Chapter 893: Coldness

The robed figure turned pale with fright and frantically activated the silk handkerchief-shaped magic item beneath his feet, shooting backward to evade the attacking ape-vultures.

However, he had clearly underestimated the two ape-vultures. As Level 2 demonic beasts, they naturally possessed some magical abilities.

Before the two demonic birds even landed, a piercing shriek, like the cry of an ape, burst from their mouths.

Upon hearing this sound, the blue-robed figure’s mind felt as if it had been struck by a heavy hammer, and his body swayed uncontrollably, unable to stand steady. A foul, acrid wind immediately swept over his head. With a cry of "Ah!", the blue-robed figure's face instantly went ashen.

Almost simultaneously, two muffled thuds were heard as two fist-sized fireballs shot out from an unknown source, silently and with incredible precision, striking the two demonic birds.

A loud explosion erupted, red light flashed, and two bursts of intense flames enveloped the ape-vultures, the scorching heat instantly filling the nearby space.

The ape-like cries abruptly ceased. The blue-robed figure’s heart was naturally filled with both surprise and joy, feeling as if he had narrowly escaped death. He was not foolish; he immediately activated his magic item, and with a "whoosh," shot more than ten zhang away. He then hastily pulled out a talisman and hurriedly stuck it onto his body.

A layer of yellow light barrier suddenly appeared around his body.

At this moment, the blue-robed figure finally felt a bit relieved, realizing that practicing spells normally and engaging in actual combat were two completely different things. It had almost cost him, a newly Foundation Establishment cultivator, his life.

Thinking of this, he couldn't help but look downwards to one side, and immediately saw Han Li, who was wearing a cloak of the same color. Surprised, he naturally knew who had saved his life.

The two fireballs released by Han Li, with his Foundation Establishment cultivation, naturally couldn't instantly kill the two Level 2 demonic beasts. Instead, they immediately caused the two ape-vultures to burst out of the flames, their ferocity greatly unleashed.

Immediately, these two demonic birds, whose feathers had been burnt off considerably, no longer paid attention to the blue-robed figure. They turned around and lunged towards Han Li's carriage.

Meanwhile, the other ape-vulture, which had one claw severed, its eyes bloodshot, continued to lunge towards the blue-robed figure.

Han Li watched the two giant birds flying towards him. He unconsciously frowned. Suddenly, with a flick of his hand, he slapped the storage pouch at his waist, and two streaks of white light shot out.

Then, after a flash in the wind, two snow-white centipedes, about half a chi long, appeared in the air.

Compared to the ape-vultures, these two centipedes were disproportionately small. However, once released, they appeared unusually excited, emitting strange squeaking cries from their mouths, and fearlessly charged directly at the two ape-vultures.

The two demonic birds that were lunging forward, upon seeing these two centipedes summoned, inexplicably showed apprehension on their ape-like heads. They abruptly flapped their wings wildly and halted their advance. After even sniffing carefully, they immediately turned around and fled in extreme fear.

The aura of ancient wondrous insects was naturally not something such low-level demonic beasts dared to approach.

However, the two centipedes had no intention of letting them go. With a strange cry, they simultaneously opened their mouths, and two gushes of misty white cold air surged out, instantly transforming the nearby area into a vast expanse of white. The ape-vultures only managed a single mournful cry before being submerged within it.

With a "whoosh," the two centipedes then shot into the cold air without hesitation.

Seeing this, Han Li no longer paid attention to the situation in front of him and turned his gaze towards the blue-robed figure.

He saw the blue-robed figure, drenched in sweat, desperately controlling the small sword magic item, struggling intensely with the largest, injured ape-vulture.

Although the demonic bird was heavily wounded, its ferocity remained. Its entire body transformed into a brown-grey blur, maneuvering with exceptional agility around the blue-robed figure, relentlessly tearing at the protective barrier with its single sharp claw. Its incessant cries made the blue-robed figure flustered and unable to fully concentrate on the enemy.

While the flying sword magic item was powerful, its operator was very inexperienced. Even though he had unexpectedly injured the enemy just now, he could now only desperately chase after the demonic bird.

As for using other spells or talismans, it was clearly beyond the blue-robed figure's capabilities. Just controlling the sword artifact was already extremely difficult, let alone diverting his attention to other matters.

If nothing unexpected happened, his defeat and death were only a matter of time.

Han Li's eyes, gleaming with cold light, swept over this ape-vulture a few times. Just as he was wondering whether to intervene and take down this demonic bird as well, the demonic bird, sensing something unknown, suddenly let out a sharp cry. It abruptly abandoned the blue-robed figure, and with a flap of its wings, shot into the sky, reaching more than ten zhang away in the blink of an eye.

This scene greatly surprised not only the blue-robed figure but also Han Li. However, with a cold snort, he unceremoniously raised his hand, and a red line flashed out instantly.

The demonic bird immediately trembled, plummeted directly from the sky, and after crashing heavily onto the ground, it lay motionless.

Although he had only recently entered the Heavenly Rift Grassland, Han Li had heard that these demonic birds called ape-vultures were extremely vengeful.

He didn't want any unnecessary trouble later. It was better to leave none alive.

However, Han Li's action startled the blue-robed figure, who blurted out:

"A flying needle? You actually have a needle-type magic item!" His voice was full of shock.

"What, is it strange for me to use a needle-type magic item?" Han Li glanced at him and said indifferently. He then gestured towards the demonic bird's corpse on the ground with his hand, and a red line shot back from it, flashing once before landing in his palm.

