Chapter 738: Fire Spirit Transforms into a Flood Dragon

The other two high-ranking spellcasters huddled together, whispering something, seemingly discussing how to break the formation.

A moment later, their discussion concluded. The exceptionally tall spellcaster, enveloped in a ball of green light, swayed unsteadily as he approached the black-robed figure.

"Mr. Tianku, is it time? The cultivators' grand formation here seems three points more formidable than the last one. And I hear there are quite a few Nascent Soul cultivators here, so it might take more time," the Nascent Soul spellcaster said with a smile to the black-robed figure, showing extreme courtesy.

"We don't need to make the first move; they are already coming out. Let's first test the cultivators' divine abilities here, then decide," the black-robed cultivator said, shaking his head. His voice was hoarse, stiff, and slurred, as if he had no tongue, making it extremely uncomfortable to listen to.

But the moment these words were uttered, the lanky, bamboo-pole-like spellcaster was startled and immediately looked towards the misty sea, seemingly very convinced by the black-robed figure's words.

Sure enough, the previously still misty sea below began to churn and roll during their conversation, then suddenly split into two, revealing a channel several zhang wide.

Following this, lights inside flickered incessantly, and seven long streaks of escape light shot out. After circling above the misty sea, several figures appeared, who were precisely Han Li and the others.

At the suggestion of the broad-browed man, they did not bring any low-level cultivators this time; apart from the two Core Formation cultivators from distant Tiantai Valley, only Taoist Chongxu followed behind them.

After Han Li's figure stabilized, his gaze swept towards the vast, dense group of spellcasters above. The dozen or so leading spellcasters naturally caught his attention, especially the sinister and eerie black-robed figure, who caused Han Li's eyes to narrow upon seeing him.

The first feeling this person gave him immediately reminded him of Reverend Xuangu, who had died by his hand.

Could the other party truly be a ghost cultivator? Han Li's heart tightened, and he thought with heightened vigilance.

When Reverend Xuangu had not yet possessed Qu Hun's body, he also exuded a similar sinister aura, his entire being filled with ghostly qi. However, this person's aura seemed slightly different. Han Li couldn't articulate the specific difference at the moment.

Just as Han Li and the others were gazing skyward, after a stir among the spellcasters above, the spellcaster with the strange python coiled around him suddenly transformed into a huge fireball and shot downwards.

Seeing this, the broad-browed old man and the others all watched silently with cold gazes. No one showed any signs of panic.

This spellcaster would certainly not dare to act alone unless he was intentionally seeking death.

As expected, under the cultivators' unfriendly gazes, the huge fireball stopped at a height of fifty to sixty zhang away from them. But the scorching flames, burning fiercely even from such a distance, still made everyone frown, secretly alarmed.

"I am Ku Yao, Grand Master of the Fire Worship Sect. Since you have come out, you must intend to test our divine abilities first. How do you intend to compete? One-on-one, or a free-for-all, regardless of numbers?" A faint figure flickered a few times inside the fireball, and a thunderous voice suddenly boomed from within, shaking the nearby space and causing it to hum. This caused the broad-browed man and the others' expressions to change slightly.

"One-on-one. Life and death are determined by heaven," the broad-browed man replied coldly without hesitation, staring at the figure in the fireball.

"Haha! Good, this suits my intentions perfectly. I shall be your opponent for the first round. Who will go first?" After a burst of wild laughter, the figure in the fireball brazenly challenged them directly.

The broad-browed man and the others were naturally enraged. The old man named Ma's expression sank even further, and with a murderous look on his face, he transformed into a streak of white light and flew out.

Seeing this, the big man named Lu hesitated for a moment but did not speak up to stop him. He tacitly agreed to let the old man named Ma fight the first round.

After all, in his mind, among the four Nascent Soul cultivators who had come out, besides Han Li, the newly advanced cultivator, it was truly hard to say who among the other three possessed greater divine abilities.

Ku Yao, in the airborne fireball, as soon as he saw the white light fly out, immediately shot backward to a higher position without a word. A moment later, the two of them, one following the other, reached the midpoint between the misty sea and the spellcaster army, and both stopped their escape lights.

This way, both could confidently unleash their attacks without restraint, without fearing sudden intervention from the opposing side.

"How are this Mulan Grand Master's divine abilities? Does he have any special techniques?" The broad-browed man suddenly turned his face and asked the horse-faced cultivator next to him with a grave expression.

"His fire-attribute cultivation technique is incredibly powerful," the horse-faced cultivator replied, a trace of resentment flashing across his face. "Especially the fire snake on him, which is exceptionally agile and impossible to guard against. Another fellow Core Formation cultivator who was stationed with us at Tiantai Valley was entangled by that beast and turned to ashes."

