Chapter 709: First Move

**Volume 5: Renowned Far and Wide**

The protective light barrier couldn't stop the seemingly ephemeral blue flame, which clearly took the cultivator surnamed You by surprise. As a result, he had no chance to dodge, and the incredibly thin blue flame struck his neck in a flash. With a sizzling sound, blue ice suddenly appeared, and in the space of a breath, it transformed him into a sparkling, crystalline blue ice statue.

This was also bad luck for the cultivator surnamed You. Han Li, having learned from his previous encounter with the spellcaster surnamed Mu, specifically directed this wisp of Profound Azure Ice Flame directly at the cultivator's neck. He froze the head first, before the rest of the body, giving him no opportunity to react or cast a spell. This strategy indeed led to a successful strike.

However, just as Han Li turned his opponent into an ice figure with the Profound Azure Ice Flame, a blue electric arc shot out from the gourd and struck Han Li before he could react. Before it could actually touch Han Li's body, a loud rumble of thunder erupted, and a pale golden electric net suddenly materialized around him. With a flash of golden light, the blue electric arc was instantly absorbed by the net and vanished.

At this moment, Han Li's body moved slightly without hesitation. He raised his hand and swiftly snatched the blue gourd. From the moment Han Li activated his Wind-Lightning Wings to freezing the cultivator surnamed You and seizing the treasure, the entire process was completed in an instant.

Wang Chan, who was nearby, had just finished releasing his protective blood energy. He had originally intended to rush forward to assist the cultivator surnamed You, but after only two steps, he witnessed the cultivator's instant defeat. This made his eyes fill with horror. When Han Li turned and gazed at him coldly, Wang Chan instinctively shot backward. He quickly stood shoulder-to-shoulder with Yan Ruyan and, with a hint of fear, shouted:

"Cast spells together! Use Blood Spirits to trap him!" After saying this, he roughly grabbed Yan Ruyan's jade hand. Urgent incantations erupted from his mouth, and a blood mist immediately surged. Although Yan Ruyan did not struggle, a flicker of disgust crossed her eyes. After a moment of hesitation, pleasant incantations also emanated from her lips. The blood mist around her merged seamlessly with Wang Chan's blood mist, forming a swirling purple-tinged cloud. Wang Chan and Yan Ruyan's figures vanished into the purple mist. Faint, wailing cries, like ghosts howling, then emanated from within, as if some monstrous entity resided there.

Seeing this, Han Li's face remained expressionless, but a hint of mockery appeared at the corner of his mouth.

"Excellent! I never expected Fellow Daoist Han to possess such heaven-defying divine abilities. If we two were to join forces, we might truly stand a chance against them!" From the other side, Nanlong Hou's surprised and delighted voice rang out. Hearing this, Han Li's gaze swept over, glancing in that direction.

Nanlong Hou and the others hadn't made a move yet, but Wang Tiangu and the white-robed elder were staring at him dumbfounded, their faces filled with shock. Meanwhile, Nanlong Hou across from him showed a mixture of surprise and joy. Han Li's recent display had given him great hope of escaping. "As long as Fellow Daoist is willing to join forces, I am willing to share another jade box with you!" Nanlong Hou immediately tried to win him over without thinking.

"Join forces? Heh heh..." Han Li sneered, saying nothing, but he had no such intention in his heart. He knew very well that the easy defeat of a Nascent Soul cultivator of the same level was entirely due to the cultivator surnamed You being unaware of the Profound Azure Ice Flame's power, which led to him falling into the trap so easily. Otherwise, if it were a true battle using other methods, even if he won, it would certainly not be over in a moment. Moreover, the opposing side still had three early-stage cultivators and one mid-stage cultivator. If Nanlong Hou himself were unharmed, it wouldn't be impossible to fight. But now he was severely injured, and joining forces with him would only put himself in danger. This jade box isn't worth it!

However, before leaving, he had to make them fight each other and focus their attention on Nanlong Hou. Otherwise, if they changed their minds, it wouldn't be so easy for him to escape. Thinking this, Han Li no longer paid attention to the others. With a flutter of the wings on his back, his figure vanished from the spot amidst a rumble of thunder.

