Chapter 744: Turning the Tables

After a shriek, the monster snake's Nascent Soul, enveloped in golden light, dissolved into a wisp of green smoke and slowly dispersed.

Speaking of the Spirit-Possession Art, it was an exceptionally sinister ancient secret technique from the demonic path, naturally suppressed completely by the Evil-Repelling Divine Thunder. It didn't even have a chance to use its teleportation spell before vanishing without a trace.

The bald-browed big man in the distance had his mouth wide open, unable to close it for a long time.

The elderly man surnamed Ma appeared relatively composed, but the shock in his eyes was undeniable.

Seeing their shock, Han Li had already anticipated it and showed no surprise. Instead, he reached out, used one hand to draw up the storage bag and the blue flying fork that had fallen to the ground, scanned them briefly with his spiritual sense, and then suddenly threw both items to the big man.

"Although we killed the person," Han Li said slowly, looking at the two, "it would be best to hand over their magical treasures and everything in the storage bag to the Beast Taming Sect intact. That way, the Beast Taming Sect will have even less to say."

"Brother Han's words make perfect sense. We'll do as you say, Fellow Daoist!" Perhaps Han Li's instantaneous killing of the Spirit-Possessed snake monster had left the bald-browed big man still reeling in shock, as he instinctively agreed without the slightest hint of objection.

The old man's lips moved a few times, but he also didn't voice any objection. He awkwardly put away his ruler-shaped magical treasure.

When Han Li first killed the black-robed person, it could have been attributed to the opponent's carelessness or a stroke of luck. But now, single-handedly and bare-fistedly eliminating a Spirit-Possessed monster whose cultivation was comparable to a mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivator, this was too great a shock for the two of them.

The two almost simultaneously speculated whether this newly appointed elder of the Falling Cloud Sect had cultivation arts and divine abilities that were no longer inferior to those of late-stage Nascent Soul cultivators.

As soon as this thought emerged, it was no wonder the two of them behaved with such impropriety.

"Now that the matter is resolved, I'll go back and rest for a bit," Han Li said calmly, his expression as serene as ever. "When the spellcasters return, feel free to call for me, Fellow Daoist."

"Please go ahead, Brother Han. Fellow Daoist Ma and I will naturally keep watch here." The bald-browed big man's words unconsciously carried a hint of reverence.

Han Li smiled at his words, cupped his hands in a salute, and turned to walk out of the hall.

Using the Azure Essence Ice Flame and the Evil-Repelling Divine Thunder to kill the Spirit-Possessed snake monster just now was a last resort for Han Li. He knew that if he didn't act proactively, it would be difficult for the bald-browed big man and the elder alone to stop the monster, which had already broken free. After all, the monster's cultivation level after being possessed was too high; if it escaped, it would certainly cause endless trouble later.

Moreover, after forming his Nascent Soul, there was truly no need for him to continue concealing all his divine abilities.

The situation now was vastly different from when he was in the Scattered Star Seas.

At that time, his cultivation was low, and he was in an unfamiliar place. Naturally, he concealed his strength to avoid attracting too much attention and inviting disaster.

But now that his Nascent Soul had formed, he had joined the ranks of high-level cultivators in this realm, and apart from a select few, no one else could pose a significant threat to him. This concern was naturally greatly diminished.

Furthermore, given the current situation with the invading spellcaster army, even if he wanted to continue concealing his divine abilities, it would be impossible.

At the very least, after his treasure hunt in the Mulan Grassland last time, the Ghost Spirit Gate and Marquis Nanlong, among others, should already know that his strength was extraordinary. In this way, it was better to openly reveal some of his strength in advance. This could also deter some minor villains.

Otherwise, if other cultivators of the same rank truly thought he was weak and easily bullied due to his low abilities, it would instead cause unnecessary trouble.

Of course, Han Li would still not easily reveal his several life-saving trump cards in front of others.

While pondering, Han Li also sensed the peculiar feeling of his Nascent Soul being enveloped by the "Violet Azure Extreme Flame" within his body.

Just now, when facing the Spirit-Possessed monster, he had deployed all of the Azure Essence Ice Flame from this fire, barely managing to instantly freeze the creature. Now that the flame had returned and reverted to the Violet Azure Extreme Flame, it felt somewhat unstable. It seemed that wielding such a powerful demonic flame was indeed related to a certain cultivation realm.

A hint of self-mockery appeared on his face as Han Li slowly walked towards the small building.

"Brother Lu, we were truly mistaken," the elderly man surnamed Ma said with a bitter smile, only after Han Li had left the main hall and his figure had gradually faded into the distance. "Fellow Daoist Han's divine abilities are unfathomable, and his strength is far beyond ours."

"Indeed," the bald-browed big man said, a hint of envy flashing across his face. "Although his cultivation is only at the early Nascent Soul stage, just with that golden electric arc and the unknown blue flame, even a mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivator encountering them would probably have to retreat three feet."

"However, this is also a good thing for us," the elderly man surnamed Ma said with a smile. "With such a powerful fellow Daoist, those invading spellcasters outside might not be so formidable after all."

"That's a fair point," the bald-browed big man said, nodding slightly and then furrowing his brow as he asked, "However, while I've never heard of that blue ice flame before, I seem to have faintly heard of that golden electric arc, though I can't recall it right now. Brother Ma, do you have any idea what it is?"

"No, I've never seen a golden electric arc before," the elderly man surnamed Ma mumbled, a faint chill creeping into his heart as he recalled the earlier scene. "What on earth is it? It's incredibly potent. Even the almost invisible Nascent Soul was trapped within it and couldn't teleport out."

