Chapter 330: Black Blood Blade

After hearing Han Li’s confident words and seeing him produce a blue talisman, Chen Qiaoqian and Zhong Weiniang silently retrieved a red and a yellow magic treasure from their storage bags. They also sat cross-legged and began activating them.

Chen Qiaoqian’s senior disciple brother and Song Meng exchanged bitter smiles. Neither of them possessed their own magic treasures. Although Chen Qiaoqian’s senior disciple brother had a blue magic treasure left by his Dao companion, he had only recently acquired it and didn't fully understand its power or effects. Naturally, he wouldn't risk using something he was unfamiliar with.

Therefore, the two simply stood by Han Li and the others, providing protection as they activated their treasures.

Meanwhile, Emperor Yue, who was trapped in the sky, seemed to realize that flailing about like a headless fly was futile. He stopped moving and hovered motionless in the air.

He lowered his head, lost in thought.

A moment later, Emperor Yue suddenly raised his head. With a grimace, he ripped off his golden crown. His long, dark hair fell loosely, swaying in the wind and obscuring half his face. This, combined with the blood-red glow emanating from him, made him appear even more demonic and mysterious.

He took a deep breath, then abruptly slashed his wrists with sharply crossed fingernails. A torrent of fresh blood gushed forth, dissolving into the bloody aura surrounding him. The vibrant red glow instantly dimmed, transforming into a sinister, dark crimson.

The nauseating stench of blood now reached Song Meng and the others, even from a distance, causing their expressions to subtly shift. Helpless, they could only watch grimly as their enemy continued his incantations.

Once the transformation of the surrounding blood-light was complete, Emperor Yue opened his mouth and blew two streams of red energy onto his wrists. What spell this was remained unknown, but the two deep wounds immediately ceased bleeding and gradually faded, though Emperor Yue’s face was visibly much paler.

A fierce look then flashed across his face. He reached into his robe and pulled out a plain, jet-black hilt. It wasn't large, about half a foot long, but it was dim, ancient, and utterly unremarkable.

Yet, Emperor Yue held the object with extreme caution, as if it were not an inanimate thing but something profoundly dangerous.

His gaze fixed on the hilt, he began to chant a low incantation.

The chant was soft and obscure, yet from its incredibly slow cadence, a faint, primeval aura emanated, immediately evoking a sense of ancient times.

“What is he doing?” Song Meng, observing the scene from afar below, was greatly surprised and instinctively blurted out.

“I don’t know; he might be casting some powerful spell!” replied his fellow disciple, who also couldn't comprehend the incantation, with a hint of worry.

Although neither knew their enemy's true intention, observing Emperor Yue’s self-mutilation and bloodletting, they understood he was desperate and preparing to fight to the death.

Just as Song Meng and his companion grew restless, the pace of Emperor Yue’s chanting quickened considerably, and the primeval aura intensified.

A red light flickered in Emperor Yue’s eyes, and then an astonishing sight unfolded.

Amidst the chanting, the hilt suddenly erupted with a burst of black light. Enveloped by this light, it floated into the air, rising until it was about a foot above Emperor Yue’s head, where it then hovered motionless.

Upon seeing this, Emperor Yue became even more cautious. With incredibly skilled hands, he began forming a series of strange hand seals, causing wisps of black blood threads to emerge from the blood-red light around him. As soon as these threads appeared, they swiftly drifted towards the hilt.

Initially, only one or two, then a few, of these black blood threads manifested. However, within moments, dozens, then scores, and even hundreds of them surged from the blood-light, all rushing towards the hilt like moths drawn to a flame.

In an instant, the hilt became densely entangled by the black blood threads, forming an impenetrable mass. After some writhing, they condensed into a sizable lump of vile blood.

The hilt was completely encased within this mass.

Upon closer inspection, the vile blood was black with faint hints of red, radiating an unsettling glow. It evoked a bizarre sensation, as if it sought to absorb one’s very soul, appearing truly sinister.

Yet, Emperor Yue, still in the midst of forming hand seals, displayed a look of delight upon witnessing this.

Just as he dispelled his hand seals, intending to perform another technique, the black blood — which had ceased its writhing — suddenly emitted an incredibly dazzling black light. It began to writhe violently once more, alternately rolling and expanding, appearing extremely unstable.

Seeing this, Emperor Yue’s earlier delight vanished, replaced by an expression of fear.

He frantically turned his head to glance around, and when he looked back at the blood mass, the fear on his face intensified.

Immediately, however, a resolute expression settled on his face. He let out a low growl and uttered a few profound incantations.

