Chapter 431: Mysterious Soul Refining Demons

Han Li swiftly pulled a blue talisman from his storage pouch and lightly pressed it onto his wound. A flash of white light appeared, and the bleeding immediately stopped. Han Li glanced sideways, seeing that the injury was temporarily under control, and felt a slight sense of relief.

Turning his head back, Han Li’s gaze on "Qu Hun" turned icy. He said nothing, but a several-zhang-tall green light suddenly erupted from his body, with nine emerald streaks swirling within it, incredibly eye-catching. Han Li was determined: he would not retract his "Azure Bamboo Cloudswords" until he walked out of this place alive, to prevent the old monster, who had lived for an unknown number of years, from ambushing him again. To be honest, since he began cultivating, the recent encounter was truly the most terrifying he had experienced. Even a slightly slower reaction would have resulted in an immediate hole through his heart. If his divine sense and agility hadn't far surpassed those of ordinary cultivators, he would have undoubtedly died from Qu Hun's surprise attack just now. The Blood Spirit Drill was incredibly insidious, making it impossible to guard against!

However, Han Li no longer needed to worry about the Blood Spirit Drill's venom. The one used just now was the last one Qu Hun had cultivated. Yet, Han Li still felt extremely frustrated! According to the cultivation method for "External Incarnation," he had clearly refined his separated divine sense and Qu Hun's physical body to a state of complete fusion, so how could the old ghost opposite him have controlled it without his knowledge? Not even a hint of a warning thought had been sent to him. If he hadn't reacted quickly and immediately retracted that portion of his divine sense, it might have been devoured by the opponent. At that point, his troubles would have truly escalated.

The fact that the opponent could possess a body also indicated that the green shadow was indeed not human, but rather a demonic spirit akin to a ghost or primordial spirit. Possessing Qu Hun might not be a bad thing; it could even give him an opportunity to destroy the opponent. Thinking this, Han Li flipped his hand, revealing a delicate, brass-crafted small bell in his palm. It was the Soul Summoning Bell, which he had set aside for a long time. This bell contained Qu Hun's essence blood. While he didn't expect it alone to defeat the opponent, it could at least create some opportune moments for him!

At this moment, "Qu Hun" opposite him was independently moving its limbs, seemingly adapting to the body. Seeing Han Li's actions, it chuckled coldly, appearing utterly confident. Han Li's expression darkened at this sight, and he no longer hesitated, striking the small bell in his hand. A series of clear chimes rang out. Qu Hun's eyes across from him flickered with red light a few times, but its body remained completely still. There was no sign of anything amiss. Han Li's heart sank.

"No matter what tricks you performed on this Malevolent Core Incarnation, now that I am the master of this body, do you think those petty restrictions can still work?" Qu Hun's hoarse voice slowly reached him, its face full of mockery.

"You know about Malevolent Core Incarnations?" Han Li was moved by this, feeling a little surprised.

"Hehe! This Malevolent Core and Incarnation technique were originally taught by me to two rebellious disciples. Do you think I wouldn't recognize it? You're quite bold to use an incarnation in front of me! Don't you know that any incarnation refined with this secret art can be easily controlled by me? Didn't your master warn you?" Qu Hun twisted its neck left and right, then spoke indifferently, crossing its arms.

Han Li felt surprised and suspicious, but his expression looked somewhat strange. "What master? I obtained this incarnation method from a jade slip. I'm not sure how it relates to you." Han Li was unwilling to take the blame for Patriarch Extreme Yin. Regardless of whether the other party's words were true or false, he calmly explained.

"A jade slip? Lad, do you think I'll let you go if you deny being a disciple of those two rebellious apprentices? After I capture you, I'll extract your soul and refine your spirit. I can still get what I want to know." Qu Hun seemed to completely disbelieve Han Li, speaking expressionlessly. After speaking, it unhesitatingly beckoned towards the pile of white bones not far away. The scattered bones floated up on their own, instantly reforming into a complete skeleton, then shot towards Qu Hun with a flash of white light.

Although Han Li didn't know what the opponent intended to do, he certainly wouldn't let it complete this process smoothly. Immediately, he flicked his fingers without thinking, and three rays of green sword light shot out from his hand, heading straight for the skeleton. These were precisely the Azure Origin Sword Blurs!

