Chapter 554: Helpless

The Poisonous Flood Dragon roared, a blood-red light intensely flaring around its body, as it prepared to act against Han Li.

But almost simultaneously, the demon's face changed drastically. With a thud, it fell to its knees, watching helplessly as its entire body swelled and deformed, similarly unable to move or speak.

"You're asking for death!"

Seeing this, Feng Xi's face flashed with a bright glow as she roared in anger.

Her figure then abruptly vanished from her original spot, reappearing ghost-like behind Han Li the next moment. She raised a single hand, which swiftly transformed into a sharp black claw, and struck down viciously.

Her movement was lightning-fast. Although Han Li had been extremely vigilant, he simply couldn't keep up with her speed. All he could do was frantically try to shift his body sideways.

A crisp metallic clang rang out.

Han Li was propelled outward by an immense force, flying over ten *zhang* away, and only managed to regain his balance after a few stumbles.

Struck firmly by a Level 9 demon beast's claw, Han Li was astonishingly not ripped open or impaled on the spot.

Even the demon cultivator Feng Xi paused in surprise. After a flash of fierce light, her gaze fixed on the torn clothes on Han Li's back.

Some silvery-white scales were visible there. Most of these scales had been shattered by her recent attack, revealing a dark, gleaming inner garment.

"Inner armor?" Feng Xi was greatly surprised, but she sneered and, without another word, transformed into a wisp of clear wind and vanished.

This inner armor, able to withstand her blow, was clearly a top-tier treasure. However, it wouldn't be able to save his life next time.

Han Li, facing her, secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

If that claw had aimed for his head, he would likely be a corpse by now.

Barbaric Beard's Imperial Scale Armor was indeed an extraordinary treasure, capable of withstanding an attack from a Level 9 demon beast.

With this precious time gained, as soon as Han Li steadied himself, without a second thought, green light and golden arcs simultaneously surged from his body. The green light was dazzling, and the golden arcs danced wildly, forming a rather spectacular Azure Essence Sword Shield.

At the same time, he raised both hands, and over twenty azure sword lights shot out from his body, instantly forming an additional layer of defense within the shield.

No sooner had he completed all this than Feng Xi's tall, slender figure appeared before Han Li.

The demon's face was utterly grim, and a chill entered her eyes. She opened her mouth, and a dazzling white light subtly surged forth.

Han Li's expression changed abruptly, and he inwardly cried out, "Not good!"

This old demon was actually attacking directly with her demon core; he had no confidence in being able to defend against it.

Just as Han Li's heart sank, Feng Xi closed her mouth. Suddenly, her body swayed several times, her face turned extremely ugly, and she became unstable on her feet.

Han Li, initially stunned, immediately noticed that her body was trembling slightly, and her abdomen had begun to bulge and recede unevenly.

Although this old demon's cultivation was much deeper than the other two, the medicinal effect had still taken hold.

Han Li was overjoyed. Without hesitation, he pointed a finger at her, and over twenty Azure Bamboo Cloudswarm Swords swarmed out like a hive of bees, wildly hacking and slashing around the demon.

A moment later, the smile that had just appeared on Han Li's face froze slightly.

Although the Wind-splitting Beast was painfully kneeling on one leg, clutching its lower abdomen, a faint white light emanated from its body. No matter how the swarm of swords attacked, they couldn't penetrate this protective light in the slightest.

Moreover, the demon cultivator could still manage to raise her head and glare fiercely at Han Li. She couldn't speak, but her eyes were filled with venomous resentment.

After seeing this, Han Li's heart sank. But after a brief thought, he concluded that the demon must possess some protective treasure.

Otherwise, given how much she hated him, if she could channel even a tiny bit of magical power, she would surely kill him first to vent her anger.

Thinking of this, Han Li felt a little relieved. He quickly made a hand seal, and instantly twenty-four flying swords soared into the air together.

In the blink of an eye, two dazzling blue lights burst forth in the air, revealing two massive azure swords, several *zhang* long, emanating a chilling glow.

A strange light flashed in Han Li's eyes. Without a word, he opened his mouth, and two wisps of azure energy shot out, spraying onto the great swords respectively.

Upon contact with the azure energy, the great swords glowed brilliantly in the air. Amidst a soft hum, they descended one after another, fiercely slashing towards the Wind-splitting Beast within the white light.

Two loud thuds echoed.

The great swords struck hard against the white light, causing blue and white light to intertwine. But the two swords only managed to push the white light down by a few inches before being unceremoniously repelled.

Seeing this, Han Li stood frozen in place.

On Feng Xi's face, however, a hint of mockery appeared.

Seeing her expression, Han Li couldn't help but be startled. He then noticed that although she was still in unbearable pain and seemingly unable to move, her lower abdomen was alternately swelling and shrinking, and her limbs and head showed no abnormal changes as they should have.

