At that moment, Han Li held the veiled woman half in his embrace, his feet planted on the Divine Wind Boat as he hovered motionless in the air. Dong Xuan'er stood before him, her body enveloped in a brilliant multicolored radiance.
"Sister Dong, must we resort to this?" Han Li sighed softly, a note of helplessness in his voice.
"Han Li, if you want to get past me, you'll need to surpass my abilities! I've always been curious—what exactly are your skills that my master, Red Crane, insists I must marry you?" Dong Xuan'er said, her expression devoid of emotion. A sliver of cold light flashed in her eyes as she looked at the veiled woman who had fainted who-knew-when in Han Li's arms.
"Besides, this person is a Foundation Establishment cultivator of the Masked Moon Sect. Do you really think I would let you take her away so easily?" Dong Xuan'er's delicate brows gradually arched upward as a murderous aura surfaced on her face.
Since the conversation had reached this point, Han Li no longer planned to appeal to old ties or waste words.
After all, the simple illusion array he had hastily set up with array flags wouldn't be able to trap the Ghost Spirit Sect Young Master and his companion for long.
With this thought, Han Li's expression darkened.
"In that case, Miss Dong, don't blame me for showing no mercy!"
Having said this, Han Li let out a shout, raising one hand as two streaks of black light and five of white light shot out simultaneously. A tortoiseshell artifact materialized before him, forming a shield. Immediately after, four puppet beasts appeared on either side of his body, opening their gaping maws to spit out four beams of light as thick as bowls.
It was clear that from the very first move, he intended to fight with his full strength, showing not a shred of chivalry toward a woman.
Upon seeing the ferocity of Han Li's attack, Dong Xuan'er's expression changed drastically.
But then, gritting her silver teeth, she raised one slender hand and summoned a pink silk scarf. Her hands continuously emitted a red glow that merged with the scarf, forming a massive, shimmering red light barrier that enveloped her completely.
Dong Xuan'er was certain that even if Han Li's offensive was more ferocious, it could never break through this powerful shield formed by the "Fire Phoenix Scarf" fused with her demonic arts.
But just as Dong Xuan'er was brimming with confidence, the Divine Wind Boat beneath Han Li's feet flashed with white light. In a swift "whoosh," both man and artifact darted past Dong Xuan'er's side in a blur!
The menacing attacking artifacts also feigned their charge before immediately turning to follow the streak of white light as it fled.
Han Li hadn't exchanged a single blow; he had simply escaped directly.
This scene left Dong Xuan'er utterly stunned! She froze for a moment, then flushed bright red with fury!
But when the enraged Dong Xuan'er moved to chase after Han Li, the four beams of light from the puppet beasts had already arrived.
Thus, Dong Xuan'er had to wait for the light beams' assault to pass before hurriedly and clumsily dissipating her shield. By then, Han Li had long since steered the Divine Wind Boat into a distant black dot, on the verge of vanishing entirely.
Dong Xuan'er, of course, was unwilling to be so blatantly toyed with by Han Li. Relying on her own extraordinary escape technique and ignoring the four puppet beasts, she gave chase with all her might.
But after a short while, the black dot ahead flickered a few times and vanished without a trace.
With an angry expression, Dong Xuan'er searched the vicinity for a while but found no clues whatsoever.
Having no other choice, she had to admit she had lost track of Han Li. Dejected, she turned and retraced her steps back the way she had come.
...
Meanwhile, Han Li, still tightly holding the veiled woman, had hidden inside a mound of loose soil somewhere. Around him was a yellow light barrier that kept all the dirt at bay, and remarkably, he didn't feel any stuffiness—a truly wondrous effect.
Han Li himself hadn't expected that this low-grade talisman, the "Ground-Sinking Talisman," which he had crafted by hand, would actually prove useful one day. It seemed that carrying all his talismans with him had been the right decision after all.
A moment later, after sensing that Dong Xuan'er had departed from the sky above, he didn't reveal himself immediately. Instead, he cautiously used his spiritual sense to confirm her absence for a while longer before bursting out of the soil mound. Without hesitation, he mounted his artifact and flew away.
...
Several hours later, Han Li, carrying the veiled woman in both arms, appeared inside a dry tree hollow. The original owner of the hollow—a massive gray bear—had been unceremoniously dismembered by Han Li outside.
The moment Han Li laid the veiled woman on the ground, he reached out with concern and gently grasped her slender wrist, slowly channeling spiritual energy into her to check her pulse and assess her injuries.
But immediately, Han Li deeply regretted this rash action.
Because the moment his spiritual energy entered her body, a powerful suction force suddenly surged from within her. Han Li's spiritual energy poured out wildly, like a river breaching its dam.
In shock, Han Li tried to pull his hand away, but his palm seemed stuck to her wrist; he couldn't break free at all. Helplessly, his other hand hurried to assist, but unexpectedly, the moment it touched her body, it was also caught. In this way, the magical power within his body gushed out at double the speed.