The wind was so fierce it seemed capable of changing the very colors of heaven and earth. In an instant, it sent the five cultivators' treasures tumbling in every direction. As for the cultivators themselves, they were trapped within the gale, unable to break free against their will.
"Heh heh! Refusing a toast only to drink a forfeit — insisting on making this Supreme Master go to all this trouble before you'll submit. You really don't know the meaning of death." The bald law master let out a strange, metallic laugh, his face brimming with smug satisfaction.
Then he reached out with a single hand, grasping at the air within the wind, and instantly a colossal yellow hand materialized out of thin air within the hurricane, seizing down viciously toward the stunningly beautiful woman within.
His plan was straightforward enough — capture this female cultivator alive first, then unleash overwhelming force to annihilate the remaining four in one fell swoop, without any further restraint.
The woman, whose skin was as smooth as congealed fat and whose radiance was breathtaking, had been commanding a fiery red flying sword. Now, with the giant hand bearing down upon her while her treasure spun uselessly in the gale beyond her control, her delicate face drained of color in an instant.
The other four cultivators wanted to rescue her, but they too were being battered into dizziness by the wind, their movements chaotic and uncontrolled. Only the fat old man, whose cultivation was the deepest among them, was managing slightly better. In his desperation, he barely managed to raise one hand and release a bolt of lightning several feet long, which struck the side of the giant hand.
But the attack was like a cow sinking into mud — utterly without effect.
Just as the yellow giant hand was about to close around the woman without mercy, it suddenly disintegrated and vanished a full zhang above her head. At the same moment, an angry roar of shock and fury erupted from the yellow-robed law master. Then the hurricane that had been trapping the cultivators rapidly shrank, vanishing in the blink of an eye as though it had never existed.
It was as if the gale and the giant hand had been nothing more than illusions.
The group exchanged bewildered glances and instinctively turned to look at the bald law master, only to find that he had turned to one side, both eyes fixed on a seemingly empty stretch of air in the distance, his face twisted with fury.
They were taken aback.
"Since you dare to break this Supreme Master's spell, why skulk about in the shadows, afraid to show yourself?" After a flash of savage menace crossed the yellow-robed law master's face, he suppressed his rage and bellowed loudly. He had completely lost interest in the female cultivator and the others.
"It is not I who skulks, but rather your cultivation is simply insufficient to perceive my presence. It would appear you only recently advanced to the Nascent Soul stage — quite lacking compared to the law masters I have encountered before." From that seemingly empty stretch of air, a man's unhurried voice drifted out.
Then a flash of azure light, and a young cultivator of unremarkable appearance materialized — none other than Han Li himself.
He had seen the five trapped cultivators in a dire situation just moments ago, so without hesitation he had released a thread of Azure Essence Sword Qi from a distance, which knocked the feather-fan treasure flying in a single strike.
The hurricane naturally dissipated with ease.
The moment Han Li appeared, the fat old man and the others were startled. But once they sensed his Nascent Soul cultivation, their faces lit up with elation — they knew their lives were saved.
The female cultivator quickly performed a distant bow and said respectfully, "Junior Nie Ying thanks Senior for saving my life."
"Nie Ying!"
At the sound of this name, Han Li glanced sideways at the woman, and a vague sense of recognition stirred in his mind.
But there was no time for pleasantries now. He simply waved his hand, gesturing for her to rise.
It seemed neither she nor the old man had recognized him. That was hardly surprising — he had met each of them only once, nearly two hundred years ago. It would have been stranger if they had remembered him.
Having considered this, he turned his head toward the yellow-robed law master and said flatly: "You still haven't left. Surely you don't intend to make me personally drive you off?"
The bald law master let out a furious laugh and barked back: "Ha! You're merely an early-stage Nascent Soul cultivator, and yet you speak with such arrogance. I, Qin, would very much like to see what you're capable of."
The moment he finished speaking, the bald law master formed a series of hand seals, then suddenly flicked two fingers downward. Two golden, pill-shaped objects shot from his fingertips and streaked into the ground below in a flash.
This action gave Han Li slight pause — he didn't move to intercept them, merely narrowing his eyes with a glimmer of interest.
The big man was overjoyed to see Han Li's seemingly careless response.