"No, he's trying to escape! Stop him! Don't let him take that jade box!" Seeing this, the elder surnamed Yun immediately shouted without thinking. However, having just witnessed Han Li's astonishing feat of almost instantly killing a cultivator of the same level, the old woman and the dark-faced man completely ignored the elder's words. They had no intention of making a move. Even Wang Tiangu wore a hesitant expression, unsure of what to do for a moment. After all, if Han Li truly left, dealing with the remaining Nanlong Hou would be a sure thing for them. They could then securely obtain the two jade boxes. But if they forced Han Li to stay, given the strange divine abilities he had displayed, he was no ordinary cultivator of their level. It was unlikely that the elder surnamed Yun could even defeat him in a one-on-one fight. There were simply too many variables. However, the treasure in the box Han Li took might also be the secret of the Fallen Demon Valley that he had gone to such great lengths to obtain. For a moment, even the cunning Wang Tiangu found himself in a dilemma.

Seeing this, the elder surnamed Yun understood their thoughts, but he too was somewhat apprehensive of Han Li's Profound Azure Ice Flame. Moreover, if he left to confront Han Li, Nanlong Hou, despite being severely injured, might still have a good chance of breaking through the obstruction of Wang Tiangu and the three early-stage Nascent Soul cultivators by using a secret technique. This made him hesitate, unsure whether to intervene.

Amidst flashes of electricity, Han Li's figure appeared at the staircase entrance. He gave Wang Tiangu and the others a strange smile, then immediately pointed at the black mountain peak. After a tremor, the small black mountain instantly vanished from its spot, then suddenly reappeared above Wang Tiangu and the others, pressing down mercilessly.

The elder surnamed Yun and Wang Tiangu had not expected Han Li to make such a move, and they were naturally enraged. However, with the power of this mountain peak, even the elder surnamed Yun would never dare to take it head-on alone. Helpless, they had to shift their bodies, retreating from the crushing momentum of the small mountain. But this gave Nanlong Hou his chance to act. His eyes lit up, and he suddenly transformed into a dazzling golden light, charging directly at the old woman opposite him. The old woman was greatly startled, and a flash of yellow light appeared in front of her as a small earth-yellow shield blocked her. Immediately, golden and yellow lights intertwined. Nanlong Hou's body glowed intensely with golden light, poised to break through. However, seeing this, the other cultivators, without much thought, urged their magic treasures to attack together, forcefully blocking him. But Nanlong Hou, having cast some unknown secret technique, had his golden light grow denser and denser, becoming like a man of gold. He simultaneously unleashed several powerful ancient treasures and engaged in a fierce battle with them, not losing any ground.

Wang Tiangu and the others, though alarmed, naturally could no longer pay attention to Han Li's actions for the moment. Han Li was satisfied to see this. He pointed at the black mountain again, and with a whoosh, the giant peak shrunk to a few inches in size and flew back into his hand. Then, looking at the continuously swirling purple blood mist, a hint of sternness flashed across Han Li's face. Blue light shimmered in his pupils. After briefly observing the situation inside the purple mist, he raised one hand without hesitation. His entire arm swelled with black light, then a black-red light blade shot from his palm, slicing through the blood mist. It was precisely the secret art of the Yin Demon Slash! As a horrifying scream echoed from the blood mist, Han Li, amidst flashing electric arcs, vanished from sight.

Under the blow of his Yin Demon Slash, even if Wang Chan wasn't killed instantly, he was certainly severely injured. Although he wished to immediately take this opportunity to completely annihilate Wang Chan, he knew that if he did, Wang Tiangu would certainly not stand by. At that point, he would be directly drawn into a fight with Wang Tiangu's group, significantly increasing the danger. In any case, a mere late-stage Core Formation cultivator like Wang Chan could be dealt with at any time, Han Li thought, so there was no need to take such a risk. Therefore, after that single strike, he left using the Lightning Evasion Technique without even checking the result.

Han Li's figure suddenly appeared at the first-floor entrance of the pavilion. He then immediately transformed into a streak of azure light and flew towards the hall's entrance. Midway, a white light suddenly shot out from a corner of the hall, disappearing into Han Li's sleeve, where it revealed its true form: a small, snow-white fox.

"Master, I..." Silvermoon opened her mouth, seemingly excited to say something.

"Don't say anything now. Wait until we're out of immediate danger," Han Li interrupted grimly as he flew directly out of the main entrance. When breaking the Supreme Marvelous Divine Restriction, Han Li deliberately used a dazzling spiritual light to momentarily disrupt others' spiritual senses. He then forcibly opened a small gap in the restriction, sending Silvermoon inside in an instant. Only then did he intentionally stall, slowly breaking the restriction completely. Otherwise, why would Han Li bother to painstakingly break this Supreme Marvelous Divine Restriction just for the condition of having priority in choosing a treasure? Seeing Silvermoon so delighted now, it seemed she had gained a lot from within the pavilion. Having made this preliminary move was also one of the reasons Han Li unhesitatingly refused to join forces with Nanlong Hou and prioritized getting himself out of danger first.