Chapter 700: Icebound

Fifth Volume: Famous Throughout the Land

As the elderly man surnamed Mu was greatly startled and considered retreating, Han Li looked at the black mountain peak, a hint of desire in his eyes.

Such a peculiar and astonishing treasure could not have been crafted by any ordinary cultivator. It was likely some incredible ancient artifact left behind by an ancient master.

With its power, Han Li believed that even a late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator would not emerge unscathed after taking a direct hit from this mountain peak.

If it could land a blow, it was practically a move that could turn the tide of battle.

If he could acquire this item, it would immediately compensate for the deficiency in his own offensive power.

Moreover, he had developed some interest in the Wind-Guiding Chariot in the elder’s possession.

Lost in thought, Han Li’s gaze shifted to the elder, his expression gradually chilling, a trace of sharp killing intent appearing deep within his eyes.

Though they hadn’t exchanged many blows, he was confident he had a general understanding of the opponent's cultivation method.

He wondered if the elder was simply unlucky. The elder’s primary cultivation method and the spiritual techniques he used were all ice-attributed. For Han Li, who had absorbed the Azure Essence Ice Flame, this posed no significant threat. All the ice shards that attacked just now had been easily melted into nothingness by the ice blossoms formed from his Azure Essence Ice Flame.

And this black mountain peak, capable of instant teleportation, was likely the elder’s most powerful treasure. However, under the Lightning Escape of his Wind-Thunder Wings, it was utterly useless against him.

Considering all this, eliminating the opponent did not seem impossible.

Han Li made up his mind and no longer hesitated.

His single hand, holding the ice blossom, trembled. After a flicker of blue light, the ice blossom rapidly deformed and melted, transforming into a blue flame the size of an egg, hovering in his palm and emitting a strange aura.

Han Li pointed his other hand simultaneously at the giant sword and the silver bell in the air. Then, thunder rumbled behind him, and with a slight movement of his wings, his figure vanished instantly. The next moment he reappeared, holding the blue flame, he was already within a hundred feet of the elder.

Meanwhile, the giant sword and the silver bell had burst into brilliant light, transforming into silver and azure streaks of light that shot towards the elder.

Mid-flight, the giant sword suddenly disintegrated, once again transforming into hundreds of foot-long azure sword qi that rained down, immediately trapping the elder within a swarm of swords.

The azure light flickered incessantly as the sword qi fiercely pierced the elder's protective barrier.

The silver bell continuously emitted silver sound waves, causing the barrier to shake violently with each impact.

This barrage of attacks startled the elder, but he remained calm. Besides injecting a large amount of spiritual power into the treasure orb above his head to solidify his protective barrier, he swiftly formed a hand seal with one hand. Blue spiritual light flickered around his body and then shot out from him.

After a swirl, the spiritual light transformed into four crystal-clear ice shields, several feet in size, exquisitely crafted and slowly rotating, shielding the elder within.

With the protection of these ice shields, the elder felt at ease. He immediately beckoned to the distant black mountain peak with his other hand, causing it to transform into a black rainbow that shot back, constantly looking around, fearing Han Li would suddenly appear nearby to ambush him.

Truly worthy of a Nascent Soul spellcaster; his combat experience was indeed rich.

When a roar sounded again, Han Li appeared amidst flashes of electricity about ten feet to the elder’s side. He then raised a hand, and a dense shower of azure threads spewed forth from it – it was the extremely sharp "Azure Nether Needle" talismans.

At such a short distance, the elder surnamed Mu had no time to react. The countless azure threads instantly pierced through the blue barrier and directly struck the four ice shields.

With a rattling sound like rain hitting leaves, the azure threads struck the ice shields, causing a bright white light to erupt. They instantly froze into pure white, crystalline ice needles that fell to the ground.

Seeing this, the elder surnamed Mu was first startled, then delighted. He laughed loudly and opened his mouth, unleashing a blue light beam that shot directly towards Han Li, who was almost within arm’s reach.

The result, naturally, was a flash of silver light as Han Li vanished without a trace again.

But in that brief delay, the black giant peak returned to hover above the elder's head, casting a vast, impressive shadow.

Without hesitation, the elder cast a spell upon it.

Immediately, the mountain peak trembled slightly, then suddenly emitted a large expanse of black light from its base. It instantly enveloped the hundreds of azure sword lights and the silver giant bell, centered on the elder. These treasures, which had been attacking vigorously, immediately twisted and turned sluggishly, their power greatly diminished.

The violently shaking barrier around the elder’s body stabilized once more.

Seeing this, the elder felt greatly relieved.

