Chapter 740: Tianzha True Demon Skill

Volume 5: Gaining Renown

After glancing at the scroll, the old man's face turned ashen. The object in his hand was riddled with holes, like a sieve, clearly beyond repair.

"What a pity! If Fellow Daoist Kuyao hadn't been so eager to come out and had endured a little longer inside without using fire-spirit elemental power, that cultivator would have likely withdrawn his formation due to insufficient magic power. Now, Fellow Daoist Kuyao has also suffered significant vital energy loss. Neither of them could gain the upper hand," the black-robed man said with a hint of regret. The tall, thin spellcaster was startled by this remark, looked down, and then showed a look of understanding.

The old man surnamed Ma's face alternated between pale and green several times. He still couldn't bear to discard the scroll in his hand and instead put it into his storage pouch. Then, he glared fiercely at Kuyao opposite him.

Seeing the old man's expression, Kuyao snorted, stomped on the fire-jiao beneath his feet, and his body once again surged with flames, red light reappearing.

"Master Ku, stop. How about we call this fight a draw? Both of you have expended too much magic power. Continuing to fight won't achieve anything," the tall, thin spellcaster suddenly shouted from high in the sky, stopping Kuyao's actions. His subsequent words were directed at the bald-browed big man and other cultivators from Tiannan.

The bald-browed big man was a little surprised to hear this, but after exchanging glances with Gu Shuangpu, he nodded in agreement: "Very well, let's stop this fight here."

Upon hearing the words of the tall, thin spellcaster and the bald-browed big man, the old man surnamed Ma, though unwilling, knew that continuing the fight would be futile. He could only fly back helplessly.

Kuyao, on the opposite side, also felt depressed. He dismissed the fire-jiao beneath him and likewise flew back to the sky in frustration.

As soon as the old man surnamed Ma returned below, the bald-browed big man naturally offered a few words of comfort, which finally eased the old man's expression slightly.

But just then, on the spellcaster's side, the black-robed man and the tall, thin old man whispered a few words. As a result, the black-robed man floated down lightly. He stopped at the scene of the recent battle, then his gaze swept gloomily across the cultivators.

"Your opponent this time is me. Let me make this clear upfront: this fight is to the death. Don't imagine anyone will suddenly stop the battle," the black-robed man said in a hoarse, indistinct voice, a fleeting look of disdain in his eyes.

The black-robed man's arrogant words naturally made the bald-browed big man and Gu Shuangpu's faces change, showing annoyance. However, they dared not rashly jump out and accept the challenge. After all, they both knew that the two Nascent Soul cultivators who died in the previous battles had all fallen to these unknown spellcasters. No matter how confident they were, their lives were at stake, causing them to hesitate.

"Let me face him," Han Li suddenly said calmly.

"Ah, Fellow Daoist, are you going?!...Fellow Daoist Han, please be extra careful. If anything goes wrong, the three of us will certainly come to your rescue." The bald-browed big man was startled when Han Li volunteered to fight, but then he secretly breathed a sigh of relief, though outwardly he gave a full stream of admonishments.

Han Li smiled faintly at this, saying nothing more. With a swirl of green light around him, he transformed into a streak of green light and soared into the sky.

In a flash, the green streak reached the vicinity of the black-robed man. The light converged, and Han Li stood there with his hands clasped behind his back, his face devoid of expression.

The black-robed man's eyes flickered. He carefully scrutinized Han Li from head to toe, his gaze gradually turning icy. His eyes also began to shift from black to green, appearing exceptionally eerie.

Han Li's eyes narrowed, and he suddenly asked, "Are you a demon or a ghost?"

"Hehe! Do you think this old man isn't human?" The black-robed man across from him didn't get angry at Han Li's question; instead, he sneered. At the same time, wisps of inky black mist began to emanate from his body, accompanied by a rising wail of ghosts. For a moment, the opposite side was filled with gusts of阴风, like a ghost domain.

"So you are human, that's good. It seems you are a deviant cultivator who practices the demonic or ghostly path," Han Li exhaled lightly, saying with an unchanged expression.

"Hmph! Junior. You talk too much nonsense. There's no need to probe my background anymore. Once this old man kills you, you won't have any more thoughts," the black-robed man said hoarsely. Simultaneously, the black mist around him surged, and his figure became indistinct within it.

"This old man has no patience to dally with you. Now, surrender your life!" The black-robed man let out a sinister laugh within the black mist. With a hand seal, his body instantly swelled by about half, transforming from a seemingly ordinary person of normal stature into a giant two zhang tall. Although it was hard to see clearly due to the obscuring dark energy, the black-robed man, whose clothes were torn, faintly had two horns on his head and fangs protruding from his mouth. No wonder many cultivators believed these unfamiliar spellcasters were all transformed异类.