This demon seemed to be forcibly suppressing the medicinal power of the spiritual liquid.

Han Li's expression changed, as if suddenly remembering something, and he hastily turned to look at the other two demons.

What he saw made his heart turn cold!

The Poisonous Flood Dragon and the Turtle Demon, both Level 8 demon beasts, although still swelling, their heads and limbs were slightly smaller than they had been at first.

Looking at the uncontrolled spiritual energy around them, it was clear they were also trying to suppress the medicinal power. However, their cultivation was far less profound than the Wind-splitting Beast's, which was why their efforts weren't as quick to take effect.

Han Li didn't have time to think further. He pointed at the two great swords, which instantly transformed into two streaks of azure light, slashing separately towards the two demons.

Since these swords couldn't harm the Wind-splitting Beast, it would be better to eliminate these two demons first!

Then, Han Li, resolute, slapped the spirit beast pouch at his waist. Countless Gold Devouring Beetles surged out, and with a low hum from Han Li, they swarmed overwhelmingly towards the white light.

When the Wind-splitting Beast saw such a large number of Gold Devouring Beetles appear, a trace of surprise flashed in its eyes.

But the next moment, countless flying insects enveloped the white light layer after layer, beginning to gnaw at it.

At this point, the two great swords had already struck the giant turtle and the poisonous flood dragon respectively.

Although the two demons' expressions changed, they couldn't move an inch and could only watch as the azure sword light struck their bodies.

A series of clanging sounds from the wild hacking echoed, yet the two demons remained completely unharmed despite the great swords' furious assault.

Seeing this, Han Li was dumbfounded!

"How is this possible? The Wind-splitting Beast has a protective treasure to withstand the flying swords. But these two demons, the flying swords actually landed squarely on their bodies, yet they couldn't harm them in the slightest! Are Level 8 demon beasts truly this hard?"

After regaining his composure, Han Li naturally wouldn't give up.

He pointed at the two great swords, and two golden electric arcs, thick as an arm, shot out, striking the two demons' bodies squarely.

The Poisonous Flood Dragon and the Turtle Demon were fiercely struck by such evil-warding divine lightning, showing signs of pain, but they were immediately unharmed. However, their gazes towards Han Li naturally became even fiercer.

Presumably, the first thing they would do once they could move was to pounce on Han Li and tear him to shreds.

Han Li was truly starting to feel unnerved.

He turned his head again to look at his swarm of Gold Devouring Beetles. With a thought from his spiritual sense, all the Gold Devouring Beetles flew up, revealing the covered Wind-splitting Beast.

Although the white light had dimmed slightly, the demon beast remained unharmed within it. This white light was astonishingly difficult to deal with; even with tens of thousands of Gold Devouring Beetles devouring it simultaneously, it hadn't been significantly weakened.

This demon beast's protective treasure was truly defying the heavens in its power.

Just as Han Li was hesitating whether to have the Gold Devouring Beetles continue gnawing, the Wind-splitting Beast, Feng Xi, was actually able to speak.

"Human! Do you really think a mere Core Formation cultivator can do anything against us Transformation Stage demons? Just wait a little longer, and I'll make sure you get a taste of a fate worse than death." The demon said slowly and with great effort, her face filled with ferocity. Her voice was utterly calm, but the malice in her words was undeniable.

"Hmph! Is that so?" Han Li, hearing her harsh words, instead calmed down.

Without further hesitation, he pointed at the swarm of insects in the air. Tens of thousands of Gold Devouring Beetles buzzed loudly, changed direction, and lunged towards the other two demons.

Meanwhile, the two great swords went directly to furiously slash at the light barrier in the air.

"Stop! What foolishness are you doing? Do you want to be hunted by the Flood Dragon clan of the seas for the rest of your life? Those Wind-Thunder Wings aren't even fully refined yet. Taking them out now would make all our efforts wasted. Besides, these spirit wings can only be driven by wind and thunder power; what use would they be to you?" The demon cultivator Feng Xi, seeing Han Li's actions, finally panicked. Her expression changed, and she sharply cried out.

Han Li sneered, showing no intention of stopping. In a blink, the swarm of insects landed on the two demons, and the light barrier began to sway precariously under the fierce assault of the two great swords.

After all, this protective barrier was only for artifact refinement; its defensive capabilities naturally wouldn't be very strong.

When the Wind-splitting Beast saw this, its originally emerald green eyes suddenly turned blood-red. However, being constrained by the foreign substance within its body, it was utterly helpless.

In an instant, the Poisonous Flood Dragon let out an earth-shattering shriek of agony.

Immediately after, a ball of crimson blood light exploded within the swarm of insects. As soon as the numerous Gold Devouring Beetles touched this blood-red light, they instantly emitted yellow smoke and turned into puddles of black water.

This blood light was, astonishingly, an extremely potent poison.