Han Li felt a bitter taste in his mouth. He never expected that despite all his caution and prudence, he would still be ambushed — and in the worst possible scenario, outnumbered and facing multiple opponents alone.
The place where he currently stood was known in the sect's records as the "One-Line Sky" — a stretch of terrain so treacherous that, unless one flew on a magical artifact, this single narrow path was the only route leading to the central area.
On either side of the path loomed sheer, towering peaks. Even someone like Han Li, who possessed mundane martial arts skills and was no stranger to lightness techniques, wouldn't dare attempt to scale them.
As for flying directly over the peaks on a magical artifact — that was out of the question. It would be outright suicide, making oneself an open target for attack. Unless absolutely necessary, no disciple from any sect would do something so foolish! The tragic experiences of their predecessors had made this painfully clear: flying on artifacts was strictly forbidden within the forbidden zone. Those who violated this rule ended up nothing more than corpses.
When Han Li first entered this area, he had hesitated for a good while, but ultimately didn't dare take the shortcut and fly over the peaks. He had no choice but to obediently follow the path and make his way forward on foot.
Of course, given the dangers of this place, Han Li had been on the highest alert, keeping his nerves taut every step of the way. And yet, just as he emerged from the passageway — before he could even let out a breath of relief, without the slightest warning — these two had cut off his escape routes both front and rear.
Seeing the menacing expression on the bearded man's face, Han Li knew that any attempt at talking his way out would be useless. First, he cast a defensive water barrier around himself, then summoned his Flying Sky Shield, and clutched in his hands the magical artifact "Gold Silkworm Parent-Child Blades" along with "Earth Cage Technique," one of his few remaining Elementary High-Grade talismans.
The bearded man and his companion watched Han Li's every move with cold eyes, showing no intention whatsoever of stopping him or launching a preemptive attack. Both appeared brimming with confidence, certain they had more than enough to deal with Han Li — which was why they were so composed.
This was hardly surprising. The man behind him alone was already at the peak of the twelfth layer, to say nothing of the bearded man who cultivated at the thirteenth layer. Facing Han Li, a mere eleventh-layer rookie, they naturally felt they had the matter entirely in hand — a trivial affair.
Han Li licked his slightly dry lips and let out a cold, silent laugh. Since his opponents were being this overconfident, he would naturally make the most of it.
Without showing any change in expression, Han Li shifted his position to one side, forming a triangular arrangement with the two men so he wouldn't have to defend against attacks from both front and back. Sure enough, neither of them seized the opportunity to attack.
Facing the most powerful enemies he had encountered since entering the world of immortal cultivation, Han Li didn't feel particularly afraid.
After all, while he had done his best to avoid direct confrontations with others, that didn't mean he had no confidence in himself. Han Li assessed that although his magical power fell considerably short, making a drawn-out battle unfavorable, the top-grade magical artifacts and talisman treasures he carried were more than enough to make up for the difference.
And if things truly got desperate, he could always deploy the "Heavenly Thunder Stone" to eliminate one of them — that would be as easy as anything.
Whether he was willing to use it, however, was another matter entirely.
However, Han Li was somewhat puzzled as to why the bearded man and the person from Heavenly Pass Fortress hadn't been fighting each other but had instead joined forces. That would be perfectly normal for fellow disciples of the same sect — but these two clearly weren't from the same sect.
"Kid, you've got some nerve! Back outside the forbidden zone, you dared to mock me and flirt with that wench. Now hand over your life as penance!" the bearded man snarled viciously.
Then he turned his head and addressed the man from Heavenly Pass Fortress: "Brother Yan, this kid has a grudge with me. Leave him to me — I want to give him a proper welcome. I'll teach him that the cultivation world isn't somewhere you can just muddle through! Next time he offends someone, he should learn to watch who he's messing with!"
The man from Heavenly Pass Fortress shrugged his shoulders and said nonchalantly: "Suit yourself. I'll keep watch from the side. But don't go capsizing in a ditch like last time, or you'll owe me another life-saving favor!"
"Haha, that was definitely just an accident! To deal with this rookie, half my strength will be more than enough!" The bearded man flushed red at first, then curled his lip dismissively.