Given Han Li's and the Wind Chariot's astonishing escape speeds, it took only a short while before they had penetrated over a hundred li deep into the Mulan Grasslands.
Han Li activated the blood-colored cloak draped over his body, shooting forward enveloped in crimson light, while sweeping his spiritual sense backward. A trace of surprise crossed his face.
He had already unleashed the cloak's full power, yet rather than shaking off the bizarre chariot behind him, the gap had actually closed by nearly half. No wonder even the old man surnamed Yun, with his mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivation, had turned pale at the sight of this chariot in pursuit.
The Wind Chariot truly was a top-grade flying treasure. It seemed that unless he employed either Lightning Escape or Blood Shadow Escape, there would be no shaking off his pursuer.
However, ever since completing his Nascent Soul, Han Li had never fought a cultivator of the same rank. Though he had considerable confidence in his abilities and treasures, he honestly had no idea how he measured up among Nascent Soul cultivators.
After all, cultivators at the Nascent Soul stage rarely engaged in casual sparring. Even during the years he had spent in the Falling Cloud Sect, those two elders had only discussed cultivation methods with him and never actually sparred. And in the Heavenly Capital, Marquis Nanlong had merely exchanged a few rounds of spiritual sense probing — hardly enough to gauge his true capabilities.
It seemed that the Law Master in the Wind Chariot behind him would make a fine opponent for testing his own strength. Moreover, he was quite curious about the spiritual techniques that Law Masters employed.
If he could repel or even destroy his opponent, so much the better. If not, deploying his Wind Thunder Wings to escape would be simplicity itself.
The engagement couldn't drag on too long either, lest something go wrong. He was deep in the Mulan Grasslands, after all, and couldn't afford to linger in battle.
Han Li's mind raced through the calculations in an instant. The crimson light around his body flickered wildly several times before dimming dramatically. In its place, a brilliant azure radiance erupted outward.
At the same time, his figure halted, his escape light sweeping in a wide loop until he was facing the pursuit behind him.
He cast a cold glance at the white light bearing down on him, then swept his wide sleeve. Dozens of azure sword lights poured from within, and after a resonant hum, they arranged themselves before him in layered formations like fish scales — a formidable display.
For his first clash with another Nascent Soul cultivator, Han Li naturally wouldn't be careless. Apart from deploying all seventy-two Green Bamboo Bee Cloud Swords, he plucked a spirit beast pouch from his waist and tossed it into the air.
The three-colored Gold Devouring Beetles materialized as a vast insect cloud overhead, but at Han Li's muttered incantation, all the beetles circled once before diving straight downward.
His eyes flashing with sharp light, Han Li raised both hands and struck the insect cloud with two azure spell seals.
Instantly, wrapped in azure radiance, the insect cloud engulfed him completely.
Moments later, an insect armor of three colors materialized upon his body — crystalline, ancient, and faintly shimmering with azure light.
As it happened, Han Li's brief pause allowed the Wind Chariot behind him to catch up in the blink of an eye, and the Law Master within witnessed the spectacular moment of the insect armor's formation.
The chariot, which had been pursuing recklessly, suddenly decelerated sharply, coming to a halt roughly a hundred zhang from Han Li.
Han Li regarded it with an expressionless face and paid it no heed. Instead, he seized the opportunity to turn his palms — one now held a basket, while the other materialized a small bell.
Without another word, he hurled the bell toward his opponent. Silver light flashed as the bell swelled in the wind, transforming in an instant into a massive object several zhang tall that shot toward the chariot with menacing force.
At the same time, with a mere thought, the seventy-two flying swords before him flickered with phantom images, each splitting into three to become over two hundred azure sword lights.
Then Han Li uttered a sharp command: "Go!"
A clear ringing surged forth. All the sword lights shimmered and merged as one, transforming into a torrent of azure radiance over a hundred zhang long that rolled toward the chariot. It followed right behind the silver bell, clearly intent on crushing the Wind Chariot to splinters in a single devastating strike.
The silver bell he had thrown first had already begun to unleash its power. Upon reaching the space above the chariot, it spun rapidly, and deep bell tones rang out one after another. Visible ripples of pale silver expanded outward in concentric circles from the giant bell, descending upon the Wind Chariot below.
Had the Law Master inside been unprepared, Han Li was certain this single blow would have dealt him a crushing blow.
After all, though the silver bell was the same ancient treasure it had always been, with Han Li's vastly increased cultivation, its power when wielded had nearly doubled — far beyond what it could achieve at the Core Formation stage.
Of course, the Law Master in the chariot had no intention of taking the blow head-on.
The Wind Chariot's wooden wings shifted slightly, and the vehicle shot backward over a dozen zhang, cleanly slipping out of the sound wave's reach.
Then brilliant white light erupted from the chariot, and a figure flew out from within, hovering above the Wind Chariot. By now, the azure torrent had already arrived overhead, crashing down with devastating force.
The figure above the chariot remained composed, raising a single hand.
Blue light flared, and a layer of deep-blue light curtain materialized several zhang above his head. The instant the azure torrent struck the light curtain, explosive crackling erupted.