The man in the azure robe was none other than
These sword threads appeared slender, yet each one was condensed and refined from pure sword light, possessing a sharpness so fearsome that ordinary treasures could not hope to withstand it.
But this Azure Wing Clan demon had been dispatched here to guard the core disciples precisely because his magical abilities were exceptional among his peers. Filled with alarm and fury, he let out a furious roar and spat a gust of raging azure wind from his mouth. Then both hands shot out from his sleeves and clawed toward the sword net in an empty-air grab.
Those two seemingly ordinary palms, the instant they shot out, gathered a hazy golden glow at their centers, vaguely manifesting the phantom images of a dragon and a tiger. With astonishing momentum they lunged upward, attempting to tear the sword net apart through sheer brute force.
Han Li watched this without any change in expression, but calmly pointed a finger toward the sky.
A muffled *whoosh* sounded.
The azure sword net surged in brightness. Each strand of azure light blurred and multiplied, transforming into streaks of azure sword light that rained down from above like a torrential downpour.
The phantom images of the dragon and tiger barely had time to let out a mournful cry before they were pierced through by countless sword beams, riddled with holes, their bodies dissipating into nothingness in midair.
The remaining several hundred streaks of sword light maintained their trajectory, hurtling straight toward the demon man.
The demon man's face changed drastically. The fierce winds around him suddenly surged, engulfing his figure within.
In the next instant, the dense curtain of sword light flashed and vanished, piercing clean through the gale.
When the winds were forcibly scattered by the force of the sword light, the demon man was nowhere to be seen.
Han Li's gaze flickered. One palm turned pitch-black, and he suddenly slapped it sideways through the empty air.
An invisible surge of immense force erupted from his palm, accompanied by a heaven-shaking boom.
In the spot that had appeared completely empty, a ball of gray light materialized, and a figure staggered backward out of it.
It was precisely the demon man who had employed a secret technique to conceal himself nearby, intending to launch a sneak attack on Han Li.
"Impossible! My Demon Wind Escape has been cultivated to perfection—how could it be seen through so easily!" The demon man flew back more than ten zhang before barely stabilizing himself at the center of the hall, but his gaze toward Han Li was naturally a mixture of alarm, fury, and utter disbelief.
Han Li merely regarded him with a faint, indifferent look, showing no intention of responding.
"Fine, fine. Then I suppose I have no choice but to risk my old life." Seeing Han Li's composed demeanor, the demon man's expression turned ice-cold once more.
Upon hearing this, Han Li's lips curled slightly. One sleeve suddenly shook, and a ball of silver flame shot out.
But strangely, the flame did not fly toward the man opposite him. Instead, it shot toward another corner of the hall.
Spinning in a circle, the silver flame transformed in midair into a silver firebird. At first it was only about a foot in size, but once its wings spread wide, it grew to a full zhang in length.
With a thunderous *boom*, the silver flame detonated, and billowing fire engulfed the corner in an instant.
But at that moment, a cold snort echoed from within that very corner!
A burst of azure light suddenly erupted amid the silver flame, expanding to form the phantom image of a three-headed azure serpent several zhang long.
The moment the phantom serpent appeared, all three heads simultaneously puffed out their jaws and spat forcefully at the surrounding silver flame. Immediately, frigid breath in three different colors—azure, yellow, and blue—rolled forth, actually forcing the silver flame to temporarily retreat.
Then, with a flash of azure light, a figure seized the opportunity to shoot out from within the silver flame. In a blink, it appeared right beside the demon man.
It was a woman in her thirties wearing an emerald green dress! She was of moderate beauty with slightly dark skin, and resting on her shoulder was a foot-long, three-headed azure serpent, hissing and swaying its heads ceaselessly.
The great serpent phantom that had appeared in the silver flame just moments ago had actually been conjured by this very snake.
"Elder Qing, you've come as well." The demon man's expression relaxed upon seeing the woman.
"Yes. This person's abilities are unfathomably deep! I tried to sneak past just now, but he saw through me as well." The woman in the green dress fixed Han Li with a dark, sinister gaze, answering without turning her head.
"This person certainly has accomplices. We must shake him off immediately and rush to the Spirit Concealing Pavilion for reinforcement. I'll do my best to hold him off—lady, you should go ahead first!" the demon man said after a brief thought.
"You specialize in the Demon Wind Escape—your movement technique is far superior to mine. It makes more sense for me to hold him off while you go for help." The woman in the green dress shook her head. Before her words had even faded, she raised one hand sharply and spat from her mouth.
A streak of silver light shot from her mouth like lightning. In a flash, half a finger was sliced clean off from her palm.
At the severed point, white bone and flesh were clearly visible, yet not a single drop of blood flowed.
The azure serpent, which had been languishing listlessly on her shoulder, perked up the instant it saw the woman's action. Its tail flicked, and it shot forward. The middle head opened wide and swallowed the severed half-finger in one gulp.