Indeed, it was a gleaming red, inch-long silver needle.

"Of course not, it's just that..."

Before he could explain anything, two more muffled thuds came from the side.

Two huge, crystalline white ice blocks fell from the sky, creating two deep, several-chi-wide craters on the ground. Trapped within the ice blocks were the other two ape-vultures, but these two demonic birds now had frozen eyes, clearly devoid of any life.

The blue-robed figure watched, dumbfounded. Then, the ice blocks flashed with light, and two white lights soared into the air from them. After circling once, they landed on either side of Han Li's shoulders, revealing their true centipede forms.

"Are these spiritual insects you've raised, esteemed Daoist?" The blue-robed figure swallowed hard, then asked blankly.

"Indeed, they are two Frost Snow Centipedes I've raised!" Han Li reached out and stroked the back of one of the centipedes, speaking calmly.

The Frost Snow Centipede was not something Han Li had fabricated; such a wondrous insect truly existed. Once mature, its form was very similar to that of the Six-Winged Frost Cicada. Unless one was a cultivator well-versed in the art of insect taming, it would indeed be difficult to distinguish between the two.

What Han Li never expected was that after observing the two centipedes, the blue-robed figure would eagerly say:

"Fellow Daoist, are you willing to transfer ownership of your flying needle and spiritual insects? I, Feng, am willing to pay a high price for them!"

Han Li was momentarily stunned, then chuckled softly.

"Fellow Daoist, are you joking? Not only have these spiritual insects already acknowledged a master, but even if I were willing to sell this flying needle magic item, you might not be able to afford it."

"Spirit stones are not an issue, Fellow Daoist, just name your price!" The blue-robed figure seemed quite wealthy, speaking without hesitation.

After witnessing Han Li control the needle to instantly kill the demonic bird, the blue-robed figure's heart had become somewhat fervent.

Hearing this, Han Li's eyes slightly narrowed. But after carefully gazing at the other person for a long moment, his expression darkened, and he said in a cold tone:

"Apologies! I am accustomed to using this needle, and for now, I have no intention of selling it."

"If Fellow Daoist is unwilling, then so be it. If I possessed such a sharp magic item, I wouldn't sell it easily either. Just disregard what I said. My name is Feng Yue, and I haven't yet thanked Fellow Daoist for saving my life. May I ask for your esteemed name?" The blue-robed figure was utterly disappointed upon hearing this, but after a slight shift in his eyes, he asked with extreme politeness.

"My surname is Han! Let's have someone clean up first." Han Li said indifferently.

"Clean up?" The blue-robed figure was startled by the reply. Only after glancing left and right did he realize that, at some unknown point, the mortals who had been hiding everywhere had already stood up. However, all of them, with expressions of awe, were gathered more than ten zhang away.

Only Ying Lu and the burly man surnamed Ba stood closer, their faces slightly excited, quietly listening to the two Immortal Masters converse. The old man among them was even grinning from ear to ear with joy.

He had clearly seen just now that these three terrifying demonic birds, which were utterly irresistible to them, were almost entirely wiped out by Immortal Master Han, whom he had hired midway. The profound abilities of this Immortal Master far exceeded his expectations; it was truly a pleasant surprise!

It seemed that even leading the group on their own, there shouldn't be too many problems.

"These few demonic beasts, you can dispose of them. Apart from the claws and a few long tail feathers, the fur and meat are useless to me; you can keep them." Han Li instructed the burly man and the old man in a commanding tone.

According to the rules of the grassland, whoever killed the demonic beast would naturally own its spoils.

Although Han Li actually had no regard for these low-grade materials, as he was currently playing the role of a Foundation Establishment cultivator, it was naturally impossible for him to dismiss them as worthless.

"Yes! We respectfully obey Immortal Master's command." The old man said, delighted once more.

Although the ape-vultures' hides and meat were insignificant to cultivators, they were rare treasures for them, mortals. They could be exchanged for many valuable items.

The burly man also respectfully assented from the side.

Then, after the two shouted a few instructions, several strong young men immediately came over and walked towards the three demonic bird corpses. They prepared to process the bodies of the three ape-vultures as Han Li had instructed.

The one killed by Han Li's flying needle was fine, but the two that were frozen would need to be smashed with a large hammer.

"Immortal Master Feng, if you are alright, you can go back and rest. I, Han, am also a bit tired; I'll head back first." Han Li turned his head and said indifferently to the blue-robed figure. Then, without waiting for a reply, he simply turned back to his own carriage.

Seeing Han Li's indifferent attitude, the blue-robed figure's heart instantly sank.

Originally, seeing how powerful the other's magic items and spiritual insects were, he had intended to befriend him for other purposes. But he hadn't expected the other party to give him no chance to speak, leaving so coldly.

This left him extremely embarrassed.

However, the other party had just shown him kindness, and their strength was clearly extraordinary, so he couldn't get angry.

After a long moment, the blue-robed figure finally sighed and somewhat sullenly returned to his own carriage.

He did not know that Han Li, who was seated cross-legged in his carriage, was watching his retreating back with flickering eyes, lost in thought.

"Master! This person has some background, but why are you so distant towards him?" Silvermoon's curious voice echoed in Han Li's mind.

After this period of quiet recuperation, although his maidservant was still severely weakened, she could at least speak without hindrance now.