"Oh! Is that so? Brother Gu! If I recall correctly, the 'Vast Righteousness Art' of the Vast Righteousness Pavilion seems immune to water and fire, and it restrains evil and repels ghosts. Against this spellcaster, it should give us a slight advantage, right?" The broad-browed man turned his face to the other side, asking with a hint of uncertainty.

"That's hard to say," Gu Shuangpu said slowly, a flicker of hesitation in his eyes. "If it were an ordinary fire-attribute cultivation technique, the Vast Righteousness Art would naturally have no problem dealing with it. However, I see the opposing spellcaster's fire energy permeating his body, clearly indicating he has comprehended the true essence of the Heaven and Earth Spirit Fire. I'm afraid the Vast Righteousness Art might not easily counter it. Nevertheless, among us, only Fellow Daoist Ma is most suitable to deal with this person. Even if the Vast Righteousness Art cannot defeat the enemy, it won't be affected by the opponent's demonic fire, nor will there be any worry of mental attacks."

Hearing this, the broad-browed man immediately confirmed what he had been thinking, let out a long breath, and a look of relief appeared on his face.

Han Li, however, took a couple more glances at the fire python within the fireball. With a thought, blue light flickered in his eyes, and a strange expression suddenly appeared on his face, but he quickly returned to his normal, unconcerned demeanor.

At this moment, the old man named Ma in the sky formed a hand seal with both hands. A layer of soft white light appeared around him. At the same time, he opened his mouth, and a walnut-sized silver light sprayed out, growing against the wind and transforming into a silvery-white ruler.

With a slight tremble, the ruler's silver light shimmered in countless ways, and its clear hum resembled a phoenix crying out from the Nine Heavens.

Ku Yao on the opposite side, contrary to his initial arrogance, made no move, merely watching coldly from within the flames, arms crossed, a hint of mockery visible on his face.

Seeing this, the old man named Ma was extremely enraged and let out a cold snort, intending to strike first.

But at this moment, a faint telepathic message entered his ears; the sound was almost inaudible, yet exceptionally clear.

The old man named Ma was first startled, then glanced down in surprise and suspicion. His gaze swept over the few people watching below before settling on Han Li, and a strange expression appeared on his face.

Seeing this, Han Li gave him a slight smile.

The old man named Ma was stunned for a moment, then, half-believing, half-doubting, he looked up towards the strange python on Ku Yao's body, and his expression gradually turned solemn.

"The fire python on your body isn't an ordinary spirit beast, is it?" the old man named Ma asked Ku Yao opposite him with a grim expression, after his eyes flickered a few times.

"Oh! You have some discernment. The fire python on me was formed from a condensation of Heaven and Earth Fire Spirit. How can an ordinary spirit beast compare to it?" Ku Yao in the flames was slightly stunned, but then he sneered.

Then he shook his body, and the fire python on him emitted a brilliant red light. It suddenly flew into the sky, and within the red light, a single horn grew on its head and sharp claws appeared on its belly, astonishingly transforming into a fire dragon with shimmering red scales, which then brandished its fangs and claws above Ku Yao's head.

"Fire Spirit Manifestation!"

The broad-browed man watching below was startled and couldn't help but exclaim. Gu Shuangpu, who was beside him, also turned grim.

The old man named Ma's heart sank even further. The opponent's mastery of fire-attribute cultivation techniques was so high that he had reached the point of refining fire spirits. This was something no ordinary Nascent Soul spellcaster could achieve, and he would likely face a fierce battle.

Thinking of this, the old man named Ma's original intention of only using seventy percent of his strength against the enemy completely vanished. Instead, he took a deep breath, flicked his large sleeve, and an object wrapped in five-colored glow shot out from his sleeve. After circling once, it stopped a few feet in front of him, floating motionless in mid-air.

Instantly, the cultivators below and the spellcasters in the distance all looked over curiously.

One must know that any treasure capable of shimmering with a five-colored glow is unlikely to be an ordinary-grade item.

Han Li also narrowed his eyes slightly and gazed intently at the object.

He saw that the object was slender and cylindrical, surprisingly a pale yellow scroll several feet long.

This scroll faced Ku Yao opposite him, and as the old man named Ma solemnly chanted an incantation, it slowly unfurled downwards.

Inside, it surprisingly depicted a seemingly ordinary Bagua diagram.

At this, everyone was stunned.

But at this moment, the old man named Ma cast a seemingly simple spell onto it, and the scroll emitted a brilliant five-colored glow. An astonishingly powerful ripple immediately emanated from the diagram.

Seeing this movement, Ku Yao opposite him seemed to know something was wrong and, without hesitation, pointed a finger at the old man opposite him.

The fire dragon coiled above his head raised its neck and opened its mouth wide.

Boundless scarlet flames continuously spewed from the dragon's mouth, instantly engulfing the old man named Ma and the Bagua diagram in a sea of fire.