Hearing the harsh tone in Han Li's voice, the ugly man already sensed something was wrong. When he saw a severed head suddenly tossed toward him from across the way, his heart lurched with shock.
Without a moment's thought, his figure flickered and he dodged the incoming object.
However, in the instant it passed by him, he caught a clear glimpse of the head's face — ashen and pale — and realized with a violent jolt that it truly belonged to the old man surnamed Ding.
Skull Face, who was nearby, also saw it clearly and was equally terrified.
But these two seemed to be well-practiced partners. In the instant they realized something was amiss, they quickly drew together. Then, with a point of their fingers at their still-entangled artifacts, they recalled the Mountain-Splitting Battle-Axe and the strange blade.
Their faces full of wariness, all four eyes fixed coldly on Han Li, never blinking.
Although Han Li was a late-stage Core Formation cultivator, the two believed that together they might not necessarily be outmatched, so they showed little overt fear.
Yuan Yao, amid the black mist in the distance, was also filled with confusion by the scene before her.
But this woman was exceptionally cautious. Though she didn't seize the opportunity to flee, she didn't disperse her demonic arts either. She simply kept the red strange hammer orbiting before her, silently watching the odd behavior of Han Li and the other two.
Han Li cast a meaningful glance toward Yuan Yao, then turned back to Skull Face and the other man with a faint smile.
Without any explanation, he waved both hands, and more than twenty small azure swords swam out from his sleeves like fish. Then, as their radiance blazed to full brilliance, the flying swords shot toward the two across from him.
Skull Face and the fierce man could hardly believe what their eyes were seeing, their faces full of utter disbelief.
An ordinary Core Formation cultivator would generally have to spend the greater part of their entire fortune just to refine a single life-bound artifact. Yet this opponent, who had suddenly turned on them, had just released more than twenty flying swords in one go.
Without a moment's thought, they both knew — this opponent was absolutely no ordinary late-stage Core Formation cultivator. They were no match for him whatsoever.
Skull Face's expression changed abruptly, and he let out a fierce low roar:
"Split up! Save yourselves!"
The instant the words left his mouth, he transformed into a streak of black light and turned to flee. Hearing this, the fierce man said nothing. He stowed his enormous axe and drove his escape light in the opposite direction, his speed no slower than his companion's — he looked like he had done this many times before.
Seeing this, Han Li's expression darkened. His hands quickly formed a series of hand seals, and he gently tapped a finger toward the swarm of swords.
Immediately, azure light flashed as each flying sword conjured three identical copies of its blade light. The original twenty-four azure beams suddenly became ninety-six sword lights, and the momentum of the sword swarm doubled in an instant.
Then Han Li flicked his azure robe and coldly uttered the word "Split."
The moment the word left his lips, the sword lights obeyed perfectly, parting left and right into two streams.
The two waves of flying swords instantly linked their blade lights together. Under the trembling azure glow, the sword swarm split apart and tore through the air like two swarms of azure bees.
This technique of splitting sword light into copies caused Skull Face and the fleeing fierce man to glance back. Their faces turned deathly pale, and, casting all else aside, they immediately poured every ounce of their magical power into their escape, fleeing for their very lives.
Han Li stood in place without moving a muscle, a trace of pity in his eyes. How could ordinary people possibly outrun the combined flight speed of dozens of linked sword lights?
Unless they possessed heaven-defying treasures like the Blood-Shadow Cloak or the Wind-Wing Thunderwings he carried, the two of them had absolutely no chance.
Sure enough, in merely the span of a few moments, the sword swarm caught up to the pair, who had already fled more than a thousand zhang.
Skull Face and the fierce man, left with no choice, turned back and released their artifacts to defend themselves. But under the rain of dozens of sword lights stabbing wildly through the air, the two let out screams one after another and were torn apart by the chaotic blades.
Only then did Han Li, with unhurried composure, withdraw the sword-light splitting technique with a thought, commanding the flying swords to scoop up the storage pouches from the remains and fly back.
As the flying swords returned to his sleeves like weary birds returning to their nest, Han Li turned his face with a half-smile toward the dark clouds not far away.
To his surprise, before he could open his mouth to speak, Yuan Yao's light laughter drifted out from within the dark clouds.
"That must be Fellow Daoist Han! I never imagined that after decades apart, your abilities would have reached such heights — this little woman is truly envious!" As her words drifted away, the dark clouds gradually dissipated, revealing a stunningly beautiful woman standing gracefully amidst them.
She held her charming face — equally lovely whether in joy or in anger — her bright eyes gleaming as she gazed at Han Li with a smile but no further words.