Not long after, even Mei Ning could hear footsteps approaching—now light, now heavy—someone drawing slowly closer.
Her delicate face showed a flicker of unease as she glanced at Han Li.
But Han Li's expression remained unchanged. He stood perfectly still, yet seemed to sense her gaze and turned to offer her a warm smile.
Mei Ning's cheeks flushed involuntarily, and she quickly looked away from Han Li's eyes. Still, her heart settled, reassured.
The footsteps grew clearer by the moment—they could even hear the faint sound of labored breathing, both figures distinguishable.
What surprised Han Li was that it didn't sound like one person. It seemed to be two, one following the other.
Han Li's brows furrowed slightly, a trace of killing intent surfacing on his face.
The dense fog before them suddenly parted, and out stepped a young man wearing a tall crown. His features were refined, and around his waist was a belt of fine jade, faintly shimmering with white light.
However, the moment the young man saw Han Li standing there, his expression changed dramatically and he blurted out in shock.
"You?"
It was none other than the Six Dao inheritor, Wen Tianren, his face now filled with disbelief.
"It is indeed me. You can rest easy now!" Han Li said flatly, his face expressionless, as he raised his right hand. A flash of green light and a small sword shot out with a sharp whistle, piercing straight into the other's chest.
With a metallic clang, the sword struck as though it had hit iron armor and was deflected effortlessly, clattering to the ground. Through the torn fabric, a faint green glow could be seen within.
"Inner armor?"
Having failed with his first strike, Han Li was mildly surprised, but let out a cold snort and raised his other hand. Another streak of green light shot forth.
This time, he aimed at the exposed throat.
But Wen Tianren had already recovered his wits. No way was he going to stand there waiting to die in his shock and fury. His body swayed violently, dodging the incoming green light, and with a forceful push of his feet he shot backward into the dense fog, his movements remarkably agile.
Han Li's second attack missed as well, but he merely watched Wen Tianren's retreating figure with cold eyes, not moving a single step. Only a hint of mockery played at the corner of his lips.
Wen Tianren glanced back in haste, and the moment he saw that look on Han Li's face, a sense of dread surged through him. He twisted his body mid-air to change direction, but it was already too late. A sharp, piercing gust of cold wind struck from behind—before he could react, a chill spread across his neck as a small sword burst clean through from the back. At the hilt, a translucent, sinew-like beast tendon was wound tight, pulled taut as a bowstring.
Wen Tianren's corpse, trailing a streak of blood, plummeted heavily to the ground.
His eyes were wide open, as if he still couldn't believe he had died like this.
Han Li's expressionless right hand gave a gentle flick. The beast tendon wound around his fingers tightened and pulled, and the small sword obediently flew back, landing in his palm once more.
At that moment, Han Li narrowed his eyes and fixed his gaze back into the fog.
A slender figure flickered within, and a second person slowly emerged from the mist—a stunningly beautiful young woman dressed in white.
She flashed Han Li a captivating smile and spoke in a light, radiant voice: "Brother Han! I didn't expect we would meet again."
"Miss Zi Ling!" Han Li nodded, his expression unchanged. With a flick of his sleeve, the two small swords in his hand vanished without a trace.
When he had been trapped within the golden flames that day, he had overheard the conversation between Wen Tianren and Zi Ling, so he had naturally recognized the Fairy Zi Ling whose appearance had changed so drastically. And he had to admit that Zi Ling, revealing her true face, truly lived up to the legendary reputation that had made her famous throughout the Chaotic Star Sea. In terms of sheer beauty alone, even the alluringly charming Yuan Yao seemed to fall slightly short.