He then flipped his single hand, and a white light flickered. The Wind-Guiding Chariot, which he had put away earlier, reappeared in his palm. He lightly tossed it, and the chariot grew longer against the wind, recovering its original size in moments. It landed beside him.

For some reason, ever since the ice blossom in Han Li’s hand transformed into that strange blue flame, the elder surnamed Mu had an ominous premonition. When Han Li's Wind-Thunder Wings appeared behind him, he finally felt that the situation was unmanageable and decided to withdraw, no longer prolonging the conflict.

Now, seeing the Wind-Guiding Chariot successfully activated, the elder immediately transformed into a streak of rainbow light. After a few flashes, he burst through the obstruction of the flying swords and directly fled towards the Wind-Guiding Chariot.

His speed was so fast that he arrived almost in the blink of an eye.

With a convergence of light, the elder safely appeared within the Wind-Guiding Chariot.

He felt relieved and was about to retrieve the treasure orb and the black mountain peak, which were still in their original positions, when a crackling sound suddenly came from the side of the Wind-Guiding Chariot.

Amidst leaping electric arcs, Han Li’s figure abruptly appeared there.

"Ah…"

The elder was greatly astonished. As he raised his hand to act, Han Li suddenly extended his arm. A hand, enveloped in the Azure Essence Ice Flame, swiftly closed its five fingers with a whoosh, stabbing like lightning towards the elder.

The elder was startled, but the ice shield floating around his body instinctively protected its master. With a flash of white light, it blocked in front of the elder, and Han Li’s palm struck the ice shield.

Seeing this, the elder surnamed Mu revealed a hint of joy.

The opponent was actually attacking his "Crystal Ice Shield" with bare hands! Wasn’t he simply seeking death?

Presumably, in the next moment, the opponent's arm would be frozen and destroyed by the extreme cold.

A muffled thud sounded, and both white and blue light illuminated simultaneously.

The elder froze for a moment, only to feel his vision blur and a chill on his chest. The hand enveloped in blue flames had pressed onto his chest like a ghost. The movement was incredibly gentle.

The elder was horrified. Before he could cry out, he heard a "ziz-la" sound. A strange blue ice rapidly spread from where Han Li’s five fingers had pressed. In a single breath, most of his body was covered in this strange ice, and he watched as his entire being was about to be instantly frozen within it.

Extreme fear appeared on the elder's face. In desperation, he hastily mobilized the Dan Yang Fire he had painstakingly cultivated for centuries, causing his only intact head to immediately emit dazzling white light. At his neck, it resisted the spread of the ice, actually forming a temporary stalemate with the blue ice.

Seeing this, Han Li sneered and abruptly waved his other free hand.

An azure sword qi appeared out of nowhere and fiercely slashed at the elder's head.

Immediately, the white light trembled, allowing the blue ice to gain a significant advantage. It instantly encroached upon half of the elder’s head, freezing his mouth and nostrils within it.

Seeing this, the elder surnamed Mu, with only half his face visible, showed despair. But then, a fierce glint flashed in his eyes, and a clear ringing sound erupted from the top of his head.

With a "poof," a Nascent Soul identical to the elder’s appearance emerged from the top of his head.

Han Li's expression darkened. Without a second thought, he opened his mouth, and a golden arc fiercely struck towards the Nascent Soul.

However, after the elder's Nascent Soul escaped from his body, it showed no hesitation. A dazzling blue light erupted, and it vanished instantly, causing the golden arc to hit empty air.

As Han Li concentrated on looking around, the Nascent Soul finally reappeared a hundred feet away. Then, without any hesitation, the blue light flared again, and it vanished once more.

This time, the blue treasure orb, which had remained stationary, also vanished after a tremor.

When it reappeared, the treasure orb was clasped in the elder’s Nascent Soul’s embrace.

The Nascent Soul glared at Han Li with extreme malice, then its figure flickered in and out without a word, soon transforming into a streak of light and reaching the edge of the horizon.

After that, it no longer used instant teleportation but directly flew through the air, riding the treasure orb. Soon, it vanished without a trace.

Han Li coldly watched the opponent’s Nascent Soul escape, holding the elder’s body with one hand, without moving a single step.

While his Wind-Thunder Wings divine ability was also a teleportation-like lightning escape technique, one was fleeing and the other pursuing, making it impossible to capture the opponent. Therefore, once the opponent's Nascent Soul wasn't killed in one strike, there was no need for him to make a second or third move.

Now, only when the elder’s Nascent Soul had fled without a trace did Han Li expressionlessly shake his single hand. The frozen body of the elder he held immediately shattered into countless blue crystal lights, scattering into dust!