Chapter 740: Agreement |
"Go!" Weeping Soul suddenly yelled, then swept a hand through the air, conjuring up a dark red light barrier that transformed into a spirit domain, which enveloped both herself and Han Li.
Han Li instantly felt as if he had been isolated from the Gray Realm, and he no longer felt oppressed by the ever-present baleful qi as he sprang back and descended toward the karmic fire crater with Weeping Soul.
"The karmic fire will have far less of an impact on you in my spirit domain, but you still have to keep your guard up, Master," Weeping Soul cautioned.
As soon as her voice trailed off, a dark shadow suddenly appeared overhead, and it was none other than Su Liu, who was swooping down at them with his ax and mace brandished.
A string of metallic clangs rang out as the metal ball in the cavity in his chest revolved incessantly, and the runes on its surface were also flashing erratically, while a ball of black karmic fire was burning inside it.
A series of black patterns appeared over his body, and bursts of black flames erupted out of the chains on his body like blooming black lotus flowers.
Han Li summoned his Azure Bamboo Cloudswarm Sword with a flick of his wrist upon seeing this, and a layer of golden scales appeared over his arms as his muscles bulged.
He gripped onto the hilt of his sword with both hands, then stepped forward through the air before slashing his sword diagonally upward.
A resounding boom rang out as the scorching black flames surging out of Su Liu's ax clashed against the golden lightning from Han Li's sword, sending countless arcs of golden lightning and specks of karmic fire flying in all directions.
However, another deafening boom then instantly rang out as Su Liu swung his mace down upon Han Li as well, and this blow was even more powerful than the one delivered with the ax.
Even though Han Li was fighting with all his might to withstand the barrage, he was still sent flying like a cannonball, plummeting straight into the karmic fire crater, followed closely by Weeping Soul.
"You're not getting away!" Gui Mu roared.
However, Han Li and Weeping Soul were rapidly gliding along the bottom of the fiery crater, using their momentum to fly toward the karmic fire passageway on the other side.
Even though Han Li had been plunged back into the karmic fire, the experience didn't feel as grueling as he was insulated within Weeping Soul's spirit domain.
That was quite reassuring to him, and he began to channel his Spirit Refinement Technique. The Infernal Soul Bug had caused significant damage to his spiritual sense, and even though it had been temporarily suppressed, he still didn't dare to get complacent.
In the blink of an eye, Gui Mu appeared above the karmic fire crater, then reached down with one hand, and tendrils of black light instantly began to spread rapidly over his hand like a series of vines.
Countless branches split off from these vines to form a dense and uniform black net, which extended into the fiery crater before swooping down upon Han Li's duo.
At the same time, the Infernal Servants and puppets had also arrived above the fiery crater, and all of them lashed out in unison with their weapons.
As soon as the black net entered the karmic fire crater, its speed instantly increased by severalfold, and it began to close itself around Han Li and Weeping Soul at an astonishing speed.
Right at this moment, Han Li flipped a hand over to produce a green gourd, then thrust the palm of his other hand into the underside of the gourd.
A layer of green light instantly surfaced over the gourd, as did countless tiny runes, and it released a burst of formidable law power fluctuations that forced back all of the karmic fire within a radius of several dozen feet.
A sharp clang rang out as a streak of radiant golden swordlight erupted out of the mouth of the gourd, slicing a wide gash through the karmic fire before crashing into the giant black net.
The black net shuddered violently, and it swelled drastically in the face of the vast expanse of golden lightning and violent sword qi, looking as if it were about to be torn apart at any moment.
The attacks unleashed by the Infernal Servants and puppets were also eradicated by the oncoming blast of force.
A cold sneer appeared on Gui Mu's face upon seeing thi, and he instantly appeared directly in front of Han Li's duo, following which his hand disintegrated into a cloud of gray mist that enveloped the entirety of the black net.
At this point, the net was on the verge of collapse, but it seemed to have suddenly received an injection of power, and it began to slowly close in around Han Li and Weeping Soul like a cage.
At the same time, a thin and long black branch wrapped itself around the Azure Bamboo Cloudswarm Sword, then forcibly dragged it toward Gui Mu.
"Don't let him take your sword, Master! Elder Gui Mu has mastered the laws of ghost vines, and the venom on his vines can tarnish immortal treasures and turn them into Gray Realm treasures!" Weeping Soul hurriedly warned, following which a pair of bright red chains re-emerged from his hands before hurtling toward the oncoming Su Liu.
