared in his grasp.

At that moment, Han Li, his face a mask of frost, pointed at the gigantic light sword.

The giant sword immediately and silently slashed down from the sky, carrying an astonishing momentum as if it would cleave both the shield and the person within.

Witnessing this, Senior Martial Brother Wang forgot to seize the opportunity to destroy Qingwen's artifacts while the latter was distracted. He, too, stared at the terrifying descent of the giant sword, momentarily lost in thought.

At that moment, his mind was racing with wild thoughts about whether he could withstand such a strike if it were aimed at him.

Qingwen the Daoist, directly in its path, his face extremely solemn, hastily tossed the brass mirror in his hand upwards.

The copper mirror quickly ascended above the light shield. With a flash of yellow light, it emitted a cloud of yellow mist roughly a zhang in size, enveloping the space above Qingwen. In the blink of an eye, this yellow cloud solidified into a massive copper shield, spinning ceaselessly above his head.

Han Li's face darkened, and he swiftly formed a spell sign. The giant light sword emitted a thunderous roar, its descending momentum becoming even more astonishing. In an instant, it slammed down onto the copper shield.

A massive explosion reverberated. Although the copper shield glowed with intense yellow light, under the fierce impact of the giant sword, it let out a wail after only a brief moment and shattered into pieces.

The light sword, now unopposed, slashed down onto the cyan prism without the slightest pause, emitting loud creaking and crushing sounds.

Witnessing the astonishing power of this mysterious giant sword, Qingwen's expression finally betrayed a hint of panic.

His hands shimmered with cyan light as he swiftly moved them apart, pressing them simultaneously against the shield's walls on both sides. He then desperately channeled spiritual energy into it, attempting to bolster the Verdant Wood True Shield's defensive capabilities.

The three-colored light from the giant sword intertwined with the cyan light shield below, and crackling sounds began to emanate. With Qingwen's desperate assistance, the Verdant Wood True Shield actually managed to block the light sword's downward strike.

What followed was a stalemate: Han Li frantically activated his spell, aiming to use the giant sword to forcefully shatter the shield and kill his opponent, thus avenging the ambush years ago. Qingwen, on the other hand, desperately channeled spiritual energy into the shield, hoping to sustain it until Han Li's spell power was exhausted and save his own life.

At this moment, Senior Martial Brother Wang finally snapped out of his daze. He quickly and easily shattered the two golden rings, then directed the three streaks of green light to fiercely rush towards Qingwen the Daoist.

He clearly understood that Han Li and the opponent were in a deadlock. If he simply provided a little assistance, he could be the final straw that broke the opponent's resolve, easily killing this powerful Blood Attendant. Then, he could legitimately claim a substantial share of the treasures on the Blood Attendant's person.

The thought made his heart burn with even greater zeal.

But just as Senior Martial Brother Wang was indulging in his pleasant dreams, and Qingwen's face changed drastically, a flash of yellow light, swift as lightning, suddenly streaked past Qingwen's side. The Daoist then instantly vanished from his spot, causing Han Li's three-colored light sword to strike the ground instead, instantly creating a large pit roughly a zhang deep.

Senior Martial Brother Wang's three green lights naturally missed their target as well, prompting him to gaze in shock and anger towards the direction where the yellow light had vanished.

As expected, Qingwen the Daoist reappeared over twenty zhang away, still protected by the light shield. Beside him stood a young man in yellow robes, wearing a lazy expression. Seeing Senior Martial Brother Wang look over, he spoke without the slightest hint of panic:

"This man once saved my life; I can't allow Your Excellency to kill him so easily." After saying this, he turned and spoke smilingly to Han Li:

"Brother Han, I never thought we would meet again. Wu Jiuzhi salutes you."

This nonchalant young man was none other than Wu Jiuzhi, the youthful cultivator who had displayed his thieving skills before Han Li years ago, only to be exposed by him. Now, however, a faint, strange yellow light subtly emanated from his body, and his cultivation appeared to be at the early Foundation Establishment stage.

"Jiuzhi, this man's path is not ours; there's no need to speak so much. Now that you've arrived, the four of us can truly fight without restraint." Qingwen the Daoist finally recovered from the recent peril. He couldn't help but cast a resentful glance at Han Li before speaking bitterly.

Hearing this, Wu Jiuzhi sighed and said nothing more to Han Li.

Seeing this, Qingwen suddenly emitted two long and one short whistle.

Tie Luo and Ice Demon, who were being besieged by Liu Jing and his companions, heard the signal and their faces lit up with surprise and delight. They immediately leaped out of their respective battles and flew to Qingwen and Wu Jiuzhi's side.

"What's going on? Another person has appeared! This is troublesome." As soon as Liu Jing saw the sudden appearance of Wu Jiuzhi, he immediately grasped the situation and couldn't help but frown.

Just now, the five of them had been fighting against two Blood Attendants and had only managed to gain a slight advantage without inflicting serious harm. They now understood that these four Blood Attendants were truly not comparable to ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivators. With all four of them gathered, they would undoubtedly be even more formidable.

Pondering this, Liu Jing cautiously called out, and he and his companions moved closer to Han Li.

Han Li gazed at Wu Jiuzhi, who had just appeared opposite him, and truly didn't know what to feel. Years ago, he had harbored a considerable fondness for this quirky, spirited youth. But fate was capricious, and now the two were forced to face each other as enemies in a fight to the death.

"Demonic Transformation." Qingwen and the other Blood Attendants understood that relying solely on ordinary magic tools and Daoist techniques against Han Li and his group offered no chance of victory. After all, the cultivators from Yellow Maple Valley outnumbered them; even two against one Blood Attendant would be more than sufficient.

Therefore, as soon as the four of them gathered, blood-red light simultaneously erupted from their bodies amidst Qingwen's chilling command. They transformed into four blood-red cocoons of varying sizes, beginning their demonic transformation. It appeared they intended to annihilate Han Li and his companions here in one fell swoop.