Chapter 749: Break the Formation Battle (5)

The white lotus didn't appear to be a treasure; it was entirely condensed from the woman's own magical energy. Yet, it possessed such immense power, which truly astonished Han Li.

However, the moment of astonishment quickly passed. With a dark expression, Han Li inhaled deeply, his right arm suddenly rising, now covered by a faint layer of black mist.

The black mist pulsed and expanded as if alive, gradually growing thicker. When it turned as black as ink, a solemn expression appeared on Han Li's face.

Simultaneously, his entire arm rapidly swelled, in the blink of an eye becoming two to three times its original thickness. A dazzling crimson glow even emerged on its surface, making it appear incredibly eerie beneath the shroud of black mist.

This was precisely the 'Yin Demon Slash' that Han Li cultivated.

At that moment, Han Li cast a cold glance at the green-robed woman.

As fate would have it, the woman also finished her incantation. She, too, raised her head; her bright eyes darted to him. As their gazes met, her eyes landed on Han Li's strangely transformed arm.

A cold glint flickered in her eyes.

"Go!" Han Li bellowed without hesitation.

He brought his arm down, sweeping it through the air.

A semi-circular black-and-red light blade shot forth from his arm. Upon release, it expanded to several zhang in width.

A whooshing sound echoed through the air. The blade left a long trail of light in its wake, instantly arriving at the area enveloped by the white lotus's spiritual glow.

The green-robed woman's delicate eyebrows twitched. She opened her mouth, and a ball of crystalline white energy sprayed onto the white lotus. Instantly, a phantom lotus materialized from the white lotus, seeming to encase the woman as if it were a tangible shield.

With a flash of light, the blade struck the phantom lotus squarely. Initially, it sliced through with ease, penetrating deep. However, after delving several zhang into the lotus phantom, its momentum drastically slowed, and it became trapped within, unable to move an inch.

A hint of triumph appeared on the woman's face, but then the expression in her eyes abruptly shifted.

This was because Han Li, from the opposite side, without a word, hurled out a dark, unassuming object.

As soon as it left his hand, it rapidly expanded against the wind. In the blink of an eye, it transformed into a black mountain over a hundred zhang tall, threateningly plummeting towards the woman within the lotus phantom.

"Thousand-Layer Peak!" the woman blurted out, seeing the colossal mountain descending.

How could she not recognize this ancient treasure, renowned even among cultivators?

Even with her mid-Nascent Soul cultivation and the ancient Buddhist secret art she was currently employing, she would never dare to directly withstand this mountain.

The green-robed woman had no time to ponder; she formed hand seals with both hands. Her body, the white lotus above her head, and the small yellow cauldron merged in a flash of white light, instantly transforming into a wisp of breeze and vanishing from the lotus phantom.

A moment later, about twenty zhang away, a shimmer of light appeared, and the woman's slender form rematerialized within a soft green glow.

The faint white lotus phantom at its original spot, though lacking the woman's magical support, dimmed but did not immediately vanish. However, under the immense pressure of the black colossal mountain, it held for a moment before shattering and scattering.

"Wind Escape Art?" Han Li murmured, a hint of concern rather than joy on his face. He inwardly groaned.

He hadn't expected this woman to possess such an enigmatic escape art, one no less potent than the Lightning Escape Art.

Given this, unless he could corner her in a desperate situation, there was almost no way to defeat her.

Nevertheless, Han Li decided to attempt it anyway.

He still found it hard to believe that her Wind Escape Art was as proficient as his own Wind-Lightning Wings. As long as he could get close, he was confident that with the terrifying power of the Azurefrost Ice Flame, even the most enigmatic white lotus would be easily overcome, allowing him to gravely injure her.

Lost in thought, Han Li's actions were decisive. He pointed a finger, first at the newly freed black-and-red light blade, then at the dozens of Green Bamboo Bee Cloud Swords. Immediately, these items shot like shadows towards the green-robed woman, who had escaped to the side.

Simultaneously, thunder rumbled behind Han Li, and a pair of silver-white wings unfurled behind him.

With a wave of his hands, the blue light shield in front of him rapidly shrunk and flew into Han Li's sleeve. Simultaneously, the enormous black-and-red hand, which had been clutching the now ice-sculpted giant eagle above his head, released its grip. It transformed into a ball of black light and darted straight towards the woman.

Han Li's eyes flickered as he raised a single hand, a ball of blue flame materializing in his palm.

Immediately, his hand shimmered with dazzling blue light, appearing demonic and captivating.

Silver electric arcs flashed wildly, and amidst a booming sound, Han Li vanished instantly.

As Han Li sprang into action, the green-robed woman, witnessing his relentless deployment of treasures, began to feel a significant headache.

She had initially thought that a mere early Nascent Soul cultivator couldn't be so powerful; his strength must merely stem from a few peculiar divine abilities. And as long as she could counter most of those abilities, capturing him should be straightforward.

Yet, to her surprise, in the blink of an eye, he had already unleashed four or five considerably potent treasures. While she, apart from the giant eagle formed from her initial magic treasure, had been constantly suppressed by his attacks. This situation, for someone accustomed to great respect among Mulan cultivators, caused anger to steadily surge within her.

However, the woman also knew that with him protected by so many treasures, it would be difficult to gravely wound him, let alone kill him, relying solely on ordinary cultivation techniques and magic treasures.

Now, seeing Han Li sprout wings and vanish in a flash of lightning, she coldly snorted and finally resolved to employ a killer move to finish him off, even if it meant sacrificing some of her vital energy.

However, she naturally couldn't allow Han Li to approach her easily with his Lightning Escape Art.

