The moment Lü Tianmeng died, the hundreds of small rulers that had been sustained by his spiritual power shattered in an instant, dissolving into scattered motes of green light. The light gathered back together, revealing the original form of the talisman, which drifted lightly to the ground — landing right between Han Li, Xuan Le, and the blood crystal spider.
Xuan Le stared at Han Li with a blank expression, making no move. Han Li glanced at the blood spider, then at Xuan Le, and silently raised his hand. A white scaled shield materialized before him. At the same time, eight streaks of white light blazed to life around him, and eight puppet beasts appeared at his side.
Xuan Le's composure finally cracked a little. He raised his hand and recalled the small yellow bell, then said flatly: "I truly didn't expect that Junior Brother Han would also be skilled in puppet techniques. But your cultivation seems rather lacking — did you really think these few puppets could match me?"
Han Li's expression didn't change upon hearing this. He merely asked coldly: "Did you let the spider out on purpose?"
"That's right!" Xuan Le admitted without hesitation. He flipped his hand, and a red gauze cloth resembling a cloak appeared in his grasp.
"Aren't you afraid of miscalculating and getting killed by the beast in the end?" Han Li licked his somewhat cracked lips and sneered.
"Heh heh! Killed? By this fourth-level spirit beast that's nothing more than a tough body and some brute strength?" Xuan Le said mockingly, his face full of disdain.
"But go ahead and play with this crystal spider! Hopefully you can keep your little life!"
With that, he draped the gauze cloth over his body. Though he was still standing right there, every trace of his aura vanished instantaneously.
Han Li was slightly surprised and couldn't help but study the gauze cloth a few more times.
By now, Xuan Le was retreating with a smile toward a corner of the cavern, looking for all the world like he intended to wash his hands of the whole affair. Han Li's thoughts raced, and he quickly guessed the gauze cloth's purpose. His expression shifted, and he hurriedly looked toward the spider.
The blood crystal spider was already glaring at him with murderous intent, its two fangs clicking together — it had already marked him as its prey.
Han Li hesitated for only a moment before his figure blurred, and he rushed at full speed toward the corner where Xuan Le stood.
The blood spider saw Han Li move and immediately surged with crimson light, charging after him as well.
But the puppet beasts, long prepared, opened their mouths one after another and fired streaks of light that flashed past in an instant — each one striking the blood spider squarely. The barrage sent the beast tumbling several times, preventing it from pursuing Han Li for the time being.
Xuan Le's heart clenched when he saw Han Li hurtling toward him.
He was deeply wary of Han Li's lightning-fast movement technique, and he had no intention of letting Han Li get close. Without a second thought, he hurled the small bell in his hand at Han Li. Simultaneously, light erupted from his body, and a fiery-red leather armor materialized over him. The gauze cloth had naturally lost its effect and was put away.
But when Han Li saw the massive bell descending upon him, he raised his hand and a small mirror appeared. A beam of hazy azure light shot out, instantly driving the expanding bell back to its original size and pinning it in midair.
"The Azure Condensing Mirror!" Xuan Le cried out in alarm. Everyone in the sect knew of this top-grade magical implement — how could he possibly be unaware of it?
Panic began to set in for Xuan Le.
He had assumed that the "Heaven-Shrouding Bell" could at least buy him a little time, but Han Li hadn't slowed down in the slightest and was still charging straight at him. How could he not be thrown into a frantic scramble?
Fortunately, his opponent was still over thirty feet away. Xuan Le threw out an "Ice Rain Technique" talisman he had just taken out. It immediately transformed into a dense barrage of ice spikes that shot forward in a wild volley. In his mind, all Han Li had to do was raise that white shield to block, and his movement technique would inevitably slow — and that would be enough for him to activate the powerful magical implement he had just retrieved.
When Han Li saw the wall of ice spikes flying toward him, a cold glint flashed in his eyes. To Xuan Le's disbelief, he actually retracted the small shield in front of him into his storage bag. At the same time, his speed suddenly doubled. His entire body twisted in an incredible contortion, and he burst straight through the cloud of ice spikes without a single scratch.
The composure vanished entirely from Xuan Le's face, replaced by a deathly pallor.