When the bearded man saw Han Li casting yet another talisman at him, he wasn't particularly worried. The wood-attribute barrier he had up was astonishingly powerful — ordinary attacks weren't even worth his attention.
Besides, since the other guy was just a rookie with eleven layers of cultivation, he didn't believe the fellow could possibly carry any high-powered talismans. At best, it would be a mid-grade basic one.
So he continued walking forward nonchalantly, opening the mouth of his pouch as though he were about to release something.
But when he was unexpectedly trapped in place by a yellow barrier of light and recognized it as the "Earth Prison Technique," the bearded man's expression shifted slightly. Something felt off.
Just then, a bizarre green snake with a pair of purple fleshy wings shot out of his pouch. The moment it appeared, it let out several harsh squawks and began violently ramming itself against the yellow barrier, making it tremble without cease. Its strength was considerable.
Seeing this, the bearded man felt a glimmer of hope. He removed another pouch, intending to release a second spirit beast so they could smash through the Earth Prison together. He was confident it wouldn't take long to break free!
Once he was out, he'd pull the boy's ribs out one by one to satisfy his rage.
Han Li paid no attention to the trapped enemy. Instead, his figure blurred as he dashed toward the man from Tianque Fortress. His movement was so fast that he flickered in and out of visibility, even leaving a trail of afterimages — a thoroughly ghostly display.
At the same time, his hand lightly tapped the storage pouch at his waist, and the "Gold Cicada Mother-Child Blades" were suddenly swapped for another not-so-large artifact, which he gripped tightly.
By now, the man from Tianque Fortress had finally snapped out of his pleasant daydream. The moment he laid eyes on this bizarre scene, his face changed drastically. He scrambled backward, flipping his palm to produce a talisman paper.
Han Li was still at least eight or nine zhang away, which gave the man some relief — there was enough time to activate the talisman.
But before he could even channel his spiritual power into it, he watched in astonishment as the charging Han Li gave him a mysterious smile, then casually raised one hand and waved it in his direction, as relaxed as greeting an old friend. At the same time, he felt a faint itch on his neck, as if a mosquito had bitten him.
The man from Tianque Fortress froze, still not understanding the other's intent, when the world began to spin. Then his vision went black, and he lost consciousness.
"Brother Yan!"
The bearded man from Spirit Beast Mountain, standing on the other side, had his eyes wide open and had witnessed everything clearly. He couldn't help but cry out.
He had watched with his own eyes as Han Li dashed to within several zhang of his friend, simply waved a hand, and his lifelong companion's head tilted to the side before rolling onto the ground, completely severed. The headless body stumbled back a few steps before collapsing, spurting a fountain of blood several feet high.
The bearded man felt ice flood through his limbs, a chill crawling up his spine.
The method his opponent used to kill his friend was too eerie! How could he kill from a distance like that? He had seen it clearly — the fellow hadn't used any magical technique whatsoever.
"Kid, when I get out of here, I'll carve you up piece by piece!" Cold sweat was already seeping from his brow, and he was filled with the dread of seeing his own fate reflected in his friend's death. But the bearded man forced himself to put on a fierce, demonic scowl, stubbornly holding his ground.
In reality, though, he had already made up his mind — the moment he broke free from the Earth Prison, he would flee immediately. A gentleman's revenge is never too late!
This kid was far too sinister — not only did he have a high-grade Earth Prison Technique talisman, but he could also kill without leaving a trace. He was simply not worth tangling with! Avenging his friend was important, but his own life mattered far more.
The seemingly ferocious bearded man turned out to be a coward who bullied the weak and feared the strong! What an unexpected twist!
Han Li, of course, had no idea what the man was thinking. He only saw that the bearded man had released another beast resembling a pangolin, which joined the strange snake in furiously attacking the yellow barrier. The man himself had also summoned a pair of iron rod-like artifacts, helping the two beasts pound away at the barrier, making it flicker between bright and dim.
It seemed the Earth Prison Technique wouldn't hold for much longer!
Realizing this, Han Li immediately took out the talisman weapon "Golden Light Brick," held it up before his eyes with one hand, and stared at it intently, focusing his mind to activate it. Using ordinary artifacts made him too nervous! The opponent was, after all, a thirteenth-layer expert — if one blow wasn't enough to finish him, there would be serious trouble once he broke free! He still remembered how grueling that battle with "Senior Brother Lu" had been, and Lu had only been at the twelfth layer!