With this thought, her mind stirred. The white lotus above her head descended and suddenly vanished into the crown of her head.

Concurrently, Han Li's figure, accompanied by a booming thunderclap and a flash of electrical arcs, materialized three or four zhang from the green-robed woman's side.

With a blur of his form, he instantly closed the distance to within a zhang of the woman. With blue flames flickering, a palm shot out like lightning and silently pressed against the yellow protective shield in front of her.

Han Li was eighty percent certain that the wood-attribute light shield, formed by the small cauldron, would shatter with a single strike from his Azurefrost Ice Flame. Seeing his attack succeed so easily, the green-robed woman within the shield remained motionless in the air, showing no signs of using her Wind Escape Art to evade.

A chill ran through Han Li, and he sensed something was deeply amiss.

Just then, the woman within the light shield suddenly emitted a soft, milky-white glow, and ethereal white lotus petals began to unfurl around her body.

The instant Han Li shattered the yellow light shield with a single strike, his palm was met and obstructed by a single lotus petal.

As the white light and blue flames made contact, Han Li felt his arm vibrate violently. Instantly, his vision was engulfed by a blinding white light, as if he had been gently swept by that very lotus petal.

Despite its slow, unhurried motion, he found himself utterly unable to evade it, watching helplessly as the lotus petal struck his body.

Han Li's heart was filled with dread!

With a 'bang', a sharp pain flared in his chest, and he was sent hurtling backward.

He was propelled a full twenty or thirty zhang away before Han Li barely managed to steady himself, stopping somewhat unsteadily. One hand pressed against his chest, he stared at the woman, his face etched with shock.

He saw that beneath the green-robed woman's feet, a colossal lotus flower, several zhang in size, had mysteriously bloomed. Its pure white petals slowly rotated around her body. The green-robed woman stood expressionlessly within, staring coldly and motionlessly at Han Li.

Meanwhile, the Green Bamboo Bee Cloud Swords and other treasures, following closely in attack, were all easily repelled by these petals. The lotus phantom previously formed now seemed significantly more formidable.

At that moment, Han Li felt a sweet taste in his throat, and couldn't help but open his mouth, spitting out a mouthful of fresh blood.

Han Li inwardly grimaced. This was quite a setback!

With that thought, he expelled a mouthful of stale qi from his body. The hand pressed against his chest slowly moved away, and he lowered his gaze.

The long robe over his chest had been shredded, revealing the dazzling three-colored armor beneath.

This battle armor, which he had deliberately concealed beneath his robe, was deeply dented in a large section, and several thumb-sized cracks had appeared.

Han Li drew a sharp breath, and the severe pain in his chest seemed to intensify further.

With a grim expression, he looked up at the green-robed woman.

He happened to see the woman's gaze sweep over his insect armor, and a hint of disappointment mixed with surprise appeared on her face.

With a cold snort, Han Li casually tore his green robe open with one hand, fully revealing the formidable insect armor.

Then, with a flash of green light from one hand, he gently swept his five fingers over the damaged parts of the battle armor.

An incredible scene unfolded: the dents and cracks on the battle armor, after being brushed by the green light, swiftly mended and swelled at a visible rate.

In the blink of an eye, it was restored to its original, pristine condition.

The green-robed woman's expression shifted slightly, revealing surprise in her eyes. But she quickly reverted to her icy demeanor, her killing intent towards Han Li intensifying even further.

Without further thought, she raised a slender hand to her chest. Her fingers spread, and amidst melodious yet obscure incantations, a stream of green light shot from her sleeve, circling once before settling in her palm.

The light receded, revealing a bronze oil lamp. It was ancient and broken, even faintly blackened with age.

The green-robed woman gazed at the oil lamp, a faint hint of reluctance appearing on her face. She then glared fiercely at Han Li, a cruel glint flashing in her eyes.

Upon seeing the woman's expression, Han Li had a vague premonition of trouble.

Although he didn't know what kind of formidable ancient treasure this oil lamp was, it was truly the first time he had ever seen or even heard of a treasure in the form of a lamp.

After a flurry of thoughts, Han Li's body shimmered with green light, transforming him into a green rainbow that soared across the sky. He swiftly retrieved all his treasures, then, with a shake of the wings on his back, he vanished amidst a clap of thunder.

The next moment, he reappeared in front of the giant eagle, now a frozen sculpture of ice.

Han Li unceremoniously lifted it with one hand. He vanished amidst a roar, reappearing at the edge of the dense fog in a certain direction, and, without hesitation, plunged headfirst into the sea of mist.

The green-robed woman's mouth hung open, her face a mask of utter astonishment.

Since achieving mastery in her cultivation, she had engaged in countless battles with equally formidable opponents. However, she had truly never before encountered a high-level cultivator who, without even suffering a defeat, would unhesitatingly turn and flee.

However, upon seeing Han Li take the giant eagle with him, the woman immediately snapped out of her shock, her astonishment turning to anger. With a sharp cry, she stepped onto the white lotus, cradling the lone lamp in her hand. She then transformed into a wisp of light breeze and pursued him closely.

She too vanished into the dense mist.

Instantly, within this sea of mist, silver arcs and green light constantly flickered, one after the other. Meanwhile, the sounds of thunder and strong winds ceaselessly rose and fell.

In the blink of an eye, Han Li's provocation led the green-robed woman to another unfamiliar location.

There, Han Li's body shimmered with silver light, and he came to a halt.

He lowered his head, glancing at the blue ice sculpture he still held. With a cold sneer, a golden arc suddenly flashed in his palm, and the ice sculpture shattered.