Chapter 1027: Hot on the Heels

Soul-Devouring Beast had kept her eyes shut, her hands tightly clutching Han Li, and only now did she barely open them.

"Master, are you alright?" Soul-Devouring Beast asked, her expression changing as she saw Han Li panting.

"It's nothing, just a bit drained... That guy is catching up." Han Li waved a hand, then his expression shifted as he looked in a certain direction.

"He really does have some skills. Not in vain have I waited so long."

The golden flame in the distance flickered and vanished, and Qimozi flew out from it. He looked at Han Li, rubbed his hands together, and said with a smile.

In his hand, he held a short axe gleaming with black light; it seemed that the black streak from before had been slashed by this axe.

Being stared at by Qimozi like this, Han Li inexplicably felt as if his entire body was being seen through.

He quickly activated the law of time, letting it flow through his body in an instant, barely managing to block that feeling of being seen through.

"Who exactly are you, sir? We haven't met before, have we?" Han Li took a deep breath, intending to probe this man's background, and asked.

"Tsk tsk, those two fellows, Re Huo and Chi Rong, didn't they show you my image? I am Qimozi. I believe you've heard that name. I won't waste words—hand over the 'Great Five Elements Illusion World Art,' and I'll spare your life." A flicker of fervor shone in Qimozi's eyes as he walked forward slowly, speaking.

"The 'Great Five Elements Illusion World Art'? What is that? A cultivation art?" Han Li's heart trembled, but his face remained expressionless.

"Hmph! You really are as Chi Rong's message said—a very dishonest lad! But it doesn't matter if you don't admit it. Once I extract your soul and search it, I'll know." Qimozi sneered, then lunged forward.

Golden light flared at Han Li's feet, and he quickly shot backward.

"Master, don't carry me anymore. Let me down. Go all out against this man; I can take care of myself." Soul-Devouring Beast's beautiful eyes flickered as she spoke.

Han Li remained unmoved.

"Heh heh, you sure know how to cherish the fairer sex. But don't worry, I never kill women. I only want your soul!" Qimozi laughed heartily, and a layer of black flame appeared on the short axe in his hand as he slashed through the air.

A black streak several times brighter and wider than before shot out, slashing toward Han Li. It was nearly twice as fast as before and, in a flash, reached within a few zhang of Han Li.

The void within a hundred zhang of the black streak shattered like glass, and spatial fissures emerged one after another, spreading outward.

Han Li's expression turned grave. With a low roar, he quickly activated the Truthful Speech Wheel.

Countless golden ripples spread out, instantly covering an area of several hundred zhang and enveloping the black streak.

The black streak immediately stopped, but the golden ripple zone also trembled violently several times before barely stabilizing.

"Oh? You've actually cultivated the 'Truthful Speech Wheel Sutra' to this level." Qimozi showed surprise but didn't pay it much heed. He raised the black short axe again, about to strike once more.

At that moment, golden light blazed from Han Li's body once more, and a golden domain whooshed open, covering an area of several li around.

Enveloped by the golden domain, Qimozi's movements instantly slowed by more than tenfold.

Han Li simultaneously activated the Truthful Speech Wheel and the time domain, rapidly consuming his immortal spiritual power, but he paid it no mind. He waved his hands repeatedly.

The next moment, over a dozen golden lightning trees shot out from his sleeve, condensed with a whir, and landed around him, forming a circle. These were the Lightning Restraint Trees.

Dazzling golden lightning bolts flew out from the dozen or so Lightning Restraint Trees, intertwining with each other.

Seeing this, Qimozi seemed to think of something. The golden flame on his body blazed intensely, then whooshed outward, instantly forming a golden flame domain covering an area of dozens of li.

Enveloped by the golden flame domain, Han Li's body immediately felt heavy, and his speed slowed by tenfold as well, but he still stubbornly formed hand seals to activate the Lightning Restraint Tree Array.

The lightning array quickly filled out, on the verge of completion.

Qimozi let out an angry roar. Golden light flashed before him, and the golden torch appeared.

Rings of flame spiritual light spread from the golden torch, freezing everything in their path. The flame spiritual light spread extremely fast, almost instantly covering Han Li and the other.

Han Li and the lightning array around him immediately came to a halt, frozen in place. Even the Truthful Speech Wheel and the golden ripples around it solidified, completely suppressed.

Qimozi's expression relaxed. The short axe in his hand blazed with black light, and a pitch-black streak of axe light shot out, slashing at the golden ripples around Han Li.

With a crack, the golden ripples shattered like fragile porcelain.

The axe light didn't stop at all, slashing straight toward Han Li himself.

At that moment, light flickered around Han Li's body. On his left appeared a golden jade bottle containing half a bottle of translucent golden liquid, shimmering with faint spiritual light. On his right appeared a golden hourglass, within which countless golden sand grains drifted.

Before him appeared a torch burning with golden flame, and behind him appeared a golden sapling.

