Chapter 364: Oolong

Han Li, half-holding the masked woman, stood on his Divine Wind Boat in the air, with Dong Xuan'er, enveloped in a radiant glow, blocking his path.

"Sister Dong, must we fight?" Han Li sighed softly, speaking with a hint of helplessness.

"Han Li, if you want to pass, you'll have to prove you're more capable than I am! I've always wondered what kind of power you possess that my Master Hongfu insisted I marry you!" Dong Xuan'er said expressionlessly, a cold glint flashing in her eyes as she looked at the masked woman, who had apparently fainted in Han Li's arms.

"Besides," she continued, "this person is a Core Formation cultivator from the Yanyue Sect. Do you think I'd let you take her away so easily?" Dong Xuan'er's delicate brows gradually furrowed, and a murderous aura appeared on her face.

Since his opponent had said so much, Han Li didn't intend to speak of old ties or waste any more words. After all, the simple illusion formation he had hastily set up with formation flags wouldn't hold the Ghost Spirit Sect's Young Master and his companion for long.

Thinking of this, Han Li's expression darkened.

"In that case, Miss Dong, don't blame me for being merciless!"

After speaking, Han Li roared. With a single hand raised, two black lights and five white lights shot out simultaneously. In front of him, a turtle shell magical artifact appeared, blocking his path. Then, four puppet beasts emerged from either side of his body, all opening their mouths wide and spewing out four light beams as thick as bowls. It seemed he intended to use his full power from the start, showing no sign of mercy or pity.

Seeing Han Li's fierce offensive, Dong Xuan'er's expression changed dramatically. But then she bit her lip, and with a flick of her jade hand, she conjured a pink veil. Red light continuously emanated from both her hands, merging with the veil to form a massive, shimmering red light shield, enveloping herself within it. Dong Xuan'er was confident that even if Han Li's attack was fierce, he would never be able to break through the powerful shield formed by the fusion of her "Fire Phoenix Scarf" and her demonic cultivation art.

However, just as Dong Xuan'er was brimming with confidence, Han Li's Divine Wind Boat, beneath his feet, flashed white. With a whoosh, he, along with his artifact, darted past Dong Xuan'er from one side. And those aggressively attacking magical artifacts immediately turned back, following the white light in a feint before flying away.

Han Li had actually fled directly without engaging in a single exchange. This scene completely surprised Dong Xuan'er! She stood stunned for a moment, then her face turned red with anger! But as she, enraged, thought of pursuing Han Li, the four light beams from the puppet beasts had already reached her. As a result, Dong Xuan'er had to wait for the light beams to pass before flusteredly retracting her light shield. By then, Han Li, controlling his Divine Wind Boat, had already become a black dot, on the verge of disappearing completely.

Naturally, Dong Xuan'er was unwilling to be so thoroughly played by Han Li. Relying on the marvel of her escape technique, she ignored the four puppet beasts and chased after him. However, after a short while, the black dot ahead flickered a few times, then vanished without a trace. With a furious expression, Dong Xuan'er searched the vicinity for a while but found not a single clue. In exasperation, she had to admit she had lost Han Li. Dejectedly, she returned the way she came.

Meanwhile, Han Li, tightly holding the masked woman, had hidden himself in a mound of loose soil somewhere. A yellow light shield surrounded him, keeping all the dirt out. What was truly marvelous was that he didn't feel suffocated at all. Han Li himself hadn't expected that this low-grade "Earth Trap Talisman" he had personally made would actually come in handy one day. It seemed he had made the right decision by carrying all his talismans with him. A moment later, after sensing Dong Xuan'er's departure from above, he didn't immediately reappear. Instead, he cautiously used his spiritual sense to confirm her absence for a while longer before emerging from the soil mound. Without hesitation, he soared away on his artifact.

Several hours later, Han Li, still holding the masked woman in his arms, appeared inside a dry tree hollow. The owner of the tree hollow, a massive grizzly bear, had been unceremoniously dismembered by Han Li outside the cave. As soon as Han Li set the masked woman on the ground, he reached out concernedly and clasped her jade wrist, slowly channeling spiritual power into her. He intended to check her pulse and assess her injuries.

