Chapter 599: 脱离

**Volume 4: Winds Rising from Overseas**

On a flat, massive rock near the peak of Storm Mountain, a silver giant ape, over ten *zhang* tall, was pounding its chest and roaring at the sky. Beneath its enormous figure stood Han Li and his companions.

Han Li gazed at the sky with a solemn expression, silent. The two women, however, were extremely pale, faintly showing signs of panic.

Thousands of Yin Beasts, with fleshy wings growing from their ribs, were circling and flying above the giant rock. Some were as large as five or six *zhang*, while others were only about a foot in size, but all were hideous and fiercely menacing.

These flying Yin Beasts, however, seemed to fear the ferocious aura of the giant ape, which was formed by the Soul-Devouring Beast. For now, they dared not swoop down but also showed no intention of leaving, resulting in a temporary stalemate.

Han Li felt no relief at all.

He could see from the Yin Beasts' greedy, bloodshot eyes that their patience was slowly running out. At any moment, they might lose control and swarm down.

Han Li inwardly cursed the stout old man who had given him the information. Although the old man had mentioned the existence of flying Yin Beasts above Storm Mountain, he had never said there would be so many. Han Li wondered if he had deliberately concealed this or if he genuinely didn't know.

Just after they passed through the misty area, they had expected to finally relax a little. To their surprise, they were immediately discovered by these flying Yin Beasts and instantly surrounded. Left with no choice, Han Li released the Soul-Devouring Beast and had it transform into the giant ape.

He was naturally confident in the Soul-Devouring Beast's ability to subdue Yin Beasts. However, there were simply too many Yin Beasts in the sky. Han Li was unsure if the Soul-Devouring Beast could handle such a large number all at once.

Nevertheless, since things had come to this, he had no time for further thought and could only fight with all his might.

With this thought, Han Li turned and whispered a few words to the grim-faced Mei Ning and Zi Ling behind him. He then pulled out a small red crossbow and a folded beast-hide soft shield from his robe, handing one to each of them. He himself flicked his sleeve, and with a clatter, ten small swords dropped cleanly to the ground.

Each sword was connected to one of Han Li's fingers by a thin beast tendon, resembling a rope dart.

However, manipulating ten such swords simultaneously, as Han Li did, was truly unprecedented.

Just as Han Li finished his preparations, the Yin Beasts in the sky finally ran out of patience.

Suddenly, the largest three-headed Yin Beast let out a strange shriek. The dozen or so Yin Beasts closest to Han Li and his group immediately flapped their wings fiercely and dived down, no longer deterred by the Soul-Devouring Beast's suppressive aura.

The great battle had finally begun!

Almost simultaneously with the Yin Beasts' descent, the giant ape suddenly inhaled through its nose, then tightly closed its mouth and forcefully expelled a vast sheet of silver light from its large nostrils. This light instantly enveloped eighty to ninety percent of the Yin Beasts. These flying creatures immediately shrieked amidst the silver light and tumbled chaotically, falling straight down.

However, two smaller Yin Beasts managed to slip through. With a flap of their fleshy wings, they evaded the giant ape's silver light and fiercely lunged at Han Li and the two women from both sides.

With a loud "bang," one of the Yin Beasts was casually punched by the giant ape. It was sent flying several *zhang* away and seemed to fall below the giant rock, its exact landing place unknown.

Meanwhile, the other Yin Beast, five or six feet in size and resembling a vulture, seized the opportunity to rush directly above Han Li and his companions, mercilessly swinging its sharp claws.

Han Li remained still, his expression grim, but his ten fingers twitched with extreme dexterity.

The ten small swords shot up, whistling as they transformed into a shimmering, cold blue sword net. It directly met the Yin Beast above.

A horrific shriek erupted from the Yin Beast.

Even without infusing spiritual energy, the Azure Embroidered Cloud Swords' sharpness was something this small Yin Beast could not withstand. It was instantly torn to pieces, with chunks of flesh scattering everywhere. Han Li's body swayed slightly, and although he got some blood on him, he merely frowned and paid it no further mind.

Another group of Yin Beasts was already swooping down from the sky.

This time, it wasn't just a dozen; over twenty creatures descended from all directions. More Yin Beasts behind them looked eager to join the fray.

Han Li's heart tightened. Without hesitation, he waved both hands, extending the beast tendons by several feet. The blue sword net reappeared, its coverage area significantly larger this time, encompassing both Mei Ning and Zi Ling within its protection.

