As for the other avatar that had been entangled with the spirit body in the distance, it too seemed to have received word. The blood-light around its entire body surged violently, forcing the spirit body back, and it shot backward in a streak of light.
In the blink of an eye, the three figures gathered together, their lights of escape merging into one as they fled toward the horizon.
"Boy, this matter is far from over! This time, I didn't have my preferred treasures on hand, which is why I couldn't do anything to you. But the next time we meet, I will extract your soul and refine your spirit to exact my revenge!"
The sinister words of the leading youth rumbled over, but by the time the last few syllables were spoken, the blood-light he had become had already vanished at the far end of the sky.
Once this demon had decided to retreat, he did so with remarkable decisiveness — not even turning his head once.
It seemed he was absolutely certain that Han Li would not give chase.
The golden-furred giant ape hung motionless in midair, gazing in the direction where his great enemy had disappeared, his expression utterly blank. True enough, he showed no intention of pursuing.
Not only that, but the spirit body in the distance performed a one-handed seal, vanished from where it stood, and with a ripple of spatial fluctuation, reappeared at the ape's side, standing still with its hands at its sides.
The giant ape let out a cold snort. The golden light across his body flickered, and the three-headed, six-armed dharma projection shattered and dissipated. Then, with a stamp of his foot, his body shrank hundreds of times in an instant, the golden fur falling away entirely as he reverted to his human form.
Having returned to his original appearance, Han Li did not show a look of joy on his face. Instead, he swept his gaze once more toward the distant horizon, his expression turning grave.
"Just a few mere avatars, and they were already this troublesome. If the true body were to arrive, who knows how powerful it would be! The might of the Mahayana stage truly lives up to its reputation — no, it's even three parts more terrifying than the legends suggest." After muttering these words, Han Li finally withdrew his gaze and raised his hand toward the spirit body beside him in a beckoning gesture.
The spirit body flickered, transformed into a faint green shadow, and shot toward him. With a flash, it merged into his body and vanished.
The thirteen purple-veined gold-devouring beetles circled upward through the air as well.
Han Li swept his sleeve, releasing a wash of green radiance that collected all the spirit insects within. Then he closed his eyes, formed a seal with one hand, and began chanting softly.
A blood-red character the size of a thumbnail materialized between his brows, pulsing with a gentle glow.
After only a brief moment, Han Li's eyes snapped open. A look of delight crossed his face as he spoke to himself: "It worked, just as I expected. The Purple Language Cauldron hasn't fled too far!"
The moment the words left his mouth, Han Li shifted the seals in his hands, his ten fingers weaving through a series of intricate gestures in rapid succession. Meanwhile, the blood-red character between his brows flickered between brightness and dimness.
Before long, the sound of something tearing through the air came from another point on the horizon. A streak of black light shot toward them at tremendous speed.
Within that light of escape sat a purplish, round object — none other than the Purple Language Cauldron that had previously fled on its own.
However, when the cauldron had closed to within several hundred zhang of Han Li, it suddenly halted its flight and revealed its true form as a small purple cauldron.
Its surface pulsed with fluctuating purple light as it emitted a low hum, seemingly quite hesitant about approaching Han Li.
But the mysterious, phantom connection produced by the blood-red character that Han Li had activated made the cauldron equally reluctant to leave.
Han Li gazed at the small cauldron, the smile at the corners of his lips deepening. The blood character flashed and flew directly out from between his brows, hovering in front of him and beginning to rotate.
At the same time, his incantation grew louder, and with a flick of his ten fingers, streams of multicolored spiritual seals shot forth, vanishing one after another into the small cauldron.
The cauldron trembled and immediately let out a clear, dragon-like cry. With a lurch, it shot straight toward the blood character.
With a flash of light, the blood character also plunged into the cauldron.
Instantly, a layer of blood-red hue appeared on the cauldron's surface, and its long cry rose several pitches higher, as though it had become overjoyed.
Seeing this, Han Li allowed himself a faint smile. He then raised his hand and tapped lightly toward the cauldron.
The small purple cauldron bobbed once and obediently flew over, eventually shrinking to a miniature form several inches tall, settling steadily into his palm.
Han Li was overjoyed within. He exhaled a long breath and lifted the cauldron before his eyes, his gaze flashing blue as he examined it carefully.
The cauldron was a pale purple color, its surface inscribed with many unknown runes of an unfamiliar script. A faint layer of black qi wrapped around the entire vessel like a shroud.
Han Li narrowed his eyes slightly. Suddenly, spiritual light flickered in the palm that held the cauldron, and several golden-and-silver runes rose soundlessly into the air before flashing down and adhering to its surface.
The cauldron managed only a single low hum before the spiritual light on its surface turned dull and lifeless, losing the almost uncanny, spirit-attuned quality it had possessed before.
Not only that, but with a movement of Han Li's ten fingers, thunder rumbled as countless golden arcs of lightning sprang from his fingertips, weaving into a golden net of lightning that enveloped the cauldron entirely.
After a series of crackling sounds as the net tightened, a small golden sphere appeared in his palm.