As for Qianqian, the young woman remained enveloped in a sphere of golden light, but now eight palm-sized bronze mirrors had appeared around it, orbiting her body up and down.
The backs of these mirrors were engraved with ancient, primordial patterns, while their reflective surfaces gleamed with a cold, chilling light — their purpose was anyone's guess.
Aside from the treasures they had already revealed, both of them were also gripping other items in their hands, keeping them hidden from view.
Clearly, these two knew full well how dangerous the fog was, and had each made careful preparations.
Even Han Li had a hand hidden inside his sleeve, clutching several azure thunder pearls, ready to be unleashed at a moment's notice should they encounter a formidable enemy.
The surrounding fog was a hazy white, vastly different from ordinary demonic qi, though still far superior to the pitch-black sea of fog far below.
At the very least, there was no need to worry about being corrupted by demonic energy in a short time.
Of course, even Han Li's spirit-eye ability was severely restricted here — his field of vision extended only half a li at most.
And so, though Han Li appeared calm on the surface, he dared not let his guard down in the slightest. His gaze swept across his surroundings while his spiritual sense blanketed everything within several dozen zhang, guarding against any concealing demonic beasts that might creep close.
Since entering this belt of thin mist, all three had tacitly ceased their conversation, silently pressing forward with their heads down.
For them, the best outcome would be to pass through this region without disturbing whatever demonic beasts might lurk within.
And so the three flew for the better part of half an hour, yet the path ahead remained shrouded in wispy fog, with no sign that they were approaching the edge of the region.
Han Li was still fine, maintaining his stoic composure.
But Qianqian had begun to show a trace of anxiety, and Yue Zong's expression had darkened considerably — he was glancing at the insect box in his hands with increasing frequency.
After Han Li flew on a while longer, a series of short, shrill cries suddenly erupted from behind him.
Startled, he slowed his flight slightly and turned to look back.
The insect box in Yue Zong's hands was now blazing with silver light. The strange creature inside had reared up the upper half of its body, its head shaking wildly back and forth as it emitted those peculiar cries.
Not only were the silver spots on the creature's body glowing brilliantly, but the ghostly face pattern inscribed on its head had turned an eerie, blood-red — so vivid it seemed ready to drip.
"That's not good! A high-ranking demonic beast has appeared within ten li and is flying straight toward us — at incredible speed!" Yue Zong's face drained of color, and he shouted a sharp warning to Han Li.
"Tell me which direction," Han Li said calmly, his composure utterly unfazed.
"From the southwest. The number is… five of them altogether." After hearing a few more cries from the insect, Yue Zong blurted out in alarm.
"Five — that's somewhat troublesome. I only wonder what kind of high-ranking demonic beasts they are," Han Li murmured, his gaze snapping toward the southwest in an instant.
His sleeve snapped forward, and with a clear ringing sound, seventy-two azure flying swords shot forth. He began chanting under his breath while flicking rapid incantation seals toward the swords.
Every single sword trembled once, then vanished into thin air without a trace.
Moments later, azure lotus blossoms materialized throughout the surrounding void. Each one blurred and split — one becoming two, two becoming four, four becoming eight.
Azure points of light now dotted the sky above.
The lotus blossoms spun rapidly, swelling to the size of a zhang in the blink of an eye. Linked together as one, they coalesced into a seamless canopy of azure light, sealing off the sky overhead with absolute thoroughness.
Every inch of sky within a hundred zhang had been enveloped beneath the barrier.
This was none other than one of Han Li's great divine abilities — the Spring Lilac Sword Formation!
Only with this formation did Han Li have the confidence to simultaneously trap several high-ranking demonic beasts at once.
Without it, even if he was certain he could slay these creatures, he could not guarantee the safety of the Crystal Clan woman or Yue Zong. If even one high-ranking beast slipped through the cracks, the two of them would be in dire peril.
Both of them were indispensable for this journey, so naturally Han Li had employed his most reliable method.
"A sword formation!"
Qianqian, with her keen knowledge, was first stunned by the sight, then overjoyed.
Yue Zong also showed a look of pleasant surprise — he, too, was well aware of the tremendous power of a sword formation.
Han Li, his expression unchanged, simply waved his sleeve toward the sky.
A wave of azure radiance swept outward, and the light barrier overhead blurred slightly before turning transparent without a sound, eventually vanishing entirely — as though the extraordinary phenomenon had never existed.
Upon witnessing the Spring Lilac Sword Formation's wondrous concealment, Qianqian and Yue Zong felt a renewed surge of confidence in Han Li.
They exchanged a glance, then wisely drifted closer to Han Li, positioning themselves behind him.
Han Li did not turn to look, but he could clearly sense that the two of him maintained a distance of roughly twenty-odd zhang — they had the good sense not to approach too closely.
And at that very moment, several raucous "gu-gu" cries suddenly rang out from the direction Han Li was facing.