Hearing these words, Han Li fell silent. His expression shifted between light and shadow, as if weighing something in his mind.
The two Star Palace cultivators, seeing him like this, exchanged a knowing glance without a word and fixed him with an even more vigilant stare.
"Fine! I have nothing to do anyway, so I might as well go with you two," Han Li said with a sudden smile, his tone unhurried.
The scholar and the big man relaxed their tense faces the instant they heard this. The elder in the scholar's robe even let a flicker of satisfaction cross his features and opened his mouth as if to say something.
But just at that moment, Han Li struck.
His right hand, which had been tucked inside his sleeve, shot outward. Six beams of green light flew soundlessly straight at the big man. At the same time, he flipped his left hand over, and five copper rings of various colors appeared in his palm, a low buzzing hum rising from them.
"You dare attack?" The scholar reacted with impressive speed. The moment he saw Han Li move, he opened his mouth and spat out a square-shaped magic treasure several inches across.
The object was flat and ink-black — a strange treasure shaped like an inkstone.
The brawny big man was no slower. He flicked his hand, sending a white jade seal hurtling forward. The treasure swelled to several times its original size, wreathed in white light, and flew to meet the six beams of green light.
"Be careful — those copper rings are ancient treasures!"
Only now did the scholar get a clear look at the rings in Han Li's hand. Alarmed, he called out a hasty warning.
The big man froze briefly at the words, but before he could react, the incoming beams of green light let out a clear hum, blurred for an instant, and then split into twelve identical sword beams.
Six of them fused in a flash into a massive green sword that slashed savagely down at the seal surrounded by white light.
The other six changed direction, carving six sweeping arcs as they shot in from the flank at blinding speed.
The big man's heart lurched. Without a moment to think, he formed a rapid hand seal. A burst of blue light blazed outward, and several clearly visible runes floated up from inside his body. The runes shimmered with brilliant blue light, swelled to the size of a fist, and arranged themselves into a pale blue barrier of light that encased him.
He was going to take Han Li's Green Bamboo Bee Cloud Swords head-on.
While the big man was making his move, the scholar standing nearby naturally had no intention of just watching.
After issuing his warning, he quickly pointed a finger at the inkstone treasure hovering before his chest.
The inkstone began spinning at dizzying speed.
Dense black mist poured from it, spreading out to cover an area several zhang across. At the same time, the rich scent of ink permeated the surroundings.
The scholar activated his technique without hesitation. The black mist condensed rapidly, and in the blink of eye formed dozens of bizarre black birds.
Each bird was half a foot long. With shrill cries and flickering red light, they shot toward Han Li.
But Han Li, on the opposite side, appeared to take no notice of any of it. He shook the copper rings in his hand several times, and they vanished into a shimmer of rainbow light.
Then he turned his palm over again, and a strange, archaic-looking blue basket appeared in his hand.
Seeing that his opponent seemed completely unbothered by the incoming attack, the scholar felt a surge of delight rather than anger.
His "Phantasmal Inkstone" had been forged using an ancient method, and he had exhausted nearly all his savings over half a lifetime to finally succeed in crafting it.
He didn't regret a single coin spent.
Ever since this Phantasmal Inkstone had been completed, he had rarely encountered a worthy opponent among cultivators of the same rank. He could even hold his own against someone at mid-stage Foundation Establishment.
As long as the cultivator's cultivation wasn't overwhelmingly superior, anyone caught inside the Phantasmal Ink Mist would immediately be plunged into an illusion with no way to break free.
Watching the strange birds streak toward Han Li like arrows, a cruel smile crept across the scholar's face. He formed hand seals, ready to make the birds detonate.
But just then, a faint hum sounded in his ears. In the same instant, five copper rings materialized around his neck and limbs. They clenched tight, and he felt all the magical power in his body scatter at once — he could no longer gather even a trace.
The scholar was horrified beyond measure.
He had been on the highest possible alert for those bizarre, vanishing ancient treasure rings. But for them to clamp onto his body without the slightest warning — this was far beyond anything he had imagined.
Panic seized him. His soul nearly fled his body, and a whirlwind of desperate escape plans raced through his mind.
At that same moment, a tremendous boom erupted from the other side. Green light and white energy collided, as the massive green sword finally struck the jade seal.
The brilliant white light easily overwhelmed the green glow. The enormous sword held for only a brief moment before cracking and shattering piece by piece.
Simultaneously, the other six green beams arrived a split second later and slammed into the bizarre runic barrier.
"Bang." "Bang." Muffled impacts rang out one after another.