Han Li's five fingers pinched with perfect precision. The instant that wisp of green light flickered, it was enveloped by the purple flames at his fingertips.
But all he felt was a soft give at his fingertips as an enormous force surged from the green flame, violently flinging all five fingers back with a powerful rebound.
Startled, Han Li reacted in the span of a thought. His palm reversed and grabbed at the empty air, the purple flames sweeping downward.
The radiance surged, and the green flame was enveloped within the purple glow.
Han Li's arm remained perfectly still. The purple flames on his five fingers blazed brilliantly as the green and purple lights intertwined and shifted — now dim, now bright.
After holding this for a quarter of an hour, Han Li exhaled softly. With a casual flick, he drew his five fingers away, and the purple flames vanished without a trace.
He then looked at the still brilliantly glowing dot of green flame, a bitter smile appearing on his face.
This strange lamp flame was far more stubborn than he had anticipated. Although the Purple Extreme Fire could contend with it, actually refining it was apparently beyond his reach.
With that thought, Han Li pondered for a moment, then raised his hand and lightly pointed a finger at the flying sword before him.
A deep rumble of thunder erupted, and a blinding golden arc burst from the flying sword.
The instant the lightning arc appeared, it exploded, transforming into countless fine golden threads that descended upon the green flame.
But the green light flickered, and those golden threads were absorbed entirely by the bean-sized flame, like a clay ox plunging into the sea. Immediately, the radiance swelled, and the green flame expanded to the size of an egg.
At this sight, blue light flickered like piercing needles in the depths of Han Li's pupils as he stared at the green flame that had consumed the golden arc, his expression shifting between dark and light.
Motionless for an indeterminate time, Han Li finally exhaled softly, and the blue glow in his eyes faded away. But a look of hesitation appeared on his face.
After a moment, however, he shook his head — his mind was made up. Opening his mouth, he inhaled toward the flying sword, and the purple flames on the blade instantly condensed into a wisp of purple thread that was drawn into his mouth, leaving not a trace behind.
Without the Purple Extreme Fire's suppression, the green flame on the sword surged violently, engulfing the entire flying sword. Han Li, whose consciousness was linked to the sword, grunted as a flash of green crossed his face, betraying a hint of pain.
But he had no time to mind the discomfort. His ten fingers flicked rapidly toward the sword, and with flashes of green light, over a dozen sword qi blasts shot forth.
Just as with the golden arc formed by the Evil-Warding Divine Thunder, the moment the green sword qi touched the green lamp flame, it was all absorbed and reduced to nothing.
Yet Han Li seemed not to notice. The spiritual power within his body circulated without pause, and sword qi after sword qi flew toward the green flame like moths diving into fire.
His magical power was being consumed at a dizzying rate.
With each absorption, the green flame grew stronger, as if nourished by the influx.
Before long, it had swelled into a dazzling green fireball, blazing ferociously before Han Li.
By then, more than a third of Han Li's magical power had been spent.
Yet looking at the massive fireball before him, Han Li actually smiled.
He stopped the sword qi and waved his hand toward the flying sword within the fireball.
With a soft whoosh, the Green Bamboo Bee Cloud Sword shot skyward out of the green flame with ease, circled once, and flew back into his hand.
Han Li lowered his head to look. The flying sword in his palm was suffused with a hazy green glow, exquisitely crystalline, with not a trace of the green flame remaining. A smile appeared on his face.
"As expected! Although this flame is incredibly mystical, it can only absorb a limited amount of spiritual power. It took in too much Green Origin sword qi, making it susceptible to manipulation." Han Li murmured with a smile.
Then he brought both palms together. With a flash of light, the sword sank into his palm and vanished.
Only then did Han Li turn his attention to the green fireball before him. With a light tap of his finger, a wisp of spiritual sense bored into its core.
The green fireball trembled, then slowly began to rotate, its green light flickering between bright and dim.
Han Li raised his eyebrows and urged it with his spiritual will.
The fireball began to wobble, but it took a long while before it lurched sideways about ten feet, trailing an unsteady, crooked path.
Seeing this, Han Li stroked his chin in contemplation.
This green flame was tremendously powerful — to simply discard it would be a waste. Although he could barely control it at the moment thanks to the large amount of Green Origin sword qi it had absorbed, it was clearly beyond his ability to wield with any finesse, owing to the incompatibility of their cultivation techniques. After all, this was a flame he had not personally refined, making it difficult to command as freely as the Qianlan Ice Flame or the Purple Extreme Fire.
Han Li's brows knitted tightly as he stared at the green fireball, lost in thought. Suddenly, he extended one hand and pressed it against the storage pouch at his waist.
With a flash of white light, a small section of rib as white as jade and a pale yellow bottle appeared in his hand simultaneously.
They were none other than the jade slip containing the Profound Yin Scripture and the magical tool he had once used to absorb the spirit essences of demon beasts.