The moment the Fierce Underworld King saw the azure threads bearing down on him, his fierce eyes narrowed. He casually swung the wolf-tooth club across his body, took a deep breath, and then suddenly opened his mouth wide, unleashing a roar so thunderous it seemed to shake heaven and earth.
The instant the roar left his lips, the void before the Fierce Underworld King blurred and warped, forming a thick, semi-transparent barrier of vacuum light.
The rainstorm of azure threads struck the barrier and silently vanished into it, like mud cattle sinking into the sea, producing no further reaction whatsoever.
Han Li's face flickered with a trace of surprise at this sight. With a single flick of the green longsword in his hand, the blade expanded into a colossal sword over a dozen feet long and slashed toward the distant void.
A tearing sound rang out as a sword shadow over a hundred feet long materialized above the Fierce Underworld King's head and came hurtling down with overwhelming momentum.
The Fierce Underworld King gave a cold snort and swung his wolf-tooth club high into the sky without a moment's hesitation.
Wailing ghostly cries erupted as countless streams of black qi surged from the club, coalescing into a black dragon that shot skyward.
A deafening boom!
Before the green sword shadow could land, it was shredded to pieces by the writhing black dragon. Then, with another violent shake of the wolf-tooth club by the Fierce Underworld King, the dragon let out a low, guttural roar and lunged straight toward Han Li.
Han Li watched the black dragon approach, his expression unchanged. Suddenly, a piercing whistling rang out from within his body as one green flying sword after another shot from every part of his torso. They swirled together in a single spot, then abruptly transformed into a massive sword lotus the size of an acre.
With a simple activation of his sword art, the lotus petals slowly unfurled, sweeping down toward the oncoming black dragon. Countless razor-sharp sword lights interwove in a dazzling web, hacking the dragon into countless fragments, which burst apart and dispersed back into wisps of black qi.
"Haha, very good. That was only a probing attack, but your strength is truly not bad—enough to give this king a proper fight." Upon seeing his black dragon destroyed, the Fierce Underworld King, far from being angry, broke into laughter.
But the instant his words fell, he suddenly held the wolf-tooth club horizontally before him once more and began chanting in a low, murmuring voice.
In the blink of an eye, the club in his hands erupted with bloody radiance, transforming into a blood-red banner.
White bones formed the pole, and a haze of blood served as the banner itself—at the mere sight of it, one would feel an involuntary chill run down the spine.
The moment the blood banner took shape in his grasp, the Fierce Underworld King hurled it high into the sky.
A thunderous "boom" rang out.
Countless arcs of black lightning crackled to life across the banner's surface while the blood mist on the flag condensed and churned, from which five golden skulls flew forth. Each was no larger than a bowl when first released, but upon catching the wind they swelled to the size of cartwheels, their eyes blazing with crimson flame as they spat out faint green crystalline light.
"This is…?" Han Li blinked in momentary surprise.
"Heh heh, boy. These are true Underworld Demons that I refined from the Nascent Souls of powerful enemies slain in the past. Should you fall into my hands, you too might have the honor of becoming my sixth Underworld Demon."
The Fierce Underworld King laughed wildly and pointed a single hand toward the skulls in the sky.
Instantly, the crimson flames in every skull's eye sockets blazed brighter as they transformed under the golden glow into five demonic phantoms of gold.
Each one had long purple hair draped over its shoulders, a green face with bared fangs, ten razor-sharp clawed fingers, and bodies wreathed in surging crimson flame. They radiated a terrifying aura no weaker than that of an ordinary Mahayana cultivator.
"Go!"
The Fierce Underworld King issued his command and pointed once more toward Han Li through the void.
The five golden demons let out eerie, wailing cries. Their figures blurred, and they shot toward Han Li as five streaks of golden light.
"How interesting—they can truly transform the lost soul of a Nascent Soul into this kind of vicious demon. That really is a rare ability. But if you think you're the only one with allies here, you're sorely mistaken." Han Li actually chuckled softly at this sight. Then, with a flick of his sleeve, a streak of golden light shot outward from within, swelling in the wind until it resolved into a small golden figure covered head to toe in purple-gold spirit patterns.
It was none other than the Gold Devouring Bee King.
"Set them free. With your abilities, it shouldn't be a problem."
Han Li addressed the Gold Devouring Bee King in a flat, calm tone.
The golden figure cast a cold glance at the five charging demons and, without another word, stomped a single foot down. Instantly, a sharp hissing erupted from the air as dense, invisible sword qi sprayed outward from its body in all directions. Then its figure sprang forward and merged seamlessly into the barrage of sword qi, transforming into a vast sweep of golden radiance that hurtled toward the opposing demons.
The five demons intensified their wailing cries. The fiercest-looking among them suddenly swung both arms and plunged its ghostly claws straight into the incoming torrent of sword light.
A crackling sound rang out as all ten fingers and nearly half its forearm were instantly ground to dust by the golden sword light.
The golden sword light appeared to be so sharp that nothing could withstand it—flesh that could ordinarily shrug off attacks from top-grade treasures crumbled like paper before it.
The demon was naturally shaken, but it twisted its body and vanished into the nearby void without a trace.