"A mere firefly dares to be audacious?" Qu Hun said menacingly upon seeing this. Then, it opened its mouth, and a pillar of blood erupted from it. After a rumbling series of explosions, the blood pillar and the green light collided, sending light scattering everywhere. Han Li's brows furrowed slightly, revealing a serious expression. The possessed Qu Hun's cultivation seemed to no longer be limited to the early Core Formation stage. This was quite strange!

However, what happened next to "Qu Hun" astonished Han Li even more! The white bones flew to Qu Hun's front and, without any obstruction, merged into Qu Hun's body. Then Qu Hun threw its head back and roared. Several different lights emanated from its body: emerald green ghostly flames, pitch-black ghostly mist, and Qu Hun's own Blood Refinement Divine Light. The three different colored lights intertwined, continuously swirling around Qu Hun, completely enveloping it. As Qu Hun roared, a series of cracking sounds, like popping beans, emanated from within its body. It then painfully hunched over, its body and limbs slowly beginning to shrink. When the sounds ceased, and it straightened up again, Qu Hun's originally tall body had significantly shortened, becoming identical to that of an ordinary person. What truly stunned Han Li was that Qu Hun's face had transformed into that of a handsome youth, and even the blood-red color in its eyes had greatly diminished, turning light red. In that brief moment, Qu Hun had completely become another person.

After a moment of stunned silence, Han Li's face finally showed a wry smile. He had initially intended to seize the opportunity to launch a sneak attack, seeing the opponent ostentatiously casting spells in front of him. However, he hadn't expected the opponent's spellcasting speed to be so incredibly fast, leaving him no opening.

"Possession, or body snatching?" Han Li was silent for a moment, then suddenly asked the youth a dry, perplexing question. The handsome youth, upon hearing this, displayed an enigmatic smile.

"You underestimate my Profound Soul Demon Refinement far too much. This is a secret art only cultivators in the Nascent Soul stage are qualified to practice. Once cultivated, I am no longer restricted by body snatching and can freely possess others with my Profound Soul form. Now that my Profound Soul Bone Condensation technique is complete, I shall first use your blood to mark the day of this Sacred Ancestor's re-emergence!" The youth looked at Han Li, narrowing his eyes as he spoke calmly. Then, he raised a hand, and his ten fingers suddenly became incredibly sharp, growing several-inch-long emerald green nails.

Han Li's expression was grim, and he stopped uttering any more nonsense. He lightly tossed the Spirit Beast Pouch he had been holding, and thousands of Gold Devouring Beetles swarmed out. Moments later, they formed a dazzling golden and silver cloud, hovering above his head. Next, he waved both hands, and white light continuously flickered around him. Thirty to forty giant ape puppets appeared around Han Li, each one staring coldly at the youth. But Han Li wasn't finished. After forming a hand seal, nine small swords flew out from the green light, converging into a thirty-foot-long emerald green giant sword. Its blade flickered, and faint golden electric arcs continuously leaped around it.

Seeing all this, the handsome youth's expression changed dramatically, revealing surprise and solemnity. "A flying sword refined from Heavenly Lightning Bamboo, insect-controlling art, puppets! It seems you're truly not a disciple of Extreme Yin or Extreme Xuan. If that's the case, we can have a proper discussion!" The youth's eyes flickered a few times, then he suddenly spoke these words.

Han Li, who was preparing to launch an attack, paused in surprise at these words. But after a moment of silence, he said coldly: "However, I'd like to test if you can withstand my flying sword!"

With that said, Han Li unhesitatingly pointed at the giant sword. Immediately, a green rainbow, thick as a giant python, shot towards the youth, accompanied by a rumbling thunderous sound. Seeing this, the youth's face slightly darkened. Before the flying sword could get close, he extended a sharp claw and lightly waved it in front of himself. Five crescent-shaped black lights appeared out of thin air, rapidly growing in size, then flashed a few times before swiftly slashing towards the green rainbow. With just a light strike, the crescent-shaped black lights were shattered into smoke by the faint golden electric arcs emanating from the green rainbow, proving utterly vulnerable. Upon witnessing this, although the youth's expression remained unchanged, he was greatly astonished internally. The power of this Golden Lightning Bamboo far exceeded his expectations!

In an instant, the green rainbow was before the youth's eyes. Yet, he remained calm and unhurried, watching the giant sword approach with a composed demeanor, as if he had everything under control.