This tall figure was wreathed in arcs of silver lightning. The moment it steadied itself within the lightning formation and raised its head, it was revealed to be a burly middle-aged man with a full head of red hair and a thick, bristling beard covering his face.
The man's face was square-jawed, but his nose was abnormally large and curved, like a hawk's hook. Behind him grew a pair of crimson-feathered wings. As they fanned slowly, streaks of electricity crackled across their surface with snapping pops, making him look like an incarnation of the Thunder God himself.
Yet for all the imposing air he ought to have radiated, his face was deathly pale at this moment. The silver robe draped over his body was scorched and blackened in numerous places, and one sleeve had been torn clean off at the shoulder, exposing a bare arm beneath.
The man was actually an early-stage Body Integration cultivator, yet he looked even more bedraggled than Han Li. The instant he appeared, he kept glancing back over his shoulder, his face filled with undisguised panic.
"Why is it him? How could he be here?!"
At such close range, Han Li could make out the burly man's features with perfect clarity in a single glance. Startled, he blurted out in spite of himself.
And the burly man seemed to have heard Han Li's involuntary exclamation. He whipped his head around, his eyes blazing with sharp light as he stared toward Han Li's position. The moment he made out Han Li's face aboard the flying carriage, his expression turned utterly bizarre.
Han Li's face shifted several times in rapid succession before something clicked in his mind. The corner of his mouth curled upward, and a flicker of excitement surfaced in his eyes.
The next instant, he rose to his feet on the flying carriage. His figure blurred like a specter, and he materialized behind the spirit puppet.
With a soft pat, Han Li placed his hand gently on the white-robed woman's shoulder.
The spirit puppet dissolved into a sphere of white light and was swept into his sleeve.
Then spiritual light flashed beneath Han Li's feet, and the flying carriage's speed surged several times over. In the space of a few flickers, it appeared in the void less than a hundred zhang from the burly man.
"Han Li, it's you! What are you doing here, and in such a wretched state at that?" The man swept a tendril of spiritual sense over Han Li's body, then frowned and called out in a loud voice.
The man's voice was deep and low. He clearly recognized Han Li.
"Brother Lei, I believe that question should be coming from me. The young lord of an entire race, reduced to a frightened bird fleeing from a bowstring — could it be that you're being chased by someone as well?" Han Li's mouth twitched twice before he asked with a wry smile.
"Hmph, I did indeed run into some trouble, but surely my situation is still better than yours. We haven't seen each other in several centuries, and you've already advanced to the Body Integration stage — even reaching the mid-stage at that. But how could your Magical Power be so completely depleted? Don't tell me you were being hunted by several Mahayana-level existences." The man's eyes shifted back and forth as he regarded Han Li's face with a peculiar look.
"Brother Lei has guessed correctly. I was indeed being pursued by Mahayana-level beings, which is why I've fled here in such disarray. Brother Lei, with your Thunderfall Formation abilities, to see you this panicked — could you also be chased by a Mahayana-level existence?" Han Li raised an eyebrow, admitted it frankly, and turned the question back on him.
"Heh heh, it seems we really are a pair of hard-luck brothers. But who exactly is chasing you? How have Mahayana-level beings suddenly become so numerous lately!" The man yawned, then asked with undisguised curiosity.
"Brother Lei is playing dumb, surely. My human race and several neighboring races have all been plunged into the great tribulation of the Demon Calamity. The ones chasing me from behind can only be the Ancient Demons! Do you truly not know about this?" Han Li blinked in surprise, a hint of confusion in his voice.
"The Demon Calamity? You mean the ones chasing you are Ancient Demon Sovereigns? I only emerged from closed cultivation somewhere nearby a few months ago — how would I know about any of this?!" This time it was the burly man who was badly startled. He sucked in a sharp breath as he replied.
"Fresh out of closed cultivation, no wonder. The Demon Calamity has already been underway for some time. The ones pursuing me are several incarnations of Demon Sovereigns, each possessing the terrifying power of late-stage Body Integration. Acting together, I had no choice but to run for my life. The ones behind you — could they also be incarnations of an Ancient Demon Sovereign?" Han Li's expression of surprise faded, replaced by a look of doubt.
"Whether they're Demon Sovereigns, I can't say. But they can indeed wield extremely pure True Demon Energy. One of them even has a technique that directly counters my Five Thunder Physique. As for the other, I still haven't been able to gauge the true depth of his cultivation. It may well be another incarnation of an Ancient Demon Sovereign." The man's answer was deliberately vague and evasive.
Han Li's brow furrowed briefly, then smoothed out again.
This was Lei Yunzi — the man he had once met among the alien races — and it was obvious he was concealing something. But here and now, Han Li had no interest in pressing the matter. After a moment's thought, he said: "It's good fortune that I've run into you, Brother Lei. Do you still remember that thunder formation you once introduced to me? If the two of us join forces..."
"You mean the Dual Thunderfall Formation! How could I have forgotten about that? Ha ha, this time there's hope for escape!" Lei Yunzi's eyes lit up, and he was visibly overjoyed.
"Since you understand, we should hurry — wait, where is that fragrance coming from?" Han Li was equally relieved and about to say more, when he suddenly sniffed the air and his expression changed drastically.
"No good — those two are right behind us. Fellow Daoist Han, get over here quickly! I'll get you out first!" Lei Yunzi's face drained of all color, and he bellowed in alarm.
Hearing this, Han Li was startled as well. He had no time to investigate the mysterious scent. He stamped down hard on the flying carriage with one foot, and it immediately transformed into a streak of cyan light that shot forward with blinding speed.
In two flickers, Han Li materialized at the burly man's side. With a flick of his sleeve toward the ground below, the flying carriage collapsed into a ball of spiritual light and vanished into his body.
The man's face taut with urgency, he formed a rapid hand seal with one hand. An immense booming roar erupted as countless silver lightning arcs shot out from both his wings and his body, instantly forming a brand-new, brilliantly glowing thunder formation in the space around them.