The demon soul had not expected that the colossal sword was a Golden Lightning Bamboo treasure, and it was caught off guard.
However, with its bizarre escape speed, a flash of black light and its body appeared over ten zhang away. The giant sword naturally slashed empty air.
Once the demon halted, its expression darkened abruptly. Its four palms rubbed together, and two more black light spheres materialized.
The black light flickered, and the two spheres transformed into two black light lances that hummed loudly.
The demon bit the tip of its tongue with its fangs, and with two wet sounds, it spat out two mouthfuls of vital blood that struck the black lances.
Instantly, the two light lances shuddered and turned blood-red.
Having spat out its vital blood, the demon soul's two heads simultaneously showed a hint of weakness. It seemed this technique had cost it a considerable amount of its vital essence.
The azure giant sword appeared once more above the demon soul's head and slashed downward.
This time, the demon soul didn't waste a word—its four arms swept outward. The two blood lances in its hands were hurled simultaneously at the giant sword.
A flash of blood-colored light vanished in an instant, followed by two deafening booms.
Golden arcs of light blazed wildly, yet the two light lances, under the assault of the Evil-Averting Divine Lightning, did not disintegrate. They struck solidly against the body of the giant sword.
As a result, the giant sword let out a long, mournful wail and was sent flying several zhang away, tumbling over several times. At the same time, the spiritual light across its surface flickered violently before dimming dramatically.
Far away, Han Li—who was directing the giant sword—turned ashen red in the face, but after a quick flash of azure energy across his features, his expression returned to normal.
His consciousness was linked to the giant sword, and with the weapon's spirit taking its first real blow, he naturally suffered some backlash. Fortunately, his spiritual sense was truly formidable, and this amount of damage could not significantly affect him.
But Han Li dared not delay any longer. He pointed a finger toward the distance.
The giant sword hummed once, then split apart into dozens of azure streaks that shot back toward Han Li.
"You wish to leave? Leave these flying swords behind first!" The moment the demon soul saw the flying swords retreating, it let out a sharp shout. It then beckoned toward the two blood-red lances, and with a flash of light, the lances instantly transformed into two massive blood-colored hands that howled as they gave chase.
Since it had seen Han Li rashly release so many Golden Lightning Bamboo treasures, the demon soul naturally refused to let him simply recall them.
The demon soul itself also spun around, demonic qi surging out in torrents, then transformed into a mass of dark clouds that hurtled after them at breakneck speed.
Seeing this, Han Li was secretly delighted, but his face betrayed no emotion—he looked perfectly composed.
The silver-haired old man beside him, however, was growing restless. He flipped his hand and produced a small yellow-hazed sword, wanting to lend Han Li a hand.
"Senior Brother Cheng, there's no need for you to act. Once the demon is trapped, it won't be too late for you to strike!" Before the old man could send the flying sword forth, Han Li's voice transmission reached his ears.
The silver-haired old man froze upon hearing this. After scanning his surroundings and coming to a realization, he immediately halted his movements, his mind greatly at ease.
By now, the blood-colored hands in the distance were clearly moving much faster than the swarm of flying swords. The azure sword light had only traveled a short distance before both hands caught up from behind.
Seeing the two blood hands suddenly swell to several times their size and reach down to seize the flying swords by brute force, Han Li calmly and unhurriedly shifted the hand seals he was forming.
The previously scattered flying swords let out a clear ring, suddenly linking their spiritual power into one, then merging into a swath of azure radiance that tore through the sky.
Their escape speed instantly doubled.
The two blood-colored hands naturally grasped nothing but air. The azure flying swords shot all the way back above Han Li's head, circling there in an unsteady orbit.
Behind them, the demon soul inside the dark clouds was seething with fury. The opponent's maneuver just now had a distinctly mocking quality to it.
With an expression grim as iron, the demon soul beckoned toward the blood-colored hands. Two streaks of blood light flew back, whirled around, and two blood-colored long sabers landed in its hands.
A piercing shriek erupted from the demon soul's mouth, and demon qi over ten zhang wide rolled toward Han Li without the slightest warning. The demon's body flickered and vanished into the demonic mist, concealing its form.
Seeing the demon qi bearing down on him, Han Li couldn't help but furrow his brows, but he raised both hands. Golden arcs of lightning immediately shot outward along his arms, forming a net of electricity that intercepted the vast mass of demonic qi. A pair of blue-gleaming eyes darted left and right in a calm sweep.
But in the next instant, a flicker of surprise crossed Han Li's face.
The surroundings were completely empty—there was no trace of the demon soul. He looked up at the sky with a sudden snap of his head, but it was equally vacant.
Han Li froze for a moment, stroked his chin, but then his expression shifted as something came to mind. He grabbed the silver-haired old man's arm and, without a word, turned into a streak of azure rainbow that shot backward.
At that very moment, two beams of blood light shot skyward from where Han Li had been standing an instant ago. Then the demon soul materialized a few zhang below, its two heads equally showing a look of surprise.
It had been completely certain this ambush would succeed.
Han Li cursed inwardly at the demon soul's insidious cunning—attacking from below to catch them both off guard. If his reaction hadn't been fast enough, even with his Spirit Eye ability he'd have nearly been cleaved in two. He didn't believe for a moment that the tri-colored insect armor beneath his azure robe and the thin layer of protective spiritual light around his body could truly block those blade strikes.
The silver-haired old man beside him was drenched in cold sweat, his face equally drained with lingering fear.
The demon soul stood in place, studying Han Li's stricken expression. Its eyes shifted several times before it let out a sinister laugh, its body flickering as it transformed into another streak of black light that shot forward.