Though the white silken net was wondrous in its own right, under the relentless barrage of countless sword streaks it began to shudder violently within the space of a single breath, its light flickering wildly as it teetered on the verge of collapse.
Meanwhile, the black flames and the five-colored radiance surrounding it managed to hold for only a heartbeat before both grew sluggish amid the roiling glow, and were then swallowed up by the surging torrent of light.
The five-colored radiance swept toward the young woman once more.
As for the dark beam spewed from the ancient mirror before her, the moment it made contact with the gray haze it erupted in a succession of muffled booms and disintegrated inch by inch.
The gray haze swept onward. The mirror it struck spun wildly before dimming to an almost lifeless luster within the gray glow, as though it had lost all its spiritual essence.
The Magnetic Divine Light descended without the slightest further obstruction.
The young woman's heart filled with alarm beyond measure!
She had known that Han Li's abilities were extraordinary, but she had never imagined he would prove this troublesome to deal with. After barely a single exchange, she was already completely outmatched.
Gritting her teeth, she hesitated no longer. She rolled toward the ground, and with a flash of spiritual light her body erupted into a column of black flame more than thirty feet high.
From within the flames, a black phoenix roughly ten feet tall manifested in all its proud splendor. A piercing cry that pierced straight to the heavens shrank from its beak, and as it spread its wings a white, shimmering rift in space appeared before it.
The bird's form flickered and plunged into the rift, vanishing without a trace.
In an instant, all of the dense sword streaks that had just shattered the silken net, the five-colored radiance, and the gray haze high above all struck empty air.
"Space-type abilities!" Han Li let out a cold snort. Between his brows, a dark light flickered and a third demonic eye materialized.
The eye shifted, and a thread-thin beam of black light shot out, flashing once before disappearing into thin air as well.
Behind Han Li, his wings stirred, and with a peal of thunder he too vanished. But in the very next instant, a bolt of blue-white lightning flickered thirty feet away, and Han Li's figure reappeared.
Almost simultaneously, from the void several meters below Han Li, a deep rumbling boom rang out. Space rippled, and the black phoenix stumbled into view, its twin phoenix eyes wide with shock.
"The Destruction Dharma Eye!" From the phoenix's beak came a voice tinged with disbelief.
But before the black phoenix could steady itself, an ice-cold snort descended from directly overhead.
Hearing it, the black phoenix's body shuddered violently, nearly plummeting from the sky.
At the same moment, Han Li opened his mouth and spat out a small azure cauldron.
The cauldron let out a clear ring as its lid flew off, and countless azure threads sprayed from within in a dense web, blazing with azure light as they swept downward.
The black phoenix knew it was in grave danger, yet its wings were pinned as though weighed down by ten thousand tons, unable to move even a fraction. With a face full of terror, it was bound tight by the azure threads in an instant.
Han Li's figure blurred, and he appeared right beside the black phoenix. His sleeve flicked, and a pitch-black hand shot out like lightning. Five fingers spread wide and clamped firmly around the phoenix's neck.
By now, the black phoenix had partially recovered from Han Li's soul-stunning attack. Seeing what was happening, it erupted into a frenzy — not only did its body twist desperately within the azure threads in an attempt to break free, but a layer of black flame also surged across its surface, burning fiercely.
The azure threads began to melt and dissolve under the black flames.
Han Li's eyes flashed with blue light. Suddenly, golden scales surfaced along the arm gripping the phoenix's neck and across his cheek. His five fingers clenched with tremendous force, sending a surge of colossal power crushing into the phoenix's throat.
The black phoenix, which had been struggling with all its might, felt its vision go black and nearly lost consciousness.
Then Han Li let out a thunderous shout that set the surrounding air humming, and behind him his wings beat down hard. With one hand clutching the black phoenix, he transformed into a streak of meteor light and hurtled straight toward the ground.
Gripped at its vital point by Han Li's overwhelming strength, the black phoenix was utterly powerless to resist.
A moment later, an earth-shattering crash erupted as the meteor smashed into the ground, and a crater more than thirty feet across instantly caved open.
A flash of azure light, and Han Li's figure materialized above the crater. At its center, the black phoenix lay crumpled and motionless at the bottom.
Though this demoness possessed the body of a spirit bird, after taking such a devastating blow she had been rendered completely unconscious.
Han Li cast a cold gaze down at the black phoenix for a moment, his eyes flickering with thought. Rather than release his sword light to finish her off, he simply reached out with one hand.
A white light flashed over the black phoenix's body, and a storage bracelet detached itself, flying up into Han Li's grasp.
His other hand snapped open, and several talismans shot out in streaks of light, vanishing into the black phoenix's body. He then turned his palm and pressed downward through the empty air. Space rippled, and a small black mountain materialized above the crater. With a flash of gray light, it swelled dozens of meters tall in an instant before slowly descending.
A thunderous roar shook the earth as the black mountain settled down, completely suppressing the black phoenix beneath it.