Han Li heard the little prince's voice and his expression shifted slightly, paling a touch.
But as he slowly turned around, his composure returned to normal. There was no trace of panic whatsoever. Instead, a cold smile hung at the corner of his lips as he regarded the Black Evil Sect members and the bald Foundation Establishment cultivator with an icy gaze.
Han Li's calm demeanor also steadied the four Friends of Meng Mountain. Their hearts settled somewhat. After exchanging glances, they flew unerringly behind Han Li, forming a standoff against the Black Evil Sect forces.
"It's you! Aren't you that man from the Qin family? You're a Foundation Establishment cultivator?"
The little prince recognized Han Li's face, his eyes filling with utter astonishment. The gaunt man standing at his side said nothing, but his gaze was equally full of surprise.
Only the bald brute stared fixedly at Han Li, a grave expression surfacing on his face. He suddenly spoke up: "Be careful. This man is a mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator — a full level above me. I'm afraid we'll need to set up the Black Wind Formation to capture him."
Hearing this, the little prince showed no concern. Instead, he asked with a hint of pleasant surprise: "Lord Blood Attendant! If that's the case, wouldn't offering this man's blood sacrifice to the Sect Master for his cultivation yield even better results?"
The brute let out a hoarse laugh and replied: "Of course. The few Foundation Establishment cultivators we caught before were all at the early stage. This one's blood essence is definitely superior to theirs!"
Receiving this confirmation from the bald brute, the little prince cast a greedy glance back at Han Li and suddenly burst into hearty laughter.
"Good, very good! Whatever your purpose or background may be, don't expect to leave this place alive today."
"Set up the Black Wind Formation — attack!"
After his laughter died, the little prince's face turned cold and he barked the order sharply.
Immediately, the black-robed figures drew enormous black-as-ink banners from their persons and flew swiftly to surround Han Li. They then began waving their banners without delay.
"Just focus on defense. Leave everything else to me," Han Li said flatly to the four Friends of Meng Mountain. The moment he finished speaking, his figure blurred and he vanished from where he stood.
"Watch out!"
The bald brute saw Han Li disappear and his expression changed drastically as he shouted — but he was already a beat too late.
Han Li's form flickered into existence behind one of the black-robed men and vanished again in the same instant. The flag-waving cultivator froze mid-motion, standing rooted in place. Then, without any warning, his head rolled off his neck. Blood fountained several feet from the headless corpse before it collapsed to the ground.
And at that very moment, the last syllable of the bald brute's shout had just left his lips.
The scene sent a chill through the other flag-bearers. Before they could even figure out what to do, Han Li's silhouette materialized behind yet another man and disappeared just as quickly. This one's head dropped to the ground as well.
Now the remaining black-robed cultivators dared not hesitate. They all stopped waving their black banners and conjured colorful protective barriers and various defensive artifacts.
But in that blinking instant, two more black-robed men who hadn't managed to activate their defenses in time fell victim to Han Li's ruthless strikes, their corpses sprawling on the spot.
"You little — you're asking for death!"
The bald brute's eyes blazed with a dark crimson glow. With a low growl, he erupted with blood-colored radiance and lunged straight at Han Li at an inconceivable speed.
Han Li calmly watched the brute, wreathed in a crimson sphere of light, come barreling toward him. He then glanced at the black-robed men, all shielded behind their protective barriers and watching him with horrified eyes. Without a moment's hesitation, he flickered and reappeared beside the four Friends of Meng Mountain, several dozen zhang away.
The brute's charge hit empty air. He let out a bestial roar, then immediately pivoted and surged toward Han Li's new position — still without summoning a single artifact.
Seeing this, the second eldest among the four Friends of Meng Mountain seized the opportunity. He raised his hand, and a three-edged thorn wreathed in green light shot silently toward the brute's face.
The bald brute saw the artifact flying at him, but a savage grin spread across his face. Not only did he not slow down, he charged straight into it head-on.