Within the fireball, a spirit bird resembling a blazing phoenix flickered in and out of view amid the flames.
Inside the yellow sphere of light, meanwhile, was an ugly, ball-like demon beast covered in rough, hardened earth-yellow hide, wrinkled and bulky as though clad in a layer of thick armor. Squeezed out from the middle of its enormously fat body was a pointed mouse-like head and a long, thin tail, making it look like some mutated giant rat.
"What kind of demon beast is this? So bizarre. But it has roughly seventh-level cultivation as well — no, wait, this beast seems to have flown in from beyond the mountain." Han Li was surprised and somewhat baffled.
"That is an Earth Armored Dragon — a very rare type of demon beast, famous for its extraordinary defense and its knack for locating rare natural treasures. This is a windfall!" Grand Diligence Divine Monarch exclaimed with delight.
"So it's this spirit beast? No wonder it looked somewhat familiar." Han Li's expression cleared with sudden understanding.
In the very instant Han Li spoke, the two demon beasts dove one after another toward the white mist filling the valley below. Their target was none other than the Rainbow Garment Grass.
Having already dealt with one encounter, Han Li flipped his palm and a green-glowing formation disc appeared in his hand. He slapped it down swiftly. The disc blazed with spiritual light as several outermost restrictions flashed simultaneously, allowing the Hao Yang Bird — the first to plunge downward — to pass right through into the formation. But when the Armored Rat Dragon in the yellow sphere anxiously followed close behind, several restrictions materialized once more, blocking the creature outside the formation for the moment.
The Earth Armored Dragon was naturally both alarmed and furious. Its entire body swelled dramatically amid flickers of yellow light until it reached a height of seven or eight zhang. Its limbs, head, and tail all retracted into its body, and layer after layer of grayish-white stone armor appeared on its surface, transforming the beast into a perfectly round flesh-and-stone cannonball that slammed violently into the restrictions.
With a thunderous boom, a single strike shattered the two outermost restrictions. The yellow glow paused briefly, then hurtled toward the remaining barriers.
That momentary delay was all Han Li needed to subdue the Hao Yang Bird.
The bird had charged through the restrictions and flapped its wings several times, sending volleys of scarlet flames scattering in every direction, dispersing most of the mist below. Beneath the thinning fog, a gorgeous peach orchard in full pink bloom was revealed. The bird's luminous eyes flashed, and it immediately spotted Han Li standing beneath a peach tree, as well as the Rainbow Garment Grass on the red coral branch, radiating its peculiar scent.
Though the bird's spiritual intellect was not yet fully developed, Han Li made no effort to conceal his mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivation, and the sight of it filled the spirit bird with instinctive dread. It circled once at low altitude, not daring to land directly — yet the lure of the Rainbow Garment Grass was simply too great, and the bird could not bring itself to leave.
But while the bird hesitated, Han Li raised his hand expressionlessly and shot out a black talisman. With a flash of dark light, the jade talisman transformed into a pair of black-red ghostly claws that lunged at the Hao Yang Bird.
The Hao Yang Bird was startled. Without a moment's thought it spread its wings, and more than thirty fist-sized fireballs burst from its feathers, hurtling toward the ghostly claws.
A series of explosions rang out as black light and blazing flame intertwined in a dazzling display, managing for a time to keep the ghostly claws at bay.
Seeing this, Han Li murmured a quiet "oh" under his breath, but his hands were already forming a seal. Behind him, his silver wings blazed to life.
A peal of thunder — and Han Li vanished from where he stood without a trace. An instant later, amid a flicker of silver light, his figure materialized several zhang above the bird's head. His face cold and stern, he rubbed his palms together and then thrust all ten fingers outward simultaneously.
Two thick arcs of golden lightning sprang from his palms, detonated in midair, and expanded into a massive net of electricity that descended over the bird.
The Hao Yang Bird had been fully occupied contending with the black ghostly claws. Caught completely off guard, it was enveloped by the golden lightning net before it could react.
The bird panicked. It shook its body, and a shower of fire feathers detached and shot toward the net as a dense hail of crimson radiance.
Immediately the net erupted with deafening blasts that rumbled without cease.
But a cold gleam flashed in Han Li's eyes. He flicked his wrist and uttered a single word: "Constrict."
The net of lightning arcs flickered violently, then contracted with sudden, irresistible force, heedless of the fiery onslaught. In a blaze of golden light, the desperately struggling Hao Yang Bird was bound tight by lightning arcs as thick as a thumb, immobilized completely. It could do nothing but emit shrill, agonized cries.
A flash of satisfaction crossed Han Li's face — and at that very moment, a tremendous boom erupted from directly overhead.
Han Li's expression shifted and he snapped his gaze upward. The final layer of restrictions above him had been smashed to pieces by the Earth Armored Dragon. These hastily arranged restrictions, set up with formation flags and discs, were simply too flimsy against a seventh-level demon beast.
Yet when the Earth Armored Dragon — having reformed from its massive stone-ball shape back into its original form — burst into the white mist and saw the Hao Yang Bird bound tight by the thick golden arcs together with Han Li, its pair of small emerald eyes spun rapidly, displaying an almost human expression of shock.
Han Li noticed this and felt a stir of interest — the Earth Armored Dragon's spiritual intelligence seemed remarkably high.
Just then, the Earth Armored Dragon swept its gaze across the Rainbow Garment Grass on the ground, a glint of cunning flickering in its eyes. Its body flashed with yellow light, and it plummeted straight toward the earth.
"Stop it! It knows the Earth Escape Technique — once it touches the ground, it'll sink straight in and vanish," Grand Diligence Divine Monarch warned urgently.
"Don't worry. I've already made arrangements." Seeing the beast's move, Han Li merely smiled faintly and replied without the slightest hurry.