The other two high-ranking magic practitioners huddled together, whispering something between themselves, apparently deliberating on how to break the formation.
After a brief conference, the impossibly tall practitioner swayed and drifted through a swirl of azure light, arriving at the black-robed man's side.
"Master Tianku, shall we begin? The cultivators' grand formation here seems about thirty percent more formidable than the last one. And I hear there are quite a few Nascent Soul cultivators among them — I'm afraid it may take some extra time." The Nascent Soul practitioner addressed the black-robed man with a smile, his tone extraordinarily polite.
"No need for us to strike first — they're already coming out. Let's test what sort of abilities these cultivators possess, and then we'll talk." The black-robed cultivator shook his head, his voice hoarse and stiff, slurred as though he had no tongue at all. It was deeply unpleasant to hear.
But the moment these words left his mouth, the bamboo-pole-thin practitioner started in alarm and quickly turned to gaze toward the sea of mist, as if he placed absolute trust in the black-robed man's words.
Sure enough, the previously still sea of mist below began to roil and churn while they spoke. It suddenly parted down the middle, revealing a passage several zhang wide.
Then flashes of light surged from within, and seven long streaks of fleeing radiance shot out, circling above the mist sea before resolving into several figures — Han Li and the others.
At the scar-browed big man's suggestion, they had brought no low-rank cultivators this time. Apart from the two Core Formation cultivators from faraway Tiantai Valley, only Daoist Chongxu followed behind them.
Once Han Li's figure steadied, his gaze swept upward over the dense mass of magic practitioners. The dozen or so leaders naturally drew his attention. In particular, that eerie and sinister black-robed man made Han Li's eyes narrow the instant he laid eyes on him.
The first impression this person gave him was an immediate recollection of Profound Bone Ancestor, who had perished at his hands.
Could the other party truly be a ghost cultivator? A chill ran through Han Li's mind, and his vigilance surged.
Before Profound Bone Ancestor had seized Qu Hun's body, he had likewise been drenched in yin energy, wreathed in an aura of ghosts. But this man's presence seemed subtly different somehow — a distinction Han Li could not immediately articulate.
While Han Li and the others fixed their gazes on the sky, the mass of magic practitioners above stirred, and the one wreathed in a monstrous serpent of flame suddenly transformed into a massive fireball and plummeted downward.
The scar-browed elder and the rest watched coldly without a word, none betraying the slightest panic.
As long as this practitioner wasn't actively courting death, there was no way he would dare attack alone.
Sure enough, under the unkind stares of the cultivators, the enormous fireball halted a full fifty or sixty zhang above them. Yet even at that distance, the raging inferno still made them frown and inwardly shudder.
"I am Ku Yao, Grand Preceptor of the Worshipping Fire Division. Since you've come out, I take it you'd prefer to test each other's abilities first. How shall we do this — one on one, or a free-for-all regardless of numbers?" A faint figure stirred within the fireball, and a thunderous voice boomed out from within, shaking the surrounding space into a hum and causing the scar-browed big man's expression to shift.
"One on one. Life and death are left to heaven," the scar-browed big man shot back, staring at the figure in the fireball without a moment's hesitation.
"Ha ha ha! Good — that suits me perfectly. I'll be your first opponent. Who'll come first?" After a burst of wild laughter, the figure in the fireball openly issued his challenge with brazen audacity.
The scar-browed big man and the others were naturally furious. The surnamed Ma elder's face darkened, killing intent flashing across his features, and he transformed into a white streak of light, shooting outward.
The surnamed Lu big man hesitated briefly but did not speak up to stop him, tacitly allowing the Ma elder to take the first duel.
After all, in his estimation, among the four Nascent Soul cultivators who had come out — with the exception of Han Li, who had only recently advanced — there was really no telling which of the remaining three was the most powerful.
Ku Yao in the fireball above saw the white streak of light shoot forth and, without another word, retreated higher into the sky. Moments later, the two had arrived at the midpoint between the mist sea and the vast army of magic practitioners, both halting their fleeing radiance.
This way, each could strike freely without worrying about the other side suddenly intervening in the battle.
"How strong is this Mulan Grand Preceptor? Does he have any special techniques?" The scar-browed big man suddenly turned his face toward the horse-faced cultivator at his side and asked gravely.
"His fire-attribute techniques are extremely powerful, especially the fire serpent on his body — it's incredibly nimble and virtually impossible to guard against. Another Core Formation colleague who was stationed with us at Tiantai Valley was entangled by that creature and reduced to ashes." The horse-faced cultivator replied, a flash of bitter hatred crossing his face.
"Is that so. Brother Gu! If I remember correctly, the 'Righteous Spirit of Haoran' from the Haoran Pavilion is supposedly impervious to fire and water, and effective at warding off evil and ghosts. Against this practitioner, it should give you at least some advantage, shouldn't it?" The scar-browed big man turned his face toward the other side and asked with a trace of uncertainty.
"That's hard to say. Against ordinary fire-attribute techniques, the Righteous Spirit of Haoran would naturally handle them without issue. But I can see that fire energy permeates that practitioner's very body — he has clearly attained the Three-Flame Essence of heaven and earth's spiritual fire. I'm afraid even the Righteous Spirit of Haoran would struggle to counter it. However, among us, Daoist Ma is the most suited to deal with him. Even if the Righteous Spirit of Haoran cannot defeat the enemy, it will not be affected by his demonic fire, nor will there be any danger of heart-fire attacking from within." Gu Shangpu's eyes flickered with a brief moment of hesitation before he spoke slowly.