What was even more eerie was that the blood that had splattered onto the big man's skin blurred in an instant, transforming into bright crimson patterns that spread across his entire body.
From a distance, it looked as though the man had donned a robe of blood runes — an utterly ghastly sight.
The silver-haired elder's expression turned grim at the sight, but the big man paid him no attention whatsoever. Instead, a savage grin spread across his face, and he pointed a finger at Han Li in an outrageously provocative gesture.
Han Li, seeing this, knew full well that a clash with this opponent was now unavoidable. He turned to the silver-haired elder and the other and said flatly: "As we discussed just now, this one is mine. But before I deal with this demon, you two must lure that blood-light avatar as far away as possible. I don't want any unforeseen complications popping up in the middle of our fight."
The words had barely left his mouth when, without waiting for a reply, the green sword lotus beside him spun around with a hum — and in a flash of sharp sword-light, he vanished.
An instant later, some dozens of zhang in front of the big man, green light flickered and Han Li appeared in the void, his expression utterly calm.
The demon race giant's eyes blared with vicious light. Without a word, he swung the mace in his grip and struck at Han Li from across the distance.
*Whoosh!* The green demon-fire surging along the mace rolled outward, instantly spreading across the sky like a fire demon descending upon the world, forming a wall of flame more than ten zhang high that hurtled toward Han Li with overwhelming menace.
At the same time, the big man's other hand clenched into a fist and threw a seemingly effortless strike at Han Li through the air.
It was silent, as though carrying no force at all.
Han Li's expression darkened at the sight. The green sword lotus before him sang a clear note and conjured layer upon layer of shimmering green barriers to meet the fire wall. Simultaneously, a flash of golden light shot from within one sleeve, and a fist punched outward.
The fist gleamed with golden radiance, as though forged from pure gold, with faint golden runes drifting across its surface — the unmistakable sign that Han Li's Sacred Ancestor True Demon Art was nearing perfection.
The moment the green sword-light touched the fire wall, a chaotic crackling erupted. Green light and green flames intertwined, and balls of blazing energy detonated in rapid succession between the two forces — a dazzling spectacle reminiscent of countless fireworks going off at once.
On the other side of the fire wall and sword-light, an earth-shattering boom split the void.
A wave of emerald gale-force wind and a mass of golden fist-shadows materialized without the slightest warning and slammed into each other head-on, spawning a pillar of wind that roared straight toward the sky before rampaging outward in every direction.
Wherever the gale passed, the void shuddered and the heavens and earth themselves seemed to change color.
As for Han Li and the demon giant, both felt a jolt run through their bodies and were forced to slide backward several steps through the void, involuntarily.
Far from being alarmed, the demon giant's expression grew only more excited. With a thunderous shout, he hurled the mace high into the air. His hands flew through a rapid series of seals, murmuring incantations, and he pointed a finger at the sky.
*Bang!* The demon-fire coating the mace's surface surged several times more intense, then condensed and transformed into eight emerald fire dragons, each more than thirty zhang long, with purple horns sprouting from their heads and green flames pouring from their mouths. They looked as solid as flesh, and utterly ferocious.
A sharp gleam flickered through Han Li's eyes. He drove his resolve inward, and the layers of green sword-light soared upward, converging in an instant into a single colossal sword that radiated blinding cold light — a titan's blade that cleaved straight downward.
Thunderous cracks filled the air as countless arcs of golden lightning poured forth from the massive sword-body, its momentum absolutely irresistible.
Though the eight fire dragons appeared savage beyond measure, the cold flash of the blade split them in two. The severed remnants, hammered by the relentless barrage of golden arcs, crumbled and reverted to billowing waves of demon-fire.
The green giant sword swayed once — and vanished from the void.
At the same moment, fluctuations stirred above the big man's head, and the enormous sword descended with a deafening roar, cleaving straight down at him.
The green sword-light stretched over a hundred zhang, wreathed in golden lightning. Before it even fell, a piercing wave of sword-qi had already enveloped the space below in an invisible shroud.
The demon giant's face darkened. Suddenly, brilliant blood-light blazed from one arm, and with a blur it punched upward into the sky.
*BOOM!* A blood-red sun materialized out of thin air in mid-space, its radiance blinding to behold. The green sword-light wailed — and in the next instant, it was utterly annihilated within the crimson glow, as though that blood-light possessed some inconceivable power.
Han Li's eyes narrowed. Both of his large hands suddenly grabbed at the void.
Green light blazed between his fingers, and two hazy green sword-shadows materialized one after another. He brought them together, and they merged once more into a single green giant sword.
With a flick of his wrist, the great sword rang out and split into seventy-two small swords, which resumed their spiraling dance around his body.
The demon giant let out a cold laugh. The blinding blood-light on his arm receded, revealing a bizarre blood-red arm-guard that encased the entire limb from shoulder to fingertips.