A ball of golden light shot forth, circled once, and then transformed into a small beast the size of a leopard that landed on the ground a few feet in front of him.
It was none other than the Leopard Arcane Beast!
The moment the creature appeared, the woman and the other serpent priests froze in surprise — but after sweeping their spiritual sense over the small beast, they all drew in a sharp breath!
The beast radiated an overwhelmingly powerful aura, one that made even the woman shudder with alarm despite her own level of cultivation.
"Go. Kill every single one of those Wuluo," Han Li commanded the beast in a calm, indifferent tone.
The Leopard Arcane Beast's eyes flashed with a fierce gleam. Its body swayed, instantly splitting into seven or eight identical phantom images that shot toward the great hall's doors. The phantom figures blurred slightly, covered dozens of zhang in the blink of an eye, and then vanished simultaneously at the entrance — gone without a trace.
The speed of its movement was simply jaw-dropping.
The woman's expression shifted several times before she managed to maintain a semblance of composure on her face, but the shock she felt inside could easily be imagined.
However, she immediately recalled something, pulled a token from her person, and tapped several points on it in rapid succession while muttering an incantation under her breath.
Instantly, spiritual light flickered across the token, and the five-colored radiance enveloping the great hall outside dissipated.
"Now that the matter has been settled, I won't linger here any longer. I'll return to my quarters to rest and recover. As for this spirit beast, there's no need for you to worry about it. When it's finished, it will return to me on its own," Han Li said calmly.
Without waiting for the woman or any of the other Fire Sun Clan members to voice their gratitude, a flash of azure light enveloped his body, and he transformed into an azure streak that soared out through the door. In several flickers, the azure rainbow shot through the entrance and vanished completely.
Only the group of serpent people from the Fire Sun Clan remained behind, exchanging bewildered glances with one another.
"High Priestess, if you hadn't intervened and convinced this 'Master Han' to stay, our clan would have truly faced extinction!" After a long silence, a serpent man in white robes let out a long sigh, his voice thick with relief.
"Exactly! At the time, we were all quite puzzled by how easily the High Priestess gave away the Blazing Sun Divine Pill to an outsider. Now it seems the High Priestess had far greater foresight than any of us!" Another white-robed priest nodded vigorously.
The woman listened to their praise but could only manage a bitter smile.
"You two are giving me far too much credit. What I did before was simply a desperate measure. It was merely Heaven's blessing upon our clan that Master Han's abilities far exceeded my expectations. Zhu'er, how do you think Master Han compares to your master?" The woman turned to the young girl with the final question, her expression grave.
When Bai Zhu'er heard her mother's question, her brows furrowed. After a long pause, she answered hesitantly:
"My master is a Fifth Order being of the Upper Race. But even if my master were personally here, dealing with those two Wuluo royal clan members would have required considerable effort — she certainly couldn't have eliminated them so effortlessly."
Hearing the young girl's roundabout response, the woman naturally understood what it implied. She nodded without showing any surprise.
The white-robed priests nearby, however, wore looks of amazement on their faces. One of them even murmured to himself:
"Could Master Han be a high-ranking existence of the Upper Race? If so, then even the Silver Shark Dweller — the strongest presence in the surrounding seas — might not be his match."
"That's hard to say. The Silver Shark Dweller is also a Third Order existence of the Upper Race. Even if their cultivation levels are roughly comparable, the outcome of a battle would depend on the techniques and methods they practice, as well as the power of the treasures they possess," the woman let out a long breath and said slowly.
Hearing this, the white-robed serpent men nodded as well, each lost in their own thoughts, and no one spoke for a moment.
"How long does Master Han intend to stay on Fire Cloud Island? Is there any chance he might settle here permanently?" Finally, one of them hesitated before asking.
"He hasn't mentioned anything of the sort. But I expect he won't leave immediately, nor will he stay for very long. With Senior Han's level of cultivation, a small clan like ours has no means of retaining him." The woman seemed to understand what the priest was getting at. Her expression shifted briefly, but she shook her head.
At the woman's words, the white-robed serpent man's brows knitted tightly, and silence once again fell over the hall.
"That's enough — we can discuss other matters later. The battle outside isn't over yet. Although the two Wuluo royal clan members have been eliminated, there may still be other high-level Wuluo present. Master Han's spirit beast may be formidable, but it can't possibly hunt down every last one of them. Let's head out and lend a hand. The sooner we wipe out these Wuluo, the fewer of our clansmen we'll lose." The woman swept her gaze toward the hall's exterior and issued these instructions.
The four white-robed serpent men's minds cleared at once upon hearing this. They bowed and voiced their agreement in unison.
The six of them then activated their movement techniques and flew out of the great hall, hurtling toward the area where the sounds of battle were loudest.
…
Not long afterward, Han Li returned to his quarters and immediately entered the wooden hut where he was staying. He reactivated the protective restrictions, then sat cross-legged on the bed.
His eyes flickered, and a faint look of contemplation appeared on his face.
With the two most powerful Wuluo killed and the Leopard Arcane Beast lending its aid, the battle for the earth city was essentially decided.
This meant he had repaid the woman's gift of the divine pill. Now he needed half a year to fully recover from his remaining injuries.
As these thoughts ran through his mind, a slight smile appeared at the corner of Han Li's lips — but in the next instant, something else occurred to him. He abruptly flipped his hand, and with a flash of black light, a piece of veil-like cloth materialized.
It was the treasure he had obtained from the two Wuluo royal clan members.
Han Li stared at the object in his hand, his expression one of keen interest.
The veil was a pale shade of black, thin as a single layer, yet it felt extraordinarily soft and smooth to the touch — cool and slippery. When moved slightly, black runes surfaced and flickered across it. At a single glance, it was clearly no ordinary treasure.
After studying it for a while, Han Li extended one finger and pressed it against the veil.