"Tighten!" Han Li formed a hand seal with both hands, activating the ancient treasure without hesitation.
Instantly, the five copper rings contracted swiftly, sinking deep into the old demon's neck and limbs, locking him tightly.
"Heh heh! The Five Elements Rings! While this ancient treasure is among the more famous, it's useless against cultivators with variant spirit roots, those whose cultivation far exceeds the user, or us heterodox cultivators." Xuan Gu, suffering the torment of the rings' constriction, wore a mocking expression.
He then raised his hand without any hindrance and slapped the light orb on his chest.
The orb's surface flickered uncertainly, then with a "crackle," it split open a large gash on its own.
Blue light swirled within the opening, and a long tongue of blue flame shot out.
This flame possessed extreme spiritual awareness. After lightly sweeping over Xuan Gu's neck and limbs, a thick layer of frost instantly formed on the copper rings that had been tightly locked.
Then, with an incredible twist and shift of his body, accompanied by a few "clangs," the now crystal-clear copper rings fell lifelessly onto the stone platform, their sound crisp and clear.
Han Li's heart sank. Without a second thought, he opened his mouth, and nine small green swords shot out in succession, merging into a single giant sword high in the air. He slashed it down toward Xuan Gu without hesitation.
Seeing this, a hint of solemnity finally appeared on Xuan Gu's face.
He clutched the light orb with both hands and raised it high.
The gash in the orb widened further, and a torrent of blue ice flames sprayed out from the center.
These flames instantly coalesced into a five-clawed ice dragon, crystal clear and radiating a cold blue light. It blocked the giant green sword with its two front claws and, without mercy, spat out a stream of blue breath that struck hard against the blade.
The giant sword's radiance dimmed after just a few hits, and a faint, crystalline frost began to appear on its surface. Its movements through the air grew noticeably sluggish.
A burst of thunder sounded—several arcs of pale golden lightning appeared on the giant sword's surface, striking the ice dragon fiercely. This instantly freed the sword from its bonds and sent the ice dragon retreating a dozen feet away.
"Trying to escape? This set of Gold Lightning Bamboo treasures, this master intends to have. Your Evil-Warding Divine Lightning, I assume you don't have much left? Let me see how many more times you can unleash it!" Xuan Gu's lips twitched into a sinister grin.
He then pointed at the ice dragon, commanding it to pounce again upon the green giant sword.
Hearing these words, Han Li felt a stir in his heart.
Although the opponent spoke nonchalantly, Han Li sensed a hidden trace of apprehension toward the Evil-Warding Divine Lightning.
But before he could ponder this further, he shot a green incantation light at the giant sword.
He then pointed at it, and with a violent, blurry shake, the giant sword split into two identical giant swords—the "Sword Shadow Light-Splitting Technique" from the Green Origin Sword Art.
Both giant swords crackled with thick arcs of pale golden lightning. One charged directly at the blue ice dragon, while the other flickered and slashed diagonally toward Xuan Gu.
"Oh?" Xuan Gu let out a surprised exclamation.
It was unclear whether he was surprised by Han Li's ability to still wield such powerful Evil-Warding Divine Lightning, or astonished that the "Sword Shadow Light-Splitting Technique" could simultaneously materialize two physical flying swords.
But the surprise on Xuan Gu's face vanished quickly. Unhurriedly, he slapped the light orb in his hand again, and Qianlan Ice Flames sprayed out once more.
This time, after flickering a few times in front of him, the ice flames coalesced into a triangular ice shield, directly blocking the incoming giant sword.
The pale golden lightning arcs and the blue chill from the ice shield's surface clashed and intertwined. Neither side gave ground, resulting in a temporary stalemate.
Seeing this, Han Li felt not panic, but delight.
This indicated that while the Evil-Warding Divine Lightning couldn't overcome the chill of the Qianlan Ice Flames, neither could the extreme cold of the Qianlan Ice Flames do anything to the Evil-Warding Divine Lightning. As for which would ultimately prevail, that depended on their respective power.
With this thought, Han Li slapped the storage pouch at his waist with one hand, and the blood-red cloak automatically materialized around him.
Though he hadn't yet reached a desperate situation, it was wise to prepare certain contingencies in advance.
Then, without delay, Han Li pressed his palms together and slowly pulled them apart with a solemn expression.
A crackling peal of thunder sounded, and between his palms, a pale golden sphere of lightning appeared, tiny electric arcs dancing and flickering upon its surface.
This lightning sphere was only a few inches in size, but as Han Li channeled the remaining Evil-Warding Divine Lightning from his Green Bamboo Bee Cloud Swords into it, the sphere expanded rapidly with a faint hum, growing to about a foot in diameter in the blink of an eye.
Xuan Gu, who was manipulating the Qianlan Ice Flames to try and break both green giant swords at once, saw this. His expression paled momentarily, then his eyes shot forth a look of utter disbelief.
He simply couldn't believe what he was seeing. Han Li still had the power to create such a large lightning sphere? How many Gold Lightning Bamboo flying swords did this opponent actually possess?
Xuan Gu began to feel a twinge of unease.