Just as Han Li was preparing to exchange blows with the ancient demon's soul fragment, daring to test whether the demon's injuries had fully recovered, the demon's expression shifted. He abruptly glanced behind him.
Han Li was startled, but immediately sensed something as well. He raised an eyebrow and looked in the same direction.
Moments later, spiritual light flickered on the distant horizon. Then, a streak of brilliant rainbow light suddenly appeared at the edge of the sky, hurtling towards them with a speed that startled even Han Li. Within the light, faint sounds of wind and thunder could be heard.
Seeing a cultivator approaching, the ancient demon's eyes flashed with a vicious glint. However, he suppressed the fierce look on his face, watching the incoming light with an expressionless gaze.
In what seemed like the blink of an eye, the rainbow light covered the short distance of twenty or thirty li and arrived nearby. The light flickered, and a man appeared some tens of zhang away—a monk with disheveled hair. In one hand, he held a crimson, bowl-shaped ritual vessel, and in the other, a green Buddhist staff several feet long. He glanced at Han Li and the ancient demon before him. Seeing how similar their faces looked, a flicker of doubt and suspicion crossed his eyes.
"I wonder which Fellow Daoist has just come from the exchange meeting. I have an important matter I wish to discuss with one of you," the monk said, his eyes darting around before his face broke into a broad smile.
Han Li's lips twitched slightly. He gave the man a sidelong glance and said nothing.
This monk was a mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivator. Both his cultivation level and the treasures in his hands seemed quite remarkable, which explained why he dared to chase after them alone. But Han Li knew perfectly well what the man was after and couldn't be bothered with him.
Opposite him, the ancient demon had his hands clasped behind his back, his head tilted towards the sky from the moment the monk appeared. He didn't spare the man a single glance, as if he were completely invisible.
Seeing Han Li and the ancient demon display such attitudes, the monk was furious in his heart. He had to know that since advancing to the Nascent Soul stage, even cultivators of the same rank treated him with great courtesy thanks to his Blood Flame Bowl and Coiling Dragon Staff. When had he ever been so disregarded?
However, Han Li and the ancient demon before him displayed mid-stage and early-stage Nascent Soul auras respectively, and their faces were so similar. Naturally, he assumed they were together. Facing both at once, while he didn't think he would definitely lose, his chances of winning wouldn't be high. Thus, despite his grim expression, he could only force down his anger for the moment, secretly plotting a vicious scheme to deal with them separately.
But before he could devise any good plan, more lights flashed from the direction he had come from. Three streaks of light of different colors appeared together and shot towards them in formation.
The monk stared blankly at this sight. He had prided himself on his unique movement technique, which allowed him to catch up to Han Li so quickly. He had no idea what special abilities these three possessed to arrive only slightly later despite their larger numbers. It seemed that hoarding the treasure alone was becoming unlikely. On the other hand, with their arrival, he wouldn't have to risk facing two cultivators by himself. In that regard, it wasn't entirely a bad thing.
With this thought, a sinister expression surfaced on the monk's face, and he began to sweep a cold, predatory gaze over Han Li and the ancient demon.
As if sensing the monk's hostile stare, the ancient demon, who had been gazing skyward, suddenly lowered his head. His eyes scanned the approaching lights, and a look of annoyance appeared on his face.
"What a nuisance. I thought only this one was causing trouble, but so many come seeking death. If that's the case, I'll send you on your way first!" After delivering these cold words, black light flickered across the ancient demon's body. He transformed into a streak of black light and shot straight at the monk.
The monk cursed inwardly, "Seeking death!" Without a second thought, he flipped the bowl in his hand. A blood-red flame surged forth from it, forming a large curtain of fire that shielded him. Simultaneously, he raised his other hand, and the green Buddhist staff flew out, transforming into a green jade dragon that charged directly to meet the black light.
Seeing the jade dragon spewing green breath as it fiercely clawed towards the black light that was the ancient demon, the black light trembled and abruptly vanished mid-flight.
The monk was an experienced fighter. Seeing this, his heart lurched. Without pausing to think, he quickly formed a series of hand seals, firing several blue-green spell seals into the surrounding curtain of fire. The flames instantly surged several times higher, transforming into a swirling vortex of blue-red fire dozens of zhang tall, its momentum awe-inspiring.
Still not reassured, the monk slapped his waist, intending to draw out another defensive treasure.
But in that very instant, a drastic change occurred!
A few zhang to the monk's side, the black light flashed. Two arms, entirely a dark purple hue, shot out from within like lightning, plunging straight into the curtain of fire without showing the slightest fear.
"Ah!"
The monk's heart turned to ice at the sight. Before he could react further, he let out a shout, his mouth opening wide. A vast golden glow sprayed forth, solidifying in the blink of an eye into a light shield that blocked his front. At the same time, his body flickered, attempting to dodge to the side.
*Crack.*
The golden light shield shattered like paper under the strike of the two demonic claws. Just as the monk's body flickered, two holes were simultaneously punched through his Dantian. Then, the two demonic arms savagely tore apart in opposite directions, and his entire body was ripped in two. Internal organs and torrents of blood rained down from mid-air.
A small, crimson Nascent Soul let out a mournful cry. Riding a golden flying sword, it flickered and teleported over twenty zhang away from the mangled remains.