Silver light, blue gleams, and horrific shrieks intertwined.

Seven or eight days later, at the height of noon under a scorching sun, the murky, dark-yellow sea was completely silent. There were no waves, nor was there the slightest sea breeze. Everything appeared lifeless, as if there were no living creatures at all; it seemed to be nothing but a dead sea.

Yet, at that very moment, the sea churned in one spot, and a plume of black mist suddenly emerged from beneath the waves.

The ink-black mist quickly spread, covering an area of over a hundred *zhang* in an instant.

Just then, a thunderous sound echoed, followed by flashes of silver light within the mist. A dazzling ball of silver light appeared out of nowhere above the black mist, faintly revealing a bulky figure within, with what looked like a pair of silver wings spread behind it.

Before one could clearly discern who was inside, the silver light flickered wildly several times and then abruptly vanished, only to reappear at the edge of the black mist in the next instant.

Amidst continuous roars, the figure within the silver light repeatedly appeared and vanished, transforming into a distant speck of light on the horizon in a blink, then disappearing entirely.

It looked very much like someone fleeing in a panic.

The sea surface fell silent once more, with only the black mist continuously expanding, and black electric arcs silently flickering within it.

A thousand *li* away from the black mist, the silver light finally dimmed after a series of flashes, clearly revealing the bulky figures within. It was Han Li, holding Zi Ling with one arm and embracing Mei Ning with the other, the three pressed closely together, looking extremely intimate.

Han Li, though enveloped by their warm scent, remained composed. The two women in his arms, however, had flushed faces, appearing delicate and endearing, inspiring great affection.

"Alright! The ghost mist won't spread this far. We're finally out of that dreadful place," Han Li said with a relaxed expression after surveying their surroundings. He then calmly released the two women from his embrace, displaying a gentlemanly demeanor.

"This time, we truly owe it to Fellow Daoist Han. If not for your miraculous escape technique, it's hard to say if we could have escaped that Underworld region," Zi Ling said.

"Sister Zi Ling is right," Mei Ning added. "If Brother Han hadn't acted so quickly to help us, we might have been pulled back into the Underworld. Thank you, Brother Han, for your trouble."

As soon as Zi Ling and Mei Ning left Han Li's embrace, their protective spiritual light immediately flared, and they floated beside him, expressing continuous gratitude.

A few days earlier, after several close calls, the three of them had finally relied on the Soul-Devouring Beast's power to defeat all the flying Yin Beasts and ascend to the peak of Storm Mountain. While waiting for the spatial rift to open at the summit, the two women found they had much in common and soon became sworn sisters.

This came as a bit of a surprise to Han Li.

After waiting only a few days at the summit, a spatial rift, over ten *zhang* wide, appeared several hundred *zhang* above the mountain peak. The spiritual energy from the outside world surged in, instantly restoring their divine abilities. Overjoyed, they immediately flew out.

However, the moment they flew out of the rift, a powerful suction force appeared behind them, rendering them immobile and threatening to pull them all back into the Underworld.

Fortunately, Han Li acted quickly. He immediately unfolded his Wind-Thunder Wings, and after a few blurs, he firmly held one woman in each arm. He then activated his Thunder Escape technique, swiftly fleeing from the black mist and continuously flying until they reached this spot.

Thus, in light of his saving grace, the two women's words of gratitude to Han Li were truly heartfelt.

"Where are we? This place looks a bit strange; it's too quiet, isn't it?" Zi Ling asked, her eyebrows furrowed, after the blush faded from her face and she finally had a moment to survey the nearby sea.

"Oh! Sister Zi Ling is right, something really isn't right here. There's no sea breeze at all, and the surface is too calm," Mei Ning observed, her face also showing confusion.

Han Li said nothing. Instead, he narrowed his eyes, released his divine sense, and began to scan the depths of the nearby seabed.

A moment later, Han Li froze, a look of surprise on his face.

"What is it, Brother Han? Did you find something? Why are there so few fish in the sea, and they all look like ferocious sea beasts, yet they don't seem to be demonic beasts?" Zi Ling asked, her beautiful eyes wide with astonishment, having also used her divine sense to probe.

"Wait a moment!" Han Li said, taking a deep breath. Then, with a flick of his finger, a several-*zhang*-long streak of blue sword light suddenly appeared and shot into the deep sea below them.

A moment later, to the astonished gazes of the two women, the strange-looking corpse of a sea beast floated to the surface.