The several cultivators who had been furious at their companion's abrupt departure found that the curses on their lips had vanished without a trace. After exchanging a few glances, they could all see a flicker of fear in each other's eyes.
Moments ago, despite being in an extremely disadvantageous position, their hearts had held nothing more than mild frustration — there hadn't really been any cause for alarm. They had all assumed that even if they couldn't defeat these mechanical puppets, fleeing through the air would be child's play!
But now, the fate of that would-be escapee had shattered their pleasant dreams! That person had been wrapped in so many protective spells and had even been clutching a defensive magical tool, yet none of it had managed to withstand that beam of light in the slightest — how could that not send chills down their spines?
And the more a cultivator like them who had reached Foundation Establishment cherished their own life, the more terrified they were of dying! They had worked so hard to live longer than ordinary mortals, and perhaps even longer still — how could they bear to die so easily?
Still, that terrifyingly thick beam of light had been far too fearsome!
Had it been aimed at their shields instead of the fleeing cultivator, they honestly weren't sure any of them could have survived it.
The more these cultivators thought about it, the more panicked they became! An overwhelming urge to retreat surged within them.
But even if they wanted to withdraw now, their opponent wouldn't easily let up while holding the upper hand! They were caught in a dilemma — unable to advance or retreat.
High above their heads, concealed within a mass of clouds, Han Li had also broken into a cold sweat from witnessing the devastating power of that supercharged beam! He became even more reluctant to reveal himself.
But he wasn't willing to leave just yet either.
Relying on the exceptional speed of the newly acquired Divine Wind Boat, he figured that even if he were discovered, he would still have time to escape. So he remained hovering in the air, watching everything unfold!
However, the blue-and-red cloud that Han Li's magical tool had transformed into, just hanging there above the cultivators and puppets, was really quite conspicuous! Fortunately, when Han Li had activated the flying tool, he had raised the small boat to an extreme altitude — well over a hundred zhang from the ground.
Because of this, he still hadn't been detected by either the besieged cultivators or the person controlling the puppets from within the forest.
But Han Li knew this couldn't last forever. If he retracted the cloud, he would be completely exposed in the open sky.
Moreover, the top-grade magical tool "Green Fire Miasma," forged from two flood dragon eyes, not only had the remarkable effect of concealing his form and making it impossible to pinpoint his exact location, but the blue-and-red mist also contained residual essence liquid from the Ink Flood Dragon. Anyone who accidentally came into contact with the fog would become dizzy and groggy, slowly poisoned without even realizing it!
Such a wondrous defensive and offensive tool — how could Han Li casually give up using it?
In his urgency, Han Li suddenly noticed a gray wisp of low cloud drifting not far above him. His heart leaped with joy, and he immediately drifted toward it. In the end, he slipped directly into it along with his protective cloud of miasma.
Now, Han Li's presence was completely hidden!
Free of any worries, he could finally focus his attention on the battle unfolding on the ground.
It was clear that the devastating beam of light had instantly obliterated the confidence of those Foundation Establishment cultivators. Though they were still deploying various magical tools and putting up what appeared to be a spirited fight, to Han Li's eye their power was far less potent than at the start.
This was plainly a sign that each of them was harboring ulterior motives and no longer willing to fight in concert.
Han Li was silently shaking his head when a relatively senior cultivator inside the shield seemed to sense the dire situation and suddenly shouted toward the forest: "Do you really intend to slaughter us all? We are disciples from several sects in the Yuanwu Kingdom! Killing us would be equivalent to offending the entire Yuanwu Kingdom cultivation world in one stroke — aren't you afraid of bringing a death sentence upon yourself?"
"Heh heh! A death sentence?"
"If you'd said that before I killed that one who tried to fly away, I might have thought twice about it. But now that one person is already dead, offending one is the same as offending all. I might as well kill every last one of you — and who knows, maybe no one will ever find out about this!"