Chapter 1099: Ambush in the Dark

"Delays lead to changes. Who knows what might happen later? Better to take a risk and try now..."

Han Li pondered briefly, then decided not to wait any longer and immediately seize the white fire pearl.

He raised his hand and beckoned, and a small silver flame figure emerged in his palm—the Essence Fire Bird.

This little creature shared a spiritual connection with Han Li and understood his intentions without words. With a flash of silver light, it transformed into a sheet of silver flame, enveloping Han Li's entire body.

Han Li felt the layer of flame armor on his body and glanced at his right arm.

At this moment, his right arm was also covered in a layer of flame, but unlike the silver flames elsewhere, it was multicolored—the concentrated power of all the Seven-Colored Fire Cinnabar transformed into flame.

Once ready, Han Li's form flickered slightly, and he charged into the altar, surrounded by surging silver flames.

The moment he entered the altar, the crimson flames, which had seemed to weaken by a third, suddenly surged violently, becoming even fiercer than before.

Han Li felt an unbearable scorching heat from all over his body. Not only his flesh and skin, but even his bones and meridians felt as if they were being roasted directly over a fire.

At the same time, it seemed as though a sea of fire had ignited within his sea of consciousness, tormenting his very soul. In a daze, Han Li felt as if he could even smell the odor of burning flesh.

He quickly steadied his mind, fully activating his Spirit Refining Technique and the Heavenly Fiend Celestial Art to elevate both his divine sense and physical body to their peak states. Only then did the unbearable sensation subside somewhat.

At this point, the Essence Fire Bird on him also began to fully utilize its abilities, for once restraining its urge to devour these flames and instead using its own flame power to repel the flames that were even somewhat lethal to Han Li.

Even so, Han Li's situation was far from easy.

The white fire pearl and the cluster of golden flames were at the very center of the altar, where the flames were most intense. Han Li, already struggling at the edge of the flames, had to venture deeper.

His brows were tightly furrowed, his teeth clenched, and his face was twisted in pain. Sweat continuously evaporated from his body, emitting white steam with a sizzling sound.

He advanced step by step, his raised arm stretched straight, fingers forming a claw reaching toward the white fire pearl at the center.

Just then, a gust of wind blew at the palace entrance, and a figure flashed inside.

Han Li's divine sense detected the newcomer, and his brows furrowed even more. It was none other than Xiong Shan.

"Xiong Shan..." Han Li couldn't speak at the moment, so he transmitted his voice.

"Don't mind me, Fellow Daoist Han. I'm just here to watch the excitement. I won't do anything foolish," Xiong Shan quickly waved his hand and explained loudly.

"Watching is fine, but as I said before, don't do anything unnecessary." Han Li had no time to be distracted and warned him before falling silent.

If Xiong Shan made any unusual move, Han Li was confident he could kill him within two or three breaths.

Xiong Shan said nothing, simply standing obediently at the entrance without taking another step forward.

The temperature of the crimson flames in the altar was extremely high. Although Han Li's right arm was protected by the multicolored flames, the burning force still made him frown, with veins bulging on his forehead.

As his hand approached the white fire pearl, a white shadow suddenly flashed within the pearl's center, resembling a talisman pattern or a wisp of flame spirit.

After it flashed, white flames surged from the fire pearl, forming a white light barrier around it that blocked Han Li's hand.

When Han Li's palm pressed against the light barrier, he was immediately enveloped by a strange force. The two flames seemed to merge and counteract, leaving him stuck in an awkward position, unable to advance or retreat.

Just as he was about to use his true spirit bloodline to forcefully break through the white flame barrier with external force, a sudden change occurred.

Xiong Shan, standing at the entrance, suddenly changed expression and raised his hand to wave forward.

A sharp sound of something breaking through the air rang out!

A silver token shot out from his hand, instantly flying to the edge of the altar. The talisman patterns engraved on its surface shone brightly, and countless silver threads burst forth, emitting powerful spatial fluctuations.

Although Han Li sensed the change behind him, it was not easy to withdraw now. He had to force the Essence Fire Bird to peel off from his body and endure the altar flames with his physical body alone to break free from the white light barrier.

The raging flames surged around him. Han Li felt as if his internal organs were being scorched, relying solely on his powerful physique to endure as he turned and flew out of the altar.

But just as he turned around, he saw a fiery red figure within the silver light, as if tearing through the void from somewhere, raising a hand with fingers like a knife, stabbing toward his heart.

The newcomer wore a sinister grin—it was none other than Qi Mozi.

