Just as the old man surnamed Mu was stricken with alarm and secretly entertaining thoughts of retreat, Han Li gazed upon that black mountain peak, a flicker of desire crossing his face.
Such a peculiar and astonishing treasure was clearly far beyond what this old man could refine on his own — most likely some incredible ancient relic left behind by cultivators of old.
And with the power this treasure wielded, Han Li was certain that even a late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator who took a direct hit from this mountain peak would absolutely not emerge unscathed.
As long as it connected, this was practically a single strike to decide the outcome of any battle.
If he could get his hands on this item, it would immediately compensate for his own deficiency in offensive power.
Besides, he had also taken a certain interest in the Wind Riding Chariot in the old man's possession.
With these thoughts running through his mind, Han Li shifted his gaze to lock onto the old man, his expression gradually turning frigid, a sharp killing intent surfacing deep within his eyes.
Though they had exchanged only a few blows, he was confident he already had a general grasp of the other party's techniques.
Could it simply be the old man's misfortune? The cultivation method the elder primarily practiced and the spiritual arts he employed were both of the ice attribute. And that posed no great threat to someone like Han Li, who had absorbed the Qianlan Ice Flame. All those ice shards that had bombarded him moments ago had been easily dissolved into nothingness by the ice his Qianlan Ice Flame had conjured.
And this black mountain peak capable of teleportation was almost certainly the old man's most powerful treasure. But under the Lightning Escape of his Wind Thunder Wings, it simply could not touch him.
With this in mind, eliminating the other party was not an impossible feat.
Han Li made his decision and hesitated no longer.
His hand supporting the ice gave a slight tremor, and with a flash of blue light, the ice rapidly deformed and melted, transforming into a blue flame the size of a chicken egg that hovered uncertainly in his palm, radiating an eerie aura.
Han Li pointed his other hand simultaneously at the giant sword and silver bell suspended in the air. Then thunder rumbled behind him, his wings stirred slightly, and his figure vanished in an instant.
When he reappeared the next moment, the blue flame still cradled in his hand, he had already closed to within a hundred zhang of the old man.
The giant sword and silver bell, meanwhile, had erupted with blinding radiance — one silver, one azure — and shot toward the old man like twin streaks of light.
The giant sword disintegrated mid-flight, transforming once more into several hundred streaks of azure sword qi, each about a foot long, that rained down in a sky-covering torrent, instantly trapping the old man within a storm of blades.
The azure light flickered ceaselessly as the sword qi stabbed viciously into the old man's protective barrier.
The silver bell, meanwhile, released silver sound waves in rapid succession, each one crashing against the barrier and sending it shuddering.
This flurry of attacks caught the old man somewhat off guard, but he did not panic. In addition to channeling a massive amount of spiritual power into the treasure bead above his head — thickening his surrounding barrier even further — he swiftly formed hand seals with one hand, and blue spiritual light flickered across his body before shooting outward.
After a brief spin, the spiritual light transformed into four crystal-clear ice shields, each several feet across, small and exquisite, slowly revolving around him in a protective formation.
With the protection of these ice shields, the old man felt somewhat reassured. His other hand immediately beckoned toward the distant black mountain peak, summoning it back as it transformed into a streak of black radiance and hurtled toward him at tremendous speed.
Of course, he harbored just as great a fear of Han Li's teleportation. His eyes blazed with alertness, darting left and right ceaselessly, terrified that Han Li might suddenly materialize nearby and launch a sneak attack.
Truly worthy of being a Nascent Soul cultivator — his combat experience was formidable indeed.
When the thunderous rumbling sounded again, Han Li materialized through a flash of lightning roughly ten-odd zhang to one side of the old man. With a wave of his hand, a dense barrage of fine green threads sprayed forth from his palm — none other than the exceedingly sharp "Green Nether Needles" talisman treasure.
At such close range, the old man surnamed Mu had no time to react whatsoever. The countless green threads pierced straight through the blue barrier and struck directly against the four ice shields.
A crackling sound, like rain pattering on fallen leaves, filled the air. The moment the green threads touched the ice shields, brilliant white light surged upward. The threads instantly froze into crystal-clear white ice needles that clattered to the ground one after another.
Seeing this, the old man was first startled, then elated. He burst into hearty laughter, opened his mouth, and a beam of blue light shot straight from his gullet, hurtling directly toward Han Li, who was mere inches away.
The result was exactly as expected — Han Li flashed with silver light and vanished without a trace once more.
But in that brief delay, the black mountain peak had flown back above the old man's head, looming dark and oppressive in a vast expanse — an utterly terrifying sight.
Without the slightest hesitation, the old man cast a spell seal upon it.
The mountain peak quivered, then suddenly released a vast swathe of dark radiance from its base. In an instant, centered on the old man, it enveloped the several hundred azure sword lights and the giant silver bell all at once.
These treasures, which had been attacking with such vigor moments ago, immediately struggled and writhed within the dark radiance, their movements growing sluggish and labored, their power greatly diminished.
The barrier around the old man's body, which had been violently trembling moments before, settled back into calm stability.