"Yuan Cha, it's you! When did you send an avatar into the Spirit Realm? If I remember correctly, you weren't on the list of Holy Ancestors who descended this time, and you wouldn't have had the qualifications to send your true body over later on either." The demon inside the ancient mirror was a handsome young man in blood-red robes, but his expression was rather unpleasant—it was none other than the avatar of Blood Light, the Holy Ancestor commanding the demon army at Heavenly Abyss City.
"Blood Light, I merely sent an avatar to this realm to assist Liu Ji. I haven't taken command of any armies, nor do I intend to send my true body over. That naturally doesn't violate the agreement we all reached. What grounds do you have to criticize me?" the woman in blue palace robes replied flatly.
"Hmph! No matter how you spin it, that's nothing but sophistry. Setting that aside for the moment—your avatar is supposed to be assisting Liu Ji, so why is it in my jurisdiction? You owe me an explanation, both on principle and in reason. Don't tell me the sensing treasure on my warship malfunctioned," Blood Light said, seething inside but clearly wary of this woman, forced to issue his challenge with nothing more than a cold snort.
"A malfunction is out of the question. I am indeed in the territory under your jurisdiction—I'm currently in pursuit of a human cultivator. But I'm acting under Liu Ji's orders, and it benefits the entire Holy Ancestor army. You needn't meddle too much," the woman replied, her expression softening slightly.
"Pursuing a human cultivator? With the teleportation abilities of your two Stone Demons, who among the humans below the Mahayana stage could possibly escape your pursuit? Since this matter concerns the entire Holy Ancestor army, I naturally can't just sit by and do nothing. I'll send other avatars to rendezvous with you immediately and lend you a hand," the blood-robed youth said, his eyes flashing with hidden meaning.
"So you still don't trust me. Other avatars—I've heard a thing or two about those. Blood Light, you've actually let three more avatars descend into the Spirit Realm through borrowed bodies? Aren't you worried about your true body back in the Holy Realm? And sending people over only now—don't you think that's a bit late? By the time your avatars arrive, I'll have long finished this," the woman said, narrowing her beautiful eyes with a cold laugh.
"My affairs are none of your concern, Yuan Cha. As for the other avatars, they shouldn't be far from you—they should be able to rendezvous within half a day or so. I just borrowed the Heaven and Earth Disk from Poison Dragon. It should come in handy for you," the blood-robed youth said lightly.
"What? The Heaven and Earth Disk? Poison Dragon would lend you that treasure? He's always guarded it as if it were his own life!" The woman's expression shifted, finally revealing a look of genuine astonishment.
"Heh heh. With a sufficient price, there's nothing Poison Dragon wouldn't lend. But tell me—who is this human cultivator you're chasing? The fact that he managed to escape from you suggests he must be someone of great importance to the human race! Get in touch with my avatars right away. I'll have them circle ahead and lie in ambush—we'll catch him off guard and cut off his escape," the blood-robed youth said abruptly, changing the subject.
"You can help if you wish, but this person once offended me gravely in the lower realm. Once he's captured, he must be handed over to me. Otherwise, I'd rather spend the extra time dealing with this myself," the woman replied, her expression flickering. After a brief moment of contemplation, she added solemnly.
"He offended you in the lower realm? Now that's interesting! I seem to recall that a sliver of your split soul in the lower realm was destroyed by some inferior creature. Don't tell me it's this very human you're chasing now! Ha ha—if so, what an incredible coincidence!" The blood-robed youth stared for a moment, then let a trace of mockery show on his face.
"If you came specifically to ridicule me, then say no more," the woman said, her jade-like features darkening. She raised a delicate hand, and with a flash of black light, moved to sever the mirror's connection.
"Wait—I agree to your terms. But after this is settled, you must help me with something. And after that, you must leave my territory immediately," the blood-robed youth snapped suddenly.
"Help you with what?" the woman asked, somewhat surprised, her hand pausing mid-gesture.
"Simple. Help me deal with a human cultivator as well," the youth said without hesitation.
"You already have three avatars descended—why do you still need my help? What are you planning? You're not trying to send me to deal with a Mahayana-stage human, are you?" the blue-robed woman asked, alarmed, a chill running through her heart.
"Heh heh. Deal with a Mahayana-stage human—what an imagination you have. Even if you wanted to go seek your death, I'm not about to waste these avatars. Relax—the target is only a Body Integration-stage human. The problem is he has an extraordinary number of treasures on him. My avatars descended through borrowed bodies and didn't bring any suitable weapons, which is why I haven't been able to take him down. With your help, it won't be a problem," the blood-robed youth said with a faint smile.
"Just a Body Integration-stage cultivator? Then there's no issue. It's settled then—tell me the methods for contacting those avatars," the blue-robed woman said, her heart easing. She had no further objections.
The blood-robed youth readily agreed, then tapped a finger against the mirror's surface. Immediately, a torrent of silver runes surged out from within...
At the same time, Han Li, hurtling through the sky ahead, had no idea that two of his demon-race enemies had inadvertently joined forces.
He was flying at top speed while racking his brain for a way to escape, but no viable strategy came to mind.
And who could blame him?
Not long ago, he had fought a pitched battle against several of Blood Light's avatars. Between his temporary formation tools, talismans, and artifacts, he had burned through roughly eighty percent of his reserves. He was keenly aware of how insufficient his remaining resources were.
Moreover, although he could sense the danger posed by the demon woman behind him, he had never actually fought her at full strength. He had absolutely no idea what her abilities truly were, which left him severely handicapped in any response.
Han Li mulled things over for a good while before deciding that his first priority should be to gauge the woman's true strength before considering anything else.
After all, only by knowing both himself and his enemy could he ensure victory.
Having made up his mind, Han Li—in the form of his Kunpeng transformation—sent countless feathers shooting out from his body. They transformed into talismans, formation flags, and formation disks, and in one breath, he laid down over a dozen formation traps of various sizes behind him before continuing his flight without looking back.
A short while later, Han Li heard a series of muffled explosions from behind, and one after another, the formation traps went silent, their connection to his spiritual sense severed.
His heart sank slightly.
Judging by the speed at which the woman dismantled his preparations, her abilities were even more formidable than he had estimated—far beyond an ordinary Demon Venerable, and no weaker at all than Blood Light's three avatars.