Han Li's expression changed drastically. He quickly reversed the true wheel within him, his form blurring as he tried to move away, but a torch burning with golden flames had already appeared before him, freezing him in place.

Without any hesitation, Qi Mozi flashed forward, thrusting his hand straight through Han Li's heart.

Seeing this, he did not stop. He twisted his arm violently, shredding Han Li's entire chest, then withdrew his hand and grabbed Han Li by the neck.

"You little bastard, you can't escape this time, can you?" Qi Mozi sneered and shouted.

Having failed to gain the upper hand in their previous encounters, his hatred for Han Li was deep. Now that he had finally captured Han Li, he felt immense satisfaction.

Han Li's chest was torn open with a large hole. He seemed drained of all vitality, his body limp in Qi Mozi's grip, the light in his eyes quickly dimming.

Seeing this, Qi Mozi's eyes flickered with doubt. Just as he was about to smash Han Li's skull and extract his nascent soul, his expression suddenly changed.

The Han Li in his hand suddenly emitted a layer of white light. His clothes instantly decayed to ash, and his body rapidly transformed into a white puppet.

The puppet was made entirely of white beast bones, covered with various mysterious talismans—it was the substitute puppet Han Li had obtained from Dongfang Bai.

"A substitute puppet..." Qi Mozi immediately recognized it.

As his words fell, Han Li's figure suddenly appeared in the void behind him. Around him, the five manifestations of time law, including the True Word Wheel, all emerged to counter Qi Mozi's golden torch.

A flash of light appeared between his brows, and a crystalline sword shot out, vanishing in an instant.

Before Qi Mozi could react, the divine sense sword had already pierced his brow, flashing into his sea of consciousness and wreaking havoc.

Qi Mozi's divine sense was disrupted, throwing him into chaos.

Han Li stepped forward, his Heavenly Fiend Celestial Art operating at full speed. He raised his fist and slammed it into Qi Mozi's chest, sending him flying with blood spraying from his mouth, crashing into the altar.

All of this, though lengthy to describe, happened in the blink of an eye.

By the time Xiong Shan wanted to help, Qi Mozi had already fallen into the altar, instantly engulfed by the flames and swept into the air.

Han Li had no time to pursue. Seeing the altar flames disturbed by Qi Mozi, he flashed into the altar again.

The Essence Fire Bird, which had been struggling with the altar flames, immediately pounced over and re-covered him with a layer of flame armor.

Han Li fully activated the Heavenly Fiend Celestial Art and simultaneously stimulated his true spirit bloodline. His body swelled, transforming into a three-headed, six-armed divine demon form.

His manifested true dragon right claw, covered in a layer of multicolored flames, reached out blindly. The claw tips directly pierced the light barrier around the white fire pearl, grabbed it, and pulled it back.

A thunderous boom echoed!

With the white fire pearl leaving the altar, the entire altar array could no longer be maintained, and the erupting flames rapidly shrank.

"Ha!"

An angry roar came from above. Qi Mozi, his face full of fury, descended straight down, flying toward Han Li.

But the moment Han Li withdrew from the altar, a ring of silver lightning surrounded him, forming a silver lightning array. With a crackling sound, he vanished instantly.

Qi Mozi missed his target and crashed heavily into the ground, causing the entire altar to shake violently, with spiderweb cracks appearing on its surface.

He slowly stood up from the ground, his broad hands hanging at his sides, clenched into fists that creaked.

Xiong Shan hesitated for a long time before stepping forward, cupping his fists in salute, and said cautiously:

"Your subordinate is incompetent and failed to distinguish the fake. Please punish me, sir."

Qi Mozi's expression changed several times. After a long silence, he sighed softly.

"It's not your fault. This kind of substitute puppet comes from the inner sect of the Hundred Creations Mountain. Its intricacies are such that even I find it hard to distinguish. Blame only that cunning Han Li. He must have been on guard against this ever since you started following him." After sighing, Qi Mozi said.

"I was careless too. I've already died once at his hands, yet I still haven't learned." Xiong Shan sighed.

"I don't know if it's an illusion, but compared to our last encounter, he seems much stronger. Such an opponent is truly terrifying..." Qi Mozi raised an eyebrow and said slowly.

But as he spoke, his gaze was somewhat unfocused, as if he were speaking to Xiong Shan or to himself.

After saying this, his expression hardened. He rubbed his still sore brow, feeling a sense of fatigue.

Then, his gaze shifted to the remaining cluster of golden flames on the altar, and his expression finally relaxed slightly. He said:

"Enough, time is tight. Let's release those things first..."