A blue light flashed in Han Li's pupils. The giant's green face and fangs were clearly reflected in his mind.

"This is?" Han Li's face showed a hint of surprise for the first time after clearly seeing the giant's transformed demonic appearance. The giant's current demonic form was identical to a phantom from the Six Extremities True Devil Art that the Six Paths Inheritor had employed when Han Li fought him that day.

"What is your relationship with the Six Paths Extremity Saint?"

"What Six Paths Extremity Saint? Don't think you can stall for time with your nonsensical words. Die!" The giant was startled at first, but then a sinister smile appeared on his face as he spoke. Afterward, his large hand abruptly waved within the black mist.

A shadowy object shot straight towards Han Li. As soon as it emerged from the black mist, a black light flashed, and it vanished into thin air.

Seeing this, Han Li's face darkened, and his body suddenly shot backward several zhang.

At the same time, a giant, emerald-green ghostly claw suddenly appeared where he had just been standing and swiped through the air, naturally missing its target.

"Oh!" The demonic giant let out a surprised exclamation when his attack missed.

"Indeed. Although you do not cultivate a ghost-cultivation technique, but rather some devilish art, your attack methods are very similar to those of ghost cultivators. If someone were to truly treat you as a ghost cultivator, they would likely suffer greatly," Han Li said calmly, gazing at the ghost hand.

Upon hearing Han Li's words, the giant's figure in the black mist froze. He stared coldly at Han Li, remaining silent.

But just then, Han Li's brow subtly furrowed. His body swayed, and he shifted several zhang sideways on his own. As a result, another green ghost claw silently reached up from beneath his previous standing position and swiped through the air.

This time, the giant in the ghostly energy could no longer hold back and asked, "You've dodged the Ghost Yin Claw's attacks repeatedly. Have you seen a true ghost cultivator before?" A hint of a slip finally appeared in the giant's words.

"Of course I have, otherwise how could I dodge so easily?" Han Li replied with a light, half-truthful laugh.

"Hmph! You are indeed well-informed. But it doesn't matter. Even if you know I'm using a demonic cultivation art, so what? Under the power of my Heaven Demon True Devil Art, the next moment will be your death," the giant said sinisterly, showing no intention of speaking further. He suddenly raised his head and let out a piercing shriek.

The shriek was sharp and ear-splitting, as if it could pierce metal and crack stone.

Han Li, seeing this, gradually lost his composure, replaced by a trace of solemnity.

At this moment, the black mist opposite him rapidly spun like a whirlwind. Following this, an astonishingly powerful demonic energy erupted out of nowhere. Then, a massive black figure shot out from the black wind, almost leaving a trail of afterimages, reaching Han Li in the blink of an eye.

The black figure's two arms moved slightly, and a large expanse of greenish-black claw shadows immediately enveloped Han Li impenetrably, like a storm. It intended to use its sharp claws to slice Han Li into countless pieces of shredded flesh.

Han Li took a deep breath, his expression peculiar. Instead of dodging, he rubbed his hands together and lifted them upwards.

A sudden rumble of thunder erupted, and a faint golden electric net appeared out of thin air above Han Li's head, fearlessly meeting the claw shadows.

The black figure was startled by this but had no time to think. Its sharp claws still fiercely swiped down without mercy. In its mind, while ordinary demonic arts might be slightly countered by lightning-attribute techniques, its Heaven Demon True Devil Art was far from ordinary. Mere lightning could not harm it in the slightest. This cultivator, who seemed to know a few things and made it extremely uncomfortable, would soon be dead.

Before the black figure could finish its thoughts, it suddenly felt an intense heat on its sharp claws. Then, an indescribable agony radiated from them, followed by a burst of golden light before its eyes. The electric net composed of golden arcs actually broke through the claw shadows and enveloped it head-on.

"Golden electric arcs? No! I seem to have heard of this somewhere... Could it be..." Just as the golden electric net unexpectedly covered the massive black figure, the black figure suddenly recalled rumors about golden electric arcs. Wasn't this precisely one of the things the elder who imparted the demonic art had repeatedly warned was most taboo for the Heaven Demon True Devil Art?

Since he had cultivated this demonic art, he had rarely met a match among his peers, and he had actually forgotten this matter for a time!

The black figure's face turned purple, filled with terror, but it was unwilling to surrender and die. It immediately let out a furious roar without thinking. Its originally tall body suddenly shrank rapidly amid a loud crack, instantly transforming into a three-foot-tall dwarf. This extended the time of contact with the golden net.

And in this brief time gained, a dull thud sounded.

The dwarf's body rapidly expanded and contracted before violently bursting open, turning into countless dark, gleaming threads that shot out in all directions.