Chapter 343: Wolfish Embarrassment

Volume Three

A Mortal's Journey to Immortality, Volume Three

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It was a top-tier magical artifact refined from the white phosphorus of a Black Flood Dragon! Despite prolonged combat with Han Li, it had almost never sustained significant damage, save for a small hole pierced by the Blood Spirit Drill a few days prior. Now, to see it destroyed by a demonic creature, Han Li found it truly unbelievable.

At that moment, illuminated by the moonlight stone on his head, Han Li faintly discerned the monster's incredibly bizarre form.

Its size wasn't large, only about ten feet tall. It had a slender neck topped with a tiny head, yet two fist-sized green lights shimmered chillingly, staring at him with an emotionless gaze.

What most captured Han Li's attention were its two forelimbs, resembling a pair of dark, broadsword-like blades. This sight utterly astonished him!

This monster could actually wield weapons! But what kind of blade could be so sharp as to split the White Phosphorus Shield in a single strike?

These thoughts flashed through Han Li's mind in an instant. Yet, his body had already blurred, shooting out of the cave like an arrow.

Engaging such a terrifying monster in this small cave was unthinkable; even with several more lives, it wouldn't be enough. Naturally, escaping was the more advantageous course of action!

The moment Han Li moved, the monster likewise shot silently in pursuit, its speed astonishingly swift.

The cave was only a short distance. Han Li and the monster shot out of the cave one after another, kicking up two strong gales.

The moment he exited the cave, Han Li instinctively raised a hand, and a beam of white light shot forth from his palm. Immediately, the pristine Divine Wind Boat appeared in the air before him.

He intended to control the Divine Wind Boat and fly away!

Since his artifacts couldn't defend against the demonic creature's attacks, he would create distance. He would use his artifacts to pulverize it.

However, due to a slight delay as Han Li released his artifact, a black shadow flashed before him. The demonic creature had arrived first, positioning itself between Han Li and the Divine Wind Boat. Its two blade-like forelimbs scraped against each other with a *clang-clang* sound, as it stared at Han Li with an icy gaze.

Seeing this, Han Li's heart sank.

Not only was this demonic creature so powerful, but it also possessed a degree of intelligence. This spelled serious trouble.

After exiting the dark cave, under the moonlight, Han Li recognized the creature before him: a gigantic, entirely gray-black praying mantis. Its entire body exuded a strange gray aura.

Han Li took a deep breath, suppressing the unease in his heart. His body blurred, creating five or six identical phantoms. They charged directly towards the giant mantis. Han Li refused to believe that his full-speed Flowing Smoke Steps couldn't bypass a single demonic beast's obstruction.

The mantis's two green eyes flashed, and it likewise conjured several blurred shadows. These shadows moved to intercept Han Li's phantoms.

Han Li's expression drastically changed!

With a few soft *thuds*, Han Li's phantoms were shattered one by one by the giant mantis's two forelimbs. His true body was forced to use the remaining turtle shell artifact for a desperate block. As a result, not only was he sent flying back to his original position, but a deep slash also appeared on the turtle shell.

Han Li, pale-faced, glanced at the slash on the turtle shell. He swallowed hard, realizing that this artifact clearly wouldn't withstand many more blows.

But before Han Li could devise a countermeasure, the mantis, with a *swoosh*, unfurled a pair of gray wings several feet long. Then, a buzzing sound filled the air as the demonic beast, rapidly flapping its wings, gently floated upward.

Seeing this scene, Han Li groaned inwardly. How could he have forgotten that mantises are insects and can fly? This meant the demonic beast's speed would be even more astonishing.

For the first time, Han Li felt a lack of confidence in his movement techniques.

Nevertheless, Han Li hastily applied various auxiliary spells, such as "Light Body Art," to himself. He then patted his storage pouch at his waist, and over a dozen golden, black, and red magical lights simultaneously flew out.

He wanted to strike first to gain the initiative.

However, the mantis demon beast did not wait for Han Li to launch his artifact offensive. The moment it floated up, a black shadow suddenly flashed, and it vanished without a trace from its spot. But in the next instant, it appeared out of thin air directly above Han Li, aiming a fierce slash at his head, as if intending to cut him in half.

At this moment, Han Li's expression was utterly calm.

He too swayed his shoulders, and after a series of afterimages appeared, he vanished from his spot. However, the more than ten golden artifacts hovering by his side swarmed the demonic creature, seemingly intent on dissecting it with their chaotic blades.

A series of *clang-clang* sounds rang out. The giant mantis rapidly brandished the two mantis blades in its hands at an invisible speed, forming a vast protective net. The moment the artifacts made contact, three golden blades and a fire fork were immediately cut into pieces, falling from the sky as specks of light.