"Never mind," the bald-browed big man said, furrowing his brow and seemingly unwilling to dwell on the subject, subtly changing the topic. "Regardless of what kind of great divine ability Fellow Daoist Han possesses, it's a good thing for us. Let's discuss tomorrow's matters instead!"

"Tomorrow's matters? Brother Lu, what do you mean by that?" The elder was taken aback and asked somewhat strangely.

"Since the Mulan people want to subtly sabotage the grand formation, we might as well turn their scheme against them," a cold glint flashed in the big man's eyes as he spoke.

"Brother Lu, you mean..." The elderly man surnamed Ma immediately understood, a realization dawning on him.

"It's simple, we..."

The voices of the elder and the big man in the hall suddenly dropped by a third, vaguely discussing something.

A moment later, the bald-browed big man's wild laughter echoed through the hall, seemingly quite pleased with his plan.

At noon the next day, as the scorching sun blazed overhead and the heat became unbearable, the rumble of war drums resounded. A vast, dark army of spellcasters approached the area from afar, drawing ever closer.

This time, however, a colossal beast appeared in the center of their formation.

It was a brown behemoth over thirty zhang tall and more than twenty zhang long. At first glance, it resembled a giant rhinoceros enlarged dozens of times. A dazzling blue horn, about a zhang long, protruded from the front of its nose, drawing particular attention. Its enormous body was covered in a layer of glossy black armor, upon which various glowing talismans subtly appeared and shimmered, immediately indicating its immense value.

Despite its immense size, this beast was skilled in the art of flight, with bizarre blue clouds supporting all four of its feet wherever they stepped. This made its movements incredibly agile, showing no clumsiness whatsoever.

Seated cross-legged on the beast's back was a young woman, perhaps twenty years of age. Her arms and feet were bare, and her face was delicate, yet a faint murderous aura flickered between her beautiful eyes. Cold glints occasionally flashed in her bright eyes, and she wore a simple, short dark green robe.

The tall, thin spellcaster and Ku Yao, who had appeared yesterday, followed closely on either side of the giant beast, seemingly showing her great respect.

"Oh!" Before even nearing the skies above Huanglong Mountain, the green-robed woman on the giant beast let out a soft exclamation of surprise.

"What is it, Master Le? Did you find something?" Ku Yao couldn't help but ask upon hearing her.

"Hmm! Something is a bit strange," the young woman said slowly, an unusual light flickering in her beautiful eyes.

"Could something have changed? Did that person fail?" The tall, thin spellcaster was startled and grew somewhat worried.

"Not necessarily. See for yourselves," the woman said indifferently, then closed her eyes and remained silent.

The tall, thin spellcaster and Ku Yao exchanged glances, somewhat perplexed, and simultaneously extended their spiritual senses, slowly probing forward.

A moment later, both of them wore expressions of astonishment.

Ku Yao said in even greater surprise: "What's going on? The mist has already dispersed. Didn't we agree with that person that the restrictions would only be suddenly removed when we were halfway through our attack upon arrival, so we could completely annihilate these cultivators? Now these restrictions are wide open. Could something else have happened?"

"I don't know. Let's wait until we're closer and examine it thoroughly," the tall, thin spellcaster said hesitantly.

Listening to their words, the woman on the giant beast remained expressionless and silent.

The spellcaster army continued to advance. However, under the tall, thin spellcaster's reprimand, all the spellcasters immediately became extremely cautious.

No anomalies occurred during the remaining short journey.

The spellcasters successfully arrived at the high altitude where they had been yesterday, but this time, upon seeing the situation below, all of them couldn't help but stir.

The boundless sea of emerald mist, which should have been there, had completely vanished. It revealed the remarkably clear peaks of Huanglong Mountain and the magnificent buildings at its summit.

However, these originally exquisite buildings were now charred black and ruined, with wisps of green smoke rising from several spots, as if they had been engulfed by a great fire, looking utterly desolate. The entire mountaintop was eerily silent, as if it had been abandoned.

The spellcaster army parted to the left and right, and the young woman slowly urged the giant beast forward. All other spellcasters looked respectfully at the elegant figure on the beast's back, and their earlier commotion immediately subsided. Ku Yao and the other man followed closely behind her.

The woman observed the scene before her, her bright eyes shifting. After a moment of silence, she gracefully brushed the hair from her shoulder with a slender hand, and a cold smile appeared at the corner of her lips.

"No, this won't do," the tall, thin spellcaster said with a look of surprise and doubt. "Although the dense mist has cleared, there are still restrictions inside that can isolate our spiritual sense, making it impossible to thoroughly investigate the situation within."

"Exactly. What we're seeing now might just be an illusion," Ku Yao also said suspiciously. "Otherwise, if that person had truly succeeded, why wouldn't they have contacted us by now?"

"So, according to both Masters, are we just going to stand here and do nothing?" the woman asked, her voice cold.

"Of course not, we just need to be extra careful," the tall, thin spellcaster speculated. "It's also possible that the person only succeeded halfway, was discovered, pursued, and fled this place. And the other cultivators simply abandoned this place and withdrew."

***

*(Author's Note: This chapter was originally finished two hours ago, but later I wasn't entirely satisfied with it, so I rewrote a small portion. Haha, sorry for the long delay! I'll continue writing; there's another chapter coming up. Also, it's mid-month, so everyone might have monthly votes again. If you like this book, don't forget to vote after reading!)*