Upon hearing these words, Patriarch Long merely pondered for a moment before launching himself in a streak of light toward Han Li. After several flashes, he appeared nearby with a grim expression on his face.
On the other end, the feather-robed young woman's beautiful eyes flickered rapidly several times. She abruptly stamped one dainty foot, unfurled a pair of flame wings behind her back, and vanished into the void in a single swaying motion.
A moment later, the space beside Han Li rippled, and the feather-robed young woman materialized silently.
As for Bai Qi, after hearing Han Li's words, he merely swept a glance over and continued to remain utterly impassive.
"Brother Han, this little sister has placed her entire life in your hands. I do hope you still have some trump card up your sleeve that can contend with this Demon Sovereign in some measure. Otherwise, we're nothing more than eggs thrown against stone." The feather-robed young woman let out a bitter laugh the moment she appeared, directing her words at Han Li.
"Trump cards? Surely neither of you held back some of your own. And did the two of you notice something? Although this Demon Sovereign's initial attacks were truly overwhelming in their ferocity, all his subsequent assaults have relied entirely on that Black Demon Dagger in his hand — he hasn't employed any other demonic techniques or abilities since." The giant ape that Han Li had transformed into fixed its gaze on the black-robed young man opposite them, its voice rumbling out without turning its head.
"Brother Han, what you mean by that is…?" The feather-robed young woman's heart skipped a beat, a flicker of surprise crossing her mind.
"Fellow Daoist Ye, don't forget — this is the Spirit-Trapping Ground where the Spirit-Washing Pool is located. It is very likely the most spiritually pure place in the entirety of the Demon Realm. Even if a demon is a Sovereign, fighting a battle in a place like this — I refuse to believe that the suppression of the ambient spiritual energy wouldn't affect them in the slightest." The giant ape let out a cold snort as it spoke.
"Brother Han speaks truly. Even when he channeled that Black Demon Dagger just now, he first had to break through the spiritual energy barrier of this place before he could absorb external demonic energy to attack us. If I'm not mistaken, that old demon's total magical power here is unable to directly replenish the demonic qi within his body. Every bit he uses, he loses a permanent portion. The Profound Heaven Treasure in his hands is likely in the same situation. As long as we don't let that weapon continue absorbing external demonic power, relying solely on the Black Demon Dagger's intrinsic strength alone, our combined efforts should be able to put up at least some resistance." Patriarch Long seemed to have been struck by Han Li's reasoning, his grim expression easing somewhat as he responded calmly.
The feather-robed young woman listened to the exchange between the two, her thoughts racing. She found their logic compelling, and much of her fear drained away.
At this moment, the black-robed young man across from them had been listening to Han Li and the others. His eyes narrowed slightly, and he let out a soft chuckle.
"Not bad, not bad! To have figured all this out in such a short time — the three of you are probably among the very apex of your human race's Integration Stage cultivators. I'll admit that my cultivation is somewhat suppressed on this Bitter Spirit Island, and certain techniques and treasures are not convenient for me to deploy directly. But what do you take a Profound Heaven Treasure to be? And how exactly do you plan to stop me from using it to absorb the true demonic qi from outside? Oh, and that Spirit Race boy — the reason I hadn't attacked you until now is because I sensed the aura of an old acquaintance within you. What did your Spirit King intend by sending you here? Don't tell me he meant to hand over a pseudo-Immortal puppet on a silver platter." The black-robed young man spoke to Han Li and the others with complete nonchalance, then shifted his gaze onto Bai Qi, his voice turning cold.
Upon hearing the black-robed young man's words, Patriarch Long and the others exchanged startled glances, their eyes whipping toward Bai Qi in unison.
From the very beginning, this Spirit Race Sacred Spirit had behaved in a highly peculiar manner. Now that Han Li and the others had decided to join forces against the black-robed young man, they naturally needed to ascertain Bai Qi's true intentions first.
Within the white, hazy glow, Bai Qi's features remained impossible to discern. But after hearing the black-robed young man's words, several flashes of light rippled across his surface, and he finally spoke in a deep voice:
"When Bai came here, that elder of our race did indeed entrust me with a few words and planted a Spirit-Splitting Talisman within my body. Perhaps I should let that elder speak with the Senior directly?"
The words had barely left his lips when the white light around Bai Qi receded, revealing his true appearance.
He was a middle-aged man dressed in brocade robes!
His features were utterly ordinary, but his eyes gleamed with a brilliant silver light, and between his brows flickered a faint purple spirit marking that shimmered and flashed.
The brocade garment he wore was clearly no ordinary attire. Not only was it inscribed with numerous silver spirit patterns, but with every slight movement, countless motes of white light swayed and glimmered across its surface, drawing the eye instantly.
"Hmph. That old monster of your Spirit Race has been living far longer than even I have. I suppose I'll hear what he has to say." The black-robed young man showed no surprise, letting out a faint snort before speaking in an indifferent tone.
Bai Qi smiled faintly and immediately raised one hand to slap his own forehead.
With a soft crack, the crown of his head split open, and a silver talisman flew out from within.
The talisman billowed in the wind and rain, its radiance erupting in ten thousand beams before coalescing into a phantom figure roughly a zhang tall.
Han Li narrowed his eyes and took a clear look at the apparition — it was that of a white-robed elder with a crane's hair and a youthful face.