Drops of black liquid were seeping out of the black net, giving off a decaying odor much like that of the rotten mud dug out of a swamp.
The black liquid dripped down onto Han Li's Azure Bamboo Cloudswarm Sword, and the sword immediately began to tremble and buzz, while arcs of golden lightning sprang out of its surface.
To Han Li's shock and dismay, he could see that a series of stark white marks had appeared on the blade of the sword, and he hurriedly attempted to summon it back to himself, only to discover that his connection with his flying sword had somehow been impeded.
"This is quite a fine sword, and it seems to be part of a set. How about you show me the full set?" Gui Mu remarked as he took a glance at the other Azure Bamboo Cloudswarm Sword in Han Li's hand.
Han Li's brows furrowed slightly as he raised the green gourd once again before thrusting a palm into its underside, and a streak of green light flew out of its mouth, wrapping itself around the sword that had been ensnared by the ghost vines before attempting to pull it back.
"Is that a Profound Heavenly Gourd? You sure have a lot of fine treasures up your sleeve. Seeing as you're being so kind as to offer them all up to me, I'll gladly accept," Gui Mu chuckled as several ghost vines shot out of the black net before extending toward the Profound Heavenly Gourd and the other Azure Bamboo Cloudswarm Sword.
Right at this moment, a strange sound suddenly rang out from the mouth of the gourd, following which a streak of dark green light shot out in a flash, severing the oncoming ghostly vines upon contact.
The ghost vines wrapped around the Azure Bamboo Cloudswarm Sword were also severed, allowing Han Li to recover the sword before storing it back into the gourd.
"Destruction law powers! No wonder Yin Gua specified to me so many times to spare your life, you're absolutely full of surprises!" Gui Mu exclaimed with a stunned expression.
Right at this moment, Weeping Soul clashed against Su Liu before flying back to Han Li's side, and her brows were tightly furrowed as she said, "Master, these puppets have no souls, so my powers are very limited in their effectiveness against them. On top of that, Gui Mu is a Great Encompassment cultivator, so at the very most, I'll only be able to hold him off for you for a while, but you won't be able to go to the Soul Cleansing Area."
A hesitant look appeared on Han Li's face upon hearing this. In the face of a Great Encompassment cultivator, he had no chances of winning, even with his time law powers.
Right at this moment, Mo Guang's voice suddenly rang out in his mind.
"Let me come out, Fellow Daoist Han!"
"What are you planning to do, Fellow Daoist Mo Guang?" Han Li asked with a puzzled expression.
"This body doesn't belong to me, so my soul and body aren't very cohesive with each other, and as a result, I was somewhat suppressed by Weeping Soul's abilities, which led to my defeat, but I won't be so inept against Gui Mu. As long as you're willing to fulfill a condition of mine, I'm willing to put my life on the line and fight for you," Mo Guang replied.
"You want me to dissolve our Heavenly Devil Contract, right?" Han Li asked as his brows furrowed slightly.
"That's right. I have no chance of victory against Gui Mu, but I should be able to hold him off for fifteen minutes. If I die within that time, then so be it, but if I survive, then all ties between us will be severed. What do you say?" Mo Guang proposed.
Han Li considered the proposal for a moment, then replied, "Alright, you have yourself a deal."
He swept a sleeve through the air as he spoke, and Mo Guang flew out amid a flash of silver light.
The usual nonchalant look in his eyes had been replaced with a serious and focused expression, one that felt very alien to Han Li.
"Get out of here, I'll take him on," Mo Guang said to Han Li and Weeping Soul as he stared intently at Gui Mu.
"Such insolence from a mere High Zenith cultivator! Looks like I'll just have to crush you first," Gui Mu chuckled coldly as he flew directly toward Mo Guang, who took a deep breath before suddenly letting loose a resounding roar.
Radiant silver light appeared within his eyes, and a series of strange patterns began to surface over his glabella and his face. At the same time, baleful qi billowed out from under his robes, and his aura swelled all the way to the late-High Zenith Stage.
When did he get to the late-High Zenith Stage? Han Li thought to himself with a stunned expression.
Mo Guang swept a sleeve through the air, and the karmic fire down below rose up as if it had been summoned, transforming into a giant fiery tornado that swept directly toward Gui Mu, while Mo Guang made a chopping motion to the side with his other hand.
A burst of black light erupted out of his fingertips before gliding through the air, slicing an opening into the black net up ahead, and Han Li hesitated momentarily, then cupped his fist in a parting salute toward Mo Guang before rushing toward the karmic fire passageway with Weeping Soul.