The golden light emitted by the five time artifacts resonated with each other, as if in harmony. The time patterns on them lit up one after another, and a powerful, complete wave of time law rippled outward.

Fifty time law crystal threads detached from the Truthful Speech Wheel and other objects, shooting out. They connected end to end, forming a golden ring that spun rapidly, emitting a devouring force.

Qimozi's severed time-fire realm suddenly trembled, and streaks of flame spiritual light shot out, vanishing into the golden ring.

"What!" Qimozi's face showed surprise.

Han Li immediately recovered, and the surrounding lightning array also regained its vitality.

He quickly formed hand seals with both hands, and the golden lightning array's electric arcs flashed, instantly fully coalescing into shape.

"Go!" Han Li immediately urged with his spell incantation.

Rumble!

Blinding golden electric light bloomed from the Wood-Imprisoning Lightning Array, enveloping Han Li and Ti Hun.

As the golden electric arcs darted about, the void also fluctuated violently, rippling like water waves that spread outward.

Sensing this, Qimozi's eyes widened abruptly, his face filled with rage, and the black short axe in his hand blazed with light.

With a rumble, the short axe instantly expanded tenfold, turning into a pitch-black giant axe.

A violent surge of law fluctuations erupted from the giant axe, and as black light flickered, the nearby void began to collapse.

Qimozi grasped the giant axe with both hands and swung it fiercely at the lightning array.

With a thunderous crash!

A massive black streak, a full li wide and ten li long, swept out in a wild slash, shattering the void wherever it passed, and spatial vortices emerged one after another, sweeping across thousands of li.

The sky instantly turned pitch-black, clusters of dark clouds emerged, and a fierce wind howled.

But Qimozi's strike was clearly too late!

The black axe's momentum was immense, but the lightning array moved even faster.

With a thunderous crack, the figures of Han Li and Ti Hun vanished without a trace in the lightning light.

The black streak then swept in, instantly tearing apart the lightning array, and the dozen or so Wood-Imprisoning Trees were also completely shattered.

Qimozi's face darkened. After a cold snort, he put away the black axe and closed his eyes to sense.

After a full meal's time, he opened his eyes, his expression as gloomy as a cold pool, but then it returned to calm.

"Hehe, the 'Great Illusionary Time Art' is indeed in your hands... Once this technique is cultivated to perfection, it actually has the ability to absorb all other temporal powers. Truly worthy of being the strongest time technique!" Qimozi's eyes blazed with fervent light as he chuckled.

As his words fell, he flicked his sleeve in a seemingly casual gesture, and his entire form transformed into a golden rainbow, flying off in the direction of the Gold Origin Immortal Palace.

...

Deep within the Gold Origin Mountain Range, countless miles away from the Gold Origin Immortal Palace.

Inside a towering golden mountain peak, a stone chamber several zhang in size had been carved out.

The stone walls of the chamber were inscribed with layers of spirit patterns, emitting multicolored light.

On the floor of the stone chamber, a golden lightning array was laid out, with over a dozen golden lightning trees planted around it, flashing with streaks of golden lightning.

Suddenly, the golden lightning array blazed brightly, and a thick golden pillar of light rose from it, shooting straight into the sky.

The various spirit patterns around the stone chamber immediately lit up, and several layers of restrictive light curtains emerged, covered with multicolored runes that all radiated waves of law power, firmly blocking the golden lightning pillar.

The golden pillar of light lasted for a few breaths before slowly dissipating, revealing two figures within—Han Li and Ti Hun.

"This is..." Ti Hun had now returned to normal and looked around with a surprised expression.

"Before I went to the Gold Origin Immortal Palace, I set up the Wood Binding Lightning Array here as a precaution. I never thought it would actually be used. This place is extremely far from the Gold Origin Immortal Palace; Qimozi's teleportation technique cannot find us here," Han Li said slowly, forming hand seals to retract the five time techniques around him.

As soon as he finished speaking, his brow furrowed, and his body swayed, dropping to one knee with a trace of blood at the corner of his mouth.

"Master, you're injured?" Ti Hun quickly supported Han Li, exclaiming in alarm.

"I was too focused on controlling the lightning array just now to spare any effort for defense, and the residual force of Qimozi's axe strike injured my internal organs," Han Li said, waving his hand and taking out an emerald-green pill to swallow.

"This Qimozi is indeed no simple character. If you hadn't prepared in advance, we would have been in big trouble... Your injuries seem serious; perhaps you should recover here first," Ti Hun said.

"The operation of the Wood Binding Lightning Array just now caused quite a commotion. Although I set up restrictions around it, it may still have attracted the attention of those with ulterior motives. It's better to leave here first," Han Li said, waving his hand to emit a burst of green light that retracted the lightning array on the ground.

From various places around the stone chamber, array flags flew out and fell into his hands.

Han Li waved his hand to put these items away and formed hand seals with both hands.

Streaks of golden lightning flew out from his body, coalescing around the two of them into another lightning array.

With a clap of thunder, their figures flickered with golden lightning and vanished once again.