Hearing
Qin Xiao, in particular, was most obedient. After placing one of the fruits neatly inside a case, she presented it to Han Li with both hands.
Han Li didn't stand on ceremony. With a flick of his sleeve, a swirl of azure light swept past, and the wooden case vanished without a trace.
By now, Lei Lan and Bai Bi had also finished collecting their own Nether Flame Fruits and returned nearby.
"Let's go! Don't stop anywhere along the way. We must return to the surface as quickly as possible." Han Li said in a low, heavy voice. Azure light flared around his body, and he transformed into an azure streak that shot into the sky.
He didn't waste a single unnecessary word.
Bai Bi and the others didn't know why Han Li had suddenly become so desperate to leave the Abyss, but they guessed it had something to do with the fleeing Blood Dragon. If even the unfathomable Han Li was acting this way, it only made them more uneasy.
Not daring to fall behind even slightly, Lei Lan and the rest summoned their own streaks of light and hurried after him.
The group broke through the air and vanished in the blink of an eye.
Two days later, on the third level of the Abyss, inside that grand wooden hall, the enormous golden lotus was still there. Atop it, the shadowy figure of a woman sat with her chin resting in one hand, apparently lost in thought.
At this moment, the hall was empty save for two green-robed maids standing nearby.
Suddenly, a streak of blood-red light shot in through the hall's entrance. As the glow faded, a blood-colored creature with a dragon's head and a human's body knelt on one knee inside the hall.
It was none other than the Blood Dragon who had just fought Han Li!
"Greetings, Master!" the Blood Dragon said.
"So it's you. How did things go? Did you kill those people and bring back their souls?" The woman's gaze swept over the Blood Dragon as she asked in a flat tone.
"Reporting to Master. Xuedu was incompetent and failed to kill them." The Blood Dragon lowered its dragon head slightly and replied.
"Oh? So these people really are problematic." The woman showed no anger. Instead, she grew interested.
"Yes, Master. The others were nothing special — ordinary Spirit General-level Flying Spirit People. But one of them, at the Spirit General cultivation level, withstood the full force of my Heavenly Gang Blood Lightning and even took a direct hit from my Blood River Nether Needle with his physical body, deflecting it back. You had previously instructed me, Master, to report immediately if anything seemed off. So after my first strike failed, I returned at once to give my report." Xuedu explained everything clearly and methodically.
"He withstood the Heavenly Gang Blood Lightning, and his physical body deflected the Blood River Nether Needle?" The dark shadow atop the golden lotus had expected to hear something unusual, but even so, the Blood Dragon's words gave her a small start.
"That's right. Not only that, this person's escape technique is extraordinarily impressive as well. He possesses several other great abilities. Even if I fought him with everything I had, I would most likely still lose." The Blood Dragon hesitated briefly, then added.
"The other abilities are nothing special. There are ten thousand techniques in this world, and possessing a few heaven-defying abilities or being able to withstand my Heavenly Gang Blood Lightning is hardly cause for surprise. But to deflect my Nether River Divine Needle with his physical body at the Spirit General level — that is something else entirely. It means his physical body is already at the absolute peak of toughness, making him the perfect sacrificial blood offering. Excellent. We were supposed to prepare three supreme-grade blood offerings in the end, and so far we've only found one. I was just worrying about that!" The woman's voice actually carried a note of delight.
"Master, you mean..."
"Naturally, I shall personally capture this man alive and use him as the final sacrificial blood offering." The woman's tone turned cold and sinister.
"But Master, isn't this the person Lord Di
"Old monster Di Xue claims he wants to kill these Flying Spirit People, but in truth he's after their Yin souls. He probably has some deal with the Yin Spectral Ghost Crone. I only want this man's physical body — it doesn't conflict with Di Xue's goals in the slightest. What is there to worry about?" the woman said coldly, having guessed the Blood-Robed Man's purpose with surprising accuracy.
"Master sees through all!" The Blood Dragon suddenly understood.
"There's no time to waste. I'll head over immediately. Xuedu, you'll teleport to the second level with me, and we'll chase this man down together." The woman gave her order.
"As you command!" The Blood Dragon answered respectfully and rose to its feet.
The dark shadow atop the golden lotus flickered, and the woman, wreathed in hazy black light, materialized like a ghost beside the Blood Dragon in an instant.
She formed a hand seal with one hand, chanting softly under her breath. Immediately, a swath of light as dark as ink erupted from her body. With a single swirling motion, it enveloped them both.
A flash, and the two of them vanished without a trace within the dark radiance.
…
On the other side, under Han Li's relentless urging, Lei Lan and the others managed to cover in just over one day a journey that had previously taken them several days, and still they flew on without rest.
Fortunately, the dangers and spirit beasts along the route had already been cleared out once before, and they were familiar with the path, so they didn't need to deliberate or distraction themselves.
But even so, pushing forward day and night at this intensity was draining the spiritual power within Bai Bi, Qin Xiao, and the others considerably. They were feeling the strain. Yet every time the three looked up at Han Li, who was flying far ahead of them, his face still as dark as water, a wave of anxiety washed through them, and they dared not voice a single complaint. All they could do was grit their teeth and keep going.