Chapter 328: Blood Spirit Diamond

Han Li didn't look at Emperor Yue's hateful expression. His gaze settled on the dimmed aura around the emperor.

A golden ruler, a pair of strange purple blades, and a blue longsword floated in the bloody light. These were the magic tools of Song Meng and the others. At this moment, they lay motionless within the sanguine glow, seemingly having lost their spiritual essence. Han Li's eyes flickered with a thoughtful expression. It seemed this person's protective demonic aura specifically defiled ordinary magic tools. Only his pair of Black Dragon Scimitars were impervious to such evil techniques.

Furthermore, only this person had appeared alone so far. It seemed the blue-robed man who called himself the Black Fiend Sect Master had truly died from the Heavenly Thunder Pearl. A sense of relief washed over Han Li as he considered this. However, he had no intention of giving the opponent any respite. With a command from his spiritual sense, the dozen or so puppets in front of him launched an attack. Various colored light arrows and energy beams poured down continuously, striking at the opponent.

On the side, Song Meng and the others, though shaken by the loss of their magic tools and hesitant to use them again, instinctively began to chant incantations and cast spells once Han Li initiated his attack, continuously throwing various talismans downwards. They knew very well that only by defeating this last enemy in one fell swoop could they save their lives and escape the nightmare of their many sect brothers' tragic deaths.

Seeing this, Emperor Yue below remained expressionless. With a casual wave of his hand, a massive blood-red light shield materialized before him, easily deflecting all attacks. However, Emperor Yue's own bloody aura became increasingly thin, even giving a precarious impression, which only intensified the attacks from Han Li and the others above.

Emperor Yue let out a cold snort. Without a word, he reached into his robe, and a small, dark green bottle appeared in his hand. He deftly poured out a dragon-eye sized pill. The pill was entirely crimson and emitted a pungent, bloody scent, clearly not a benign medicine. Yet, Emperor Yue swallowed it without hesitation. He then casually tossed the bottle aside, revealing that it had contained only this single pill.

The moment the crimson pill entered Emperor Yue's stomach, something that shocked Han Li occurred. Emperor Yue's face brightened, and his bloody aura immediately glowed brightly once more. Various wounds rapidly vanished at a visible rate. In that brief instant, the formidable enemy in Han Li's eyes became calm and composed again, as if all his depleted magical power and injuries had been restored to their state before Han Li used the Heavenly Thunder Pearl.

"Dammit, how can something like this be possible in this world!" Song Meng mumbled incredulously to himself, upon seeing this, even forgetting to throw the dozen or so ice cones he had already formed in his hand.

Han Li was equally stunned. He also had no idea what the opponent had consumed to produce such a heaven-defying effect. None of the various ancient texts he had read had ever mentioned a similar situation!

"He took a Marrow Cultivation Pill. This is a life-saving elixir that can only be refined by cultivating several specific demonic arts and willingly sacrificing one's cultivation. It can only be consumed by oneself; for others, it's a fatal poison," a clear, cold voice came from behind Chen Qiaoqian. Han Li was slightly startled, while Chen Qiaoqian turned back with a face full of pleasant surprise.

"Senior Sister Zhong, you're alright!"

"I'm fine, nothing serious! However, seeing this demonic scoundrel who killed Senior Brother Liu, I must kill him!" Zhong Weinang, finally recovered, forced a smile at Chen Qiaoqian, then stated with a cold expression.

"We all want to kill him. The crucial point is that he has the same idea now!" Han Li said indifferently without turning his head after hearing Zhong Weinang's words.

Hearing Han Li's words, Zhong Weinang paused and looked down. Her expression suddenly turned grim. Emperor Yue, the formidable enemy below, had actually retracted the light shield into his body while they were speaking. The bloody aura around him had swelled to a thickness of two or three zhang. The stolen magic tools within the bloody light were gradually melting away.

Various spells and puppet attacks were blocked by the bloody aura, which was now impenetrable. Before this, his protective light had only been a few feet thick. This person's cultivation had far surpassed its previous level. He raised his head and gave Han Li and the others a cold glance. Suddenly, he extended an arm and snatched something from empty air behind him. A fiery red pearl shot out from somewhere behind him and landed precisely in his hand.

Seeing this, a strange glint flashed in Han Li's eyes, and he thought of the blue-robed man who had died from his Heavenly Thunder Pearl. It seemed this pearl was left behind by that person. Now, the "Blood-Condensed Five Elements Pill" was complete. As long as he could kill this fiend, he would obtain this treasure, which was greatly beneficial for forming a core.

