The two golden-armored warriors were none other than the pair of Shadow Puppets Han Li had summoned using Armor Origin Talismans. They possessed roughly seventy to eighty percent of his strength along with a portion of his abilities, but even so, they were not to be underestimated.
The Blood Puppet, caught between fury and alarm, could not recklessly pursue Han Li. If it attempted to teleport, the attacks would ruthlessly interrupt its spellcasting before the transfer could begin.
It flicked both sleeves, and a howling gust of blood-red wind surged forth, sweeping away the wind blades and the giant serpent in a single motion. Then it opened its mouth again.
With two muffled pops, twin beams of blood-colored light shot out, piercing through the two golden warriors with crackling speed and easily blowing clean holes through their chests.
But the Blood Puppet's pupils contracted sharply, and a flash of disbelief crossed its eyes.
The two golden-armored warriors, bathed in shimmering gold light, simply healed the gaping wounds as though nothing had happened.
One of them raised the golden spear in its hand. A peal of thunder rang out as pale gold arcs of lightning crackled along the shaft, then shot forward and split into over a dozen golden lightning serpents that streaked toward the Blood Puppet with eerie precision.
The other tossed both blades into the air. The twin weapons spun and whirled in a frenzied dance, and within the golden radiance, the ghostly shadows of five genuine skulls materialized. At the same time, its mouth opened, and a torrent of five-colored frost flame came rolling down.
"Hm?"
The surprise in the Blood Puppet's eyes deepened. But such abilities — even if they were only seventy or eighty percent of Han Li's power, or even if Han Li himself had unleashed them — were not something it cared about.
It formed a series of hand seals, and countless specks of blood-red light flickered into existence around its body. The crimson glow then flared brilliant and dense, and a swarm of blood-colored orbs materialized throughout the surrounding space.
With a mental command from the puppet, these orbs shot outward in every direction without a sound.
A series of muffled booms erupted. The moment the orbs made contact with the lightning arcs and frost flame, they transformed into clusters of blood-red fire.
Both the lightning and the frost flame crumbled and dissipated on impact. The blood fire then swept to both sides in a reverse curl, instantly engulfing the two golden warriors.
Even though the two Shadow Puppets desperately brandished their weapons to defend themselves and released sheets of gray-white light to shield their entire bodies — it only caused the blood fire to stall for a brief instant before it crushed through. The blood flame crashed down onto the two warriors.
A horrifying sight unfolded.
Within the raging crimson inferno, the warriors' bodies rapidly dissolved and melted, turning in the blink of an eye into two pools of blood that vanished utterly into the flames.
The Blood Puppet did not pause for even a heartbeat. Its figure blurred and transformed into a streak of blood light, rocketing toward the entrance.
Though Han Li had apparently fled long ago, the puppet was unconcerned.
As long as Han Li had not sprinted several hundred li in a single breath, and as long as its spiritual sense could sweep the area, it could still pinpoint his location and chase him down with ease.
When the blood light burst from the underground and soared skyward, the palace above was empty — not a trace of Han Li in sight.
The puppet materialized from its escape light, scanned the surroundings, and let out a string of cold laughs.
It closed its eyes, formed a hand seal, and released its spiritual sense outward in a wide sweep across the area.
After only a brief moment, the puppet opened its eyes, let out a long, piercing howl, and once again transformed into a blood-red rainbow that shot off into the distance.
The direction was none other than the exit of the blue passage. After a few flickers, the blood rainbow vanished from the palace without a trace.
At full-speed flight, the Blood Puppet's velocity was truly astonishing!
After just a few flickers, the blood-colored escape light arrived at the original entrance — and the blue passage was still intact and waiting.
In the Blood Puppet's spiritual sense, Han Li had already fled beyond a hundred li. Without the slightest hesitation, it drove its escape light forward and plunged into the blue passage.
After a few flickers, the blood rainbow burst through the entrance — when suddenly, a strange roar erupted from the other side, followed by a thunderous crash.
Startled, the Blood Puppet focused its gaze.
There, looming above the entrance at a height of several zhang, crouched a massive Thunder Nether Beast. Silver lightning crackled erratically across its body.
The moment the roar sounded, the beast lunged downward with savage ferocity.
"Impossible!"
The Blood Puppet was utterly shocked and could not help but cry out.
There were already two Thunder Nether beasts in the palace below — how could a third one have suddenly appeared here?!
But facing such a vicious creature, the Blood Puppet was far too alarmed to bother chasing Han Li. Its body flashed with spirit light as a wooden token flew out and spun in midair, projecting a wash of rosy radiance that wrapped it in a tight, impenetrable shield.
The Blood Puppet then formed another set of hand seals. Billowing clouds of blood mist rose from its body, shrouding its form in an obscuring haze.
Against a terrifying existence like the Thunder Nether Beast — something that could fight a peak Fusion stage cultivator head-on — it adopted a defensive strategy as though facing its nemesis.
Only by doing so could it possibly weather the beast's first ferocious onslaught and then devise another way to escape.
But just as the Blood Puppet's figure hesitated at the entrance, losing a precious moment — a low hum resonated from the surrounding void.
Silver runes flickered into existence throughout the nearby space, and with a flash of spirit light, they all shattered simultaneously.
Silver radiance blazed outward. Amidst a churning sea of countless runes, the faint outline of a massive silver formation began to take shape.