The five-colored peacock lay in the crater with its claws pointed skyward. Although its plumage was in complete disarray and it appeared to have lost a great many feathers, it was clearly not seriously injured.
And in the next moment, the peacock spoke in human tongue, chanting a series of profound incantations.
The layers of five-colored light formations that had been circling its body surface buzzed loudly, then all began converging toward a single point in the lower sky.
Hundreds of small light formations spun around, then coalesced into a single massive five-colored formation several hundred zhang in diameter.
Waves of sacred chants emanated from the enormous formation, which radiated astonishing five-colored spiritual light.
Seeing this, a cold gleam flashed in Han Li's eyes, and the two massive hands of his giant ape transformation suddenly came together in front of him.
With a blinding flash of golden light, the two enormous golden swords merged into a single blade in an instant.
The merged great sword was a full thirty to forty zhang in length, and as golden light flickered along its surface, a green flood dragon could faintly be seen coiling and soaring within the blade, as though it might burst forth from it at any moment.
A cold "Sever!" was abruptly spat from the giant ape's mouth!
The great sword swept downward in a single stroke.
In a flash, a hazy green sword beam slashed downward, expanding to over a hundred zhang in length in the blink of an eye, and with a howl of wind and thunder, it struck the massive formation with devastating force.
With a ripping sound!
After the green light flashed past, the enormous formation was torn apart like paper, but after a brief roll of energy, it was restored to its original state amidst flickers of five-colored radiance.
The previous strike seemed to have had no effect whatsoever on the formation.
A hint of surprise flickered through the giant ape's eyes, but with a cold snarl, the great sword in its hands trembled once and slashed out again without the slightest hesitation.
With Han Li's experience, he knew full well that this formation was absolutely not indestructible — a few more strikes would do the trick.
However, just as the second, even more powerful green beam left the great sword, the chanting from the five-colored peacock below abruptly stopped. Then one of its claws pointed solemnly toward a specific spot in empty space.
Instantly, a pained, monstrous roar erupted from another location.
Han Li's heart tightened, and he turned his gaze toward the source of the roar.
The thunder beast that had been locked in fierce combat with the Brahma Saint Golden Body now had an expression of intense pain on its face.
Thunder boomed across its body as three-colored lightning arcs surged outward in a frenzy. Its entire form was enveloped in a dense net of thunder. Then, abandoning its ongoing battle with the golden body, it transformed into a ball of three-colored lightning and shot directly toward the enormous formation.
Though Han Li didn't fully understand what the beast was trying to do, he instinctively let out a roar and threw a furry fist at the bolt of lightning with full force.
At the same time, the Brahma Saint Golden Body controlled by the Devil Infant also let out a long cry, transformed into a streak of golden light, and pursued with lightning speed.
With a thunderous boom!
The giant ape struck through the void, and although the target was a hundred zhang away, a pavilion-sized golden fist projection materialized before the lightning and struck the thunder beast's body with lightning speed.
The thunder beast let out an enraged roar. Despite its formidable origins, it could not withstand the giant ape's full-powered blow. Its protective thunder net shattered instantly under the fist projection, and its body was sent hurtling away.
And in that brief moment of delay, the Brahma Saint Golden Body caught up. The six golden blades in its hands swirled and transformed into six ancient golden mirrors. With a flash, six pillars of golden light shot menacingly toward the thunder beast.
Explosive sounds erupted instantly. The thunder beast, struck by the light pillars, could not stabilize itself and staggered backward, letting out a pained growl as if it had sustained minor injuries.
Below, the massive peacock that the Fish Shop Master had transformed into grew frantic at the sight, letting out a piercing shriek as though desperately urging the thunder beast to do something.
A shrill cry erupted from the thunder beast's mouth. Lightning blazed behind it, and then, in the next moment, an astonishing sight appeared.
With three soft sounds — "pu," "pu," "pu" — three pairs of wings suddenly emerged from the thunder beast's back: one pair of gold, one of silver, and one of blue. All six wings beat simultaneously. With a peal of thunder, the beast vanished eerily amid a tangle of three-colored lightning arcs.
The follow-up light pillars from the Brahma Saint Golden Body all fell through empty air, striking nothing.
Witnessing this, Han Li's pupils contracted. Almost instinctively, he immediately turned his gaze to the massive formation below, and between his brows, a flash of dark light appeared as a pitch-black vertical eye materialized eerily.
The eye moved slightly, and a beam of black light shot forth, only to vanish into the void an instant later.
Above the massive formation, thunder rumbled, and the six-winged thunder beast reappeared amid a clap of lightning.
At the same time, a black beam of light as thick as a bowl's mouth shot out from the void. At such close range, even the thunder beast's remarkable teleportation abilities after its transformation were useless — there was no dodging it.
Just as the black beam was about to strike the thunder beast squarely—
But the massive formation suddenly emitted a hum, and its five-colored spiritual light blazed forth. The black beam hesitated for a moment, then made an eerie turn, grazing past the thunder beast by a hair's breadth.