In stark contrast to the massive commotion of the grey-white cloud, Han Li’s side was utterly silent. A layer of faint black energy suddenly enveloped his raised right arm.
This black energy pulsated and contracted, gradually becoming denser. When it turned pitch-black, a solemn expression appeared on Han Li’s face.
His entire right arm began to swell rapidly, expanding to two or three times its original thickness in the blink of an eye. A layer of glaring blood-red light even emerged on its surface, looking incredibly eerie under the shroud of black energy.
At that moment, Han Li raised his head and glanced at his opponent.
The grey-white cloud was still swelling amidst a tremendous rumble, covering an area of twenty to thirty zhang in an instant. A cold glint flashed in Han Li’s eyes as he softly uttered the word «Break.»
The thick arm suddenly contracted, then explosively expanded again.
A blade of black-red light shot out from his palm. Once released, it grew to several zhang wide. Then, with a sizzling sound, the light blade trailed a long tail of brilliance and arrived before the cloud in a flash.
Wen Tianren seemed to sense impending doom. The bronze ancient shield entangled with the giant sword atop his head flashed and moved to block the cloud.
The light blade didn’t hesitate for a moment, slicing through as if it were nothing.
The copper shield split silently in two like it was made of mud, falling into the dust.
From within the cloud behind the shield, a muffled grunt was heard, followed by a black crack appearing down its center. Moments later, the cloud split into two halves like a shattered scroll.
The massive light blade, after cleaving through the cloud, shot out another dozen zhang before dissolving into motes of starlight and dissipating completely.
Just then, an extremely furious roar erupted from half of the cloud.
"You dare sever my limb! I'll take your little life to pay for it!"
As the roar echoed, the other half of the cloud vanished abruptly, revealing a withered, half-severed arm floating in mid-air.
Judging by the style of the sleeve still attached, it was unmistakably Wen Tianren’s left arm.
"Hua Jie Da Fa!" (Transformation Tribulation Method) Upon seeing this, Han Li’s eyes narrowed, and the name of this rumored demonic secret technique immediately surfaced in his mind.
This technique involved cultivating a part of one’s body in advance into a substitute puppet. When faced with an unstoppable attack, one could with a thought of spiritual sense, make that body part endure the blow instead. It was particularly effective against curses and evil arts.
But this top-tier demonic technique was rumored to be something only cultivators at the Nascent Soul stage were qualified to practice. The fact that his opponent could use it truly surprised him.
As for the terrifying attack he had just launched, it was one of the secret techniques Han Li had selected to cultivate from the Xuan Yin Scripture: the "Yin Devil Severing."
This method was similar to the "Blood Spirit Drill."
Both involved refining a portion of one’s internal essence into a special, enormously powerful entity. It was then released all at once during a fight, capable of cutting through anything.
The power of the "Yin Devil Severing" depended on the cultivator’s level, the amount of essence refined, and the duration of its cultivation. Rumor had it that when refined to the utmost state, it could even cleave space and shatter the void.
Of course, for such a one-off attack method, who would truly expend such great effort on it? Even Han Li had only refined a small sliver.
After two attacks proved ineffective, Han Li had guessed that the opponent’s cloud likely possessed the strange effect of shifting shapes and displacing space. That was why he had steeled his heart and unleashed the "Yin Devil Severing," which was only partially refined.
Although this strike couldn’t yet sever space, it was sufficient to break through the opponent’s shifting abilities.
As expected, the strike worked.
Even though Wen Tianren had used the Transformation Tribulation Method to evade the full brunt, the damage to his vitality must have been considerable, and the sensation of having one’s arm severed couldn’t be pleasant.
Just as Han Li was thinking this with a cold sneer.
*Whoosh!* A flash of golden light shot out from the remnant cloud, snatching back the severed arm floating in the air.
Han Li paused, a peculiar look appearing on his face. As he pondered the opponent’s intentions, a piercing, strange howl erupted from the cloud. The grey-white mist was swept away completely, revealing Wen Tianren’s figure.
Han Li’s eyes flashed with a cold light as he focused his gaze.