Of course, even though the Flying Rainbow Fish were this formidable, it still paled in comparison to their sheer rarity.
Otherwise, they wouldn't have been swiftly eradicated throughout the Spirit Realm by powerful cultivators the moment they appeared, vanishing as quickly as they had come.
That he had encountered this bizarre fish here was truly an enormous surprise.
Despite the records describing the Flying Rainbow Fish's toxicity as absolutely terrifying, Han Li still harbored some skepticism.
Without delay, he waved one hand.
A layer of gray, misty barrier materialized before him, while his other hand flipped over and a torrent of five-colored radiant flame surged forth.
Both barriers churned and expanded, settling into a layered shield of light that enveloped him completely.
Next, Han Li shook his sleeve without a moment's hesitation, and dozens of small azure swords poured out in a torrent, spiraling around him before splitting with a hum into several hundred streaks of sword light.
Each one glowed with an azure luminescence and glinted with cold brilliance, packing the surrounding void in a dense, shimmering net.
The Flying Rainbow Fish nearby took one look at this sight, and without anyone knowing which one had done it, a single piercing shriek rang out.
In an instant, every fish blazed with light and charged directly at Han Li, surging forward with menacing ferocity.
"Sever."
Han Li's expression turned grim. He formed a sword seal with one hand and let out a cold, low bark from his mouth.
Several hundred streaks of sword light shuddered once, then shot outward in every direction. Thick beams of azure radiance swept through the fish school in devastating arcs.
Wherever the sword light passed, every fish it touched was cleaved cleanly in half, their corpses raining down as clumps of green gore.
In the blink of an eye, over a thousand Flying Rainbow Fish had been obliterated, and a thick stench of blood filled the air nearby!
Yet despite the razor-sharp lethality of the Azure Bamboo Cloudswarm Swords, the fish continued to swarm from all sides without pause—there was no way to slaughter them all at once.
The remaining fish that flew close enough opened their mouths and sprayed fist-sized globules of green liquid, blanketing the air as they hurtled toward Han Li.
Han Li's expression shifted, and the sword seal in his hand changed once more.
The sword light that had been sweeping wildly in all directions suddenly contracted, condensing with a clear ringing into a colossal azure lotus. Rotating slowly, its petals formed a layered defensive curtain of sword light that completely shielded Han Li at its center.
Several hundred streams of sword light converged into this formation, transforming entirely into a defensive posture!
Han Li understood perfectly well—as long as he could withstand the Flying Rainbow Fish's poisonous attacks, annihilating them all in one sweep was far from impossible.
After all, the fish's greatest trump card was nothing more than the venom they sprayed.
Though his cultivation had advanced considerably, whether he could truly endure this rumored lethal poison still left him somewhat apprehensive.
However, if he didn't even try, he would never forgive himself.
That Seven-Colored Pill was said to be extraordinarily potent and would be immensely useful for his Spirit Devouring Beetles. If it could elevate the beetles' power to yet another level, a modest risk was well worth taking.
He reassured himself that with several extraordinary treasures for protection and multiple great techniques at his disposal, even if things went south, retreating with his life would still be well within reach.
By now, the outermost azure lotus had fully bloomed, its petals forming layer upon layer of azure sword light barriers that looked strikingly beautiful.
"Pfft pfft pfft!"
The sounds erupted in rapid succession as the green globules of liquid struck the lotus petals. What had appeared an impenetrable defense began sprouting wisps of blue-green smoke, and holes of varying sizes punctured through one after another.
The azure sword curtain was riddled with gaping wounds in an instant!
The venom these fish spat out could so easily dissolve and pierce through sword light formed from the Azure Bamboo Cloudswarm Swords—it was simply inconceivable.
Han Li's heart clenched with alarm, though his face betrayed no trace of panic.
Even if the Azure Bamboo Cloudswarm Swords sustained some damage, given their extraordinary mystical properties, they would naturally recover in moments.
But when the green liquid made contact with the Five-Color Radiant Flame next and began dissolving that as well in rolling surges, a look of deep gravity finally appeared in his eyes. The seals in his hands shifted yet again.
The Five-Color Radiant Flame flickered once and began spinning wildly, transforming into a five-colored vortex. Many of the incoming green globules were deflected and sent flying.
But the Flying Rainbow Fish surrounding him were simply too numerous, and their sprayed venom seemed inexhaustible.
Even with the Five-Color Radiant Flame's power pushed to its absolute limit, it was gradually worn away to nothing, exposing the innermost gray, misty barrier.
The green liquid sprayed directly onto it, and a sharp sizzling sound rang out.
Han Li's eyelids twitched violently. He let out a cold snort and opened his mouth, spitting out a fist-sized ball of silver flame.
With a soft whoosh, the silver flame blazed brilliant and expanded to several zhang in size. It spun around and reshaped itself into a magnificent silver firebird.
"Go." Han Li pointed without a flicker of hesitation.
The silver flame pulsed, and when the incomparably toxic green liquid struck the silver firebird, it met its nemesis—dissolving on contact into multicolored mist that scattered into nothing. It proved completely unable to harm the giant firebird.
Seeing this, Han Li's heart soared with delight. He was just about to pour more spiritual power into the silver firebird—
when a portion of the Flying Rainbow Fish suddenly let out bizarre, coordinated cries. The green liquid they sprayed was forcibly channeled, converging toward a single point in the air.
In the blink of an eye, the venom coalesced into an enormous green serpent made entirely of poisonous liquid, stretching a full seven or eight zhang in length, lifelike and undulating with menace.