However, the immortal puppet, at the very instant the black-robed youth's five fingers closed in to seize it, suddenly released a swirl of yin-cold aura from its body while simultaneously shifting sideways. After a brief blur, it materialized in the void some dozen zhang away.
The pseudo-immortal puppet then straightened into a standing position, its eyes flickering with a faint golden light as it fixed its gaze upon the black-robed youth. In an icy voice, it spoke, word by word: "Very well. You actually dare to strike. This Spirit King has no choice but to borrow this immortal puppet's body to fight you."
The pseudo-immortal puppet had actually been possessed and controlled by another wisp of the Spirit King's consciousness.
Upon seeing this, Han Li and his two companions were inwardly overjoyed.
Although this wisp of the Spirit King's consciousness was not on their side, at this moment it was an unquestionable ally of immense power.
Sovereign Yuan Yan's expression darkened. He slowly retracted his outstretched hand and replied in an indifferent tone: "You old ghost — I should have known you still had a trump card hidden away, to actually leave another wisp of refined soul in that junior of the Spirit Clan. But do you really think that with nothing more than a shoddy pseudo-immortal puppet, you can contend with this Sovereign? I need only use a mere twenty percent of my magical power to crush you."
"Perhaps in any other place, this Spirit King might believe those words. But on Bitter Spirit Island, you would be lucky to muster even thirty or forty percent of your magical power. And while this pseudo-immortal puppet's body is far from fully restored, if I add this to the equation..." The Spirit King's rage-filled voice issued from the puppet's mouth. Then, with a flip of its palm, a small silver bottle appeared in its hand.
The bottle's surface was uneven, covered with faintly inscribed spirit runes the size of ants that glimmered with a soft silver light.
"Spirit-Sealing Bottle! You actually managed to replicate it. But what use is this against me?" The black-robed youth's expression flickered with surprise at the sight of the silver bottle, but he quickly sneered.
"The bottle itself is, of course, useless against you. But what it contains is more than enough to greatly enhance the pseudo-immortal puppet's powers." The puppet replied with a perfectly expressionless face, then abruptly tossed the bottle into the air.
The bottle spun end over end as it descended, various silver runes faintly materializing across its surface. Then, as a green light flickered at the bottle's mouth, a drop of liquid — vivid green and almost luminous — rolled out.
The liquid was translucent and entirely green, radiating spiritual energy of astonishing intensity, as though it were a concentration of heaven and earth's very essence condensed into physical form.
Watching the bottle from a distance, Han Li — the moment he sensed the familiar aura emanating from the green droplet — felt his pupils contract sharply, and his heart churned like a raging tempest.
"That aura — isn't it exactly that...? It's far fainter, but the aura is unmistakable..."
Setting aside Han Li's inner shock, the instant the black-robed youth caught sight of the green liquid, his expression changed drastically. The massive black sword in his hand blurred as it slashed out wildly — seven or eight crescent arcs of sword light screamed forth, merging in an instant into a single colossal beam that hurtled toward the pseudo-immortal puppet.
His other arm shot up like lightning, and one finger flicked outward.
With a sharp whistling sound, a streak of dark radiance flashed and vanished as it shot toward its target — the green droplet.
At such close range, both attacks arrived almost instantaneously.
But the pseudo-immortal puppet seemed to have anticipated this all along. Rather than dodging the colossal sword light, it flicked a finger straight at the dark streak and simultaneously tilted its head back, opening its mouth wide in a sharp inhale.
With a whoosh, a section of the puppet's finger detached from its palm and shot outward, striking the oncoming dark radiance with perfect accuracy.
The two met with a simultaneous flash, and the finger silently burst apart.
The dark radiance stuttered briefly in midair before revealing its true form.
A miniature pointed cone, entirely pitch-black and roughly an inch in length, faintly radiating threads of dark light — clearly no ordinary treasure.
But during this brief delay, the green droplet had already trembled and transformed into a thin green streak that shot downward, vanishing into the puppet's gaping mouth in a flash.
At that moment, the colossal sword light had arrived within arm's reach. It blurred once before erupting with a terrifying surge of energy as it detonated.
Wave after wave of indomitable black sword light surged forth in a crisscrossing torrent, instantly engulfing the pseudo-immortal puppet.
Given the terrifying power the Black Devil Dagger had displayed earlier, the pseudo-immortal puppet would likely be sliced to shreds in an instant.
But in the next moment, a cold snort rang out from within the pitch-black sword light, and a burst of emerald radiance suddenly blossomed forth.
Then, without the slightest warning, two enormous green hands emerged from the emerald glow, sweeping left and right to forcibly part the dense curtain of black sword light.
When the sword light struck the hands, the green glow merely flickered — and they withstood the blow as though it were nothing at all.