Chapter 777: Battle at the Border (5)

The five-colored screen conjured by the cultivators was clearly a restriction specifically designed to counter spirit arts. Despite the seemingly devastating attack, the colorful screen remained completely unshaken.

Upon seeing this, Long Han's face showed a hint of joy.

The more than a thousand cultivators who flew out were all elite, well-trained disciples of the Nine Nations Alliance, capable of skillfully deploying this magic formation. After witnessing its power, Wei Wuya hadn't exaggerated its capabilities.

Seeing their attack yield no results, the gaunt elder's face turned grim. Nevertheless, he unhesitatingly issued another command to attack. Amidst the incantations from the spellcasters' ranks, what materialized this time were no longer simple fireballs and ice spears, but individual fiery crows and crystal-clear ice pythons, slowly taking shape in the air. Naturally, this took longer than the first round of attacks.

At this moment, a slight commotion rippled through the opposing cultivators' ranks, and a squad of green-robed cultivators flew out from their protective barrier. They simultaneously unhooked their spirit beast pouches from their waists and hurled them high into the sky. With their mouths facing downwards, the spirit beast pouches spewed forth colorful rays of light, from which dozens of demonic beasts of various forms flew out.

The three leading ones were particularly extraordinary. One was a rare Dragon-Horse Beast, with dragon horns on its head, armored scales, and a shimmering white glow. Another was a two-headed demonic lion covered in green fur, exhaling a foul stench. The last one was even more terrifying: a giant, crimson-red venomous scorpion, fifty to sixty feet long, with a dark, purplish stinger on its back that sent shivers down one's spine!

These demonic beasts were a formidable batch of spirit beasts meticulously bred by the Demonic Dao's Spirit Taming Sect. Once released, they immediately charged, led by the three powerful beasts, towards the incoming giant beasts and the ethereal spirit beasts conjured by the spellcasters. For a moment, demonic winds surged, and the hordes of beasts clashed. While only the three leading spirit beasts could individually engage and tie down a single savage giant beast, the remaining spirit beasts, numerous and well-trained, swarmed forward. They managed to halt the giant beasts' advance and even gained a slight upper hand.

As the demonic beasts flew out, several thousand cultivators also ascended, dividing into five teams that charged directly towards the opposing side. Along the way, they activated their respective magic tools, launching a rain-like barrage of attacks towards the spellcasters' formation. The spirit arts conjured by the spellcasters' ranks this time were clearly more ferocious than before, as they wouldn't quietly wait for their opponents to finish casting. Countless magic tools, like crashing waves, continuously pounded against the Mulan people's protective grand formation.

The gaunt elder's face sank. After a cold snort, he gave an order, and a large number of spellcasters also flew out. Instantly, both sides engaged in fierce combat high in the sky between the two formations, with spirit arts, magic tools, and magic treasures intertwining like countless fireflies. After only a brief clash, hundreds of individuals had their protective magic tools destroyed by the enemy, and their bodies directly exploded, falling from high in the sky. It was exceptionally brutal!

But with just this brief delay, the spellcasters' spirit art attack was ready. Dozens of fiery crows and ice pythons, as if alive, shot towards the opposing cultivators' army. However, this time, the cultivators' army was also prepared. Before these attacks could land, countless magic treasures and tools soared skyward, instantly destroying more than half of the fiery crows and ice pythons. The remaining few that slipped through were all blocked by the five-colored light screen. Although the light screen wavered a few times, it was not truly threatened.

Upon seeing this, Long Han frowned. It seemed that while the Nine Nations Alliance's protective formation was formidable, it still couldn't completely block more powerful spirit art attacks. So, after taking a deep breath, he coldly gave an order.

The cultivators' army, protected by the five-colored screen, began to slowly advance towards the opposing spellcaster formation. Simultaneously, the cultivators activated their magic tools and treasures, transforming them into various spiritual lights that floated in the air or protected their bodies. Various incantations also rang out, causing these magic tools and treasures to glow brightly, ready to unleash a full-power strike at any moment.

Seeing this, the elder in the spellcasters' ranks had a cold glint in his eyes. He knew that the opponent's risky proactive attack was meant to prevent them from having more time to cast spirit art formations. And from the looks of it, they indeed had no time for another round of attacks. After a similar command, the spellcaster army, protected by a massive light shield, also slowly moved towards their opponents.

The distance between the two sides rapidly shortened. When only a thousand feet remained between them, and they could even faintly discern the faces of their enemies, seven soft 'thudding' sounds were heard first from the cultivators' ranks. Seven white jade talismans were solemnly cast forth by seven elders of the Luanming Sect. As soon as the jade talismans left their hands, they transformed into seven white rainbows that shot towards the sky above the spellcaster army. After circling dozens of feet high in the air, they each revealed their true forms. With a contraction and expansion, an earth-shattering thunderclap suddenly emanated from the talismans. Then, the seven jade talismans shattered, and seven dazzling white electric orbs emerged. They then rapidly expanded. In the blink of an eye, they transformed into colossal presences, like blazing suns. Seven white blazing suns, each over a hundred feet in diameter, shone brightly, floating above the cultivators' army.

