Ancestor Linghu and the white-robed woman, following close behind, were startled but somewhat reassured by this. While these puppets were nothing special fighting on their own, if deployed cleverly with several dozen attacking at once, even an ordinary Nascent Soul cultivator would have to temporarily yield.
Though somewhat reassured, Ancestor Linghu felt a fresh pang of jealousy, while the white-robed woman quietly fretted to herself, increasingly feeling that Han Li's methods seemed truly inexhaustible and his depths unfathomable.
A distance of over ten li — Han Li reached the vicinity of the battle in the blink of an eye, hovering over a hundred zhang away and slowly coming to a stop, where he could observe everything before him with perfect clarity.
Only at this distance did he realize that the so-called black-purple radiance was actually formed by countless tendrils of pitch-black demonic qi writhing frantically within a purple-red demonic light. And the source of all this demonic qi was a demon at the center of the purple glow.
The demon had a single horn jutting from its forehead, a hideous visage, and bore a striking resemblance to the two-headed, four-armed demon that had fled earlier. But its body was identical to that of an ordinary human — its skin was even remarkably translucent, like fine jade.
At this moment, the demon wore a blank expression with its eyes half-closed, as though it had not yet fully awakened.
What was peculiar, however, was that though its lips were tightly sealed, rumbling roars periodically echoed from deep within its abdomen. Judging by the sound alone, the demon seemed to be in a towering rage. Yet its face remained utterly expressionless, wooden to the extreme.
Meanwhile, the demon's two arms mechanically hurled down clusters of ink-black fire, each movement stiff and clumsy to an extraordinary degree.
Though these were merely unremarkable black fireballs, the moment they fell into the green mist below and detonated, they invariably unleashed waves of black flame over a dozen zhang wide, scattering the surrounding green mist in all directions.
But
As a result, green mist, alien radiance, and black demonic flames intertwined and flashed, punctuated by thunderous booms that echoed across the sky.
"What's going on? That demon doesn't seem to have fully awakened — or perhaps there are some restrictions on its body. This is a great opportunity!" Ancestor Linghu arrived shortly after, stopping near Han Li. Upon seeing the demon in the air, his expression shifted, then brightened with delight.
"If it were that easy to kill, Daoist Wei would have struck long ago instead of hiding in his poison mist and struggling to hold on. There must be some deeper mystery at work. But judging by the intensity of the demonic qi, this demon is definitely closely related to the one that just fled — and far more powerful." Han Li shook his head as he spoke casually, his gaze and spiritual sense ceaselessly sweeping the surroundings.
He found it puzzling that the demonized "Marquis of Nanlong," who had arrived first, had vanished without a trace. But his gaze paused when he spotted the silver-haired old man and his companions not far away. They had been struck dumb by the spectacle before them, and upon seeing Han Li and the others arrive, their faces showed even greater surprise. The old man surnamed Cheng, upon catching sight of Han Li, could not help but show a mix of shock and joy.
However, for reasons of his own, he merely nodded at Han Li from a distance with a faint smile and made no move to approach.
Seeing this, Han Li could only smile bitterly to himself and send a voice transmission:
"Senior Brother Cheng, how did you end up mixed up in all this? This demon is extremely dangerous — even Daoist Wei Wuya below may not be its match. And there should be another two-headed, four-armed demon nearby, no weaker than this one."
"What? Daoist Wei Wuya is down below, and there's another such creature? Junior Brother Han, you seem to know a great deal — have you fought them already?" The silver-haired old man was startled, his lips moving as he transmitted his voice back.
"I tested the other demon briefly. Though I couldn't gauge its true strength, it shouldn't fall below that of a late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator. It took the two Daoists beside me and myself working together to barely hold it off. Moreover, these demons can devour a cultivator's Nascent Soul, move as swift as the wind, and are adept at concealing their tracks. You must be absolutely careful! If it comes to a fight, it would be best if we all attacked together — only then could we be sure." Han Li hurriedly described the ancient demons' formidable abilities and offered several warnings.
"Understood. I'll discuss it with the two Daoists here." Hearing how grave Han Li's tone was, the silver-haired old man's heart sank, and he quickly agreed.
The silver-haired old man then turned to Perfected Tianjing and the unfamiliar old man beside him, relaying Han Li's words.
Perfected Tianjing had long recognized Han Li, and upon seeing the twenty-odd tiger-demon giant turtle puppets at his side, his face was naturally full of astonishment.
At this moment, he waved at Han Li with a smile while conversing with the silver-haired old man.
As for the deeply wrinkled old man, upon hearing the name Han Li, he regarded him with an expression of surprise, studying him more closely.
Though he was a hermit Nascent Soul powerhouse who had secluded himself for many years, paying no heed to worldly affairs, Han Li's reputation had grown far too resounding of late. Besides, he happened to be the junior martial brother of one of his closest friends. It was only natural that he felt some curiosity. But on the surface, he merely gave Han Li a faint, indifferent nod.
As for Ancestor Linghu and the white-robed woman, though they too had considerable fame, they had no acquaintance with the group across from them. So though they knew Han Li was transmitting his voice, they let him communicate with the other three as he pleased.