In the blink of an eye, the white light Han Li had become and the blood cloud behind him had chased each other for over a hundred li. Yet the distance between them had actually narrowed by a dozen zhang.
While Han Li cursed inwardly, he was unaware that Wang Chan, who was controlling the blood cloud behind him, was also greatly shocked!
After all, while the Blood Escape technique of the Blood Spirit Grand Technique wasn't considered the number one among the six sects, its speed was definitely among the top five of all sect secret arts, far faster than most top-grade flying artifacts. But now, with him flying at full speed, he was momentarily unable to catch up to Han Li, who was fleeing on his small boat. This unexpected situation made the killing intent in Wang Chan's heart even stronger.
Han Li knew that if this wild chase continued, he would surely be caught up in less time than it took to drink a cup of tea. He had to do something!
So he reached into his storage bag and produced a stack of basic linked fireball talismans. Pausing his flight briefly without a second thought, he flung several behind him before continuing his frantic escape. Immediately, rumbling explosions sounded from the rear.
Han Li couldn't help but glance back over his shoulder!
He saw that the front of the raging blood cloud seemed to have been blown apart, becoming more scattered, and faintly revealed the figure of the Ghost Spirit Sect's young master.
Han Li felt a jolt of joy and was about to activate the remaining talismans, but Wang Chan within the blood cloud suddenly raised a hand. A streak of green light grew from small to large as it shot straight towards Han Li—it was the flying fork artifact Wang Chan had been standing on earlier.
Resigned, Han Li shifted the talismans' target from the blood cloud to the green fork. The explosion of twenty or thirty linked fireballs struck the black-emanating giant fork, sending it tumbling several times through the air, unable to approach him for the moment.
But during that brief delay, the blood cloud opposite him had already reverted to its original form, raging anew with violent flames.
Just then, Wang Chan suddenly let out several piercing shrieks that shot up to the sky. With these sky-splitting screams, the blood cloud abruptly expanded. In the blink of an eye, it covered the sky, giving it a vast, sun-and-heaven-obscuring presence.
Following this, the surging blood cloud's speed suddenly increased several times over. Like a monstrous wave, it surged from behind to the front of the Divine Wind Boat, spreading rapidly. In an instant, it had Han Li and his artifact completely encircled in midair.
Startled, Han Li hastily halted the Divine Wind Boat just before it crashed into the blood cloud, then pulled a pair of pitch-black, claw-like artifacts from his storage bag. At that moment, the eerie green fork silently attacked again from behind.
"Go!"
As if he had eyes in the back of his head, Han Li let out a low roar and hurled the pair of artifacts backward. The moment they left his hands, the claws expanded to over a zhang in size, striking viciously at the incoming green fork.
The green fork was undaunted, releasing several streams of black qi from its tip, which in an instant wrapped around the giant claws layer by layer. They were about to become completely immobile.
Seeing this, Han Li formed a hand seal. The giant claws instantly burst with several chi of black light. With several sharp sounds, they tore the encircling black qi to shreds, which could no longer take shape.
"Not bad! Not bad! As expected, they aren't ordinary top-grade artifacts. To break the Yin Soul Threads on this Azure Yin Fork so easily... it truly wasn't in vain for me to make this trip myself!" Wang Chan's voice echoed ambiguously from outside the blood cloud. At the same time, the green fork emitted a few wailing sounds before retreating and vanishing into the blood cloud.
Han Li also retrieved the pair of top-grade artifacts "Black Dragon Seizers," forged from flood dragon claws, back in front of him, warily scanning his surroundings.
He was now completely wrapped in a sun-blocking crimson expanse, with not a single crack left to escape through. The air was filled with a nauseatingly sweet scent of blood.
It seemed he couldn't break free without using powerful means to carve a path. As Han Li thought this, he was about to send the Black Dragon Seizers out again.
But before he could act, the blood cloud in front of him suddenly churned violently. Then two giant, blood-red monsters with bared fangs and brandished claws, each over a zhang tall, burst forth. These monsters had short horns, dragged sharp tails, and their eyes were the same blazing red as Wang Chan's. They slashed with their claws and pounced toward Han Li.
"What are these?"
It was Han Li's first time encountering such creatures. Their appearance was exactly like the minor ghosts of legend, a thought that made Han Li's skin crawl. He hastily launched the Black Dragon Seizers. With a grab for each, he easily crushed the minor ghosts into a bloody mess, returning them to the blood cloud as wisps of red qi.
Han Li felt somewhat relieved; it seemed they weren't difficult to deal with.
But barely had this thought formed when Wang Chan's mocking voice echoed from all directions.
"Heh heh! You, sir, best not relax too early! The Blood Ghosts of my Blood Spirit Grand Technique aren't so easily dismissed. The real show is just beginning!"