"It must be the one up ahead. She really does have some abilities. But now that I've caught up, if he still manages to escape, that truly would be the joke of a lifetime." A woman's voice drifted over.
Within the dark radiance behind them were none other than the shadowy woman and
Somehow, they had tracked
The dark light around the two of them swirled in a circle, then abruptly coalesced into a massive black formation array.
Strange light flickered through the formation, and in the next instant, the woman and Xue Du's figures blurred slightly before vanishing together.
An unbelievable scene unfolded moments later.
Ahead, at a distance that was not far off, the fabric of space suddenly rippled. A colossal black formation array materialized out of thin air.
Han Li was startled. He tried to halt his escape, but it was already a beat too late.
With his
Han Li's vision went dark. All around him surged waves of black radiance, and gusts of cold yin wind swept inward from every direction. It was as though he had plunged through the gates of the underworld itself.
Alarm surged through his heart. Without time for further thought, a crack of thunder rang out from his body, and countless arcs of golden lightning sprang outward, writhing like golden lightning snakes.
The roar of thunder filled the air!
The moment any of the black light or yin wind touched the golden arcs, they met their bane and detonated one after another, utterly annihilated.
"Exorcism Lightning! You've actually cultivated this divine lightning!" The woman's voice echoed from all around, brimming with wild elation.
Han Li was taken aback, unsure what she meant. Just then, he felt the surrounding black radiance begin to rotate, picking up speed with every passing moment.
Aghast, he summoned the golden arcs with a crack of thunder. They swept inward, forming a suit of golden lightning armor that encased his entire body.
But at that very instant, a woman's light, tinkling laughter reached his ears.
"There's no need to panic, Fellow Daoist. I bear you no ill will — I merely wish to invite you to stay at my place for a short while."
As if Han Li would ever agree to such a thing. His wings moved behind him, and he made to flee.
But the woman had evidently anticipated this. She suddenly pressed her palm down through the air.
An invisible, immense force crashed down upon him. Even with Han Li's formidable physical strength, his body froze in place for a heartbeat.
His heart sank without warning.
And in that brief moment of hesitation, the giant formation array flashed with dark light, and all three of them vanished at once.
After a dizzying, spinning sensation, Han Li mentally cursed his luck and hastily circulated his
He found himself standing atop a high platform that resembled a sacrificial altar — transported here in the blink of an eye from midair. The ground beneath his feet was yet another teleportation array.
Not far away, the woman and Xue Jiao stood motionless, as though they had never moved a single step in the first place.
From the dense shroud of dark energy in the surrounding air, he could tell this had to be some level of the Abyss — at least two levels below the surface.
What chilled him further was that seven or eight demonic creatures of varying shapes stood around the platform, each one bearing a half-human, half-beast appearance.
Their cultivation was not particularly high — roughly at the Nascent Soul or Spirit Transformation stage.
But judging by the sprawling complex of buildings nearby, he had clearly been teleported into the lair of some demon clan.
Han Li silently bemoaned his fate. Not daring to make any rash moves, he simply stared at the woman across from him in silence, saying nothing.
This woman was clearly the master Xue Jiao had spoken of. Otherwise, how could she possess such extraordinary abilities — bringing him here with nothing more than a casual gesture?
"Come with me to the great hall first, Fellow Daoist. We can chat there." The shadowy woman chuckled softly, then drifted through the air toward the distant cluster of buildings.
Xue Du gave Han Li a curious look, then followed after the shadowy woman without a second glance. Neither of them seemed the least bit worried that Han Li might attempt to flee again.
Han Li swept his gaze across the buildings, then looked up at the sky in the distance, a wry smile forming on his face.
Grey clouds blanketed the sky above, with dark lightning flashing within them from time to time. An invisible spiritual pressure flickered faintly through the air — clearly a powerful restriction laid down by someone of immense Magical Power. There was no way he could break through it in any short amount of time.
But judging by the woman's words earlier, she did not seem inclined to kill him outright anytime soon. If that was the case, he might as well hear what she had to say. As long as he didn't provoke her, there should be room to play things by ear.
After all, he had never held any stubborn notion that humans and demons could not coexist.
Having settled on a plan, Han Li felt somewhat reassured. A flash of green light enveloped him as he transformed into a ball of green radiance and followed after them.
Led by the shadowy woman, Han Li arrived before the tallest structure among the cluster of buildings — a grand wooden hall — and touched down.