He savagely bit his tongue, spitting a mouthful of vile blood, along with a fragment of flesh, onto the deformed blood mass.

The black blood mass absorbed these foreign substances, instantly ceasing its deformation, and its dazzling light also faded.

Seeing this, Emperor Yue remained uneasy. He frantically performed a dozen magical incantations in quick succession, striking them all onto the mass. With this, the last vestiges of light on the blood mass completely vanished.

Only then did Emperor Yue let out a deep sigh of relief. After expending that vital essence, his face suddenly aged by more than a decade, appearing incredibly haggard.

However, he paid no attention to anything else. With a swift motion, a considerable portion of the blood-light around him surged towards the blood mass. Simultaneously, his low voice resonated once more, though his words were somewhat indistinct due to the damage to his tongue.

The black blood mass, enveloped in a sheath of blood-light, gradually began to deform and elongate. As his final incantation concluded, the jet-black hilt reappeared, now attached to a blade formed entirely of black blood, becoming a true long saber that emanated an astonishing aura of blood.

Upon seeing this saber, a look of fervent ecstasy appeared on Emperor Yue’s face.

Without hesitation, he reached out and grasped the hilt, taking the saber into his hand. He casually swung it; no power was evident, yet a look of profound satisfaction spread across his face.

After a deep gaze at the saber, Emperor Yue let out a spirited, prolonged howl. He and the weapon then transformed into a massive ball of blood-light, which suddenly hurtled downwards towards the bamboo forest. This sent a surge of tension through Song Meng and the others, who had been closely observing.

Just then, Han Li, who had kept his eyes closed, opened them. A cold glint in his gaze, he stared fixedly at the descending blood mass.

Although Han Li had been activating the magic treasure in his hand below, his formidable spiritual sense had allowed him to keep full track of his opponent’s every move.

However, the moment the black blood saber took shape, Han Li’s spiritual sense, which had been lingering nearby, was immediately and forcibly drawn towards the black blood blade, threatening to be completely devoured. Alarmed, Han Li swiftly retracted his spiritual sense. Fortunately, this suction was merely an intrinsic property of the saber and not something Emperor Yue actively controlled, allowing him to escape easily and quickly return his spiritual sense to his body.

Even so, the experience sent a cold sweat down Han Li’s back. He had no idea what dreadful consequences might ensue if his spiritual sense were truly absorbed by such an evil saber.

While Han Li now understood the saber’s formidable power, he had even greater confidence in the hastily deployed "Reversed Five Elements Grand Formation."

After all, even Lei Wanhe, a Core Formation stage cultivator, had stated that breaking the original, unimproved "Reversed Five Elements Formation" was no simple task for him. Now, with this new, more powerful array artifact, Han Li absolutely did not believe that a Foundation Establishment stage cultivator could break through the formation quickly, even if it wasn't fully deployed.

Thus, despite opening his eyes, he remained perfectly calm.

As Han Li’s thoughts raced, Emperor Yue’s blood-light collided with the five-colored aura. Immediately, loud creaking sounds of immense pressure filled the air, as the aura effortlessly held him at bay.

However, Emperor Yue, who had been prepared, displayed a fierce grin. He abruptly gripped the black blood saber with both hands and viciously slashed it towards the aura.

A sharp shriek emanated from the saber, followed by a flash of towering black light. The weapon unleashed an astonishing black saber-light over ten yards long. With a tearing sound, a large section of the five-colored aura was indeed cleaved open, revealing a passage approximately ten feet wide.

Overjoyed, Emperor Yue instantly dashed through the opening without hesitation. As black light continuously flickered from his hands, he successfully breached the five-colored aura.

“Oh no! What do we do?” Song Meng exclaimed, his voice filled with panic.

His companion, though silent, looked no better, his face etched with equal anxiety.

“Don't panic,” Han Li’s calm voice echoed in their ears at that moment. “That aura is merely the first layer of defense. My grand formation is not so easily breached!” Instantly, a look of relief washed over their faces, and they calmed down.

Nonetheless, they were also greatly astonished. Junior Martial Brother Han possessed such remarkable skill that he could even send a voice transmission while actively manipulating a magic treasure.

By this point, Emperor Yue had swiftly burst through the ten-yard-thick layer of aura. He could now clearly see the Huangfeng Valley cultivators below and distinctly observed Han Li and his companions activating their magic treasures.

A sinister smile immediately spread across his face. With a flash, he appeared several yards directly above Han Li’s head. He then lightly swung the black blood saber in his hand, sending a black saber-light, over ten yards long, cutting straight down.