Several stalks of the demon companion grass he had already set his eyes on flew roots and all straight into the jade box.
*Snap.* Han Li cleanly snapped the jade box shut, a hint of delight crossing his face.
Securing the demon companion grass so easily was far beyond his expectations.
However, he could not linger here! Just as Han Li was about to turn around and flee the area, a faint voice sounded from behind him.
"You've been loitering around here all this time just for a few stalks of grass. Human cultivators really are a peculiar bunch!" It was an unfamiliar male voice.
Han Li's expression changed drastically, his face turning ugly in an instant!
But he quickly forced himself to calm down. After a slight sway of his body, he turned around with a grim expression.
Standing before him was a green-robed demon cultivator, watching him with a curious look.
The moment Han Li made out the figure's features, a bitter taste flooded his mouth.
This demon cultivator wore a silver crown, straw sandals, and apart from his small, jade-green eyes and a keratinous pointed nose, every other feature was identical to that of a human male.
Han Li's eyelids twitched wildly.
A demonic beast that had almost completely assumed human form could not possibly be an eight-level beast. Could it be a legendary nine- or ten-level demon beast?
Han Li's body went rigid. Though his hand already gripped the Five Elements Ring and a spirit beast pouch, he did not dare make any reckless move.
"You discovered me long ago, didn't you?" Han Li heard his own voice come out dry and unpleasant.
The demon cultivator opposite him listened, his expression shifting slightly before he let out a soft chuckle.
"Indeed. I noticed you from the very first day you arrived. At first, I thought you were merely a passing human cultivator, so I paid you no mind. Who would have thought that in the days that followed, you'd camp out on the nearby reefs and refuse to leave? That piqued my interest." The green-robed demon cultivator narrowed his eyes as he spoke, revealing a set of snow-white teeth.
Whether it was his imagination or not, Han Li felt the teeth were far too sharp, glinting with a cold light that sent chills down his spine.
"Your surname is Feng? Then this really is that adult Gale Beast." Han Li's heart sank further at the thought.
"Since that's the case, why didn't you strike sooner?" Han Li managed a strained smile as he asked.
"I actually did want to meet you sooner. But I had just completed the second stage of my transformation and was stabilizing my new form — hardly the time to venture out. Now that I've just finished solidifying, I was about to head out myself. I never expected you to walk right into my lair. That did catch me off guard." A strange smile spread across the Gale Beast's face.
"The second stage of transformation? Does that mean you've just entered the ninth level?" Han Li's face paled slightly, and cold sweat seeped unnoticed from the hand gripping the Five Elements Ring.
"Ninth level? That's how you humans classify us demon folk, isn't it? Well, yes — the second phase of our transformation period does correspond to what you call a nine-level demon beast." The demon cultivator whose true form was an adult Gale Beast blinked and answered casually.
Hearing the other party admit it so frankly, Han Li fell silent. But after a moment, the corner of his mouth twitched and he let out a bitter laugh.
If it were an eight-level beast, he could perhaps cling to a sliver of hope for survival. But facing a nine-level demon cultivator, the thought of escaping alive was virtually hopeless.
It seemed his death was all but inevitable.
With that thought, Han Li said no more. He suddenly opened his mouth and spat out over a dozen streaks of azure light that circled around him.
Then he raised one hand, about to summon the spirit beast pouch.
But in that very instant, the demon cultivator opposite him moved.
Han Li's vision blurred. The weight in his hand vanished — the spirit beast pouch had been snatched away by the other party.
Though the dozen or so protective flying swords instinctively moved to intercept, the opponent's speed was simply too fast. Before the blades could even descend, the demon cultivator had already retreated to his original position.
After the initial shock, Han Li's face turned ashen.
How could he have forgotten — the Gale Beast was renowned among high-level demonic beasts precisely for its speed.
And a nine-level Gale Beast's speed, at such close range, was probably no different from teleportation. How could he possibly land a blow?
In the span of an instant, a flurry of chaotic thoughts surged through his mind.
A strange flush of color rose on Han Li's deathly pale face.
He pressed one hand against his storage pouch, and a brilliantly glowing golden silk sphere appeared in his palm.
Han Li swiftly raised his hand and swallowed the sphere whole. Then, fixing the green-robed demon cultivator with an icy stare, he fell silent.
He had already made up his mind — before death claimed him, he would detonate the Dry Azure Pearl within his body using the Evil-Warding Divine Thunder.