Half a day later, at the site of a massive sand dune on the surface, a deafening boom suddenly erupted as though the sky were collapsing and the earth splitting apart.
The triangular structure atop the dune instantly shattered apart.
Amid a shower of flying debris, a huge mass of roiling green flame burst outward, circled low through the air, and prepared to shoot off into the distance.
Within the green flame, a deer-headed demon beast could faintly be heard growling continuously.
The creature was drenched in strange crimson blood, its body riddled with wounds, and one of its original four claws was conspicuously missing.
But in that very instant, a blinding streak of silver light shot upward from below like lightning, circling rapidly around the enormous demon beast within the green flame.
A pained roar immediately echoed out!
The green flame surged and transformed into a beam of green light that shot toward the horizon, vanishing from sight in the blink of an eye.
In the empty air above, apart from a spray of crimson blood, a half-crystalline purple horn came tumbling down, landing on the nearby sand with a muffled thud and sinking several feet deep — it appeared to be extraordinarily heavy.
At this moment, a figure slowly emerged from a large crater revealed by the explosion of the triangular structure, hovering momentarily in the air.
The figure wore a long cyan robe and had an extraordinarily youthful face — it was none other than Han Li himself!
Han Li glanced toward the direction where the beast had vanished, then shook his head. He lowered his gaze to the pool of beast blood on the ground, and upon seeing the half-purple horn embedded deep in the sand, a half-amused expression flickered across his face.
He raised his arm and made a grabbing motion toward the ground, releasing an invisible force.
With a whoosh!
The half-horn immediately flew up from the ground and landed lightly in Han Li's hand, as though it weighed nothing at all.
Han Li swept his spiritual sense over the purple horn, a flash of satisfaction crossing his eyes. But his expression changed almost immediately as he sensed something; with a flip of his palm, the broken horn vanished.
The next moment, a figure flickered within the same crater from which Han Li had emerged, and an elegant silhouette flew out — it was the purple-haired woman of the Bai family.
Upon seeing Han Li, she immediately offered a faint smile and parted her lips to ask: "Brother Han, did you manage to catch up to that demon beast? It doesn't matter if you couldn't — the five of us have already dealt it a grievous blow. It shouldn't dare come near this mineral vein again."
"Fairy, rest assured. When the beast fled, I managed to land another sword strike on it. Combined with the earlier injuries, it will need several hundred years of recuperation before it can recover." Han Li pointed at the pool of crimson blood and replied calmly.
"If that's truly the case, that's wonderful. This trouble is settled, then. Let us return to my brother and the others, and discuss what comes next." The purple-haired woman glanced at the sand where Han Li had pointed, delight showing on her face, before she suddenly remembered something.
"Very well, let's head down." Han Li had no objections and nodded before drifting down into the crater.
The purple-haired woman looked at the pool of blood, considered for a moment, then lightly patted the air with her slender hand.
With a crack!
A massive pit appeared in the sandy ground, and a large swathe of sand surged in, sweeping all the beast blood into it and burying it completely.
Only then did the purple-haired woman feel completely at ease, and she followed Han Li down into the crater.
Several hours later, in the cavern where the fierce battle had previously taken place, Han Li, the purple-haired woman, and the yellow-haired giant along with two other Demon Venerables gathered together, deliberating on something.
Among them, Sovereign Luan Long and the yellow-haired giant had dimmed eyes and slightly pale complexions, seemingly having lost some vital essence. Han Qizi, on the other hand, showed only his eyes through his mask — they were cold as ever, their spiritual brilliance as abundant as before.
"Fairy Futian! From what you've said, that demon spirit is most likely the spirit that formed from this mineral vein. If that is the case, the demon spirit will not leave this vein. Otherwise, what awaits it is only slow, inevitable dissolution." Sovereign Luan Long's fleshy face quivered as his small eyes blinked several times.
"That demon spirit killed six of our Bai family's Void Refining disciples in the span of a moment. Its rank must be quite high. It may even already have the ability to leave this place and act independently." The purple-haired woman said, though she was not entirely certain.
"That is true. Even with our intervention, we couldn't hope to kill six Void Refining beings so quickly. What does Brother Bai plan to do next?" Sovereign Luan Long nodded thoughtfully and posed the question in return.
"Although the demon beast has been severely wounded and driven off, with that demon spirit still present, this mineral vein cannot be properly mined. I'm afraid I will need to call upon the help of all three of you, fellow Daoists. Otherwise, relying solely on myself and Fifth Sister, I have little confidence in resolving this demon spirit." The yellow-haired giant said openly.
Hearing this, Sovereign Luan Long and Han Qizi exchanged a glance. After a momentary frown, Sovereign Luan Long spoke slowly: "Brother Bai, I'm afraid that wouldn't be appropriate. What we agreed to beforehand was merely to deal with that late-stage Demon Venerable beast. This demon spirit was not part of our original agreement. Moreover, this demon spirit is so peculiar that even Fellow Daoist Futian nearly fell victim to it — its danger level may well exceed that of the beast we fought earlier. Besides, this operation has already exposed us to considerable risk due to this demon spirit's interference. Otherwise, I would not necessarily have suffered such a loss."
Sovereign Luan Long gave a light cough, looking as though he had no desire to take any further risks.