When Han Li saw the expression on the young woman's face, his own expression immediately darkened. A cold glint flashed through his eyes, and without another word, he raised his hand and hurled the jade box straight at her.
Although he had no idea why she was so afraid of a single talisman, since she clearly harbored ill intentions, he would no longer show any mercy.
The black-robed young woman panicked even further at the sight. Without a moment's hesitation, she slapped the stone platform beneath her with one hand, trying to leap up and dodge.
But this movement obviously triggered some kind of restriction. She had barely risen a foot or so when a flash of red light enveloped her body and yanked her straight back to her original position, her face contorted with pain.
By now the jade box had already shot in front of her, emitting a clear ringing sound. Its trajectory shifted, and it flew of its own accord to hover above her head.
Then the golden talisman on the box blazed with brilliant light. Countless golden talisman characters streamed out from it, drifting gently downward toward the young woman.
"No!"
The black-robed young woman screamed in desperation, her once-delicate features twisting into a mask of horror.
Then, as if unwilling to simply accept her fate, she quickly raised her single arm to cover her face while bowing her head as far down as she could, as though she wished she could bury her features inside her chest.
The talisman characters finally landed on the young woman's shoulders. A flash of golden light, and a plume of green smoke immediately rose from her body.
The young woman shuddered violently, and an agonized, piercing shriek erupted from her mouth — a sound so shrill and grating it was nothing like anything a human could produce.
Han Li's expression changed drastically. He involuntarily stumbled back several steps, his palms growing damp with sweat. One hand immediately closed around the spirit beast bag containing the Gold Devouring Beetles, while the other gripped the jade ruyi ancient treasure. He stared fixedly at the stone platform, his face grim, not uttering a word.
More talisman characters rained down, and the green smoke around the black-robed young woman grew thicker and thicker. Within moments, the entire stone platform was wreathed in the dense vapor, and apart from the occasional flash of golden light, the woman's figure could no longer be seen.
But the screams from within the green mist never ceased — sometimes high and shrill, sometimes coarse and savage, shifting back and forth as if alternating between male and female voices, sending chills down the spine of anyone who heard them.
Han Li watched with growing unease, licked his lips, and held his breath.
For with the appearance of the green smoke, a foul, putrid stench had filled the entire chamber. He had inhaled only one or two breaths before a wave of dizziness and nausea struck him, and he could not help but be deeply alarmed.
These fumes were highly toxic.
Just then, a series of cracking sounds — "crack," "crack" — emanated from the dense green mist.
Han Li froze, still not understanding what the noise was, when a sharp "whoosh" rang out.
An emerald-green claw shot lightning-fast out of the fog, trailing silver chains that were wrapped around it, and lunged savagely at Han Li, who had already retreated to a corner of the stone chamber. The arm extended and retracted like a serpent, stretching out over thirty feet in an instant, its claw reaching straight for the protective light barrier around Han Li's body.
Han Li tensed and tightened his grip on the jade ruyi, about to channel his power to activate it — but the silver chains on the ghostly claw suddenly constricted. Sparks flew in all directions, and a wave of acrid, burning stench surged forth.
A pained howl rumbled from deep within the mist, and the claw snapped back out of sight.
Han Li pressed his lips together, his eyes fixed on the thick fog, his expression shifting between resolve and uncertainty. After a brief deliberation, his face turned cold once more and he took two more small steps back until he was pressed flush against the Azure Gold Stone wall. He channeled a considerable amount of spiritual power into the jade ruyi.
Immediately, the red-and-yellow light barrier around his body thickened by several layers.
Only then did his expression ease slightly, and he felt somewhat reassured.
It took the time it would take to drink an entire cup of tea before the grotesque screams from within the green mist finally subsided. The golden talisman's glow on the jade box was also fading steadily, and the talisman characters falling from it had grown far more sparse than before.
"So the golden talisman can suppress this creature that is not a ghost but a demon, but the spiritual energy it contains appears to be limited after all. The question is whether it will still be able to hold the creature once the power is fully drained." Observing this, Han Li mused to himself.
Fortunately, his concern did not come to pass.
When the screaming finally ceased and the green mist fell into a deathly stillness, the golden talisman above still had a faint glow remaining.
Han Li glanced at the talisman floating in the air and did not approach immediately. He waited for a while longer, and only when the golden talisman's light finally dimmed and it dropped straight down into the green mist along with the jade box did he spring into action.
He waved one hand to stow the spirit beast bag for the time being, then formed a series of hand seals with his free hand as a low incantation rumbled from his lips.
In an instant, a red sphere of light about the size of an egg materialized before him.