But almost immediately, Han Li regretted his impulsive action immensely. Because as soon as his spiritual power entered her body, a powerful suction force suddenly emanated from her, causing Han Li's spiritual power to surge out like a breached dam. Greatly alarmed, Han Li tried to release his hand, but his palm was stuck as if glued, impossible to pull free. In desperation, he tried to use his other hand, but to his surprise, it also became stuck the moment it touched her body. As a result, his magic power surged out even faster.

Han Li was horrified. He felt his magic power, along with the true essence cultivated through years of hard work, being forcibly drained by the masked woman bit by bit. Moreover, the suction force seemed to be growing stronger. This sent Han Li into a panic! However, his hands were firmly trapped, and recalling past lessons, he dared not use his feet to kick her. For a moment, he was utterly helpless!

Han Li could only watch helplessly as his cultivation dropped from the mid-stage Foundation Establishment to the early-stage, and then plummeted from the early-stage Foundation Establishment to the Qi Condensation level... Heartbroken, Han Li could no longer endure it. His vision blurred, and he completely fainted, his body collapsing directly onto the masked woman.

"So fragrant, so soft!" Just before losing consciousness, such a tantalizing thought flashed through Han Li's mind.

Thus, in this silent mountain cave, a man and a woman were intimately entangled, yet both remained unconscious and motionless. Meanwhile, the spiritual power within Han Li's body continued to slowly flow into the other's.

After an unknown period, Han Li slowly awakened from his dazed state. However, as soon as he opened his blurry eyes, Han Li saw an exquisitely graceful figure standing at the entrance of the tree hollow, her back to him, gazing out at something. He was slightly dazed for a moment, then immediately felt a severe headache. After forcing himself not to make a sound, he recalled the scene before he fainted. Startled, he hastily directed his spiritual sense inwards to examine himself.

His heart sank to its lowest depths. His cultivation, at this moment, had not only regressed to the Qi Condensation stage, but was actually only at the third or fourth layer of Qi Condensation. This struck him like a bolt from the blue, leaving him utterly stunned.

"You're awake?" Just as Han Li was lost in his daze, the graceful figure didn't turn around but asked softly.

"Nangong Wan, what's going on? I kindly saved you, but why has my magic power been drained by you?"

Han Li snapped out of his daze, his expression turning extremely ugly as he couldn't help but utter angry words.

"Nangong Wan? Do you know my elder sister?" The woman finally turned around. By now, the hood on her head had been removed, and her exceedingly beautiful face was clearly visible to Han Li.

Han Li was stunned! Although her appearance bore a six or seven-tenths resemblance to Nangong Wan's youthful face, this woman had a delicate, oval face and curved brows, appearing incredibly sweet—clearly a stranger.

"Who are you! How is this possible? I distinctly heard the demonic cultivators call you Senior Nangong! And your voice..." Han Li murmured in confusion, completely thrown into disarray. But then, his face turned deathly pale, and he couldn't speak another word.

Because he finally realized that this woman's voice was indeed slightly different from Nangong Wan's; it was a little hoarse. When he first heard it, he had only assumed Nangong Wan's voice was unusual because she was heavily injured. Yet, with just a moment's carelessness, he had made such a huge blunder: not only had he saved the wrong person, but his entire cultivation base had also been completely drained by this woman. Over a decade of arduous cultivation, all ruined in an instant! The more he thought about it, the more unlucky and frustrated he felt, his face alternately flushing and paling.

"Are you Han Li of Yellow Maple Valley?"

The female cultivator, who claimed to be Nangong Wan's cousin, smiled faintly upon seeing Han Li's expression, then uttered a sentence that stunned him once more.

"How does Senior know my name?" Since things had come to this, Han Li could only force himself to appear composed as he slowly asked. He had already discerned that the woman didn't seem to intend to kill him. Feeling slightly relieved, and remembering the cultivation method for the "Three Revolutions Rejuvenation Art," he involuntarily calmed down.

"My elder sister and I are as close as sisters; there's nothing we don't tell each other. She has told me all about you!" The woman's expression was calm, betraying no clear emotions of joy or anger.

Han Li remained silent.

"Do you know? My first thought when I learned about this was to rush to Yellow Maple Valley, chop you into seven or eight pieces, and then feed your corpse to the dogs!" A cold glint suddenly shot from the woman's eyes, and her words were abruptly filled with killing intent, causing Han Li's expression to change slightly.