With a muffled "bang," a golden fist struck hard, shattering the white wind blade in midair.
The giant ape Han Li had transformed into flickered into place before Daoist Crab, blocking the attack, then slowly retracted one enormous fist.
The Insect Mother paused slightly when she saw this.
That wind blade had appeared ordinary, but it was in fact condensed directly from her invisible, colossal force. Not only would ordinary high-grade flying knives and swords be unable to budge it, but even most spirit treasures probably couldn't withstand it in the slightest.
"I underestimated you. It seems your physical body is quite formidable. I recall that among the demon cultivators I trapped with my spell, there was one whose transformed appearance bore a strong resemblance to your current form. Could it be that you cultivate the same technique?" The Insect Mother spoke slowly, a cold light flickering in her eyes.
She paid no heed to Daoist Crab or the whereabouts of the treasure, focusing her entire attention on Han Li now.
"Oh, you mean Sacred Ancestor Nirvana. My Brahma Saint True Demon Art is somewhat different, but it does share some origins with the technique he cultivates. Furthermore, let me tell you an honest truth. Although I possess quite a few treasures and am proficient in many divine abilities, my true trump card, as it happens, is none other than this physical body of mine." Han Li spoke lightly, and the giant ape he had become suddenly formed hand seals with all six of its arms. Golden light blazed across its surface as purple-gold scales erupted from within its body, and countless silver spirit patterns flowed across its skin in dense, intricate streams.
In an instant, several enormous phantom projections appeared behind the ape — a golden dragon, a colorful phoenix, a thunder roc, and an azure luan — flickering into existence before surging into the ape's body in a single flash.
The ape's body swelled dramatically, and amid a swirling storm of countless runes, it transformed into a demonic god-like existence over a thousand zhang tall.
On the ape's surface, the purple-gold scales, interwoven with innumerable silver spirit patterns, suddenly condensed and solidified into a suit of purple-gold battle armor inscribed with exquisite silver patterns, enveloping its entire body within. The fierce, baleful aura radiating from it was enough to make one's heart tremble!
Simultaneously, within Han Li's dantian, a miniature figure identical to Han Li himself sat cross-legged, one hand forming a solemn seal. Silver flames burned fiercely across its surface, faintly emanating an unfathomable aura.
Han Li's Nascent Soul had ignited the Fire of Origin without any regard for its true essence.
The consequences of doing this would naturally boost both his magical power and physical strength severalfold, but the aftermath would be grave, and he absolutely could not sustain it for long.
When the Insect Mother saw this, the dismissive expression on her middle head finally changed.
"The demon clan's Nirvana Sacred Body? No, it seems to be more than that... Hmm! This — this is the Hundred Meridians Treasure Refining Art! How do you know the secret technique of the Hundred Creations Mountain from the Immortal Realm? I understand now. You obtained the cultivation methods of that person who defected from Hundred Creations Mountain to the lower realm all those years ago. Heh heh, even so, do you think that without guidance from a true immortal of the Hundred Creations Sect, some superficial abilities you've cobbled together on your own can contend with me!" The Insect Mother cried out in surprise several times, but after the eyes of her female head darted about a few times, she regained her composure and once again revealed a hint of mockery.
The next moment, countless gold and silver runes appeared across the Insect Mother's surface, and her white-jade-like, crystalline body swelled to colossal size once more.
In the blink of an eye, the Insect Mother had transformed her body into a colossal existence rivaling the giant ape opposite her.
The two titans, one on the left and one on the right, occupied nearly opposite ends of the deep-sea abyss, each erupting with terrifying auras as they faced each other from afar.
"Is that so? Whether I can contend with your True Extreme Body is something Han will have to test before I can know." Han Li let out a cold snort, and the three heads of his giant ape form suddenly flashed with golden light as silver face masks materialized over them, leaving only six piercing, luminous giant eyes exposed. With a great roar, three orbs of light in different colors shot out from within its body, each containing a lifelike miniature mountain.
The three mountains spun rapidly, then with a thunderous boom, smashed together and fused into a single massive, radiantly luminous sphere.
The golden-armored giant ape thrust one enormous hand into the sphere, then pulled back sharply, drawing out a towering dark-green-black staff of tremendous proportions.
The staff was not only incomprehensibly thick, but its surface was inscribed with countless five-colored spirit patterns, gleaming with prismatic radiance and radiating an impression of immense, inconceivable weight.
The giant ape gripped the dark staff firmly. Its six cold eyes swept once across the Insect Mother opposite, then its arms surged into motion, bringing the staff crashing down like a violent tempest.
Before the staff even landed, a piercing shriek erupted through the void. A thick white scar tore across the sky, and an indescribable wave of invisible pressure bore down with overwhelming force.
If the previous Nirvana Three-Stage transformation had already made Han Li's physical body strong enough to rival some of the legendary true spirits, then now, having ignited the Fire of Origin, the colossal power within him was almost enough to split heaven and rend earth with his bare hands.
The giant ape merely swept the staff downward, yet it tore open a massive rift in the void itself.
Below, the Insect Mother narrowed her eyes upon seeing this, treating the immense force raining down as if it were nothing. Instead, the two blade-like limbs beneath her body — black as ink — crossed and shot upward, rising directly to meet the towering staff.
"Boom!" A thunderclap rang out across the clear sky as a halo of seven-colored light exploded into existence.
The entire deep-sea abyss shuddered violently, and rings of suffocating, invisible waves surged outward in all directions.
Yet the colossal bodies of both the giant ape and the Insect Mother remained as steady as mountains amid the tremors.
When the blinding light high above finally dimmed, one could clearly see that the dark-green-black staff and the two ink-black forelimbs were locked together in an unyielding stalemate.