"Brat, do you have any more Heavenly Thunder Pearls? If you do, I'll stand right here and take another one, to see if your Heavenly Thunder Pearl is more powerful or my protective demonic art is more profound," he said, tucking the pearl carefully into his robe, and then looked at Han Li with a chilling voice.

As these words left his mouth, everyone in the air was startled and involuntarily looked back at Han Li. Han Li's expression remained unchanged, but he inwardly snorted and calmly replied:

"I am also quite curious whether you are the Black Fiend Sect Master or if the previous person was. And judging by the situation, you have absorbed most of that person's cultivation! It's truly perplexing for someone like me to see a cultivator in this world who is willing to be a mere stepping stone for another."

Han Li didn't answer the opponent's question but instead brought up another topic, clearly showing his confrontational intent. However, upon hearing this, Emperor Yue displayed a strange expression, a mix of ridicule and regret. But then, as if something occurred to him, a murderous aura intensified on his face, and his eyebrows furrowed fiercely.

Han Li's heart tensed. He immediately parted his lips slightly and quietly transmitted a few words to the others, causing Chen Qiaoqian and Song Meng, along with the two other companions, to show expressions of astonishment. Seeing this, Han Li said indifferently:

"I've said what I needed to say. Whether you believe it or not is up to you!"

Han Li didn't use telepathic transmission for this last remark, so even Emperor Yue below heard it clearly. His face turned cold, and he suddenly raised a finger. A thumb-sized red light flashed and disappeared, appearing before Han Li in an instant.

Startled, Han Li, though shocked by the red light's speed, still managed to overlap the White Phosphorus Shield and the Tortoise Shell artifact in front of him. Then, a blue light emanated from his body, and a blue energy shield appeared. Facing this unknown attack, Han Li dared not show the slightest carelessness.

Two soft "thwips" were heard. Almost simultaneously with the sound, Han Li instinctively jerked his body to the side. Then, his right shoulder grew hot, and a searing pain erupted. With an extremely grim expression, Han Li turned his head to look. Blood streamed from his right shoulder, where a finger-thick bloody hole had appeared.

He licked his slightly dry upper lip and looked. A thin hole of the same size appeared on both the overlapping White Phosphorus Shield and the Tortoise Shell artifact; they had been penetrated by the unassuming red light. As for the Azure Essence Sword Shield on his body, it had been utterly useless, collapsing almost on contact and vanishing without a trace, dissolved by the red light.

Seeing this, Han Li's heart sank! If not for his extensive practice of the Misty Smoke Step and his quick reflexes, that single strike would have pierced his heart and killed him. In the cultivation world, one momentary lapse could cost you your life. The more Han Li thought about it, the more uneasy he became. Although he knew the opponent had absorbed most of the blue-robed man's magical power and must be far stronger than before, being so outrageously powerful was completely unexpected.

Unbeknownst to Han Li, who was currently in extreme trepidation, Emperor Yue below was even more astonished that his attack had failed to kill Han Li. Although the move he had just unleashed seemed effortless, this technique, "Blood Spirit Drill," was actually an attack where he meticulously condensed and compressed certain true essence within his body dozens of times during his regular cultivation, keeping it hidden for a sudden, lethal strike. It was a purely one-time attack.

Not only was the condensation process excruciatingly painful, but refining a single one took an extremely long time. It was one of the ultimate killing moves of the demonic art he practiced. In the past, whenever he employed it, it was always successful, with no cultivator ever escaping its grasp. Yet now, it had only lightly wounded Han Li. How could he not be astonished!

Now, he only had one Blood Spirit Drill left within his body. Should he try attacking Han Li one more time? This made him hesitate. Chen Qiaoqian and the others had also witnessed the recent attack and Han Li's injury, causing their faces to turn pale. Without realizing it, Han Li had become the pillar of strength for these few individuals. His unexpected injury caused panic among the others.

"Go!" Han Li blurted out without hesitation after tearing his gaze away from his wound. Then, he channeled his magical power frantically into the Divine Wind Boat beneath his feet, and with a flash, he controlled the artifact and flew to one side. Song Meng, Zhong Weinang, and the others, hearing this, exchanged glances before closely following Han Li, fleeing together.

Upon seeing this, Emperor Yue was first startled, but then he sneered. With a flash, he appeared in mid-air, about to fly straight in pursuit. However, his vision blurred, and ten puppets of varying forms surrounded him.