Seeing this, Han Li, who had seized the opportunity to leap onto the Divine Wind Boat, felt extreme heartache.

He hastily recalled his remaining artifacts. As a result, the remaining beams of light swiftly turned back and flew towards him.

However, the giant mantis had no intention of letting up. After a slight criss-cross friction of its forelimbs, its body suddenly shot forward, turning into a black streak in swift pursuit. It instantly caught up with the few artifacts, then mercilessly unleashed another flurry of slashes. Two more golden blades were broken into several pieces, falling to the dust.

Han Li felt as if his heart was bleeding!

He was extremely accustomed to using this set of golden artifacts in daily life. Moreover, this set of artifacts had been with him for so many years that he had developed a certain attachment to them. He never expected that eight or nine out of ten would be destroyed today.

Fortunately, the pair of Black Dragon Claws that Han Li valued most were still intact. At least one of them hadn't been destroyed, which was a great blessing amidst the misfortune.

However, looking at the mantis demon beast still relentlessly staring at him, Han Li couldn't feel fortunate at all. If he couldn't find a good way to deal with this fiend, not only would his remaining artifacts be lost, but his own life would likely be in peril.

As he thought this, spiritual energy surged from beneath Han Li's feet. Immediately, the Divine Wind Boat, trembling slightly, transformed into a white beam of light and shot skyward. Han Li didn't believe that a demonic beast could truly keep up with the Divine Wind Boat's flying speed.

However, after flying for only a short while at high altitude, Han Li had to change his mind. He admitted that he had been a frog in a well.

Now, as he frantically flew ahead, he occasionally looked back and instantly conjured a few fireballs to hinder the mantis demon beast relentlessly pursuing him.

"This is too bizarre," Han Li thought, feeling utterly frustrated. "Not only is this beast's attack swift, but its flying speed is also unbelievably fast. Even my Divine Wind Boat is slightly slower compared to it."

He was now absolutely certain that this demonic beast was far more powerful than the white spider he encountered in the underground cave that day.

This giant mantis was either a top-tier Level Four demonic beast or the legendary Level Five demonic beast. Such creatures could almost contend with cultivators in the early Core Formation stage!

The mere thought of this possibility sent cold sweat trickling down Han Li's back. He had to desperately release fireballs to obstruct the beast's relentless pursuit. Although every fireball was effortlessly split in half, it at least managed to slow the mantis down slightly, buying some time for the Divine Wind Boat.

But Han Li knew very well that if this continued, being caught was only a matter of time; he absolutely could not allow the stalemate to persist. Therefore, while controlling his artifact and releasing fireballs, he also quickly used a portion of his mind to search his storage pouch for any suitable artifacts.

Suddenly, his spiritual sense discovered something extremely soft. This gave him a flash of inspiration, and an idea immediately formed in his mind.

So, after looking down and assessing the environment below, Han Li sharply stomped on the Divine Wind Boat beneath his feet. He then steered the artifact diagonally downward into the dense jungle.

At the same time, he hastily pulled out seven or eight ordinary artifacts from his storage pouch and simultaneously unleashed them without hesitation. Then, four or five puppet soldiers were also thrown out in a flash of white light. Immediately, several dazzling light arrows, following the artifacts, shot towards the demonic beast behind him.

This frantic assault indeed forced the giant mantis to deal with it, its forelimbs flailing. Although it quickly chopped the artifacts and puppets to shreds, when it tried to search for Han Li again, the area below was silent; Han Li had vanished without a trace into the forest.

The green lights in the demon beast's eyes flickered erratically as it slowly descended to a lower altitude. It then hovered over the nearby dense forest, looking as if it still intended to find Han Li.

Behind a large tree in the dense forest below, Han Li solemnly watched the giant mantis hovering in the sky. His gaze revealed a hint of nervousness.

At this moment, he was draped in a light, cape-like veil. This completely isolated all auras emanating from Han Li's body.

This "Spirit Concealing Veil" was the spoils of war Han Li had obtained from Xuan Le during the battle with the white spider. Xuan Le had initially tried to scheme against Han Li using this item, but it ultimately led to his own demise. This veil could not only block spiritual energy fluctuations but also completely mask a person's body odor.

Now, Han Li, out of desperation, used this artifact, hoping that the demonic beast's intelligence wasn't too high, and that it would leave on its own after searching for a while without success. Otherwise, he would be in a dire situation.

However, just in case, Han Li still held the solidified Blood Spirit Drill clutched in one hand.

Although this item had astonishing speed and immense destructive power, after witnessing the giant mantis's incredible speed, Han Li truly had no confidence in using it to kill the beast. He had only taken it out as a precautionary measure.