Han Li glanced at the handful of artifacts floating beside him, then reached into his storage pouch and produced three identical crimson miniature forks.
He gently tossed them outward, and they instantly transformed into three streaks of crimson light, hurtling toward one of the black-robed cultivators.
This set of "Flaming Chain Flying Forks" was spoils of war that Han Li had scavenged from some unlucky soul during his battle with the Blood Spider. Their power was rather impressive, and since they came as a set, they were easier to control — so Han Li had kept them for himself.
He then pointed at the remaining artifacts, and two streaks of black light and six streaks of gold light let out a long, shrill cry before shooting off in other directions as well.
Now the true terror of Han Li's Great Development Technique was revealed — he could control over a dozen artifacts simultaneously without the slightest confusion. The flag-bearing cultivator who saw this barrage of top-grade artifacts hurtling toward him turned pale with horror, and the thought of meeting them head-on never even crossed his mind.
He hastily hurled the black flag in his hand at the three crimson streaks, then tried to maneuver away on his own artifact. But the flag, caught in the whirling crimson light, immediately erupted in a burst of black light and shattered piece by piece.
The three crimson streaks continued without the slightest pause, arriving before the cultivator in an instant and slamming hard into his protective shield.
Poor fellow — he was merely a low-level Qi Condensation stage cultivator. His pathetic shield could never withstand the combined strike of three top-grade artifacts. It held for only a moment before letting out a sharp, crisp crack and dissipating into nothing.
Under the cultivator's desperate gaze, the three streaks of crimson light circled him once, and with a wet thwack, the black-robed cultivator was engulfed in a massive fireball and burned to ash.
At the same time, the two streaks of black light and six streaks of gold light that had launched moments later reached the heads of two other cultivators, shattering their defensive artifacts and protective shields with just as little effort and cleaving them in two.
Now the remaining cultivators panicked completely. The thought of forming some grand formation never even occurred to them — survival was all that mattered.
Most immediately turned and fled into the sky, while a few braver or dimmer-witted cultivators released their prized artifacts, desperately trying to block Han Li's assault.
But unfortunately for them, Han Li had no intention of dragging out a prolonged fight. He held nothing back, pressing forward with his full might.
Over a dozen streaks of gold, black, and crimson light swarmed together no matter what artifact stood in their path. Any blocking artifact was like an egg hurled against stone — immediately shattered into countless fragments and erased from existence. As for the artifacts' owners, Han Li didn't spare them either, sweeping them up in the same effortless onslaught.
At this point, aside from the black-robed cultivators who had already fled several hundred zhang away, the only ones remaining on the scene were the little prince — whose eyes were wide with disbelief — and the masked figure beside him who appeared to be Steward Wang. The so-called "Black Wind Formation" had been utterly dismantled by Han Li before it could even begin, thanks to his foresight.
Han Li's gaze shifted toward the two of them, and both inwardly cried out in alarm. They immediately assumed defensive stances as a faint black light emanated from their bodies, cloaking them in its glow and shrouding them in an eerie, sinister aura in an instant.
"Hmph. Playing ghostly tricks!" Han Li scoffed coldly.
Though he didn't know what technique the two were using, it was clearly similar to the brute's demonic art. The only question was why their bodies emitted black light instead of the brute's crimson glow — was it due to different cultivation levels? Han Li pondered with a trace of doubt.
What Han Li didn't know was that the little prince and Steward Wang were inwardly cursing their luck at that very moment!
Han Li's cultivation and the sharpness of his artifacts had far exceeded their preconceived plans.
They had encountered Foundation Establishment cultivators before, but Han Li's strength as a Foundation Establishment cultivator was absolutely nothing like that of the altar masters or other cultivators in their sect who were at the same stage. Forget one-on-one — they doubted even two or three altar masters fighting together could match this man.
That speed, almost too fast for the naked eye to follow, the uncanny ability to control over a dozen artifacts simultaneously — these were things they had never even heard of.
Now it seemed that even the Blood Guardian might not necessarily be this person's opponent! Even though the Blood Guardian appeared to be employing some kind of secret technique.
As for the two of them, while they considered themselves far superior to ordinary Qi Condensation cultivators, they weren't so arrogant as to believe they could face Han Li together. So despite activating the secret technique within their bodies, they didn't advance — instead, they carefully retreated step by step.
In stark contrast, the Four Friends of Meng Mountain were utterly dumbstruck by Han Li's display of overwhelming power.
They had known Han Li was powerful, but without a point of reference, they had no way of gauging just how strong he truly was.
Now, having witnessed it with their own eyes — Han Li alone had instantly killed five or six cultivators of roughly the same level as themselves out of over a dozen, while the rest had fled in terror, not daring to look back even once. This level of cultivation! This kind of technique! It left the four of them completely and thoroughly convinced.
Han Li took a deep breath, intending to press his advantage and capture both the little prince and Steward Wang in one fell swoop — when suddenly, a roar filled with savage, animalistic fury erupted from the crimson sphere of light to one side, the sound brimming with an indescribable madness.