If an ordinary late-stage Core Formation cultivator had been trapped within this sphere of golden flames, they truly wouldn't have been able to hold on for even a brief moment, just as Wen Tianren had said.
But Han Li was different!
Gazing at the golden flames swirling around him, he furrowed his brow slightly, then slapped his storage pouch once. A small bottle appeared in his palm.
Staring at the bottle, Han Li couldn't help but let out a quiet sigh.
The ten-thousand-year spirit liquid he had just acquired probably wouldn't remain his for much longer.
It was almost laughable, really. If he hadn't obtained that spirit liquid from Yuan Yao, he'd most likely be facing a dead end right now. But by the same token, if it weren't for his desire to get that spirit liquid, he never would have encountered this Six Paths inheritor in the first place — and wouldn't have ended up trapped like this!
A strangely tangled feeling stirred in Han Li's heart.
On the surface, he appeared to be at a disadvantage. But with half a bottle of ten-thousand-year spirit liquid on hand, he was actually perfectly at ease.
On the contrary, whether it was the golden light trapping him or the roaring golden flames, Wen Tianren couldn't have deployed them without paying some kind of price. If the other man wanted to compete with him in terms of cultivation endurance, that was actually Han Li's chance to turn the tables.
This time, the other fellow was absolutely courting death.
A cold smile flickered across Han Li's face as he sat down cross-legged within the silver shield, fully prepared to lock this Six Paths inheritor in a war of attrition — and then strike back when the moment came.
And so a peculiar scene unfolded. The sky, which moments ago had crackled with lightning and thunder, fell utterly silent. Wen Tianren and Han Li — one above, one below — each formed hand seals and sat motionless, saying nothing. Only that pile of golden flames, several zhang tall, continued to burn without a sound.
Zi Ling, the stunningly beautiful young woman, watched this scene with her luminous eyes shifting thoughtfully, a faint sigh rising in her heart.
In her view, now that Han Li had been trapped by Wen Tianren's divine flames with no way to escape, his defeat was a foregone conclusion. Although Han Li could still rely on that silver shield to hold on for the time being, he was merely clinging on by his fingertips.
The young woman simply stood in the distance with a complicated expression, showing no intention of stepping forward. It seemed she would not involve herself in the struggle between the two of them until this battle had conclusively ended.
Meanwhile, dozens of li outside the island, the Mei siblings and the elderly man surnamed Zhao, along with the other low-tier cultivators, were too far away to see the great battle between Han Li and Wen Tianren.
However, they could faintly perceive the lingering glow of radiance and the distant booms and explosions that carried across the water.
Every one of them turned pale.
They had mistakenly assumed it was the white figure clashing with the Core Formation cultivator on the island, and naturally they were even less inclined to leave the area. Now, as all sounds and signs of battle abruptly vanished, the group of cultivators exchanged uneasy glances, uncertain whether a victor had been decided or whether some other unforeseen development had occurred. Naturally, they still didn't dare leave lightly, and could only harden their resolve to remain right where they were.
On the opposite side of the island, the group of beautiful female cultivators accompanying the beast-drawn carriage — whom the others still hadn't discovered — were likewise whispering among themselves with worried looks on their faces.
Though they were nominally Wen Tianren's personal handmaidens, their status was essentially that of concubines, and every one of them had received the Six Paths inheritor's favor.
If something had happened to Wen Tianren, they could well imagine the terrible fate awaiting them upon their return.
However, when Wen Tianren had flown over with Zi Ling, he had issued a prohibition against following him. So although the handmaidens felt some unease, after conferring among themselves, they still didn't dare act rashly and enter the island.
And so, time ticked by little by little.
From day into night. Then from night, slowly, into the first light of dawn. A full day and then some passed in silence.
The island remained as quiet as ever, as if yesterday's battle had never taken place at all.
By now, the two groups of cultivators in their separate locations had grown both anxious and suspicious.
Meanwhile, other cultivators had begun appearing in the vicinity.
After the heavenly signs that had manifested the previous day, cultivators from the surrounding small islands had learned of the emergence of a rare treasure, and naturally they had come rushing in. The majority were at the Foundation Establishment stage, though a handful of Qi Condensation cultivators — oblivious to their own limitations — had tagged along as well.
These people flew in from all directions. Upon arriving near the island, a brief survey of the surroundings naturally led them to encounter either the elderly man's group or the female cultivators near the beast-drawn carriage.
Those who met the elderly man and his companions fared better. The old man surnamed Zhao and the Mei siblings were both well-connected, and after exchanging a few pleasantries, the old man's group offered an honest account of events without deception.
When the newly arrived cultivators heard that Core Formation cultivators had already entered the island and still hadn't returned, they began muttering amongst themselves. For a time, they all gathered near the elderly man's position, and not a single one of them was foolish enough to rashly storm the island.
On the other side, the cultivators who noticed the young and beautiful female cultivators by the beast-drawn carriage and wanted to approach and strike up a conversation were met by the lead handmaiden, who flashed the banner of the Interstellar Rebellion Alliance without the slightest courtesy. The sight turned these cultivators pale, and they immediately spun around and fled.