This scene was quite astonishing; many spellcasters couldn't help but look up, their faces revealing expressions of horror. "No good! They're ancient talismans!" The gaunt elder, who had previously been composed, paled with shock upon seeing this. But before he could take any action, the seven blazing suns exploded one after another. Immediately, the sky above the spellcasters was filled with crackling, scorching white electric arcs, forming seven gigantic electric nets that descended. The cultivators, as if spurred on, threw out countless colorful talismans, each shimmering with various spiritual lights, covering the sky. At this moment, a dull rumble of thunder, amid a flash of white light, resonated.

"Looks like it's getting lively out there!" Han Li muttered to himself. At this moment, he stood with his hands clasped behind his back, gazing at the blood-red barrier before him, his face betraying no sign of panic from being trapped. Ever since he realized that the spellcasters' true intention was to trap them, Han Li's slight worry had vanished. Although the Mulan people used this method, they surely had full confidence in this barrier. However, Han Li was even more confident in breaking through this restriction.

However, deciding when to exit and by what means to break the barrier was something that required careful consideration. It wasn't a case of the sooner he got out, the better. While Han Li was willing to contribute to Tiannan's resistance against the Mulan people, he also didn't want to become cannon fodder, dying senselessly in the initial chaos of battle. After all, this wasn't a one-on-one duel where dealing with a single opponent would suffice. If, at the very beginning, he were simultaneously targeted by several Nascent Soul cultivators, or attacked by dozens or even hundreds of spellcasters, even with his Lightning Evasion Art, it would still be extremely dangerous. Only by avoiding the initial chaos, when most high-level cultivators and spellcasters were already engaged, would it be relatively safer to exit. The probability of being encircled would be greatly reduced. Of course, if he hadn't been trapped by the blood barrier, Han Li would have had other ways to avoid the initial clash. But now, it was even more legitimate for him to avoid the most perilous moment of this battle.

The thunderous roar that had just emanated was truly astonishing. Even though Han Li was inside, he could still feel the barrier tremble slightly from the thunder's vibrations. It was likely a prelude to the two sides finally clashing. He wondered which side had unleashed such a formidable attack. Presumably, the other side wouldn't have an easy time receiving an attack of such power.

With that thought, Han Li sighed, turned his head, and examined other parts of the barrier. This blood barrier was indeed somewhat peculiar. Even with his divine sense, he couldn't penetrate it in the slightest. Moreover, this restriction seemed clearly to be a demonic cultivation technique, yet his Spirit-Dispelling Divine Thunder had no effect on it at all, which greatly piqued Han Li's interest. Earlier, he had also used his Bright Clarity Spirit Eyes to inspect various parts of the blood barrier. The result was nothing but a blurry red expanse, yielding no findings.

However, Han Li was not in a hurry. The battle outside had only just begun; he had plenty of time to study how to break the barrier. Opening his mouth, Han Li spat out a small green sword. Under the urging of his divine sense, the sword transformed into a foot-long green rainbow and fiercely struck the barrier. A muffled 'thud' echoed, but the barrier remained completely unmoved, while the flying sword was instead bounced back several feet.

Han Li showed no surprise. After retracting the flying sword, he flipped his hand, and a dark, indistinct object appeared in his palm: it was the ancient fort, 'Thousandfold Peak'. Han Li tossed the treasure and formed a hand seal with both hands. After a flash of black light, a small mountain over a hundred feet tall silently appeared before Han Li. Han Li extended a finger and gently pointed at the mountain. Immediately, the peak trembled and unceremoniously smashed down towards the distant barrier. A mighty crash resounded, and after a brief intertwining of black light and blood-red glow, the mountain peak was also bounced back. The barrier merely trembled a few times, as if unaffected.

A hint of surprise finally appeared on Han Li's face. After stroking his chin, he suddenly pointed directly at the small mountain again. This time, the treasure transformed into a streak of black light and shot to the center of the blood barrier. Then, incantations emanated from his mouth, and the small mountain rapidly grew in size within the light. A moment later, it reached seven to eight hundred feet tall, its peak and base almost touching the ground and the top of the barrier. However, Han Li showed no intention of stopping; instead, he raised his hand and cast several more magic seals onto the small mountain. The small mountain's growth rate increased by a third. After a rumbling tremor, the peak, now over a thousand feet tall, stood like a colossal pillar directly propped against the center of the blood barrier, its entire form shimmering with flickering black spiritual light.

Under this pressure, the top of the blood barrier began to slightly deform and bulge outwards. The entire barrier vibrated violently. Seeing this, Han Li's heart rejoiced. Spiritual energy swiftly flowed through his body, and he continuously cast various magic seals onto the small mountain. The black mountain peak continued to slowly expand, and the deformation at the top of the blood barrier became increasingly obvious. However, once the bulging reached a certain extent, no matter how Han Li cast spells to urge it, the blood barrier's deformation mysteriously ceased. The black mountain peak's enlargement was also abruptly halted.

Han Li stopped casting magic seals, narrowed his eyes, and stared at the top of the blood barrier. It seemed that the idea of using the Thousandfold Peak to burst this restriction was also unfeasible. Now, he would have to try whether the Azureflame Ice and Violet Heavenflame could break through this barrier.